November 11, 2025 • 22 mins
DCTF Editor-in-Chief Greg Tepper joins the show to talk all things football in the Lone Star State.
With HSFB finally arriving in the postseason, which defending champions have the best path towards repeating? Which storylines surprised Greg and Craig the most among the playoff contenders?
With HSFB finally arriving in the postseason, which defending champions have the best path towards repeating? Which storylines surprised Greg and Craig the most among the playoff contenders?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
By Justice above the fruit, the play.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Marick Man got study of the.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
And Crown.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I go with rum the Drum, Sea Shine. See.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
I've been grey Willie Nelson on this Veterans Day here
as we pay tribute to all of those who have
served our country. Of course we hear from Willie on
this Texan Tuesday, and we do that each week and
on Tuesday, of course, that means we welcome in the
editor in chief of Dave Campbells Texas Football magazine, Greg Tepper,
(00:54):
who I was told this the other day, you and
I are going to be here up on one of
the state championship telecasts.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Is that right, Ted?
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I believe that's correct. I believe it's the Thursday Morning
affair to a Division one. Uh I forgot that this
is an odd year and so they reversed the order.
But yes, two A division is the small fleming Ning plusification.
And I've got to tell you, Craig, I do not
I do not think there are two people in the world.
With all due respects to all the great guys that
(01:25):
we work with on the broadcast, I don't think there's
anybody in the world who is more suited to talk
about two schools with a combined enrollment of like two
hundred and forty. Even you and I I think I
think that is that is what we were put on
earth to do.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
And and you know what, I appreciate even more for
that consider the fact you graduate from a six.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
A high school.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Listen. That's That's the funny thing is that Top Hell
is one of, like I want to think it's one
of the top ten biggest schools in Texas. I mean,
we had actually snapshot Jayses just a week about a
week ago, and they turned in an enrollment you know,
right around four thousand and so. Yeah. But but what
can I say when you get down to those small
school players where you know you're gonna have the teams
(02:06):
run out of the tunnel and you can count them
on on you know, two hands, four hands. Uh, that's
a That's what I'm That's what I'm talking about. But yeah,
that would be a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Here's here's how you can tell when it's a small school.
When the entire football team can gather inside the inflatable
tunnel before they run onto the field.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
That's that's that's a sure sign there.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
And the other the other reason to bring this up
tap is we bump back with Willie Nelson? Of course
the native of Abbot is the biggest surprise going into
the playoffs that Abbot is not in the postseason this year?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Or is it just one of the biggest surprises.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, it's it's one of them. There. There's kind of
a list of teams that I think are are surprising. Now,
we thought that you know, and and and you know,
we thought that that Abbot may have it down year.
They graduated pretty heavy and and certainly, you know that's
es certainly in six man when we talk about graduating heavy,
we're talking about you know, losing you know, some times
upwards of eighty percent of your team in a given offseason.
(03:03):
So certainly there's that. But yeah, I mean, they're a
handful of teams that I think are surprising that that
didn't that didn't make the playoffs. You know, rock Wall
did not make the playoffs. There's a number of I
think big time programs that we are used to seeing
that are going to be sitting at home this this
you know in the postseason, you know, you know, Rockball
being one of them. Lank Assert missed the playoffs, right,
(03:24):
Beaumont Westbrook, who was up to such a fantastic start,
bands up missing the playoffs. Mansfield Summit missed the playoffs.
Henderson is out of the playoffs. It's a it's a
different crop, certainly. I just actually just posted on my
Twitter account there's about a nineteen percent churing rate this year.
About about five hundred and forty of the teams are
back after making the playoff last year. But we do
(03:46):
have one hundred and thirty four newcomers to the Texas
High School of wall playoffs, which should make for a
fun ride.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Absolutely, we'll get back to Icechoe man. Let me jump
to college and start with you there, because in the
day Campbell's Texas Football at PS Power Pole, there wasn't
a lot of shake up SMU moving up to five,
Houston moving up to six, TCU dropping there after blowing
that seventeen to six home leading against Iowa State, they
dropped down. And then it goes through the rest of
(04:15):
this What about your take on this state?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Now?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
And I know a lot of folks are pointing towards
A and M in Texas on Black Friday, but the
Larwers are going to have their hands full obviously going
to Athens, Georgia and playing the fifth rane Georgia Bulldogs.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right in Texas Tech.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
What did they answer the bell on Saturday and just
funked a really good BYuT.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, I think that what you're seeing there is kind
of a separation of the top few teams. Obviously what
A and M has been doing going up to Missouri
and having no problem with a wounded Missouri team and
really dismantling them in their own barn, and then obviously
what Texas is doing a huge game this week. But yeah,
I think when you take a look at the most
(04:55):
impressive results, Texas Tech has got to be up there.
I mean, that was a that's a big, big game, right,
That's one of the biggest home games they've have in
quite some time. And you always wonder, you know, are
they going to have summit for the fight, are they
going to come out the you know, nervous or flat?
That they came out like a house on fire. Offense,
you know, you know, I had trouble finishing drives, which
I think is something to keep an eye on down
(05:17):
the road. But as long as they're getting defensive performances
like that, I mean, they smothered BYU b YU and
never felt like they were threatening seriously offensively, and that
I think is a credit to what they've been able
to do to build I think that shield would the
defensive coordinator there at Texas Tech. If you remember, they
kind of posted him from Houston last year untilga and
(05:39):
brought him up to Lubock, and he has paid significant
dividends that yeah, we can talk about you know, all
of the playmakers that they've got there. They're starting to
rally behind Jacob Bradriguez is like a dark horse Heisman candidate,
and certainly he has been fantastic, But I do think
that you take a look at the coaching staff and
what shield Wood has done there as a defensive coordinator.
That's that's one of the best jobs in America right now,
(06:00):
is what he's doing, and it has them pois for
what could be a very special year. And I posted
this on Twitter kind of during that game, as things
were starting to get a little rowdy out there at
Tech and became more apparent that they were going to
pull away from BYU. I was saying, then, can you
imagine what a home playoff game for Texas Tech would
look like? And that you want to talk about in
(06:21):
an asylum there and in Lubbock. If they were to
get a home game, that could be something to watch
but obviously still work to do for the Red Raiders,
but an impressive most recent performance.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
You say asylum, I think it would be Looney Bins. If,
like many are projecting, still three weeks to go, that
it winds up being Texas playing in Lubbock.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I think that would be.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
That because now if you ask, if you ask long
warn fans, a lot of fans like, listen the team.
I think they'd sign up for that right now. If
you'd said, Okay, you don't have to worry about how
you're going to do against Georgia or A and M.
You're going to be in Lubbock to play in the playoff,
would they sign up? Probably?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
So, yeah, I think so. I think you just want
to have an opportunity to get to the dance and
that that I think is the name of the game
for Texas is getting to getting in the playoff.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Where it falls from there, you know, that's it. But
but you've got to you've got to have a ticket
to begin with. And if Texas can just find their way,
then you know, look, you you will deal with the
elements as they are presented at that point. But but
you know, if you're in Texas, you can't necessarily, uh,
let's go do this way. You cannot at this point
in the season, with how the season has gone. Uh,
(07:32):
you cannot necessarily complain about where or when or whom
you're playing. You just need to make sure that you're playing. Uh.
You know, for Texas, I think they kind of surrendered
that that right of of you know, being picky and choosy,
probably when they lost that game to Florida.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
The other two teams that it brings up quite a
bit of intrigue because I think TCU now has played
its way out of the Big Twelve chase. But the
other two teams that you can still speak in conversation
about possible championship game appearances are North Texas and SMU.
SMU's path they need some help when they got to win.
(08:12):
But the North Texas thing is really really funky when
you consider that North Texas, Navy, South Florida Two Lane,
and East Carolina all have just one conference loss, and
it's more the norm tap than the exception that there's
not a lot.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Of head to head between all those teams.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
That is, and that is the problem, if I can
get on my soapbox now with these with these super conferences,
is that it used to be that if everyone played everyone,
then great, you can you have an immediate tiebreaker, and
if we get to a third tiebreaker, we can deal
with that when we need it. But we have at
least that head to head. But the issue is you're
exactly right that with these super conferences, obviously you can't
(08:51):
go out there and you can't you know, put these
these these tiebreakers together, can't play everybody when they're sixteen
teams in the conference, and so now we're just kind
of projecting. We're having to use other measures here. And
so I think that's one of the real downsides here
is that you know, you go back to you know,
allow me to dust off my Dave Campbell's Texas Football
(09:11):
bona fides here, you go back in the Southwest Conference days,
who want played everyone and so it wasn't a problem.
We got to know you know who, you know, we
know who was playing woman and who was better than whom.
And so that to me is one of the real
shames here is that you're right, this is going to
be unnecessarily complicated in the American Now. I do think
that North Texas sets themselves up really well. Obviously, the
(09:34):
win over Navy is enormous. That's a really really big win.
They're going to be, in my opinion, pretty clear favorites
over the remainder of their teams. You know that they
play UAV, they play Rice, and they play Temple. They
are those are three teams that in my estimation, they
aren't better in. What they've got to vote for is
that they're kind of chaos around them. And if they
don't get caught in a situation where they are they
(09:54):
are on the wrong end of some funky tiebreaker of
three way teams that they are, they are at least,
at the very least one of the top two teams
to go into the AAC Championship game. So for North Texas,
all you can do is go out there and take
care of your business. They've got three games ahead of them,
all all of which I think are winnable, and if
they win those three games, it's hard to imagine a
(10:14):
situation where they're left out. But because of the kind
of state of the conference is, it can't be ruled out. Unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Here's my suggestion, if they wind up with a complicated tiebreakers,
they all show up at the toot and Totem in
playing view and flip coins.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Would you be on with that.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I've said this before and normally I talk about this
as far as like schemes are concerned, but high school
football really is a trickle up sport that this is
where we do all our innovating, this is where we
get our best ideas. And once again Texas high school
football has come through with just like, what if we
all just get together and flip a coin? That's good,
although we did have I don't know if you saw
(10:53):
there is another Texas high school football playoff game, and
it was it's Holly versus Holly is playing for Sam
and Hally and for Sam are playing in the Vin
District matchup. But they don't like they're not near each
other and stuff. They agreed to do their who would
be home and who would be a way played at
neutral site being played in Sweetwater, but they decided that
(11:16):
they would say, Okay, we'll decide home in a way
based on the final score of the Texas Tech BYU game.
If Texas Tech and BYU ends in a total of
odd numbers, and hally is the home team, and the
even numbers that is Foresam. That's that's again, we can
figure these things out. We don't have to over complicate
these things. Why don't we just pick one game and
just say, all right, you're on, you're even.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
You know what, that is almost as cool, almost as
cool as to Texas high school football teams and wind
up having to play a playoff game in Oklahoma because
it's it's closer to them both, you know, play a
playoff game for Texas high school football out of state,
and we see that normally pretty routinely.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Yeah, we don't have one this year. We don't have
an out of state playoff game in the first round
this year, but we do. You're exactly right, we'll have
a game in Oklahoma because it's just easier to cut
the corner if you're playing a Panhandle team versus let's
say a tax film the teams easier to cut the corner.
Or you'll have it in New Mexico. Sometimes same thing.
You guys in Panhandled playing team from you know, let's
say El Paso or kind of that, that greater far
(12:17):
far West Texas. Then yeah, you can cut it and
meet somewhere in car spaces or something. But Carl Bad
exactly right. You can buy some places, but that is
we don't have any of those. This year. All three
hundred and fifty two playoff games will be played continued
within the state Texas.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
All Right, a couple of things here. One I mentioned
this yesterday. I think it's just a fabulous story that
east Side Early College got into the playoffs for the
first time.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Is east Side Early College?
Speaker 3 (12:44):
And first time you said, Matt Stepp had researched it
said nineteen ninety one as the old Johnston High schools
the last time they've gotten the end. So I think
that's really cool. Now, if we're being realistic, obviously they're
playing Davenport so that their playoffs they may be only
the night.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
But I think that's cool.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
And then the other thing I mentioned about the most
surprising things about teams that didn't get in, is there
one other than say east Side that just just really
leaked off to the paye etch and said, wow, they
got in.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, I'll give you a couple. One of them is, well,
we'll talk really about Well, first of all, let's let's
talk about what happened with Dallas Lincoln if you missed this.
So Dallas Lincoln, they we knew they were getting into
the playoffs, but in order to win their district, they
had to win their game by ten points or more. Okay,
(13:38):
So they go and they're playing They're playing Carter in
their in their final game, and it goes.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
To overtime, and that's where Scott Van Pelt would would
step in and say, overtime is not the friend of
the trying to win by plus ten.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Right, correct, So imagine everyone's surprised when Dallas Lincoln gets
the ball first that they good unscore and then they
finished the game with an interception return for a touchdown
to win by thirteen points and get umber one seat.
So that was about as wild as you're going to see.
The other one that for me, and we knew Lincoln
(14:11):
was getting into playoffs, it was just going to be
a matter of where they were going to go. The
other one for me is the Caniper Rock Crushers, who
most recently relaunched their program last year. They had been
dormant for years. They played six van ball for the
first time and they are in the playoffs for the
first time. In program history. What a remarkable job there
(14:34):
for them to get in. But I think that you're right.
Austin east Side is really one of those fabulous stories
of I can't believe that they got in, especially literally
eighteen months ago, less than eighteen months ago, I was
on the phone of lalist the sayre writing a story
about teams with the longest losing streaks in Texas high
school football. And now they're dancing, and yeah, they're gonna
(14:55):
be underdogs in Davenport, but you know what, you got
taken to dance and strange things happen.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
True, all right.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
So Greg Tepper, editor in chief Tape Campill's Texas Football Magazine,
was all right, now, we normally do the meanest thing
we do, and I'm sure you'll do it to me
on Thursday. I'm going a different route with this instead
of having you choose between games, because listen, you've heard
me say this. I've said it on the TV show
we did together for years. I still say it all
the time. All playoff games are created equal. Now I'll
(15:23):
go Orwellian on you and say some games are a
little more equal than others, but all playoff games are
created equal, meaning that you win, you survive in advance,
you lose your seasons over. So with that in mind,
I'm about to rattle off not that I need to
for you, you know them all, but I'm going to rattle
off for those who don't remember the sixth or the
(15:46):
twelve defending state champions and ask you, first of all,
which school is most likely to repeat, which one is
least likely to repeat.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
So we're gonna start with that at.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Starting from the top six A Division one, North Crowley
six A Division two is vandergriff five A Division one
is Smithson Valley five. A Division two is Richmond Randall
four A D one defending state champions Sliana four A
Division two, Carthage three A Division one, Columbus three A
Division two, Gunner two A Division one, Gnado two A
Division two, Monster won A six man Division one, Gordon
(16:23):
one A six man.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Division two, Jaydon.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Which of those twelve state champions, first of all, is
most likely to repeat, Which is least likely to repeat?
Speaker 1 (16:34):
The most likely to repeat I think falls in two categories.
The answer is the Gordon Longhorns in one A Division one.
They are a runaway freight train. And I talked with
the coach earlier this week, and he said it would
be a surprise if Gordon played a second half in playoffs.
And what we're talking about there, if you don't know,
would be there's a forty five point mercy rule at
halftime in six man football. That means that think they're
(16:56):
going to beat everybody by forty five and twenty minutes
of football. It is they are a runaway for eight trade.
There is the clear and decisive favorite in one A
Division one, and that is, by the way, all due
respects to a Water Valley team that I think is
really good and has an opportunity, you know, in many,
many many other years to be a clear favorite in
the bracket, but Gordon looks like a runaway freight train.
(17:19):
The other one that I would say it would be
most likely, I might look at a team like Carthage,
And part of that is obviously the pedigree. They've got
eleven state championships and under Scott's are at these ten
and zero state championship games. But also I think that
when you take a look at their draw, they would
see Pleasant Grove in the third round of the playoffs,
they would see a team like Happened who gave them
(17:39):
some troubling district play, potentially in a rematch in the
fourth round, and then they would see a team like
Brock or maybe my darling Midland green Woods in the
state semifinals before they get to a title game. They
are certainly capable of tripping up anywhere. But I do
think that that pedigree and they tend to play their
best football when it matters the most, And so Carthage
(18:00):
would be as far as a love a minute concern,
maybe the team most likely to go back to back
as far as least likely, and I'm gonna win some
friends and influence people around the Greater Austin area. But
it might be Vandergrift. Now that's not the say I
don't like Vandergrift. I like this team a lot. Miles Tadecki.
I think has been sensational. They have I think, really
reloaded in a really nice way. But their draw is
(18:22):
about as brutal as it gets. Where you are opening
the sea the playoffs with the team that played for
a six A Division one seed championship a year ago
in the West Lay Chaparales. That's brutal. Now, if you
get past that, I will say thing cans open up
a little bit, and they've got an opportunity. I think
they'll be favored over Brandeis, Risota Mayor, so they will
(18:42):
play a team from either the Rio Grand Valley or
or San Marcus or Eco Pass before they will probably
play Dripping Springs in or or in a rematch for
a team like Harlan. So things do open up. But
I do think that based solely on their draw, and
they solely by drawing West Leg in the first round
of the playoffs, that has to I think put them
(19:03):
as one of the teams least likely to repeat, simply
because that is a brutal, brutal set of circumstances for them,
for you know, Drifting Springs to them. No favors knocking
off west Lake in the first round, all right, and
then we love it.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Rather Okay, all right, So here's the final question. I
think I already know the answer to this. I know
what my answer would be, but I think we're probably
gonna be on the same plane here. Which classification has
the best chance of having back to back state champions
in both of its divisions?
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Oh, that's a good one. So it's probably not six A.
For the note, laid up certainly could be five A.
I like Smith and Valley a lot uh Carfage and
Salina is an opportunity, although I think four eight Division
one is dangerous, and I think I think four division one.
I think Solion's got a brutal draw. Three A I
(19:55):
can't like. Columbus can absolutely win it, and Gunner can
certainly go for the four piece, but I do think
that that is going to be very like. That's going
to be tough on I think because three Division one
has been so chaotic and so I'm hard for us
to say three A Division one. I know exactly how
it's going to go. Two A can certainly go with Gnado.
I think they'll have an opportunity to play with Furio
(20:17):
again in a regional final. And then Munster I think
is one of the favorites in two division two, but
it's probably one A. It's probably Jaydon in one Division
two and Gordon, although I will say that Jayton will
have to play in the semifinal. Lemisa Klondike more than
likely A Klondike is a problem. They are really really
good at her coach Dalton Degraff and a Red, so
(20:38):
I would say one A is probably the place where
you are most likely to see the double repeat.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Okay, I would go with four A, but the only
reason I would go with four A is yeah, I
think you'd have to extrapolate it and say, which of
those two defending state champs in four A or one
A might be least likely to lose? And I think
you're talking about so line in four A D one
because Stephenville's best for a team i've seen seen this year. Uh,
(21:02):
and then and then one A Division two. I'm with
you on Klondike on that. So I think for me
it comes down to who has the better chance Jaydon
getting past Klondike or Salona getting past Stephenvill.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Yeah, oh yeah, or within within their own regions, Salona
getting past team like Alboretoh it's it's dangerous, but yeah,
I think that you're right. Yeah, it's it's it's reasonable.
I think for I for four A as well. But
the great thing is that those predictions, all these things
that I feel so confident about, all these things that
I feel like I know types of high school football
because I usually even breathe it. We're gonna wake up
(21:37):
on Saturday morning in a haze and say what in
the heck just happened? Like, how did that happen? We're
going to have some team that sprays some enormous upset
and knocks out you know, a team that I thought
was going to make a state semifinal. So that's a
great thing. The great thing is like listening to us
right now and then on Saturday will be kind of
scratching our heads just like you are.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Yeah, no doubt about it. He's Greg Tepper at Tepper.
You can follow him there on X and you know
the great work they do at Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Magazine and including Texas Football Friday when they wrap up
everything on Friday night.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
You're back.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
You're back in the saddle for that this week, right.
I know you guys had to keep your powder dry
and loosen them and get ready for your big bracket reveal,
which was outstanding on Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Yes, but we are we are moving to Saturday. The
show is back in its highlight form on Saturday night.
But we're waiting until all the games come in so
the week and get you updated on all the brackets
from the weekend. So Saturday night, ten thirty pm wherever
you stream all.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Right, very good. Hey TEP, thanks for the time. Appreciate
it all right, Terriff Thompson, Guys, YEP, that's great, TEP
Editor in chief Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine. Back to
long warm football when we continue on thirteen under the Zone.
By Justice above the fruit, the play.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Marick Man got study of the.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
And Crown.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
I go with rum the Drum, Sea Shine. See.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
I've been grey Willie Nelson on this Veterans Day here
as we pay tribute to all of those who have
served our country. Of course we hear from Willie on
this Texan Tuesday, and we do that each week and
on Tuesday, of course, that means we welcome in the
editor in chief of Dave Campbells Texas Football magazine, Greg Tepper,
(00:54):
who I was told this the other day, you and
I are going to be here up on one of
the state championship telecasts.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Is that right, Ted?
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I believe that's correct. I believe it's the Thursday Morning
affair to a Division one. Uh I forgot that this
is an odd year and so they reversed the order.
But yes, two A division is the small fleming Ning plusification.
And I've got to tell you, Craig, I do not
I do not think there are two people in the world.
With all due respects to all the great guys that
(01:25):
we work with on the broadcast, I don't think there's
anybody in the world who is more suited to talk
about two schools with a combined enrollment of like two
hundred and forty. Even you and I I think I
think that is that is what we were put on
earth to do.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
And and you know what, I appreciate even more for
that consider the fact you graduate from a six.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
A high school.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Listen. That's That's the funny thing is that Top Hell
is one of, like I want to think it's one
of the top ten biggest schools in Texas. I mean,
we had actually snapshot Jayses just a week about a
week ago, and they turned in an enrollment you know,
right around four thousand and so. Yeah. But but what
can I say when you get down to those small
school players where you know you're gonna have the teams
(02:06):
run out of the tunnel and you can count them
on on you know, two hands, four hands. Uh, that's
a That's what I'm That's what I'm talking about. But yeah,
that would be a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Here's here's how you can tell when it's a small school.
When the entire football team can gather inside the inflatable
tunnel before they run onto the field.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
That's that's that's a sure sign there.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
And the other the other reason to bring this up
tap is we bump back with Willie Nelson? Of course
the native of Abbot is the biggest surprise going into
the playoffs that Abbot is not in the postseason this year?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Or is it just one of the biggest surprises.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, it's it's one of them. There. There's kind of
a list of teams that I think are are surprising. Now,
we thought that you know, and and and you know,
we thought that that Abbot may have it down year.
They graduated pretty heavy and and certainly, you know that's
es certainly in six man when we talk about graduating heavy,
we're talking about you know, losing you know, some times
upwards of eighty percent of your team in a given offseason.
(03:03):
So certainly there's that. But yeah, I mean, they're a
handful of teams that I think are surprising that that
didn't that didn't make the playoffs. You know, rock Wall
did not make the playoffs. There's a number of I
think big time programs that we are used to seeing
that are going to be sitting at home this this
you know in the postseason, you know, you know, Rockball
being one of them. Lank Assert missed the playoffs, right,
(03:24):
Beaumont Westbrook, who was up to such a fantastic start,
bands up missing the playoffs. Mansfield Summit missed the playoffs.
Henderson is out of the playoffs. It's a it's a
different crop, certainly. I just actually just posted on my
Twitter account there's about a nineteen percent churing rate this year.
About about five hundred and forty of the teams are
back after making the playoff last year. But we do
(03:46):
have one hundred and thirty four newcomers to the Texas
High School of wall playoffs, which should make for a
fun ride.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Absolutely, we'll get back to Icechoe man. Let me jump
to college and start with you there, because in the
day Campbell's Texas Football at PS Power Pole, there wasn't
a lot of shake up SMU moving up to five,
Houston moving up to six, TCU dropping there after blowing
that seventeen to six home leading against Iowa State, they
dropped down. And then it goes through the rest of
(04:15):
this What about your take on this state?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Now?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
And I know a lot of folks are pointing towards
A and M in Texas on Black Friday, but the
Larwers are going to have their hands full obviously going
to Athens, Georgia and playing the fifth rane Georgia Bulldogs.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right in Texas Tech.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
What did they answer the bell on Saturday and just
funked a really good BYuT.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Yeah, I think that what you're seeing there is kind
of a separation of the top few teams. Obviously what
A and M has been doing going up to Missouri
and having no problem with a wounded Missouri team and
really dismantling them in their own barn, and then obviously
what Texas is doing a huge game this week. But yeah,
I think when you take a look at the most
(04:55):
impressive results, Texas Tech has got to be up there.
I mean, that was a that's a big, big game, right,
That's one of the biggest home games they've have in
quite some time. And you always wonder, you know, are
they going to have summit for the fight, are they
going to come out the you know, nervous or flat?
That they came out like a house on fire. Offense,
you know, you know, I had trouble finishing drives, which
I think is something to keep an eye on down
(05:17):
the road. But as long as they're getting defensive performances
like that, I mean, they smothered BYU b YU and
never felt like they were threatening seriously offensively, and that
I think is a credit to what they've been able
to do to build I think that shield would the
defensive coordinator there at Texas Tech. If you remember, they
kind of posted him from Houston last year untilga and
(05:39):
brought him up to Lubock, and he has paid significant
dividends that yeah, we can talk about you know, all
of the playmakers that they've got there. They're starting to
rally behind Jacob Bradriguez is like a dark horse Heisman candidate,
and certainly he has been fantastic, But I do think
that you take a look at the coaching staff and
what shield Wood has done there as a defensive coordinator.
That's that's one of the best jobs in America right now,
(06:00):
is what he's doing, and it has them pois for
what could be a very special year. And I posted
this on Twitter kind of during that game, as things
were starting to get a little rowdy out there at
Tech and became more apparent that they were going to
pull away from BYU. I was saying, then, can you
imagine what a home playoff game for Texas Tech would
look like? And that you want to talk about in
(06:21):
an asylum there and in Lubbock. If they were to
get a home game, that could be something to watch
but obviously still work to do for the Red Raiders,
but an impressive most recent performance.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
You say asylum, I think it would be Looney Bins. If,
like many are projecting, still three weeks to go, that
it winds up being Texas playing in Lubbock.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
I think that would be.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
That because now if you ask, if you ask long
warn fans, a lot of fans like, listen the team.
I think they'd sign up for that right now. If
you'd said, Okay, you don't have to worry about how
you're going to do against Georgia or A and M.
You're going to be in Lubbock to play in the playoff,
would they sign up? Probably?
Speaker 1 (07:01):
So, yeah, I think so. I think you just want
to have an opportunity to get to the dance and
that that I think is the name of the game
for Texas is getting to getting in the playoff.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Where it falls from there, you know, that's it. But
but you've got to you've got to have a ticket
to begin with. And if Texas can just find their way,
then you know, look, you you will deal with the
elements as they are presented at that point. But but
you know, if you're in Texas, you can't necessarily, uh,
let's go do this way. You cannot at this point
in the season, with how the season has gone. Uh,
(07:32):
you cannot necessarily complain about where or when or whom
you're playing. You just need to make sure that you're playing. Uh.
You know, for Texas, I think they kind of surrendered
that that right of of you know, being picky and choosy,
probably when they lost that game to Florida.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
The other two teams that it brings up quite a
bit of intrigue because I think TCU now has played
its way out of the Big Twelve chase. But the
other two teams that you can still speak in conversation
about possible championship game appearances are North Texas and SMU.
SMU's path they need some help when they got to win.
(08:12):
But the North Texas thing is really really funky when
you consider that North Texas, Navy, South Florida Two Lane,
and East Carolina all have just one conference loss, and
it's more the norm tap than the exception that there's
not a lot.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Of head to head between all those teams.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
That is, and that is the problem, if I can
get on my soapbox now with these with these super conferences,
is that it used to be that if everyone played everyone,
then great, you can you have an immediate tiebreaker, and
if we get to a third tiebreaker, we can deal
with that when we need it. But we have at
least that head to head. But the issue is you're
exactly right that with these super conferences, obviously you can't
(08:51):
go out there and you can't you know, put these
these these tiebreakers together, can't play everybody when they're sixteen
teams in the conference, and so now we're just kind
of projecting. We're having to use other measures here. And
so I think that's one of the real downsides here
is that you know, you go back to you know,
allow me to dust off my Dave Campbell's Texas Football
(09:11):
bona fides here, you go back in the Southwest Conference days,
who want played everyone and so it wasn't a problem.
We got to know you know who, you know, we
know who was playing woman and who was better than whom.
And so that to me is one of the real
shames here is that you're right, this is going to
be unnecessarily complicated in the American Now. I do think
that North Texas sets themselves up really well. Obviously, the
(09:34):
win over Navy is enormous. That's a really really big win.
They're going to be, in my opinion, pretty clear favorites
over the remainder of their teams. You know that they
play UAV, they play Rice, and they play Temple. They
are those are three teams that in my estimation, they
aren't better in. What they've got to vote for is
that they're kind of chaos around them. And if they
don't get caught in a situation where they are they
(09:54):
are on the wrong end of some funky tiebreaker of
three way teams that they are, they are at least,
at the very least one of the top two teams
to go into the AAC Championship game. So for North Texas,
all you can do is go out there and take
care of your business. They've got three games ahead of them,
all all of which I think are winnable, and if
they win those three games, it's hard to imagine a
(10:14):
situation where they're left out. But because of the kind
of state of the conference is, it can't be ruled out. Unfortunately.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Here's my suggestion, if they wind up with a complicated tiebreakers,
they all show up at the toot and Totem in
playing view and flip coins.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Would you be on with that.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I've said this before and normally I talk about this
as far as like schemes are concerned, but high school
football really is a trickle up sport that this is
where we do all our innovating, this is where we
get our best ideas. And once again Texas high school
football has come through with just like, what if we
all just get together and flip a coin? That's good,
although we did have I don't know if you saw
(10:53):
there is another Texas high school football playoff game, and
it was it's Holly versus Holly is playing for Sam
and Hally and for Sam are playing in the Vin
District matchup. But they don't like they're not near each
other and stuff. They agreed to do their who would
be home and who would be a way played at
neutral site being played in Sweetwater, but they decided that
(11:16):
they would say, Okay, we'll decide home in a way
based on the final score of the Texas Tech BYU game.
If Texas Tech and BYU ends in a total of
odd numbers, and hally is the home team, and the
even numbers that is Foresam. That's that's again, we can
figure these things out. We don't have to over complicate
these things. Why don't we just pick one game and
just say, all right, you're on, you're even.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
You know what, that is almost as cool, almost as
cool as to Texas high school football teams and wind
up having to play a playoff game in Oklahoma because
it's it's closer to them both, you know, play a
playoff game for Texas high school football out of state,
and we see that normally pretty routinely.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Yeah, we don't have one this year. We don't have
an out of state playoff game in the first round
this year, but we do. You're exactly right, we'll have
a game in Oklahoma because it's just easier to cut
the corner if you're playing a Panhandle team versus let's
say a tax film the teams easier to cut the corner.
Or you'll have it in New Mexico. Sometimes same thing.
You guys in Panhandled playing team from you know, let's
say El Paso or kind of that, that greater far
(12:17):
far West Texas. Then yeah, you can cut it and
meet somewhere in car spaces or something. But Carl Bad
exactly right. You can buy some places, but that is
we don't have any of those. This year. All three
hundred and fifty two playoff games will be played continued
within the state Texas.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
All Right, a couple of things here. One I mentioned
this yesterday. I think it's just a fabulous story that
east Side Early College got into the playoffs for the
first time.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Is east Side Early College?
Speaker 3 (12:44):
And first time you said, Matt Stepp had researched it
said nineteen ninety one as the old Johnston High schools
the last time they've gotten the end. So I think
that's really cool. Now, if we're being realistic, obviously they're
playing Davenport so that their playoffs they may be only
the night.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
But I think that's cool.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
And then the other thing I mentioned about the most
surprising things about teams that didn't get in, is there
one other than say east Side that just just really
leaked off to the paye etch and said, wow, they
got in.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, I'll give you a couple. One of them is, well,
we'll talk really about Well, first of all, let's let's
talk about what happened with Dallas Lincoln if you missed this.
So Dallas Lincoln, they we knew they were getting into
the playoffs, but in order to win their district, they
had to win their game by ten points or more. Okay,
(13:38):
So they go and they're playing They're playing Carter in
their in their final game, and it goes.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
To overtime, and that's where Scott Van Pelt would would
step in and say, overtime is not the friend of
the trying to win by plus ten.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Right, correct, So imagine everyone's surprised when Dallas Lincoln gets
the ball first that they good unscore and then they
finished the game with an interception return for a touchdown
to win by thirteen points and get umber one seat.
So that was about as wild as you're going to see.
The other one that for me, and we knew Lincoln
(14:11):
was getting into playoffs, it was just going to be
a matter of where they were going to go. The
other one for me is the Caniper Rock Crushers, who
most recently relaunched their program last year. They had been
dormant for years. They played six van ball for the
first time and they are in the playoffs for the
first time. In program history. What a remarkable job there
(14:34):
for them to get in. But I think that you're right.
Austin east Side is really one of those fabulous stories
of I can't believe that they got in, especially literally
eighteen months ago, less than eighteen months ago, I was
on the phone of lalist the sayre writing a story
about teams with the longest losing streaks in Texas high
school football. And now they're dancing, and yeah, they're gonna
(14:55):
be underdogs in Davenport, but you know what, you got
taken to dance and strange things happen.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
True, all right.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
So Greg Tepper, editor in chief Tape Campill's Texas Football Magazine,
was all right, now, we normally do the meanest thing
we do, and I'm sure you'll do it to me
on Thursday. I'm going a different route with this instead
of having you choose between games, because listen, you've heard
me say this. I've said it on the TV show
we did together for years. I still say it all
the time. All playoff games are created equal. Now I'll
(15:23):
go Orwellian on you and say some games are a
little more equal than others, but all playoff games are
created equal, meaning that you win, you survive in advance,
you lose your seasons over. So with that in mind,
I'm about to rattle off not that I need to
for you, you know them all, but I'm going to rattle
off for those who don't remember the sixth or the
(15:46):
twelve defending state champions and ask you, first of all,
which school is most likely to repeat, which one is
least likely to repeat.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
So we're gonna start with that at.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Starting from the top six A Division one, North Crowley
six A Division two is vandergriff five A Division one
is Smithson Valley five. A Division two is Richmond Randall
four A D one defending state champions Sliana four A
Division two, Carthage three A Division one, Columbus three A
Division two, Gunner two A Division one, Gnado two A
Division two, Monster won A six man Division one, Gordon
(16:23):
one A six man.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Division two, Jaydon.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Which of those twelve state champions, first of all, is
most likely to repeat, Which is least likely to repeat?
Speaker 1 (16:34):
The most likely to repeat I think falls in two categories.
The answer is the Gordon Longhorns in one A Division one.
They are a runaway freight train. And I talked with
the coach earlier this week, and he said it would
be a surprise if Gordon played a second half in playoffs.
And what we're talking about there, if you don't know,
would be there's a forty five point mercy rule at
halftime in six man football. That means that think they're
(16:56):
going to beat everybody by forty five and twenty minutes
of football. It is they are a runaway for eight trade.
There is the clear and decisive favorite in one A
Division one, and that is, by the way, all due
respects to a Water Valley team that I think is
really good and has an opportunity, you know, in many,
many many other years to be a clear favorite in
the bracket, but Gordon looks like a runaway freight train.
(17:19):
The other one that I would say it would be
most likely, I might look at a team like Carthage,
And part of that is obviously the pedigree. They've got
eleven state championships and under Scott's are at these ten
and zero state championship games. But also I think that
when you take a look at their draw, they would
see Pleasant Grove in the third round of the playoffs,
they would see a team like Happened who gave them
(17:39):
some troubling district play, potentially in a rematch in the
fourth round, and then they would see a team like
Brock or maybe my darling Midland green Woods in the
state semifinals before they get to a title game. They
are certainly capable of tripping up anywhere. But I do
think that that pedigree and they tend to play their
best football when it matters the most, And so Carthage
(18:00):
would be as far as a love a minute concern,
maybe the team most likely to go back to back
as far as least likely, and I'm gonna win some
friends and influence people around the Greater Austin area. But
it might be Vandergrift. Now that's not the say I
don't like Vandergrift. I like this team a lot. Miles Tadecki.
I think has been sensational. They have I think, really
reloaded in a really nice way. But their draw is
(18:22):
about as brutal as it gets. Where you are opening
the sea the playoffs with the team that played for
a six A Division one seed championship a year ago
in the West Lay Chaparales. That's brutal. Now, if you
get past that, I will say thing cans open up
a little bit, and they've got an opportunity. I think
they'll be favored over Brandeis, Risota Mayor, so they will
(18:42):
play a team from either the Rio Grand Valley or
or San Marcus or Eco Pass before they will probably
play Dripping Springs in or or in a rematch for
a team like Harlan. So things do open up. But
I do think that based solely on their draw, and
they solely by drawing West Leg in the first round
of the playoffs, that has to I think put them
(19:03):
as one of the teams least likely to repeat, simply
because that is a brutal, brutal set of circumstances for them,
for you know, Drifting Springs to them. No favors knocking
off west Lake in the first round, all right, and
then we love it.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Rather Okay, all right, So here's the final question. I
think I already know the answer to this. I know
what my answer would be, but I think we're probably
gonna be on the same plane here. Which classification has
the best chance of having back to back state champions
in both of its divisions?
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Oh, that's a good one. So it's probably not six A.
For the note, laid up certainly could be five A.
I like Smith and Valley a lot uh Carfage and
Salina is an opportunity, although I think four eight Division
one is dangerous, and I think I think four division one.
I think Solion's got a brutal draw. Three A I
(19:55):
can't like. Columbus can absolutely win it, and Gunner can
certainly go for the four piece, but I do think
that that is going to be very like. That's going
to be tough on I think because three Division one
has been so chaotic and so I'm hard for us
to say three A Division one. I know exactly how
it's going to go. Two A can certainly go with Gnado.
I think they'll have an opportunity to play with Furio
(20:17):
again in a regional final. And then Munster I think
is one of the favorites in two division two, but
it's probably one A. It's probably Jaydon in one Division
two and Gordon, although I will say that Jayton will
have to play in the semifinal. Lemisa Klondike more than
likely A Klondike is a problem. They are really really
good at her coach Dalton Degraff and a Red, so
(20:38):
I would say one A is probably the place where
you are most likely to see the double repeat.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Okay, I would go with four A, but the only
reason I would go with four A is yeah, I
think you'd have to extrapolate it and say, which of
those two defending state champs in four A or one
A might be least likely to lose? And I think
you're talking about so line in four A D one
because Stephenville's best for a team i've seen seen this year. Uh,
(21:02):
and then and then one A Division two. I'm with
you on Klondike on that. So I think for me
it comes down to who has the better chance Jaydon
getting past Klondike or Salona getting past Stephenvill.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Yeah, oh yeah, or within within their own regions, Salona
getting past team like Alboretoh it's it's dangerous, but yeah,
I think that you're right. Yeah, it's it's it's reasonable.
I think for I for four A as well. But
the great thing is that those predictions, all these things
that I feel so confident about, all these things that
I feel like I know types of high school football
because I usually even breathe it. We're gonna wake up
(21:37):
on Saturday morning in a haze and say what in
the heck just happened? Like, how did that happen? We're
going to have some team that sprays some enormous upset
and knocks out you know, a team that I thought
was going to make a state semifinal. So that's a
great thing. The great thing is like listening to us
right now and then on Saturday will be kind of
scratching our heads just like you are.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Yeah, no doubt about it. He's Greg Tepper at Tepper.
You can follow him there on X and you know
the great work they do at Dave Campbell's Texas Football
Magazine and including Texas Football Friday when they wrap up
everything on Friday night.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
You're back.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
You're back in the saddle for that this week, right.
I know you guys had to keep your powder dry
and loosen them and get ready for your big bracket reveal,
which was outstanding on Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Yes, but we are we are moving to Saturday. The
show is back in its highlight form on Saturday night.
But we're waiting until all the games come in so
the week and get you updated on all the brackets
from the weekend. So Saturday night, ten thirty pm wherever
you stream all.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Right, very good. Hey TEP, thanks for the time. Appreciate
it all right, Terriff Thompson, Guys, YEP, that's great, TEP
Editor in chief Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine. Back to
long warm football when we continue on thirteen under the Zone.
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