Countdown to Kickoff Presented by BetMGM

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Are you ready to witness quot witness College fans? Welcome
to the biggest tailgate party in the nation. Fox Sports
Radios Countdown to Kickoff, presented by.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Bett MGA the gig of Sportsbook.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
We're setting you up with the information you need to
watch your team win.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
Let's go.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
We're here to break it all down.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Let go, let's go.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
This is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff, presented by
Bett Mgina.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
No, we're lyve from your tailgame.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Here's Brian No, former Penn State All American, Rich Wrenberger
and pix Wive's lead Betty analyst Jared Smith.

Speaker 4 (00:45):
Oh, good morning, Happy Saturday to you. You know, I
just want to say, guys, I hope that we have
games today that rival the late game last night. If
we can just get double overtime Wazoo against San Jose State,
just a steady diet of that today, we'll be doing
just fine.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
That'd be okay by me.

Speaker 5 (01:06):
And boy, what a consequential game in terms of the
new PAC twelve, which is about to be replaced by
the even newer PAC twelve coming up, as four Mountain
West teams have just been named, as I guess PAC
twelve entrants where we were waiting for more teams to

(01:28):
enter that conference before official kickoff in twenty twenty six.
In the meanwhile, it's gonna be Wazoo and the Oregon
State Beavers playing a Mountwest schedule, and so interesting, interesting
turn of events seeing all of a sudden the Mount
West being tested against you know, I guess you could

(01:49):
call it the lesser Thans of the PAC twelve and
hanging tough.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
That was a heck of a ballgame last night, gentlemen.

Speaker 6 (01:59):
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The PAC twelve
after dark is reborn again. I mean, there's no other
way to explain it.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
It was.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
It was.

Speaker 6 (02:12):
Do you remember the Incarnate word game we had on
a Friday? Yes, yes, that was like sixty five sixty
two is an FCS playoff game.

Speaker 7 (02:21):
It was.

Speaker 6 (02:22):
I think this game was better than that. So John
Matteer from Washington State and I was on Washington last week.
Terrible week by me Ozher and three you guys. I'll
tell you what, man, you guys, this might be your year.
You guys me in the rapid fire standings. John Matteer,
Washington State is a ballplayer. He is like the Brett
Farv of the Pac twelve. He is fun to watch.
That's gonna be an interesting little team there at Wazoo

(02:44):
going forward, really interesting team.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
I'll never forget that incarnate word game where I'm live
betting the over and I can't even remember. I'm like,
am I really taking over ninety two and a half
or whatever?

Speaker 3 (02:57):
It was? Correct?

Speaker 4 (02:58):
You were yes each time if it was like correct, correct, correct,
Just keep pounding the over.

Speaker 6 (03:04):
Okay.

Speaker 4 (03:04):
So we've got three ranked versus ranked games today, and
I want us to rank the ranked versus ranked games. Okay,
in terms of what you're most interested in. Of course,
We've got Tennessee against Oklahoma. We've got Utah against Oklahoma State.
We've got USC against Michigan. So Rich, we'll start with you.

(03:26):
If you rank those three games just in terms of
your personal interest level, What does your list look like?

Speaker 5 (03:32):
Yeah, I want to say, Okay, this is slightly selfish,
but I'll explain.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
I'll explain myself.

Speaker 5 (03:41):
Nebraska against the Fighting and ALIONI is of particular interest
because you've got you've got the ALIGNI facing off against
Penn State in a week and so obviously that tugs
at the alma mater.

Speaker 3 (03:56):
Heartstrings a little bit.

Speaker 5 (03:57):
But beyond that, I like this matchup because of who
the new head coaches with the Huskers. I like the
fact that the corn Huskers have made the decision to
hire Matt Ruhle sort of feels like a rejuvenation of
that program, a little bit of the classical toughness we
saw with Baylor before he skipped off to the NFL.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
And Rayola, their quarterback, is fascinating to me.

Speaker 5 (04:26):
He's like a carbon copy in almost every single way
of Patrick Mahomes.

Speaker 6 (04:33):
I think USC Michigan is the most intriguing to me,
although you although Tennessee Oklahoma is up there, but I
think we know what Oklahoma is. I think we know
Oklahoma is not good, and I think there will be
I think Oklahoma will get exposed to it. I think USC
Michigan is because the Utah game, we just don't know
what the Cam Rising status is. I think that's the
key with Utah. If Cam Rising plays for Utah and

(04:56):
I feel like Kyle Whittingham is like one of the
grifters on the strip with three kart Maani, like we
don't know and we've never known. With him, It's like
it's last minute he might pull him, he could start him.
So I would say USC Michigan because if USC goes
on the road and this numbers coming down a little
bit right now, it was a little higher earlier this week.

(05:18):
If USC goes into ann Arbor today and really puts
a whooping on what we've seen from Michigan, who again,
you know they when they've managed up, they haven't looked great,
I think we can start to take USC very seriously.
I think USC is a very interesting team coming off
the buy. Their defense is playing infinitely better, like almost

(05:38):
to the point of I think their defense might actually
be the best unit on the field in this game,
which is crazy to be crazy to think that from
where we were last year. But this is a top
ten rushing defense, top twenty passing defense so far, and
they faced a couple of good offenses. So the coaching
for USC's defense is really what I've noticed is better

(05:58):
guys that they brought in Danton Lynn, the new DC,
the new assistant DC, Mattenson North Dakota State. It's a
really sharp guy. And their dline coach, Eric Anderson, coached
Aaron Donald with the Rams last year, so I think
that is the most intriguing team because if USC can,
you know, put some put the clamps on today in Michigan,
which you know, with their quarterback situation, you expect them to.

(06:22):
They're a very intriguing team going forward in the big Time.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
I would rank the rank versus ranked like this. I
would put Tennessee and Oklahoma at the top. You know
we're on the same page here, and I think Oklahoma
is total fugazy. Yeah, hopefully you close your ears for
a second. Our trusted producer Bo Benson has a soft
spot in his heart for the Sooners, but I think
they're complete frauds. I don't see them winning more than

(06:46):
seven games, which will be conveniently under our seven and
a half season one bets they don't get the eight right,
It's gonna be hard to get to eight wins. It
starts today if they have any chance whatsoever. And I
just don't like their odds against the balls. But I'm
interested in that game. I want to see Tennessee with
that high flying offense and what do we call a
defense like a it's not a high flying defense, but

(07:09):
their defense, even though they've played cream pups, has been spectacular.
I want to see them go up against Oklahoma today.
I'm most looking forward to that. I would put USC
in Michigan's second on the list because I want to
see this Michigan offense. You get a new starting quarterback
and Alex Orgy, what does that look like against USC
who couldn't.

Speaker 8 (07:27):
Stop the run to save their lives last season?

Speaker 4 (07:29):
They've been better this season, but Michigan is going to
be heavily committed to the running game today. It's gonna
be like the Green Bay Packers with Malik Willis last week.
You know they're just gonna run it and run it
and run it and last on the list. And sorry
to Big Fox. You know it's a Fox gip. I
gotta put Utah in Oklahoma state third. It doesn't mean
I'm not looking forward to this, but Jared you said it.

Speaker 8 (07:52):
It's the Cam Rising soap opera, no idea. I just
want off the roller coaster. You ever ride one of
those fair ride.

Speaker 4 (08:00):
I remember as a little kid and it just went
in this violent circle and I was almost falling off
of the thing, and my dad had to give the
guy like five bucks to stop the ride or he
thought he might lose me. I might go home and
be like sor right less be today.

Speaker 7 (08:14):
You know.

Speaker 4 (08:15):
That's what I feel like with the Cam Rising thing,
where it's this He's gonna play and it's like, okay, cool,
now he's probably not gonna play.

Speaker 8 (08:22):
What that's not good. Now he's gonna play.

Speaker 4 (08:23):
Okay, cool, I'm gonna back Utah, Now it's probably not
gonna play it all. You're like, what is happening? I
just went out of this whole experience. And it's like
seeing a concert if you go and see the Stones
and you're like, oh, it was amazing, and your friend's like,
so everybody was there?

Speaker 8 (08:39):
Right, No, No, Mick Jagger, some other guy was there.
That's how I feel with Cam Rising here.

Speaker 5 (08:45):
Yeah, yeah, well, get back to this Michigan USC game.
I really think that what Lincoln Riley has meant to
college football is something that has transferred over to the
NFL in a big way. I mean, you look at
Kyler or excuse me, you look at Baker Mayfield, you

(09:05):
look at Caleb Williams most recently, and you think about
some of the storylines that we have gravitated toward in
the NFL over the past couple of months or past
couple of years. Lincoln Riley has really tugged at the
heartstrings of a lot of folks around this country, for
good or bad. It's high flying offense, it's terrible defense.

(09:27):
Could you see is there any chance this season is
the season where we see a whole picture where the
USC Trojans fix some of the problems that have haunted
them for years before he showed up in town. But
then since he's been in town, continued because he's not
all that particularly offended. If you say, hey, the Trojans
don't play defense, you know what I mean? Like, are

(09:49):
we gonna see a year where finally the buck stops
and we see USC starting starting to play some defense
like they did in the early two thousands, where you
had guys like Raymon Luga, you know.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
Owning the middle of the football field.

Speaker 6 (10:04):
I don't think they have the personnel, but again, I
think the coaches are there. I think the foundation is there,
and they don't have those guys roaming the middle like
they had in those great years, But they have coaches
who I think can put guys in the right place.
At least that's what I've analyzed so far this season.

Speaker 3 (10:24):
I think the.

Speaker 6 (10:24):
Bigger question, if you want to touch more on that
USC Michigan game. I think the more intriguing question to
me is is Miller Moss because he's facing a defense
today in Michigan that's basically like the relief pitcher that
gets brought in at.

Speaker 7 (10:42):
The end of the game.

Speaker 6 (10:44):
You know he's throwing you the heat. Wink Martindale's bringing
the heat. He's always brought the heat. That's his mo
That's why he's not in the NFL anymore. He has
one pitch blitz fastball, sixty blitz right against Fresno, fifty
against our state, forty five percent against Texas. I mean,
that's just in college terms. That's like crazy. You're blitzing

(11:06):
on one out of every two plays, so us he's
off the buy. What we've noticed for Miller mall so
far is very accurate, very efficient, eighty two percent adjust
at accurate two point one seconds time to throw. He's
probably been practicing getting the ball out of his hands
quick for the last two weeks because you know the
blitz is coming. The question is, Wink Martindale, do you

(11:31):
have a change up in your arsenal? Do you have
the ability to go four down linemen and not go
five or six or seven. Bring the heat today?

Speaker 3 (11:41):
Can you drop?

Speaker 6 (11:42):
Can you adjust? That would be the way the path
to Michigan to win this game. Maybe that's why we've
we've seen some Michigan money. But do you trust Wink?
I don't know.

Speaker 7 (11:53):
I don't know.

Speaker 6 (11:53):
If I do to go change up in this game,
we'll see should be a fun one.

Speaker 4 (11:57):
Well, the thing is, you caught my tension rich when
you mentioned Ray maul Luga, and I just had a
flashback to a Sports Illustrated cover. This is back in
two thousand and nine, and it featured think about USC's
defense at this time and where it slid to, especially
last season. On this SI cover, you had Ray Maueluga,

(12:18):
you had Brian Cushing, and you.

Speaker 8 (12:20):
Had Clay Matthews.

Speaker 4 (12:21):
Wow, all those dudes at USC at the same time,
and think about what we saw from the Trojans last year.
They're not close to what I just mentioned right here
and now, although they're better.

Speaker 8 (12:33):
But it's funny.

Speaker 4 (12:34):
I'm glad that you brought that name up because we've
been so far away from USC defense for a number
of years, especially last season, that you sometimes forget the
dudes that they've had on the defensive side of the
ball throughout the years and where it slid to like,
they're just not going to be successful whatsoever unless they

(12:54):
start playing defense again. They played decent defense against LSU,
gave themselves a chance in that game. So if they
can just be decent defensively, they're gonna win a lot
more games than they did last year.

Speaker 5 (13:06):
Yeah, there's no question about it, I mean, and that's
kind of That's kind of the question that I'm arriving
at when I'm thinking about USC, is how how much
longer is this sustainable to replace? You know, for a
head coach to go out and successfully recruit great quarterback
after great quarterback at the collegiate level.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
That's really tough. Now, once you get.

Speaker 5 (13:28):
A moniker as a as a QB whisper, it becomes easier,
you know, and especially with the transfer portal and nil
money and obviously some of the.

Speaker 3 (13:37):
Access that USC has to all of.

Speaker 5 (13:39):
Those things I just mentioned, But it isn't easy defensively.
It feels like for a lot of head coaches it's
gonna be a lot easier to fix your defense than
it is to find the special unicorn player out there
who's going to perfectly fit your scheme. Perfectly hit the
harmonize with all of your skilled position players and become

(14:01):
like the next the next Baker Mayfield or the next
Caleb Williams.

Speaker 3 (14:05):
Even though it.

Speaker 5 (14:06):
Felt more outstanding for one season at USC, things kind
of fell apart for him his final year as a Trojan,
not completely, but you understand it was much lesser year
than that that first year with Lincoln Riley. I just
think that USC had a tradition of being about the
run game and being about controlling the clock and being

(14:29):
about the defensive side of the ball. And we're seeing
a lot of defenses starting to play that deep cover
shell and they're allowing more of the run game. Could
we see a transition in college football back to those
days and as Lincoln Riley really seeing it and saying, hey,
we need to make an improvement there. If we're going
to ride the next wave in college football, could we

(14:53):
see a complete transformation to that program.

Speaker 3 (14:55):
It's a fascinating matchup today.

Speaker 5 (14:57):
Because you could argue that these are two schools that
could experience a little bit of that flate of that
fading glory. Michigan coming off the national championship win, USC
with the huge pop they got with Caleb and with
Lincoln Riley the signing two years ago.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
Or they could transition and do something different.

Speaker 5 (15:17):
Maybe all of a sudden, USC starts looking like more
like Michigan of last year and tearing a page out
of Jim Harbaugh's book, or going all the way back
to the Pete Carroll years and tearing a page out
of that book.

Speaker 6 (15:29):
Sounds a lot like Big ten football to me. Here's
USC's next six games. You ready for it? Let's hear Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers, woo boy, Buckle up, Big ten.
The Trojans are coming. I mean, that's what we are.
That's where we are in college football right now. Those
are you? That is USC. The Trojans play play at

(15:49):
the Rose Bowl. That's their next six games. Welcome to
the new era of college football.

Speaker 8 (15:55):
Hey, that's where we are, man, no doubt.

Speaker 4 (15:57):
That's We've got rich Oronberger, Penn State, all the Mayor
Merrick and Jared Smith FSR betting analyst.

Speaker 8 (16:02):
I'm Brian no. Hey, it's football time at BETMGM.

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(16:28):
in bonus bets if that bet loses. All right, come
it up next. We've got more controversy and more drama
from this team. It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff,
presented by BETMGM.

Speaker 1 (16:42):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 4 (16:54):
It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff, presented by
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(17:15):
back in cash. All right, fellas, so we've got Baylor
at Colorado And before we get into this matchup, a
little a little history. Here we go all the way
back I hear the harp, we go all the way
back to last week, huh. And we had Shador Sanders

(17:35):
very good performance against Colorado State and postgame he was
offered a handshake by the Colorado State quarterback Bryden Fowler
Nicolosi and it was like the old school, like something
from the eighties where you kind of like extend your
your hand and then go like with your hair like, oh, psych.

Speaker 6 (17:57):
That's happened to me many times.

Speaker 7 (17:58):
It hurts.

Speaker 4 (17:59):
Yeah, you go, That's what Shador did. And I'm curious
what you guys think about this. Is this a little deal?
Big deal?

Speaker 3 (18:07):
No deal?

Speaker 4 (18:08):
I would go little deal on you here, and I'll
say this little deal. I thought it was total.

Speaker 8 (18:13):
Bush league by Shaduur Sanders.

Speaker 4 (18:16):
The backdrop is that the Colorado State quarterback is a
little lippy during the week. Yeah, And he basically said, hey,
let's see how how their Instagram followers help them in
this matchup against us.

Speaker 8 (18:28):
That was the long and short of it.

Speaker 4 (18:30):
He also said, I'm in college to play football. My
mind isn't on making money. That's how I was raised.
He said a few things where I could see Shaduur
Sanders in Colorado looking at them with an eyebrow raised,
like wait, what what's.

Speaker 8 (18:42):
Going on here?

Speaker 4 (18:43):
But at the end of the game, you're offered a
handshake and you just ghost them.

Speaker 8 (18:49):
I thought about the NBA playoffs for a second.

Speaker 4 (18:52):
You know me, I love the NBA, but this happens
every now and then where someone just skips out on
shaking hands.

Speaker 8 (18:59):
And that's fine.

Speaker 4 (19:00):
If KG or Rondo back in the day just want
to hit the locker room, fine, but it's different if
somebody extends their hand and is like, hey, you know,
good series or what, and you ghost them, then it's different.
And so it's not the end of the world. I'm
not losing sleep over this. I just thought it was
total bush league to look. Think of boxing, think about
fighters who say all the craziest stuff leading up to

(19:23):
a fight or MMA, and then after the fight they're
all hugging on each other and there they don't keep
that bad blood after the fight.

Speaker 8 (19:31):
I just thought it was a terrible look by Shador Sanders.

Speaker 5 (19:34):
And there's been a couple of those, right with the
Colorado Buffaloes, not just Shador their quarterback, but also their
head coach. There's been some thin skin moments with coach
Prime as well. It just sort of feels a little
bit like the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.
And that's the reality of parenthood. That's the reality of coaching.

(19:56):
You are kind of a pseudo parent when you're a
college coach because you're coaching eighteen to twenty two year
old men during a time of great growth and maturity
in many of these young people's lives. And so it's
not just Shador, I promise you there's other players on
that team who would defend his actions and say, yeah,

(20:16):
that quarterback for Colorado State had that coming. Because I
don't know if gamesmanship and sportsmanship is being coached as
hard as hey get your bread like. I think that
is a mission at Colorado, and I think that mission
is being trumpeted differently and at a higher priority than
it is elsewhere around the country.

Speaker 3 (20:38):
Look, just to speak.

Speaker 5 (20:40):
About Colorado as a whole, it is what everybody feared
would happen with name, image and likeness, money being given
to athletes at the collegiate level. It is exploiting it
is brash and in your face. It's the quarterback now

(21:00):
with the fancy car and the fancy watches, who's gonna
go and you know, shout out at the students section
before the games and then have a head coach defending them.
It just so happens. There's a familial relationship there, which
turns stomachs, of course. But this is what people were
worried about. And I mean it doesn't only happen in

(21:21):
college football. Obviously, we see this happen at the business
level professionally. We've seen this happen in politics, when all
of a sudden, what we've all been asking for for
a long time comes to fruition and it doesn't quite
look the way you want it to look. Well, that's
the unfortunate reality of reality. Sometimes you get what you want,

(21:44):
but the outcomes look very different from what you wanted
them to look like. So this is this is the
bad in name, image and likeness. This is what everybody
feared would happen if we started paying college athletes. And
it's a storm that collectively, if you're a college football fan,
you're gonna have to weather, because I promise you there's

(22:06):
a lot of good stories too. There's a lot of
hard luck stories that I played with during my college
football career where guys were coming from desperate upbringings where
they were literally sending home pell grant money to their
families to help them support while they were playing along
their football career, and sometimes at the sacrifice of their
own nutrition.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
Things have changed, and in many cases for the better.

Speaker 5 (22:31):
I think the Colorado Buffalo's program is an example of
how things have changed for the worst.

Speaker 6 (22:37):
Yeah, it's kind of the we watch one of those
movies and you go to one of those like dysotopian societies,
you know, like a like a not so distant future,
and like things are not completely terrible. It's not apocalypse,
but it's not right. It's not our future. It's kind
of what Colorado feels like. I'm not like, I'm not

(22:57):
like over the moon crazy over this Brian, Like, it's
I'm not losing sleep. It's just it's just immature. It's
just a maturity. And like, there's two things that come
to mind. The first thing that comes to mind the
right way that games and in this case, playoff series end,
which is the NHL Playoffs. Everyone gets in line and

(23:17):
they shake the hand these guys just went to war
for a seven game series. They get in line, they
shake each other's hand. It is tradition. It is sportsmanship
that was kind of lost, whether or not the pregame stuff.
And you think those hockey guys aren't saying stuff to
each other during the series before the series locker room
bulletin more material. They still go and shake each other's

(23:40):
hands at the end. The second part of the thing
that would bother me if I was someone trying to
get the most out of Shador, if I was a
mentor to him or a coach. It's all a job interview.
Everything you're doing now. And I've never been a player
on a field. I've never had trash talk to me.
I don't know how deep it really goes. I can't

(24:00):
speak to that angle, but I can speak to being
a professional. It's a job interview. You are on the
field right now to prepare for the NFL. The NFL
scouts are watching. What do they want to see a
quarterback display? What behavior? Do they want the quarterback to

(24:22):
be the most immature person on the field, running around, screaming,
saying things to players, not shaking hands after the game,
or do they want the quarterback to be an extension
of the coach, a CEO on the field. Now, maybe
that works for Dion, but what's Chaudor's next coach gonna want?
What's the next GM gonna want? What if you played

(24:43):
for a Bill Belichick? What would you do if that
was your coach and you did that after the game?
I'm sure Rich could speak to that. So that's where
I just like, I just I can't grasp it. Like
because as a professional, everything I do on this show
is to graduate and grow and be a professional. I mean,
I can't imagine not shaking, So I can't imagine doing

(25:05):
that after a game because of my ego, because of
my insecurity. So I don't think Schudor just needs to
grow up and the whole Colorado program needs to just
grow up.

Speaker 8 (25:16):
Yeah, no, it's fair and listen.

Speaker 4 (25:18):
This is the audio and we'll move on because you know,
it's a big story from last week and I think
it's a story heading into today against Baylors.

Speaker 8 (25:28):
Did the Baylor quarterbacks say anything this way? I don't know.

Speaker 4 (25:32):
This is Braden Fowler Nicolosi, the Colorado State quarterback. This
is what he had to say that led to Shador
Sanders not wanting to shake this guy's hand.

Speaker 7 (25:40):
Goes to show that.

Speaker 9 (25:42):
The hype, the media train all that it only gets
you so far. At the end of the day, you
have to line up eleven guys against our eleven guys
and we'll find out who wants it more and we'll
see how far Instagram followers gets them.

Speaker 4 (25:56):
Right, Like that to me is not I'm not shaking
your hand. Not a great comment by him either. I know, sure, no,
right right, but that's over. It's over, yun. Let me
do this on the other side because we want to
work Dan Byer in here. I do have something to
say that drives me crazy about Colorado critics. Okay, like Colorado,

(26:18):
we voiced our displeasure with Shador. I thought it was
just an immature move, not shaking hands. It's just not
grown up. It's not a man thing to do what
man says.

Speaker 8 (26:27):
Nope, nope, nope.

Speaker 4 (26:28):
I didn't like what you said about Instagram followers not.

Speaker 8 (26:31):
Shaking your Come on, dude, what are we doing here?

Speaker 4 (26:34):
But I do have something to say in Colorado's benefit.
In just a minute, first of Dan bayer O guy,
We're praised with Dan Buyer's press is today very nice.

Speaker 7 (26:43):
What's going on then, morning, fellas.

Speaker 10 (26:45):
You know that Colorado team is the third part of
the triple header that you're gonna see on Fox later
today with that showdown against Baylor. It all starts with
Marshall and Ohio State coming up at noon Eastern times,
sandwiched in between another good one and the Big twelve
number twelve, Utah at number thirteen Oklahoma State four o'clock
Eastern time. Kick Cowboys in one point favoriteccording to bet MGM.

Speaker 7 (27:09):
In that contest. Guys, we got some NFL news coming in.

Speaker 10 (27:12):
ESPN is reporting that the Steelers are going to be
without first round pick right tackle Troy Fatandu for a
while out it definitely after suffering a knee injury and
yesterday's practice, Steelers have that two and zero battle with
fellow two and zero LA. Chargers come into town on Sunday.
Bengals on Monday night are home to the Washington Commanders.
Wide receiver t Higgins says he'll make his season debut

(27:33):
for Cincinnati after getting in a limited practice the last
two days. A final injury report due for the Bengals today,
with Higgins hopes to return from his amstring injury on
Monday night. If you missed it, sho heyo Tani homerd
and sold another base. Dodgers beat the Rockies last night
six to four, while the Phillies clinch day postseason birth.
We got some interesting golf going on right now across

(27:54):
the Pond DP World Tour. Rory McElroy and Billy Horschel
currently in a four way tie for the lead a
third round play at the BMWPGA Championship. They are at
fourteen under park Chelsea topped west Ham today in Premier
League play three mil Fellas Back.

Speaker 8 (28:09):
To you, Thank you, Dan.

Speaker 4 (28:11):
It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff, presented by
Bett MGM.

Speaker 8 (28:16):
Here's the one thing.

Speaker 4 (28:17):
That I would say in Colorado's defense, and this has
been something that started last year with Dan Lanning. Remember
the Oregon head coach where in the locker room, he's like,
they're fighting for clicks, we're fighting for wins. And this
Colorado State quarterback basically saying, hey, let's see how much
Instagram followers helps them win today. I'm guessing it does.

(28:40):
Like that sort of think. What drives me crazy is
this idea that Colorado just cares about social media and
Twitter followers.

Speaker 8 (28:48):
And they don't care about winning. That is so stupid.
Why can't you care about both?

Speaker 4 (28:54):
Why is it an automatic in so many people's minds
that because Colorado you know, promotes themselves quite a bit
on social media, that they don't really care. Does shoulder
shrug if we win the game? But hey, how many
ig followers did we pick up? Come on, like, why
can't it be both where you've got a little bit
of a different approach to things, you're self promoting the

(29:18):
program and yourselves. Why does that automatically equal? Oh, they
don't care about winning. That's just dumb. You think they're
just doing this for the hell of it and they
just want as much cash or Instagram followers. I can
feel people nodding like, yeah, yeah, Brian, I think that's
exactly what they're in it for. It's not they're in
it to win. Also, I just hate when people bring
that up, as if all they care about is everything

(29:40):
but winning.

Speaker 8 (29:41):
That's just not true.

Speaker 3 (29:42):
That's fair, Yeah, it is. It is fair that people
feel that way.

Speaker 5 (29:46):
It's also fair that you're defending Colorado and saying that
they do care about winning, because I tend to agree
with you more than I agree with the opposite opinion. Look,
there are a lot of people who are going to
look at Deon sanders Is tactics as a head coach
and say it's all about this attention economy. He's not
going to be at the Colorado Buffalo's program for long.

(30:06):
There's an expiration date. It's tied to his kid being quarterback.
He's going to move on from there at some point soon.
How soon, we don't know. But there's people who say
that and it's a stepping stool for him in his
career and for his son as well. That may be true,
But I would say this, Deon Sanders would probably sacrifice

(30:26):
a lot of the attention and a lot of the
followers on social media for wins because it would be
better for him, it would be better for his son,
it would be better for the amplitude and the importance
of his name on the game. So I completely disagree
with people who say it's not about winning.

Speaker 3 (30:46):
It's always about winning.

Speaker 5 (30:47):
And Deon Sanders some of the spin that he's had
to spit out to the public along the way, I'm
sure he wishes he doesn't have to spin it. I'm
sure he wishes that he could defend the playoff the field,
which has been regrettable at times because they can't run
the football, they can't protect his son in the in
the in the pass rush game. It's been pretty hellacious

(31:11):
upfront on the offensive line and even his son. You know,
if you want to talk about immaturity, he's after that
Nebraska loss.

Speaker 3 (31:18):
He even called out his offensive line for a portion
of it.

Speaker 5 (31:21):
So look, getting back to the point you just made, though,
I don't think it's about clicks. I do think it's
about wins for Colorado and and focusing on the matchup
they have ahead of them. I mean, this could be
another one of those games where it's like, Hey, throw
the defense out the door and take the over, because
I don't know if Baylor is a great offense, but

(31:45):
I know against a poor Colorado defense, they'll look better.
And I don't I don't think should or is a
bad quarterback or that that or I should say. I
don't think that they have bad running backs in Colorado,
but they can't establish a run game without run lanes,
so they're gonna have to throw the football and the
scoreboard is gonna light up, you know.

Speaker 6 (32:04):
Accordingly, Yeah, let's I think the game is hopefully we'll
be front and center focused and not any of the
outside stuff. I think the more we go along with
the season, and you know, when we kind of figure
out what Colorado is, we'll have a lot more conversations
about the next step for Shador. And it wasn't his

(32:24):
finest moment.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
He's a kid.

Speaker 6 (32:26):
I'm sure if he had to go back and do
it again, maybe not, I don't know, he probably would
have probably would have shook his hand. Just shake the
guy's hands and move on with your life. This numbers
kind of bounced around a little bit. Baylor opened as
a favorite and Colorado took some money. And now I
see this morning, Baylor's taking a little bit of money.
It hasn't really, you know, decided which way we want

(32:47):
to fall here. I think the question with Baylor is
the quarterback position. Daikwon Finn. The Toledo transfers looked really bad.
Fifty three and a half completion percentage that that's not
good college football. He's a little banged up. It looks
like it's gonna be Sawyer Robertson today for Baylor, who's
been more efficient, a little bit less athletic, but more

(33:11):
efficient throwing it. I think the thing that intrigues me
is you get Dave A. Arranda, who is pound for pound,
maybe one of the better defensive coaches we have in
this country against a Colorado offense that likes to spread
it out, and how does that match up? Like, can
can Dave Randa push the right buttons to keep your
door buttoned up in the pocket? That's the question for

(33:31):
me chess match wise. And then on the other side,
if Baylor can play keep away? Right you're on the road,
it's altitude, it's a difficult environment. It's a night game
in Boulders, So you got some elements there that I
think are gonna be a struggle for this Baylor offense
to overcome. But can Dave Arranda push the right buttons

(33:54):
and get this Baylor defense usually he does, get this
defense in the right spot and guys like Hannor and
Horn and these guys in check. If so, I think
Baylor can run the ball and play a little keep
away and maybe win this game, steal this one on
the road, especially because the numbers been bouncing around. Doesn't
really look like the Sharps have really made up their
mind yet. Who they think is gonna win.

Speaker 4 (34:15):
Yeah, Colorado favored by one point. Total is fifty one
and a half. I wonder if that's a sneak peek
into rapid fire with Richel right there.

Speaker 6 (34:24):
You know, what do you think insider total?

Speaker 3 (34:27):
I'm thinking total?

Speaker 7 (34:28):
Oh Richard made his mind.

Speaker 3 (34:30):
Yeah, yeah, I'm thinking all I look.

Speaker 5 (34:32):
I mean, it's it's just one of those one of
those early season matchups where it feels like for both
sides the offense is ahead of the defense a little bit,
and that number.

Speaker 3 (34:43):
There is a ceiling. But what is it? Fifty one
and a half. That's not the ceiling yet as far
as I'm concerned.

Speaker 4 (34:49):
Yeah, well, listen, some people are saying Baylor's defense is
fools gold. Yeah, they've played well thus far, but last
week against the air Force not exactly high flying.

Speaker 3 (34:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (34:59):
No, Arlton State? Is that how you say it? It's
a bad one. You don't know how Okay?

Speaker 3 (35:04):
Good?

Speaker 6 (35:05):
They actually are one of the better FCS teams.

Speaker 7 (35:07):
Though.

Speaker 4 (35:08):
It shout out to EJ. Speed, you know, a Colts linebacker.
He went to Tarlton State.

Speaker 8 (35:13):
I knew that.

Speaker 4 (35:14):
I'm just not sure how to pronounce the place. But anyway,
it's a step up in weight class for Baylor's defense
against Colorado, So we see how they handle that very
much looking forward to it. All right, we've got Rich
orn Berger, Penn State All American, Jared Smith FSR betting
analyst I'm Brian No coming up next the parlay platter.
There have been rumors that Jared has targeted a money

(35:39):
line underdog that he thinks maybe should be the favorite. Okay,
so that information and more coming your way right around
the corner. It is Fox Sports Radios Campdown to Kickoff
presented by BETMGM. It is Fox Sports Radios Campdown to
Kickoff presented by BETMGM. Every time you make a wager
at BETMGM, you earn BETMGM rewards points that can be

(36:01):
redeemed for things like bonus bets or converted to MGM
rewards points that can be used towards dining shows and
hotel rooms at over twenty MGM resorts.

Speaker 8 (36:11):
All right, let's do this.

Speaker 2 (36:13):
Check this out our late letter.

Speaker 4 (36:16):
All right, Jared Smith has been hard at work, smoke
billowing out of the lab as he has pinpointed a
parlay platter for you.

Speaker 8 (36:25):
What do you have for us year?

Speaker 6 (36:26):
Well, we're going money lines underdogs, as is the usual
case here on a collegeotball Saturday, and this one's not
a not a bad payout, So let's get started here.
We'll begin with an early game again, actually two early games.
You want to get this in pretty soon. Houston on
the road at Cincinnati today. Willie Fritz is starting to
figure things out, guys. So they lost as a favorite

(36:48):
week one to UNLV. I think that lost looking more
and more respectful by the week. UNOV looks really good.
They hung with oh you in week two, and I
know Oklahoma is not supposed to be this young knout,
but they were a four touchdown dog and they almost
won the game out right, lost by four, and last
week absolutely blew the doors off. Rice covered easily as
a four and a half point favorite, So two and
zero against the number of their last two weeks. They

(37:09):
covered by twenty three and a half and twenty one
and a half again, Houston. I think starting to figure
things out. Scott saderfeel's bunch for Cincinnati. They beat Tows
and didn't cover. They blew a big lead to pit
and they beat Miami Bahao. Not overly impressive. This game
feels like a toss up I think Houston better defense,
better coach, Cincinnati better quarterback. We'll take the underdog money
line price with the kuds. Coastal Carolina really interesting spot

(37:33):
today as a home dog against Uva. So Uba led
against Maryland last week and it got blanked in the
second half. That's not good because Michigan State, team they
were facing last week, was just given up. Or chuse me, Maryland,
the team they were facing last week, was getting absolutely
passed by Michigan State Nick Rreland. So Uba could not
score against that Maryland team when Michigan State was doing it.

(37:56):
I think Coastal's offense has been pretty pretty feisty. He
took a big lead over Temple last week, and then
Torontal things down. I think Tim Beck's a really good
head coach, brought in a bunch of new players. I
think Coastal's getting better every week. So we'll put Coastal
Carolina at home against UVA. Uva is never a road favorite.
It hasn't happened in like five years. I think they
struggled today in Myrtle Beach. And finally, this is another

(38:17):
early game and how is how is Florida a touchdown
favorite on the Road in stark Vegas. What are we
doing here? The Gators haven't been to Starkville in six years.
That was Billion Napier's first season as head coach at Louisiana.
He might be back at Louisiana if Florida doesn't win
this game today. I think the seat is very hot

(38:40):
for mister Napier, who fell behind twenty nothing at home
last week to A and M. It's going to be
a two system, two quarterback system today for the Gators
Mertz and the freshman DJ Logway. You know what they say,
you got two quarterbacks, you got none. So we'll put
Houston Coastal Carolina Mississippi State all money line underdogs seven
team to one payout over at bet MGM.

Speaker 3 (39:03):
Wow wow. How hot of a seat would you say?
Florida drops to oh four in the season.

Speaker 6 (39:10):
What do they do at head coach Billion Napiers walking home?
I mean, I thought last week he was gonna get fired.
I heard rumblings a couple people, Hey, and their odds
open on which is the coach the first coach in
the fire? Boy?

Speaker 8 (39:30):
Man, what's going on there in Mississippi State?

Speaker 3 (39:33):
Lanta?

Speaker 4 (39:33):
We sure brought this up last week Jared. We had
a Mississippi State grad the the outstanding personality Fred Smoot,
former NFL arback.

Speaker 8 (39:43):
Yeah, Fred, what's going on with your Mississippi State Bulldogs
over here?

Speaker 3 (39:48):
Good lord?

Speaker 4 (39:49):
They're almost a touchdown underdog at home high Florida.

Speaker 5 (39:54):
Got lost in the sauce because he was savaging the
Irish these entire time.

Speaker 8 (39:59):
I should have shifted the focus. Stared at me in
the face. I couldn't help it.

Speaker 6 (40:03):
I mean, I don't love Missisi State, but how is
this more of Florida than anything else? How's Florida laying
a touch.

Speaker 3 (40:10):
Down on the road in the SEC crub?

Speaker 4 (40:12):
Yeah that's bad. If you're like, hey, we're a home dog?
Who are you playing Florida?

Speaker 8 (40:19):
That's rough right there?

Speaker 3 (40:20):
All right?

Speaker 4 (40:20):
Coming up next, the personnel has changed, but has the
offense changed as well?

Speaker 8 (40:25):
We shall discuss.

Speaker 3 (40:27):
Ah.

Speaker 4 (40:27):
Yes, happy Saturday to you, getting you ready for all
these college football games, three ranked versus ranked matchups today,
very much looking forward to it and also looking forward
to a debut. Now, now try this on for size. Okay,
this is gonna sound very very weird to your ears

(40:48):
in just about five seconds. But uh, let's dive into this.

Speaker 2 (40:56):
Of the day.

Speaker 4 (40:58):
Yeah, that would be us scene against Michigan.

Speaker 8 (41:03):
What I love it in the Big ten matchup.

Speaker 7 (41:05):
Of the day.

Speaker 6 (41:06):
That's what we're looking at. Comfortable being uncomfortable people, Oh
my gosh in a big way.

Speaker 5 (41:11):
And you know, actually, similarly to how we were talking
earlier in the show, this does kind of feel more
and more like a Big ten matchup with the style
of football that both Michigan and USC wants to play. Now,
USC I think is shifting gears a little bit. I
don't think it's a wholesale change, but I definitely think
there's more of a focus on milking the clock and

(41:34):
playing sturdy defense. And Michigan obviously just won a national
championship that way. In the image of Jim Harbaugh, who
is now bounced off to the NFL and he's doing
the exact same thing with the Los Angeles Chargers, So
it's beginning to look a lot like Big Except football.

Speaker 3 (41:56):
Everywhere. Look, it really is.

Speaker 6 (41:58):
Get into the Kent State Penn State matchup today at
forty nine point favorites with a total of fifty six.

Speaker 4 (42:07):
No, no, not really really that, but you know this
is what's interesting. Many different angles, but with Michigan's offense.
So they make a change at quarterback and in steps
in alex Orgy. He takes over for Davis Warren. Now
I love this stat. Davis Warren who just got benched.
He has thrown six interceptions on the season already. Alex

(42:30):
Orgy has thrown six passes on the season. So you
bench the guy who's turning it over like crazy. Davis
Warren threw three picks last week against Arkansas State.

Speaker 8 (42:42):
Not good good.

Speaker 4 (42:43):
Alex Orgy just hasn't thrown the ball and he's the
running quarterback. So what does this offense look like with
Orgie back there? Because you can't run the same offense
he's just not that's not playing to his strengths. It's
not a diss it's just play to your quarterback strengths.
Instead of saying, hey, this is our system, you fit

(43:04):
in with that quarterback. No, you adapt your system to
the quarterback strengths. That's the smart way to do it.
So my question is what does this Michigan offense look
like with a new quarterback.

Speaker 8 (43:16):
Does it look the same where he's.

Speaker 4 (43:17):
Doing drop back and play action passing or is it
a steady diet of running in RPOs. If the offense changes,
they've got a shot. If it looks the same, they're donezo.

Speaker 3 (43:27):
Yeah it should not, it should not.

Speaker 5 (43:29):
I've been saying this for years, and finally it feels
like college football in the NFL, frankly, is catching up.
If you have a great offensive system where great players
or even good players can come into that system and
play poorly, you've got a bad offensive system. You have
to find a way to curtail your system or the

(43:50):
strengths of your system to match the strengths of your player,
or you need to change your system. So I've always
been a fan of offenses that have slowly matriculated players
into understanding how to fit the system. That's fine if
you have that kind of time. We're not living in
those times anymore. We live in a time frame now

(44:12):
in college football in the NFL where fan bases have
short detention spans, athletic departments get antsy, and people are
eager to see change quick And so if you have
a quarterback entering into the fray who has a completely
different skill set or even a slightly different skill set,
and your scheme doesn't match his talents, you need to

(44:33):
change your scheme. To help have a more productive offense.

Speaker 6 (44:37):
Yeah, and this is an interesting matchup. It is so
obviously it's a very one dimensional quarterback. I think the
RPO game will be huge today. But here there's two
problems for Michigan's offense. One of them is a guy
that's actually playing but not playing well, Donovan Edwards. I
don't know why he's regressed as a runner, but the

(45:00):
ability to see the lane and run through the lane
is just something he hasn't grasped yet this year. He's
really struggling with his vision. The good news is Kalel
Mullings emerged last week buck fifty three to ten yards
of tot Now it was Arkansas State Michigan didn't cover,
but at least there was some promise in the ground

(45:21):
game with someone else besides Donovan Edwards. Because it can't
just be Alex Orgy left, right and center. He's a
great runner, he needs help. The biggest issue I see
with Michigan is the only guy that was catching passes
for them was their tight end, Colston Lovelin fifty one
receptions for the entire Michigan offense this year, he had
nineteen of them. He's a tight end well, he's heard

(45:43):
it's not playing. So can you run a lot of
Michigan loves to run twelve personnel right one running back,
two tight ends. Can you run twelve personnel effectively without
your number one tight end?

Speaker 7 (45:53):
Today?

Speaker 6 (45:54):
They do have a good backup, Marlin Klein, but losing
Loveland's tough like that. That's a big loss for them
because right tight end is kind of a quarterback's best friend.

Speaker 3 (46:03):
Over the middle.

Speaker 6 (46:04):
You don't have to worry about throwing it too deep.
You can just dump it off to them. We'll see
what that looks like today. But you've got to run
the ball, and you've got to run it well. And
if it's not Donovan Edwards, it better be Mullings because
it can't just be Orgy. I can't believe I keep
saying that word on live radio, but that's that is
really his name.

Speaker 8 (46:23):
That's his name where we are right there?

Speaker 4 (46:26):
Yeah, listen, I just had a flashback to last week
in the NFL. When I'm thinking about Michigan their offense
and USC trying to defend it. It reminds me of
the Colts at Green Bay and how much of a
football sin it was and still is for the Colts

(46:46):
to give up all those rushing yards when they're facing
a limited quarterback in Malik Willis. How in the world
did the Packers run the ball fifty three times.

Speaker 8 (46:57):
For two hundred and sixty one yards? How does that happen?

Speaker 4 (47:01):
But in this matchup, it's comparable, right, alex Orgy, he's
a limited passing quarterback.

Speaker 8 (47:07):
His total right.

Speaker 4 (47:08):
Now, if you're into that on bet MGM, his passing
yardage total is one twenty nine and a half. Okay,
they're not expected to throw the football all over the place.

Speaker 6 (47:17):
It still might be too high.

Speaker 8 (47:19):
It still might be, Yes, absolutely still might be. So
Michigan is going to be so committed to the running game.

Speaker 4 (47:28):
If you're usc this is the baseball equivalent of a
pitcher saying, fastball down.

Speaker 8 (47:33):
The middle, let's see if you can hit it.

Speaker 11 (47:35):
Right.

Speaker 4 (47:36):
USA knows Michigan's going to be running it and running
it and running it.

Speaker 8 (47:40):
Can they stop it?

Speaker 4 (47:41):
And can Michigan have any success when they know the
defense knows what they're going to be doing offensively? I
love that when there are no tricks, right, there's nothing
like we're gonna do razzle dazzle.

Speaker 8 (47:52):
You don't know if we're running throwing your off bout. No,
there's none of that. Straightforward, We're running the rock. Can
you stop it?

Speaker 5 (48:00):
What kills you, though, is sometimes you prepare for that
all week long, like you think you know what you know,
and then all of a sudden, a couple of gimmicks later,
you're looking at the scoreboard and you're saying, we're down
three scores because they did complete a couple of passes
over our head because our commitment to the line of
scrimmage was too high. I've seen this a lot against,

(48:21):
for example, military academies. Right, the game plan is, we're
going to stop the triple option. We're going to stop
the option. We're going to stop the option, and everybody
bunches up close to the line of scrimmage, and everybody
understands their responsibilities and what edge they have, and you
know the gaps and all the schemes, and then all
of a sudden, a quarterback who's only thrown the football
five times during the course of the season and it's

(48:42):
week eight, throws it four times in a single game,
and by halftime you're trailing by seventeen points.

Speaker 3 (48:49):
We've seen it all, We've watched.

Speaker 5 (48:50):
Those games, and so I'm very curious to see if
the outcomes here are going to reflect those What's really interesting, too,
is the narrative roiling in the back that both JJ
McCarthy leaves Michigan as a first round draft pick, Caleb
Williams leaves USC as a first round draft pick, and
the tail of the two quarterback situations at these schools

(49:13):
could not look any more different. Yeah, you have Moss
who is soaring to the front of the pack in
FBS football, and you have Orgy who's replacing ineptitude at
quarterback from just the past couple of weeks. It's really
interesting how these two paths have diverged after last season.

Speaker 6 (49:33):
I'll be interested to hear what our pal Seamus has
to say about where the public feels, because on paper,
you would think USC is going to get a lot
of the handle a lot of the bets, and they have,
but the number keeps coming down, Right, it was six
and a half and now it's four. I mean, it's
not a massive shift, but that's a pretty sizable shift

(49:55):
in a game with a total of forty four. If
it gets to three, I think that's where you'll see
a lot of the USC money step in I still think,
and I have some friends, you know, it could be
a fake sharp kind of game. We saw this with
Michigan against Texas. Michigan took a ton of money as
a home dog against Texas. I was part of it,
and you saw that worked out, didn't work out well

(50:18):
for the Wolverines. Now Texas a very different animal. I
think Texas has dudes all over the field, where USC
has maybe dude singular couple, you know, yeah, and he's injured,
not not the plural. Where Texas is like with like
eight s's like there's just dudes everywhere on the field.

(50:39):
With Texas USC, there's like one scattered here and there
and a few of them. But I kind of want
this line to keep coming down. Keep betting Michigan, whoever's
betting it, keep betting them.

Speaker 1 (50:49):
Give me a.

Speaker 6 (50:50):
Three on USC and you might see that in rapid
fireltter Man.

Speaker 4 (50:54):
That's the thing is this is the like the betting
you sometimes play tennis.

Speaker 6 (51:00):
In your own mind.

Speaker 4 (51:01):
Yeah, it's a cat and mouse, right which side to
go with? Because this is what throws a ranch into
the whole thing is. Back in July, Michigan opened as
a ten point favor. Wow, right, and now they're a
four and a half point underdog currently at BETMGM. That's
a fourteen and a half point swing.

Speaker 6 (51:20):
Might be the biggest shift I've ever seen in a
four week period.

Speaker 2 (51:23):
Right.

Speaker 4 (51:24):
So that's the thing where let's just say you still
like USC, you like USC minus four and a half.
You can't help but think I could have got them
as a ten point shob So what do I do?

Speaker 6 (51:35):
Do I know someone who bet Michigan minus ten over
the summer? Imagine you got ticket.

Speaker 8 (51:41):
Yeah, sure that's not looking nearly as good.

Speaker 4 (51:43):
But you know what I'm saying is we always talk
about closing line value, and you want to have closing
line value, but it isn't everything all right, It matters like,
for instance, you want to be on if you're Michigan,
let's just say you're backing Michigan, you want to be
on them plus four and a half or plus even.

Speaker 3 (52:03):
More earlier in the week.

Speaker 8 (52:04):
That's what you want to be on.

Speaker 4 (52:05):
You don't want to be on Michigan minus ten. Right,
you want to have that closing line value. But when
you think you've got like, hey, I've got three points
in my favorite, that doesn't mean you're gonna win that
bet all the time, right, Like it's a good thing
to have, you want it consistently, but it doesn't mean everything.

Speaker 5 (52:21):
I think Michigan has to find a way to slow
this game down. I think you at all costs, you
have to find a way to sustain possessions. You have
to find a way to control the clock. The worst
thing you can do is have usc you know, earn
extra possessions, give Moss more opportunities to exploit a bad
passing defense. You've got to find a way to steal

(52:44):
a couple of possessions, whether it be in the kicking game,
by the way, or you know, if there's a look
Moss takes care of the football.

Speaker 3 (52:51):
So I don't think that's going to be where you
you feast on.

Speaker 5 (52:54):
But but there's other avenues, there's other ways to create
turnover opportunities. Because that's the that's the only hope you
give the Wolverines in this matchup. Because these these look
like two programs on two separate levels, and bizarrely in
the same conference.

Speaker 6 (53:11):
Now, yeah, that's why. That's why Wink Martindale is crucial
to me. Yep, Like I think he holds all the
cards here. Now you're you're right, Like it's Miller Moss
has done a good job keeping control of the football,
one turnover worthy play in two games. This is a
very young offensive line that is expecting the blitz. They

(53:34):
are expecting the heat. Can wink Martindale reach into his
bag of tricks and show some restraint because the way
I see it, like you've got an All American corner
in Will Johnson who can lock down part of the field.

Speaker 3 (53:47):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 6 (53:49):
You can hopefully back all Like we talk about this
all the time, the Mahomes defense. The way the teams
are playing good offenses is they're backing up right. I
heard mel Kiper going around about it this week. You
wanted the outlaw, which is absurd. We can talk about
that at another time, but let's focus eyes on the
prize here, Like, can you play that coverage and not

(54:10):
you know, get your hand caught in the cookie jar
trying to bring the house on sixty percent of snaps
like you did against Fresno. This is not Fresno State's offense.
This is an offense that will hurt you if you
blitz incorrectly. So I don't love this receiver group for
USC it's not as elite as it's been in years past.
The offensive line is young, they're on the road. It's

(54:33):
a tough environment. Can you confuse them? Can you disguise
some things with Miller boss, make it seem like you're
blitzing and then drop back like that's the cat and
mouse game. I think that's gonna determine this one, because
you're right, guys. If we can get a long eight
to nine minute drive for Michigan and then all of
a sudden it's three and out on the other end

(54:53):
for USC and then Michigan gets the ball back and
it can pound the rock and get that offensive line
work and get Edwards and Mullings involved in get Orgy
on the RPOs. Like that's the path I think for
Michigan to win this game. It's just Wink Martindale. You've
got the cards in your hand, pal, you're gonna go
all in or you're gonna check raise and slow played
a little bit well.

Speaker 8 (55:11):
And that's the other thing.

Speaker 4 (55:12):
I like the aggressiveness from Wink Martindale, the Michigan defensive coordinator,
but in a matchup like this, this is where it
can really really burn you.

Speaker 8 (55:21):
Is imagine if they give.

Speaker 4 (55:23):
Up a big play to USC, and you're playing from
behind with the style of offense, we're gonna see where
you're just running it. So all of a sudden, you're
down by seven, it feels like you're down by double
digits immediately because you've gotta get little little chunk here,
little chunk there, little move here, little first that let's
move the chase. Like if you're actually down by ten,
it feels like you're down by three touchdowns.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
Well, then the clock isn't your friend anymore.

Speaker 5 (55:46):
Where you can score slowly and you could be methodical
about your approach still, but as soon as you give
the ball back to USC, if you don't solve that
Rubik's cube, they're gonna torch you again. So yeah, the
game does turn down or come down to Wink Martindale's
defense and can they be patient? I love what you
just said, Jared. Sometimes when you cloud the picture at

(56:07):
the line of scrimmage and you know, going back to
your analogy to poker, and you can.

Speaker 3 (56:13):
Bluff a little bit, yep, you can show blitz and bail.

Speaker 5 (56:17):
You can look like it's going to be, you know,
too off the strong side, and then all of a sudden,
everybody drops into coverage and you're dropping seven.

Speaker 3 (56:25):
Well, that clouds the picture for any.

Speaker 5 (56:27):
Quarterback, especially a quarterback who's got limited experience as a
starter at this level. So I think you do play
a little bit conservative, especially at first in the early rounds.
Feel out your opponent, allow them to be checked down, Charlie,
Shorten the game for your offense, and maybe good things
will happen.

Speaker 6 (56:47):
Sixty perliterate against Fresno's ridiculous.

Speaker 8 (56:49):
That's not gonna work against it.

Speaker 3 (56:51):
It is not gonna work.

Speaker 6 (56:52):
And even forty five percent against Texas, like you saw,
that was the big drop off. But even against Texas
you mentioned it, Brian, when the game script to negative,
it just got out of hand.

Speaker 5 (57:03):
You want to hear a little forty chess? Yeah, real quick,
real fast, real fast. Sometimes defensive coordinators will look ahead
and they'll put things on film so that USC spend
all this time with their blitz protections, and then all
of a sudden you show up and they're playing coverage
and it's like, hey, what happened to this.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
Aggressive row the curveball today?

Speaker 7 (57:25):
Wait?

Speaker 3 (57:25):
Exactly all right, we've.

Speaker 4 (57:26):
Got rich Ronberger, Penn State All American Jared Smith FSR
betting analyst.

Speaker 8 (57:31):
I'm Brian know.

Speaker 4 (57:32):
Be sure to check out the new look and features
in the betmgm app. It's fast and easy access to
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(57:52):
visit betmgm dot com and use code countdown to receive
up to fifteen hundred dollars back in bonus bets if
that bet loses all right. Coming up next our main man,
Seamus McGee from betmgm. He lets you know who BETMGM
needs in terms of the betting market today and if
you're betting, you might want to know that information. Along

(58:13):
with everything else he has to say, he'll have the
Shamus Special as well. It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown
to Kickoff presented by BETMGM. It is Fox Sports Radios
Countdown to Kickoff presented by bet MGM. Throughout the entire
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(58:36):
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Speaker 2 (58:41):
All right, let's do this follow the money real good one.

Speaker 4 (58:46):
All right, like to welcome in Seamus McGee, team lead
of sports Trading at BETMGM.

Speaker 8 (58:51):
Seamous, good morning to you.

Speaker 4 (58:53):
Okay, it has been crazy line movement throughout the week,
and especially if you go back to this summer. In
this Michigan USC game, Michigan opens as a ten point
favorite and now they're a four and a half point dog.
What's your best read on this game? And also all
the crazy line movement going back to July.

Speaker 2 (59:13):
Seamus, Hey, guys, thinks letting me back?

Speaker 11 (59:17):
Yeah, just a very weird game.

Speaker 12 (59:18):
Ten points honestly felt like too many when this wife
did open up in the summer, so I'm not surprised
to see it go back the other way. But now
then you see six point Michigan.

Speaker 11 (59:29):
Home dog, and you know they haven't given you much.

Speaker 12 (59:31):
To be excited about in ann Arbor so far this year,
but a lot of sharp money coming in on the
Wolverines throughout the week. So yeah, we're still going to
need Michigan in this game.

Speaker 11 (59:43):
It looks like it's pros versus Joe's.

Speaker 12 (59:46):
With a lot of money coming in on the Trojans
from the public, and the sharp's really liking Michigan.

Speaker 6 (59:52):
It really scares me, Seamus, because the public is wrong
most of the time, but I think in this case
they're right. But I just can't get there yet. With
this Michigan game, I think I'm gonna pass unless it
gets the three. I think I'm gonna pass the game.
Here's another interesting one. I cannot wrap my head around

(01:00:13):
Florida being a road favorite in the SEC today. And
you guys hung some interesting numbers earlier this week on
whether or not Florida and Florida State will go winless
in conference play, and the know there is like a
big favorite obviously, but on the road today with billion
apier after what we saw last week, Like you, I

(01:00:33):
can't get behind Florida winning this game today. Tell me
I'm wrong.

Speaker 12 (01:00:37):
I think this number is about right. I have this
game personally at like six six and a half. It's
been a little two way action. I think my kickoff
we might need Mississippi State to cover, but it wouldn't
be a big need. I'd say Florida's a more talented team.
Mississippi State hasn't looked.

Speaker 11 (01:00:56):
Good in the least I mean.

Speaker 12 (01:00:57):
Now like Florida has. But I think this is just
talent wise. I think this is a big mismatch for Florida.

Speaker 5 (01:01:05):
Hey, Seamus, we're I mean, if we're going to compare
the football season to a game, we're kind of the
first quarter has just expired, right, you know, So now
we have a lot of information on what we're going
to see from a betting standpoint, from the better standpoint
against the books.

Speaker 3 (01:01:23):
What edges are there to exploit?

Speaker 5 (01:01:26):
Like, because everybody's got a sense now of what teams
like to do, are there ways that betters can attack numbers, spreads,
totals at this point in the season to find some edges?

Speaker 12 (01:01:39):
Big it says I think you could get right now
is trying to be first to injury related news if
you follow teams very closely, Like if you're a big
knac fan, you think you can get to news faster
than some of the books can. And there's your angle there.
I mean, it's going to be harder to get infol
quick than you know. Sportsbooks will on big teams like

(01:02:03):
LSU or Alabama, for example, but I think some of
these smaller schools when if you know the bigger impact
of a player on a team, that's when you can
find an edge.

Speaker 4 (01:02:14):
Seamus McGee joining us here on countdown to kick off.
What else does BETMGM need today? What would be ideal
for you in the books?

Speaker 12 (01:02:24):
I mean Michigan covering anywhere between four and a half
to six is great, a win is phenomenal, and then
we're gonna need the Sooners big time this week.

Speaker 11 (01:02:34):
Oklahoma playing at home against Tennessee.

Speaker 12 (01:02:36):
It's I told Ben Fox this week, we haven't written
many bets on Oklahoma this week, So definitely going to
be verting for Oklahoma this week. Spread perfect if they
win out right, it's going to be a dream.

Speaker 6 (01:02:50):
Is this around the time, Shamus, where you get to
that point where we know these teams after watching them
for a few data points, and you get a situation
like that, like home is no slouch. In fact, I
think this is one of the few times they've been
a home dog, one of their biggest times they've been
a home dog in recent memory. Yeah, just the second
time they've been a home dog in the last twenty years.

(01:03:10):
The other one was to Ohio State, so they lost
that game by twenty one. But are we at that
point now where every week there's gonna be a team
that nobody wants to bet on it?

Speaker 12 (01:03:25):
Yeah, but like I don't know, it's like Oklahoma's gonna
be that team.

Speaker 11 (01:03:29):
Like I think a team you're gonna see later. He's
probably gonna be a team.

Speaker 12 (01:03:32):
Like Florida where their schedule like after the Bay is ridiculous.
I don't think they're gonna be favored outside any games
outside of maybe like UCS at home, and they might
be a small favoring as Kentucky at home, I mean probably,
But I mean these are games where I think you're
gonna have public lining up against them. I don't think

(01:03:52):
Oklahoma is that team. I just think everyone is really
into Tennessee and Nico.

Speaker 5 (01:03:57):
Two part question, Shaemiss, is now a good time to
start looking ahead at Heisman?

Speaker 3 (01:04:04):
You know? Or they're good value that you can find?

Speaker 5 (01:04:07):
And then also second part, why should I put all
my money right now?

Speaker 3 (01:04:11):
In Travis Hunter?

Speaker 12 (01:04:15):
I don't love either the Colorado guys yet unless they
have one of the biggest turnarounds we've seen in college football.

Speaker 11 (01:04:23):
But I think that was the perfect time.

Speaker 12 (01:04:24):
Jane Daiels was in favor to win the Heidsmen until
the second half of last year, So there's definitely still
some value on the board. There's a mattering of qbs
that seem to just have perfect games every week, whether
it's Nico Riola.

Speaker 11 (01:04:38):
Kind of slipped up a little bit last night, but
then you have m Ward down in Miami.

Speaker 12 (01:04:43):
There is still back, there's still one quarterback from Texas,
whoever it is going forward. So there's definitely some opportunities
I think on the Heisman boards.

Speaker 4 (01:04:53):
All right, Seamus, before you go, what's the Seamus Special
this week for us?

Speaker 12 (01:04:59):
So I'm gonna throw a curveball here. I'm gonna go
to Texas u El Monroe, and I'm gonna take over.
It's that fifty three and a half right now. This
is a trend I like where the difference between the
total and the spread is either ten points or less.
So it's still there right now. In the total of
fifty three and a half and it's spread of forty

(01:05:19):
four and a half. Those games go over like sixty
five percent.

Speaker 11 (01:05:22):
Of the time. So I'm just gonna tail that.

Speaker 6 (01:05:24):
See where we go, just like Penn State Kent State, right,
forty eight, forty nine points, brand of fifty six total.

Speaker 11 (01:05:31):
Yeah, I think they're gonna. I think they're gonna let
Arch run it up.

Speaker 6 (01:05:35):
Let Art run it up.

Speaker 4 (01:05:36):
They might, all right, Seamus, we'll see if it if
it hits a match, yep.

Speaker 8 (01:05:41):
Gotta get some uh, gotta get some throws in there.

Speaker 4 (01:05:44):
You know, Chunk plays, Chunk plays baby for the over all, right, Seamus,
you have a good day, my friend.

Speaker 8 (01:05:48):
We'll catch you soon.

Speaker 12 (01:05:50):
Thanks.

Speaker 11 (01:05:50):
Guys.

Speaker 4 (01:05:51):
All right, there he is Seamus McGee, team lead of
Sports Trading at bed MGM. All right, uh Rich, We're
gonna expect and your question here in just a little bit.
First though, we've got Dan Byer with us this morning.
Dan with the latest. What's going on, dB.

Speaker 10 (01:06:08):
Guys, getting set for this huge day in college football
and a great game in Stillwater that he'll see on
Fox coming up at four o'clock Eastern time, Number twelve,
Utah at number thirteen. Oklahoma State Cowboys favored by one
in this game. And it also looks like Cam Rising's
not going to go for the utes in a it's
still taking me time. This Big twelve showdown Utah. Now

(01:06:31):
in the Big twelve Marshall at Ohio State. Get things
going on Fox today, the first game of that tripleheader
noon Eastern time. And you guys just talking about the Buffs.
Colorado home to Baylor eight o'clock Eastern time. That is
on Fox tonight. Bengals wide receiver t Higgins says he'll
make his season debut on Monday night against the Commanders.
After missing the first two games of the season because

(01:06:51):
of a hamstring injury, Higgins has been able to participate
in limited practices the last couple of days.

Speaker 7 (01:06:57):
Final injury report for the Bengals come out later today.

Speaker 10 (01:07:01):
Steelers now baked up on the offensive line, as ESPN
reports first round pick tackle Troy Batano is going to
miss time because of a knee injury suffered in practice
on Friday. Steelers have the Chargers coming to town in
a battle of two and zero teams. Guardians and Phillies
can both clinch divisions today. They've already punched their tickets
to the postseason earlier.

Speaker 7 (01:07:21):
Phillies did so last night.

Speaker 10 (01:07:23):
Dodgers obviously in the postseason, and if you missed it,
shoe Heeyotani homerd and stole another base in their sixty
four win against the Rockies. With Tao Manaserra Leeds in
third round play at the BMWPGA Championship at Wentworth. He
has at sixteen under par Rory mcclroy. It's currently one
shot back as they're close to wrapping up their third rounds.
Soccer news Chelsea topped west Ham today my a score

(01:07:45):
of three to nil. Currently Liverpool up two nil in
their match against Bournemouth. Tottenham up to one in the
first half against Brentford.

Speaker 7 (01:07:52):
Guys.

Speaker 8 (01:07:52):
Back to you, Thank you Dan.

Speaker 4 (01:07:53):
It's Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff presented by Bett
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Speaker 8 (01:08:21):
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all right, let's do this.

Speaker 2 (01:08:27):
Count down co Heisman watch.

Speaker 4 (01:08:32):
All right, right, you through this question out to Seamus
looking at the Heisman market. How about this at BEDMGM
front and center leading the pack, cam Ward Miami quarterback,
who has been fantastic. He's at plus four point fifty
right now in second place. You got Jackson Dart and
also Jalen Milroe. They're seven to one, and then Nico

(01:08:55):
Iyama Leava and it's like it's you know, you got
syllables and you got emphasis, and n Nico's freaking crushing it, okay,
and he's at eight to one. Look, the path for
cam Ward is pretty interesting because he's a baller. He's
putting up sick numbers, and the schedule for Miami is

(01:09:19):
very favorable. So if they just mess around and somehow
go undefeated or lose just one game, he's gonna be
a serious player when it's all said and done. The
other question is you threw it out there. When you
look at Travis Hunter from Colorado, he's got to be
the best player in college football.

Speaker 8 (01:09:37):
You're a two ways.

Speaker 4 (01:09:38):
He's the show hey Otani of college football here going
both ways.

Speaker 8 (01:09:41):
But the Colorado's not gonna win enough games.

Speaker 4 (01:09:44):
I hate that we don't value that in that we
value that too much in the Heisman race. It should
be about the best player and the biggest impact. Instead,
it's the best player on the best team. And sadly,
Travis Hunter's just not gonna be in the mix when
it's all said and done.

Speaker 3 (01:09:58):
Yeah, I'm with that.

Speaker 5 (01:10:00):
That's the reason why it was a little bit of
a tongue in cheek remark, because what he's done is remarkable.
It just will not be Heisman winner caliber play from
the team wide success standpoint. But when you look at
a situation, and again I love longer odds. You guys
know this about me from the last few years doing

(01:10:20):
Heisman Watch. I look at a situation, emerging situation with
arch Manning, whose stock is all of a sudden on
the rise, with an injured Viers, and what the Longhorns
look to do this season. I think it's going to
be a winning and successful season for the Longhorns. I
think arch Manning, with that name and that pedigree, is

(01:10:41):
going to take them far as long as he remains
the starter. It's going to be hard to argue if
he has early success. So I love getting him. You know,
it's like kind of like buying Google Stock when they're
still operating out of a garage and all of a
sudden boom, it explodes like Arch Manning. Right now, as
of last night, I'm bet MGM was plus sixteen hundred.

(01:11:02):
I mean, just value pouring out of your ears at
this point. Miller Moss another name, you know, just want
to talk about pedigree, maybe not from a last name standpoint,
but just from a head coach quarterback standpoint. You think
about the Baker Mayfields, the Jalen hurts Is, the Caleb Williams,
the past quarterbacks that Lincoln Riley has, you know, blessed,

(01:11:25):
you think about Miller Moss his first game ever. I
was actually on the call for the Holiday Bowl destruction
of the Louisville of Louisville in San Diego. Six touchdown
passes broke the record for that bowl game.

Speaker 3 (01:11:40):
He looked impressive. He's continued to look impressive.

Speaker 5 (01:11:43):
So a couple of guys again, with longer odds, I
think Miller Moss is probably like plus two thousand right now.
With longer odds, you could sprinkle a little dough on
and you might be able to see those seeds grow
as the season moves forward.

Speaker 6 (01:11:56):
Yeah, I think cam Wore deserves to be the favorite,
but I wouldn't at him here. I think the most
intriguing if you're looking for a market moving event, I
don't think arch manning against Monroe is going to move
the market much today, even if he goes crazy, because
I think yours is waiting in the wings and most
likely will get another chance to be back in that

(01:12:19):
starting role. I think that makes it hard with Texas.
I agree that Texas's quarterback deserves to be in the
front seat, but who is Texas's quarterback. I think there's
a game next week that we're definitely going to talk
about that we're not going to talk about this week.
But if you want to get ahead of a market

(01:12:39):
moving event, Alabama plays Georgia next week. Like Alabama's a
home dog slight home dog. I actually think Alabama's going
to win the game. I think Jalen Milrose to pick
right now at seven because I think if Alabama wins
that game next week against Georgia, Jalen mill Rose the

(01:13:00):
Heisman favorite on Sunday morning when that market reopens, and
it's not a knock on cam Ward but it's back
to what Brian said at the top team success matters
when you beat the number one team or in this case,
the number two ap team if they do win that
game next week. Or on the other side, if Georgia

(01:13:22):
wins that game and you think George is the right side,
they are favored Carson Beck because that team's quarterback is
just it's like a slingshot. It's like Sonic the Hedgehog
when you went through that little afterburner ps. It just
sling shots. It right to the top of the list.
The winner of that game next week, George or Bama.

(01:13:43):
I think that team's quarterback will be, if not the favorite,
right near the top of the Heisman list come next week.

Speaker 4 (01:13:50):
And it's I love the Sonic reference. Yeah was it
that or was it Super Mario Brothers? Where if you
were going forward and just stopped, it'd be like, yeah, yeah,
that's kind of your momentum in the Heisman race.

Speaker 8 (01:14:04):
If your team loses a game, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:14:06):
What I mean, It's like it puts on the brakes
right there. But that's the thing, real fast is I
would never bet on arch Manning right now, like save
that drop when he.

Speaker 8 (01:14:16):
Wins the Heisman, but.

Speaker 4 (01:14:19):
Long, a little a sprinkle, just something like how long
is he going to remain the starter?

Speaker 6 (01:14:26):
That's the question.

Speaker 3 (01:14:27):
And I don't be in there for a week or two.

Speaker 8 (01:14:29):
They have no chance.

Speaker 3 (01:14:32):
Royalty.

Speaker 5 (01:14:33):
I just feel like I feel like, okay again, I
understand the competition this week isn't going to move mountains
or anything.

Speaker 3 (01:14:39):
But if he I mean, if he.

Speaker 5 (01:14:41):
Plays well, it's going to be difficult to put him
back on the bench.

Speaker 3 (01:14:46):
I just I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:14:47):
All of a sudden that just becomes a very interesting conversation.
And you know that article is going to be written
when yours is healthy. Who's the starting quarterback with the Longhorns?

Speaker 4 (01:14:57):
Okay, fair, but put it this way, Yes, what percentage
chance do you think there is that Quinn yours doesn't
see the football sea.

Speaker 3 (01:15:05):
That is a good way to look at it. That
is a good way to look at it. I think.

Speaker 6 (01:15:10):
That arch Day is the starter.

Speaker 3 (01:15:11):
Don't ruin my time by making perfect sense. Prime arch
Days the start.

Speaker 6 (01:15:18):
Maybe yours hurts other hand.

Speaker 4 (01:15:20):
Right, Maybe maybe arch hires like Nancy Tanya Harding's hit man,
and you know, we get the lead pipe to the queen.
You were short of that, Quinn yours back is back
behind center. Right, We've got Rich Ornberger, Penn State, All American.
We've got Jared Smith FSR betting analyst. I'm Brian No
Coming up next. Oh, the bonding time with the of

(01:15:45):
the program over here, the prop betting market, there are
always the possibilities. We'll compare notes coming up. It is
Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff, presented by bet MGM.
It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff presented by
bet MGM.

Speaker 8 (01:16:01):
Once a day, Monday.

Speaker 4 (01:16:02):
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Speaker 8 (01:16:23):
All right, let's do.

Speaker 1 (01:16:23):
This prop it up plays.

Speaker 4 (01:16:29):
All right, looking at the prop betting market, Jared, we'll
start with you.

Speaker 8 (01:16:32):
What's something you have to circle?

Speaker 1 (01:16:34):
Well?

Speaker 6 (01:16:34):
I really like this LSU UCLA matchup for a couple
of reasons. One, Ucla is really bad and I was terrible,
terrible pick last year. Bett Or Toplefik last week betting
on them. But the reason why I think they are
going to struggle even more today against the run is
because one of their best run defenders is out Keanu Williams,
who was hurt in that game against the Indiana last week.

(01:16:55):
Another player hurt Kanye Clark in the second are So
this UCLA defense is really on the back foot. Keep
an eye on the freshman running back for LSU, Cayden Durham.
Brian and I we watched this game after our broadcast
last week. This LSU South Carolina game was lacko Tobacco,
just crazy up and down Cayden Durham. Lsu'd really struggled

(01:17:15):
to run the ball. They have a great offensive line,
but they were banged up in the backfield. But Durham,
the freshman, really came on last week. I had almost
ten yards of carry, scored a touchdown on his first
run at twenty six yard run. His rushing yard prop
today is forty eight and a half against a bad
UCLA defense in a game where LSU's favored to win
by three plus scores. I think Kirk Durham is going

(01:17:38):
to really take this job and run with it. So
i'go k Durham over for the eight and a half fresh
yards today against the Brows.

Speaker 5 (01:17:43):
So I like Cam Rising going over the two hundred
and twenty five passing yard ditch mark. He's only done that,
by the way, six times during his last full season
of actually playing, missed all of twenty twenty three, and
is good to go after or the hand injury.

Speaker 3 (01:18:01):
I like. I like Rising.

Speaker 5 (01:18:03):
I think he's probably one of the more entertaining players
in the game right now at his position. And I
also like him against this Oklahoma State defense who give
up a lot of explosive plays. Look to some of
this happening in big chunk plays for Cam Rising in
the utes. They're gonna have to depend on his arm today,
So give me Rising over. I mean, there's different spots

(01:18:24):
you can find him out two twenty two and a half.
I would take over two twenty five easy all day long.

Speaker 8 (01:18:30):
I'm gonna stick with that same game.

Speaker 4 (01:18:32):
I'm looking at Oli Gordon, who was unbelievable last season,
has gotten off to a very slow start this season.
I just don't see him turning the corner against Utah's defense,
you know what I mean? Like Utah is really good
against the rush. You could look at this and say, hey,
if Oklahoma State's winning, we're not sure if Rising is

(01:18:53):
gonna go or not. Right like, so let's say Oklahoma
States leading, Maybe they rely on the ground game a
little bit more depending on how big the lead is,
and Ali Gordon gets a few more carries, that could
be the difference between winning and losing a bet like this.
But I'm gonna take under eighty one and a half
rushing yards for Ali Gordon today. Again, even if he

(01:19:14):
gets some extra carries toward the end of the game,
I'm still comfortable with the under bet because he just
has not gotten going. They rely much more on their
passing game with Alan Bowman. So I'm gonna take Ali
Gordon under eighty one and a half, which you're not
used to hearing that number, right, It just shows you
how much he struggled so far this season.

Speaker 8 (01:19:34):
It's normally in.

Speaker 4 (01:19:35):
The triple digits easily, but it just hasn't been there
the ground game for Oklahoma State thus far.

Speaker 6 (01:19:40):
If Rising's one hundred percent, that game's going over the
total today. Because I think Oklahoma State's got a You're
gonna see Utah just stack the box, try to make
Bowman a passer.

Speaker 4 (01:19:51):
Yeah, all right, coming up next, it's a debut that's
weird and will it also be bad?

Speaker 3 (01:19:57):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (01:19:57):
Happy Saturday to you. We are less than one hour
away from kickoff. It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff,
presented by bet MGM.

Speaker 8 (01:20:07):
You guys ready to feel weird again? Oh yeah, yep
for this.

Speaker 6 (01:20:11):
Wed let's get weird.

Speaker 8 (01:20:12):
All right, let's dive into.

Speaker 2 (01:20:14):
This now SCC matchup of the day.

Speaker 4 (01:20:18):
That's right, that would be Tennessee course at Oklahoma. Oklahoma
makes its SEC debut here today, which I don't know
how you guys feel. I've got like these pie charts
and I keep track of all the scores and stuff,
and every now and then I'm like, all right, let
me find this team, and I'm looking in the wrong conference, you.

Speaker 7 (01:20:36):
Know what I mean.

Speaker 8 (01:20:37):
I'm like, oh, yeah, that's right, they're in the SEC. Oh,
that's right, they're in the big ben.

Speaker 4 (01:20:41):
Every now and then, yeah, being comfortable, I just screw
it up. But you've got Oklahoma making the debut today.
How about this, I should say tonight rather in primetime.
Josh Hipel, the Tennessee head coach former quarterback at Oklahoma,
and then was the offensive coordinator for the better part
of a decade. He was an assistant there at Oklahoma

(01:21:03):
for the better part of a decade, was an offensive
coordinator for a portion of it. Was replaced by Lincoln
Riley in twenty fifteen.

Speaker 8 (01:21:11):
That's right, he.

Speaker 4 (01:21:12):
Got shoved out of it, and it gave him the
Heisman pos and I'm sure he remembers that very clearly.
And that's just one of the little subplots with today's game.

Speaker 8 (01:21:21):
I love that note.

Speaker 5 (01:21:23):
You know, Oklahoma for a three and oh football team,
they are one of the worst looking three and oh
football teams we've seen in a long time. Just they
don't do much really outstanding offensively.

Speaker 3 (01:21:38):
And I don't want to go as far to say.

Speaker 5 (01:21:40):
That they're poor offensively, but they don't run, block well.
Their receivers aren't playing at a high level. They don't
look explosive. It's a very to use the word that's
been coined by the younger generation, a very mid offense. Yeah,
I don't I don't like like. I don't get me wrong.

(01:22:03):
Like wins are wins, and we were talking about it.
You know, if you want Heisman buzz for a player,
if you want you know, the acclaim nationally. If you
want to keep your ranking, you gotta have wins. But
style points matter in college football now, and it's it's like,
you know, sometimes you're watching a runway show and you're

(01:22:23):
being told it's fashion, and you're like.

Speaker 3 (01:22:25):
Yeah, but those are trash bags the models are wearing.
And that's what Oklahoma's offense feels like right now.

Speaker 6 (01:22:32):
This is a very interesting game, and not because of
the x's and o's, but because of the I would
call it the drama behind the scenes and the familiarity
between these two coaching staffs. Brian alluded to it, I'll
hammer it home here. Bob Stoops, who is now kind
of an assistant with Oklahoma, denied any media availability this

(01:22:54):
week because he did not want to be asked the
question about firing Josh Eipel back in twenty fifteen. And
I get it. It's a weird week. You kind of
didn't expect Hypo to be back in this spot where
he comes back into Norman as now the hunter and
they're the favorite. Also, Venables was the code DC of

(01:23:17):
that OU team win Hypel won the national championship. So
it's just you get just all these weird right head coach,
now he's the DC, or now he's the new head
coach of a different team, and then a former DC
was a head coach and now he's back. It's like
all of these mixes and matches together, and I think
it's gonna make the personality of this game very intriguing.
Tennessee's personality on offense up tempo. I mean, this Tennessee

(01:23:42):
offense might be better than the one from a couple
of years ago, and I think the reason is because
Nico's better. They've got the running back Sampson who's a workhorse.
The wide receivers are I think better than you think,
and the old line is healthy. So I'm curious. Eight
yards per play, six hundred yards per game, sixty four

(01:24:03):
points per game for Tennessee's offense against the Oklahoma defense,
which is the strength of their team. I think the
scheme with Oklahoma's defense is better than the talent. They
are getting good pressure, They've got eleven sacks so far.
They're allowing less than eighty yards per game on the ground,
but their defensive line isn't as sec as maybe Tennessee's

(01:24:24):
offensive line is. In terms of the athletes and the
dudes that they have. So Tennessee's got more dudes. Oklahoma's
got the home field and maybe a little bit better scheme,
and then you got all those coaching intricacies on the sidelines.
With all the familiarity, this one feels like it's gonna
be a real pressure cooker.

Speaker 3 (01:24:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:24:43):
I love the matchup, and to me, one of the
biggest questions for Oklahoma is what are they taking away
defensively because they have to take something away. You just
said it right there, Charot. It's not just Nico doing
his thing. It's the ground game. Yeah, the running game
is really really good. So Oklahoma's defense, you gotta take
something away or greatly slow something down, because if.

Speaker 8 (01:25:04):
Nico's throwing it and they're running it, you're really screwed.
You gotta take something away.

Speaker 4 (01:25:10):
Right, And that's one of my biggest questions here. And
the other thing that I think of is I think
sometimes brand name can screw you up as a better
because I guarantee there are some betters out there that
have thought Oklahoma is getting a touchdown depending on the week,

(01:25:31):
like north of a touchdown now just slightly south of
a touchdown. But you said the stat earlier they've been
a home dog twice in the last twenty years.

Speaker 6 (01:25:40):
Yeah, second time. Yeah, only one other time.

Speaker 4 (01:25:44):
There's just more brand equity in college football with Oklahoma
than there is with Tennessee.

Speaker 8 (01:25:51):
No, and it's not to say Tennessee's it does.

Speaker 4 (01:25:53):
They just haven't had the history that Oklahoma has had,
and so sometimes that can screw you up. I think
that's the wrong way to look at this is it
feels like, ooh, Oklahoma brand name getting seven, Like, forget
about it.

Speaker 8 (01:26:07):
It's all about today. It's all about tonight's game. It's
not about.

Speaker 4 (01:26:12):
Whether Sam Bradford played or Barry Switzer coach. It's not
about anything but tonight. That's how you have to look
at it.

Speaker 3 (01:26:21):
Yeah, I completely agree with this.

Speaker 5 (01:26:23):
This is like, if you include brand names, it's very
difficult to look past the overwhelming aptitude that Oklahoma has
had in this sport for a long time.

Speaker 3 (01:26:38):
But if so, I mean, I don't know apply that
to anything.

Speaker 5 (01:26:41):
If there's a new, upstart soda company going against Coca
Cola and you're aware of the brand names, well maybe
just the brand is going to tilt your favor toward
Coca Cola because it's a familiarity thing. But close your
eyes and taste tests those two colas, maybe all of
a sudden you'll have a higher percentage of people liking
the upstart brand. That's what this sort of feels like

(01:27:04):
with this matchup today. And to your point, you're absolutely right,
Oklahoma has to try to take something away, the one
edge they have, even though they're going against Dylan Sampson,
who's been incredible for the Valls backfield. You know, he's
rushing darn near eight yards per carry. Is when you
look at Oklahoma, the one redeeming thing about this team

(01:27:27):
overall so far as the run defense. So if that
ends up neutralizing the volunteers offense a little bit, or
at very least putting the game squarely in Nico's hands,
you may find yourself with an advantage somewhere. But like
I said, if this is a blind taste test, I'm
going with the you know, unknown cola B against you know,

(01:27:49):
major brand A because it doesn't feel like the Oklahoma
brand that we're used to seeing, the brand that we trust.

Speaker 6 (01:27:58):
Yeah, I agree. So this number hasn't moved a lot,
you know, it's come off of seven, which is an
impactful move because that's one of the more common numbers
that lands right in games three and seven being the
key numbers, and we've seen the number come off of seven.
So there is some favor. There is some support for

(01:28:20):
Oklahoma in the market. Their defense is accustom to playing
in space because they played in the Big Twelve, and
that's what Tennessee wants to do. They want to play
in space, they want to spread out. But Tennessee's not
Texas Tech. Tennessee's not TCU. Right Like, there's there's a
big step up in talent class that I think the

(01:28:42):
Tennessee offense has that Oklahoma playing in the Big Twelve
for all those years just hasn't seen. How about the
Oklahoma offense, we haven't talked about that, Jackson Arnold, I
don't really see much high like seven percent turnover worthy
play right, cannaboid sacks one hundred and twentieth out of
one hundred and thirty nine qualifiers when pressured, not a

(01:29:03):
consistent passer, doesn't have a ton of weapons for rooks,
banged up the old lines, not creating push new center,
new right, tackle outside the top ninety on early downs
late Now, I mean the Oklahoma offense is a struggle buss.
Tennessee actually, of all the teams, has a really good
data point. They had a thirty six percent pressure right
against NC State, who returned four guys on the offensive line.

(01:29:26):
So Tennessee might have the best offense in the country period,
and their defense is getting pressure stuff rate above average,
have a rate above average. They look bigger, faster, stronger.
I don't see the Oklahoma love here. I don't see
unless it's fluky and Norman, something happens and the game

(01:29:47):
script gets out of whack. But man, if this game
gets played in a vacuum and Tennessee's weapons do their thing,
I could see them putting a big number up on
the board today, Especially if the game script gets out
of control and Jackson Arnold has to turn into a passer.
I mean, that's just bad news Bears for the Sooners.

Speaker 4 (01:30:01):
It is, and that's where I think the game has
to go for ou Is. They lead the lead, They
lead the nation in takeaways. You gotta take the football
away if you're Tennessee. If Tennessee protects the football, I
just don't see Oklahoma matching points. I know Oklahoma's defense
has been good, but Oklahoma's offense, woof, it has not

(01:30:22):
been good at all. And if you're not taking it away,
I just don't see, like we gotta have peanut punches
like Peanut Tillman. They gotta have peanut punches all game
long from ou. If they're not taking it away, if
they lose the turnover battle, they have no show to
get it right. But if they win by a decent margin,
like if they're plus two plus three, hey.

Speaker 8 (01:30:44):
Home cooking. You never know.

Speaker 4 (01:30:45):
But I don't think they can even be even and
have a legitimate chance to win this game in the
turnover battle.

Speaker 5 (01:30:51):
Yeah, and I'm glad that Jared brought up the defense
for Tennessee. You know, there's so much focus on offensive
football and we tend to go over the fact that,
you know, two things that are really important for a
defensive front to have success. Obviously having talented players. They
have a star Pierce Junior who's actually off to kind

(01:31:11):
of a slow start up front for this defense.

Speaker 3 (01:31:14):
But then aside from him, you also have depth.

Speaker 5 (01:31:16):
You have quality rotational players who can filter in and
out of that front seven, who can wreak havoc, who
can rush the passer, who still win on those one
on one blocks upfront and who can stuff and to
gap these offensive linemen, and the offensive line for Oklahoma
is off to a terrible start.

Speaker 3 (01:31:37):
They're the lowest graded unit in the Power Five right now. Now, again,
it's a.

Speaker 5 (01:31:45):
Home game, and like you pointed out, Brian, fluky things happen,
especially when you have a home crowd behind you and
it's it's a huge game. I mean, if they can
win this game and go four and oh and get
a win over the volunteers who on pay look way
more talented, this is enormous for Oklahoma. But it would
feel fluky if we're walking away from this this weekend

(01:32:08):
saying to.

Speaker 3 (01:32:08):
Ourselves like, how the heck did Oklahoma pull that off?

Speaker 5 (01:32:11):
Because that's what it'll take it if they'll have to
pull something off.

Speaker 6 (01:32:16):
Yeah, we might be looking back when we do our
show in late January or mid January after the National
Championship and we're like, do you remember when Tennessee was
only laying six and a half points against Oklahoma? We're like, man,
that was a bad number Tennessee. Is I just there
is a chance that this offense is that good. We

(01:32:39):
haven't seen it enough yet to really say it, but
we are in the beginning stages of Isnessee is Tennessee's
offense Joe Burrow lsu Esque. I don't think they have
as many weapons on the outside, but I think the
scheme and the pressure they put on a defense because

(01:33:00):
of how fast they go and who is pulling the
trigger now with with Nico and frankly Josh Heipel, who's
been kind of the mastermind now for the last couple
of years. There's a chance that we look back at
this offense and be like, Wow, this offense was historic
and we got him under a touchdown against Oklahoma.

Speaker 8 (01:33:21):
Yeah, yeah, Hey, it might come down to that.

Speaker 4 (01:33:24):
And you know, Nico is so good and if he
continues this up, we'll all know how to pronounce his
last name.

Speaker 8 (01:33:30):
Yeah, you know. Yeah. For what it's worth, right now,
this is him pronouncing his own last name.

Speaker 6 (01:33:35):
The correct way to pronounce my last name is a.

Speaker 5 (01:33:40):
Okay, that's right, he Malayava, Yes, sweet, I'll.

Speaker 4 (01:33:46):
Tell you right now, Nico for now, I still for
the Greek freak, right, that's right.

Speaker 8 (01:33:54):
We need a nickname for Nico, you know, we need
a nickname for him.

Speaker 4 (01:33:58):
All right, We've got rich ron Berger pens All American
Jared Smith, FSR betting analyst. I'm Brian No coming up next.
He might play, but maybe not, but maybe so, but
we don't know yet.

Speaker 8 (01:34:09):
Hey.

Speaker 4 (01:34:10):
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Speaker 8 (01:34:22):
Coming up? Will he or won't he?

Speaker 4 (01:34:25):
It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff presented by BETMGM.

Speaker 8 (01:34:29):
It is Fox.

Speaker 4 (01:34:30):
Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff presented by bet MGM. Football
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(01:34:51):
in the business. Download the betmgm app today or visit
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bet loses. Okay, so we've got utah number twelve against
Oklahoma States number fourteen. Oklahoma State's favored by a point.
Total is fifty three and a half right now at BETMGM,

(01:35:14):
and we get to the latest of the Cam Rising
saga over here, right And I hate I was just
thinking about this a second ago. I hate that I'm
worn out by this, but I am like this kid,
you just try to play. He's in his seventh year
playing college football. He missed all of last season. He's
got this hand slash finger injury going on. He just

(01:35:37):
wants to play like. I got no issue with him.
It's just the storyline of will he play, will he
not play?

Speaker 8 (01:35:45):
He might play, maybe not. I'm just done. I'm done.

Speaker 4 (01:35:48):
And anybody who's been burned before thinking Cam Rising is
going to play, only to find out right before a
game time, yeah, actually he's not gonna go.

Speaker 8 (01:35:57):
And it's like, can I do anything.

Speaker 3 (01:35:59):
About my bet?

Speaker 4 (01:35:59):
No, it's locked in, baby, can't do anything about that.
I just I hope he can play. I hope he's
healthy enough to play well, because I think he absolutely
is an impactful player. It's just the soap opera. Man,
I went off the ride. Sorry, I agree with you.

Speaker 5 (01:36:17):
Seven year senior getting to start a final year, we
assume at Utah after being injured all of twenty twenty three.
He's been snake bitten by injuries. But this weird feeling
of Willie Orwoney is so familiar when it comes to
the utes, and it's not fun, it's not right. It's

(01:36:38):
not the best way to promote the sport. Here's my
problem with it. And this is a little bit of
I guess inside baseball, but as a player and somebody
who my entire life has benefited from the interest in football,
it's this makes football less interesting. I understand the gamesmanship,

(01:37:01):
I understand the chessboard that Kyle Whittingham is playing with,
and all these coaches are looking for an edge, but
this does not do anything to benefit the sport. People
want to bet on this game, okay, people want to
bet on the utes. They want I gave out my
prop bet it's on Cam Rising, okay, and if that
gets taken down off the board, okay, maybe you don't

(01:37:22):
lose your money, but it makes that game a hell
of a lot less entertaining for those who follow my
bet on the over right.

Speaker 3 (01:37:30):
Look, here's the thing. You're you're hurting the sport.

Speaker 5 (01:37:34):
When you do this to the sport, these are now
professional athletes playing at the collegiate level. These guys can
cash in on their name, image and likeness. It's time
we get a closer look like we do in the
NFL at the injury situations leading up to game time
and if it is a significant injury, or if it's
a situation like sometimes happen where it truly is a

(01:37:57):
game time decision, well then fine, it's a game time decision,
But it can't be a game time decision every single
week with the same player at the same school, especially
one of sancha such consequential importance like Cameron Rising with
the Utah Utes, Like we've done this dance a million
times over.

Speaker 3 (01:38:15):
It's not helping the sport. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:38:18):
I tweeted under peat Damil's report this morning about that,
and I said pretty much exactly that. I said, we
need better injury reporting in college football. And I had
a couple of people respond, well, who does this impact
other than the gamblers? I don't know, the boosters, the coaches,

(01:38:39):
the players, the hot dog vendor in the stands that
wants to watch the game, in the middle in you know,
in between himself selling hot dogs. Yeah, like it impacts everybody.
It's and it's not only a player, it's the most
important player on the field, the player that will impact
the points bread by a touchdown plus in most cases.

Speaker 3 (01:38:59):
Yep.

Speaker 6 (01:39:00):
So I don't know how to fix it. But the
current state we have, Kyle Whittingham has figured out a
way to game the system, and most coaches have learned
how to say something without saying it. So the news
reports are very murky and it makes it hard. You

(01:39:20):
tell one reporter he's going to play. You tell another
reporter he might play. You tell a third reporter he's
trending down. A fourth reporter trending up. So it's like
all the reports are all mixed and nobody knows anything.
I remember a week with Kyle Whittingham. I forget and
he is an habitual linestepper with this stuff like Rising

(01:39:44):
didn't play and nobody knew about it. He just didn't
walk onto the field. Everybody thought he was going to play.
And I think it was Bryson Barnes. It might have
been last year, just Bryson Barnes.

Speaker 3 (01:39:55):
There is a first step, yeah right.

Speaker 6 (01:39:58):
Yeah, like what like, what's your happen it feels like
I'm walking down the strip. You ever walk down Las
Vegas Strip. You guys are visit Vegas, you know. Yeah,
you get people that'll come up to you and ask
you questions and you're like, wait a minute, that question
seemed weird. Usually it's someone trying to steal your money.

(01:40:18):
It's a grifter. Hey you want to play this game.
Hey you want to come.

Speaker 3 (01:40:21):
To this club.

Speaker 6 (01:40:21):
Hey you want to do this?

Speaker 3 (01:40:22):
Hey you want to do this?

Speaker 6 (01:40:23):
Stay away from those people trying to take your money.
That's what Kyle Whittingham feels like in this spot. He
knows how to game the system. He knows how to
say something without saying it. It's like three card money,
Where am I going? Where's the quarterback? It's really weird
and it needs to stop.

Speaker 4 (01:40:38):
Well that to me, Jared, and I'm with you, it's
it's gonna be a weird comparison.

Speaker 8 (01:40:44):
It's another sport. But follow me on this.

Speaker 4 (01:40:46):
It really is the hack a shack in the NBA, right, Like, yeah,
a little bit. If you're allowed to foul a guy
who doesn't even have the ball and just put him
at the free throw line, well I don't have a
problem with the coaches taking advantage of.

Speaker 6 (01:41:03):
That exactly right.

Speaker 4 (01:41:04):
If you're allowed to do it, it's more so on
the structure than it is the coach is taking advantage
of it.

Speaker 8 (01:41:10):
So I don't and I don't think you do either, Jared.

Speaker 4 (01:41:13):
I don't look at Kyle Whittingham like, hey, whoa dude.

Speaker 8 (01:41:16):
What's going on?

Speaker 4 (01:41:17):
I look at the NC double A and I look
at the conferences themselves and say, you guys are just
allowing this to happen, Like, put yourself in this position.
What are the chances that Oklahoma is as in the
dark about cam rising status as Oklahoma State is. Do
you really think Utah is? Like truly, it's a game

(01:41:40):
time decision. We don't know, we don't know if he's
gonna go or not. We have no idea, we have
no backup plans. We'll just see, We'll just see what happened.
There's no chance. So it's on the conferences, it's on
the toothless NC double A to come up with something
better where coaches aren't allowed to basically utilize the hack
a shack.

Speaker 2 (01:41:59):
All week long?

Speaker 4 (01:42:01):
Can you utilize it as much as they want and
there's nothing that's done about it.

Speaker 5 (01:42:05):
Brian I'm so glad you brought up the NBA because
my closest comparison is in that league too.

Speaker 3 (01:42:11):
Yep, And it's load management.

Speaker 5 (01:42:14):
So players view load management as something that benefits them.

Speaker 3 (01:42:19):
It's like, oh wow, any night we.

Speaker 5 (01:42:21):
Want, we could say, ah, coach, don't feel like going,
and you could just sit Okay, Yeah, sure.

Speaker 3 (01:42:27):
That sounds like a benefit.

Speaker 5 (01:42:28):
I'm sure everybody shows up to work some days and
they feel like not today. I wish I could just
tell my boss not today. I'm gonna go home, or
if I have to be here, I'm gonna check out,
I'll clock in.

Speaker 3 (01:42:39):
But you know, I'm just.

Speaker 5 (01:42:40):
Gonna be sitting on the bench in street clothes eating popcorn,
you know. I mean like that's that's essentially what NBA
players have been allowed to do. But think about the
the overall and dramatic effect that has had on ratings, viewership,
and interest in attending games in arena. How many times
have people been to a city and maybe even looked

(01:43:03):
at the schedule and went, oh, my goodness, my favorite.

Speaker 3 (01:43:06):
Team is playing here.

Speaker 5 (01:43:08):
But jeez, you know, is Kawhi Leonard actually gonna address
Oh man, the Warriors are in Philly. I got that
conference coming up and the Warriors are playing the seventy
six er.

Speaker 7 (01:43:18):
Is that?

Speaker 5 (01:43:18):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:43:18):
But is Steph and Clay gonna suit up? You know,
I'm I you know, load management hurts the sport the
same way this stuff hurts the sport. How many UTS fans.

Speaker 5 (01:43:30):
Were offered a ticket this weekend or you know, look,
home games, away games, does matter? How many fans of
cam Rising are hesitant to go attend the game because
of this injury report because're like, well, I'll wait until
he's not a game time to his decision, because I'm
really just going because I like him.

Speaker 3 (01:43:49):
Yeah, I mean that's the problem.

Speaker 5 (01:43:52):
And so yeah, everybody says, oh, it's just people are
betting on sports.

Speaker 3 (01:43:55):
No it's not. No, it's not. Because I just laid
out for you.

Speaker 5 (01:43:59):
How NBA are handling this same type of things, these
very seeming Oh this is just transactional. These are this
is just to the benefit of gamesmanship for the coaches
and the players. It doesn't affect anybody except for people
who put money. No, no, no, no no. This has an
effect on the overall interest in the game. And if
you allow if you allow players or coaches to take

(01:44:21):
an inch they'll take a mile and they won't realize
they're cutting off their nose to spite their own face.
This is bad for the sport. It looks bad for
the sport. It needs to be corrected.

Speaker 6 (01:44:32):
Yeah, and of course all I hear these days on
social media is, oh, the games are fixed. Everything's fixed.
It does it's not a good look for it. If
this is happening that that doesn't help. The first of all,
the games are not fixed, but this kind of stuff
doesn't help that argument. Back to the actual game themselves. Yeah,

(01:44:52):
this one is intriguing because you have a Utah defense
that knows they can stop the run. They are good
at stopping the run. They like to play with extra
guys in the box. That's how Morgan Scalley usually goes.
Oli Gordon has and you mentioned in the prop segment,
Brian Oli Gordon has not been this star this year.

(01:45:16):
He's averaging less than three yards per carry in his
last two games against Tulsa and Arkansas. The od line
is struggling less than a yard per rush before first contact.
That's why I think the over is intriguing here. Now,
it would help to know if Utah starting quarterback is
playing but I think this could turn into a pass

(01:45:36):
funnel game because Utah is gonna even if Oli Gordon
wasn't this Heisman caliber back. Utah strategy is to stop
the run, so it's gonna put the ball in Alan
Bowman's hands, who's actually done a really good job getting
the ball out quickly. Two point two time to throw
right seconds and twelve percent pressure rate. So again, he's

(01:45:57):
been facing a lot of heavy boxes because he's dealing
with Oli Gold in this run defense. You know, people
trying to stop Gordon, but he's still gotten the ball
out really fast. So can this Utah offense, which also
has a good offensive line Micah Barnard averaging you know,
a ton of yards per carry. If Cam Rising plays
and this total stays in the mid fifties, like it

(01:46:17):
feels like an overgame. But I just don't know because
I don't know who's playing quarterback, and that's going to
move the number by at least a field goal by
the time we get the game time.

Speaker 4 (01:46:25):
Yeah, it really affects everything. It affects the prop bet
market side total. Everything is affected by Cam Rising. Will
he or won't he? We will find out at four
pm Eastern time, on Fox. All right, we're going to
find out right now.

Speaker 8 (01:46:40):
What else we need to be aware of in the
sports world.

Speaker 4 (01:46:43):
We've got Dan Bayer gracing us with his presidence here
this morning.

Speaker 8 (01:46:47):
What's going on?

Speaker 7 (01:46:47):
Dan?

Speaker 2 (01:46:48):
Yeah?

Speaker 10 (01:46:48):
That delicious football sandwich that Fox is giving us today.
That meets of Utah and Old and Oklahoma State sandwiched
in between a matchup between Marshall and Ohio State that
kicks off at the top of the hour. On the
nightcap is Baylor at Colorado. Not a bad day on
FIC one as well. Houston and Cincinnati kick things off
at twelve o'clock Eastern time. That's followed by Arizona State

(01:47:10):
of Texas tack and then Northwestern at Washington in a
Big ten tilt coming up later on this evening. So
news from the NFL some injury news to pass along.
Steelers first round pick Troy Fittano out indefinitely after suffering
a knee injury in practice yesterday. He will not play
in Sunday's battle between the two and oh Steelers and

(01:47:31):
the two and OH Chargers. Jets are two and one
after their win on Thursday night against the Patriots, but
they lost tackle of Morgan Moses for two to four
weeks with an NCL spring. Bengals wide receiver T Higgins
set to make his season debut on Monday night against
the Commanders.

Speaker 7 (01:47:46):
A golf note to pass around.

Speaker 10 (01:47:47):
Third round of the BMWPGA Championship is wrapped up at
Wentworth and Mateo Manasera leads at eighteen under par Rory
McElroy and Billy Horschel three shots back.

Speaker 7 (01:47:57):
Guys, I leave you with this story. I told it
yesterday on the air.

Speaker 10 (01:48:01):
As a lifelong Seahawks fan, I have tried to get
my three year old son to become a Seahawks fan
as well. But I've also said I've tried to get
him to know NFL teams by animals, and he knows
the Dolphins.

Speaker 7 (01:48:15):
Brian.

Speaker 10 (01:48:16):
And last week when the Dolphins were playing, the Bills
were watching the game and he's cheering for the Dolphins,
and so I'm like, awesome, cool, no big deal.

Speaker 7 (01:48:25):
This week, I say, Brody, who.

Speaker 3 (01:48:27):
Were cheering for Seahawks are Dolphins?

Speaker 7 (01:48:29):
This week?

Speaker 10 (01:48:30):
He drops the Dolphins on me. He's all Dolphins right now. Yeah,
this is this is tough to take. So he's gone
over to your side, at least for this week. I mean,
the Seahawks are Dolphins only play you know, once every
four years. But man, this is this is this is
too odd. This is my planning has not provided the
fruits that I was hoping for.

Speaker 7 (01:48:49):
My son's fandom.

Speaker 4 (01:48:50):
That is so funny, Dan, I was joke, I was
gonna jump in and jokingly because of what came to
mind is like, hey, son, you know the twelves.

Speaker 8 (01:48:58):
What do you think?

Speaker 3 (01:48:59):
Huh?

Speaker 8 (01:49:00):
Finns up, Dad.

Speaker 3 (01:49:01):
You know, he knows Lions, he knows Cardinals.

Speaker 10 (01:49:06):
But he's taking this affinity towards the Dolphins.

Speaker 5 (01:49:09):
Just keep them away from the Bears, Dan, some of
those early words that you don't want them to learn.

Speaker 6 (01:49:15):
Away from the Jets.

Speaker 7 (01:49:18):
That's a four letter word. We are not going to say.

Speaker 4 (01:49:21):
Yeah, absolutely, that's awesome. Good. Great to hang with you too, man.

Speaker 7 (01:49:26):
Yeah you too.

Speaker 3 (01:49:28):
All right.

Speaker 4 (01:49:28):
It is Fox Sports Radios Countdown to kick Off, presented
by bet MGM. Shortly after the show, our podcast will
be going up. If you missed anything on today's show,
be sure to check it out. Just search Fox Sports
Radio wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to
also follow, rate and review it again.

Speaker 8 (01:49:41):
Just search Fox Sports Radio wherever.

Speaker 4 (01:49:44):
You get your podcasts and you'll see the show posted
right after we get off the air. All right, so
we've hit on the bigger games this week. What else
are you interested in today? You know we all have
ranked versus ranked, circled highlighted the whole thing.

Speaker 8 (01:49:58):
What else? I've got my eye on Florida State? Are
they gonna win a game?

Speaker 4 (01:50:02):
Are they gonna win a They gonna beat cal This
will be their first win of the season. I also
want to see Arizona State. How about that role reversal.
We didn't expect Florida State to be winless, we didn't
expect Arizona State to be unbeaten, but they go to
Texas Tech As Dan said, that's on FS one three
three pm Eastern time. I'm interested in that one too.
We're gonna see some crazy offensive fireworks again.

Speaker 8 (01:50:25):
Totals fifty eight and a half.

Speaker 4 (01:50:26):
I like Arizona State and Texas Tech as an intriguing
matchup today as well.

Speaker 3 (01:50:30):
Mine's more players specific.

Speaker 5 (01:50:33):
I definitely want to see what Cam Rising looks like
if he ends up going, even though I hate what
Kyle Whittingham's doing in that game. Also Arch Manning and
I know this is an underwhelming matchup. Longhorn's great. They
they're expecting to beat the snot of you know, Louisiana Monroe.
But I'm really interested in the brand. We were just

(01:50:54):
talking about Oklahoma. It's like how the Mighty have fallen?
Like that's a brand that we connect a lot of
success to. But how are they gonna look in this
matchup today, you know, against the volunteers. The Manning brand
has never let us down, you know what I mean?
Like Peyton he was great, Eli, he was a Super
Bowl MVP two times. He's uh, he's going to officially

(01:51:17):
be up for consideration for the Hall of Fame for
the first time, uh, in his post career since his retirement. Yeah,
I look at Arch Manning and I'm so curious what
the story is gonna look like from here on out.
We saw him step in have an incredible performance for
an injured quinn Ewers who has that oblique injury he's

(01:51:37):
still recovering from.

Speaker 3 (01:51:39):
I'm really excited to see him play.

Speaker 6 (01:51:42):
I'll give you some look ahead and some letdown spots
that are intriguing. You got Northern Illinois. Yeah, you know,
a big favorite today against Buffalo. We've seen that number
come down a little bit. We know what NIU did recently.
Another one that's intriguing is Vandy against Missouri. We haven't
talked about Missouri much. Vandy had a terrible game last

(01:52:04):
week against Georgia State, lost outright as a big favorite.
They other than that game against Virginia Tech, they haven't
looked that good. But Missouri hasn't looked great either. They
barely got past Boston College last week, and they really
struggled against the dual threat Castianos the quarterback, well Pavia
for Vandy's kind of got that dual threat nature in
him too. I saw Vandy take a lot of money

(01:52:26):
respected group gave out Vandy earlier this week at twenty one.
That's down to like eighteen. You want to talk about
a crazy upset in the SEC. That would be one
for the ages if Vandy goes into Colombian pulls off
that one against the top ten Missouri team. Here's another
one that's interesting. We haven't talked about Miami. We did
briefly discuss cam Ward in the Heisman market, but South

(01:52:47):
Florida's taken a little bit of money as a home
dog today against Miami in state rivalry, Miami has a
short week on deck. They played Virginia Tech on Friday
in their ACC opener. So again, I don't expect Vandy
to beat Missou. I don't expect South Florida to beat Miami.
But based on what we've seen the first month of
college football, would either of those results surprise you?

Speaker 8 (01:53:09):
Interesting?

Speaker 4 (01:53:09):
No, I like those look ahead spots and letdowns and
all that type of stuff.

Speaker 8 (01:53:16):
Something rose coaster.

Speaker 4 (01:53:17):
This is, you know, this is not a marquee matchup,
but I do wonder Like last week, Jared, you and
I we were in Washington, d c. Rich Rich had
the audacity to work and not be.

Speaker 8 (01:53:29):
Able to attend there.

Speaker 6 (01:53:31):
But she's rich.

Speaker 4 (01:53:32):
We were talking about Notre Dame against Purdue, and Notre
Dame the week prior had been embarrassed by Northern Illinois
and what happened against Purdue. They blew the doors off
of them sixty six to seven. I'm wondering about Purdue today.
Right Purdue at Oregon State. That's at eight thirty pm
Eastern time. There's been a little bit of Purdue money.

(01:53:55):
It's ticked down the spread. It's at Oregon State at
minus three and a half right now, is a little
bit higher earlier in the week. I wonder if Purdue,
who got absolutely thumped and embarrassed last week.

Speaker 8 (01:54:09):
I'm not expecting them to win sixty six to seven today,
But do they.

Speaker 4 (01:54:13):
Take that embarrassment and pull an irish on Oregon State?

Speaker 7 (01:54:18):
Right?

Speaker 4 (01:54:18):
Are they able to respond the way Notre Dame was
last week? Because the power of embarrassment is a real thing.

Speaker 5 (01:54:24):
I'll give you one last one cow on the road,
live dog going to Florida State. Sure they're dog two
and a half points. Take a good close look at
that one.

Speaker 6 (01:54:35):
Because I date's bad.

Speaker 5 (01:54:36):
Yeah, Florida State's bad. The cow Bears. I just watched
them in person last weekend. That quarterbacks better than people
are talking about and that defense is serious. That's gonna
be a long, hard day for the seminoles at home.

Speaker 4 (01:54:50):
Yeah, all right, there's rich Ornberger Fence State All American.
He blowed torches some pork shoulder as well. We've got
Jared Smith FSR, betting analyst. His dog, Jackpot, I'm sure
is nearby right sleeping, sleeping. Okay, he's getting ready for
a big day here today, cash and bets the whole thing.
I'm Brian no coming up next rapid fire. We each

(01:55:13):
have three selections for you. We keep track, We talk
friendly trash. Jared has a whiteboard tracking the picks. Serious
stuff here, we give you picks Coming up. It's Fox
Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff, presented by BETMGM. It is
Fox Sports Radios Countdown to Kickoff presented by bet MGM

(01:55:34):
all season long. Bet MGM's offering you a second chance
on your first touchdown bet in the NFL. When a
customer places an NFL wager on a first touchdown score
bet and he doesn't score first, but score a second,
bet MGM will return one hundred of their stakeback in
cash props to the crew. Our trusted producer, Bo Benson.

(01:55:56):
Chris Purfett, Technical producer extraordinaire on the Update, Special treat
Dan Bayer, whose son is rooting for the Dolphins against
his every wish. Top of the Hour, Dan Byer, Plexico Burris,
a little up on game. Keep it locked right here.
Ball kicks off in less than ten minutes, and Dan

(01:56:17):
Bayer and Plexico Burris kickoff in just under ten minutes
as well. Here on FSR, all right, we.

Speaker 8 (01:56:22):
Got some picks to make. Let's do it.

Speaker 2 (01:56:27):
Rapid fire.

Speaker 8 (01:56:29):
All right, Jared, we start with you.

Speaker 3 (01:56:30):
What do you like?

Speaker 6 (01:56:31):
We are gonna take three and a half points with
the Houston Cougars in a very classic Big twelve matchup,
Houston against Cincinnati, just like we all expected, right, Houston
twenty five spots higher an EPA margin. We talked about
this game in parlay platter. Willie Fritz is starting to
figure things out. Nice went over Rice last week. Cincinnati's
kind of been up and down. Didn't get a cover
against Towson, beat Miami, Ohio, lost the big lead against

(01:56:54):
pitt I think volatility here. I'll take the three and
a half points with the Kougs. I will take three
and a half points with co Carolina. Uba has not
been a road favorite and non conference play since twenty eleven.
Very unfamiliar spot. Tim Beck knows the acc He was
the OC at NC State for several years. He brought
in a bunch of new players in the transfer portal

(01:57:14):
to coastal. They're improving week after week. They're catching three
and a half today as a home dog against Virginia,
I'll take the chance. And finally, goodness, gracious, I don't
understand where the UCLA money is coming in this game.
But we saw a wave of action on the Bruins yesterday.
I don't care the sharps are wrong. I'm laying a
big number with LSU today, twenty one and a half

(01:57:35):
point favorites at home against UCLA. I think the run
game is going to be all over this Bruins defense
and that guy Caden Durham. Keep an eye out for him.
So LSU mightus twenty one and a half. Coastal Carolina
plus three and a half Houston plus three.

Speaker 7 (01:57:49):
And a half.

Speaker 5 (01:57:49):
Okay, the cow Bears are going on the road for
their first ACC test.

Speaker 3 (01:57:54):
They're getting two and a half against FSU. Cal's a
real team. Florida State is not.

Speaker 5 (01:58:00):
I hate the way the Seminals look to start their season.

Speaker 3 (01:58:03):
I love the way the Bears are playing.

Speaker 5 (01:58:05):
Give me the points on the road for the hot
cow Bears Baylor at Colorado fifty one and a half
point total, Give me the over. I don't trust either
defense that means points, especially with the way Shador Sanders
throws the football round.

Speaker 3 (01:58:21):
Florida on the road at Mississippi State. Mississippi State is
getting seven points.

Speaker 5 (01:58:28):
I'll bite, especially with the way the Gators have looked
to start this season.

Speaker 3 (01:58:32):
Give me the home dog Bulldogs getting seven.

Speaker 5 (01:58:35):
So I've got Cow plus two and a half, Baylor
Colorado fifty.

Speaker 3 (01:58:39):
One and a half. Give me the over Mississippi State
plus seven.

Speaker 6 (01:58:43):
I like it.

Speaker 4 (01:58:43):
Okay, Oli Gordon, he's struggled for his standards as the
Oklahoma State running back this season, hasn't rushed for a lot.

Speaker 8 (01:58:53):
I don't expect him to rush for a lot today.

Speaker 4 (01:58:55):
Let's take his over fifteen and a half receiving yards,
special player.

Speaker 3 (01:59:00):
It out to him.

Speaker 8 (01:59:00):
Let's get him involved. Let's not just say hey, they're
stopping him. I guess we're not gonna use Ali Gordon.

Speaker 6 (01:59:04):
Let's throw it to him, sharp right, thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:59:06):
I'm gonna take alex Orgy give me under one twenty
nine and a half passing yard. They're gonna run it
and run it and run it against USC and Rich.
This is the stinkiest line of the entire week. Go on,
I'm laying seven with the Florida Gators.

Speaker 8 (01:59:25):
How in the world are they favored by seven? I
think we're gonna find Dallas.

Speaker 3 (01:59:30):
No run a lap, you owe a lap.

Speaker 4 (01:59:33):
Might be my worst pick of all time, but hopefully
it hits,

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