July 21, 2025 • 23 mins
This week on TABLE TALK, Jeff sat down with John Buhler, lead writer who specializes in covering college football and the NFL on a national level from Fansided.com, for a discussion about the coming college football season. There’s a ton of storylines heading into the season with the Big Ten and SEC. Which players will we be keeping our eyes on? It was a great discussion!
Topics John and Jeff discussed:
- An important under-the-radar storyline heading into this college football season - hint, it deal with players drafted to the NFL and their contracts.
- 2 teams ranked too high and 2 teams ranked too low in the SEC.
- Can Penn State finally be looking national title contention?
- Which running backs and wide receivers are going to be fun to watch this coming season?
All of this and much more this week on Table Talk!
SUBSCRIBE on YouTube: youtube.com/@thephiladelphiasportstable
Head over to our website for all of our podcasts and more: philadelphiasportstable.com
Follow us on BlueSky:
Jeff: @jeffwarren.bsky.social
Erik: @brickpollitt.bsky.social
Follow us on Threads:
Jeff: @mrjeffwarren
Erik: @slen1023
The Show: @philadelphiasportstable
Follow us on Twitter/X:
Jeff: @Jeffrey_Warren
Erik: @BrickPollitt
The Show: @PhiladelphiaPST
Follow us on Instagram:
Jeff: @mrjeffwarren
Erik: @slen1023
The Show: @philadelphiasportstable.
Follow Jeff on TikTok: @mrjeffwarren
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/PhiladelphiaSportsTable
Topics John and Jeff discussed:
- An important under-the-radar storyline heading into this college football season - hint, it deal with players drafted to the NFL and their contracts.
- 2 teams ranked too high and 2 teams ranked too low in the SEC.
- Can Penn State finally be looking national title contention?
- Which running backs and wide receivers are going to be fun to watch this coming season?
All of this and much more this week on Table Talk!
SUBSCRIBE on YouTube: youtube.com/@thephiladelphiasportstable
Head over to our website for all of our podcasts and more: philadelphiasportstable.com
Follow us on BlueSky:
Jeff: @jeffwarren.bsky.social
Erik: @brickpollitt.bsky.social
Follow us on Threads:
Jeff: @mrjeffwarren
Erik: @slen1023
The Show: @philadelphiasportstable
Follow us on Twitter/X:
Jeff: @Jeffrey_Warren
Erik: @BrickPollitt
The Show: @PhiladelphiaPST
Follow us on Instagram:
Jeff: @mrjeffwarren
Erik: @slen1023
The Show: @philadelphiasportstable.
Follow Jeff on TikTok: @mrjeffwarren
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/PhiladelphiaSportsTable
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Welcome to Table Talk here at the Philadelphia Sports Table
podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show
in the world, twelve years strong. We've got a great
show coming your way and a great discussion about the
upcoming college football season. I cannot wait for football to
get here, man, it has been so long since we
have seen any real snaps in college or professional football.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
But joining us this week.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
From fan side, and he is one of the lead
writers over there specializing and covering college football and the
Bell our good friend. It's great to see him, mister
John Buel or how you doing, Buddy.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I'm doing so good, Jeff liked. I can't wait for
college football or football'll be back. I know, man, I'm
just done with my braves. I know.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Well, you're from Atlanta, correct, you are you? That's your
hometown right.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, I'm like j Atlanta teams all the way across
the board. So yeah, tough time with baseball, but football years.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Football is going to be exciting for you for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And yeah, we just on our Opposition Territory podcast that
we put up every week where we hi light another
professional sports team. I recently did a show with one
of our buddies from Oh my gosh, I'm forgetting where
forgetting where he's from, but he covers the Atlanta Braves,
and he was just so dejected, honestly, and I felt that.
(01:49):
I was like, thanks for doing this, having to talk
about this team. Yeah, it's rough, Yes, rough. Well, why
don't we get into some college football talk here, my friend?
And there's a lot going on in the world of
college football, even though there's no games being played at
the moment. You know what the NIL has done to
(02:11):
the game and to the sport overall, what the new
college football playoff might actually look like in the future
based on TV contracts, and how that's all intertwined with
each other. The fact that we have two basically super
conferences at this point in the SEC and the Big Ten,
helping to really pave the way for college football in
a lot of different ways. I'm wondering, John, what's an
(02:32):
under the radar storyline in college football that we should
really be concentrating on as the season is upon us here?
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You're gonna love this? Okay, I don't necessarily know if
it should be like at the front line of the conversation,
but it's definitely a back burner for sure. Okay, obviously
you and I both cover college football in the NFL
very closely, and I'm sure you're well aware of how
all the contracts, particularly for guys that are like second
round picks NFL like they're just not signing. It's taking
(03:03):
a very very long time.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Andrew Maccooba from this past draft of the Eagles just
signed yesterday.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yeah, yeah, like I saw what Donovan Azeruku out of
Boston College just signed with the Cowboys. The Falcons don't
have one because they have the two first round picks
in their third round pick Xavier Watts on Notre Dame.
I think that, like with the language of those contracts,
like the second round picks are getting kind of screwed here, Yeah,
(03:29):
the first round picks. So there may be some players
not saying all, but there might be some like who
are fringe first round picks. They may go back to
school and make more money with nil than what they
would with the second round pick contract. Like you look
at quarterbacks probably for example, yeah, Sam Levitt at Arizona State,
(03:50):
maybe Fernanda Mendoza Formulative Cal now in Indiana. These are
guys that have first round talent. People are speaking very
highly of them, but if they're not getting like really
high in grades, maybe they go back. I know that
Levitt has eligibility, maybe Mendoza. There may be other guys
out there, like John Bettier at Oklahoma formerly of Washington State,
(04:11):
Lenora Sellers, maybe another guy who could potentially do that
as well. Arch Manning, for sure. I don't think he's
coming out after this.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Year, right right, boy? That really is an interesting storyline.
How we're getting to a point where the almighty dollars
in college football is getting.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
To be potentially on par with what is happening in
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
That's really astonishing, John, I I was sitting on that one, like, well,
I think I think it's a fantastic answer. A lot
for us to contemplate, for sure, as we're heading into
this college football season. But I wanted to next dive
into a piece that you recently wrote on Fans Sided
where you felt, as we're getting into the getting into
(04:52):
the weeds here, especially with the SEC, you felt there
are two teams who are ranked way too high to
start the season, two teams that were ranked way too
low in the recent SEC preseason media poll. The teams
that you have listed in your piece, and I want
to let you dive into this because I want to
get into it are Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
(05:15):
So can you give us your thoughts here, John on
the two teams you think are ranked too high and
the two teams ranked way too low in the SEC.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, finally something cool to talk about. I saw the
Big ten's got something out there. I think on three
has it out there too, from Cleveland dot Com. So
that can be your nitty lines at the top and
then ye, different conversations there. But in my neck of
the woods in the SEC, I think one and two
you can have Georgia or Texas. Either direction. Can't really
argue too much with that. Three, four or five. They've
(05:45):
got Alabama, LSU, South Carolina. Those are like the right
next teams, like to the point where if they don't
make the playoffs, it's disappointing. I think South Carolina I'm
much higher on them than I am Alabama. Look, Calenda
bor has got to like make a stand here. He's
got five coordinators on his team, Like it's you can
(06:05):
only delegate so much, right, And I look at South Carolina,
a team that I'm very high on. And look, Shane
Biemer is a bit of a front runner, but like
in a good way, like when his team's on fire,
he knows what he's doing. He's got a quarterback that
reminds me very much of Cam Newton, Josh Allen, Ben Roethlisberger,
and Lenora Sellers, a guy I'm I'm a big fan of.
You've got Dylan Stewart coming off the edge. You've got
(06:27):
Nick Harber, I believe at wide receiver, a tight end, yea,
a pass catcher. You've got I think your your gear
is a little bit higher with South Carolina than Alabama,
where I think they really only have one player that
can go to the next level, which is probably Ryan Williams,
because maybe they're other really good players of Cayden Proctor,
but he's a tackle, So I don't know if Alabama's
(06:49):
defense is as good as Texas or Georgia's in the
SEC at the high end. De Bor is a great coach.
This is a really good team that'll be vying for
a playoff spot, but like it'll be very close, like
probably will look more like a ten and two team,
yah nine and three team there So that's kind of
I've got South Carolina higher than Alabama.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
That's how I think that's logical.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
To be honest with you, John, at this point, I
really do think it's logical.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
And I think when folks are talking about.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
The top of the SEC Texas, Georgia, I gotta put
Georgia up there at this particular point. Again, no snaps
have been made during this, you know, during the course
of this discussion, but Texas, you have to show me,
you have to show me more Georgia. Over the course
of the past five years, they have shown us, you know,
who they are and how resilient they can be.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
So that's where I stand right.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
There with you. I can't really compe. And then the
other side of it, I've got Oklahoma being too low
in Florida too high. Those teams have brutal schedules. I
think it's like one and two hardest in the country.
I think three's Vanderbilt, four's Texas. So there's gonna be
some l's to be had there. I think with Florida,
people are really excited about what DJ Lagway could be
(08:01):
at quarterback. And you know, it pains me to praise
anything Florida, but like they could be really good. They
played very well down the stretch for Billion Napier, but
the Billionavier if it all scares me, Like there's there's
always a game or so where like he gets in
his head and then it's snowballs and it's always in
Jacksonville versus my team. And maybe this is a team
that could win like nine games with that schedule and
(08:22):
make the playoff. But like I mean, you've got like
six or seven games that are toss ups. You got Miami,
you got LSU, even Florida State, like you have to win,
you have to win Sunshine. And then there's just a
very tough slight there, like you think you're gonna be
all missing back to back years. That's that's gonna be tough, yep.
And then Oklahoma, Like I feel like I've come full
(08:45):
circle on the seniors. Not a fan of Brent Vinnables
as a head coach, kind of feel he's on the
hot seat with Jokistiglio and stepping down as athletic director.
I gonna hire somebody else. But you go out and
you completely revamp the offense. You bring in Ben Arbuckle
from Washington State, you get John Materia follow and then
you get Jade not from cal to come in. You
were able to retain to Marco Mury. I know you
(09:06):
guys are trying to get him to be or running
the backs coach there for a bit. Oh you legend
if Oklahoma Oklahoma, it makes some people look really dumb.
They're in the ICEC. But like, this is probably a
seven and five team with a really tough schedule, but
they could win about nine games. It wouldn't shock me
if like them in Florida, they're kind of in that
same sort of territory where like it can go either way.
I like we'll miss a little bit more than probably
(09:27):
both of those teams. But yeah, I think Oklahoma is
a team that we're really sleeping on.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
There's a lot of various dynamics happening in the SEC
this year that's really going to be interesting to not
only watch but dissect as well. A lot of different
storylines that are gonna actually just overlap with each other
in the SEC. It's it's really gonna be phenomenal to
watch it. But moving along, of course, I am a
Penn State alum and Penn State football lover have been
(09:54):
my entire life, and I think this could be the
year they have the opportunity to play for a NASH Championship.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I do say that with a little bit of hesitation here. John.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Then again, I understand the realities and nature of Penn
State football. Again, as I've watched this team and organization
my entire life. They don't usually show up at all
in big time, basic situations and big moments. So what
are your thoughts on Penn State and what they're going
to need to do to get over that hump to
(10:25):
be a real national contender in college football?
Speaker 2 (10:28):
What are your thoughts? And'd be brutally honestly, I've been
waiting to have.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
This conversation, so right now, I would say they're about
seven teams in college football that I would be stunned
if they did not make the playoff, And I'll kind
of break that down into tears. So the top two
are probably Penn State and Clemson. These are two teams
I'm very high on. I think Clemson's runaway the best
team in the ACC. I think Penn State in the
(10:53):
Big Ten like they've got a fantastic coaching staff. I mean,
getting Jim Doles from Ohio State's U Yeah, another year
with Andy Colteneck, as you're say, did a lot of
great things. They're under lance slight polt at Kansas and
Buffalo before that. I'm a big fan of Drew Aller.
I know he's a very polarizing player out there, but
I think he's he's a more talented version of JJ McCarthy.
(11:14):
To me, that's how I've always viewed him in a
very positive way. I love the running back tandem of
Nick Singleton and k Tron Allen. You're always gonna have
good defense there. It's just it's the James Franklin of
it all. It's just it's, look, you're got You've got
a team that could go twelve to zero. You probably
got a ten and two ceiling. You're probably gonna go
eleven to one. I think you host Oregon, you'll probably
(11:37):
win that game. You go on the road to Ohio State,
maybe lose that, but like, you can't lose to Ohio
State twice, right, like then in Indianapolis or in the playoff. Right.
But it's like with James Franklin, he doesn't lose as
a favorite, but he doesn't beat a top five team.
So you got something has got to give here, and
I will say this right now, there were only three
(11:57):
head coaches in college football at the Division one FBS
level that have won a national championship. Davias Wings want two,
Kirby Smart's one two in Ryan Day's one to one.
And I can't really speak on behalf of how people
felt about Dabo before he did it, right, People were
saying things about this about Kirby Smart, they said this
about Ryan Day, and like James Franklin's kind of in
(12:18):
that group with like Steve Starkesian, Dan Landing, maybe Kaitlin
de Bor where you're like, maybe they could do it.
I mean, I think Brian Kelly is in a tough
spot with you know, age and everything like that LSU,
but like James Franklin's got the team to potentially do it.
It's gonna come down to Aller playing really well, getting
himself drafted in the first round, probably gonna end up
(12:39):
playing for his hometown Browns. In all that thatihood, but very
very bullish on Penn State here, but like I haven't
gone through with win total projections for the Big Ten yet,
but like they're going to be in the playoff for sure.
Probably your next three teams beyond Penn State, Clemsoner, you know, Georgia,
Ohio State, Texas kind of banking on like the four
being really high, and then you've got Oregon and inter
(13:00):
name who. I don't think you win it all, but
should make the playoff.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Yeah, I would agree with you. I think that's some
really good analysis.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And as we head into a break, John, let everybody
know where they can follow you on the interwebs out
there if they want to see what you're doing there.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Fan Sided, Yeah, you can follow me on Twitter or
the X at Bueler one eighteen. You can read all
my content on fanside dot com. Again. I cover college
football nationally, the NFL nationally, and baseball sort of nationally,
but mostly through a torture Atlanta Braves fan. I've got
a two podcasts I do. I do a False Start
on Mondays and Thursdays, which is college football show I
(13:38):
do with my boss Cody Williams. We're trying to entertain
ourselves here. And then on every Wednesday, I do an
Atlanta Falcon show by myself called Blogging Dirty with Fansided,
where I talk about the Falcons, really excited about that
team this year.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Awesome, and folks, if you're watching on YouTube, we've got
our social media sites up here at the Philadelphia Sports
Table podcast show. You can follow us on Instagram, over
at Twitter, slash like our Facebook page. We're over at
threads as well. Eric and I are on Blue Sky
as well. You can follow me over on the TikTok
at mister Jeff Warren. So we are going to take
(14:13):
a quick break here to pay some bills. We're going
to be back in just a bit with.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
More college football talk.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
All right, we are back with our good friend John
Bueller from Fan Sided and as we're moving along with
the discussion here John, with regard to this college football season,
the upcoming season here, all eyes i think because of
his last name, are going to be on Arch Manning
down in Texas this season. But there are going to
be a lot of other quarterbacks in college football, a
(14:41):
slate of quarterbacks outside of Manning that are also going
to have a microscope on them as well as a
number of NFL teams are really going to be looking
for that next franchise quarterback after this college football season
is all said and done. You mentioned Drew Aller, you
know he could potentially be one of those quarterbacks you
said right before we went to break, you know, Cleveland
(15:02):
Browns possibly looking at him, could be a destination for him.
So I'm wondering which quarterbacks are you're really going to
be keeping your eyes on during this upcoming college football
season and why?
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Okay, so we get this. So there's there's three quarterbacks
that maybe three or four, Yeah, four quarterbacks that I
think could potentially be you number one overall pick. You're
looking at Leonora Sellers out of South Carolina, depending on
if he comes out, Drew Aller if he has a
fantastic You're at Penn State, Kate Klubnick out of Clemson,
(15:35):
and then Garrettnusmeyer out of LSU. I think Alur club
Nick and alur Clubnik and nuss Meyer they're all probably
going to turn pro because I don't think that they've
got much eligibility left. Sellers could come back. I think
all four of them have obvious NFL prototypes that work
in this league. Sellers, like I've mentioned already, look kind
(15:58):
of reminds me of Josh Allen, cam Newton, big Ben
Aler kind of reminds me of JJ McCarthy. I think
there's other quarterbacks out there that fit that mold too,
Garrett Nessmeyer, he's kind of more of like a Matthew
Stafford justin Herbert. It can be great, but then it
could also be Blake Portles that that's in between. That's
same prototype. Yeah, and then Kate club Nick a little
(16:18):
bit smaller than I thought, but he kind of reminds
me of like a Baker Mayfield Jackson Dart type of player. Uh,
those are guys that would be really in on and
if you go beyond that, you know, I've also mentioned
Sam Levitt, the quarterback at Arizona State. He's got eligibility.
He kind of reminds me of like Rock Purty a
little bit in a good way. And then you've also
got By Bonex a little bit there too. And then
(16:40):
you've got Fernanda Mendoza, who I've got to see a
little bit more on him transferring from cal to Indiana.
I think he's going to be there for two years
to play for Kreis Signetty. I think his brother Alberto
is on the team too, so, but he's he's very promising.
He kind of a very tall guy, very handsome guy.
Maybe he gets I you back in the playoff again.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Sounds good?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
All right? Well, moving along, There's gonna be some very
very exciting wide receivers and running backs to watch this year.
I mean, whether it's running backs like we've mentioned already
here k Tron Allen and Nick Singleton at Penn State
and a two headed monster. You know what they're going
to do to the college football running game and will
they be able to break any potential records? Got Jeremiah
(17:23):
Love from Notre Dame as well. Wide receivers were going
to be looking at. I know I'm going to be
looking at Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State, Cam Coleman from Auburn.
I'm wondering which offensive skill players are you most excited
about watching this upcoming season?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Here in Jeremiah Smith's special, he really is. This guy's
really good.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I think he's on Ohio State. Iied it.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I mean, he's got the NFL pedigree with cousin Gena,
but he he'd probably be the number one pick if
he could come out. I think he's special. Ryan Williams
all of Bama kind of reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald.
Like Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, time player, super young but
super gifted. Elijas Srot for Indiana's really talented as well,
(18:09):
as is Jordan Tyson the various NA State I would
say running back obviously, Penn State's probably not the best
tenem in the country there with k Tron Allen and
Nick Singleton. I'm a big fan of my guy at Georgia,
Nate Frasier as well. Uh with jam Miller down there
at Auburn, he's a lot of fun as well. I'm
trying to think of. Oh and then Jeremiah Loves just it.
He's he's he's.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
So good, he is, he is ridiculous good.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
I just I look at whether whether it is a
player like Jeremiah Love or whether it is jeremih Swi
Smith at Ohio State, like I view these two guys
who can actually carry the offense on their back throughout
much of the season. And you know, with college football,
so we certainly see that year after year. But man,
those two guys are so incredibly special with what they're
(18:54):
going to be able to do, and I think what
they're probably gonna end up doing in the NFL as well,
And I just I that look. I am very happy
with k Tron Allen and Nick Singleton at Penn State.
But man, Jeremiah Love, I'd take him too. But buddy,
as we're finishing up our discussion here and again, it
was so fantastic having you come on to talk about
(19:14):
this upcoming college football season. You know, it seems like
seems like so much of the time we're concentrating on
offensive skill players so much in college football. I mean,
rightfully so, but we also need to keep our eyes
on defensive players as well. They're gonna have a clear
impact in the game. I think obviously the offensive guys,
they just get more of that limelight pushed on them
(19:37):
and shown on them. One of your colleagues over at
fans Sided, Caden Handwork. He put up a piece recently
about the five best returning linebackers this coming season in
college football. I'm wondering what are some of your thoughts on,
whether it's linebackers or even defensive players overall that we're
gonna need to keep our eyes on this season.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
What are your thoughts here?
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Okay, I get some frenzytion is wrong, but that that's okay.
It's still a little bit early. I think the best
defensive player in college tripball is Caleb Downs at Ohio State.
He's really good. Wish you would have come to Georgia. Yeah,
mostly had an apartment here but that didn't work out. Yeah,
he's he's really good. I think he could be a
(20:19):
top five pick, Like he doesn't he sounds like a
guy that the Jets would take. Like it's just right. Obviously,
Dennis Sutton here for Penn State, it's fantastic. He's kind
of keeping the you know, the Abdul Carter. I don't
know if I don't know if he's in Stick City,
but like he's a he's that type of player there
for Penn State. For Georgia, we know about what Christian
(20:39):
Miller and what his name c J. Allen, I think
I might be missing that in the front seven Georgie's
Georgia's gonna have a filthy secondary with Dalen Evert and
kJ Bolden. Uh, that's gonna be good. I also think
that Clemson's gonna have some guys in the trenches with
Peter Woods and t J. Parker and then obviously uh
Mateo at Oregon and then Bryce Batcher like that that's
(21:01):
gonna I think Oregon's defense is probably going to carry
them a little bit more because they've got some uncertainty's offense.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yeah, it's gonna be an interesting upcoming college football season
for sure. Again, folks, John Buehler from Fans Sided on
the Twitter slash x at Buehler one one eight and uh,
let everybody know about the podcast again before I let
you go, buddy.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yeah, I do a twice a week our bi weekly
show sort of adjacent to Fan Side called Fall Start
with My boss and Collie Cody Williams. We just talked
about college fipaull and nonsense. We do that every Monday
and Thursday during the season. We also do it after
the games, and then we do something after playoff rankings.
So check us out there, you know at CFP Fall
(21:41):
Start on YouTube, Twitter x and everything like that. And
then the Falcons show Blogging Dirty at Blogging Dirty fs,
I cover the Falcons once a.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Week there, awesome folks.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Again, head over to Fans Side and even search out
John over there. NaN's colleagues doing great, great work, my friend,
Thank you so much for taking the time to jump
on the show this week to dive into this upcoming
college football season. I'm looking forward to having you back
on the show. If you'll come back, my friend, I'm
looking forward to that.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Love me know, I'll be back for sure. I had
a great time as always, Jeff.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That's going to do it for us here on table
Talk this week. Please share our podcast with your friends
and family members who are Philly sports fans or sports
fans in general. We thank you our listeners for being
part of this online community with us and within this space.
Please make sure to check out our website, Philadelphiasportstable dot
com for all of our podcasts, and follow us on
(22:33):
our social sites over on Twitter at Philadelphia PST, threads
at Philadelphia Sports Table, and over on Instagram as well.
Take care and we'll catch you next time.
Welcome to Table Talk here at the Philadelphia Sports Table
podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show
in the world, twelve years strong. We've got a great
show coming your way and a great discussion about the
upcoming college football season. I cannot wait for football to
get here, man, it has been so long since we
have seen any real snaps in college or professional football.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
But joining us this week.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
From fan side, and he is one of the lead
writers over there specializing and covering college football and the
Bell our good friend. It's great to see him, mister
John Buel or how you doing, Buddy.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I'm doing so good, Jeff liked. I can't wait for
college football or football'll be back. I know, man, I'm
just done with my braves. I know.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Well, you're from Atlanta, correct, you are you? That's your
hometown right.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, I'm like j Atlanta teams all the way across
the board. So yeah, tough time with baseball, but football years.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Football is going to be exciting for you for sure.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And yeah, we just on our Opposition Territory podcast that
we put up every week where we hi light another
professional sports team. I recently did a show with one
of our buddies from Oh my gosh, I'm forgetting where
forgetting where he's from, but he covers the Atlanta Braves,
and he was just so dejected, honestly, and I felt that.
(01:49):
I was like, thanks for doing this, having to talk
about this team. Yeah, it's rough, Yes, rough. Well, why
don't we get into some college football talk here, my friend?
And there's a lot going on in the world of
college football, even though there's no games being played at
the moment. You know what the NIL has done to
(02:11):
the game and to the sport overall, what the new
college football playoff might actually look like in the future
based on TV contracts, and how that's all intertwined with
each other. The fact that we have two basically super
conferences at this point in the SEC and the Big Ten,
helping to really pave the way for college football in
a lot of different ways. I'm wondering, John, what's an
(02:32):
under the radar storyline in college football that we should
really be concentrating on as the season is upon us here?
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You're gonna love this? Okay, I don't necessarily know if
it should be like at the front line of the conversation,
but it's definitely a back burner for sure. Okay, obviously
you and I both cover college football in the NFL
very closely, and I'm sure you're well aware of how
all the contracts, particularly for guys that are like second
round picks NFL like they're just not signing. It's taking
(03:03):
a very very long time.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Andrew Maccooba from this past draft of the Eagles just
signed yesterday.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yeah, yeah, like I saw what Donovan Azeruku out of
Boston College just signed with the Cowboys. The Falcons don't
have one because they have the two first round picks
in their third round pick Xavier Watts on Notre Dame.
I think that, like with the language of those contracts,
like the second round picks are getting kind of screwed here, Yeah,
(03:29):
the first round picks. So there may be some players
not saying all, but there might be some like who
are fringe first round picks. They may go back to
school and make more money with nil than what they
would with the second round pick contract. Like you look
at quarterbacks probably for example, yeah, Sam Levitt at Arizona State,
(03:50):
maybe Fernanda Mendoza Formulative Cal now in Indiana. These are
guys that have first round talent. People are speaking very
highly of them, but if they're not getting like really
high in grades, maybe they go back. I know that
Levitt has eligibility, maybe Mendoza. There may be other guys
out there, like John Bettier at Oklahoma formerly of Washington State,
(04:11):
Lenora Sellers, maybe another guy who could potentially do that
as well. Arch Manning, for sure. I don't think he's
coming out after this.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Year, right right, boy? That really is an interesting storyline.
How we're getting to a point where the almighty dollars
in college football is getting.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
To be potentially on par with what is happening in
the NFL.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
That's really astonishing, John, I I was sitting on that one, like, well,
I think I think it's a fantastic answer. A lot
for us to contemplate, for sure, as we're heading into
this college football season. But I wanted to next dive
into a piece that you recently wrote on Fans Sided
where you felt, as we're getting into the getting into
(04:52):
the weeds here, especially with the SEC, you felt there
are two teams who are ranked way too high to
start the season, two teams that were ranked way too
low in the recent SEC preseason media poll. The teams
that you have listed in your piece, and I want
to let you dive into this because I want to
get into it are Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
(05:15):
So can you give us your thoughts here, John on
the two teams you think are ranked too high and
the two teams ranked way too low in the SEC.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, finally something cool to talk about. I saw the
Big ten's got something out there. I think on three
has it out there too, from Cleveland dot Com. So
that can be your nitty lines at the top and
then ye, different conversations there. But in my neck of
the woods in the SEC, I think one and two
you can have Georgia or Texas. Either direction. Can't really
argue too much with that. Three, four or five. They've
(05:45):
got Alabama, LSU, South Carolina. Those are like the right
next teams, like to the point where if they don't
make the playoffs, it's disappointing. I think South Carolina I'm
much higher on them than I am Alabama. Look, Calenda
bor has got to like make a stand here. He's
got five coordinators on his team, Like it's you can
(06:05):
only delegate so much, right, And I look at South Carolina,
a team that I'm very high on. And look, Shane
Biemer is a bit of a front runner, but like
in a good way, like when his team's on fire,
he knows what he's doing. He's got a quarterback that
reminds me very much of Cam Newton, Josh Allen, Ben Roethlisberger,
and Lenora Sellers, a guy I'm I'm a big fan of.
You've got Dylan Stewart coming off the edge. You've got
(06:27):
Nick Harber, I believe at wide receiver, a tight end, yea,
a pass catcher. You've got I think your your gear
is a little bit higher with South Carolina than Alabama,
where I think they really only have one player that
can go to the next level, which is probably Ryan Williams,
because maybe they're other really good players of Cayden Proctor,
but he's a tackle, So I don't know if Alabama's
(06:49):
defense is as good as Texas or Georgia's in the
SEC at the high end. De Bor is a great coach.
This is a really good team that'll be vying for
a playoff spot, but like it'll be very close, like
probably will look more like a ten and two team,
yah nine and three team there So that's kind of
I've got South Carolina higher than Alabama.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
That's how I think that's logical.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
To be honest with you, John, at this point, I
really do think it's logical.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
And I think when folks are talking about.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
The top of the SEC Texas, Georgia, I gotta put
Georgia up there at this particular point. Again, no snaps
have been made during this, you know, during the course
of this discussion, but Texas, you have to show me,
you have to show me more Georgia. Over the course
of the past five years, they have shown us, you know,
who they are and how resilient they can be.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
So that's where I stand right.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
There with you. I can't really compe. And then the
other side of it, I've got Oklahoma being too low
in Florida too high. Those teams have brutal schedules. I
think it's like one and two hardest in the country.
I think three's Vanderbilt, four's Texas. So there's gonna be
some l's to be had there. I think with Florida,
people are really excited about what DJ Lagway could be
(08:01):
at quarterback. And you know, it pains me to praise
anything Florida, but like they could be really good. They
played very well down the stretch for Billion Napier, but
the Billionavier if it all scares me, Like there's there's
always a game or so where like he gets in
his head and then it's snowballs and it's always in
Jacksonville versus my team. And maybe this is a team
that could win like nine games with that schedule and
(08:22):
make the playoff. But like I mean, you've got like
six or seven games that are toss ups. You got Miami,
you got LSU, even Florida State, like you have to win,
you have to win Sunshine. And then there's just a
very tough slight there, like you think you're gonna be
all missing back to back years. That's that's gonna be tough, yep.
And then Oklahoma, Like I feel like I've come full
(08:45):
circle on the seniors. Not a fan of Brent Vinnables
as a head coach, kind of feel he's on the
hot seat with Jokistiglio and stepping down as athletic director.
I gonna hire somebody else. But you go out and
you completely revamp the offense. You bring in Ben Arbuckle
from Washington State, you get John Materia follow and then
you get Jade not from cal to come in. You
were able to retain to Marco Mury. I know you
(09:06):
guys are trying to get him to be or running
the backs coach there for a bit. Oh you legend
if Oklahoma Oklahoma, it makes some people look really dumb.
They're in the ICEC. But like, this is probably a
seven and five team with a really tough schedule, but
they could win about nine games. It wouldn't shock me
if like them in Florida, they're kind of in that
same sort of territory where like it can go either way.
I like we'll miss a little bit more than probably
(09:27):
both of those teams. But yeah, I think Oklahoma is
a team that we're really sleeping on.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
There's a lot of various dynamics happening in the SEC
this year that's really going to be interesting to not
only watch but dissect as well. A lot of different
storylines that are gonna actually just overlap with each other
in the SEC. It's it's really gonna be phenomenal to
watch it. But moving along, of course, I am a
Penn State alum and Penn State football lover have been
(09:54):
my entire life, and I think this could be the
year they have the opportunity to play for a NASH Championship.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I do say that with a little bit of hesitation here. John.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Then again, I understand the realities and nature of Penn
State football. Again, as I've watched this team and organization
my entire life. They don't usually show up at all
in big time, basic situations and big moments. So what
are your thoughts on Penn State and what they're going
to need to do to get over that hump to
(10:25):
be a real national contender in college football?
Speaker 2 (10:28):
What are your thoughts? And'd be brutally honestly, I've been
waiting to have.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
This conversation, so right now, I would say they're about
seven teams in college football that I would be stunned
if they did not make the playoff, And I'll kind
of break that down into tears. So the top two
are probably Penn State and Clemson. These are two teams
I'm very high on. I think Clemson's runaway the best
team in the ACC. I think Penn State in the
(10:53):
Big Ten like they've got a fantastic coaching staff. I mean,
getting Jim Doles from Ohio State's U Yeah, another year
with Andy Colteneck, as you're say, did a lot of
great things. They're under lance slight polt at Kansas and
Buffalo before that. I'm a big fan of Drew Aller.
I know he's a very polarizing player out there, but
I think he's he's a more talented version of JJ McCarthy.
(11:14):
To me, that's how I've always viewed him in a
very positive way. I love the running back tandem of
Nick Singleton and k Tron Allen. You're always gonna have
good defense there. It's just it's the James Franklin of
it all. It's just it's, look, you're got You've got
a team that could go twelve to zero. You probably
got a ten and two ceiling. You're probably gonna go
eleven to one. I think you host Oregon, you'll probably
(11:37):
win that game. You go on the road to Ohio State,
maybe lose that, but like, you can't lose to Ohio
State twice, right, like then in Indianapolis or in the playoff. Right.
But it's like with James Franklin, he doesn't lose as
a favorite, but he doesn't beat a top five team.
So you got something has got to give here, and
I will say this right now, there were only three
(11:57):
head coaches in college football at the Division one FBS
level that have won a national championship. Davias Wings want two,
Kirby Smart's one two in Ryan Day's one to one.
And I can't really speak on behalf of how people
felt about Dabo before he did it, right, People were
saying things about this about Kirby Smart, they said this
about Ryan Day, and like James Franklin's kind of in
(12:18):
that group with like Steve Starkesian, Dan Landing, maybe Kaitlin
de Bor where you're like, maybe they could do it.
I mean, I think Brian Kelly is in a tough
spot with you know, age and everything like that LSU,
but like James Franklin's got the team to potentially do it.
It's gonna come down to Aller playing really well, getting
himself drafted in the first round, probably gonna end up
(12:39):
playing for his hometown Browns. In all that thatihood, but very
very bullish on Penn State here, but like I haven't
gone through with win total projections for the Big Ten yet,
but like they're going to be in the playoff for sure.
Probably your next three teams beyond Penn State, Clemsoner, you know, Georgia,
Ohio State, Texas kind of banking on like the four
being really high, and then you've got Oregon and inter
(13:00):
name who. I don't think you win it all, but
should make the playoff.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Yeah, I would agree with you. I think that's some
really good analysis.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
And as we head into a break, John, let everybody
know where they can follow you on the interwebs out
there if they want to see what you're doing there.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Fan Sided, Yeah, you can follow me on Twitter or
the X at Bueler one eighteen. You can read all
my content on fanside dot com. Again. I cover college
football nationally, the NFL nationally, and baseball sort of nationally,
but mostly through a torture Atlanta Braves fan. I've got
a two podcasts I do. I do a False Start
on Mondays and Thursdays, which is college football show I
(13:38):
do with my boss Cody Williams. We're trying to entertain
ourselves here. And then on every Wednesday, I do an
Atlanta Falcon show by myself called Blogging Dirty with Fansided,
where I talk about the Falcons, really excited about that
team this year.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Awesome, and folks, if you're watching on YouTube, we've got
our social media sites up here at the Philadelphia Sports
Table podcast show. You can follow us on Instagram, over
at Twitter, slash like our Facebook page. We're over at
threads as well. Eric and I are on Blue Sky
as well. You can follow me over on the TikTok
at mister Jeff Warren. So we are going to take
(14:13):
a quick break here to pay some bills. We're going
to be back in just a bit with.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
More college football talk.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
All right, we are back with our good friend John
Bueller from Fan Sided and as we're moving along with
the discussion here John, with regard to this college football season,
the upcoming season here, all eyes i think because of
his last name, are going to be on Arch Manning
down in Texas this season. But there are going to
be a lot of other quarterbacks in college football, a
(14:41):
slate of quarterbacks outside of Manning that are also going
to have a microscope on them as well as a
number of NFL teams are really going to be looking
for that next franchise quarterback after this college football season
is all said and done. You mentioned Drew Aller, you
know he could potentially be one of those quarterbacks you
said right before we went to break, you know, Cleveland
(15:02):
Browns possibly looking at him, could be a destination for him.
So I'm wondering which quarterbacks are you're really going to
be keeping your eyes on during this upcoming college football
season and why?
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Okay, so we get this. So there's there's three quarterbacks
that maybe three or four, Yeah, four quarterbacks that I
think could potentially be you number one overall pick. You're
looking at Leonora Sellers out of South Carolina, depending on
if he comes out, Drew Aller if he has a
fantastic You're at Penn State, Kate Klubnick out of Clemson,
(15:35):
and then Garrettnusmeyer out of LSU. I think Alur club
Nick and alur Clubnik and nuss Meyer they're all probably
going to turn pro because I don't think that they've
got much eligibility left. Sellers could come back. I think
all four of them have obvious NFL prototypes that work
in this league. Sellers, like I've mentioned already, look kind
(15:58):
of reminds me of Josh Allen, cam Newton, big Ben
Aler kind of reminds me of JJ McCarthy. I think
there's other quarterbacks out there that fit that mold too,
Garrett Nessmeyer, he's kind of more of like a Matthew
Stafford justin Herbert. It can be great, but then it
could also be Blake Portles that that's in between. That's
same prototype. Yeah, and then Kate club Nick a little
(16:18):
bit smaller than I thought, but he kind of reminds
me of like a Baker Mayfield Jackson Dart type of player. Uh,
those are guys that would be really in on and
if you go beyond that, you know, I've also mentioned
Sam Levitt, the quarterback at Arizona State. He's got eligibility.
He kind of reminds me of like Rock Purty a
little bit in a good way. And then you've also
got By Bonex a little bit there too. And then
(16:40):
you've got Fernanda Mendoza, who I've got to see a
little bit more on him transferring from cal to Indiana.
I think he's going to be there for two years
to play for Kreis Signetty. I think his brother Alberto
is on the team too, so, but he's he's very promising.
He kind of a very tall guy, very handsome guy.
Maybe he gets I you back in the playoff again.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Sounds good?
Speaker 1 (17:00):
All right? Well, moving along, There's gonna be some very
very exciting wide receivers and running backs to watch this year.
I mean, whether it's running backs like we've mentioned already
here k Tron Allen and Nick Singleton at Penn State
and a two headed monster. You know what they're going
to do to the college football running game and will
they be able to break any potential records? Got Jeremiah
(17:23):
Love from Notre Dame as well. Wide receivers were going
to be looking at. I know I'm going to be
looking at Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State, Cam Coleman from Auburn.
I'm wondering which offensive skill players are you most excited
about watching this upcoming season?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Here in Jeremiah Smith's special, he really is. This guy's
really good.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I think he's on Ohio State. Iied it.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I mean, he's got the NFL pedigree with cousin Gena,
but he he'd probably be the number one pick if
he could come out. I think he's special. Ryan Williams
all of Bama kind of reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald.
Like Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, time player, super young but
super gifted. Elijas Srot for Indiana's really talented as well,
(18:09):
as is Jordan Tyson the various NA State I would
say running back obviously, Penn State's probably not the best
tenem in the country there with k Tron Allen and
Nick Singleton. I'm a big fan of my guy at Georgia,
Nate Frasier as well. Uh with jam Miller down there
at Auburn, he's a lot of fun as well. I'm
trying to think of. Oh and then Jeremiah Loves just it.
He's he's he's.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
So good, he is, he is ridiculous good.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
I just I look at whether whether it is a
player like Jeremiah Love or whether it is jeremih Swi
Smith at Ohio State, like I view these two guys
who can actually carry the offense on their back throughout
much of the season. And you know, with college football,
so we certainly see that year after year. But man,
those two guys are so incredibly special with what they're
(18:54):
going to be able to do, and I think what
they're probably gonna end up doing in the NFL as well,
And I just I that look. I am very happy
with k Tron Allen and Nick Singleton at Penn State.
But man, Jeremiah Love, I'd take him too. But buddy,
as we're finishing up our discussion here and again, it
was so fantastic having you come on to talk about
(19:14):
this upcoming college football season. You know, it seems like
seems like so much of the time we're concentrating on
offensive skill players so much in college football. I mean,
rightfully so, but we also need to keep our eyes
on defensive players as well. They're gonna have a clear
impact in the game. I think obviously the offensive guys,
they just get more of that limelight pushed on them
(19:37):
and shown on them. One of your colleagues over at
fans Sided, Caden Handwork. He put up a piece recently
about the five best returning linebackers this coming season in
college football. I'm wondering what are some of your thoughts on,
whether it's linebackers or even defensive players overall that we're
gonna need to keep our eyes on this season.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
What are your thoughts here?
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Okay, I get some frenzytion is wrong, but that that's okay.
It's still a little bit early. I think the best
defensive player in college tripball is Caleb Downs at Ohio State.
He's really good. Wish you would have come to Georgia. Yeah,
mostly had an apartment here but that didn't work out. Yeah,
he's he's really good. I think he could be a
(20:19):
top five pick, Like he doesn't he sounds like a
guy that the Jets would take. Like it's just right. Obviously,
Dennis Sutton here for Penn State, it's fantastic. He's kind
of keeping the you know, the Abdul Carter. I don't
know if I don't know if he's in Stick City,
but like he's a he's that type of player there
for Penn State. For Georgia, we know about what Christian
(20:39):
Miller and what his name c J. Allen, I think
I might be missing that in the front seven Georgie's
Georgia's gonna have a filthy secondary with Dalen Evert and
kJ Bolden. Uh, that's gonna be good. I also think
that Clemson's gonna have some guys in the trenches with
Peter Woods and t J. Parker and then obviously uh
Mateo at Oregon and then Bryce Batcher like that that's
(21:01):
gonna I think Oregon's defense is probably going to carry
them a little bit more because they've got some uncertainty's offense.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Yeah, it's gonna be an interesting upcoming college football season
for sure. Again, folks, John Buehler from Fans Sided on
the Twitter slash x at Buehler one one eight and uh,
let everybody know about the podcast again before I let
you go, buddy.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yeah, I do a twice a week our bi weekly
show sort of adjacent to Fan Side called Fall Start
with My boss and Collie Cody Williams. We just talked
about college fipaull and nonsense. We do that every Monday
and Thursday during the season. We also do it after
the games, and then we do something after playoff rankings.
So check us out there, you know at CFP Fall
(21:41):
Start on YouTube, Twitter x and everything like that. And
then the Falcons show Blogging Dirty at Blogging Dirty fs,
I cover the Falcons once a.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Week there, awesome folks.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Again, head over to Fans Side and even search out
John over there. NaN's colleagues doing great, great work, my friend,
Thank you so much for taking the time to jump
on the show this week to dive into this upcoming
college football season. I'm looking forward to having you back
on the show. If you'll come back, my friend, I'm
looking forward to that.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Love me know, I'll be back for sure. I had
a great time as always, Jeff.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
That's going to do it for us here on table
Talk this week. Please share our podcast with your friends
and family members who are Philly sports fans or sports
fans in general. We thank you our listeners for being
part of this online community with us and within this space.
Please make sure to check out our website, Philadelphiasportstable dot
com for all of our podcasts, and follow us on
(22:33):
our social sites over on Twitter at Philadelphia PST, threads
at Philadelphia Sports Table, and over on Instagram as well.
Take care and we'll catch you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Fudd Around And Find Out
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd brings her championship swag to iHeart Women’s Sports with Fudd Around and Find Out, a weekly podcast that takes fans along for the ride as Azzi spends her final year of college trying to reclaim the National Championship and prepare to be a first round WNBA draft pick. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a world-class athlete in the public spotlight while still managing schoolwork, friendships and family time? It’s time to Fudd Around and Find Out!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!