2024 Week 16 Review: Transfer Portal, Chapel Bill, 2025 Schedule

Chip Scoggins, Ryan Burns and Justin Gaard are back to review a busy first week of Transfer Portal Season, give their thoughts on Bill Belichick to UNC and talk a little College Football Playoffs and 2025 Gopher schedule. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Glenn Mason said a long time ago at the University
of Minnesota, you need.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
A Pair and a Spare.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Thank you, PJ. It is time for another edition of
the Pair and a Spare podcast. I'm justin guard from
the Fan. We've got Chipskoggins from Football Across Minnesota Still
and the Star Tribune, and Ryan Burns from Gopher Illustrated
dot com. We are presented as always by our great
friends and partners at Jack's Cafe. Make your holiday reservations
at Jackscafe dot com Jaxcafe dot com. Been kind of

(00:25):
a weekend, mister Burns. Been kind of busy for you.
I was on campus on Monday to do a very
special Duke's Male Bowl edition of The Pjfleck Show, and
I was just glad the head coach had an hour
for us. Quite frankly, there was a lot of working
during the breaks, a lot of texting, a lot of
face timing, a lot of figuring out what was next.

(00:45):
It's been a little bit busy for you the last
week in change.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
How are you.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm well. December is quickly becoming one of my least
favorite months because it goes from I have the structure
of the season. I know when press conferences are when
I got to get articles out by everything like that,
and then the portal season hits and it is just
mass chaos with visits, with you don't know when phone

(01:10):
calls are coming in, different different types of everything. So
they've been very busy. I think they are up to
ten transfer commitments already, which that's what PJ said at
National Signing Day was they were going to take between
ten and fifteen. I still think they're probably going to
be closer to fifteen than they are ten by the
time this thing wraps up on January fifth, is the
last thing they can host visitors. So it's been very,

(01:33):
very busy here at Gopher Illustrated these last few weeks.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
So we're gonna talk we're going to talk playoff, we're
going to talk Bill Belichick, but we're going to spend
a good chunk here on the portal. And as I
read your nightly notes, as I said last week at
Gopher Illustrated dot com, I read the notes on Sunday
night and I thought, we're going to have to figure
out how parenta spare is going to be able to
cover the games on site for the college football playoff,

(01:57):
which with all the holes that the Gophers are filling
with the activity that they have had this weekend. Then
I read on Monday night and the tone was basically,
are they going to have to swap out with Saint
Thomas and join the Pioneer Football League? Because I don't
know what's going on? So how did things change? Or
is it just because you're you're more tired? Is it

(02:19):
because you're worried about the offensive line? Oh? I know
you are, But how did the tone change so quickly
in twenty four hours on your lovely message board.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
I don't even think that you're exaggerating. I'm not exaggerating
you and your hyperbole. Chip. You know how he gets.
You know how he gets.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
If Chip knew how to get to the message board
and read it, he would say the same thing. If
he understood how to find the notes on go for
Illustrated dot com, he would have said the same exact
thing that I said Sunday night. It was they're getting
everybody they want. Here's the receiver, here's the running back,
here's the edge rusher. This room looks great. They've got
nine quarterbacks, they've got six running backs. Everything's good. Then

(03:00):
Monday night, it was, well, good luck to whoever's playing
quarterback because they're not gonna be able to block for anybody.
And I still don't know about linebacker. And it's like,
you can't do everything in ten minutes, Ryan, So hake
me through the weekend.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
All right, So let's talk about the good. The good
is they've filled a lot of holes that needed to
be patched. I mean, you look at running back. You
lose Marcus Major, Jared Mangham, Let's see Ca Bengura, Jordan Nubin.
So you're essentially losing running backs two through five. And
so what they did this past weekend was they brought
in three transfer running backs. They got commitments from all three.

(03:34):
The headliner would be aj Turner from Chip's favorite school,
Randy Moss's alma mater there in Marshall, which you know
Randy Moss is obviously all on our thoughts and prayers there.
But one of the most explosive running backs is Fall,
someone that didn't get a ton of touches at Marshall.
Got about one hundred and five carries but average eight
yards of carry on it had four different carries of

(03:55):
over sixty five yards. I think all of us can
agree that Gopher offense needs to get more explosive. AJ
Tierner makes you more explosive. They brought in a kid
from Washington by the name of Cameron Davis, someone that
was really good for them in twenty twenty two back
in the Caleb de bor era. Then he had a
PTEL attendant terror missed all of twenty twenty three, then

(04:15):
found himself in a weird spot last year, so he's
got experience. And then they took Cole Cabana, which Cole
Cabana and Darius Taylor back in the day were the
number one and number two tailbacks in the state of Michigan,
which they were the same high school class, knew of
each other. And then it ends up turning out Cole

(04:36):
essentially has some injuries at Michigan, gets buried a little bit,
and so now he's going to come over to Minnesota.
They took a transfer receiver by the name of Javon Tracy,
that is Tyrone Tracy's younger brother. Eric Taylor deserves a
lot of credit here Minnesota's tight ends coach because he
recruited all three brothers and that's where Javon is the

(04:56):
youngest of them to Miami of Ohio. So how does
Minnesota I have an end with the offer list that
he had Eric Taylor, and so now you finally got
hopefully a wide receiver one there.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
So I think they did a lot of things to
address who's going to be touching the football in terms
of running back depth, in terms of getting more of that.
You know, they have an actual receiver that was first
team on MAC and now it becomes over the next
six months, who's blocking for them and Drake Lindsay And
then because Philip Daniels hits the portal, which I'm gonna

(05:31):
be very curious to see if he does indeed end
up at Ohio State. That is the rumor there. He
is an Ohio kid, Which is why I've reported that
money didn't matter here. I don't. I truly don't think
it does. I'll be always the first one to say
Minnesota can use money as a crutch from time to time.
With nil, this was not the issue here, I mean

(05:52):
from everything I've been told behind the scenes. But now
you lose four starters between Philip Daniels and three graduates,
and they've yet to receive an offensive line commit. So
there's a lot of time between now and when the
portal ends up closing in April. But they've got a
lot of work to do. Chip barn.

Speaker 4 (06:14):
Who's here in the program already that might be ready
to ascend on the line.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Oh that's a great question. I think a guy like
Tony Nelson, I think is going to have a really
good chance to make an impression in the bowl game
because I've heard Tyler Cooper is not going to be playing.
He's going to be getting some offseason surgery to prepare
for the NFL because he played really banged up. So
I think he starts at left guard. You know, I
wonder if this is also Greg Johnson's last game at center,

(06:44):
just because they have so many other needs at now,
both tackle spots, both guard spots. It didn't go well
for him in year one at center, and he's got
I guess, more size and length to help you out elsewhere.
I mean, a guy like Nathan roy Is or red
shirt freshman, I think is going to have every opportunity
in the world in the spring to prove himself as

(07:06):
a tackle body. But they need some tackle bodies.

Speaker 4 (07:08):
To me, yeah, we needs some experience. Then you guys
who played college football.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yes, I mean war in that room.

Speaker 4 (07:15):
Certainly, When when is the second wave of the portal?
Can you get them? Then?

Speaker 2 (07:20):
If you don't, well, I would say I almost think
the second wave is going to be after these first
college football playoffs this weekend, where you get another four
teams added to the pool that maybe some kids. I mean,
we've even seen it with Penn State's number two quarterback.

Speaker 4 (07:38):
That I wonder if that are there so few of
those situations that they don't feel like they need to
adjust the portal calendar or is that something they have
to take a look at.

Speaker 2 (07:48):
You I think it's absolutely something they have to take
a look at, because you're essentially getting penalized if you're
a college football playoff team that you don't get to have,
if you're the players, you don't get to hit the portal,
or if you do, you're essentially quitting on your team,
which is something that you don't want to convey to
the next coaching staff that you're going to quit on

(08:08):
your team if something like that, And if you're the
opposing coaching staff or that coaching staff, it's I don't
get to host portal guys, and I don't get to
fully dive into the portal, and there's a lot of
good players in the portal, so.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
You and you lose a backup quarterback if you're coach,
that's going to play.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
For you, the guy that actually goes out there. And yeah,
I like, you know, we talk about James Franklin a
lot because he's a high profile coach, but what he
said made sense to me. You know, earlier in the
week where he said he didn't want to go, but
what choice did he have? He didn't want to leave us,
and I thought that was classy of him to say.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
Was he didn't? You know, Lane Kiffin has said it
as well.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
I mean, imagine a month from now, after the Vikings
and Lions game for maybe the number one seed in
the NFC North, if all of a sudden, justin Jefferson
hits the portal before you, before you host your first
playoff game, Like that's what it is, like it's free.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
It's it's very strange.

Speaker 1 (09:00):
I even remember Brad Underwood, the Illinois basketball coach last
year or two years ago, saying, you know, we're in
the Elite eight right now. I'm trying to or a
sweet sixteen. I'm trying to get ready for Yukon. But
I'm also you know, talking to kids in the portal,
you know, in between film sessions here at the end
at the NCAA tournament site, Like, I don't know what
the right answer is because the sticky factor is if

(09:20):
you're going to go in the portal now, you've got
to be you want to be somewhere in January, and
schools start in January and so you have to there.
And if you're going to put the season all the
way to January twentieth or whatever the National Championship game is,
you're there's something does have to give at some point.
So I don't really know what the right answer is.
Maybe shortening it here in December, I'm not sure, but

(09:42):
it's wild.

Speaker 4 (09:43):
That's what I wonder how their way out of that
box is because kids are going to portal, want to
be there for springball, and coaches want to know kind
of what their roster configuration looks like in you know,
in January. So I don't know how you how do
you get out of that? How do you avoid that?

Speaker 2 (10:02):
It's got to be one of the most pressing topics
that they addressed before this time next year, because whether
it's a school like Minnesota, whether it's a school like
Tennessee like they're in very different spots, but they're all
battling the same problems with it. And whether you're again
a Big Ten school or an SEC school and the
college football Playoff, it's one of the biggest things I've

(10:23):
heard complaints from on all levels, from Big Ten to
Mountain West to the MAC to the Missouri Valley. Is
even at school like NDSU, I mean, they're still going
in the playoff, yeah, in the FCS playoffs, and they've
lost one of their best players. And I understand it
was injured in colew Was Newski, but it's even I
believe this was the situation with cam Ward back when

(10:46):
he was at Incarnate Ward was. There's just there needs
to be an adjustment at some point. And I wish
I had the answer because I again as much as
I love speculating, I love to have solutions to it.
I just don't know what the solution is for the
College Football Playoff.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Because the playoff teams there's a win, there's an extension
window for those teams so they could enter the portal
after the problem is there might not be a spot
for you, and that was that was the Penn State deal.
And even Kenny Dillonhan, the Arizona State coach, he basically said,
and we've got guys that want to stay on our
team to be a part of this, that are going

(11:23):
to probably transfer because they want a better opportunity, but
we still like them.

Speaker 3 (11:28):
They still like us. It's no hard feelings.

Speaker 1 (11:30):
But what what do we tell the like I want
these guys to go have an opportunity somewhere, but they
want to be on our team.

Speaker 3 (11:37):
Like, It's just it's.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
When you add weeks to the calendar of the football
season and you have this portal situation. I don't know.
I don't know how you resolve it, because.

Speaker 1 (11:51):
Maybe we start mid August. Maybe we just start doing
week weak negative too, you know we're already doing week zero.
Maybe just maybe you start the season mid August because
you got nothing now because NFL preseason is meaningless, the
kids are already on campus. Start training camp in July.
Do two weeks, you know, do two weeks. You could
probably figure out you could probably end you know, New

(12:12):
Year's Day if you if you did it that way,
and then everybody could have a week or two in
the portal and then you could go start school, because
I don't unless you move stuff up. I don't see
unless you move stuff up or completely shrink the amount
of time that the portal is open before all this
stuff here in December, I don't see how you avoid
what is going on right now.

Speaker 4 (12:31):
I don't think you treat the portal window, do you,
Because there's more and more kids going in there that
make it even more challenging.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
Though, Yeah, there are more kids in the portal, I think.
I think the statistic I've seen is there's more kids
in the portal for FBS football players right now than
there was the entire last two cycles in terms of
in twenty twenty three, like the twenty twenty three winner
in the twenty twenty four spring, that is how many
kids are already in the portal in the first ten

(12:58):
days here, which is insane, which I will always continue
to say. If you're going to hit the portal, you
better have a plan going into the portal. You better
be pre portaling, you better have a destination, be pre
portaling pretty portally. That's a new term, ridiculous part of it.
But like so many of these kids don't know that
that might be the last time you play football, because

(13:18):
if you don't have a plan, or you're not willing
to put your pride aside and drop down a level
or even two.

Speaker 4 (13:24):
You get lost in there. You'll get stuck in the portal.

Speaker 2 (13:26):
It's you better have a plan going in.

Speaker 4 (13:29):
It's amazing, Like, what percentage of recruiting classes now, your
incoming freshman recruiting classes will hit that portal at some
point in there.

Speaker 2 (13:36):
It's got to be probably fifty percent.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
I'd say fifty yeah, just off the top of my head, yep.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
I mean the only good thing they've done here I
think in December is they kept the coaches off the road.
I can't imagine having uh, you know, say Corey Heatherman
and Alabama, Greg Harbow and New Hampshire and then they're
all trying to figure out a zoom time to get
on the phone with XYZ and then fly back to
host these transfers. I think that's the only thing they've

(14:04):
done well with this is quality of life for these coaches.
At least they get to spend more time with their players,
spend more time in the office to try and figure
it all out. So that is one good thing. I
think they've done here, that's new change for them.

Speaker 1 (14:17):
Depending on who you ask, though, they often prefer to
be on the road a little bit because it does
give them like something different than just sitting in the
office game planning for this Bowl game right now, which
they're still doing, by the way, even though they have
no idea who's playing for Virginia Tech.

Speaker 2 (14:31):
And Virginia Tech just fired their defensive coordinator.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
Yes, exactly, and now they think chipskuy Bud Foster is consulting,
you know, the longtime defensive coordinator of Virginia Tech is
consulting with the defense, which I think means he's going
to call the defense. Like I think he's just going
to be in the booth and they're going to bring
back old Bud. But you and sometimes it's actually a
break for them to get on the road and be
on a plane for ninety minutes and actually sleep or

(14:56):
do something. So it depends on who you ask. Yeah,
in the quality of life bit, but it is, Yeah,
it's crazy. It's like we were we did the PJ
Flex Show on Monday, and I had to check my
calendar while we were talking. I'm like, the Wisconsin game
was like two weeks ago, Golley.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
I cannot stress you here. Ago.

Speaker 1 (15:15):
Yeah, I'm like, when was that Wisconsin game? It was
sixteen days ago or something like that. It was, I said,
am I doing this right? What's today's date? Because Black
Friday was Wisconsin?

Speaker 3 (15:26):
Right?

Speaker 1 (15:27):
That feels like another world that you could have told
me that was twenty eighteen Wisconsin with Tanner Morgan at quarterback.
That's how long ago that feels, with all the different
stuff that's happened.

Speaker 3 (15:36):
Burnsy, I know I'm preaching to the choir.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
On that one with high school signing Day and then
obviously the portal stuff, but that's how quickly you don't
even have time to just go, hey, that was a
fun win. That was cool. I got the acts again.
Let's get ready for the Charlotte's Mayo Bowl, the Duke's
Mayo Bowl. Nope, you just you hit the ground and
go it's crazy.

Speaker 2 (15:54):
You beat Wisconsin and then five days later as the
high school national signing Day, and then about ten days
later the portals open. So I know a lot of
these guys in that office like they want to celebrate
the season of seven wins, beating expectations. With that, the
acts haven't had a chance to catch their breath yet,
and they won't until after the bowl game.

Speaker 4 (16:13):
It is interesting, though, I was thinking about the running
backs that you got three guys coming here when you
know you have a definite number one who's gonna get
what do you get of their carries? You know? And
Marcus Major head a number. It's basically a two man
you know, yep. Thing and you need a parent's fair
and injuries and all that, right, but it is interesting, Yeah,

(16:36):
that's right. You can get three guys who have experienced
to come there and knowing you have a league guy already, Kevin,
what's the plan?

Speaker 2 (16:43):
What like?

Speaker 4 (16:43):
What do you sell them? Like, come here and compete.
You may get the backup or.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
What's where This year Darius Taylor stayed healthy and that's
where he and Marcus Major were the whole shebang. Yep.
But two years ago we were talking about Jordan Nuben
for the final six games of the year, RB five
get and one hundred carries in that span.

Speaker 4 (17:01):
Think about, yeah, well different.

Speaker 2 (17:06):
But you've got the ninety fifth percent outcome over here
where everybody stays healthy, and then you have the ten
percent outcome where they just had injury armageddon. So that's
your cell is well, two of the last three years,
we've had to really dive into some things here. Yeah,
well you may not have immediate opportunity. We do have
at least one running back that has an injury history

(17:27):
of a little bit, so you'll have your opportunities.

Speaker 3 (17:30):
What are their ages too, by the way, these running backs.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
So the Washington kid is a seventh year player, seventh
year between a medical red shirt, a red shirt COVID.

Speaker 1 (17:40):
So he is here. He's moving into Parker Fox's house
after this. It's the senior living place at the campus
of the University of Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (17:48):
He's going to move in with Parker yep, and he's.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Going to be renting a his car is going to
be at a very good rate because you're like twenty five.
And then the Michigan kid is still a teenager. He's
only going into his second third year, so he's got time. Yeah.
And then the Marshall kid is I think he's a
third fourth year player. So you get radically, Yeah, you
got your Washington tailback has one year left. Your Marshall
tailback has two years left to play, and then you're

(18:13):
Michigan running back has three years to play, so you
kind of spread them out throughout the age classes there, all.

Speaker 1 (18:18):
Right, Burnsy, So a two part question here, take it
however you want, and then we'll talk Heisman here in
a minute.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
Let's chip. You have more recruiting you want to talk about.

Speaker 1 (18:27):
So, how do you feel generally messageboard jokes aside about
what the Gophers have done in the portal thus far?
And then anything catch your eye around the conference specifically?
I saw Wisconsin just grabbed the Maryland quarterback, right, Billy Turner?
Anything jumping out at you that some of the border
schools are jumping in on, or how they're retooling things,

(18:47):
what's kind of the overall portal headlines from the old
Big ten West Division?

Speaker 2 (18:51):
Well, Billy Turner is going to go from playing left
tackle at NDSU now playing quarterback at Wisconsin. That's gonna
be big news for them. Billy Edwards, Billy Edwards, Yeah,
you know what.

Speaker 1 (19:02):
Grim called him something else, and it was Billy Williams,
a Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, And that's why that was.
I had the rights and now I've done it. I'll
have to tell Grim I did it. And during the
radio broadcast, he's like Nope, that's not Billy Williams, the
Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, like all of us are
supposed to go, oh yeah, Billy Williams, totally get it.

Speaker 3 (19:21):
No idea what you're talking about. Billy Edwards, thank you.

Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, Wisconsin is in an interesting spot because you brought
in a brand new offensive coordinator and chips guy from Kansas,
Jeff Crimes, where they've got to completely retool that room.
They took Danny O'Neil from San Diego State, who played
for who is a freshman who played for them some
this year. They took Billy Edwards yesterday from Maryland beat
out Michigan for him. Because if the opportunity was beating

(19:47):
out Bryce Underwood at Michigan who's getting paid an absorbitent
amount of money, or beating out something called Danny O'Neill
transferring in from San Diego State, I know which one.
I would probably take my chance. This is a but
for the Gophers. I think they've set a really good floor.
But now it's you have to go out and land

(20:07):
I think a linebacker because I do not expect Cody
Linnenbergh back. You got to get some offensive lineman you've
set a really good floor. I think now you've got
to see if you can land some ceiling pieces. And
by what I mean by ceiling is guys that can
definitely help you in twenty twenty five because you need
help along that offensive line. I still think you need
if you can find a really talented linebacker to come

(20:30):
in and play alongside Maverick Baranowski, I would do that.
I'd still want to get another more experienced corner because
the kid they took from North Carolina Central has played
essentially one year. So they've done a really good job
of setting a floor in providing a lot of competition
going into the spring. I think this is going to
be one of the most competitive springs we've seen from

(20:52):
this Gopher football roster because everybody's competing for a spot
outside of running back. So now you got to go
out and grab it. I even think with Iowa yet,
I want to see what Iowa does. I know they
grabbed Hank Brown from Auburn, but I think they're one
of the teams that's rumored to be in the market
for Bo Prebia, the Penn State quarterback two who hit

(21:13):
the portal. I really want to see because I was
one of those teams like Clemson. To me that Clemson
finally took a portal player. They never take players from
the portal and so Iowa rarely takes the amount that
Minnesota does. But they need to retool that quarterback room,
just like every other team in the Big Ten did.

Speaker 4 (21:31):
Did mcnamaras sign with somebody.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yet he has not?

Speaker 3 (21:35):
No, what a wild ride that was.

Speaker 2 (21:38):
They kid mcnamarriage, and what a wild ride.

Speaker 3 (21:40):
I just remember the pomp and circumstance when.

Speaker 4 (21:42):
Yeah, he was gonna be savior.

Speaker 1 (21:46):
He went there and he's at the basketball games, sitting courtside,
and he's doing interviews and you know, the you know,
the money I think got out what he was going
to make and everybody was fired up. And just shows you.
And I'm not even blaming him, you know, I'm not
blaming them. But it's interesting how quickly things change. I mean,
in this.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
Florida state, if you choose the wrong quarterback like Florida
State did versus Miami did, They're are very very different,
which is also funny to me. The Florida State quarterback
announced he's going to enter the twenty twenty five NFL Draft. Yeah,
I love. I love that man chasing his dreams. But

(22:24):
as guards, you would say peace and love. What are
we doing here? Goodness? Gracious?

Speaker 3 (22:28):
Yeah? Anything else?

Speaker 1 (22:30):
Recruiting wise, you guys want to get to or portal wise,
you want to talk about anything that we've missed quickly
burns ease. Everybody signed up that we need to have
signed up? I mean with the Dicky Town athletes, we
get announcements like every day. I thought I saw Koy, right,
Did I see Darius here?

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yep? Coy and Darius have signed. I'm trying to think
of guys who haven't. At this stage, I think everybody
that needed to sign off the top of my head
has been announced. Okay, they's going to be a crucial
part of the team going forward, which I will say,
just because they have signed doesn't mean they can't leave.
But let me tell you, there are a lot more

(23:06):
hoops and obstacles for them to overcome. And now there
would also be some money involved with that too, between
the revenue share and Dickeytown athletes, so it is exponentially
harder for them to walk away. And if they do
walk away, Minnesota gets a little reprieve in terms of
being able to put some of that potentially back into
their budget, so we'll see.

Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, we need to credit again, I mean Dickytown athletes
with retention and obviously some of the guys are going
after in the portal that have big offer lists and
big offer sheets. Great job, I mean great, They're becoming
bigger and bigger players. So credit to Derek and Robert,
Credit to the fans for stepping up. Credit to Nepsis
for the you know, the million dollar match they'll be
talked about on this pod. I mean that that's the

(23:48):
way of the world, and they've adapted to it really well.

Speaker 2 (23:50):
We didn't.

Speaker 4 (23:51):
We didn't talk about the quarterback.

Speaker 2 (23:52):
Talks about him, Oh yeah, the Georgia Tech quarterback, Yeah, exactly,
someone that played a lot of Georgia Tech the last
few years. Nineteen games for them, started against Notre Dame
this year. I talked to him yesterday to try and
figure out, so what is the actual story of why
he left? And from what I've been told, so they
changed offensive coordinators before the season, and I think he

(24:14):
kind of figured out the writing was on the wall
that maybe he wasn't that kind of guy for this
offensive coordinator. Plus chips guy Haines King is going to
be coming back, so he wanted an opportunity to play elsewhere,
and that's where he's going to be coming in, and
he's going to challenge Drake Lindsay. So I still think
Drake Lindsay is certainly the favorite in the clubhouse. But

(24:35):
you've got a guy who's played in nineteen games. I
think to me, he's a better passing kind of Mitch
Leidner type of body. If we're going to go with
horrible comps where I think you'd see him used a
little bit of the way that Brennan Sullivan was used
for Iowa this year, where they bring him in on
short yardage and goal line stuff because he's a pretty
good runner. But think back to when Chip coined at

(24:59):
the green line for Seth Green back in the day
that package earlier in flex tenure.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
I like that.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
I would say Pirate's a much better passer than Seth Green.
Ever was I think at least Zach's going to be
able to challenge Drake. But this is what I was
talking about, that the expectations for whoever this guy was
going to be need to be a lot lower than
it was going to be for Max Brosmer. So those
two are going to be battling out along with Dylan

(25:26):
Wicki in the spring. But that's where you got more
of a runner, I would say, in Pyne, compared to
what Drake Lindsay could bring.

Speaker 1 (25:33):
All right, should we pause here and talk Heisman Heisman
Trophy it was announced on Saturday night. We'll reveal who
we voted for and take all those slings and arrows
when we come back. But we do want to pause
and talk about our great partners at Jack's Cafe Jaxcafe
dot com, and we'll read an email here that came

(25:54):
to I think.

Speaker 3 (25:56):
All of us.

Speaker 1 (25:57):
Nope, it actually just came to me from Sean. I
feel like we need some kind of music underneath this,
but it's is JG. Burnsey, Chip. I want to echo
your weekly sentiments about Jack's Cafe. I hosted twenty five
people for my national sales meeting this past Wednesday. We
couldn't have been more pleased with how the evening went.
Half the team comes from out of town. It's a
classy night for everyone. We had a private room again,

(26:19):
it's our third time there, and the holiday decor and
piano player created any ideal setting for our event. The
food who's outstanding, The service was what we've come to
expect at Jack's First Class. Your recommendations are on target
every week when I listen to the podcast. We are
fortunate to have this gem in the Twin Cities, in
the post COVID era, when many venues have either closed
or priced themselves out of the market. Jackson is stuck

(26:40):
with what they do well, and they do it as
well as anyone dining There is more than a meal,
it's an experience, and I made sure to greet Bill
at the end of the bar and thank him for
a support of the show. Congratulations on another year of
parent a spare and keep up the good work.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
That from Sean, Oh, thank you John.

Speaker 3 (26:57):
What else do we need to say?

Speaker 4 (26:59):
Not only what has a walk off? That is a
walk off.

Speaker 1 (27:02):
We don't need to say anything else. That's from a
listener who's taken the recommendation, who's gone and had the experience.
I will tell you there's one more breakfast with Santa
this Saturday and the twenty first. Somebody tweeted me a
picture of that with his beautiful family to all of us,
which is great and same thing. It's like if you've
been on the fence, we can't help you anymore.

Speaker 3 (27:22):
All right.

Speaker 1 (27:23):
If you don't know that you're missing out on an
unbelievable What did Sean say? It's an experience, it is.
If you can't make that work.

Speaker 4 (27:34):
There's nothing I can say. They can top Sean's email.

Speaker 1 (27:36):
No, we can't make you drink anymore. Okay, we can
bring you the water, but we can't make you drink. Hopefully,
you know, for a special occasion, for a date night,
for breakfast with Santa, whatever it is. Don't listen to us.
We could be lying to you. Sean is not. Sewn
is definitely not. And I think that email proves we
haven't been lying to you for the last couple of years.
But make your reservations at Jackscafe dot com jax Cafe

(28:00):
dot com. And I saw Bill a couple of weeks ago.
He loves when you guys come in and tell him
that the parents faar brought you in. So keep doing
that and keep just having great dining experiences and everything
at Jack's Cafe. All right, Travis Hunter, your Heisman Trophy winner,
second Colorado player to win it first since your guy
Rashan Salaam back in the nineties. I'm old enough to

(28:21):
remember him. Chip, you probably covered him.

Speaker 4 (28:23):
I did, I did.

Speaker 1 (28:24):
Yeah, there you go. So Travis Hunter wins five hundred
and fifty two first place votes. Ashton genty from Boise
State is second. He got three h nine. It was
a two horse race, really. Dylan Gabriel is third, then
cam Ward, cam Scatabow, Bryce and Dally Tyler, Warren shoud
were Sanders, Curtis Rourke, and Kyle McCord. There's your top ten.
Chipper will throw it to you first. Any surprise there

(28:47):
with Travis Hunter. What'd you make of a very close,
a very close ballot?

Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yeah, I'll give you my bollt. I went Travis Hunter one,
Ashton gent two, and Gabriaan Dylan three. I I thought
it would be close.

Speaker 3 (29:01):
It's still in game. You will let him.

Speaker 4 (29:03):
What did I say?

Speaker 1 (29:04):
You just transposed it. It's no big I was gonna
let it. But he is the grammar police today. He's
asked about Edwards and now you know who I You
know like you've never.

Speaker 3 (29:16):
Made a Ryan.

Speaker 2 (29:17):
Yeah, I'm you can hear me with that Master's Authentic
sweatshirt on over there.

Speaker 3 (29:23):
I just hear the song the CBS theme and and
I've got something.

Speaker 1 (29:28):
I hear the birds and these I think I can
smell the az Alias here on this town?

Speaker 2 (29:31):
Are you here? Are you on an corner right now?

Speaker 3 (29:34):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (29:34):
Man?

Speaker 3 (29:34):
I wish I was on a corner.

Speaker 2 (29:36):
I'm not gonna, but I'm not.

Speaker 1 (29:38):
I'm not a columnist for the Star Tribute. I don't
get to go to the Masters. Go ahead, ship tell
us more.

Speaker 4 (29:44):
Neither do I. I thought it would be close. I
told you guys, I voted before that championship game. To me,
I I think uh ash Gent is a awesome player,
and any other year he probably would have won it.

(30:05):
I don't buy the whole theory of strength of schedule
and competition. Who you look he's going against, because he
went against Oregon and put up huge numbers there. I
think he'd be great no matter what conference he played in.
I just think we haven't seen a Travis Hunter do
what he's doing is and I've heard people say, well,
he's good at two positions. No, he's great at two positions.

(30:26):
I mean he's Pro Football Focus has him as the
top cover corner in college football, right, and then if
you look at what he's doing offensively, he's top five
and catches yards, touchdown catches, twenty yard catches. I think
he's won. He's kind of a unicorn. I mean what

(30:47):
he's to not come off the field in major college
football and not just to play and be on here,
but to be a star at that. I just to
me when he asked me who the best player in
college football and most seeing tramp Hunter?

Speaker 1 (31:03):
Oh me first, Okay, I uh say, I agree with Chip.
Travis Hunter was my guy, and unicorn is the word.
Unicorn is the word that didn't he win both awards
to for best Receiver and best you know, secondary or
corner or something or defensive place he wanted. I know
he won the blatant cop but like you're just watching
what he's doing every single week and you just don't
see this very often.

Speaker 3 (31:24):
Same thing.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
The reason the vote is closed is because you can
make an argument for gent genty had an unbelievable year.
He was doing things that hadn't been done since Barry Sanders,
like that should matter, But you can't give out to
heismans like it's We've had years where it's been a
no brainer, right where we've had no not even and
not even having to think about it. It's just oh,
here's a quarterback from this team. They're thirteen and oh

(31:46):
and they're going to go to the playoff. Or here's
a running back from this team. They're thirteen and oh
they're going to go to the playoff. I feel like
we've had so many of those years. I really liked
this year that you did have to think about it
and you did have to really, you know, sit there
and decide what's important to you and what's what do
you think? And for me, I thought the same thing.
He he never leaves the field. He's like you just
said it, chip top whatever in all the different categories. Yeah,

(32:09):
he wants to play both positions in the NFL. We'll see.
I doubt he'll be able to do it, but I
wouldn't rule it out that he might start at corner
and then do Akoy Parritch and go in and you know,
play a couple of snaps a wide receiver or whatever.
So I'll say, as the season got going more and
you started picking up more GENTI steam I did start
to think a lot more about it, like, Okay, I

(32:30):
really have to think about this more. I gotta decide
what's important. But I just couldn't get over. You know,
this is the Charles Woodson type thing, except more right,
I mean this, Yeah, this is I don't think you know,
I know Randy Moss you know, said it back then,
like he won the Heisman, I should have won the Heisman,
Like I do remember that when when they battled against
each other in the pros, like this felt like a

(32:52):
Charles Woodson you know, supersized with what Travis Hunter was doing.
And by the way, Colorado was a pretty good team, like, yeah,
they started fast, you know, then there was the oh
are they are? Is it all hype? Is it all real? No,
they proved they were pretty a pretty legitimate team. Where
would that team be without him? Obviously you can say
the same thing for gent But again, I think you're

(33:13):
kind of splitting hairs. I bought the TJ the PJ
flex S team I did. I put Tyler Warren for
my third guy. Yeah, I listened to the head coach
of Golden Gopher football. That's kind I don't know how
you guys feel about this, but that's kind of how
I always kind of do a flyer for my third guy,
Like yeah, just like I'm like not a flyer necessarily

(33:36):
but I don't feel as guilty about who I vote
for for third, like I go, it's more of a
nod to this is someone I think should be getting
some recognition. I watched him against the Gophers, obviously watched
them all season long. His team's in the playoff, so
that should count for something as well. And I think
I think he ended up with forty something for third
place votes. You know, it's not I just feel like
third place vote to me doesn't feel like it's going

(33:57):
to swing the balance for anybody. So I kind of
kind of like to make it my personal statement of yeah,
you know, more of a wild card than might be
conventional wisdom. I don't know, maybe I'll get ripped for that,
but that's kind of.

Speaker 4 (34:08):
How especially like that, especially the year where there's a
big gap between one and.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
Right, and it felt like the gap was seismic this
year between one and two. So I didn't feel like
I was changing or ruining anybody's life by giving my
nod to Tyler.

Speaker 3 (34:22):
Warren for third place.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
Yeah, it's it was an interesting year because closest vote
since two thousand and nine. And you look at I'm
looking at Ralph Russo's tweet just kind of comparing the
regions of how different regions voted it versus other ones. Everyone,
every one of them was close, So it's not just us, right, Like,
I think it was as close as it's been for me.

(34:46):
Between who I wanted to put a one and two.
To your guys' point, it was one and two and
then three through ten. I mean, sure, Dylan, Gabriel, cam
Ward Tyler, Warren camp Scattabo, like whoever you wanted to
put there, Sure, But if you didn't have those two,
one and two, I like, Derek, I don't know, like

(35:07):
whatever order you wanted to put them in, I think
we're watching very different football seasons. Yeah, Like JENTI had
an amazing year, which is why I voted for him
for the Dope Walker and he won it. Like he
is the best running back in college football. And he
did things, and I think especially at a place like
Boise State where he could have left for sure the
portal thing had gotten to Texas and gotten three million,

(35:29):
I'm sure, but he stuck it out at Boise State.
And I think that's a really cool aspect of that story.
But we've all reiterated that why Hunter was one for
us was he did things that we may never see
again in our lifetimes because it had been how many
years has it been between what Charles Woodson did? Like
what year was it for Woodson back in back in

(35:53):
the day between now what it is in twenty twenty four,
Like it's been thirty ish years, hasn't it twenty five?
Something like that?

Speaker 3 (35:59):
Yeah, like we.

Speaker 2 (36:01):
May never see that again. And to chip your point,
I made the mistake of putting my ballot out there
for transparency's sake on social media and then goodness gracious,
but the thing I think people are forgetting is you know,
I had people tell me, well, genty is a generational
running back. We need to stop hyperbolizing that because every
single like it was Bjeon Robinson, who's really good, or

(36:22):
Sakwon Barkley, who's really good. I think genty is a
really good running back. But Travis Hunter just played thousand
something snaps top five level on both sides of the
ball in altitude. So I had a long, hard, like

(36:42):
decision with it, and I still think I would do it.
The same would be Hunter at one and yeah I
went warrant at three just because I think if you
take him off that Penn State team, that Penn State
team's not in the playoff, Like what he does for
that offense is I mean, he makes that thing go.
So yeah. I again, I like that it was that close.

(37:06):
I like that we had tough decisions totally. And I
don't fault anyone who went genty at one and Hunter
at two. I will say if you put if you're
one of the two people who voted Curtis Rourke at one,
I'd love to love to hear your thought process on
that one.

Speaker 3 (37:24):
Yeah, but maybe they read the form wrong, that's right.

Speaker 4 (37:27):
Yeah, Yeah, well I was. You know, you think about
it as like, you know, Corey Perrich had five interceptions,
which what led them, Hunter had four, right, you know,
and was doing this other thing on offense, playing all
these staffs, and I just you know, and today we're

(37:48):
you know, how hard it is to be great at
one position, to be great at two. I just think
that puts him in just a unique category. That to me,
I mean, yeah, I thought about it. You know, I
looked at I went through Ashton Gent's entire schedule, see
the numbers he put up against each team, and and it,

(38:09):
you know, to me as like I do a strength
to schedule. I don't you know, look what he did
against Oregon. He had won his best games against Oregon,
you know, the best team to go football. So so
he was going to be great against whoever played against.
I think, But I just I think there was a
Hunter was just had a such a unique special season.

Speaker 2 (38:28):
Well. The other thing I saw for discourse was, well,
the Heisman doesn't mean anything anymore in this day and
age of the portal.

Speaker 4 (38:33):
Yeah, I don't mind.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
Look for me personally, I view this award in such
a different tier. I think it's still one of the best,
or at least most important awards out there to try
and get right, and so it means a lot to me,
at least still. Now, I know, I'm the old head
at thirty two years old, and I'm cranky all the time,
like guards, he loves to tell me, But yeah, you're
getting I still think this is an award that I

(38:56):
take incredibly seriously.

Speaker 4 (38:58):
But yeah, I've voted in it every year since two
thousand and three, and it's just as meaningful to me
when I get to cast my vote this time, and
when you watch the ceremony and you see all the
former Heisman guys up there through the years. You can't
tell me this. This word is still not special. I

(39:18):
just think it's if you love college football. To me,
this this war will always be different and just a
special thing for I don't think it's lost anything.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
Well, the Travis Hunter story is an incredible story if
people have read about it or thought about it. You know,
he commits to Dion at Jackson State, right, He's going
to Florida State and it's like a signing day flip
if I remember, right, and everyone's going on, what's going
on here? This is first you know, five star ever
to do that. Then obviously goes to Colorado. His family
had to move, you know, a couple of different times,

(39:50):
like where he kind of grew up and stabilized now
is it was at a hotel that's no longer there
now needed a coach to kind of help him out
through all of that. I mean, it's it's a really
now again, does that go into how you vote for
the Heisman? No, it doesn't. It shouldn't, But I do
think it adds an interesting wrinkle. How he spoke right
to his dad. I don't know if you've seen those

(40:11):
love it.

Speaker 4 (40:11):
I love that speech I saw the speech live and
I loved it.

Speaker 1 (40:15):
And now there's video of someone behind his dad who's
watching it on TV. I mean, yeah, good lord, your
allergies blacked up in that, My goodness. So yeah, just
it's a good story all around. And Jenty, like you said,
Burnsey's staying at Boise, you know, wearing his Boise stuff
while everybody else was dressed up and basically saying I'm
here to represent my team.

Speaker 2 (40:35):
It's awesome.

Speaker 3 (40:36):
Like just it. They were all, you know, you know,
great dudes and great players.

Speaker 1 (40:41):
You know which is you know that that gets hyperbolic sometime,
but it just you feel good about those guys all
representing themselves, their families, their schools and everything else. So
I don't think there was a wrong answer really between
the two. Anything else you guys want to add.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
No, I'd say this, Do you want to go Belichick
the Gophers now knowing they're twenty twenty five schedule which got.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
Released here, Yeah, I want to go Belichick. I want
to make sure we have time to chick. We'll get
to this, We'll get to it. I can't wait for this.

Speaker 3 (41:09):
Guys.

Speaker 1 (41:09):
First of all, I'm so bitter that the Gophers just
wrapped up their two game set with guitar heels like,
come on.

Speaker 2 (41:16):
Can you imagine a handshake between PJ. Fleck and Bill
Belichick and midfield?

Speaker 1 (41:21):
I can, yes, and it would be awesome. I think
it would be I think that'd be a great picture.
Chapel Bill. I love the nickname, I love I love
everything about this and I'm I'm I'm what's the word puzzled?

Speaker 3 (41:36):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (41:37):
Maybe I'm just an optimist. You guys know me. I'm
a hopeless romantic. I'm puzzled by so many people, like
guys like Stuart Mandel, who's covered football forever that and
I love them, great, great writer, you know, covers it, athletic,
the whole bit.

Speaker 3 (41:49):
But those that are.

Speaker 1 (41:50):
Immediately rushing to tell us why this isn't gonna work
and why this is a bad idea and like it
might be. But to me, it's a lot easier to
just say that and assume that and go this, this
is why it's not gonna work. He's seventy three years old,
seventy two blah blah blah blah blah.

Speaker 3 (42:05):
I'm thinking, why can't it work?

Speaker 1 (42:07):
In twenty twenty four, we've just spent the first forty
minutes of this podcast talking about portal money transferring. Like
if you think Bill Belichick needs to go, you know,
tell someone's mom how great her Peach Cobbler is at
a at a home visit in you know, Chattanooga, Tennessee,
to convince them to come play for North Carolina. No,
he's got his guy, Michael Lombardi. That's gonna go. Here's

(42:30):
what we can pay you. Here's what it is. Michael
Jordan comes every Tuesday. If you'd like to say hi
to him, and you know, maybe get some new jumpman
stuff and let us know if you'd like to come
play for the greatest coach maybe in the history of football,
at least at the pro level, because Nick Saban might
be that at college. Like it's it's a different recruiting
world now and so and again we'll take the easy

(42:51):
cheap shot everybody's doing it. Just show a picture of
him and his girlfriend if you're wondering if he can recruit,
because he obviously can. He's obviously got some kind of
personality Like I am fascinated to see if this works,
and I'm pulling for it to work. Yeah, and we
also have to define what work means. Do I think
he's gonna win seven national titles?

Speaker 3 (43:09):
No?

Speaker 1 (43:09):
But can he get the Tar Hills to the playoff?
I think he could out of the ACC every once
in a while.

Speaker 4 (43:15):
Yeah, I'm I'm I gonna be honest. I was stunned
when I thought it was you know, I thought it
was just one of those things that you know, hey,
why don't the gover's hire Tony Dungee? You know, one
of those things you know, that comes a tendency. You know,
we always had ours.

Speaker 3 (43:30):
Phil former was always coming back, right.

Speaker 4 (43:32):
That's right, Yeah, it's always you know, And then when
it came, I'm like, Holy hell, this is really happening.
But I do think the timing of it makes sense
in that you have the house settlement money coming in.
So it's going to be more of a professional model
for college football than what we've seen then, like you said,
going in and making these home visits and having the

(43:54):
you know, the meat loaf with the parents, and so
now it is gonna be like it's more transactional, uh,
the relationships and building a roster than I think we've
at least above board, you know, it's more transactional. So
and he and he's got a GM, he's got guys
that know how to put a roster together, and obviously

(44:15):
the guy can coach. So it's it's it's gonna be
a fascinating experience. Uh And I want to see how
like because they have I think they have that succession plan, right, like,
how long does it? Yeah? Maybe get maybe he gets

(44:39):
earned invigorated by the you know, being in college, you know,
the newness of something different, the challenge of it. You know,
obviously that's a very wealthy school with the with the
Nike money. Anybody who's been there, you know that thing
has enough cash to uh and I and all that.

(45:00):
So I just think the transactional part of it will
really fit well with what they're trying to do. This
major experiment.

Speaker 2 (45:08):
Well, I'm curious to see because I think it's well known,
especially at this point, that there isn't an NFL team
that is willing to give Bill Belichick what he wants,
which is what he had with the Patriots, which is
essentially the GM head coaching role. I think that's why
he didn't get the Falcons job. And now he's going
to be able to do that at the college level.
And I know that the college level is turning a

(45:31):
lot more into the NFL every year, but it's still
so nuanced with the decisions that eighteen to twenty three
year olds make with their people, and who if their people,
is their family or an agent or a strange uncle
telling them what to do. I'm very curious to see
how Belichick handles that. I'm also very curious about this

(45:53):
contract because that buyout drops from ten million dollars to
one million. I think only I first of this year.

Speaker 3 (46:01):
Yeah, this coming July one.

Speaker 2 (46:03):
So essentially, if someone says, and I don't know who,
I don't know how that would work, because everybody's gonna
have a head coaching GM in the NFL at that point.
But clearly Belichick wants to get back to the NFL,
and I think he's using this as a stepping stone
for his son to be able to get him the
job eventually in a year or two. But I am

(46:24):
fascinated to see how he deals with the problems of
teenagers with his staff. Now he's gonna have a very
NFL laden staff. This is certainly a game in which
it is still football, and I think Belichick is one
of the best there. But I want to see how
he handles the amount of fires that aren't fires at
the NFL level but are at the college level, and

(46:46):
how he does in terms of putting them out.

Speaker 4 (46:49):
Well, it is, I mean, you deal with class schedules,
time restrictions.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (46:56):
I don't know how they're going to handle it. But
how many public appearances the PJ have to make in
terms of radio show boosters.

Speaker 2 (47:03):
A big part of his contract to be able to
collect what he income?

Speaker 3 (47:07):
Something is income?

Speaker 4 (47:09):
Are they are they going to ask, you know, are
they going to cart out Bill Belichick to you know,
the goal line clubs and all these different things. I
don't know. Maybe maybe says I'm just going, you know,
I'm going to be CEO. Someone else can handle that.

Speaker 2 (47:21):
But like ten million dollars a year, yes, yeah, ten million.

Speaker 1 (47:25):
A million dollars based and then nine million supplemental.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
God, but there are structure.

Speaker 4 (47:30):
But you know, he's he's just been around the whole
professional model where this is your job. You have No,
you don't have class, you don't have you know, other issue,
you know, the things that pop up for an eighteen
year old or nineteen year old have to deal with that,
you know, or they're still working through they're still you know,
maturing as adults. That part is I'm curious to see

(47:53):
how he manages that. Where as you as you said,
there are I mean, imagine how many fires that or
issues that come across Pj's desk in giving.

Speaker 2 (48:03):
So many every week that ninety nine of them, ninety
nine of the Hunter get put out, but it's that
one that doesn't. I'm just so curious. But reguards to
your point, we're always so quick I feel like in
the media to champion this was an amazing, higher, outstanding
higher so that when a non traditional hire like this
comes along, and I'm skeptical as anyone that Belichick is

(48:24):
gonna work at the collegiate level. But I'm almost to
where you are that, Okay, why can it work? I
know we're all so quick, and I'll say, this is stupid.
I've seen so many national writers. I mean, you've named
a couple just be like, this is this is a
dumb hire. Well, we're so quick to just immediately give
whatever athletic department there is the A grade for hiring

(48:45):
this guy, right right, But why can't it work here?
He's got all the resources, he's got an amazing recruiting
base in North Carolina that three hundred mile radius. I
love to beat into the ground like and he's Bill Belichick.
Plus they have an outside standing nil like they're this
should work if they don't get to the playoff from

(49:06):
the ACC which I think is certainly a lot easier
to get into as we've seen here. Uh if he
if in what is it twenty twenty four right now,
by twenty twenty six, twenty seven? I mean in this
day and age, when you have the resources that North
Carolina has, if they're not knocking on the door, then
we can knock it. But I'm at the stage you

(49:28):
are where I'm skeptical. But why not at this point?

Speaker 3 (49:31):
I just don't understand.

Speaker 1 (49:32):
First of all, to me, Belichick has earned the opportunity
to experiment with something different, you.

Speaker 4 (49:36):
Know what I exactly, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (49:38):
Yeah, they're still talking about football. Yeah that Halloween costume.

Speaker 1 (49:44):
Wow, that Halloween costume is interesting. But you look at
you know, Brady Gronk, Edelman, all the front facing Patriots,
Teddy Bruski that are out there now, like they all
how they talk about them and they talk about how
he coaches them hard, right and say you couldn't play
for Foxborough High like you know, and they all joke
about it, but you can tell. I mean, those guys
know they were coached by the best. Those guys know.

(50:05):
You know, Brady always talks about he goes we had
all the answers to the test when we showed up.
We never were nervous. We were excited to go play
because we felt. Now the skeptic would say, well, sometimes
it's because you film the other team's signals and then
just had those ridden shot like wow, so there's that
you did, or you the footballs were deflated to a
certain amount, and so but I I'm just I'm I

(50:25):
mean North Carolina falls out of bed and is ranked
in the top twenty five right historically, right the last
thirty forty fifty or whatever. It is, like they've had
top ten seasons, they've had top like they're always going
to be kind of in that fringe. So it's not
like you're taking over one of the traditional I'm not
saying they're a power, but they're not a have not either.
That has always just been that, that's been a Minnesota
earn Indiana that's just been searching for sixty years to

(50:49):
try to find some type of glory. North Carolina is
always pretty close to you know, they're always kind of
I think both times they've played they were ranked or
close to it, certainly in the top forty, so you're
not asked them to go all that far.

Speaker 3 (51:02):
I can't wait to see it.

Speaker 1 (51:03):
And I don't understand what we're protecting, Like what people
are afraid of when they go. I can't believe North
Carolina is doing this, and I can't believe Bill Belichick
is doing that is no lives are at stake here
and what college football has been completely blown up the
last five two years, three years?

Speaker 3 (51:19):
So what are we protecting?

Speaker 1 (51:21):
Is what I'm I'm wondering about with all these guys
that guys and gals that are going this is never
gonna work. First of all, we have no idea. Second
of all, if it doesn't, it's okay. They'll hire another
coach in three years if it doesn't work out, and
we'll do the same damn thing.

Speaker 4 (51:35):
Well that's yeah, that's my thing is like, if it
doesn't work out, Rome's not gonna fall, They're gonna be
there's still gonna be rich. And are you really gonna
be like gosh, I can't believe you hired Bill Belichick
coach your football.

Speaker 2 (51:47):
Set the program back decade.

Speaker 4 (51:49):
It's like, it may it may not work. You may
get there and say, you know what, this is not
for me, and guess what, you have an easy out
with that buy out the way it drops, So yeah,
I think they all. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (52:00):
The other thing I'm curious with it is I remember
when Dion got hired at Colorado and the amount of
eyeballs that were on them that last season, that twenty
twenty three season, and then how they essentially got Dion
fatigue and then he got them to nine wins this year.
So I am very curious to kind of follow here
in the first year of Belichick, if we see that

(52:20):
Belichick fatigue like we saw with the Dion fatigue, or
if it's going to look something different. But I think
there's going to be a lot of people that are
going to be tuning in to see what Belichick is
like in college.

Speaker 4 (52:32):
Burnse Have you paid attention to what their roster has
happened since the announcement came out. Has there been a
lot of portal additions subtractions from the roster.

Speaker 1 (52:43):
They just added somebody I don't remember who. They did
get one guy out of the portal, but go ahead.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
Yeah, they gotta they have to address some things now
because that search took forever. Yeah, I mean it took forever, forever,
because I think there was some division among some of
the boosters there at North Carolina who wanted Belichick, didn't
want Belichick, and then they all had to have a
kumbaya and get behind somebody, including apparently the four hundred
page manifesto that wasn't a manifesto of four hundred pages

(53:11):
that Belichick had to clarify. Yeah, so they've done a
little bit in the portal. They got their best linebacker
to come back, Amari Campbell, who Minnesota was looking at
potentially to fill that Cody Linnenberg role. But they've got
a lot of work to do here over the next
six months. But they've got six months to do so
I can't wait. I'm fired up about it. I love it,

(53:33):
and I think college fans should like it. I think
this is better, This is good for college football. It's cool,
it's a great story.

Speaker 1 (53:40):
Anything else we want to talk about there, We want
to talk schedule real quick. Sure, it was announced Big
Ten Football finally announced their schedule for next year. Great timing,
loved all of it, and the Gophers got the exciting
news that they will be playing at Wrigley Field next year,
the long awaited Gopher trip to Wrigley Field, second to
last game, last road game of the season. How about this,

(54:02):
if fans want to do a football across America football
across Minnesota road trip, You've got the Oregon Ducks November
fifteenth in Eugene, and then the next week you had
to Wrigly to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Now, I'll
admit part of me was a little bummed because I
was looking forward to seeing the makeshift stadium.

Speaker 2 (54:22):
That they have on the Lake and in late November
two Yeah.

Speaker 3 (54:26):
Oh a good point.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
Yeah, that might have been an l So that's probably
why they moved it off the lake and put it
in Wrigley Field. Part of me was looking forward to
seeing that. Maybe I'll be able to get a tour
when we head up there late November next year. But
we get to go to Wrigley Boys, that'll be kind
of cool. What else jumps out at the schedule, because
I've got a couple of thoughts too.

Speaker 3 (54:42):
Before we wrap.

Speaker 2 (54:43):
Up, I'm excited to go to Wrigley. I would also say,
you look at the two West coast trips, they're bookended
by bys where Minnesota is their third game, they can
go take on Cal Berkeley, they get a bye week then,
and then before they travel out to Oregon they also
get a bye week. So I think that was one
of the big points of emphasis from the Big Ten

(55:04):
scheduling folks was if you're going to have to travel
multiple time zones, we want to be able to give
you a little bit more time. But I will say, uh,
there's gonna be I mean you go three games, bye week,
six games, bye week, three games bye week. I mean
that slog in the middle between the Rutgers game in
late September and then your final one at home there
against Michigan State. I mean you're gonna have some tough

(55:25):
ones in there. So Chip, what do you.

Speaker 4 (55:28):
Think, Yeah, it's uh a fun, fun travel schedule. I
mean I was last time they went the Cal. I
was there, when Mates was there. That would have been
so two thousand and six.

Speaker 3 (55:39):
I was gonna say, oh, six sounds.

Speaker 4 (55:40):
Right, six, I think as we were there.

Speaker 2 (55:42):
Yeah, So I on that team and Troit the legend I.

Speaker 4 (55:47):
Think Deshaun Jackson was on it. A great team that
counting was. That's some high end skill players. But that's
a fun trip. I'm totally excited to go to Oregon.
I mean that one's as soon as that's been announced, like,
that's I want to I want to feel that noise
in that and that energy and that. So I'm excited
for that. And I mean, obviously, I've covered a bunch

(56:08):
of games there, baseball games, and never a football game.
And I sort of I'm hypocritical because I complain about
football games being played in baseball stadiums, but you do.
I'll be happy to go to Wrigley and watch that game.

Speaker 3 (56:23):
You are a man of contradiction. You are a man
of speaking of that.

Speaker 2 (56:28):
He's talking about traveling out to multiple games, yet we
can't get him to come to the Chip Laying Bowl,
can't get him to kind of Charlotte.

Speaker 4 (56:35):
Hey, you'd be you'd be laughing at me. I had
to buy guards the Timberwolves tickets with a little help
from with a little help from my wife.

Speaker 3 (56:45):
It was a process.

Speaker 2 (56:47):
It was a process getting a transferred on the app
and everything too.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
And yeah, sheed me. That went smooth.

Speaker 1 (56:54):
Chip giving me the right email to get the tickets
sent to him didn't go very well, and.

Speaker 4 (56:59):
I sit the wrong email. Well, I said dot com instead.

Speaker 1 (57:03):
Dot com dot com, And then I didn't fact check.
I just said, oh, he's an adult, he knows how
to do this, and just put put the email in,
send them to him.

Speaker 2 (57:11):
And no, you know what Chip was doing high level thinking.
Here he was sitting you with a spoofing one and
you failed the spoof test. So now you're gonna get
everybody at the company this virus.

Speaker 1 (57:21):
Yeah, thankfully I could recall them very quickly and get
them to the right Chipskogins.

Speaker 4 (57:25):
Sorry about that, No worries.

Speaker 3 (57:27):
I'm happy doing business with you.

Speaker 1 (57:30):
Well, I told him, I'm like I was expected we
were gonna have to meet, you know, and like you know,
we were gonna have to meet in some park at
suburb parking lot so we could give me a check.

Speaker 3 (57:39):
You know, That's what I was.

Speaker 4 (57:40):
Well, I was I'm not gonna lie to you know what.
My wife was gonna get frustrated me because I was like, like,
you have to get the app, Like, why do you
have to get app to get tickets? Let's just go
back to paper tickets. Yeah, I got downloaded in. I
was like, I gotta find him on their right.

Speaker 1 (57:57):
Yep, it's not very hard to find them. But what
I do where I agree with you, is and you
can this is another revenue opportunity. Now, I like, I
have a basket full of ticket stubs from my youth. Yeah,
you can probably see some of them back here, like
the ninety two final four. Oh good for me, you
know at the Metronome, you know, Duke Michigan, Indiana and

(58:17):
Cincinnati with Bob Huggins. Like, I like the ticket stub.
It's a nice little momento. You don't have those anymore.
Now you get the little print out the seat finders.
It's not as cool. So I'm with you there, I'm
with you there. It is easy to transfer them, and
it is easy to buy them now like when you
need to, which is you know, I think an improvement.
People are always like, well how am I going to
get tickets? You go online and you buy them. It's

(58:39):
as easy because it can possibly be. It's great, But yeah,
it was a I thought about screenshotting our text exchange
and putting it out there, but people didn't.

Speaker 3 (58:48):
Need to be in our pece our business man real quick.

Speaker 1 (58:53):
I am going to put this out into the atmosphere though,
on the schedule next year. I mean, here's the home schedule, Buffalo,
Northwestern State, Rutgers, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Wisconsin could be
a seven and oh boys if they find some people

(59:13):
to block burns.

Speaker 3 (59:16):
Yeah, I mean that's.

Speaker 1 (59:17):
Not outlandish, that's not outlanded. Like, what's their toughest home game? Nebraska?
Is it Wisconsin? What's there Michigan State. Michigan State was
kind of in that what's their toughest home game next year?

Speaker 2 (59:31):
I'm not even high on Wisconsin next year, but it's
probably gonna be Wisconsin just because of the back and
forth nature of that rivalry game. At this point, I
would probably say Michigan State will be just because that's
your sixth game in a row. Yeah, a lot of
games in a row at the collegiate level. I don't
know where they're going to be at heading into that,
but I do believe before that game for Michigan State

(59:52):
is a very emotional one for them because Michigan State
the week before they play Minnesota there takes on Michigan
There you.

Speaker 1 (01:00:00):
Go, So yeah, both teams Obviously, the road schedule is
challenging with Ohio Statehouse State and Oregon and then going
out to Berkeley, you know, a long trip like there.
We talked about the time zone stuff last year and
I think there's something to that. But that home schedule,
like I'll be curious what the over under gets said
at because of that home schedule and because that's seven

(01:00:21):
games where I bet you're going to be favored in
five of them at least, don't you don't you think
I mean, now a game, we have no idea what
the teams are going to be, so this is this
is all stupid, but just thinking about what we think
about this team who they have coming back. You know,
obviously we got to figure out the quarterback. If Drake
Lindsay's you know, struggles, then all bets are off. But

(01:00:42):
to me, I mean, you should feel good. I guess
my point is you should feel good about that home
schedule and your opportunity to rack up a bunch of
wins at home.

Speaker 4 (01:00:50):
Yeah, it's not like there's a bunch of powerhouses on there.
But we're thinking about this team that they just had
this year, not that's true team that they have next
year with a lot of holes that they have to
feel and a lot of unknowns.

Speaker 3 (01:01:00):
So it's all right.

Speaker 1 (01:01:02):
Well, just remember I'm the guy that said the Vikings
were going to be twelve and two this season.

Speaker 4 (01:01:06):
Yeah, that's right.

Speaker 3 (01:01:07):
I'm sure I have that fae somewhere.

Speaker 1 (01:01:08):
I didn't. If they lose to the Giants, they might
go oh and seven. So just remember that I always
see things clearly, and I'm willing to put these things
out into the ethere.

Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Changing your best for the next time mentality.

Speaker 1 (01:01:18):
That's right, All right, Well we'll talk next week. We'll
have more portal stuff. We'll have a full weekend of
games to talk about. In terms of the first round
of the college football Playoff, hopefully Chip makes it. You know,
if Tennessee loses, who knows, maybe he'll just say I'm out.
You know, I'll talk to you next year in the
parentis Spare podcast. I don't know, but good luck to
your valls, Chipper, look for Burns's. Good luck to you
in the transfer portal. I know you're looking forward to

(01:01:40):
the next couple of days. You've probably missed eight calls
while we've been doing this.

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
I've got twelve. I'm looking at my phone I got
twelve text messages right, so good for you for me.

Speaker 1 (01:01:51):
So read the notes to go for Illustrated dot com
to get the daily temperature of how Burns. He thinks
it's going into Fransy Portal. It's like the weather. It's
like the north Shore. It's sunny and seventy five and
then the next thing you know, here comes the fog
and nobody knows why. It's the north Shore for Burnsey.
Make your holiday reservations, your date night reservations at Jackscafe
dot com Jaxcafe dot com.

Speaker 3 (01:02:13):
Have a great week.

Speaker 1 (01:02:14):
We'll talk to you one more time before Christmas, and
then maybe another time before the Bowl game.

Speaker 3 (01:02:18):
On the pair