MON POD @SpenceChecketts on CFP, Big 12 Title, Utes/Cougs Bowling + more

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, here we go drive time, Monday afternoon style,
about eleven minutes past the hour of two o'clock. It
is beautiful today, man, It's like fifty two degrees in sunny,
and it looks like we're gonna have a really really
nice warm week for certainly mid December and the fifties
and sunny. Maybe get outside and do a little biking,
dealt hiking, play a little golf. So nice week of

(00:21):
weather ahead, and as it is every single day, it's
going to have you along.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
For the rides.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Bets, Jackets, behind the Mike, Porter Larson, Beyond the Glass
back on air, live on a Monday afternoon, with a
lot to get to, certainly.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
With a college football weekend.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Behind in the college football playoff bracket set, we'll get
into what's next, We'll get into the bowl game destinations.
Notre Dame fans not very happy BYU fans, not very
happy Texas fans. They're letting their feelings known as well.
We talked about this on Friday, based off of the

(00:56):
committee's rankings a week ago, and quite frankly, over the
past four or five weeks, I think we're moving closer
and closer to just doing away with the weekly Show
because whether it's regardless of who the College Football Playoffs
selection chairman is, they all just sound like bumbling idiots.

(01:17):
Oftentimes not even doesn't even feel like they're watching games,
and so the criteria to analyze the landscape of college
football continues just to be hard to understand or ascertain
exactly what they're valuing.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
But it became pretty clear number of weeks ago that
for BYU to.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Make it into the College Football Playoff they working have
to win the Big Twelve championship.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
And obviously that did not happen.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
They got smoked much as they did round one against
Texas Tech, and it was even worse this time around,
and it could have been worse than it was. So
thirty four to seven BYU's regular season comes to an end.
Texas Tech, they're your Big Twelve champs, and now BYU
will head to play Georgia Tech in Orlando in the
Hop Tart's Bowl. Initially it could have been BYU Notre Dame,

(02:03):
which would have been.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Really cool in a lot of ways. Notre Dame has
taking their ball and they've gone home.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
They're upset, and part of me understands why, and also
if we're looking at who the best teams in college
football are right now, which is one of the things
the Committee told.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Us they would do.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
You have to look in Notre Dame based off of
how they bounce back from losing their first two games
of this season. But as I've said for weeks now,
head to head has to matter.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
So it's one of those things where, at.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Least in my opinion, the committee probably got it right.
But if I'm Notre Dame, I feel a little bit
hard done. But you lost to Miami. There was no
way Miami would stay behind you after losing the head
to head. So pretty college football centric show on this
Monday afternoon. We do have a lot of NFL to
get to as well as your weekend of pro football
will culminate tonight with the Eagles and the Chargers, which

(02:53):
should be a good game. It's a big game for
both these two teams. Looks like Marion Hampton kid is
going to give it a go. He's been on the
IR I think since Week four, and the Eagles looking
a bounce back now. Both teams at eight and four.
Chargers they're five and two at so far. The Eagles
are four and two on the road. So Funday of
NFL football, a lot of surprising matchups, and Shardor Sanders

(03:15):
looks like he's gonna lock down that QB one job.
In Cleveland, the Broncos continued to roll with a win
over the hapless Raiders, Big one between the Bears and
the Packers. Jordan Love was able to get that done.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
And they win.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
So the Kansas City Chiefs as of now, looks like
this quote unquote dynasty might be crumbling right before our eyes.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
They lose another one, this one at home to the Texans.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Every time I watch that Texans defense, it's just so impressive, man.
So the Chiefs have some work to do for sure.
So we'll get into some pro football storylines. A tough
piece of news for the Utah Mammoth is Logan Cooley
is out indefinitely with a lower body injury. Logan leads
the team in goals with fourteen on the year, and
so a up and down season for the Mammoth.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Gets a little bit worse.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
Is Logan Cooley's going to sit out now for a
little bit. No word on wenthill return. So we'll get
to the latest with the Mammoth. On the NBA side,
of things. The Utah Jazz got by OKAC over the weekend.
They've lost too straight, one of the Knicks, then the
other to the Thunder.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
They allowed one.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Hundred and forty six points to the Knicks at MSG
one hundred and thirty one points to the Thunder. And
there is a awesome video circulating Will Hardy just undressing
his team.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Colorful language, so not safe for work.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
I would make sure that you're not around the family
if you decide to pull up the video Will Hardy.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
The Jazz are off tonight.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
They're actually offer a few days now be back in
action on the road against Memphis, So lace.

Speaker 2 (04:44):
With the Jazz.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
Of course, the college hoops scene continues to be pretty interesting.
Utah picked up a win over the weekend BYU one
on Friday, and we'll got to get to all the
angles in that direction as well.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
So happy Monday to you.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
I hope you had a great, fantastic weekend full of
football and thud, family friends, whatever you decided to do.
We'll start things off today with a Monday guest who's
consistent on the show during college football, Scott Mitchell Scott
will be our first guest, of course, former youth quarterback
and now on our broadcast team, we'll catch up with
Scott about the Big Twelve Championship, talk about Utah's bowl destination,

(05:19):
and a very important offseason starts now quite frankly for
Utah football to be able to retain key pieces and
add two after a solid recruiting class signed on the
dotted line a week ago. We'll get the latest with
our friends down south of Spencer Lytton from BYU TV
will join us. Believe Spencer was in Lubbick. No, no,
no excuse me, Arlington. Lubbock is where Texas Tech plays,

(05:41):
but Arlington was where the Big Twelve Championship was. So
get the latest on the BYU SN We'll do some
mutes with Scott's some BYU of Spencer Litton. We'll bounce
around with Bill Bush and what a day to have
Notre Dame alum and broadcasting legend Ted Robinson on the show.
I'm sure Uncle Ted is in his feelings today as
most Notre Dame a lumps are, so a lot of

(06:01):
college football that will kind of dominate the landscape of
the show with Scott Mitchell, Spencer Letting, Bill Bush, Ted Robinson,
Mee Spence checkets, all of you, the great listeners, Hello,
how are you happy Monday?

Speaker 2 (06:11):
And that guy Porter Larson.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
So we said on Friday, Hey, BYU was probably just
gonna have to win to get into the CFP. But
you know, we said, Okay, if BAMA gets trounced and
BYU keeps it close, will that be enough? It probably
wasn't because at the end of the day, for the
second time, BYU just gets their breaks blown off by
a really good football team.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
What stood out most to.

Speaker 3 (06:35):
You, Yeah, a Texas Tech team.

Speaker 4 (06:37):
That and when you say they had to win for BYU,
but you know, the only other option if you wanted
to get in was to make that thing real close, right,
to show that there wasn't a team in the playoff
that you don't really have a chance in getting pasted
kind of gave the committee an out with with BYU.
I'm surprised that the three loss team is in. Like

(07:01):
at a certain point, it is the SEC Invitational, the
Big Ten Invitational, as we've talked about for the most part, right,
I do think that we have twelve of the best
fifteen or so teams in college football, and I think
when it's all said in dun Spencer, we will have
the best team in college football holding the trophy, and

(07:22):
for that reason, I'm glad about the playoff. But man,
the whole process has left a pretty sour taste in
my mouth. And when you look at the state of
college football and the TV money and you keep going
down that rabbit hole, I think I have a little.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
Good reason for that's a sour taste.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Yeah, I think a lot of people are with you.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
And for such a great sport to have such an
arbitrary process to try to crown its champ, it's long
been weird.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
It's hard to explain. When you try to explain it.

Speaker 1 (07:49):
That somebody who doesn't follow it, they're like, wait, what,
It's a weird dynamic. And unfortunately we'll end with both
BYU and Utah on the outside looking in.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
But we'll break all these games down.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
We'll get you ready for a bowl season and do
some NFL today as well. Scott Mitchell our first guest
right out of the gates, but on a Monday afternoon,
courtesy of our good friends, and you're good friends too
at Prize Fix, it is time now for your opening tip.

Speaker 3 (08:11):
Welcome to the.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
Drive with Spence.

Speaker 5 (08:13):
Check its on Utah's number one sports talk now into
the studios of ESPN seven hundred to set the scene
for the show. The opening tip of the drive is
brought to you by Prize Picks. Use the code ESPN
seven hundred and run your game with Prize Picks.

Speaker 1 (08:29):
So the Big Twelve Championship played over the weekend, so
you know, essentially we move on to Bowl season and
we know what the CFP is going to look like.
BYU was able to qualify for the Big Twelve Championship
game for the first time in their program's history.

Speaker 2 (08:42):
Of course, this is only their third year.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Texas Tech wins the Big Twelve for the first time ever,
so congratulations to Texas Tech. Definitely worthy champions this year.
Hell of the job by coach maguire and obviously bankrolled
by Cody Campbell. The addition of talent was very easy
to see. It was very apparent for any of us
here in Salt Lake when Texas Tech rolled up to

(09:06):
rise Eco Stadium and after, as we talked about quite
a bit, after about a three and a half quarter
rock fight, they just pulled away beat Utah thirty four
to ten. It was a battle early on, but you
could see that it was Texas Tech's defense and their
presence and physicality and the trenches that were changed. This
is a program that historically speaking, has had great quarterbacks,

(09:28):
great offenses on a lot of really really good skilled
position players.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
That have allowed them to rack up points.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
But it really was in the trenches that they had
struggled historically speaking, and that obviously was fixed this year.
So they're the best team in the Big Twelve. They're
deserving champs. They earned it on the field, and they
earned the right to head on over to the CFP
where they are going to be a top four team
and they will have a first round by after a
really special season. Interesting stuff from Killanie postgame, basically acknowledging

(09:57):
the Texas Tech is who BYU wants to be and
by you got off to a good start and after
the first eight or nine minutes, I'm going, okay, okay,
maybe there's a shot here to at least keep it close.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
The line did not change prior to kickoff.

Speaker 1 (10:12):
B why you entered that game as a twelve point
five point underdog, a twelve and a half point underdog.
Texas SEC didn't just win, they didn't just cover. After
a little bit of an auspicious start where it looked
like Tech had some nerves, a tremendous amount of BYU
fans in attendance, you could see the blue all over
the place on television. It was tex defense that settled
in and played the way Tech defense is played all

(10:33):
year long. B why you has to run the football
to win? And they had moments with LJ healthy it
looked like bear Bachmeyer was either not healthy prior to
the game or picked up an ankle sprain looked like
a high ankle sprain during the game. He was clearly compromised.
But if we just call it how it is, even
with a fully healthy bear Bachmeyer and a fully healthy

(10:54):
roster BYU, SA had two opportunities to show they belong
in Texas Tech cul de sac, and they have failed
miserably with both opportunities. And oftentimes this really does come
down to stylistically, the old cliche styles make fights. Nobody
runs the ball on Tech, nobody and BYU one of
the top two or three rushing attacks in the Big
twelve all year long, with a big kit at quarterback

(11:17):
who can make plays and the Big twelve offensive player
of the year in LJ. Martin They just simply showed
a they want to and be They have to run
the football if they want to be successful this year.
You know, the exceptions have been maybe against the competition
that isn't top shelf, where Bears had some good games
through the air, they just could not get anything going.

(11:38):
They finished with sixty three rushing yards, an average of
two point one per carry, Bear sixteen of twenty seven
one hundred and fifteen yards an average of four point
three yards per completion.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
Those two interceptions are going to kill you.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
His QBR was thirty point five, which I believe is
a season low, and Chase Roberts did play not very effective.
The receivers simply could not find space. I mean and
over and over. It was either LJ. Martin out of
the backfield or just a lot of checkdowns to LJ.
From Barry had seven catches, which led the team by far,
and after the game a lot of people and then

(12:11):
you know the fumbles. LJ had one, Bear had two
and they lost two of the three fumbles they put
on the deck, So four total total turnovers, and that
obviously is always going to kill you when it comes
to trying to upset a team.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
That's heavily favored over you.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
Texas Tech only had one fumble is the Jacobe Williams
kid put it on the deck, but they didn't lose it.
And Baron Morton was as good as I think he's
been in a long long time, which was the dynamic
that a lot of people thought by you could exploit.
Baron has just been fine this year for all of
Tech's dominance. They're quarterback I believe is sixth overall in
QBR as far as the conference rankings go. But he

(12:48):
goes twenty of thirty three, two hundred and fifteen yards,
a couple of touchdowns, no pick, no picks, and BYU
now heads to Florida to take on a good Georgia
Tech team when it comes to their bold destination, the
Pop Tarts Bowl down in Orlando two days after Christmas,
December the twenty seventh, at one thirty pm. So now
today BYU fans feeling a little bit I think as

(13:12):
far as what Utah fans fell after the final game
of the year, the win over Kansas, which culminated a
five game winning streak and the year so a ten
to two season for Utah, seven and two in conference play,
awesome year, no other way around it. And if you're
a BYU fan, winning eleven games the first time in
a number of years, you've done that for ten win

(13:34):
seasons and six years now for Klowne an eight and
one conference record and going to the Big Twelve championship.
Both Utah and BYU took tangible steps forward this year.
We were hoping to see a bounce back year for Utah.
We saw that, and then BYU was able to find
a way even while losing your starting quarterback a mere
matter of weeks before the start of the season, BYU

(13:55):
was able to find a way to improve their lot
as well. Another step up year one of the Big Twelve,
better year two, year three. You go to the conference championship,
I'm sure they have premonitions of hanging banners down there
sooner rather than later. Utah's Bowl destination, as we thought
it would be, will be the Vegas Bowl against Nebraska
on New Year's Eve at one thirty.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Of course, we'll have that game for you.

Speaker 1 (14:18):
Nebraska out of the Big ten four and five in
conference this year, seven and five overall. We thought it
might be Iowa that was thrown around, Illinois thrown around
so a good bowl for Utah, a good bowl for BYU,
but neither team qualifies for the CFP after a very
promising start to the year. All right, we got Monday
Night football tonight. It will be the Eagles and the Chargers.

(14:43):
Alex Jensen's coaches show can be heard after we say
goodnight at six o'clock.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
We know the bowl destination for the Utes.

Speaker 1 (14:50):
It is the Vegas Bowl on New Year's Eve against Nebraska.

Speaker 2 (14:54):
Our next guest, of course, you.

Speaker 1 (14:55):
Know him, you love him, played quarterback here is now
on our broadcast team.

Speaker 2 (14:58):
Happy Monday, Scott, Mi chill. How are you, sir?

Speaker 6 (15:02):
Oh, I'm doing wonderful. It's really nice to talk to you.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
So I always appreciate the time, Scott, I always appreciate
the time. So let's start with some Mutes, even though
they haven't played in a couple of weeks now, and
we'll get to the Big twelve championship in the CFP.
But you know you could do worse than the Vegas Bowl, right,
and Nebraska kind of a mid tier Big ten team,
up and down After excuse me, a good start to
the year, they started five and one, stumbled down the stretch,

(15:28):
losing three or four, including at Penn State, Iowa.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
They did beat UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

Speaker 1 (15:33):
But now that we know the bowl destination, what do
you think you're looking forward to it?

Speaker 6 (15:39):
You know, bowls are kind of a funny. It feels
like like bowl games are becoming like the Pro Bowl.

Speaker 7 (15:49):
You know.

Speaker 6 (15:49):
You have all these teams that are like, yeah, we're
gonna opt out of the bowl, or Notre Dame. Hey,
we we didn't get into the college football playoffs. We're
going to take our ball and go home. We're not
going to a bowl game. You have so many players
opting out. It just it just it's being kind of weird.
And and and I always got excited for a bowl games.

(16:09):
I can't say that I'm just like Jazz to the
Moon over the Vegas Bowl simply because you know, it
kind of been there quite a quite a bit. Uh,
you know, I I enjoy Vegas to a point, you know,
So I'm not like, I'm not like this super fan
of Vegas. Uh. You know. And it's when you've been there,
especially just a couple of years ago, it would be

(16:31):
kind of nice to go somewhere else. I don't know
what what else. I was kind of hoping for a
holiday ball appearance. But it's not the worst thing in
the world, and I'll take it. I mean, it's it
is New Year's Eve, so it's kind of getting I
guess more clout and cachet than maybe in the past.
But you know, uh, I guess when you're kind of

(16:53):
hoping to get in the playoffs and you don't, it's
it's got to be a little bit of a disappointment.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (16:59):
I think both by fans and Utah fans probably right
now existing in the same sentiment, which is, Okay, that
was fun. That was a good season, however, hoping it
would culminate for more. Does it like Utah fans were
experiencing this couple of weeks back after the Kansas game
and now after.

Speaker 2 (17:17):
What happened with b Yu over the weekend.

Speaker 1 (17:19):
I think it's safe to say, Scott, both teams had
really good seasons, but both fan bases probably were left
wanting for a little bit more.

Speaker 8 (17:27):
Yeah, there's no question. I mean, I mean ten and
two is a heck of a season for you, Tah.

Speaker 6 (17:33):
It's a heck of a season, you know, in so
in every regard, I mean, what what an incredible year
and you know, the two teams you lose to, really
your quarterback is kind of halfway injured. He's not full strength.
You know, I don't know how good BYU really is.
They really had all the breaks roll their way all

(17:56):
year long. And you know, so you lose to the
tutah teams in the league. Texas Tech, I think is
a very good football team. So it's you know, it's
not the worst thing in the world to lose them,
but boy, it's it's been.

Speaker 8 (18:08):
A great year and and I think it should be
rewarded with more.

Speaker 6 (18:12):
I just don't know that.

Speaker 8 (18:15):
I don't know that the Las.

Speaker 6 (18:16):
Vegas Bowl is really a reward. It's more are kind
of like, yeah, okay, that was that was pretty predictable.
That was pretty obvious. You know, it'd be fun to
kind of be excited. I don't know. I want to
go to the Pop Tart Bowl, all right, just because
it's the Pop Tart Bowl, but it's also in Orlando,
and it's and I don't know, just be fun because

(18:37):
for me, there's you know, Disney World is just a
fun thing to I don't know, just.

Speaker 9 (18:42):
It's fine.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
Wow, we have a despondent Scott Mitchell on the show today,
preferring the child the child version of Disney World as
opposed to the adult playground version of Las Vegas.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
Am I understanding this correctly?

Speaker 6 (18:57):
I don't. I don't gamble, So it's and I go
to Las Vegas. I love. I went and saw The Wizard.

Speaker 8 (19:06):
Of Oz in the Sphere.

Speaker 6 (19:07):
Oh my goodness, it was amazing. And I've been to
a lot of concerts and shows in Las Vegas that
are great. Amazing food in Las Vegas, which you know
is something that I agree with, good food. It likes me.
But you know, I can go to Las Vegas anytime
I want to go somewhere where I don't necessarily go
all time.

Speaker 8 (19:27):
And again, Spenza, this.

Speaker 6 (19:29):
Is just merely like me being selfish and petty and
petulant and all these things because I'm just so mad
about you know what this season could have possibly been
with a couple of more wins, or maybe even one
more wins.

Speaker 2 (19:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
Look, I want to be clear. I'm not saying you're wrong.
I'm not a huge Vegas guy. But ultimately, when it
comes to any bowl game that is not involved with
the college football playoff, what really is the benefit. And
I'm asking sincerely as somebody who played the game. Because
you know, whether it's Orlando for the Pop Tarch for
BUYU against Georgia Tech, or whether it's Utah Vegas Nebraska, Uh,

(20:12):
you know.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
New Year's Eve.

Speaker 1 (20:12):
Like the majority of teams in college football are in
the ecosystem that includes a bowl game that really doesn't
mean much, like ultimately, what what are the rewards that
can be you know, gleamed when it comes to a
bowl that isn't involved in the CFP.

Speaker 6 (20:28):
Well, well, typically that's what a bowl game was. It
was the reward, it was the celebration, it was you know,
the game was really just kind of an afterthought, but
it was the experience. It was like, let's bring the family,
let's really go and let's let's enjoy this. And and
I don't I don't know that people necessarily took it seriously.

(20:48):
And so it was that reward. You know, when I
was in college, there was one. There weren't very many bowls,
and so the Holiday Bowl was like everything and it
so much, and now that there's so many that it
kind of, I guess.

Speaker 8 (21:05):
Kind of lessened the excitement.

Speaker 6 (21:07):
Or the meaning behind it. I mean, I was recruited
by teams that said we go to a bowl game
every year and that meant something, and now it's it
certainly doesn't mean it. But the reward now, I think
if it's not the college football playoffs, it's it's the
fact that you get to practice with these players and

(21:28):
that's that's huge for the future development of your program.
And it's really so much more for the younger players,
uh than it is you know, maybe the guys that
are graduating, you know, and there's a lot of guys,
the ones especially that are going on to the next level.
They go, you know, now now this is over my
brain and my body and everything is focused on the future.

(21:51):
But the ones that are left, I think there and
I believe there is a lot of value in that too.
By the way, getting that extra practice time it does
put you ahead because reps are so so valuable and
precious at college football that any place you can find them,
whether it's you know, postseason, bowls season for two or

(22:13):
three weeks, they mean a lot. And and a.

Speaker 8 (22:16):
Lot of these young guys are.

Speaker 6 (22:18):
Excited about it because they've kind of been caged up and.

Speaker 8 (22:21):
You know, now now it's their time to kind of.

Speaker 6 (22:23):
Step forward and show what they can do and get
opportunities to prove their their their their worth and so
and and that's really about it. I mean, other than that,
you know, I don't know how much you know, it
could potentially be a place where you do some recruiting
when you're at a bowl game, if it's in an
area that you recruit, well, just it kind of depends.

(22:46):
But other than that, you know, it's really not a
whole lot that there is a benefit to.

Speaker 3 (22:51):
It, all right.

Speaker 1 (22:53):
So when it comes to the dynamic of deciding whether
or not you actually want to play in the bowl game,
you know, we've seen it recently with the utes. Clark
Phillips was, you know, elected not to play in the
bowl game so he could prepare for the draft. And
when it comes to a player like you know, Spencer
Spencer Fono, who probably is going to be a top
ten pick, you don't really expect those guys to play

(23:16):
in bowl games anymore. Is the transactional nature of these
decisions something that as a former player kind of turns
you off, Like is your opinion, like, hey, stick with
the stick with the team right to the end of
the year.

Speaker 6 (23:29):
Yeah, there there are a couple of guys. You know,
I think of running back that played at Miami who
was a sure first rounder gets injured in a bowl
game that wasn't I don't think they were playing for,
you know, a national championship or anything like that at
the time, and it really hurt his future. I think

(23:54):
it's a it's a real look. You you've given the
university four years or however many years of your life.
You've you've been all in, You've invested you. You know,
you don't owe anyone anything else, and you you have
an opportunity, especially like a guy like Spencer Fano, I mean,
top ten money is that's a big deal. That's that's

(24:15):
life changing, that's something that really can have, you know,
a great impact in a positive way on your life.
At that point, I think it's hard to justify staying
to go to the Las Vegas bull like, like, I'd
be dumbfounded. I'd be shocked. If if he was playing,
I'd be shocked. And well, I certainly wouldn't be offended

(24:37):
or hurt at all. Would I would one hundred percent
understand it. He's a he's a you know, I mean,
the type of money that's available to these players is
just astronomical today, and I just he has nothing left
to prove at all. And and now you know, the

(25:00):
likelihood of getting hurt, I don't think is like, you know,
fifty to fifty or you know, it's maybe ninety five
ten or ninety eight two. You know, I mean most guys,
most guys don't get hurt who play. So I'm sure
a lot of players.

Speaker 8 (25:17):
You know, there's some guys Spence that they just they're
psyche is.

Speaker 6 (25:22):
I just have this is who I am. I just
have to play. I don't care. And it just makes
me sleep better at night. It makes me feel like
I'm living to my you know, to my true north star,
and that I'm loyal and I'm in it till the
bitter end type of thing. It's part of what develops
my character. If I don't do this, I you know,

(25:46):
you know, I just won't feel right about it. And
I think there's a decent number of guys that maybe
think that, and I wouldn't follow them for that either.
I just don't. I don't think the game means enough
either way to say yes or no. Oh.

Speaker 8 (26:01):
But I think that the person's personal reasons matter, and
I think that's being true to yourself is very important.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
Yeah, some interesting points there, because you know, for those
of us that were not able to play on the
level you did. But I thought at some point maybe
it would be a potential the thought of not playing,
Like I can remember the first fall that approach where
I wasn't playing basketball, and you know, I was nineteen,
nineteen years old, and even as somebody who didn't play

(26:34):
for anything that really matters, it was really really somewhat
devastating that I wasn't going to be able to play
anymore and play the sport that I love and play
with my friends. I think, from the outside looking in,
a lot of people like no, I would just want
to play as long as I possibly could, because just
playing college football and being around these players and coaches
seems like a really cool experience. I think a lot

(26:55):
of people just view it through that prison Scott, And
maybe that's confusing as to why, you know, some people
would choose to not play when most people feel, like,
you know, feel like that would be such a cool opportunity.

Speaker 8 (27:07):
So I kind of went through this.

Speaker 6 (27:10):
My last year at Utah. I had I got my
ankle rolled up or my knee in practice, had a
sprained mcl missed the last two games of my junior year,
and coach Fossel got fired and I was getting massive
pressure to leave and go play in the NFL. And

(27:30):
I had been told by a lot of people, you know,
late first round, second round, you don't have anything left
to prove, and I really wanted to stay. I just
felt like from my own psyche, for my own kind
of closure, you know, and they're like, look, you got
you got injured in practice. I mean, anything's possible. You

(27:54):
have this right in front of you, you know, why
why risk it? And so I did. I left, and
and it not at me, And there's a part of
me that it still naws at me today that I just.

Speaker 8 (28:08):
Felt like I left some unfinished business on the table.

Speaker 6 (28:12):
I remember later on as I watched Peyton Manning in
college and he stayed for his last year, and he says,
I'm in college one time. I have this experience once,
I'm never going to get it back again. I've had
an incredible experience. I want to see it through to
the end. And so he stayed for that last year
and it worked out great for him, and it worked

(28:34):
out great for me to leave a year earlier. It
was massively beneficial. It gave me an extra year in
the NFL, which allowed me to be a free agent
when I started to play. In my so the timing
really worked out beautifully for me. But in my brain
and in my heart, you know, it didn't. It didn't
always set right. It just it just felt like, you know,

(28:54):
I kind of left, or I wasn't emotionally mature enough
to leave at that time, or you know, I didn't
like the circumstances with which I was leaving. And so
you know, it's a it's a hard it's a hard
thing because we played football, we play sports, basketball, whatever.

Speaker 8 (29:14):
It is, because we love the heck out of.

Speaker 6 (29:15):
It, and like you know, if there was never any
money in it, we still play it. And and that's
why you play it, because it's it's just it brings
out so much passion and purpose. It's fun and and
and so when we get it mixed up with these
other things, it kind of it kind of gets lost
a little bit. And and the beauty of it, the

(29:36):
love for it, and and so it you know, it's
just it's a hard thing, no matter what to reconcile with.

Speaker 7 (29:45):
Uh.

Speaker 6 (29:46):
But I do know whatever choice. It's like, you need
to own your choice. You need to be one hundred
percent convicted of it and know that it's the right
thing for you, or or it will gnaw at you.
You'll wonder, you go, yeah, maybe I should have or
shouldn't have, or so whatever it is, just just own it.

Speaker 1 (30:06):
What will this season be remembered for for Utah football?
You know, it seems like every year you can look
back at a seminal moment, one big game in years past,
certainly Pac twelve championships, you know, the USC game here
in Salt Lake, a win over Arrival. When we do
the emotional look back on Utah football twenty twenty five, Scott,

(30:27):
what what will stand out the most?

Speaker 6 (30:31):
This will be a funny answer because it's not any
any game or moment on the field, but it's it's
the emergence of Jason Beck. Like, like I just got
more and more impressed with Jason as as the season
went on and as he developed his system and his offense,
and in talking to him before this season even started,

(30:53):
and kind of his general philosophy about things. It's like,
I don't know what my system is. It's whatever, whatever
I have, whatever players I have that's gonna be our system.
And it was fun to watch him really grow and
develop and find that offense as the season went on,
and it was it was an impressive thing to see.
And you and you watch Jason where you know, he's

(31:14):
he's been a guy that just continues to get better
at each place.

Speaker 8 (31:19):
That he's been that he's he's he's.

Speaker 6 (31:21):
Created this trek record of trust and growth that you go,
this guy's a legitimate, young, really popular coordinator in the
country and and you know, and I'd love for Utah
to keep them around for some time because uh, you know,

(31:45):
I think that first year is the worst and the
hardest and now now he's got so much to build
off of headed into next year and who knows when.
But for me, it was just Jason Beck and what
what he really builds and and how he really transformed
that offense and really I think himself personally.

Speaker 1 (32:07):
Yeah, I can't speak to the final part because I'm
sure you know him in a way that I don't,
but I agree, I agree with you. You know, it
really is the emergence of what this offense became. In
years past, the walking line for Utah football has always
been like all right, the utes are always an offense
away from competing for conference championships, And ironically enough, that
was kind of flipped a little bit. The defense was

(32:28):
solid again by the run defense finished ranked near the
bottom of the conference.

Speaker 2 (32:33):
Now, a lot of that had to do with the final.

Speaker 1 (32:35):
Few weeks of the season, you know, three or four
games as opposed to looking back altogether. But what's the
secret sauce there, Scott, to kind of balance this thing out,
as opposed to have one side of the ball carry
the other.

Speaker 6 (32:49):
What's a secret sauce to kind of having balance?

Speaker 2 (32:52):
Or yeah, yeah, like what so so?

Speaker 1 (32:54):
I mean, look, Utah was one of the top two
offenses pretty much all year long, the best rushing offense
in the Big Twelve. But ironically enough, it was the
defensive numbers that kind of came back down to, uh,
to the aggression of the mean or whatever you want
to call it.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
How do we get that balance?

Speaker 1 (33:10):
Because certainly it's gonna be balance that's needed to win
the conference?

Speaker 8 (33:15):
Oh yeah, there's no, there's no question about it.

Speaker 6 (33:17):
I mean, you know, I was really well, how the
simple answer is you go out and raise a bunch
of money and then you can do about what you want.
I mean, that's really that's really what it's gotten down to.
You look at Texas Tech a year ago. They were
kind of in the same situation. You know, they were

(33:39):
near the top of the league in offense, and they
were near the top or the bottom on defense. And
they really went heavy on defense, and they really they
really bought into it, and they really paid for it,
and it's and it paid huge dividends for them, and
that that might be the reality of how things are.
I mean, your your rosters are gonna turn over, You're
gonna have you know, it's going to be hard to

(34:01):
keep some of these young players that you've done such
a great job of developing. But if you have the
funds and and I think I think Utah is at
a at a crossroads in there in their existence in
college football. And it's like, I think there's some hard
questions that that the whole athletic department and everyone involved

(34:24):
in it has to ask themselves. You know, how how
much does it really matter to this program? Where do
you want to go with this program?

Speaker 8 (34:31):
And and and and and the.

Speaker 6 (34:33):
Answer to that is, well, you need to put your
money where your mouth is. I remember Utah went to
the Fact twelve and they said, Okay, what are we
going to do now that we're here? Are we just
going to be happy to be here? Or and and
they said, no, We're going to invest. We're going to
invest in our people.

Speaker 8 (34:50):
We're going to invest in our infrastructure.

Speaker 6 (34:53):
And they did it. They put their money where their
mouth was and it paid huge And now now the
landscape has a's just different.

Speaker 8 (35:01):
And but the similar question is there, what do we
do now?

Speaker 7 (35:06):
Uh?

Speaker 6 (35:06):
And and and I don't know the answer. Uh I do.

Speaker 8 (35:10):
I do know the answer.

Speaker 6 (35:10):
The answer is you got to You gotta find a
way to fund your program significantly and and to be
able to do it year in and year out. And
if you talk and figure that out, then there's no
reason why they can't compete, definitely in the Big twelve,
but certainly on a national stage as well.

Speaker 1 (35:26):
You and I discussed the CFP rankings a couple of
weeks back and had a fun kind of back and
forth and agreed on some and disagreed on others. Let's
kind of revisit a little bit Notre Dame. You know,
their ad making the rounds on the Dan Patrick Show. Uh,
really up in their feelings believe that they belong.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Do you believe that Notre.

Speaker 1 (35:45):
Dame has a legitimate beef as far as being upset
that they were left out?

Speaker 6 (35:50):
So as I thought about this, and I think we're
all getting played, and I I had to remember something
I was I was taught a long time ago. And
this college football selection thing and college football playoffs all together,
it may reminds me of the movie The Natural where
there was this owner sitting up in his ivory box

(36:10):
in the baseball stadium and he was trying to manipulate
an outcome. And there was this guy who came along
The Natural, and I only want to do is just
play ball. And that's what we all want. We want
we want these teams to just go play ball. We
we want we want the teams that's best to win.
We want to we want to play it out and
and whoever wins wins, right, And that's the way we're wired.

(36:33):
But they said no, no, no, And that ivory tower
is television. And so television is what moves the needle
on this Television is what you know. Is it matters
when it when it gets right down to it. And
and so most of those decisions I firmly believe are
about a brand, and the brand of the.

Speaker 8 (36:54):
SEC is a bigger brand than.

Speaker 6 (36:56):
The brand of Notre Dame. And I believe that's.

Speaker 8 (36:59):
That's really what it boils down to.

Speaker 6 (37:01):
And and it might be they might even have research,
you know, you think of Look, people who follow the
SEC are massively passionate about it, more so than the
people that follow Notre Dame.

Speaker 8 (37:13):
And they go, it's so.

Speaker 6 (37:15):
Much better for us to have a threem in the
playoffs because we know that that that you know, guy
in the southern half of the United States, he's going
to tune in to that more than they're going to
tune into Notre Dame. So we're all sitting here because
I just started going through the scenario Spence, and I

(37:35):
just I just exhausted myself. Why are they making these choices? What,
you know, what's the criteria? One year it's for something,
another year it's the total opposite. And the reason they
left Notre Dame out is because they put someone in,
you know, at a different time. And and I just
think the bottom line is there's a there's a greater agenda.

(37:57):
It's some television executive sitting up in his Ivory Box going, yeah, Natural,
you're not You're not. You're not gonna ultimate ultimately beat
me in this situation. I'm gonna I'm gonna determine the outcome.
And I think that's where it is. I really believe
that it's gotten so insanely ridiculous that they're finally just

(38:19):
gonna throw the Natural in the game and just figure
out a way to just you know, revamp the whole
the whole thing and change it. But so I I can't.
I wish I could tell you why Notre Dame got
in or got out. My best guess is that the
TV people just wanted it a different way.

Speaker 1 (38:37):
Shout out Robert Redford excellent movie. May he rest in peace?
Before I said you lose, Scott Notre Dame declines an
invite to play bring me On in the Pop Tarts Bowl.

Speaker 2 (38:47):
What'd you make of that?

Speaker 6 (38:50):
They sound massively petty. It's just like, what are you ten?

Speaker 8 (38:56):
Like, I'm gonna take my ball, my ball home and.

Speaker 6 (38:59):
And I'm not gonna play anymore. And you guys are
gonna be in trouble now and you're gonna really miss
that I didn't show up, and no one's gonna care like.

Speaker 8 (39:08):
Like that moved to me.

Speaker 6 (39:11):
Is like, so like that's just the worst p army
move in the world, because you goo, yeah, we you know,
we don't really want.

Speaker 8 (39:19):
To expose ourself when do we go to a.

Speaker 6 (39:21):
Bowl game and BYU beats us and then then it
validates everyone else.

Speaker 8 (39:25):
So this way we're just like, yeah, you know, we'll
let them.

Speaker 6 (39:30):
Wonder, We'll let them wonder if we were really good
enough to do this. And and I just think it's
a bad optic of bad move because because if you
if you had, I think a bowl game between d
YU and Notre Dame, oh my good, that'd be the
best bowl game outside of the college football playoffs that
in the whole bowl season. And it's just unfortunate that

(39:53):
that that that had to happen and that they hadn't
made that choice.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
Yeah, no, I agree.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
That would have been a really really uh in a resting,
intriguing matchup, and then one team or the other would
have been proven right or wrong because BYU fans feel
like they should be in Notre Dame. Notre Dame fans
feel like they should be in but it's hypothetical.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
We'll never know. Scott, thanks for the time, buddy. Have
a good week. Okay, you got it all right?

Speaker 6 (40:15):
Be good. We'll see you all right.

Speaker 1 (40:17):
Scott Mitchell, former Utah quarterback, joining us here on the program.

Speaker 2 (40:20):
The rest of the show looks like this.

Speaker 1 (40:22):
Spencer Linton, joints Us coming up next, then Bill Bush
and Ted Robinson. Busy Monday show. Keep it right here,
all right, show roll along today, It's always fun. We
can catch up with Jeff Rode from my Hearing Centers. Hello, Jeff,
how are you, sir?

Speaker 7 (40:37):
I'm doing great.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
I'm well. I appreciate your time.

Speaker 1 (40:39):
So let's talk about the Signia BCTIX, these hearing aids
you guys have to offer. Let's just talk about kind
of the form and functions. So listeners who have like
the old school hearing aid in their minds with big
old bananas on the back of the ears, that they
need to understand exactly what this product is.

Speaker 10 (40:56):
Jeff, Well, you know, it's really cool because they connect
to a really great app that you can put right
on your phone, and what it allows you to do
is actually, Taylor, You're hearing experience right in the app.
So let's say, for instance, you're in a noisy environment

(41:16):
and you don't want to hear all the background noise,
but you want to hear the speech much better. You
can actually change the setting so that you'll hear the speech.
It'll bring that up. You'll hear it much more clearly,
and all the other background noise will kind of fade
away and not be as prominent, so you can hear
people talking a lot better. You can also raise the

(41:40):
volume if things are a little bit too soft sounding
to you. And these new bctix will actually last for
thirty six hours just on one charge. And it's a
rechargeable battery, so you don't have to fiddle around with
putting in hearing aid batteries and dropping them on the
floor and that kind of stuff. It's rechargeable. You put

(42:01):
them in a little charging case and they charge up
very quickly and then you're good for about thirty six hours.
So they're really really much better than what you may
have experienced in the past or what you might be
used to.

Speaker 2 (42:15):
Jeff, when's the best time for folks to get these
hearing aids?

Speaker 10 (42:18):
Well, you know, the best time is when you think
you've got a problem, because you don't want to wait
too long. There's a lot of consequences that might come
along with waiting. For instance, you are at a great
risk for losing the ability to improve your hearing significantly
if you don't get it taken care of early on. Plus,

(42:41):
there's a lot of studies that show that hearing loss
is actually connected to the chance for higher risk of
dementia and Alzheimer's disease. So you want to get it
taken care of as soon as you think you might
have a problem. We've got some great folks that can
help with that.

Speaker 1 (42:57):
Jeff, before Shay you lose. What's that special offer you
for our listeners to give you a call today?

Speaker 10 (43:02):
Well, you know, we're looking for fifty ESPN listeners with
problems hearing to take part in a thirty day challenge
to evaluate these new Signia bctix devices. We want them
to call the the number, which is eight oh one,
seven oh one one nine two four and schedule an

(43:22):
appointment today or you can book online at my Hearingcenters
dot com.

Speaker 1 (43:27):
So you got a call today, it's eight oh one,
seven oh one one nine two four. That's eight oh one,
seven oh one one, nine two four. The video of
Will Hardy making the rounds as porter reference.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
During the break.

Speaker 1 (43:41):
Jerry Sloan would be very proud of Will just launching
into his.

Speaker 3 (43:46):
Team and Frank Cleyton to be clear.

Speaker 1 (43:48):
Shout out Frank as well, rest in peace both. I
got to say, well, Spencer Lynton's going to join us
b YU TV. I don't really get like the contract
extension is great. The fact that you're being paid handsomely,
that's all. That's all fine and good. I don't know
that there's a profession comprised of more competitive people than
professional coaching. At some point, he's got to be so

(44:08):
over entering arenas every night, up against it because he
just doesn't have the talent on his roster.

Speaker 4 (44:13):
Oh yeah, I mean, look where he comes from, Look
at where he has spent the better part of his
coaching career. He's not used to losing, and he's not
used to losing in a way that is, you.

Speaker 3 (44:25):
Know, kind of a.

Speaker 4 (44:27):
Formality of the state of where your team is, where
your roster is at the moment. That's got to be
as frustrating as just about anything as a pro basketball coach,
especially when it's your first head coaching job, and every
one of those wins and losses kind of reflects on
your record, your resume.

Speaker 2 (44:45):
Yeah, yeah, it's tough. It's tough.

Speaker 1 (44:46):
BYU over the weekend got trounced in the Big twelve
championship game thirty four to seven. They're going to head
to Orlando to play Georgia Tech and the Pop Tarts Ball.
Our next guest friend of the show, Consistent president Spencer
Letting by TV.

Speaker 2 (45:00):
Happy Monday, young man.

Speaker 11 (45:01):
How are you doing well, Spence?

Speaker 7 (45:04):
Good to chat with you.

Speaker 10 (45:04):
Man.

Speaker 11 (45:05):
What a week overall for BYU football, starting with the
Satakia situation and signing day and then oh just a
thud there at the end of the week. But yeah,
it's been It's been an emotional roller coaster in Provo,
no doubt about it.

Speaker 1 (45:21):
Definitely more good than bad for sure. I mean we
talked about this last week with Ute fans. You know,
after the Kansas win five straight wins to close the
year ten and two overall, seven and two in conference
is an awesome year, it just is. And BYU winning
eleven games and playing the conference championship game is an
awesome year. But when it comes to an end the

(45:43):
way that it does for Utah, no entrance into the
conference championship game and therefore no entrance to the CFP,
and with BYU now on the outside looking in, even
though both teams had awesome years, it feels like both
fan bases are kind of like left wanting more.

Speaker 11 (46:01):
Yeah, certainly, and that stems from Utah having a recent
history of getting to Pack twelve championship games, winning those games,
and being a major player in multiple Rose Bowls, and
for BYU, while they haven't cracked through yet to that
level in the modern era, just being where they were

(46:21):
last year, which was a tiebreaker following their way from
going to a Big twelve championship game and playing Arizona
State and having a shot there and then getting there
this year into their credit controlling their own destiny, not
needing a tiebreaker to get there. I mean, they were
in the captain's chair and they flew that thing the
right way at eight and one in conference play into Arlington,

(46:41):
but then losing that game and again being left out
of the College Football Playoff.

Speaker 7 (46:45):
It just it leaves the team and coaches with.

Speaker 11 (46:49):
An understandably disappointed feeling in their gut because they feel, like,
you know, outside of going undefeated in the regular season,
they don't know if they will be considered a legitimate
college football playoff entrant unless the Comfort or the College
Leble Playoff expand to sixteen teams, and then you know,

(47:10):
you bring BYU and Utah potentially both into that conversation. Obviously,
it depends on how the parameters are drawn out, but
they're kind of feeling like, okay, is the only way
to get in the playoff to expand this thing? Because
if so, then let's just take this thing to sixteen
and see what happens there.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
Yeah, and you reference the Kalani stuff.

Speaker 1 (47:30):
So it's been a few weeks since you and I
have been able to catch up, So even though it's
yesterday's news, I wanted to get in it with you.
It was an emotional roller coaster for the Checket's household.
I was fielding phone calls from worried BYU fans, like
is this going to happen? I never thought he was
going to leave. Now that comes from somebody who's not
close to the situation. I don't know how close it

(47:51):
was to happening. Benn State is an elite college football program,
that's an elite job, and if there is something that
maybe would make him look twice, maybe it.

Speaker 2 (48:00):
Is a position like this.

Speaker 1 (48:02):
I'm happy the way that it ended, very happy for Kilanie,
very happy for a Rod and Jay and the coaches
that appear to be taken care of on a level
that maybe they weren't prior to.

Speaker 2 (48:11):
And then you get some NIO guarantees.

Speaker 1 (48:14):
I'm not saying he did it intentionally, but it certainly
turned out to be a real big benefit and it
feels like Kilanie played it the right way and you
guys down there will keep your coach. What was that
roller coaster like for you guys to cover down there?

Speaker 11 (48:28):
Crazy to put it into one singular word, and being
very close to the situation, I legitimately thought he was
going to leave Spence And this is because Kilanie, you said,
he played it the right way, and he did. He
had to be ready to put his ducks in a

(48:50):
row and go if BYU could not meet his baseline
needs and demands for what he wants to do with
this program, and he had been asking for that for months,
I mean, frankly, some aspects of it for a few years,
and just didn't feel like he was being heard all
the way. And I'm not pointing fingers at any one

(49:13):
in particular on one side, or the other. Just let
me be clear about that, because when you get to
these high level conversations and big dollars and contracts and like,
it's way above my pay grade. But I do know
that Klani was feeling like he was not being heard
in spite of constantly knocking on the door, like, hey,
we just went eleven and two and won the Alamo Bowl,

(49:35):
and here we are again this season.

Speaker 7 (49:37):
Now we're in the Big.

Speaker 11 (49:38):
Twelve championship game, Like, can we lock this thing up
and I get my minimum standards met here so that
I can take care of my assistant coaches and my
players and create enough staff around me and put things
in place to feel like we can get to that
next level. The BA can get to the level that
Utah has been at, where you going to a Rose

(49:58):
Bowl and a major player winning a conference championship or
even a Texas Tech this year like BYU, they are
pushing to get to that level. And he felt like
strongly he needed some things to change, and so when
he felt like he wasn't being heard, he had to
be ready to go. And so Sunday night, early Monday morning,

(50:20):
I really felt like he was going to go to
Penn State unless some type of miracle came together. And
so I don't really think BYU fans and fans of
football across the statan the Big Foge know just how
close he was to going to state college. Conversations had happened,
There were arrangements for the staff members he was going

(50:42):
to take with him to get their affairs in order
and be ready to go if and when he pushed
the green light on that contract with the Nidney Alliance. Now,
thankfully there are some people in the athletic department that
realize what he means to BYU and the fact that
he is in many.

Speaker 7 (51:01):
Ways BYU football.

Speaker 11 (51:03):
You just aren't going to find anybody else like him.

Speaker 7 (51:05):
Who I love J Hill.

Speaker 11 (51:08):
J Hill is incredible, but it would take a while
for j to build into what Kilanie is doing right now.
And the disruption that could have occurred for the best
recruiting class in BA football history and the staff uphevil
and then the players that go with him through the
portal and nil, it just would have set BYU back

(51:28):
multiple years and taking a guy like J Hill, if
he were named the head coach at BYU a while
to build up to that, and so it was so
necessary for BA to figure this thing out. But it's
Kilani and his word says it was as close as
it could have possibly been to me leaving, and I'm

(51:48):
so glad I didn't have to. I'm so glad that
I got the resources and things that I needed to
keep my staff and players and my vision in place
here at BYU.

Speaker 7 (51:57):
He didn't want to go, no doubt about. He did
not want to go, but.

Speaker 11 (52:00):
He had to be ready to go, and the threat
had to be imminent and we had to take this
thing to def Con one before the message was actually heard.
And then the right party started to move to give
him the opportunity to stay.

Speaker 1 (52:12):
So when it comes to the dynamic of Brigham Young
actually stepping up and paying their coaches now, whether it's
Kilani or Kevin or the assistance, it is a new approach. It,
in my opinion, is the right way to go, and
I think it's necessary now. Certainly when you're at a
conference the Big twelve and the rev share is going
to kick in fully next year. You're just in a

(52:33):
better spot financially than you were during independence. But to
kind of go off your premise or you know what
you're saying as far as how close it actually was
if this was going to go down, part of me
thought like, okay, go take your ten eleven million per
year for Penn State.

Speaker 2 (52:50):
We're going to slide Jay over a seat.

Speaker 1 (52:52):
We're going to pay him four mil, and then we'll
just save the seven and march on as BYU does
and get results with Jay. So are you surprised that
the financial asks were as close to being mad as
they really ever have been down there?

Speaker 11 (53:08):
I was surprised that it happened so fast, just because
in the history of BYU athletics, things do not move quickly,
but this one, by necessity, had to move at a
lightning pace. The right people had to be called, the
right administrators had to be brought in, the right conversations
had to happen, and Klanie had to feel like he

(53:30):
was in a safe place to stay. And it just
it all came together so quickly. Like I said, man,
it feels like it's going to take an act of
Heaven to keep Kalani here at BYU and some significant
conversations and backing for the resources that he is asking for.

(53:51):
And then a few hours later it had happened, and
at some point we will be able to name names,
Like I want to write a book on how this
whole thing planted out when the statute of limitations runs.

Speaker 7 (54:02):
Out and uh, there's.

Speaker 11 (54:05):
You know, no clause in the contractor says you can't
say certain things. It was a fascinating behind the scenes
ordeal and just so grateful for BYU and their players
and staff that they could figure this thing out. So
shocking to see how fast it went. Not surprised that,
uh there were enough people that came.

Speaker 10 (54:26):
To uh not the rescue, but just they came to
play in hopes of keeping Kilani and the support and
I mean, you saw this this huge, you.

Speaker 7 (54:38):
Know, swell, this wave of love.

Speaker 11 (54:40):
For Kilanie, and it was like, oh gosh, you know,
like we got to figure something out. This is insane.
And you're right, you probably would have like that's what
they do, they march on, but it would have taken
a while, and it would have it would have felt
like a death in the family for by fans if
if he had left. Now, there's some conceptions about how

(55:01):
the funding actually happens and how Kalani is actually paid,
and BYU doesn't make that public. They keep it private
as to how the funding happens. But there is some
truth and what has been put out there that the university,
with the help of TV red share and some other
things like that make it happen. But these independent donors

(55:22):
that are getting credit for being the reason that Kilani
stay to b Yu, it's just not true in the
capacity that heat that they are paying Kialani Like these
these outside companies are not paying Kalony directly to stay
at By.

Speaker 7 (55:35):
You can't do it by.

Speaker 11 (55:36):
You want to allow that to happen legally, but they
can help with nil and bringing in talent and doing
some things around him.

Speaker 7 (55:43):
For support staff and players.

Speaker 11 (55:47):
But it's this it's really interesting how those narratives start
and then people just run with this. So the idea
that you know, the entire more of a church and
Cookie Bro are the reasons that by You beat Penn
State Like it's just it's it's not as simple as that,
but it does create, you know, fun narratives for us
to discuss.

Speaker 2 (56:07):
Regardless of what's true. The Cookie Bro dynamic is.

Speaker 1 (56:11):
Too perfect to just to just push to the side.
I mean, it is such an excellent, like BYU centric
story that the CEO of Crumble Cookie sees the bat
signal and decides to get off the sidelines and ultimately
is writing check. So I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying,
let me have a good BYU story.

Speaker 6 (56:29):
Please, let's go.

Speaker 7 (56:32):
With I'm all for it.

Speaker 1 (56:34):
We need good stories, fair enough, all right, So pop
Tar's Bowl, Orlando.

Speaker 2 (56:39):
Let's start with the Notre Dame side of this.

Speaker 1 (56:41):
Your thoughts on them, because BYU Notre Dame would have
been the best non CFP Bowl matchup, and Georgia Tech's
a decent team, their.

Speaker 2 (56:49):
Top twenty five team. It's still gonna be a fine game.

Speaker 1 (56:52):
But the potential of BYU Notre Dame was really intoxicating
for a number of reasons, because you have two fan
bases that are upset that they're left out, two teams
that would love to prove that they did belong, and
that head to head matchup would have shown a lot
of people who's right and who's wrong.

Speaker 2 (57:08):
But your thoughts on.

Speaker 1 (57:09):
The bold destination for the Cougars and then attending to it,
your thoughts on Notre Dame electing to tap out?

Speaker 11 (57:15):
Oh man, I mentioned Colonie asked me after I did
my postgame interview with him, on the field in Arlington
said okay, so what are our most likely options? And
I said, man, the Pop Tards Bowl has been all
over BYU for a while now, and there's real momentum
that you could see Notre Dame if Notre Dame doesn't
get into the playoffs. And Kwonie just said, oh, man,
if that if we don't get in to the playoff

(57:39):
and that's the matchup, let's go. Like he was super
excited about that. And for all the reasons you just
pointed out, we all were salivating over that potential to
have this game that has been discussed so hypothetically in
resumes between the two fan bases of who deserves to
be in and who doesn't.

Speaker 7 (57:58):
Like play it on the field on the field, and so.

Speaker 11 (58:02):
It was really exciting and the build up was was
so fun. And then all of a sudden, reports start
to leak out that Notre Dame is just not going
to play. They're essentially going to opt out because they
want to stick it to the man of ESPN and
tell the College Football Playoff Committee to pound sand and
they're not going to allow anybody to make money off

(58:22):
of their brand through advertising, and they're boycotting the current
bowl system, and I understand why Notre Dame felt like
they needed to take a stand to institute change in
college football and get rid of this corruption, and like,
I get it, but it doesn't make it any less
disappointing for just the general sport and to be able

(58:43):
to see that quality of a game and have two
of those name brand opponents that wanted to go out
and prove on the field that they belong, Like you said,
that would have been such an entertaining matchup, But then
Notre Dame fans are when I mentioned all day, yesterday
and today saying well, it wouldn't even been the right
product because we're gonna have so many players opt out,
like we're not going to put a less than favorable

(59:05):
product on the field against BYU, only to diminish the
incredible season that we had and deserved to be included
into the twelve team playoffs, and blah blah blah blah blah,
Like I get it, you were gonna have some guys
opt out. I had two people say, literally, this game
is so below Notre Dame. It's so below Notre Dame

(59:26):
and what we deserve, Like, oh my gosh, the arrogance,
like it's amazing. If you wanted to be in the playoffs,
go and beat Miami or Texas A and M. That's
all you had to do, and you didn't. You didn't,
Like you dominated everybody else except for Boston College, who
was not a good team. But you dominate everybody else,
but you lost the two most important games on your schedule.
You're an independent, like trust me by you understand the

(59:46):
necessity of having to go eleven and one or undefeated
as an independent to like be in that conversation, and
they are not even close to it the respect that
you have garnered in the a SEC contract, Like, but
we get it to a degree, Like the important said
winning your your toughest games, and.

Speaker 12 (01:00:01):
You didn't for whatever reason you didn't.

Speaker 11 (01:00:05):
So I just that's really tough to sit on, Like
just this a general arrogance of oh, Notre Dame, so
above this, they're not going to play some gimmicky bowl
game and blah blah blah. It just I have a
really hard time with that. Would have loved to see it.
I think Georgia Tech is a good opponent. Haines King
is a good player, and I think he's getting healthier
at quarterback.

Speaker 12 (01:00:24):
He's a great dual threat.

Speaker 11 (01:00:26):
It's a challenge to face their offense. Their defense is mediocre,
but their offense is really good. It would be a
good challenge for ba's defense. And I think most by
players will opt in.

Speaker 7 (01:00:34):
We'll see about LG. Martin, but I think everybody else
can to opt in.

Speaker 11 (01:00:38):
So just just a disappointing thing, and I feel like
there's a few simple changes we can make spense. And
maybe you disagree with this, but I think it really
comes down to three things. And I posted this on
social media Yesterday's feel so strongly about it. But I
think one you have to expand to at least sixteen teams,
and two you need a net rankings metric like NCAA

(01:01:03):
basketball has, but for football, like there needs to be
a primary sorting tool of some degree that helps kind
of align things. I'm not saying it has to be
full computers and no human element, but like limit the
human element to come in at the very end and say, okay, well,
this matchup can't happen because these two teams just played
two weeks ago, or we need to modify this to
this a little hair okay, But for the most part

(01:01:25):
numbers of math are doing this thing. And then get
rid of the freaking college football playoff ranking shows because
I think they're an absolute debacle and its just it
creates these fault perceptions and they're so all over the
place and the goalpost moving like it's a joke. Just
have one selection Sunday show and call it good, like
I think that's that's where it starts.

Speaker 7 (01:01:44):
And oh man, what a day. Brother.

Speaker 11 (01:01:46):
It gives us great content to talk about, but what
a day?

Speaker 2 (01:01:48):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1 (01:01:49):
And I do agree with you, and I actually think
they're star. It's tough because ESPN is in the TV
business and they want you to watch their TV show,
and so they probably like the debates. They like the
back and forth. They liked that we're all kind of
huddled around our TVs on Tuesday evening during the college
football season to watch it. But no matter who the
chair is, whenever they're interviewed, they all just sound like

(01:02:09):
bumbling idiots. Final thing, before I said you lose, I've
been making the case porter as as well.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
For BYU's inclusion.

Speaker 1 (01:02:17):
It just became pretty clear a couple of weeks ago,
as the numbers started to kind of fall into place,
and the rankings were released that they weren't going to
have to win on Saturday to get in right, wrong
or indifferent? That felt like that was the deal. But
what does the case for you, Spencer sound like? For
BYU's inclusion into the CFP, even with their loss on Saturday,

(01:02:38):
I think you have.

Speaker 11 (01:02:39):
To start with the numbers of the committee at one
point said mattered the most, which were strength of record,
overall win loss record, and strength of schedule. So like,
what was your win loss record based on how difficult
your schedule was and the results of those wins, Like
going into Saturday's game by you had the number six

(01:03:01):
strength of record and were eight spots higher than Notre
Dame in strength of schedule it was thirty four and
forty two, I believe. And they had a better strength
of schedule and a better strength of record and a
better win loss record than Miami did as well. Like
those so those are my two biggest issues.

Speaker 12 (01:03:20):
Were like like.

Speaker 11 (01:03:20):
Alabama whatever, going in they had beaten Georgia on the road.
That might be one of the best wins, if not
the best win in the regular season of any team
in college football this season. UH Indiana wintering at Oregon
has a debate for that too, but my gosh, like Ba,
you had to head with Notre Dame in Miami. It
was just so heavy on. Okay, let's compare to Notre
Dame Miami and the head to head blah, Boa wasn't
even included in the conversation. But they had the better resume.

(01:03:43):
And you see guys like Stanford Steve and Scott Van
Pelt coming out today and saying like, gosh, we're looking
at Bay's resume and like they had a better resume
clearly than Notre Dame in Miami. And I'm like, yeah,
where were you guys, like two weeks ago, But yes,
you're seeing what I'm talking about. So it starts there,
just what's your win loss record, how top vis your

(01:04:04):
schedule compared to what everyone everybody, everybody else did and
what do those wins mean? And Bay's resume was just clearly,
clearly the body of work was by the numbers, was
better than those two teams. But they lost out to
eye test and game control. Well, they didn't beat teams
by as many points as Notre Damed. It okay, but

(01:04:26):
Notre Dame didn't play a top of the schedule and
they didn't win one of their two most important games.
Like what are we doing here? So that's kind of
how I would sum all that up.

Speaker 1 (01:04:35):
Yeah again, good season for BYU, more good than bad,
just like Utah, but with the nature of this sport
changing the way it has everyone just wanting a little
bit more.

Speaker 2 (01:04:44):
Buddy, I appreciate your time. Have a good week. We'll
do it again soon. Okay.

Speaker 7 (01:04:47):
Always good to talk to you guys. Do well and
happy holidays.

Speaker 1 (01:04:50):
All right, there is Spencer Lytton from BYU TV. We
will catch a break. We saw Bill Bush and Ted Robinson.
A lot more college football on the way on a
Monday edition of the Drive show. Rolling Along Today and
always fun. We can catch up with my buddy Jeff
Rode from my Hearing Centers.

Speaker 2 (01:05:05):
WELLO Jeff, how are you sir?

Speaker 10 (01:05:07):
Doing great?

Speaker 12 (01:05:08):
Thanks? Bench.

Speaker 2 (01:05:09):
I want to start right here.

Speaker 1 (01:05:10):
I think a lot of people when they hear you know,
potentially we're going to talk to them about hearing aids.

Speaker 2 (01:05:15):
Well, maybe they think they're too young.

Speaker 1 (01:05:16):
Hearing aids potentially for people's understandings for older folk, but
that's not necessarily the case.

Speaker 2 (01:05:23):
Jeff. When is the best time to look to get
hearing aids.

Speaker 10 (01:05:27):
Well, you know, hearing loss can happen really any time
in life, and we're finding that younger and younger people
are exposed to loud noise, or they might have a
medication that they take that might be causing a hearing problem,
or it could be due to illness, or it might
even be genetics. So if somebody thinks that they have

(01:05:49):
a hearing loss, they're maybe not hearing things as clearly
as they used to, or words are sounding a little
muffled or not crisp sounding, they're missing certain sounds. We
want them to give us a call because you want
to take care of it as soon as you possibly can.
Today is the data to get it fixed and to

(01:06:11):
get something done because you don't want to wait.

Speaker 2 (01:06:13):
Why should our listeners, Jeff use you guys over my
hearing centers.

Speaker 10 (01:06:17):
Well, you know, one of the things is we've got
some great people. They're trained and licensed in hearing healthcare.
They are experienced in helping people find a solution that
works specifically for them. You know, hearing is not a
one size fits all solution. Each person is different and

(01:06:42):
we have to make sure that we've got a really
good test so that we know what their specific hearing
loss is. And then what our folks will do is
they will tailor a solution to meet the individual needs
and the preferences of each patient. And they're very skilled
at doing that.

Speaker 2 (01:07:00):
So let's talk about this actual product.

Speaker 1 (01:07:02):
I think a lot of listeners when they hear hearing aids,
they maybe think of their grandpa wearing two big old
bananas on the back of his ears. This is a
much different product. John tell us about the signia of bctix.

Speaker 10 (01:07:15):
Well, you know, the bctix actually is the smallest Bluetooth
connectable hearing device on the market right now, so it's
not easily seen by others. Folks might not even.

Speaker 12 (01:07:28):
Know that you're wearing them.

Speaker 10 (01:07:29):
They're so small, and the technology that they have built
into them is just amazing. You can use an app
to adjust the volume, to adjust the noisy environment. If
you're in a noisy environment, you can have the hearing
aids actually detect speech and make it more prominent above

(01:07:51):
the background noise, so it'll be easier for you to hear.
So there's some amazing technology that's built into these.

Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
All right, Jeff, Before you so you lose, we've got
a spec offer for listeners. Let's hear about it.

Speaker 10 (01:08:03):
You know, we're looking for fifty ESPN listeners with problems
hearing to take part in a thirty day challenge to
evaluate this new signia BCTIX. We wanted to call eight
oh one seven o one one nine two four and
schedule an appointment today or book your appointment online at
my Hearingcenters dot com.

Speaker 1 (01:08:25):
Guys, with the holidays just around the corner, let's not
miss out on all the sounds and wonderful holiday gathering
to something about it today to start down the path
to better hearing.

Speaker 2 (01:08:33):
Here's the phone number. It's eight oh one seven oh
one one nine two four.

Speaker 1 (01:08:37):
Special thank you to Spencer Linton from BYUTV, good buddy
of ours about forty miles down south talking to college football,
college football playoff ball destinations for Utah and BYU and
shout out to the Aggie. Shout out to Utah State
going bowling year one under bronco Menden Hall. We will
bring in Bill Bush today, national Championship college football.

Speaker 2 (01:09:01):
Coach with LSU's coach locally as well.

Speaker 1 (01:09:04):
Notre Dame alum Ted Robinson is going to stop by
as well. I would imagine Ted is among the Notre
Dame folk that aren't too thrilled with what's.

Speaker 2 (01:09:12):
Going on right now. So more football later on Porter.

Speaker 1 (01:09:15):
I want to bring you into something I asked Scott
Scott Mitchell joined us today, and it seems like most
every year. I mean, there's some years that you just
kind of like last year, you know, for a Utah
football fan, it certainly was frustrating, But most years you
can kind of identify it with like a moment, a narrative,
a storyline, a game, a banner, a championship. Utah Football

(01:09:39):
twenty twenty five will be remembered.

Speaker 3 (01:09:41):
How that is a really good question.

Speaker 4 (01:09:43):
I think that's I want to say TBD, even though
it's just a Vegas bull right, because I think a
lot of people are still waiting on Kyle Whittingham, Morgan Scaley,
what this really means.

Speaker 3 (01:09:58):
As far as U tough football.

Speaker 4 (01:10:01):
If this isn't the end and this is just another
ten and two season, then I don't know that it
is a season you look at with any sort of
major significance. And I think unfortunately, the main point that
you're probably going to look at is a loss to
BYU that you really think you could have had that.

(01:10:23):
If you did, you're probably playing in the Top twelve
and in the College Football Playoff probably. Now we look
at the Big Twelve, we look at how that all
played out, But a one loss Utah team I think
would be pretty pretty tough. And I think the committee
told us that, with how they ranked Utah early on,
that they just had to had to handle their business

(01:10:43):
there or win the Big Twelve.

Speaker 3 (01:10:45):
And they didn't.

Speaker 4 (01:10:46):
And I think that might be really what people look
back and look at this team as is really damn good,
as good as Utah has been in of course this
Big Twelve era, just not quite good enough.

Speaker 1 (01:11:01):
Yeah, As the season unfolded and we started to really
move from our observation college football phase into our conclusion
college football phase, like what do we know about Utah?
What do we know about the Big Twelve, what do
we know about BYU, It just became very clear, I
think after seven weeks or so six or seven weeks

(01:11:21):
that this was a top heavy conference with three very
good football teams.

Speaker 2 (01:11:25):
And then beyond that, I don't even know if anybody's good.

Speaker 1 (01:11:28):
I mean Houston Arizona, they finished in the top twenty
five at the end of the day, So give them
credit for winning nine games. I mean, winning nine games
at a lot of places is an absolute wonderful accomplishment.
Winning nine games will get you extensions as a head
football coach in the P four. But it started to
become pretty clear that there were three very good teams

(01:11:49):
and then the rest were just hard to kind of
analyze week to week. And those teams were obviously Texas
Tech CFP bound with a top four seed and a
buy on their way bringing me Young losing in the
Big twelve Championship game, and then Utah was that other team.
I think Scott hit a good dynamic though, so I
do agree with you, and it's why we covered the
BYU game the way that we did, because it appeared

(01:12:12):
that whoever won that game was going to have the
inside track to probably play Tech in the Big twelve
Championship game. Utah already got got earlier by said Texas
Tech team, so the margin for Utah was smaller. But
if they were able to beat BYU, I was pretty
confident in the rest of the schedule as far as
their ability to win the games, which they did.

Speaker 2 (01:12:32):
They won their final five games.

Speaker 1 (01:12:34):
Oftentimes they're trouncing teams, certainly offensively. After the BYU lost,
the running game just flew to the top of the
Big twelve standings, one of the top three or four
in the country. You haang fifty three on Colorado, forty
five on Cincinnati, fifty five on Baylor, fifty one on
k State, and then thirty one on Kansas to end
the season.

Speaker 2 (01:12:54):
But that BYU game will be one.

Speaker 1 (01:12:56):
That goes down in history, not just because you lose
to your rival, but it is what it cost you.
And we had kind of had that feeling leading up
to the game. It's why it felt like it was
one of the biggest rivalry games in the history of
the one hundred and three year back and forth between
Utah and BYU.

Speaker 2 (01:13:12):
And it wasn't just that they lost, it was the
way that they lost.

Speaker 1 (01:13:15):
Then we'll look back on that game as the decisions
to go forward on fourth down.

Speaker 2 (01:13:19):
That will be the fourth down decision game.

Speaker 1 (01:13:22):
Most Utah BYU games, you always have one phrase, one
name Beck to Harlean right fourth and eighteen Brandon Burton block.
The Scott Mitchell nineteen eighty eight game last year was
probably the Mark Harlan game, the most memorable moment outside
of the penalty that you fans weren't thrilled about, and
the ability of Jake Rhetz laugh and Chase Roberts to

(01:13:43):
connect and ultimately win. This year's Utah BYU game does
feel like it will go down as the fourth down
decision game. But I think Scott's comments like if we
move it over to a positive side, there were very
loud critics and a lot of skets, people waiting to
see what Jason Beck would do as a play caller

(01:14:04):
and waiting to see what Devin Dampier would do as
a quarterback in P four. If there's a positive takeaway, Porter,
I think it has to be that I think you
found your offensive coordinator and hopefully you can retain your
quarterback and build on a really good year for those two.

Speaker 4 (01:14:17):
Well in just the overarching feeling around this program that
the last couple of years was an outlier, right, just
understanding that that's more what happened when you're living in it, Right,
when you're right in the middle of wondering if Cam
Rising is going to play, or you know, if you're
going to win enough games to be Bowl eligible, it's

(01:14:39):
hard to have much perspective. But now after a ten
win season, after not only a ten win season, but
a ten win season in which, as we've talked about,
if you performed up to your level for just a
fifteen more minutes, you're talking about some really lofty goals.
I think that that is another I guess benefit to

(01:15:00):
to what Utah fans will look at this as, Hey,
that was a moment in time, this is still what
we are.

Speaker 3 (01:15:07):
I think that means something to them.

Speaker 1 (01:15:08):
Yeah, and a good point and a really important one
to hone in on as well, because there was I
feel like, certainly when it came to feedback I would
receive from friends of mine that are Utah football season
ticket holders and boosters or even you know, just things
that go around on social I do think there was
a little bit of a fear that the proof of

(01:15:29):
concept that Wit has earned for two decades might have
to be adjusted. And what does that look like in
the modern day of college football? Can you still live
off of two and three star recruits that you develop
over three, four or five years sometimes and you know,
send them on to the NFL and win conference championships
or qualify for cool bowl games and good opportunities. That

(01:15:52):
was really and still is in a way. I mean,
I'm not saying that you do away with this entirely,
but the entire lifeblood of Utah football was with its
ability to identify under recruited players, convinced them to come
to Utah and then work with them over a number
of different years to turn them into pros, oftentimes switching positions.

(01:16:13):
When players entered the program as a wide receiver like
Nate Orchard, No, you're.

Speaker 2 (01:16:18):
A defensive end. We could go. I mean, we always
do this.

Speaker 1 (01:16:21):
The list is very, very long of talented players identified
by this coaching staff switching positions and ultimately thriving and
not just thriving as college athletes, oftentimes thriving as pros.
So last year, well in the past two years, even
though two years ago winning eight games with that injured
roster was one of Kyle's best jobs in my opinion,

(01:16:41):
but last year didn't look good. The depth wasn't there,
the contingencies were in place. When Cameron couldn't stay healthy,
it was clear that Isaac just simply wasn't ready.

Speaker 2 (01:16:50):
I don't know what the future for him. Hold it,
by the way, and so this year.

Speaker 1 (01:16:53):
To loudly answer those critics, to loudly answer the people
in the community that we're questioning whether or not the
game had passed with by questioning whether or not his
approach could work in the modern day and age of
college football. I think those questions were answered this year,
and that might be the main takeaway. And the other
questions that not only were answered this year, but answered

(01:17:16):
last week during the recruiting cycle is whether or not
Utah can keep up in the world of nil where
you simply have to spend and look spending on the
level of Texas Tech and now probably BYU with the
new promises Kilani received. As far as what the Niol
coffers look like, it's going to be a tough ask

(01:17:36):
for Utah to hang with the top five to ten
programs in the country year after year monetarily with the
economic model. But you hear these rumors about the athletic
department potentially being in debt and what does that mean
for the future of the program. But to hear Ben
Moa go on Sean Show last week, and I'll continue
to harp on this example because the Celestioa example to

(01:17:59):
me is the best one and it'd be one thing
if Celestia was transferring from like or flipping his commit
from like Utah State to Utah or Idaho, you know,
a smaller type school or one that's kind of like
Ken Celestie flipped his commit from Tennessee, who has one
of the top ten recruiting classes in the country, which
means their pockets are full, and flipping from Tennessee to

(01:18:20):
Utah and then having Ben go on Sean Show and
say yes, Utah can hang in the anisle space with
anybody in the country. I feel like that was probably,
at least my opinion, the biggest takeaway I had from
the recruiting cycle last week.

Speaker 4 (01:18:35):
Yeah, when again back to that point I made, when
it's not a moment in time, and when you're seeing
that continue to look like you're moving in the right direction,
in a positive direction, and you're winning ten games during
the course of a football season, I think that's that's
just a huge positive. There was a lot of I

(01:18:57):
don't want to say fear, I think you said consternation, right,
just get some concern for Utah fans that maybe maybe
they've lost a little bit of an edge, and we
saw one of the more physical football teams in the country,
and we saw them come out and run the football
like we're used to seeing football do so, and they

(01:19:17):
brought into a bunch of good recruits that watch them
do that throughout the season. So yeah, I think that's
a major plus. And now you have a bowl game
to look forward to, considered a celebration, if nothing else,
of a return to what you expect of of Utah football.

Speaker 1 (01:19:36):
Yeah, I mean based off of proximity, Vegas is a destination.
A lot of people enjoy it. I'm not a huge
Vegas guy myself, but it's close by. You can drive
if you want. It's a really quick, cheap flight. Nebraska
is a fine opponent. It's a mid you know, mid
table Big Ten team. Utah is a fourteen point favorite
to open up the sports book lines, and there are

(01:19:56):
a few sports books that have not put anything on
the game just yet. You know, tell the game is
a little bit closer. How many players are going to
show up? Are the guys that are preparing for the
draft even going to make the trip, So.

Speaker 2 (01:20:07):
It's hard to know what it's going to look like.

Speaker 1 (01:20:08):
You know, a guy like Spencer Fano, I think you
probably pat him on the helmet and say thank thanks, buddy,
but you go make sure you're ready for the biggest
night of your life when your life will change.

Speaker 2 (01:20:18):
During the NFL Draft, no word on Caleb yet.

Speaker 1 (01:20:21):
Caleb Lomu hoping that he'll come back and be the
anchor for this offensive line, but it's hard to know
exactly what the bowl game is going to look like.
And as we've talked about all day, the sad part
about the way the sport has changed is what does
it even really mean outside of to Porter's point, maybe
one last chance to celebrate the football team, one last

(01:20:42):
chance for these young men to practice together, to prepare together,
and then go to battle together. You know, the dynamic
of not playing doesn't resonate with me at all unless
you are going to be like a first round pick.
That's the only thing that makes sense. And honestly, even
then I can only speak for myself. Well, I think
i'd want to play like you know what I mean,

(01:21:02):
like one more opportunity with you.

Speaker 2 (01:21:04):
You know, ultimately, when any of us.

Speaker 1 (01:21:07):
That played on any level and wanted to keep playing
the first year you weren't doing that, it was a
life adjustment and one more opportunity to do that with
your friends. I don't know even if you're I understand
why you would do it. If you're Spencer Fano, I
think part of me would really want one more opportunity
to play with my teammates.

Speaker 4 (01:21:25):
Yeah, I'm with you, And you know, I spent a
lot of time and worked with our guy Skyler in
kind of that space right where these guys are, should
I start preparing for a combine a draft or should I.

Speaker 3 (01:21:38):
Play the bowl game?

Speaker 4 (01:21:39):
And you know, not that I want to give advice
because as I don't, you know, have any.

Speaker 3 (01:21:44):
Experience being a NFL draft prospect.

Speaker 4 (01:21:48):
But when those guys kind of are are unsure of
what to do, you know, I say, fast forward five years,
Just fast forward five years. Regardless of where you're at,
will you regret not playing in that game, regardless of
the money in your bank account, will you regret not
playing in that game?

Speaker 6 (01:22:06):
Now?

Speaker 4 (01:22:08):
Maybe, But in certain players cases that regret is outweighed
by what could be millions and millions of dollars.

Speaker 3 (01:22:15):
That's not a very.

Speaker 4 (01:22:19):
Usual thing, right, Like a couple players in the country
can have that excuse in my estimation, the rest of them,
I you know, I think, go play that game. You're
not You're not making money by by sitting it out
and thinking you're gonna rise up the draft boards. Or again,
the injury is one thing, but that was the case

(01:22:40):
last week when you played in a in a conference
title game, or the week before when you're playing regular
season football.

Speaker 2 (01:22:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:22:46):
Yeah, and you know the other dynamic. And we've only
heard I think of one player from Utah officially announcing
his intent to enter the transfer portal. The transfer portal
opens on January second, So at this point, the reason
to announce the intent is to just prepare people if
anybody wants to make you an offer. Attaching the phone

(01:23:08):
number of your agent to your social media posts for
a college kid.

Speaker 2 (01:23:11):
Is a pretty wild thing. It's different, and we certainly have.

Speaker 1 (01:23:14):
Been kind of programmed in a way based off of
lobbyists using propaganda to convince us that this sport has
always been something that it never has been, which is
the sanctity of amateurism. As I'm rolling my eyes and
carried about the student athlete, I'm an adult.

Speaker 2 (01:23:32):
I get it.

Speaker 1 (01:23:32):
This is a front facing revenue generating product and business,
and it's in business to be in business. But certainly
they're always felt like there was something a little more
pure about this sport as it pertains to comparing it
to the NFL, And the reality is it never has been.
We were just kind of convinced of it, and so
I think that's another element that comes into play when

(01:23:54):
it comes to the visceral reaction of college football fans
when players from their favorite team actually do decide to transfer.
You see a lot of hate. You see a lot
of people really really angry. I think the Kiata Tadavas's
situation here locally was an example of that. Felt bad
for Keanu joined us during Big twelve media days and
he was shaken. You could tell that was hard on him.

(01:24:16):
And I get the hurt because he's really really good.
But if the reports are true and he was able
to go make that type of money before playing pro football,
you kind of just, you know, again, give him a hug,
say thanks for the memories and good luck.

Speaker 2 (01:24:29):
Yeah, we want to beat you when we play you.

Speaker 1 (01:24:31):
But we're just not really still even four or five
years into this thing, we're still not used to it.
It still feels new, It still feels weird that year
after year, the college football community essentially has to get
to know another group of players as opposed to seeing
guys stick around for three, four or five years. When

(01:24:51):
you know them, they're around, they're in the city, they're
you know, obviously not just playing, but they're part of
the community in a way that isn't just the reality now.
And it's also so interesting to understand how certain dynamics
can just come out of nowhere and either benefit you
or detract from you. Like Troy Taylor getting fired from
Stanford changed the Big Twelve this year because Texas Tech

(01:25:14):
grabbed the David Bailey kid and by you grabbed Bear
Pockmeyer like Troy keeps a job, those players aren't available
and it changes the whole landscape.

Speaker 2 (01:25:22):
Of the entire conference.

Speaker 1 (01:25:23):
It's wild how these unknown things can actually manifest and
then change the entire thing. So for Utah football, it
is a trip to the Vegas Bowl, it is a
matchup against Nebraska, and then you know, you got to
hit the ground running when it comes to retaining your
talent and then adding to via the transfer portal. After
a solid recruiting class was signed last week when the

(01:25:46):
dust settled, Utah was ranked This is according to Rivals two,
four to seven and ESPN might have it different. Utah
locks in the eighth ranked recruiting class in the Big twelve,
so pretty much mid table.

Speaker 2 (01:25:56):
It settled like this.

Speaker 1 (01:25:57):
West Virginia actually ended up ranked ahead of Twixas Tech.
They signed forty nine players because they were atrocious. This year,
Texas Tech brings in twenty players their composite eighty eight
point nine. BYU third, they're bringing twenty two players eighty
eight point seven, and then Arizona State TCU Houston, Arizona
and Utah with the Pula.

Speaker 2 (01:26:18):
Brothers committeeing to BYU.

Speaker 1 (01:26:20):
That dropped Utah's ranking both in the Big twelve and
nationally a couple of different spots.

Speaker 2 (01:26:26):
So only time will tell. All right, before we catch
a break? Who likes money? Porter? You like money, don't you?

Speaker 3 (01:26:34):
Don't you know it?

Speaker 2 (01:26:34):
Okay?

Speaker 1 (01:26:35):
Thank you Porter as a fan of money, and so
are all of you. Raise your hand if you're in
the car. If you like money, our friends in America
First Credit Union can help you have your money work
for you.

Speaker 2 (01:26:47):
Let's have your money do more for you.

Speaker 1 (01:26:48):
If you're in business with a national bank, a big
national chain, or even some of the local well known chains,
the bad news is they're not helping you make money.
They're in it so they could profit. They're profiting off
of you. That's just how it works. The reason a
credit union is a better spot for your money is
it's a different model. It is not for profit. They're

(01:27:10):
actually in business to help you make money. Believe it
or not, that's just the deal. And America First Credit
Union is the official credit union of the University of
Utah Athletic Department ray Al Salt Lake in the Utah
Jazz you get early entrance to Rice Cycle Stadium, America
First Field or the Delta Center by the way, it's
called the Delta Center. If we can start growing up
with that. You can get early enter install the venues.

(01:27:31):
You get a bunch of discounts on food and bev
and merch. So there's that. If you're a sports fan,
you can design your debit card. You can have like
a Jazz card, a youthe card, RSL card as well.
But ultimately they've got a great new member offer, like
you should make the switch even without this offer, just
because it will help your money work for you. But

(01:27:51):
they're giving you one hundred dollars if you just open
up a checkings and a savings account, no strings attached
to just hooking you up in one hundred bucks and
then it's never too early to teach you or children
about how money works. America First Credit Union has a
fifty dollars offer for teams, So you open up an
account for your team, they're gonna throw fifty bucks in there,
and then they're gonna help you kind of learn how
you can teach your children to have a good head

(01:28:14):
starting life when it comes to managing their money. So
America First Credit Union eighty seven branches in Utah. It
feels like there's a branch like every three or four blocks.
You can also go to America First dot com slash
deals for all the information that's our good friends at
America First Credit Union. Eagles Chargers Tonight Monday night football
final game of the football slate for the weekend in

(01:28:35):
Pro Football sets so far, it's a big one for
both teams. So we'll get to some NFL storylines later on.
Alex Jensen Coaches Show Tonight talks some Utah basketball the
you know their bold destination the CFP is set. Our
next guest won a national championship as a college coach
coach around here for a while. It's always fun to
catch up with Bill Bush on a Monday.

Speaker 2 (01:28:56):
Coach. Happy Monday, sir, how are you doing?

Speaker 6 (01:28:59):
Great?

Speaker 9 (01:29:00):
Usual?

Speaker 12 (01:29:00):
Great to be invited back on the show. You guys
do a tremendous job and just love talking about the
utes and everything that's going on in college football right now.

Speaker 2 (01:29:08):
I appreciate your time.

Speaker 1 (01:29:10):
Let's start with an unfortunate day for BYU, but a
culmination of an excellent season for Texas Tech. In the
Big twelve championship game down in Arlington, it was Tech
thirty four BYU seven. Cougar's got off to a really
solid start. The ultimately Tech did to them what they
do to most teams. That's just a really good team, coach,
when you say, that's.

Speaker 12 (01:29:31):
A really good team, and it's kind of crazy how
the game ended up, but that those things happened, I mean,
at one point in time, if I'm correct, or it's
thirteen to seven and BYU has the ball right but
four minutes to go in the third quarter. I mean,
so I'm like, well, this can't be a better scenario. Honestly,
It's like it's playing out exactly how you want to
have it played out. And then obviously things you know,

(01:29:52):
turned from there, but still an incredible job. And you
just stopped and say, I mean Tech right now is
a fourth rated team country and BYU lost to them twice,
that's their only two losses and so just that's.

Speaker 9 (01:30:06):
That's that's a job well done. Boys.

Speaker 12 (01:30:09):
Is always going to be a letdown because you were
so close when you when you had the opportunity, But
that's a by you had.

Speaker 9 (01:30:16):
They had an opportunity.

Speaker 12 (01:30:17):
If they win the game, they're in and so that's
all you can ask for as a coach.

Speaker 1 (01:30:21):
Since you and I last spoke, a really interesting news
cycle taking place out this way. And I don't know
that I ever thought Kilanie was going to leave coach,
But Penn State is an elite college football job, and
generational wealth is generational wealth b YU with some very
charitable donations, it sounds like able to step up to

(01:30:41):
the plate retain Kilanie. We're we're hearing that very nice
raises are involved for j Hill and Aaron Roderick and
there's some nil guarantees now at b YU that weren't
there prior to so as a guy that coached you
know the business, just how big of a job is
Penn State football. I'll kind of give us some perspective there,
and then your thoughts on Colaudie's saying no to the

(01:31:05):
Nitny Lyons and saying yes to stay here to coach
b Yu.

Speaker 12 (01:31:09):
Well, a couple of things. Penn State's a monster. It's
it's a it's a national monster. The attention that has
the difficulty in the job. I mean, if he just
takes what kind of a monster is it. We'll just
look at the coach they fired, you know whatever week
four and the success he had and also he was
hired back immediately in another powerful conference, and so that's

(01:31:32):
what tells you how difficult it is. But they do
have resources, and they do have a niche in the
area of the of the country in which in which
they reside. So they have a lot of a lot
of good things going for it, and so it's it's
an incredible place.

Speaker 9 (01:31:47):
You know.

Speaker 12 (01:31:47):
They started off, you know, besides the air last I
mean the throwing air that was made last a year
in the semi finals that appeared as if they were
going to the national championship game, and they threw the
interception late against Note Dame and then to turn around
and I think pre season number two in the country
with everyone returning and things fell apart. So it does
tell you it's like you can get to a lot

(01:32:09):
of great places there and the expectations are extremely high,
that's for sure. And then with Kilanie, like I said,
this is me from a distance, was that I'm sure
there was.

Speaker 9 (01:32:20):
Why would there not be a reason.

Speaker 12 (01:32:22):
To discuss so to have to look at it, to
have because Kilani has the skill set to be successful there. Myself, personally,
I didn't think it would ever. I just thought, I
don't know, I think anybody that's more BYU than Kilanie
is just for playing for.

Speaker 9 (01:32:37):
Lavelle and.

Speaker 12 (01:32:39):
What he's doing right there. But I also would have
said that about my good friend Bronco Mendenhall and that
he would never leave BYU, and he did, so it
was on the table. I just didn't really feel that
it would happen. But I'm glad things went very well
for him as far as him and his staff and
il and all those things that go with it.

Speaker 1 (01:32:58):
As you know, your buddy Bronco went on to Uva
where he was paid much better than he was at BYU,
and BYU, historically speaking, has elected to not pay their
football or basketball coaches on par with their peers. I mean,
Lavell had a really cool opportunity for a while to
do some radio with Lavell, Edwards and coach Mac before
Lavell passed and famously told the story of never really

(01:33:22):
having a contract negotiation, never being really interested in looking
for raises, and had an opportunity to go coach. The
Lions just wanted to coach b Yu. They've now changed
that coach. They're paying Kevin Young and Klane not just
on par. The reports are Kilanie's now the second highest
aed coach in the Big Twelve, Dion being one, and
Kevin Young among the highest paid basketball coaches in the

(01:33:45):
conference as well.

Speaker 2 (01:33:46):
What do you make of this shift in philosophy?

Speaker 1 (01:33:48):
And you feel like it's simply just necessary to continue
the momentum they have going on down there.

Speaker 12 (01:33:54):
Well, it is necessary. You can just take a look
at who the champion is in the Big Twelve, and
obviously they're heavily invested team, and it shows up on
the field, it shows up how they're coaches are taking
care of all those things. And b Yu is very
smart because the one thing you learn is you know,
obviously your front porch of your university is your athletics

(01:34:17):
and the better that looks that allows you to be
able to recruit better students to your school. It creates
more attention. All the different things that you want to
have happened the front porch means a lot to you.
And so it's a great job by them, by BYU
administration seeing that. And then also, you know, I never
felt at any point in time that Kilane was, you know,

(01:34:42):
out there petitioning for himself for another job. And I
would bet, and I don't know this for surely you
though I have a lot of friends on staff. I
would bet that this was brought more by Penn State
than it was Klannie trying to promote himself to get
himself to be in this spot. And I think a
raise just how happened with it. So when great people,
great humans, have good things happen to him, I'm very

(01:35:06):
excited for it. And that's what Kilani is just a
great person. And in this profession, it's rough, and so
it's great to see the good guys win.

Speaker 1 (01:35:15):
So you referenced Kilanie and his style feeling like he
could really execute it anywhere. This is a hypothetical conversation,
and it's irrelevant because he stayed at BYU, but a
lot of the jobs that have been linked to Kilanie,
I've just wondered whether or not his approach or his
style would actually work there. The marriage between Penn State

(01:35:38):
and Kilanie. What do you think attracted him to them?
And do you believe that with what he's shown here,
he could actually go to a blue blood program like
Penn State and see success.

Speaker 12 (01:35:51):
A couple things with it. I always just feel the
same way in recruiting, So we'll talk about we need
to have this person because they recruit this area and
the different things that happened, and I don't believe in
any of that. You can either recruit or you can't,
and you can either connect or you can't. And so
Nick Saban's not from Alabama and he went into, you know,

(01:36:11):
the southeast part of the country and did great, and
it wasn't like, well, everyone's always great Alabama, That's not true.
He came in because they just fired their coach. So
if you have the ability and the skill set to
connect the coach, to develop and then to obviously be
a completely honest soul, what Kilani is the chance of
him being successful is unbelievable, and I'm sure that's exactly

(01:36:34):
what Penn State saw.

Speaker 6 (01:36:36):
Like, hang on a.

Speaker 12 (01:36:37):
Second here, everyone's just no one's talking to Kilane because
it's you know, he's of the Mormon faith and BYU
and and he won't leave there.

Speaker 9 (01:36:47):
Why why shouldn't we talk to him?

Speaker 12 (01:36:49):
Look at his success, his ability to connect with the players,
all those things, So I haven't I just understood. Think
there's there's those that can coach, those that can connect,
those that can recruit, and they can't and they can
do it any place in the country. I know when
I was at Utah, you know, I recruited American Samoa.
I'm from small town Nebraska, so there wasn't a big

(01:37:11):
carryover between the two. And so you just figure it out,
and some guys can figure it out. And Klonie would
have that ability, and he would be extremely accepted so
fast because they would see how genuine he is. And
then and then the genuine is great. But he also
has the level of knowledge that goes with it from

(01:37:32):
being a on the field, very very successful defensive coordinator
and understands football well. So he has the background of
knowledge and the ability to connect at a very high level.

Speaker 1 (01:37:42):
I'm going to ask you to solve an issue. Coach,
I'm going to ask you to fix the college football
coaching carousel, or at least help me come up with
an idea. Because BYU was able to keep their head coach,
Old Miss was not. And look, I don't begrudge anybody
for I mean, Lane Kiffin himself said the LSU job
and you would know this because you coach there is
the best job in America, and a lot of people

(01:38:04):
for quite some time if surmised that that was Lane's
dream job, kind of like when Urban was here, everyone
knew at some point he wanted to Ohio State. I
think there was some Notre Dame conversation. So this is
not an anti Lane Kiffin rant. I'm just saying I
feel bad for the kids because they're playing for a
college football national championship, qualifying for the CFP. It just
feels like, I don't know what can be put in place,

(01:38:27):
but something should be there to say you can't engage
with other programs if you are still in the mix
to win a national championship.

Speaker 12 (01:38:35):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:38:35):
You can never do this in the pros. You can
never say, okay, you got to coach the Raiders till
at the end of the year. Pete Carroll, Sorry, even
if it's hard, but give me your thoughts on this
as a former college coach and whether or not it
feels fair to these players who are still in action.

Speaker 9 (01:38:49):
Well, it's not fair. A couple of things.

Speaker 12 (01:38:53):
Is is like with Old miss they're in the playoffs
and they're talented enough to win it. They could win
it all. It's not one of those where well they're in,
but they're out first round. Not true. They have that
type of ability. So that's what makes it even more difficult.
They're like, well, this is such a stretch, so it's bizarre.
So I do have a strong feeling on it, and

(01:39:15):
it's however you want to do it. With the calendar,
My big push was where everything gets so out of
whack is because of the semester. That's where everything goes off. Right, Well,
we have to get someone in because the new semester
is starting, and because the semester that's when that's how
they set the transfer portal on the date. Well, we
have to have that prior to because guys have to

(01:39:37):
be able to get into school at the new semester,
and so if you don't find a way to change
the calendar. In my opinion is it's real simple. You
have to change either you have to move everything up,
which means you start football in August, in early August,
I'm saying, not late August, so then this doesn't happen,
so there's no one talking to anybody until the season's over,

(01:39:58):
or you have to eighth the semester part. And one
of the things that I'd brought up on a different
show was I suggested that with the semester that if
someone's transferring, they get a semester waiver of not being
in school, which means they wouldn't that you could move
the transfer portal and everything back a different time. That

(01:40:20):
might be a little bit of a stretch, but the
bottom line is that you have to be able to
say that that the calendar is different. But the semester
is what screws everything up. And I know there's some
that are on you know that are on different ones,
but ninety eight percent of the schools are on semesters,
and that's where it gets all jacked. That's why you

(01:40:40):
hear about when the signing need is and the transfer
portal and all these things are all set up so
that everyone is ready to go on basically January fifteenth
or twenty. You can use it most of the time.
In semester schools. You can get someone into school until
the mid twenties, like January twenty fourth or something, so
everyone's like, we got to have everybody here by that time.

(01:41:02):
If you don't blow that up, this will never end.
But you also have to take everything in the history
of the of of this, of the sport, and the
timeframe in the calendar. You have to blow it all up.
That's the only chance you have because the NFL has
it figured out, like you said, so good.

Speaker 9 (01:41:19):
Nothing happens, so it's.

Speaker 12 (01:41:20):
Over wins the draft when's the combine with everything's set up,
there's no crocess, never happens because they don't have the
weird stoppage and and and they're not trying to obtain
new players and transfers while this you know, within a
day of the season being over. That would be like
in the NFL, you know, after the day after the

(01:41:41):
Super Bowls the draft, and they just have it figured
out better. But if you don't eliminate the semester part,
you won't win.

Speaker 1 (01:41:48):
The transactional nature of the sport now, coach, I just,
I just I think we're still adjusting.

Speaker 2 (01:41:56):
I just don't think we're used to it.

Speaker 1 (01:41:58):
I mean, ultimately, players being paid, you know oftentimes in
the past under the table.

Speaker 2 (01:42:04):
We never heard about it.

Speaker 1 (01:42:05):
We never knew about it, just heard rumors of impropriety happening.
And you know, players transferring schools. That's also not a
brand new dynamic. But as we approach bowl season, it
feels like a lot of the teams that aren't playing
for a national championship, a lot of them are just
tapping out of the bowl experience all together. Notre Dame
was set to play, Brigham Young had the invite in

(01:42:27):
the Pop Tarts Bowl, and of course they feel like
they should be in the twelve team CFP. I'd be
interested in your comments on that, but they're just they're
not even playing.

Speaker 2 (01:42:36):
And then we're going to hear and have already.

Speaker 1 (01:42:38):
Heard of players who will just elect to tap out
of the bowl experience all together. Maybe you're preparing for
the draft, maybe you're just over it. But does the
transactional nature of the modern game bother you or are
you used to it?

Speaker 2 (01:42:51):
And it's just kind of like the way it is now.

Speaker 12 (01:42:54):
There are some things that I'm used to. There's some
people that everyone is used to, but know in that
area is very concerning to me and almost in disbelief
because I know when I saw that Kansas State and
Iowa State had opted out because of a coaching change,
well there's been one hundred coaching changes right for and
people still played in bowl games, which was very odd

(01:43:17):
because those two programs in the Big Twelve are known
as being very blue collar, and I know there was
a coaching change, and I'm very shocked and at all
places that turned it down. There was six or seven
five and seven schools they make a little bit more
sense because they knew they were out of it earlier,
but the three that had the Notre Dame and Iowa

(01:43:38):
State and Kansas State.

Speaker 9 (01:43:40):
The reason I look at.

Speaker 12 (01:43:41):
It this way is that there has to be players
on that team that would love to play. They can
say players voted or were not the same team. You
just can't tell me if you're the fifth wide receiver
and you're a senior that you don't want to go
play because this is it. So some people's career just
ended with Okay, I guess that's we voted in the

(01:44:02):
in the meeting room that we're done, so turn your
stuff in and career is over. And so that part
to me is you'll I don't think anyone will disagree.
Besides those in that building. Everyone would have to think.

Speaker 9 (01:44:16):
We have to play the game.

Speaker 12 (01:44:18):
Get your team together, because the one thing is is
that is the Kansas State and Iowa State they're going
to be playing. They're six and six I believe. I'm
not sure if I was state seven and five, but
and okay, state.

Speaker 9 (01:44:29):
Six and six.

Speaker 12 (01:44:30):
They'll be playing another six and six seven and five team.
They won't be playing they're not playing Georgia, so it
will be very comparable to what they're playing. Notre Dame
is one that's alarming just because of the again, the
same thing people not having the opportunity to play. How
many times have you heard this one? We need those
extra fifteen practices. It's so important that's thrown out and

(01:44:51):
that you can't even make that excuse for some people
now it's like, hold that you had a chance for
fifteen more practices and you opted out and not do that.

Speaker 9 (01:45:00):
For Notre Dame.

Speaker 12 (01:45:00):
What I heard today on they just doing some research
was that this may cost ESPN somewhere around thirty million
dollars having Notre Dame refusing to play in the game
with their TV revenue because of the power of the brand.
So imagine that. And I don't know if there's any repercussions.
I know that Kansas State and Iowa State both got

(01:45:21):
fined five hundred thousand. But for a coach an old school, no,
you qualify for a bull you get offered a bowl game,
you get your team organized, you get them together in
a way you go.

Speaker 1 (01:45:32):
Do you feel like Notre Dame as legitimate beef? Do
you think they belong on that twelve team field?

Speaker 12 (01:45:39):
Well, I know this, they're good enough they I think
there's two things with it. Is they have a legit beef.
But then no, I'm not going to also at the
other end, I'm not going to disagree with why they're
not in. The biggest problem occurred was with the committee
when they have to do this six week interview thing
and forever the committee had them ahead of Miami, and

(01:45:59):
they kept saying, we're not comparing the two, they're not
in the same pool. And everyone has kept saying, how
can that be with two losses? And they have a
head to head and it's written in number two. The
number two thing that you look at is head to head.
And then all of a sudden, on the last week
they decided to head to head was what made the difference.
But prior to the first five weeks it didn't matter.

(01:46:19):
So Notre Dame got themselves believing that one hundred percent
they were in, then got the rug pulled out when
they really should have been told five weeks ago that
you're not in because of the head to head because
Signature wins. They only have one other one probably that's
USC and so but would you want to play them?

Speaker 6 (01:46:38):
Oh? I don't know.

Speaker 12 (01:46:39):
I think they're better than last year, so I agree
with that part of it. But I don't know how
you could run a committee and have two teams be
the ten and two and they played head to head
and say that didn't matter. So I think everyone's kind
of on board with that. I think really the discussion
more is on the Alabama side than it is why
is Alabama in? You know, more so than than one

(01:47:00):
of those two. Because that conversation was also very interesting.

Speaker 1 (01:47:05):
I wanted to ask you directly because you coached the school.
Lane Kiffin LSU best job in America. I mean, it's
certainly in the conversation everybody would would admit that. But
as somebody who coached the school, do you think he's
onto something there?

Speaker 12 (01:47:21):
It's you know, you would never probably win the argument.
I don't know how you'd ever have it, but it
would in most cases when it was all said and done,
they'd probably get voted that way.

Speaker 9 (01:47:30):
When you look at.

Speaker 12 (01:47:31):
The fact that you say, Okay, you know, the last
three coaches prior to Brian Kelly all won a national
championship with coach Saban obviously less Miles coach Ojerun and
then it didn't happen with Brian Kelly. So it has
success over that time. You know, to get one hundred
and eight thousand people in there, and you know, Death
Valley on a Saturday night, it's the best place to

(01:47:53):
That's the number one stagium. If you ask anyone, they
would not that one. That it's the most you know,
Dauntein Stadium that there is. And then they have right
there with Georgia probably Georgia Florida. However you want to
look at it, they have the most talent in state.
With only one Division one school I mean with one.

Speaker 9 (01:48:10):
Power for school.

Speaker 12 (01:48:12):
So if Florida has insane town, they got Miami, Florida State,
and in Florida, different schools have it. Georgia is in
a really good spot also, but for that reason, arguably,
you know, they have a live tiger.

Speaker 9 (01:48:25):
It's pretty cool.

Speaker 12 (01:48:26):
So arguably it's in the mix for being that job.
So that that part will always be a little bit
of pushback, but not much. You only list a few
other places that you can say even has a chance.

Speaker 1 (01:48:37):
A couple of minutes left, coach, let's talk little youts.
So we've been talking with our guest today about what
this season will be known for ten and two and
seven and two in conference.

Speaker 2 (01:48:48):
It was an awesome year. It was a great year.

Speaker 1 (01:48:50):
It was a good bounce back year after the difficulties
a year ago and even the year before that, a
couple of seasons that certainly by wit zoned admission not
meet the standard that he has set for all of us.
And we're all very much spoiled because ten and two
is a really good year. A lot of coaches would
love a ten and two season, and so you know,

(01:49:11):
we've been discussing, of course the loss to BYU as
something we'll all look back on because it felt very
heavy in the moment, and ultimately it did cost Utah
a chance to maybe qualify and play for a conference championship.
There's the dynamic of the new offensive coordinator, Jason Beck
being a very dynamic play caller, and Devin you know,

(01:49:33):
big twelve newcomer of the year. As you look back
on this Utah football season, and we will get to
the bowl matchup because you're the perfect guy for this question,
but before we get there, ten and two, seven and
two in conference, what should we look back on the
season with for Utah football.

Speaker 12 (01:49:48):
I'm still an old school, complete, you know, body of work.
And when you go ten and two, that's a great year.

Speaker 6 (01:49:57):
It just is.

Speaker 12 (01:49:58):
And they had a disappointment obviously, it's the ten and
two is a little different.

Speaker 9 (01:50:03):
If there, if they were if.

Speaker 12 (01:50:05):
They be in the youths, were ten and two, but
they beat b YU and lost someplace else, it probably
feels even a little better. Even though the b YU,
the team they lost to, is really good. As you know,
that game is you know, that's that's there's only a
few out there, you know, Ohio State Michigan is one
of those you know Texas Texas at A and M
now that they're playing again is one. There's only a

(01:50:26):
few out there that it were. You just I've lost
that game and I've won that game. It's the most
gut wrenching you know there is from a fan base
and from a coaching staff and from players. So that
makes it very hard because of that loss is to
b YU. But overall, I'm always a big picture scheme
and I'm like ten and two. They had a lot

(01:50:47):
of big wins. They had a lot of outstanding play.
You know, the Kansas State game was kind of an
outlier how that played out, but still one find a
way to come back and win the game. So I'm
still double thumbs up on a great season and so close.

Speaker 1 (01:51:04):
Obviously, as I reference, you're the guy to teach us
about Nebraska. Matt rules team, and it'll be Utah Nebraska
in the Vegas Bowl on New Year's Eve. Utah is
an early fourteen point favorite. A lot has to transpire
between now and then.

Speaker 2 (01:51:21):
I don't even know what the two teams are going
to look like.

Speaker 1 (01:51:23):
I know they made a change on the defensive coordinator
side of things. They had a middling season in the
Big ten coach rule was connected to a lot of openings,
but he elected to stay. So tell us about Nebraska.
What is utap against com on New year Ze.

Speaker 9 (01:51:38):
Well, okay, A couple of things.

Speaker 12 (01:51:39):
One. Obviously, I still live here in the state, so
I enjoy that, so I do follow them. I'm not
a Nebraska insider because I never go to practice, so
I don't see him, so I follow him kind of
like a fan does. A couple of things you'll see
is you'll see a very interesting crowd, which means that
Nebraska fans will show up. That will be a lot

(01:52:00):
of people traveling to this game. For the reason is
there is a ton of Nebraska's in California, and there's
a ton in Arizona, so they can drive.

Speaker 9 (01:52:09):
And they went.

Speaker 12 (01:52:10):
To UCLA about four weeks ago and literally put twenty
some thousand people in the Rose Bowl, and so there'll
be a big, a big crowd for that. There was
an injury quarterback. Now they're starting a true true freshman
who had a fabulous game against Ucla, struggled in the
last game against Iowa, but now he's back in the

(01:52:31):
elements of being playing indoors. So I think that's a
huge advantage for him. I think the thing that comes
down on any of these bowl games is it happens
you see it every year. It is like who's interested,
Who's the most interested in playing in this game?

Speaker 9 (01:52:45):
And so that's kind of a question for you.

Speaker 12 (01:52:47):
Also on where Utah is at, I know Nebraska will
be very interested. The loss of right now is that
with the running back with Emmitt Johnson not playing against Iowa,
I think he was eighty percent of their offense. You know,
he's a first team All Big Ten, He's the Big
Ten running back of the year, so that's a big loss.

(01:53:08):
They have an offensive lineman, rock O Spindler, who is
out with a surgery.

Speaker 9 (01:53:13):
But other than that, I think that'll be about.

Speaker 12 (01:53:14):
It might be a player here and there, so they'll
be pretty invested team. I think coach Ruh will do
a great job of having his guys excited to play.
And they did a great job because that's a great
bowl game in my opinion.

Speaker 9 (01:53:26):
You know, I mean we beat when I.

Speaker 12 (01:53:29):
Was at Utah, we beat USC in the Vegas Bowl
and that was on Christmas State out at the Old Stadium.
So this bowl game has picked up a lot, so
I think they'll have Nebraska be fully invested, but the
loss of the running back will be will be major.
And then they struggled with the reason there's a change
on defense, but the reason they really made the change
was the defending the run was extremely difficult for him.

(01:53:52):
And so that's my question to you is where is
Utah at right now with players and the US Because
I know the matchup of the Utah is incredible offensive
line against Nebraska's defensive line which has struggled, you know,
which has been out there. It's not any news to anyone.
Would have been a major advantage probably for Utah in

(01:54:13):
that spot.

Speaker 2 (01:54:14):
Yeah, we haven't heard anything official.

Speaker 1 (01:54:16):
There was a young backup linebacker who just announced his
intent the end of the transfer portal. Spencer Fano might
be a top ten pick, and you know, I don't
think anybody would begrudge him sitting out.

Speaker 2 (01:54:29):
Preparing for the draft.

Speaker 1 (01:54:30):
But as of now, I feel like Utah might have
its full compliment.

Speaker 12 (01:54:35):
Yeah, and then that's I would be shocked if they
didn't have as many as possible. And that's that's really
comes from one from one spot.

Speaker 9 (01:54:42):
That's head coach down.

Speaker 12 (01:54:43):
Yeah, it really is. If the head coach's Kyle will
have great culture. He also is smart enough to listen
if someone has like like you mentioned a top ten
pick of like, okay, what does this mean?

Speaker 9 (01:54:55):
What does this do?

Speaker 12 (01:54:57):
He'll be very understanding and be able to listen. But
like I said, it will be it will be a
great uh. It'll be a great situation for both teams
to play in UH because the Utah fans will travel
to Vegas and so I think it's going to be
a fun game. It's build to understand. But the matchup
right now that stands out the most is Utah's offensive

(01:55:19):
line against Nebraska's defensive line.

Speaker 3 (01:55:23):
Offensive line for sure.

Speaker 12 (01:55:24):
Yeah, I'm all screwed up there.

Speaker 2 (01:55:25):
Yeah, No, you're good. You're good.

Speaker 1 (01:55:26):
Yeah, it should be a fun one. Looking forward to it.
And appreciate your time. Coach always great insight, Be well
and we'll chat soon.

Speaker 12 (01:55:32):
Okay, awesome, Thank you guys so much.

Speaker 1 (01:55:35):
Go use all right, Bill Bush, National championship coach with
LSU coach here Utah knows the landscape coach with Bronco.
Their good buddies always appreciate Bill's inside when he can
join the program. Your week of Pro Football weekend of
Pro Football ends tonight Eagles Chargers Monday Night Football. We're
going to do the Alex Jensen Coaches Show when we

(01:55:56):
when we say good night in about an hour and
twenty minutes from now, and then we'll join my Then
I have football and progress. The college football playoff bracket
is set, and I bring in our next guest, and
I feel for him, Uncle Ted Ted Robinson, how are you, sir?

Speaker 12 (01:56:13):
Well, look, I'm I'm probably in the same mindset as
many college football fans around the country in that we
really should be surprised because the sport is a mess
right now. We know that people didn't know it, so
why would we expect anything different from this playoff committee?

Speaker 1 (01:56:31):
It was a mess, yeah, and it just continues to
be a situation where the goalposts move every year and
sometimes every week. But when it comes to Notre Dame, specifically,
when I saw you're on the rundown, it's like, all right,
we're going to get a take from somebody who's close
to the situation that had a chance to go down
to the Pop Tarts Bowl to play BYU. They have

(01:56:52):
declined to do that. But what's the conversation sound like
with you? And you know the group of Notre Dame
alum is that clearly right now?

Speaker 12 (01:57:00):
I feel like they got rot, which is like my
entire family, right, yes, And I'm actually I know some
people in my family may disagree, but I'm definitely on
the calmer side of this because it's been my profession
for so long, so you have to have some attempt
at being professionally detached. But look, and my view simple,

(01:57:23):
leading Notre Dame out is indefensible. And I'm not saying
that at the expense of any other school. It's just
they played two games. They lost by three points in
the first week of the season, and they lost on
a botched extra point in the second game of the season,
and then they not just beat everybody else, they SteamWorld.

(01:57:43):
So it's just there's just no defense for leading them out.
We can all see the obvious reasons why it happened.
But ultimately, you know, ultimately, Notre Dame I think pays
a price and long has for being independent and this
is it. And people, there is a large portion of

(01:58:04):
college football hierarchy, administrators and coaches that don't like Notre
Dame for being independent, and they'll just use anything they
can as a lever against that, and again I've heard
it said by multiple people, some of whom I would
place in the category of knuckleheads over the last twenty
four hours, saying, you know, well, the Notre Dame deserves

(01:58:25):
us just join a conference. Well why, well, since why
is it a birthright that every school has to be
in a conference? Notre Dame has been able to be independent,
and there's pluses and minuses to that, and they've been
willing to live with it. I personally wish Notre Dame
had joined a conference twenty five years ago when the
Big Ten opened the door.

Speaker 7 (01:58:43):
That was my view.

Speaker 12 (01:58:45):
I was in a minority amongst Notre Dame alums and
in a very big minority amongst the Notre Dame administration
because they passed on that chance. But I wish they
had done it. And I think that's where if Notre Dame,
which I doubt will happen ever, changes its stance on
conference membership in my lifetime, it would be to join

(01:59:05):
the Big Ten.

Speaker 1 (01:59:07):
And that's excuse me, And that's actually where I wanted
to go next, because the scheduling tie is the acc
But to your point, Notre Dame has been able to
make the independent thing work just fine. We had a
guest earlier say, the estimation ESPN is going to lose
like thirty million dollars without Notre Dame in that ball matchup.

(01:59:28):
But if the Big ten did make that phone call,
do you think it would be reciprocated and very much
you know interest interested from Notre Dame side.

Speaker 12 (01:59:36):
You know, I've often thought no, spent an after Jim
Delaney opened that door twenty plus years ago, and again
Notre Dame decided no. And it was strictly football independence.
That was the deciding From everything I understand, that was
the deciding point. I thought that I would never see
it in my lifetime. I don't know if this will

(01:59:58):
change things because Notre Dame is in a different place
than it ever has been before, and it has nothing
to do with football, but it has everything to do
with their entire athletic department. I mean, remember I was
a student when Notre Dame first allowed women to come in,
so you know, we're about fifty years of women at
Notre Dame. And finally, Notre Dame has a well rounded,

(02:00:18):
strong women's athletic program and of course has emphasized you know,
other sports, Olympic sports, on the men's side as well,
and that's the reason, so fans understand, that's the reason
why Notre Dame has these alliances. It used to be
with the Big East and now it's with the ACC.
It's to have a home for twenty four sports and

(02:00:39):
they agree to play five games football games a year
against ACC schools, which, honestly, when the ACC school is
the visiting team at Notre Dame, that's pretty healthy. Check
that the ACC school gets out of the Notre Dame
TV contract. So there's been pluses for both sides. But
if Notre Dame took back to your question, were to
ever think about joining a conference, it would have to

(02:01:04):
include football. Clearly, no one's going to invite them anymore
to be, you know, a part, just to come in
with everything except football. That won't happen. It would to me.
The only one that makes sense is the Big Ten.
And here's the lynchpin, which I do believe in my heart,
there's another school that no one talks about right now
that's sitting back wondering if the fallout of this decision,

(02:01:27):
and Notre Dame's athletic director Pete blev Ackwall coming out
this morning and being very strong in his comments about
the ACC's championing of Miami and slamming of Notre Dame.
The school that's standing by watching this is Stanford, because
Stanford understands that it's positioned in the ACEC is not
a long term play. There's no sustainability. Stanford would very

(02:01:49):
much love Notre Dame to accept a phone call from
the Big Ten and then Stanford would be the second
team to go. I think there are a lot of
people at Stanford that have long thought that's the escape
patch out of the present mess therein is if Notre
Dame were to ever say yes to the Big Tent,
which means the Big Kent has to ask first. But
if that happens, Stanford could.

Speaker 1 (02:02:10):
Join interesting and of course they find themselves Stanford does
in this pivot. I don't know, a couple of year
period with Andrew Luck now taking over as the general
manager and Frank raikon for one year, and look, I
think it's a general consensus that Andrew Luck is a
very intelligent, well thought person and at some point you

(02:02:33):
figure out, you know, you just figure that they're going
to get it figured out. But what's your take on
their current situation and how do they find their way
out of something that's felt a little rough since you
know the David Shaw kind of the peak of David Shaw's.

Speaker 12 (02:02:48):
Years suspecially you're just asking about football.

Speaker 1 (02:02:52):
Yeah, yeah, mostly, but if you you know, if you
can include the other sports as well, I mean, it's
a conversation about joining the Big Ten.

Speaker 12 (02:03:00):
Okay, yeah, So the football scenario is rough because Stanford
has no history of sustained football success ever except for
the harbaught into David Shaw, and it was mostly David
Shaw's years. I mean, that's never happened in the history
of Stanford, and it of course creates expectation that is unrealistic.
And I think they've confronted that COVID and then the

(02:03:23):
open payment of players now has just compounded all this.
Stanford has raised money. Andrew lux presidence is not just
massive credibility, but massive fundraising, and he's done that. He
hired to be the Pritchard. I think that I could
see that higher coming well ahead of time because I
thought it made sense on multiple fronts. One is their

(02:03:45):
good friends. Andrew has a long term commitment for my
what I understand to stay on as the GM of
Stanford football. So he has to be able to work
with the coach. Well, that's not a problem with to
be the Prichard, to be the understands Stanford. He's a young,
you know, well spoken guy, which means he can handle
the front facing part of the job that I think
is a must in today's world. He handles that well.

(02:04:08):
And then the last part was he was not in
a position to demand or command a huge payout, a
huge biot and he didn't get one. And Stanford can't
get down, they can't get involved in the idiocy that
we've seen around the country with these buyouts. So to
me that to be the Pritcher to beat up Pritchard
higher checked all of those boxes and now it's going

(02:04:28):
to be ken Stanford a tract talent. They're paying, you know,
they're paying as best they can. They still have academic standards,
but I don't think they're going to get dramatically changed
for football players. And the last point is that this
Stanford acc arrangement, clearly they needed football. But if you

(02:04:50):
look and this goes to Notre Dame too Spence, if
you look at half of the acc have North Carolina
Duke wake Forest George Tech, Virginia, and then you throw
in Notre Dame, Cal and Stanford. You have eight schools
that are very similar and that they have high academic standards,

(02:05:12):
high academic aspirations, but they want to play big time sports.
And that was the biggest attraction for Stanford to make
this move to the ACC was for their entire breadth
of their Olympic sports teams to compete against the best. Now,
the problem is that that's only half the ACC and
there's another half of that conference that has no connection

(02:05:32):
at all to what I just said. So you know
that's that's the long term challenging. Look, a lot of
what happened yesterday in this football thing was created because
the ACC is a totally dysfunctional conference and it's been
hanging by a threat since Florida State and Clemson. We're
going to go. And let's be completely blunt here. I mean,

(02:05:52):
you don't do not need advance degree to figure out that.
The only to me, the reason Miami is in is
had the committee put Notre Dame in and not Miami,
there would have been no ACC team. If you have
no ACC team in this playoff, the league explodes this week.
Would that's my view.

Speaker 7 (02:06:09):
Florida State and Clemson would.

Speaker 12 (02:06:10):
Have gone just gone, and because the ACC's football structures dysfunctional,
they end up having this crazy tiebreaker. And in Virginia
had beaten Duke Saturday, I don't know that Miami would
have made it. I think Notre Dame might have been
if Virginia had won that game. But once Duke wins,
Duke's not going. There's no way. So you have to

(02:06:31):
have an ACC team And that's that's just I think
that's very clear. And then the other element of the
whole thing was, you know, Alabama, for the most part,
can has to lose five games in a year to
be eliminated. Last year was the exception. And to me,
I'm telling you honestly, I was at my grandson's basketball
game Saturday morning talking to other people. I said, there's

(02:06:51):
no way this committee will lead Alabama two years in row.

Speaker 9 (02:06:54):
That they would be.

Speaker 12 (02:06:56):
Such wrath coming out of the SEC that to me,
there was zero chance of that happening. Even though Alabama
got boat raced in their first game by a bad team,
and they got boat raced in their last game by
a very good team. But they got boat raced in
both games and they're in and I'm just being factual here.
Miami played one game, one game all year against a

(02:07:18):
team that finished in the top twenty five, and it
was Notre Dame. One game.

Speaker 7 (02:07:22):
Yeah, and yet yet to get.

Speaker 12 (02:07:24):
You hear Miami defenders say Mia Ani and Notre Dame's
resumes were similar. Really, Notre Dame played three games against
teams in the top twenty five, and they lost the
Miami game. As we know, they lost to Texas A
and m on A botched extra point, and they beat
USC fairly and so you know, again, the arguments to
me are just word salid to try to defend something

(02:07:45):
that is indefensible.

Speaker 1 (02:07:47):
The dynamic of Notre Dame declining the bull invite. Give
me your thoughts on that. I was disappointed, simply from
a consumer standpoint. I think BYU Notre Dame would have
been the best non CFP bull matchup with two teams
who feel like they should be in the field but
are not so. As in lum, what are your thoughts
on Notre Dame electing not to play.

Speaker 12 (02:08:08):
I was one hundred percent thrilled when I heard it,
one hundred percent thrilled. Ball games are senseless with the playoff.
The championship games are senseless. They are just naked money grabs.
We understand that the bowl games are senseless outside of
the CFP, and what the bowl games now should be

(02:08:30):
are these air quote reward games for the program that
go six and six or seven and five. For a
Washington State who I did four games of this year,
Washington State had, you know, this complete breakdown after last year,
everybody left. New coach comes in play and they went
six and six, and you know, for them, there is
a somewhat of a reward to get to a bowl

(02:08:50):
game even though their coach is left and they're probably
gonna be a bunch of players going with him. So
but let's again, I'm going to be very honest here.
In my view, I don't think it's very complicated. Notre
Dame looked at this situation and said, look, we don't
want to be in this bowl game, So why are
we going to fake it? And how are we going

(02:09:10):
to convince our players to play hard when this is
not a game any of us want to be part of.
And secondly, who's benefiting from that game? There's only one entity,
it's the ESPN. Why would Notre Dame do anything to
help ESPN. When ESPN's on air people were openly campaigning
for Notre Dame to not be in. I mean they
were covering it by saying Alabama should be in and

(02:09:33):
Miami won the head to head, but it was clearly
an anti Notre Dame. I mean, that's been going on
for a long time, so there's no surprise. But in
my view, this is Notre Dame just saying, Okay, we're
playing business here, We're not going to be involved in
anything helps you right now. And I'll take that. I
really think this, I truly believe this. The Notre Dame
conversation obviously is driving narrative early just for the obvious reason.

(02:09:57):
I think the biggest narrative to come out of this
is yet to be talked about. I'll talk about it now.

Speaker 7 (02:10:02):
How many Big ten teams got in?

Speaker 2 (02:10:04):
Two? Three, three, yes, three yeah, and and.

Speaker 12 (02:10:08):
Five SEC teams got in and the last two Oklahoma,
I mean Oklahoma really didn't have very good did not
have a great resume themselves, but anyway, Oklahoma got in
and Alabama gets in. Who owns the SEC ESPN? ESPN
also owns the playoff television contract?

Speaker 7 (02:10:29):
Who owns the Big ten.

Speaker 12 (02:10:32):
Fox who has zero of the playoffs. Now Fox's conference
gets three teams in their rivals conference gets five. This this,
I'm telling you, this is This is the story it's
going to come out of this that Fox, Fox and
the Big ten are not going to stand for this,
and you will have if you don't have a fully

(02:10:54):
expanded playoff in the next go round and I'm talking
twenty four If you don't have, Fox will do something
on their own and the Big time will go with him.
I really believe that in my heart. And if you
look at Fox's social media feed this afternoon, it's listening
is go look it up. Probably on whatever Twitter is

(02:11:15):
now or Instagram. Fox posted what a twenty fourteen bracket
would look like today with yesterday's final standings. Here's what
a twenty fourteen that's not accidental, spence, and so I
really believe again notre names story is the immediate thing,
and that gets everybody's attention. But the big story out
of this is that this current, you know, it's a

(02:11:39):
you know, this will not abide. To quote the dude
from Big Leboski Foxes and they're going this does not abide.
This is this is this is not going to stand
for Fox in the Big.

Speaker 1 (02:11:49):
Ten Ted, last thing, I'll set you loose on this.
I appreciate your time as always, And we don't know
if this is the end for Wit.

Speaker 2 (02:11:55):
It feels like it might be.

Speaker 1 (02:11:58):
He apparently had a deadline of Friday to inform the administration.
But it's a big gap between informing the administration and
then the public and the media. We may actually never
know who knows, but a lot of people more plugged
into the program believe that this is it for Kyle,
more plugged in than I am. If it is, you
got to know him over the years. What is Kyle
Winningham mean to Utah football?

Speaker 12 (02:12:18):
It's great. I mean I just for my twelve years
with the PAC twelve network and the conference, that was
the best. I've said it to you many times, Spence,
and I'll say two years removed now it's the best
football program over the twelve years of the Pac twelve.

Speaker 7 (02:12:34):
And that's Kyle. He did it.

Speaker 12 (02:12:36):
He had standards, he developed players, just.

Speaker 7 (02:12:41):
Everything about the way.

Speaker 12 (02:12:43):
It wasn't just winning, but it was the way they
did it. They played football the way that I mean.
I listened to it in all my years with the
forty nine ers. The pros respected the way Utah's program
ran and was preparing players who clearly wanted a shot
to play pro football. So it's you know, we've seen
the ups and downs with with with the quarterback position

(02:13:04):
during Kyle's run. You know, this year again, I will
freely admit I did not see very much of Utah
football this year. I mean, I know how good dam
Pier is. I'd watched them play last year in Mexico,
but I can't speak intelligently at all about the way
they played this year other than to know they were
in the fifteenth or somewhere seventeenth somewhere around that in

(02:13:25):
the final standing.

Speaker 7 (02:13:26):
So what I'm.

Speaker 12 (02:13:29):
Sad for is that this conference blew up. It never
should have happened, and I know Utah's administration feels that way,
and that Kyle is playing in his final years out
whatever this final year is. They're in a conference that
makes no sense. I've told you it's a gulash league.
I'm watching the other day and their Fox is promoting like,

(02:13:50):
is U see f against d YU or Cincinnati against
TCU has some big Saturday afternoon game. I'm laughing, going
the game means nothing. You know, there's no connection between
the schools, there's no rivalry there. So I'm saddened for
Kyle and the other school I mean, well, Colorado, I'm
not sad for because they decided they made their own bed.

(02:14:10):
But Utah and the two Arizona schools wanted no part
of this. And I'm sad in Kyle's case that whenever
his career ends, it's going to be ending in the conference.
That just I'm sorry, it just does not make any sense.
Hasn't affected him. They've played well in another good year,
but it should have been going out playing Oregon in
Washington and USC and Stanford and Arizona State, and that's

(02:14:34):
the way it should have ended.

Speaker 1 (02:14:36):
I agree with that, There's no doubt about it. Look,
I always appreciate your time. Happy holidays to you and
yours this time of year, and would love to have
you on again soon.

Speaker 12 (02:14:44):
Thank you, sir, absolutely Spence. All the best to you too, everybody,
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:14:48):
All right, wrapping up, got to get out of the
Benson Coaches Show is coming up. On the other side
of a quick break, we'll join Monday Night Football in Progress.
Justin Herbert is active after being listed as questionable and
I'm Elmaron Hampton will be in the lineup for the
Chargers for the first time since week four. All Right,
Porter played a little golf over the weekend, got out

(02:15:09):
of town for a little bit, and I was on
the driving range and I heard next to me someone
talking loudly with their AirPods in while he was hitting
golf balls. Obnoxious. But I looked over, I'm like, I
know who that dude is. It was not Frank Dolce.
It was not Cankeles Dulce when nor was our little

(02:15:30):
friend Trey Fitzgerald.

Speaker 2 (02:15:31):
Marshall fulk oh interesting he can he can hit a
golf on I'm sure. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:15:36):
It was pretty cool. He has quite a swing. So
played some mediocre golf, got out of town for a
little bit. Give me the highlight of your weekend. I
want one highlight from Porter's weekend.

Speaker 3 (02:15:45):
Oh, I.

Speaker 4 (02:15:47):
Sent in some hot pots nice in the middle of nowhere, Utah.

Speaker 2 (02:15:51):
That was.

Speaker 3 (02:15:51):
That was definitely a highlight.

Speaker 2 (02:15:52):
That is a huge highlight.

Speaker 1 (02:15:53):
All right, fun show today, pack college football show. We'll
get out of here so Ryles and Alex Jensen can
take care of you. Porter Rook's coming up on a
Tuesday edition of The Drive.

Speaker 4 (02:16:02):
Chris come Ronnie in studio. We'll go all over the
map with CK mostly college football. Andy Larsen stopping by
as well. We'll chat with John Kimball on the latest
with RSL and of course the latest news. There are
friends from the Fierce Fighting Championships. We'll stop by. They
got a new exciting event to plug. The last one
was a lot of fun, so we'll kind of go all.

Speaker 3 (02:16:24):
Over the map on Tuesday.

Speaker 1 (02:16:25):
Good stuff be a fun Tuesday show join us for that.
Of course, we'll break down the pro football weekend that
ends with Monday Night football.

Speaker 2 (02:16:33):
Tonight, we'll say good night.

Speaker 1 (02:16:34):
Special thank you to Scott Mitchell, Spencer, Linton, Bill Bush
and Ted Robinson for the sound. You may have missed
from the show today, go to the website which is
ESPN seven hundred sports dot com. Make sure to download
our mobile app and take us on the go. ESPN
seven hundred app is available in the App Store in
the Google play Store. Then, finally, for what we do
in our space every afternoon four hours, check out a

(02:16:54):
podcast page. It is called The Drive with Spence. Check
its It's available wherever you get your shows. Describe, rate review.
Sean I sings in the comments and give us all
the stars if you like where we do. It actually helps,
He's Portram Spen saying an Alex Jensen coach the show
coming up on the other side. Keep it here on
your home with the uts ESPN seven hundred

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Crime Junkie

The Brothers Ortiz

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}MON POD @SpenceChecketts on CFP, Big 12 Title, Utes/Cougs Bowling + more

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Crime Junkie

The Brothers Ortiz

All Episodes

MON POD @SpenceChecketts on CFP, Big 12 Title, Utes/Cougs Bowling + more

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang