This was my audition for my Hollywood roll. Next. Shout out to Wendy's because I'm going Hollywood.

I actually see that happening someday. I really do.

I see that happening someday. A. K. A. Hollywood, Coach. Hollywood. But I'm Hollywood, though, where it's all good.

You got Deuce Deuce going a little bit.

I love that music, man. That music gets me going every single Wednesday. We We welcome you to the Triple Option presented by Wendy's Try Wendy's New Saucy Nugs Today. Huge guest, guys, on this week's show, the Commissioner, the Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell will join us. And before we get underway, I always want to remind you, as always, to subscribe to our YouTube channel. You can follow us on Apple podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast, as well as across social media at 3XOptionshow. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Are we ready to go here? Ready to go, Ready to go, Mark? Ready to roll? Yeah. Let's go. All right. This week, we're going to talk about the right and wrong uncles in college football. I know Mark's got a good unk. We see your unk every week on the road with us. Is there a quarterback controversy brewing in Austin at the University of Texas? And as Mark's dog of the Week, is it a Wimpering pup in the cage like last week, or is it a purebred physical specimen?

Hey, the Wimper got me to cash out on the dog of the Week. So the Wimper might be this recipe. You never know.

All right, so we'll keep him in the cage. Pet that little, little puppy here. But we're going to begin not with a Wimpering dog in a cage, but Coach tracking a tiger this week. What was going on with you, Coach, in the New York City area?

That was a Libertor National at the Veterans Golf Association. I'm on their board. And the fireman family, the family that started Reebok, Paul fireman and his son, Dan, they're big sponsors of our A group, and Tiger Woods was there. I've known Tiger for a long time. Every time, I don't get in awe of many people, Mark. I'm in awe of Tiger Woods, man. Yeah, I was jealous. There was nothing better when that red shirt went on on a Sunday Day, and I got locked in. My son watched it.

He was up there with Tiger. Did you tell him I said, What's up?

I said, Come on, be our guest on the triple option.

You Tiger Woods, but I know a young man named Tiger Hoods.

You Tiger Woods, but I'm Tiger Hoods. You can tell he's hurting a little bit, and he had surgery a couple of days after. I don't know, man. Just as a fan, I hope he gets to swing that club and somehow raise a trophy one more time. But I'm just a fan. I love competitors. Mark, I'd have to say Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods. I don't know. Are those the most elite competitors in our lifetime?

Kobe goes up there, too.

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

How fun would it be, though, to see Tiger pull off one of these Jack Nicklaus type runs late in his career, and the whole place is just behind him and going, and just to see that smile, that celebration from one of the games' greats.

Well, golf is at his best when Tiger is in the running for a tournament. Everyone's tuned in.

You talk about move the needle. Come on. When sponsorship is... I lived at Mirafield for 10 years, and we used to talk about that all the time. When he played in the Memorial, boom, the needle The crowds are gigantic. The TV ratings were off the chart. So I hope.

All right, let's pivot to our last couple of days with big noon kickoff in Madison, Wisconsin. Our great sponsor, Wendy's. Notice the cup and the plastic footballs over there. They coughed up some coin to put us in one of their ads, guys. This is Mark leaping into the crowd. Oh, my gosh. Dude, you were like a stuntman.

You actually really did it.

Cardboard boxes and those gymnastic tumblemats. It was an awesome experience. We so appreciate Wendy's leaning into us and giving us time to have fun and make a little commercial. That was a That's the little spot we did for Saucy Nugs.

Wendy's, they just need to cut the budget for the stunt doubles because I am my own stunt double. You are your own stunt double.

I don't need no stunt double. You are our fall guy.

Yeah, as long as you got some safety for me to land into, I got the stunt under control, man. This was my audition for my I'm on Hollywood roll next. Shout out to Wendy's because I'm going Hollywood.

I actually see that happening someday. I really do.

I see that happening someday. A. K. A. Hollywood, Coach. Hollywood. But I'm Hollywood, though, where it's all good.

One of the great things about doing these commercials is watching Coach through the course of these hours upon hours where he gets to say maybe three words. Coach, take us through your line.

Oh, my gosh. What was it?

Must be good for the lumbar. Must be good for the lumbar.

Hey, where's the napkins? I think I said that.

Don't forget the napkins.

Yeah, me and braided were stand-ins, I think.

That was good. You guys were the background. Very important, the background work there. It was all about Mark and a little Maddie. It is about Mark. It's always about Mark. I'm getting tired of it always being about Mark. What are you talking about? A podcast, big noon kickoff. You're not a nice person, Mark. What is up with you lately, bro?

You've been having some animosity towards Everything good?

No, it's because you- You need to settle something.

I know you box. You want to put up the Duke's, man?

You put me through that NFL running workout on the treadmill in Madison. That was great.

You weren't even breathing hard.

I know because I'm a soccer guy. Hey, how did we celebrate that run, Mark Ingram?

By jumping in the water. The Lake. I don't know what Lake that was. What Lake was that?

There's a couple of Lakes around there. It was the Lake right outside our hotel. Mark in front of Coach and his wife dropped to his drawers to go dive It was a little bit of it.

The water was cold. That was a Seinfeld moment. The water was cold.

The water was a little chilly. We didn't have no way out. We had to get on the dock and tricep extensions to get out of the water.

I'll tell you, Madison, Wisconsin was beautiful. People treated us great. How about the Naples restaurant? Naples 15, 21. Come on, man.

If anybody's ever in the Madison area, that is where you have to go. Look for Sal at Naples 15.

I had the lobster with the scalops with the linguine, and it was just smacking. It was smackable.

They so take care of us there, don't they? Hey, Coach, real quick, while we're talking about Madison, we barely got into it on big noon kickoff, but what did Madison represent to you when you were an opposing football coach?

That was my favorite place in the Big Ten, other than Columbus, obviously. The students, the people, I just always admire their friend. Normally, when I was a coach at Ohio State, I'd hide. I don't want to disrupt the team because there's some places, man, it's rugged. I'd come out right for a kickoff and right at the end of warmups. But in Madison, I'd come out early. I'd come out early and go over the student section. You saw them there. It was great. It's a very unique place that's got an incredible history. Number two winning program in the Big Ten since 2000. They're struggling a bit now. I think Coach Vick will get it going. But I mean, elite, elite place.

And we love the jump, the jump around between the third and the fourth quarter, that fan base, because it wasn't a great day for the Badgers against your Alabama Cribs in time, but they stuck around to jump, and then they headed back to their tailgate. Immediately.

They left immediately.

That's what happened.

What happened in that whole end zone?

I don't know. They said they were going to KK Club.

They were going to the College Club, spelled with a K. We were there on Thursday night, Mark, you, me, and Matt. Yeah, went through the little- And my buddy Steve Weis, the crazy professor.

We went through the secret entrance.

Coach, all right, I got to tell the story. Matt had what? The phone number for the manager of the College Club or whatever it was.

Matt knows the owner's only.

That's a Matt move, right? So Matt, Mark, and I, and my buddy from Colgate, Steve Weiss, the crazy professor. His hair was all over the place by Buddy Wiker. Oh, he's the best. We get to this. Coach, I'm not saying it's a college bar. It's a college bar. You're looking and you're like, Oh, man, we're going to be the oldest people in this place by far. There's a line outside the door, and Mark and Matt are like, We ain't standing in no line to get into this place. Matt calls the manager. The guy comes on out, and Matt's like, Hey, man, is there another entrance? Is there a VIP?

Just happen to have the number.

Is there a VIP Heisman winner type He's like, Hey, man, just go down the side of the building. First right, it's an alley. Take a right, and in there, there'll be a small door, and I'll open it up for you. So, Mark, what do we do?

We walk down, we turn We're down the alley, the sheisty alley. Sheisty alley. Then we see a small door. I'm like, There's no way that's the door. I keep walking trying to find a small door.

Operative word, small door.

And lo and behold, the small door opens.

Coach, even I had to shrink to half my height. You have a picture of the door, don't you? I have a call inside this door. I do have a picture of the door because Mark and I went by and hit that. Dude, that door was one of those three-inch metal thick doors. It has no reason to be that secure. Yeah, it felt like we were doing some weird late night delivery. So Madison. Props to Madison. All right, time now for any given Saturday. We're actually going to talk football, and I think the big question right now, congratulations to Texas. They are the number one ranked team jumping over Georgia this week. But the bigger question is, has the Arch Manning era started in Austin? Quin Ewers was having a Heisman-type start to his campaign, left with that abdominal injury versus UTSA. Arch comes in, and Arch was everything that we thought he would be, 267 total yards, five touch downs. Five? Five, including his first pass was a shutdown, and I believe It was the third read of the play. So he's already showing this maturity. He ran it for 53 yards, including that shutdown run of 67 yards.

So there's going to be this conversation of, has Arch supplanted Quinn Ewers? Quinn is probably out this Saturday, which would give Arch his first career collegiate start. Now, Coach, Sark's got a lot to deal with, right? They got that win at Michigan the same weekend that Notre Dame had that home loss to Northern Illinois. Immediately that Monday, which was last Monday, Sark is preaching, Hey, we got to stay away from the Notre Dame effect. Don't start reading your headlines. Don't be reading the clippings. You're a good team, but things can happen. He was preaching, Beware of the Notre Dame effect. Now, he's got this quarterback. I'm not saying... I think maybe it's a quarterback quandry right now, right? Because you've got two elite players. And if Arch continues to play at an elite level, what do do when Quinn comes back and he's ready to go? So how would you be managing things right now before things get ahead of themselves and get over their skis a little bit?

I've had a couple of well-known situations. I had Tim Tebo and Chris Leak. Chris Leake was the incumbent returning starter, and here comes the superstar that the fans love. I mean, every time Tim Tebo would walk on the field, the place went beserk, and they actually would boo when I put Chris Leake back in. I think I don't think Texas is there yet, but I understand Arch is the crowd favorite. Then I also had Cam Newton backing up Tebo. Think about that. I had Joe Burrow backing up Dwyane Haskins, so I've had a couple of them. I think it's all a credit to the Manning family. I would lean on that. Quin Ewers is your starter, boys. Until he beats him out and doing well against Texas, San Antonio, that's who they beat, right?

Yeah, UTL. I say?

Yeah, that's a warm-up. That doesn't count for you. That's a warm-up show.

Can't lose a job to injury, Coach.

That's right.

Now- Oh, yes, you can. If you're that good, you can lose it to injury. Next up is UL Monroe on Saturday. So another scrimming Ridge type team, right?

Yeah. So Quinn Ewa has beat Alabama at Bama. Quinn Ewa has beat the Wolverines badly at Ann Arbor. He's your starting quarterback. Way to not say the Amway Coach. You got to play him. I'd play him.

Arch is about to get much-needed reps. He's about to keep balling and shot Colin because that's what he is. And he's not the son of Eli and Payton, as you see on the long TD run. He's Cooper's son. The man can run, and he can pass.

He's the real deal. I think it's going to be an interesting That's a good situation.

They're good enough, Rob. He'll play a lot because they're going to be beating the sauce out of teams this year. That's a great team. So he'll play a lot.

That's a good problem to have for the Longhorns. Sure.

I hope it's a good problem for them to have, but it could become a problem. I don't think it will. I don't think it will.

It's always a good problem.

Well, it's better than having no quarterbacks, i. E, the team in Ann Arbor right now with what they're going through right now. But let's talk about...

I'm sorry.

It's facts. Even the Michigan people understand that. Let's go back to this Texas situation. I find this fascinating. I don't think it's going to become an issue, and it's only going to become an issue if Quinn Ewers lets it become an issue. I don't believe Arch is going to fall into that because as we talked in the pre-show, if you will, there's good uncles and there's bad uncles. I've always loved this term hanging out with the college football guys. We got an uncle. There's always, and I'll let you get into this, Coach, about the odd uncles. But when you're talking good uncles, you're talking Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, good uncles. That's what Arch has right now. He has got an absolute solid head on his shoulders, and he's got DNA, he's got pedigree, and he's got generations of talent in that family who can properly guide beside him. Not every young student athlete out there, Coach, has that.

Yeah, I call him the third uncle, and the third uncle would be that guy that comes in, Mark, and all of a sudden, he's sitting in the meeting with the Coach, and you're like, Who is this guy? Why is he here? He has an interest, and it's usually him. I was pretty-He needs a bag. I was pretty crude about it, too. Like, get the hell... What are you doing here? The player would sometimes, well, that's your who? Where's your father? Where's family? Because the way God created Young people, they're usually a mess. They have to listen. Every young person, in my experience, Mark, and I can't wait to hear your response, listens to someone. Yes, sir. 17, 18-year-olds are not equipped to make the life-changing decision. So who are they listening to? I got a great story. Marvin Harrison, senior, he was the person that Marvin Harrison Jr. Was listening to. There's no one better. It wasn't about NIL, it wasn't about money. You know what it was I remember hearing Heartline tell me a story. It's about becoming the best possible version of yourself, and you work your ass off. Don't worry about that other stuff.

It'll come. And I know Mark, your father, senior, and your uncle, Bob, you surround yourself with great people. I've seen the opposite when you see people that have self-interest as opposed to the interest in the young person. I mean, of all the things in college sports that drove me insane, that might be one. Because I'm looking at this poor kid thinking, Why Why in the hell are you listening to that person? Because that person is not in it for you.

Right. Well, a lot of these young kids, they listen to someone who has not... So like you said, Marvin Harrison senior, he played. He has went through. He understands the process, the grind. It's not just an over day. It's not an instant gratification. A lot of these parents or a lot of these guardians want instant gratification for money, for whatever it may be. But my father played 10 years Just won a Super Bowl, was a first-round draft pick. So when I went to college, I was listening to him. And maybe I wanted to leave. I wanted to transfer. He's like, No, you're going to stay your butt there. You're going to work your butt off, and you're going to get what you deserve.

Every player at some point in their mind says, I got to go.

Exactly. My freshman year, I said I had to go. My dad was like, No, you don't got to go. You got to sit there, weather the storm, work your butt off, overcome the adversity, compete, and you'll be better for it. And so when you have the pedigree and someone like Arch has, his uncle's, his father, Marva Harrison Jr. Has, Marva Harrison Senior, a Hall of Fame wide receiver. When you have that pedigree, they understand the process. It's not something that you could just get instant gratification. You can't take any shortcuts. There's no secret recipe. It's hard work, it's dedication, it's commitments, overcoming diversity.

I will add this, Mark. When you see a player go through a struggle, I promise you it was some knucklehead making a decision for that player that had some self-interest. And that drives me like... And I've talked to other coaches, but it drives you absolutely insane when you see people leave a great situation. You're like, Why the hell did you just do that? Cooper Manning was on our show A couple of weeks ago, and I grabbed him. And I know you did, too, Mark. And I imagine, Rob, you talked to him. And I just said, Man, the decisions that you guys have made so far for this guy has been phenomenal. Yeah.

I told him the same thing, Coach. I was like, I admire what you have done with Arch, how you have handled that whole situation. Because he could have been left and wouldn't have started anywhere in the country. But he stayed in Texas. He stayed true to who he is, to his morals, his values. And look, it's going to pay off tenfold because we already see the talent. We already see the potential. And when it's Arch Manning time in Texas, it's going to be the real deal. It's already the real deal in Texas. They're number one in the country, but now they got a future. They got a future beyond Queen yours. And that's what you look for when you had a great program like Texas.

If any college football player in the country could have left and you wouldn't have given him much grief about it, it would have been Arch Manning. Facts. With everything that comes with the name and what his background was, and just to be properly humbled by sitting behind another quarterback and learning. We're seeing that in the NFL right now. We just saw that with Bryce Young in Carolina, that these young men, whether it's on the collegiate level or the NFL level, getting thrown to the proverbial college football NFL wolves early on before they're ready. Arch Manning is ready. Using that time to sit has made him a better player to sit. Tom braided was going off on that the other day as well. Excellent. Yeah. Yeah. Sit and learn and be patient. But that is not the society we live in right now. But congratulations to Texas. Number one, guys, in the AP poll for the first time in 16 years. You know who's not number one?

Florida. Hey, was it 16 years? 16 years, man. How long ago was that? That's 2014. That's 2000.

I was told there'd be no math involved. 2008. Middle of the 2008 season is when Texas was last number one. Can anybody remember when Florida was last number one? Coach, you were probably there and involved.

2009.

Your gators, brother, your gators are sinking, Coach. Billy Napier getting booed at halftime, getting booed coming off the field, having to deal with questions about his tenure. Is he going to continue to continue. He basically admitted he would have booed himself coming off the field with another home loss. Then there's the team up north, if you're a Florida gator, if you will, Florida State, Tallahassee. They fall to Memphis, 20 to 12. They are 0 and 3. Fsu, the first preseason top 10 team to start 0 and 3 with all three losses coming to unranked opponents. As good as Miami is right now in the Sunshine State, and even maybe give UCF and USF a little love, it is a massive fall from grace for Florida State and for Florida. I'll start with you, Mark. Which program do you think is in more perilous state right now?

I think it would have to be the Gators. I think it's the Gators, although the Noles aren't far behind. But I love Mike Norvall as a coach. I love Napier as a coach. But when you have the results that you've had and you're getting pressure from boosters, from fans, from students, And then, possibly players, too. I've seen a player post some stuff on social like, F this team. You know what I mean? When you have that type of division going on within a program, that is not what you want. So I don't know. They're both down there right now. And I'm a fan of Mike Norvill because I spent some time with Mike Norvall. I don't know Napierre personally, but I feel for both of these coaches, man. I've seen a picture of him and his wife, had a hug on the field. You see stuff like These are human beings. You know what I mean? This is a coach who doesn't want this to happen for his program. Coach knows better than anyone. The Swamp, they have Championship standards. They don't have standards where they're one and two losing to unranked teams at home in the Swamp.

So I would say that the Florida Gators are probably in a worse state just because maybe they feel more stable with Mike Norvall in Florida State.

Particularly after what they did last season, right? Going undefeated, winning the ACC, but getting bounced from the playoff picture. Coach, your take on what's going on with your former program in Gainesville.

Yeah, I talked to Coach Steve Sperger last night, and him and Jerry celebrated their 58th anniversary. He's a great friend and a guy I admire so much. He's been so good to me over the years, and Shelle and Jerry. I talked to him, and he's there, and I said something. I said, Were you in the game? And he said he left to beat the traffic, but he said it was bad. When that momentum is such a fragile thing, You got a really experienced team momentum, whether in-game decisions or program decisions. But momentum has never been more valuable because people want to win and won now and would do anything. You see these buyouts. You're going to talk about them here in a minute where they just keep firing people because you start to lose momentum. You lose momentum, you lose recruiting, you lose... And then fans and NIL. I'm getting a little bit stressed out here even thinking about what's happening there because momentum is gone. It's been gone for a while there, and that's hard to imagine. Mark, you never went to the swamp, did you? No. But you played the Gators.

I played the gators, though. When they were at the peak.

There's no better place. There's no better stadium.

It's like a freaking jet engine right behind you when you're cooking. Great setting. Fantastic college town. When you're cooking.

And you got... Jobs are based on recruiting, and there's within a 300-mile radius, you don't have to go anywhere else. I was offered the Notre Dame job and the Florida job. And I'm Irish Catholic, and I love Notre Dame. I would go there in a minute. But the reason I took Florida, not many people know this, is because I had young kids at the time. When you recruit for Notre Dame, Mark, you recruit Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, New Jersey, New York, Memphis, and Florida. You know where you recruit? Are you Florida? Florida. You got a King Aaron, you got a citation at your disposal. I was home almost every night because you recruit Tampa, you recruit Miami, you recruit the Polk County, you go up in Georgia, but you're home. And so Florida has got it all right there.

It's hard for me to see what's happening in Florida because when I was playing in college, they were the best team in the country. They were the standard. They whipped us and caused It triggered our dynasty. That was what motivated us. In '08, we went there. We played Coach Meyer, his game was in the SC Championship. It was one versus two. We lost that game. That motivated us and inspired us for the next year. We went unde in the one that was Championship, and that's essentially what the dynasty that you see today at Alabama. It was hard for me to see Florida in the position at the man right now.

It's funny the things that come back to your brain, just like your first memories of somebody or something. Coach, one of my first memories of you was a classic video clip to Coldplay, I Will Fix You. It was Urban coming to Gainesville to fix the Florida Gators. I remember it vividly. It was so great. The Gator Nation was behind you and feeling this change of pace. I guarantee you there's some boosters, there's some alums out there saying, You know what? Let's find Urban Meyer's number and let's get his tail back down to Gainesville. Somebody called you, said, Coach, come fix us again. What would you tell them?

That ship has sailed, Mark. I want that program to do well so bad. I know so many people there and give a big part of our life to that program. But that ship has sailed, Mark.

All right. We don't want you to go.

People keep trying to take Coach.

I'm not trying to take Coach. I have fought for years to keep Coach. I lost them once. I'm not going to lose them again. Let's talk about these buyout numbers. Napier, this year, 26M. I It's a big number, man. Buy me out, damn it. I'm getting to you guys. Yes.

Buy me out, please.

You can buy me out with a 26 T. I don't need a 26 M. Next year, it goes down to 19 million, 2026 down to 13 million. If we're talking Tallahassee, Norvel, this year, $68 million dollar buy-out.

Please buy me out.

Yeah. Next year, 59 million, 26, 51 million.

These are massive, staggering numbers.

First.

Stone, put me out of my misery, please.

Everybody, done. I'm done. I'm going to do you a favor. I'm going to cash that check, and I am gone. You will not see me on the triple option. You will not see me on big new kickoff.

You're going to see me on my own island. You're going to see me on the World Cup. Come on. That's the Matt Rule program. Oh, man. Get that money from Carolina. I think they still paying him six figures a month. And he over there, undefeated with Nebraska. That's the Matt Rule program.

Can we talk about Nebraska right now? Are they for real? 3-0, guys, for the first time since 2016. And that rule, flipping of programs is crazy. I'm going to throw some numbers at you. This is on the collegiate level. Remember, he started at Temple. Temple is a tough place to win, Coach. Yes, sir. If Temple came to you like, Hey, Coach, Coach, come fix us at Temple. Coach is going to be like, Wrong number. Who's this? All right, so temple, 2 and 10, right? Year one under rule, and then 6 and 6. That's a 6 and 6, 500 in Philly for Temple. They're building you statues. Then it goes 10 and 4 and 10 and 3. Baylor comes call it. Remember when Baylor was just god awful? Mm-hmm. One and 11. And then bam, 7 and 6. Then 11 and 3. Goes to the NFL Well, maybe it didn't work so great for him there. Nebraska comes calling. Then AD Trev Albert. What a great signing this was. Matt Rule. You got to remember these guys, just because they had one bad year, maybe in another league, doesn't mean they're bad coaches. Maybe they're just better fits on the collegiate level.

But Matt Rule comes back to the college game, five and seven at Nebraska, but you could see things improving dramatically. Here they are, three and oh. Friday night, primetime on Fox, a ranked matchup against Illinois. Coach, it will be the 400th consecutive sellout in Lincoln dating back to early November 1962. That place loves that program and their football.

Unique place. I think it's the envy of college sports, if you've really studied college sports, 400 straight sellouts, Mark. The entire state migrates to Lincoln, Nebraska. I've been there. I've been a fan. I've been a fan since Tom Osborne changed the game. In the '70s, Mark, you weren't around, Mark. Some of us were. They were the first program to really invest in athletes the way that everyone does now. Mark, you knew that. They called it Husker Power. That was back when strength training was really not a thing to do. I remember people telling us, Don't do it because it's not good for you. I remember as I started really lifting because of Nebraska, and I would have their pictures all over my bedroom We had a little $20 weight room that I put together.

It was because of Nebraska. You got pictures of Nebraska weight lifting guys in your bedroom?

That sounds bad.

I had Sheryl Teese. I had Vera Fawcett. You got some Nebraska weightlifters.

That was bizarre.

What's up on your wall, Coach? What is going on with you?

The Husker Power. I'll never forget it. Coach is vascular, man. For Christmas, I got a $40 weight set, Mark. Remember those concrete and plastic weights that you put on? I got I got that because of Husker power. But the point is this, they just built a brand new Tom Osborne facility. They are nonstop investing in their program, and they're athletes. You have to admire that. And that's why I'm a huge fan of Nebraska.

I love football. I love the history of football. So even though I wasn't around in the '70s, I've always heard about Nebraska, the Cornhuskers. And my coach, Coach Burn Burns, who was my running back coach, he played in Nebraska. So I always heard about the history and the rich culture of the Nebraska Ask a Cornhusker. So I think it's better for college football when they're back and they're three and all. They're in primetime Friday night. Matt Rule got the squad going. Dylan Reola, Patty Mahomes Jr. In the flesh doing the whole pre-game, get up and all. They The haircut, the number, everything. They got the guys flying around on defense. The Cornhuskers. We're going to see what they buy on Friday.

Really, really well-coached team. Top 10, number 8 in the country on defense, balanced offense. They got a young freshman quarterback. If you really watch what he's doing, he's completing, I think, 80% of his balls. They're protecting him, Mark. I mean, it's one of the best jobs I've seen protecting a young quarterback. They're not putting him in harm's way. The ball is coming out, they're taking care of them, and they got a nice run game to go with it. And top eight in the country in defense. So that's a real team. They're not ready to go. They might sneak into a play. I don't think they're ready this year, but the future is strong there.

What I admire is what you said since 400 and something games. So even when they weren't good, they were still selling out. That tells you everything you need to know about the culture of a program.

One time, real fast, Mark, before we move on, they weren't very good, and we went out there to play. I asked my operations guy, I said, Let's go. I just want to go look around. I put a hat and sunglasses on. This is two hours before the game, and they drove me around a golf cart. That's how much I admire Nebraska.

Let me give you a couple of little nuggets here about Nebraska as well. They should be. Here's the big one. They should be 7-0. They could, should be 7-0 going into Columbus, Ohio, October 26th. How about that one? Big noon? Big noon is already eyeballing that one. I'll give you one other number. Last time, Nebraska hosted a ranked matchup. This week, number 22, Nebraska hosting number 24, Illinois. Congrats Coach Bilema and the Illini. Last time, Nebraska hosted a ranked matchup. The year was 2013, and that is your Saucy Nug of the Week try some at your nearest Wendy's.

I got the nugs. I got the saucy nugs.

Coming up next, we're joined by the Commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell. Huge guest this week on the triple option from downtown Manhattan, the Commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, joins us right now. Thank you, Commissioner, for joining us.

My pleasure.

Good to be with you guys. Thanks, Mark.

Commissioner, good to be with you again. It's been a minute. And by the way, my son, Nate, who you invited on the field after the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, you were holding his hand walking him on the field. He's now married, and he had a child a week ago. How about that?

Oh, my goodness. Congratulations. They grew up so fast. Congratulations, Bobby. Wow. That's amazing, isn't it?

Well, something that connected us years ago, Roger, was our love for the game and then also for your life after the game. I remember probably 15 years ago or 12 years ago, I came to see you, and you were good enough to come speak to our team about fiscal responsibility, about leadership, about life after the game. And now NIL has popped up. And do you think that's a positive for preparing, at least the sting of that first paycheck when they get in, not understanding the value of money? Do you think it's really helped, or I guess it's to be determined, if it will help players as they get to the NFL?

Listen, it brings on a lot of responsibility at an earlier age, and I think it probably puts a lot of responsibility on colleges to make sure that kids understand that and they're prepared for that. So it changes the dynamic. Listen, it's deserved, so I understand that aspect of it. But the zero Girls get pretty big, and the impact when you make bad decisions is pretty significant for a young man and their family. So they need to be prepared for that. I think the more we can help and support the colleges to make sure that our transition programs could be applied potentially to them would probably be a good thing because it's a big jump from college football to the NFL. This probably does reduce that a little bit because it's one less adjustment, but it's still big jump. Mark could tell you that.

Yeah, for sure. You go from making zero dollars to making a lot of dollars. The financial literacy is key. Yes, I agree with that. Mr. Kamish, player safety is always on the top of the list for you, for everyone at the league. It's something I admire. I appreciate you guys and the constant pursuit of taking care of the players, and especially in the sport as physical as ours. Obviously, Tua with his concussion It's been a huge discussion this past week, but the most recent study by the National Federation of State High Schools has over a million students participating high school football. That's the highest number since 2017, 2018. Players, we see them wearing guardians in training camp. Some even in the games now, we're seeing it. How do you feel the league has addressed the safety concerns for the sport as a whole? And what can you, what can I do to further progress the positive look for parents and children for the youth of our game?

You know, Mark, I think We have to do our thing. And the way we approach that is we look at the data. People are talking about the hip drop, which is extended into college football and impacted college football a lot last year. When you see the kinds of injuries that occur there, they may not be a lot, but they're devastating. They are. You need to get them out of the game. Kick-offs is another one. We're modifying our kick-off. It'll be a transition. It'll be a period We'll have to make changes to it, undoubtedly, as time goes on. But as we get data, so we're really focusing on data. Where are the injuries occurring? What are the techniques that cause those injuries? How do you study those? And then how do you use that in looking at our rules every year? I think we're over 60 rule changes in the last 15 years that have been designed specifically for safety and have made the game safer, taken those techniques out. So I believe our game is safer. We also look at it how we're training our athletes. It's not the same training camp that you were played at.

The off-season are different. But I think we have 11 practices that you're allowed to have with pads during the season. I would say most teams don't even get to that anymore. So we're learning to train our players differently. Coaches are adjusting. I think the real trick for us is to share that with every level of football and frankly, every level of sports. When we develop new helmets, it ought to be available to every level of sports. When we develop new rules, we want to share that. When we look at data that shows how we can address new rules, we share that with every level. And NCA reps come to our competition committees every year, and we share that data. We give them every bit of information we have. It's up to them to make those rule changes if they feel it's appropriate. To me, it's a shared responsibility for the good of the game.

You talk about the helmets. Do you forecast a day where those Guardian caps are basically mandatory in the NFL?

There's a lot of data that shows that the Guardian Cap with what we would call a lower-quality helmet is still about as good as wearing the best helmet. So a lot of our players, I think we have 360 60 players wearing the newer helmets this year. And what we're trying to do is invest in the quality of those helmets. We actually invest in some that are now some of the best helmets. And when I say invest, not that we're holding any equity in it, but that we put seed money towards investing in better helmets. And I think that's showing a lot of promise. So I think the best helmets can be as good as helmets that they might be more comfortable in that they've worn for many years. But if they're going to wear the Guardian, that's okay with us if they feel better about it. I don't know if that will end up being the helmet of choice, if you want to put it that way.

I think that's the best thing for them. That thing is ugly, commission. I'm not going to lie.

Mark, that was the first reaction from a lot of guys. Our point to them was, this is safer for you based on the quality helmets we had then. And it's been about a 20% reduction in concussions. And That's a positive change for us. That's just concussions. The micro hits, the micro concussions, those are the things that we want to take out of the game. All of that, I think, has been a contributing factor, but I believe we're going to have helmets for each position. We already have it for quarterbacks and linemen. There are different types of hits that every position takes, and you want to have helmets that are built to be able to handle those impacts. And so that's where I see the change.

I was with you a couple of times in NFL draft, and it's amazing. A couple of fan bases boo you. I felt like you in Ann Arbor last week when the fans are getting me pretty good.

He couldn't even work last week, Kameesh. He trying to get some. I know.

I felt for you, Coach.

Well, as they say, if your rivals are cheering for you, you must not have a very good record against your rivals. That's what Steve Spurrier is saying.

If they Welcome, Jen. You'd be in trouble.

So the NBA, the hockey, Jean Smith and I, the former AD at the Ohio State, at one point, we had a little conversation. Do you see... I mean, if someone says, We know what the college football landscape will look like in 5, 6, 10 years, they probably don't. There's even conversation about breaking away and maybe having a minor league where they don't have to go to class. I can't. It's hard for me to fathom that. Do you have a forecast of the the way the relationship between the NFL and college football continue to grow?

I certainly don't have a forecast on what the landscape is going to be, Coach, but I will tell you this. We're going to be supportive of every level of football. We believe that's one of our roles. As the NFL, we've had an unbelievable relationship with college football. As you know, our primary relationship really with the conferences in football. That may not be the case in basketball, where it's probably more directly, I think the NCAA controls the final four tournament. But from our standpoint, we believe we should be there to support college football as best we can. We work hard in our scheduling to avoid conflicts. That's a little bit of an issue now with the expanded playouts. We have one day when we're going to be playing against each other. That's not something we look for. We look to try to find ways to avoid that. It won't be easy to always do that. But our view of strong college football is good for the overall game of football. We'll be supportive of that and try to do everything we can to be consistent with that.

Commissioner, you mentioned that overlap. That's the second day of the first round of the college football playoffs, December 21st. Three college football playoff games on a Saturday that is, traditionally, a college football day, right? But I know you guys- No, that's traditionally.

I take that on. It's traditionally an NFL day. College football is usually done by the second week.

Correct. You You guys have an NFL double header, essentially, going up against those three college football games. You mentioned that's in your site. How did you, in college football, try to work around or try to navigate so it's the best for football as a whole on that day?

Well, it came because they expanded the college football playouts, which is certainly the right. We've been scheduled for the last several years on playing on that date. We looked at, can we modify the times? Could they modify the time? Can they play on Friday night? Can they play on Thursday night? Those are all things that we explored. We just couldn't get around the entire conflict. But I think at some point, when we all have a little more time to plan, maybe there'll There's a lot of ways we could do that.

Roger. Now, this is a lighter question. Don't take any... This is just a lighter, harder question. Okay? I'm going to come with you. You want to see what I got for you? Okay.

Watch out, Commissioner.

My hoodans are bawling this year. They They off to a hot start. He's faked up on the Cowboys last weekend. Now, the narrative around who that nation is that the NFL does not like the Saints, that Roger hates the Saints. So I'm giving you a chance to clear the air. I know that's not the case with you, Roger. You're a good man, a stand-up man. I'm going to give you a chance to clear the air. Do you hate the Saints?

Absolutely not. You know what? Everyone always asked me my favorite team, and I said any one of them. I love them all. And so we want them all. And so I'm always rooting for the team behind. But I think it's great to see the Saints come out of the box the way they're playing. Nobody ever expected it. And the first two wins have been dominant. And so I can't wait to be down there for a game this season. It'll be fun.

There you go, Who dat Nation. You heard it from the man himself, man. He supports, he loves the Saints, he loves the Who dat Nation. So welcome him and Nola. Give him the Nola love when he comes down, please.

I'm going to take you with me, Mark.

I got you back. Smart man.

I might boo you a little bit. One of the things we also talked about over the years was it drove me nuts when a player went that was not ready for the NFL. And agents or the third uncle that we talked about earlier in the show would get a hold of this kid, and he'd leave, and he would survive a year or two and then have to go back and get his degree. The NIL has changed that, I think. A lot of kids are staying now. Obviously, it's still fairly early. Have you felt that a little bit in the NFL where not as many are leaving early?

Yeah. We were getting to the point where our eligibility rules, I think, are really important. We've defended them in court. We believe in it, and it goes to the point we believe in a strong college football system. We also believe that players are better prepared for the NFL when they do have not just the additional experience in college football, but really exposure to the educational system, which is even more important to get that degree. Or even if you don't get the degree, hopefully to get close enough where you can go back and get it. A lot of our players do do that. I think what the numbers show, Coach, when you got at the end of your junior year an option of whether you wanted to apply it into the NFL draft. We were getting up about 110, just roughly, that would choose to do that. Since NIL, it's dropped back down into the high '70s. I think that's a good thing for us because that's indicating kids are staying. They're not making that choice. They're going to say, I'm going to go back and play college football another year. We think that's always great.

We'll support that every day. I'm really proud of our eligibility rules and proud of the fact We want our kids to stay in college football as long as they can, and frankly, in the college system.

Commissioner, you mentioned you mainly talk with the conferences on the college football level. Where are some places you would like to see that bond strengthened, whether it's through communication or scheduling or whatever it is where the two gigantic sporting forces in this nation can come together to make the sport even stronger?

Again, I think our job is to try to make sure every level of sport is healthy. Sharing of information, sharing of data on injuries, sharing information of how we can grow our sport and let more kids participate in it is always a good thing. We're spending an awful lot of time on development of flag football, and I don't think that takes kids away from tackle. In fact, the numbers are showing as Mark mentioned before, number of kids playing high school football is at a high time high. We want kids playing at any level. We want them having different entry points if they want to start with flag football. We a lot of NFL players that they started playing football. Also the opportunity for women-I have three that play NFL flag, by the way, Commission. So shout out to the NFL flag. There you go. I'm glad you're putting the numbers up, Big Mark.

Yes, sir. I'm trying to help promote the game, too. You know what I mean?

But I think the ability for young women to play our game is unbelievable. The impact it has on them. The same thing that we would all say about playing the of football. Now, young women are getting the opportunity to say that, and it's the confidence. It's the ability to play a team sport and understand the values of that. I just think, though, if we can do that, that's good for kids. And so to go back to your question, really on that one, Rob, I would say anything we can do to help grow the game, and that's making us safer, getting more kids interested in it, and Being able to play the game that we all love and learn the values of it.

We talked about the safety, and I know we implemented the new kickoff rule. If I'm in kindergarten, can you explain to the people out there like they're in kindergarten?

Here we go.

The new kickoff rule and how that will in turn result in more returns, but also in safety for the players.

So it already has led to more returns. Probably not as many as we expected, but we always thought we were going to have to target with things. Like, are the kicking team and the receiving team five yards apart or 10 yards apart? If it's down in the end zone or out of the end zone, should it come out to 30 or the 35? Right now, it's the 30. I think if you move that to 35, you get a tremendous increase in the number of returns because teams kicking off would say, I think I can stop them from getting to 35. I think that's a big change that will probably be considered at some point in the future. But the big thing was to see, we've gone from 22% of our kick-off return to Last weekend, it was about 34. The reality is that towards the end of the season, that will be hundreds of additional returns. Good for the game, good for the fans. Our start drive is going from about the 24 the 29, so it's about a five-year difference. That's great for offense and scoring. It's had the impact we thought it would have.

What we want to do is make sure the injury data. We're trying, what we've done Mark, and I'm probably way over the kindergarten head now, so I apologize. But what we look at is the injury rate from a line of scrimage play. And the kickoff was multiples over that. Because of the speed and the So that's really what it was. This new kickoff has taken that speed and impact out because you're 10 yards apart from each other to start. So that's a big change.

You know, Roger, the last few years, we used to put those chips on their jerseys, just how fast they run. And I did not put two and two together until a lot of data started coming out because we would always try to kick that thing on the one yard line and just try to smother the guy. After I saw people running 22 miles an hour, hitting things, coming at them another 20, that's when I said enough. We start kicking a ball out of the end zone. And I'm glad, I admire that you guys took the... Like you said, you'll probably adapt it, change it, but there's no other play in any sport like that. We're Someone's running 22... Think about that, Mark, 22 miles an hour. Some kids run 21 miles an hour, and then they hit something coming at them. I was back there returning for the kick-off.

I was back there blocking for the returner, so I know. I had to kick out the number two guy He's flying.

And it was violent, man.

Yes, it is.

Mark hit me at 5 miles an hour. We've seen that reduction of impact and the impact it's had on all injuries, not just concussions.

And so I think we're on to something here. I do, too. Again, it'll be adapted. And I do think, Mark, we brought back the big play. We're already well above our numbers on number of kickoffs beyond 30 yards. We had a kick-off return in the first weekend. I don't think we had them last weekend, but the bottom line on it is that crease. So you get that crease and you're gone. And so I think teams are learning how to play with this. It'll be an adjustment from a coaching and a playing level as well as officiating. But I think it's all in a good way.

Just a quick follow-up on that. Now, I'm watching a football game with my wife last night. She's asked me, What is the green box? I'm not explaining it to her because I'm not even in the league no more. I usually would get that information. What is that green box? So I could explain to my wife. Please help me.

I'm laughing because people think the yellow line for the first down is actually on the field. That's all digitally inserted.

How does it keep moving?

Exactly. The networks had done that just to show that's the kick-off, that's the zone. So the kickers have to kick it between the goal line and the 20-yard line. If you don't get it in that zone and it goes out of the end zone, it's gone to the 30. Yeah. It goes to 30. If you get in that zone, it's to 20.

Commissioner, just to pivot back to college football real quick. Is there a rivalry game? Is there a stadium out there that you haven't hit that you'd like to take part in?

Yeah, well, Coach is good enough to have me out at Ohio State, so I checked that one-off. Unfortunately, it went one time to the team to the north in Michigan, and that was fun. I've been to an LSU game, which was a lot of fun. I I've not been to Bama yet, and I'd like to do that.

We got to get you down there. Hey, hit me up, Commission, you need to go to Bama. I got you to take me care of. You need to go to Bama. I got you to take me.

You'll take me.

I'm going to roll out the red carpet for you.

I'd like to do that. And I've been to USA out at the Coliseum several times when they were playing there. So there's still a lot of schools I'd like to go to besides Bama. I haven't been to a Florida game, so Coach didn't invite me when he was down there.

That was the time to go. It's not the time to go now.

You're welcome to join us Any week on big noon kickoff. We'd love to have you on a Saturday. I know your weekends are busy, and we know your weeks are extremely packed as well. That'd be fun. Love to have you, Commissioner.

I enjoy college football. I'm watching all day long. I promise you, whether I'm there or not, I'm watching.

We assumed you would.

It's a beautiful sport. We got a big moon fan. We appreciate you.

So good to see you, Roger.

Thanks, Coach. Commissioner, thanks for joining us. We really appreciate your time. Thank you, Rob.

Mark, thank you, buddy.

Thank you, Roger. Appreciate you.

All right, let's take a look at conferences and how they stack up early on in the season. Last week, we mentioned it on the triple option. It was the first time in the 88-year history of rankings that the SEC had six of the seven top teams in the nation. It continues this week. So top 25 by conference. Just going to spit out some numbers right now. The SEC, shocker, sits alone up top. They have nine programs in the top 25, as mentioned, six of the top seven. After that, Big Ten, four inside the top 11. They've been buoyed by the two Pac-12 schools coming in, USC in Oregon. In third place, the Big 12 with four. The ACC has one top 10 team and three in the rankings. The Mac has one, and there's one independent being Notre Dame. Coach, those are the numbers When you eyeball the conference food chain right now, is it the SEC and everybody else?

Yeah, I think last year is the Pac-12. I think the Big Ten, obviously, when the Wolverines won it in Ohio State. The upper half of the Big Ten is as good as anywhere. It's the rest of the league that's just okay at times. I worry about the Big Ten when you see Wisconsin, who's historically a top 10, top 15. They got a lot of work to do. You got the Wolverines right now. They're a shell of what they were a year ago. You see, Michigan State. When I first went to the Big Ten, Michigan State was a top 10 program. And I think they have an excellent coach. They'll get there eventually, but they should be, and they're not. So right now, I think it's not even close at this point the season that the SEC is number one. I want to pop back, Mark, if it's okay. And in 2012, I was hired at Ohio State. And now that you look back, and I did notice, the Big Ten was not very good. The Big Ten, you might even say was bad. You look at the NFL draft back then, compared to the SEC, it wasn't closed.

One of the big 10 teams to go play teams in the SEC, they normally lost in the bowl games. I remember we went 12-0. I took over a team, we took over a team of 6 and 7, went 12 and 0. We weren't allowed to go bowl game because we were on probation for the previous stuff. I remember everybody feeling great and saying, We should be playing for a national title. You know where I went, Mark? I was invited to broadcast the Notre Dame versus Alabama National Championship game. I walk in that stadium and I see Alabama. I watch Notre Dame warm up, and then I see the tide roll out. I'm watching their coaching. I'm watching the technique of the hands, the way they warm. Everybody does it on the team. And I'm sitting there and I'm getting so pissed off as I'm watching Alabama, and I'm thinking, We're not even close to that. Our coaching is not close to that. Our talent level is not close to that. And I texted every player and every coach for the next two and a half hours during the game, and I called it The Chase.

We are now... That season's over. We just went 12:00 in a very average conference. This is not our goal. Our goal is to chase that team right there. And it was the chase. And we put a big sign up in the facility. No one knew what it meant. The media didn't know what it meant. Our players did, and certainly our coaches staff did. When we recruited a player, I'd ask, I'd say, Would that player be recruited by the best team in the SEC? If not, we're not going to recruit him. We're going to go get the very best players in the country, not in the Big Ten, not in our footprint. If he's the best player in America, I want to go get that player. That's when we did it.

That's crazy because that's essentially what happened to us when you all whipped us in Florida. Look at how the tables turned.In that wild. Look how we inspire and motivate each other. We've always been intertwined, Coach. And now it's only right that we're on the same team.

But the Big Ten changed. And I think Ohio State had a lot to do with that. But then, Penn State really elevated their game recruiting. Obviously, the Wolverines big time did, and you saw the results last year. So it's changed a lot.

And when did you win the national title over there with Ohio State?

Was that three years? Three years after we said the chase has started, three years Later. And ironically, who he played in the play.

Relax, man. We don't got to say all that. Who'd you play in the national championship to win? We don't need to know who you played in the semi. You know what I mean?

You got Bama, then we got Oregon.

We don't need to know who you played in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl.

But I think it's important that the target is not dependent upon your conference. Right now is the Big 12, ACC, Florida State's down. I think Clemson's good, but it's not the Clemson it was a few years ago. Right now, the SEC is the dominant.

You know who's not down?

You're right.

Both you. Both you. Utah and Miami. Exactly right, Mark. Are both popping right now. Coach, I love the story, and I love for you to share it that you weren't the only one with the last name, Meyer, who knew that the Big Ten wasn't quite up to speed at that moment.

Oh, yeah. The wife of 35 years looked at me after one of our games. Our first game, we played Miami, Ohio.

The MVP Meyer.

We beat them bad in the second half, but it was awful. I remember going home, and she said, That's the slowest football game I've watched in years. I looked at her, I said, No, give us time. Give us time here. We're going to get this thing going. But that's funny. The SEC can run. And eventually, to go look at that, we're going to see a team that can run now, and the Buckeyes would be right on top of the SEC, too.

The Buckeyes are one of the best team in the country, It's a conference. They could go play any conference. But it's funny that Ms. Shelle said that because Ms. Shelle said that because me and my father, we used to watch. I'm from Big Ten country. I grew up in Michigan. So Big Ten is always on the TV. We flip back to CBS, and you can see the difference in the speed. You can see the difference in the physicality. My dad be like, You want to play here? You want to play there?

It was two different games, Mark. Yes.

I want to play there. I was never getting recruited there. I had a big senior year. Fortunately, I transferred, had a big senior year. I find that's what essentially helped me get my Alabama offer. And I had to go to the SEC, though. I had to go to the SEC.

Different world.

You got to get Big Ten credit now. They just won last year. They caught up. The Wolverines did. They did catch up, but the whole conference has got to continue.

That was back then. We're talking 10, 14, 15 years ago. We're not saying nothing about the Big Ten now because obviously, you got elite athletes all over the country. Big 12, Big Ten, But I'm just talking back then, Coach.

To the big 10s credit, though, the additions of USA and Oregon paying early dividends, at least if you look at the AP rankings, and the SEC schedule is about to pick up. There's going to be some self-sabotage going on in the SEC.

They're going to ruin each other. What do you say the good news is, Coach?

Good news is you're the deepest most talented league in the nation. Bad news is you're the deepest, most talented league in the nation. You're going to kick each other's ass in.

Self-sabotage, and it starts as week. That's right.

Let the cannibalism begin.

All right. Tennessee, Oklahoma is about to start.

Oh, man. This week is about to start this week. We're going to talk about that one in just a second. Pick 6 is brought to you by Bet MGM. Place your money line prop parlay and same game parlay bets at Bet MGM. Just download the app today as As always, please gamble responsibly. Each week, we're going to pick six games against the spread. Mark will pick his Deuce Deuce dog of the week. Another Wimpering pup this week. One of his underdogs will cover. All right. A reminder to everyone listening to these lines.

We hit last week, Stoner.

We hit. I got with the points. Yeah, I know you did. I know you did.

They almost went all right.

But tell me you don't want to win. You were a reluctant Deuce Deuce Dog of the Week. These lines are current as of Tuesday and as always can't change. We hinted about this first game, Friday night, 8 Eastern, live on Fox. Love this. One of four ranked matchups in the week, Illinois at Nebraska. Cornhuskers now favored by nine at home. And we mentioned this is the first ranked matchup in Lincoln, Coach, in 11 years. How do you see it going?

I wish we were there, Mark. This is going to be electric. It's great for the state of Nebraska, but it's also great for the state of Illinois. Coach Bielema, that's a tough-ass coach, man. I've coached against him. Got a lot of respect for him. He's at the right place, too. He's going to get an identity there. He already has. Because Illinois at one point was horrible. And now look what he's done to that. So they got good players, good Balanced team. However, I'm a Nebraska. Dylan Dylan, the Raiola, that's the story right now. It really isn't. The story is that top 10 number rank defense, a Balanced offense, and they're protecting them, a well-coached team. I have Nebraska covering. Think about what they did to Colorado, Mark. They took Shador, and they took Travis Hunter. You know, they didn't score a countdown in the fourth quarter.

Yeah.

So that defense.I neutralize them. I know the story's offense, and I know Dylan Raiola. I'd like to play quarterback, Nebraska, with a defense like that.

Tell us why, Coach.

Because they held Colorado to three points. You don't have to be panicky on offense, especially with the young quarterback. So I'm all over Nebraska.

By the way, if Illinois pulls this one-off, let's start eyeballing road trips to Champagne because Brett Bilema and that program would deserve it.

And it's a really good team. I watched them today. That's not because they played bad teams. That's a good team.

Happy for him. He's a good dude. All right, let's talk about ACC right now. Nc State on the road at number 21 Clemson. This line has changed and it's grown. Clemson favored by 20 and a half. Why? Here's why. Wolfback veteran transfer, QB Grayson-McCaul, knocked out of last week's game. Head coach Dave Doran said he was, quote, day to day. Certainly looks like the true freshman, 6'6, true freshman QB, C. J. Bailey from the Miami area will get the start. He came in last week in relief of McCall 13 to 20, 156 yards, a rushing shutdown and an interception, but he did lead a comeback They ended up winning by 10. This is crazy. It's been over two decades since NC State last won in Death Valley. That streak, it's not going to end Saturday. Tiger is going to win, but I don't see them covering the spread. All right, it is welcome to the Big Ten Saturday for number 11, USC, fight on, who are favored by six at the Defending National Champs, Michigan. The Wolverines now at number 18. And Coach, Michigan, they made a A quarterback change up there in Ann Arbor.

They did. We thought that might come. Alex Orgy, I think, is one of the best athletes on the team. There's a couple of balls he threw already this year that really question if he can throw. I heard Jerome Morris say he can't throw. He has to be able to throw, but he is a- He's a quarterback. Excellent athlete. However, the coaching higher of the year early in the season is Danton Lynn is at USC. I mean, for two years, that defense at USC, they couldn't tackle. I hate to say it like that, they could not tackle. We witnessed it at the... What was it? The Pac-12 Championship game. They're live. And then also last year, we just seen them on videotape. They are excellent tackling. It's still early, but that's the higher of the year. So I have USC covering. I have USC going in there to win, not because of Lincoln Raleigh's offense. How about this? But because of their defense.

Matt Lienert, our buddy, has been talking about the defense for the in the last couple of years, and boy, he's strutting around Manhattan Beach.

It's a coaching higher than a year as of where we're at.

Because they can play defense right now. It's what an adjustment. And to get away... By the way, a lot of people are upset that the conferences are changing, and I understand it. I'm not trying to be the old guy, mowing my lawn and my socks and my sandals again. But the fact that the conference is changing offer up these opportunities like USA at Michigan. If I'm a USA fan, and I've been stuck for decades up to Corvallis and Washington and all these other places. Now I'm like, wow, I get to go to Ann Arbor. I get to go to the big house to see my team take on a storied blue blood like Michigan. I'm excited, and that makes me excited about the changes in these conference alignments. All right, after our big noon kickoff show, we're going to be in Columbus this week as the Buckeyes, number three in the nation, take on Marshall. After that game on Fox, this is a great one, guys. Big 12, maybe early season, tail of the tape of where the real leader is in this conference. Number 12, Utah, at number 13, Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are favored by two and a half.

As we mentioned, these are two of the favorites to win the conference title. Both teams, this is trippy, start Seventh-year quarterbacks. Seventh-year? Seventh-year quarterbacks. Not four, five, six. Seventh-year quarterbacks. For Utah, the story has been Kam rising. Did not play again Saturday. They won 38-21 over Utah State. Remember, he injured his finger or his hand crashing into a water-cooler against Baylor a couple of weeks ago. Rising and the staff and the players talking like he's ready to go, but they haven't committed yet. I understand it. Don't play your hand too much. For the Cowboys, Mike Gunde. We love Mike Gunde, right? He's one of the the funniest coaches to listen to right now. He's so chill, so calm. This week, guys, I got a clip for you. In a press conference, he It was interrupted by a soda machine that was just off camera that was making some noise. So this is what Coach did.

You go back and... I mean, there's no way you all can hear very good. It's not easy.

You hear it humming back there? There's got to be a... We got to get this thing out of here. Coach gets out his tool belt. He's going off camera. We got to sort to shut this out, man. Larry, get in there, Coach. Can we get your players on an NIO deal for Pepsi to go up here and move this thing?

They make way too much money.

Look at Coach. He's sorting out the problem.

Can you throw an F-bomb?

No, no, no. He's sorting out the problem. Look, he's going to use his legs, not his back, Mark. They're going to move the whole machine so they can unplug it.

That's okay.

Teamwork. How's he not have great hair? That's good.

Okay.

You were talking about their offense with him.

Great. I love that guy. He's like, You know what? It must be the condenser. We're going to go over there. We're going to unplug it so we can carry on with this press conference. He's He's in a good place, right? His team, I'm curious where they are, though. They unplug the soda machine, but can they plug in Doke Walker winner, Ollie Gordon, the second deuce. Three games for Ollie, 216 yards, four scores. Last week, though, 17 carries, just 41 yards. Teams are saying, We're not going to lose to Gordon running the ball, so we're going to have your quarterback, Alan Bowman, beat us. And Bowman's putting up numbers. But if you're going head-to-head quarterbacks, if Kam rising is healthy, I like him, and I think that's why Utah will cover on the road. First SEC game for the Sooners, Mark. Oklahoma at number 15. They welcome sixth ranked Tennessee and the ball is favored by seven and a half.

On the road, first SEC conference game.

Going to Norman, our friend Coach Stups will be there. Coach.

And the sabotage begins. Yes. A top 15 matchup, and the sabotage begins. But A, the Valls are balling. They've outscored opponents 191 to 13 in the first three weeks. It's because of their quarterback. I'm going to try it, Coach. I'm going to try it. There we go.

Just say Nico. Nico, Iamaleava. That's good.

I think the boy got it. They're balling. He's balling. He hasn't even played in the second half yet.

One more time for good measure, Mark. One more time for good measure.

Nico, Iamaleava.

Wow.

That boy knows It's his pronunciations. It's because the boys are straight baller, and they're out gaining their opponents by 478 yards per game. Now, they've only been Chattanooga, NC State, and Kent State, but now they go to Oklahoma, they go to the Sooners, and the Sooners are still searching for an identity. Offensively, the quarterback has been sacked nine times in three games, but their defense is swarming. They forced 10 toneovers in three games, Coach, led by their linebacker, Danny Stutzman.

Danny Stutzman. You struggled with Stutzman?

Hey, Danny Stutzman. No, he's the man. But listen, with this Tennessee offense, the offense of Oklahoma is still struggling a little bit, still trying to find their identity. Their defense is going to keep them in the game, especially at home. But I like Tennessee. I like Tennessee to win this game.

I think that's a pretty good call. It's going to be a wide out in Provo, Utah as number 13, Kansas State. We're talking about these road teams favored, favored by seven, Mark, at BIO. I've noticed I haven't heard a lot of barking yet.

What's the line here?

That's a really good one. Seven. It's seven points.

We got seven points?

That came from the abdomen. That was like, growling. I couldn't tell if you were belching or growling at one point.

Yeah, but it's the conference over there for both teams. They're both 3-0. Kansas State has really talented offenses with one of the exciting players I like to watch in their quarterback, Avery Johnson. Last week, he 17 carries for 110 yards versus Arizona. But they have a trio of runners who are elite. Johnson, you add both the runningbacks, DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards, who was at Colorado last year. We know he's a game-breaker, but they're going on a road to a tough place to play in B-Y-U. Then you add the element of the elevation playing in the mountains. You know what I mean? B-y-u, Q-B, Jake Retsliff averaging 280 yards per game. He would have to use his legs. He would have to use his legs against his defense. They Their top runningbacks are out. They were out last week, so we'll see if they're out this week. But they've been struggling with the run game. They got a great wide receiver in Chase Roberts. But this game will come down to quarterback play, and I'm leaning towards Avery Johnson But I'm leaning towards B-Y-U, covering the seven points. So that is your Deuce Deuce dog.

Their Deuce Deuce dog of the week, coach. You don't like that? You don't like that, coach? I love it. I'm all right with it. The Deuce Deuce dog of the Week.

I just like the dog barking. It sounds like it's got a fragment of a milkbone and some peanut butter stuck in its throat, and it's trying to get it out.

Can't stay at B-Y-U. That's my dog of the Week. B-y-u covering the seven points at home. They might be an out-right runner.

I hope we someday make a trip to B-Y-U.

That's what I want to hit on. What is that environment like? I know you've been there when you coach for Utah.

I embrace the LDS religion, the Roman religion, when I was at Utah. I'll tell you what, in those two games, when those two teams used to play, I'd hear stuff that I'm like, Wait a minute now. That's a beautiful place.

What do you mean, Wait a minute now?

One of the great stadiums.

What do you mean, Wait a minute now?

Oh, I mean, you'd walk in and it's a very clean environment except for at that game. We had some battles.

And those are grown men going at it as well.

And those big Polynesians, veined up cats that I had in Utah. They have them at Provo, man. That's a great place.

They have them in spades. That would be a wonderful place for big noon kickoff. Again, this week, we're going to be in Columbus, Ohio. Buckeye is taking on Marshall. If you're in the Columbus area, come on out to the set Friday or Saturday. Flash us the triple option sign. We'll take care of you. We'll take care of you. You guys good? We ready for another week of college football? Mark, Coach? Yeah.

The troll.

We're going to Columbus.

What you say, Coach?

Let's roll. What? Oh, oh, oh. Tied.

Rtr. Give us an O-H, Coach. O-h. I-o. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel. Follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast, as well as across social media at three The X Option Show. New episodes drop every Wednesday. As always, we want to give huge props, huge love to you for listening and watching. And to our sponsors, Wendy's Bet MGM and Zip Recruiter. We will talk to you on Saturday on Big Noon Kickoff, and see you and talk to you again next week on The Triple Option. Bark us out, Mark.