The Musers- CFB Preview; National outlook

0:00We're in the middle of our college football preview to big segments as the season kicks off and earnest this weekend. And let's turn our attention to the big schools here in our state and our region. Most notably Texas and Texas A&M and Oklahoma and Texas Tech. All four big players on the national scene last year and expected to be again this year. We'll start with Texas. They open against Texas state, I believe this week. And I think things are going to be a lot different for the long horns this season to start the season than they were last year. You remember last year they were the preseason number one. And Archmaning was the preseason Heisman favorite, even though he had hardly played. And I thought that was just way too much pressure on him. And he played like it in his first five or six games. He did not look like a Heisman favorite. He was pretty bad.

1:00He looked like a kid that was cracking under the weight of the name. Yeah, the The Heisman favorite tag being at the helm of the preseason number one. I thought it was just all too much for him. He played much better the second half of the season. Once they had lost a couple of games and they were kind of out of the playoff picture. He settled in and so I expect him to be really good this time around. I think it's perfect for him now that he's not the Heisman favorite going in. They're not the number one team in the country going in. I think that just takes off so much of the pressure. He's got Ohio State at home this year. I expect him to be really good. If there are offensive line is better and they have a ground game this year, which they really didn't seem to have last year. I think that will help him. How about this? Just throw it in Cam Coleman's general direction and that will make you look like a much better quarterback. Yes. So Texas once again is going to be right in the mix.

2:00Big games will decide it. They've got a very tough schedule this year like every team in the SEC does. After Texas State, they do host Ohio State who by the way is the number one team in the country. So the roles have flipped. Last year it was number one. Texas going to Columbus this year. It's number one Ohio State headed to Austin. What a day the 12th is going to be. Oh my gosh. And I can see. And how much would it mean if Texas were to turn the tables on Ohio State? The only byproduct of that that I can really get excited about is if Oklahoma takes care of business. Doesn't that give us a chance of one, two and red river? It could be how used 10th in the country to start. It I don't know if they'd be one, two, but they would at least both be undefeated. Yeah. If they can each take care of business in their big games. But you know, before OU Texas has Tennessee on the road. And you know, they host Ole Miss this year. Number nine in the country.

3:01They're at LSU and Lane number 11 in the country. You know, the Aggies are eighth preseason and they'll come to Austin. The schedule for everybody in the SEC is murderers row such a gauntlet. Texas A&M. Joel Klat recently described them as a popcorn program. That they're just kind of middle of the pack and every once in a while they pop up. Well, they popped up last year. And it does feel like under Mike Elko that maybe they're going to have some staying power that they have really struggled to have. Yeah, I think so. I think they're in a better position than they've ever been in. And he's right about that. They pop up here and then Johnny Manzell leaves and they're in the abyss. And they thought Jim Bofischer was the answer. I think Elko is a terrific defensive coach. I also think he's a great details guy. They've got the backing behind them for whatever they want to do in NIL and and putting your front office together.

4:07That's another thing that is so critical. And it may be why OU is in such great shape and will be for a while. Yes. I almost think it's a better question. Would you rather have just unlimited financial resources where you can go by players or and that's going to be even up or at least it's supposed to be. I think I would I think I would lean towards give me the best front office in college football. Yeah, there was a recent survey that said, Oh, you has the best front office. They're like the model now. How you do it? They're not spending the most, but they spend it the best. Yeah. And that's one of A&M's tough games. They've got three really tough road games. They go at LSU later this month. They are at Oklahoma. That'll be in November and also before that in October at Alabama. So they've got three really tough road games. But it is tough Aggies are going to be a good again. And yes, the sooners should be good again as well.

5:11It'll be interesting to see what their offense looks like with a healthy John. Material. I'm still not a full believer in material. I think he has some decision making issues. And I it was hard for me to tell whether that was the thumb last year or whether it was his brain. I don't know. But I do know they'll be better with him if he's healthy for a full season. Their defense should again be if it's not going to be the best defense in the country. It should be a top five defense for sure. Yeah, they're going to be really good again on defense. And I'm a mature believer and I'm a believer that he got derailed by that thumb last year. That is a really tough injury to try to play through. He's also, I guess, added 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. He looks like a backer. Yeah, it's kind of scary. But you know, he loves to run. I know. I think that's a really good idea to play in the SEC and you're going to take off running. Yes. I think that's a good thing for him.

6:13We mentioned that Texas has a tough one before the Red River showdown. So does Oklahoma. They go at Georgia. That would be two weeks before their game against Texas. And we mentioned the Michigan game that's coming up next weekend. So again, tough schedule, but they're in the SEC. Texas tech is an interesting one for me this year. Had the sores be thing worked out. I think they may be a top 10 team as it is. They're still highly thought of as the 12th team in the nation going in. Their schedule is quite forgiving. I guess is a nice way to put it when you compare the tech schedule to the Texas A&M or OU schedules. I mean, it looks like they're playing a high school schedule. So they should once again, you know, be an 11 or 12 win team. Yeah, they should be. And I think Will Hammons really good. I think he will put up big numbers this year. And they are to the point now.

7:15And yes, they don't play the schedule that some of these other top 10 and top 15 teams are playing. But they have gotten to a level now where they can. They can roll out a class of transfers. That's as good as anybody's. Yeah. And it looks like they've done another good job fortifying their defense. I really outside of just a few games here and there. I guess they could get upset. But I think they've got a really good chance to go all the way through. And that's all they're thinking. Okay. So we don't play in the SEC. Well, we can still get to the playoff. Yeah. And then see how we stack up against those teams and their road to the playoff is. It's not easy. There's no easy road to a playoff in a power conference. But it's definitely there. Yeah. Nationally, there are. It feels like three teams that are getting the most hype outside of maybe Texas or Oklahoma or A&M. And those teams are Ohio State, of course. They're the somewhat heavy preseason favorite in the AP and the coaches poll.

8:19The preseason number one. Oregon, which is number two in both of those polls and Brian Jones, our college football expert, who joins us every Tuesday at 655. He's that's his pick. He loves Oregon. And Notre Dame is the other one. Now, they're only fourth in the AP and fifth in the coaches poll. But I was reading a preview in the athletic and the athletic staff overwhelmingly pick Notre Dame to win it all this year. And Notre Dame also has the Heisman favorite at quarterback in CJ car. So there are people that believe and they haven't won the title since 88. If you can believe that, we are pushing 40 years of Notre Dame, not having won a national title, but there are a lot of people that think this is finally the year. It could be even losing those two running backs. Right. And now they are thought of as a national championship contender. I think they, I think they are.

9:19Their defense is really good. Car is awesome. And that gives them a chance. And I their schedule, I think is very doable for them. I think they'll definitely be a playoff team. We've talked a lot about Lane Kiffin and LSU. They're the preseason number 11 in the country. And he is the current villain in college football. Nobody likes Lane Kiffin. Well, an article dropped yesterday in Vanity Fair talking about just wheels off. He, how wheels off he's been at times during his career. And they talked about his off the field activities when he was the offensive coordinator for Nick Sabin at Alabama. And there were all sorts of rumors and stories started to pop up on TMZ about what Kiffin was doing that he was involved in a high profile affair with a high profile. Alabama woman. This is while he was married. And all of that got back, of course, to Nick Sabin and Vanity Fair writes,

10:21while Kiffin would not be fired for this affair with this woman. The off field behavior did reach Sabin's desk. And it led Sabin to tell at least one staff member to give Kiffin a Kiffin some helpful advice. Sabin said, you've got to keep Lane away from the girls that are in college. For that too. Just keep him away from the sorority girls. Make sure they've graduated college or have a working job. God, man, those rumors have been out there for a while. And he's just wild. I think he is an offensive genius. He sees the game differently than a lot of coaches. And this is going back to, I mean, when he was at Florida, Lannick, you watch them play and it's like, man, that's a really well designed play. And you give him LSU athletes. I could see them this year being in the national championship picture because look how great he made Ole Miss.

11:22Yes. And you'll have in theory better to work with at LSU. But even though Ole Miss is ranked ahead of LSU this year to start the season. Yeah. And those two meet in that crazy Saturday of September 12th that we keep mentioning. That's going to be an incredible day. But he drives everybody crazy just with his arrogance. His this week in the, in the whole should pro players come back and play. And I guess he's got three of them. And we'll find out more today on how that goes. But well, I, I talked to my leadership council and they're all for it. So I mean, what do you want me to do? Yeah. You're the head coach. This is Joel Klatte from Fox Sports who joins the hard line every week to talk college football talking about just that. I think Lane's great for college football. Some people feel opposite. That's fine. I think he's an incredible offensive coach. But one thing I do know about Lane is like, he will be right in the center of attention.

12:22Then throw his hands up and be like, why am I in the center of attention? What? What? I asked my players, guys. And they said, you know, they wanted people that could help us win. Yeah, Lane, you sure you did because every single player, if asked, Hey, if I can replace you to win, you want me to do that? Everyone raises their hands and says, yeah, buddy, replace me. Exactly. Great. When Joel comes on. Yeah, it's, uh, he's, he's infuriating, but Joel Klatte's right in that. Could you have, could you script a better villain for your sport than Lane Kiffett? No, you couldn't. And they will, man, they will eat that. They already are eating that up. Even the governor, Louisiana eats it up. And the, oh, yeah, this guy knows what he's doing. Yep. And to illustrate just how crazy college football has gotten. This is something that you can bet on in Las Vegas, which will be the first school to file a lawsuit.

13:26Or go to court to overturn an on field loss this season. And the favorite is LSU followed by Texas tech, followed by Florida state, Texas and Texas A&M. Like they're going to like an injunction to save because that team was using this player. We don't think you should be able to play. And so they beat us, but we're going to go to court to overturn that loss. Please don't bring the courts into the season. Again, the most important thing for a sport is to stay out of the courts. Can a saw mountain land this and it applies today.