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Spartan Red Zone breaks down everything happening in the world of Michigan State University football.
Get this going. In 2024, the college football landscape has seen many changes. The 12 team playoff, conference realignment, and the depth of the pack 12. Rest in peace. But one thing always seems to be a constant every football year.
Oscar:Around this time, we get together and we start to celebrate the upcoming MSU football team. And today, we celebrate the inaugural episode of Spartan Red Zone 20 24 2025 edition. Welcome everyone to the inaugural episode of Spartan red zone for the 2024, 2025 season. We are excited to get this started, and we are gonna have an amazing season with you all. I'm Oscar Henderson alongside my cohost, Jacob Mauer and Derek Mitchell.
Oscar:Guys, how are we feeling today?
Derrick:How's it going? We're so happy to be back. Happy to be on the mics. Happy to be in the Impact Studio. We've had a long drive from Indianapolis to here, and I'm excited to be back with you guys.
Jacob:Yes, sir. Jacob. It's been quite the 24 hours boys, but I am ready to knock out this podcast. I'm ready to talk about some Spartan football. It's kind of been the theme of this whole, I guess, 2 days, and we learned a lot of new information at Big 10 Media Days.
Jacob:Just ready to knock this out and ready for a new era of Michigan State football.
Oscar:Yeah. And as mentioned, we are coming back from Indianapolis. We were at big 10 media day 2 to cover Michigan State and their press conferences that they were doing. It was a lot of fun. Thank you again to Impact for giving us the opportunity to.
Oscar:Thank you to our sports director, Faith Flickinger, for letting allowing us to go to Lucas Oil and Jeremy Whiting, our manager at Impact as well. But, yeah, it was an amazing experience. It was amazing seeing Lucas Oyle Stadium. It was my first time being at Lucas Oyle Stadium. What a great place that is.
Oscar:We had a lot of interviews, a lot of different coaches talking, but today, we are gonna right now focus on the Michigan State side of the big ten media day, and we are gonna start by talking about the man of the hour, Jonathan Smith, everyone's favorite new topic here at Michigan State. We're gonna talk about his press conference that he did live on Fox and, of course, his second press conference that he did to just the media. Guys, we're gonna start off with your first, main takeaways that you had from the press conference that he did live on Fox. What were some of the things that stuck out to you from what he said during that, during the first press conference that he did?
Derrick:Honestly, for me, coming into it, I was pretty excited to hear him talk again. He really instilled a lot of faith in his new lead. He's coming in. He was thinking about how he wants to change the culture of Michigan State. It's been down the last couple of years.
Derrick:He kinda wanted to reinvest his culture into the players. He had a lot of transfers coming in from Oregon State coaches as well and new coaches and he all wanted to instill the same vision. Dylan Tatum talked about how he sat all of the players down in one room, transfer players, transfer coaches, all of it. And he wants to instill one thing that they're going to try to win games and create a new culture. So that
Jacob:was really what excited me the most about what he said. Look, I thought Jonathan Smith was great at media days. I think a lot of his emphasis was on the team and comparing that to the old regime of Michigan State Football. It kinda contrast. You know?
Jacob:It's all about the culture, all about the new players. You put emphasis about the players staying, trusting his process. Also, the players that went from Oregon State transferring all the way to Michigan State, that's not easy. Right? You're moving all the way across the country.
Jacob:You're trusting your coach, your coaching staff to a team that wasn't good in the big ten. There's no guarantee of success, guarantee that you'll even play in this new system, but they had trust in this coaching staff. A coaching staff that Jonathan Smith was able to bring a lot of them over to Michigan State. And what I wanted to know was the question of he yes. He kept half his coaching staff from Oregon state, but the other half, he had to find replacements.
Jacob:And what would he do for those replacements? Joe Rossi, the new defensive coordinator coming from Minnesota, and he said that was big because you have somebody from the big ten coming to the big ten. Remember, these guys are brand new to the big ten conference. It's a different style of football compared to the Pac 12. Mhmm.
Jacob:And Smith talked about him, of course, coming over to the big ten conference. Also, Demetrius Martin, he's from Oregon, but still the new cornerbacks coach for Michigan State. That's huge for the Spartans. And, of course, the new special teams coordinator, I I forget. Chad Wilt coming from Indiana.
Jacob:I mean, that's big too. Another big ten school that you're getting new foundation. He said he got some great coordinators over there. The new special teams coordinator for Michigan state. And, also, he's keeping Courtney Hawkins, the only guy previous on the Michigan State coaching staff that he's gonna keep in his room, the wide receivers coach.
Jacob:And really, if you look over the past couple of years, minus Kenneth Walker, all our NFL draft prospects have been receivers. Wide receivers, Jaden Reid, Deon Coleman. Yeah. And so I I like it. I'm if I were to pick 1, coach to keep from the bastards team, I would keep Courtney Hawkins because that's big too because you wanna keep keep a lot of your players from the past Michigan State roster and if they have a brand new coaching staff that they do not know, that can be kinda intimidating.
Jacob:And that's basically like transferring itself because it's a brand new coaching staff. So keeping a previous coach I think was big and Jonathan Smith loves the new coaching staff. He said they had a great off season, which was very good to hear.
Oscar:Yeah. The thing for me about Jonathan Smith and you guys touched on it a little bit too, is, again, the the culture that he's sort of trying to set here at Michigan State. And for, again, 4 words that I kinda talked about in our stand up that was posted earlier today and 4 words that a lot of Spartan fans seem to be really clanging on from Jonathan Smith's press conference, low ego, high output. That was something that was really refreshing to hear in my opinion from a MSU coach considering what the recent regime kinda its ideology felt like it was about. I think, you know, putting that ideology, you you know, we're not gonna do a lot of talking.
Oscar:We're not gonna do a lot of showing off. We're gonna come out on the field, and we're gonna play football. It it feels like such a refreshing a fresh breath of air that Michigan State kinda needs, and we need and we really do need to get back to working on the football side of things because, again, as mentioned before, it's something that the last regime did not really do quite that good of a job of, I would say, looking back on it now. And so I think that is really important, and like you said, he really focused on his players. He didn't really wanna talk about himself.
Oscar:Yeah. They mentioned that he was gonna go back to Oregon and play, you know, that game against Oregon. You know, he mentioned that, yeah, it's a big deal, but what is more important is I'm getting these players ready to go play in that environment. And that was something that, you know, you kinda expect to hear from a coach, but it's something that we haven't heard at Michigan State in a very long time. So, it was really refreshing.
Oscar:I I have a lot of faith after this press conference in Jonathan Smith. I already had a lot of faith in him being able to rebuild this program. I saw what he did at Oregon State. It was an amazing turnaround. They would really have been in a lot more conversations, about that turnaround if, you know, the Pac 12 wasn't so talented last year, but, you know, he he's a good coach, and I I like the direction that he's trying to head into.
Oscar:He's trying to build this from the ground up and not try to take shortcuts, and it's really something, that I I am really excited to see how it plays out this year and, you know, through the rest of, his coaching career, but, let's touch on a little bit more about what he talked about in his second press conference that he did, to, media personnel only. Guys, what what was something that, was a big takeaway from that press conference that, he got asked a little bit more questions about the team and, you know, what he's seen this past summer and how the recruiting trail went for him this summer as well was another question that got brought up.
Jacob:I think my biggest takeaway or I guess my best or my favorite answer that he gave was there's a lot of media asking him what's the expectation, like, how many wins do you wanna win this season? And usually they want an answer like 6, 7. Yeah. Something low bar, but I mean, when you're a coach in this league, you you set the goal that you wanna win every single game. And so instead of Jonathan Smith saying, oh, we're gonna go on potatoes on my team, he didn't say this exactly at first, but this is kinda what he was implying.
Jacob:Like, you can always play quality football. Like, that is bar none, you have to play quality football. Your effort needs to be there. So that's what he said. The goal for every single game was to play quality football.
Jacob:And, of course, he said that the goal was to win every single game. And in a tough conference like the big ten, that can be pretty tricky. But if you have that goal week in week out that you're just gonna play quality football, I thought that was a great answer and something that I really liked out of Jonathan Smith.
Derrick:I have come I have to completely agree with you, Jacob. He really takes a different type of vibe and has a different type of vibe from the last regime that we had. He came in and he wants to just set the bar where he can. He wants everybody on the team, every single person, no matter the coaches, the players. He wants them to play really quality football, and he wants to set the standard immediately that we're gonna go in there every single time and play quality football, run around so we need to run, do the things we need to do to be successful.
Derrick:And the media personnel, the fame and all that will come after if you play good football. So he wants to be able to start it at a low point and just start playing good football, and then he'll be able to grow from there. And bringing different players from the big ten and coaches as well, being able to kinda he he can understand the big ten and understand a little bit more and then I can help him grow.
Jacob:And I think this is really something that had Dantonio rise to fame because he took a bunch of 3 star, 2 star guys. And of course, Jonathan Smith, the way he's been recruiting, like, he has a lot more talented guys than Dantonio did. But what Dantonio did was he focused on the details, and we heard this in spring ball about Nate Carter saying that was the biggest difference because Keith Bonafah, his new running backs coach, Lindgren, the offensive coordinator, they stressed the details. He was talking in spring ball about how, you know, lining 7 yards back is a lot different than lining 8 yards back because that hole closes quickly. And if you it's just a well oiled machine.
Jacob:It's not about talent. It's not about how fast he can get to the holes or how he sees it. The hole will be there. It's just about the details getting there. And I think if you can coach in a certain way to not only boost the talent on your roster, but also the detail, the mindset, the game of football just simply putting it in terms.
Jacob:He has a great coaching staff, a smart coaching staff that I think can really do that for these players.
Derrick:Absolutely. And you could see why Smith really loves Nate Carter because Carter talked about just trading with his players, training with the Jacquevelli and another really, really capable player, another capable tight in that Smith thinks is gonna be the best in the country, which is something that he said that was really interesting to me. But all they do is they go and they work out and they sharpen iron with each other. They keep working and keep pushing each other, keep pushing each other harder because they just wanna get better every single time they step out on the field, step out in the weight room. And that's why Smith and Belling, I mean, Carter and Belling are gonna be fantastic players from Michigan
Oscar:State. Yeah. And, I mean, like you guys have said, I I know we've talked about this old regime a lot and, you know, we are not gonna mention, the name of the head of the old regime, for, not legal purposes, but for, annoyance purposes of myself. Look. A lot of the again, we've we've hammered this in.
Oscar:Looking back on that regime that we had last year, the past 2, 3 years, it it was really just about the head coach, it felt like. Looking at how we were, you know, marketing to recruits, how we were marketing ourselves in general, a lot of it was very coach centered. Nothing about not a lot about the school, not about the team, not about the football. It really felt coach centered, and I think you can kind of, you know, see how that played an impact into how they ended up playing, you know, in that second in that 3rd year that Tuck had and then the first couple of games before he eventually got, you know, fired. And it it it just again, it feels so much different what Jonathan Smith is bringing in.
Oscar:Guys like Tatum and Carter, you know, staying saying that, you know, they believe in what Jonathan Smith is doing, and they like what he brought, and he's just bringing a completely different tone to this team than what the last regime was. That's really important. And, you know, the fact that he was able to keep, you know, those talented guys that don't have a lot more years left in college, it it really, I think, speaks a lot to the impact he's already made at Michigan State and the impact that he's going to continue to make at Michigan State. And like you said, he is really taking the D'Antonio route here, it feels like, in terms of recruiting. He's not really trying to go out and get all these highly talented players.
Oscar:He's trying to get guys who he knows is going to fit with what he wants to do and have the same ideology that he does and that can mesh well within the team. And I think that's something that is really big as well and something that was not really a focal point in recruiting, with the last regime. So it it it's going to be a lot of changes here in Michigan State. I I think, again, we've all been saying this. These changes are very, very good for this team.
Oscar:We this is, I think, the best direction that this team could have gone. And, I mean, I just I, again, cannot wait to see what Jonathan Smith is gonna do in this team and just more and more excited every day for August to come. You know?
Jacob:Absolutely. To pump more gasoline on this hype fire, I wanna talk about Jack Vueling. So for those who don't know, he's a transfer from Oregon State. He, kinda got caught in the window of, man, my coaches are leaving. We're not even in the Pac 12 anymore.
Jacob:Like, what's going on with the Beavers? And so when that happens, he sees the direction of the transfer portal and he's like, okay. I gotta leave. But the question that he always pondered in his mind was I see this coaching staff going to Michigan State, like and he basically said, I cannot live with myself if I do not play with these guys. So That's real.
Jacob:He's like, I just it was the decision in my mind that I can't go on without like, why would I ever wanna think what if? Like, why shouldn't why can't I just join that team? So he did. And I think that speaks volumes to the coaching staff. Right?
Jacob:He keeps his head coach. He keeps his tight ends coach. He keeps his offensive coordinator. All three of those guys are going into Michigan State to help one of the rising tight ends in the country. And Jonathan Smith mentioned about Vealing how good he can be.
Jacob:He thinks he could be the best tight end in the nation and just having a coach that has that confidence in his players. And again, more importantly, the players who have that confidence in their coaches is just huge. It's not
Derrick:Big. Absolutely.
Oscar:Yeah. Definitely. And, you know, like you said, I that thing, it kind of feels like, you know, what went into the child's decision as well. I know he wasn't there to really talk about it, as he wasn't one of the 3 players that were there at the players press conference at media day, but, you kinda have to feel like child's maybe went through the same thing that Vealing went through where, hey, you know, I gotta go play with these guys, you know, Jonathan's everyone, every player seems to love Jonathan Smith, and it seems like that has Bennett the same way at Oregon State, and it seems to be the reason why all these guys have been following him from Oregon State to MSU. So going into Vealing is a great segue into our next section that we are going to.
Oscar:We had player press conferences as well. Jonathan Smith brought 3 players with him. As earlier mentioned, Dylan Tatum was there. Nathan Carter and Jack Buelleng as mentioned. We got to talk to each, 3 of them while they were doing their interviews.
Oscar:I talked to, Nate Carter a little bit. Derek talked to Dylan Tatum, and then Jacob went to go interview Jack Vueling. So we're gonna do a little bit synopsis of these players, what we heard from them, what we liked, and, you know, what to expect from these guys coming into this season. So, Derek, you got to talk to Dylan. What did, what did the vibe seem from him, and, you know, what are we gonna expect from Dylan coming out of this year?
Derrick:Dylan seemed super happy and super excited to be there. He's a really playful guy. He cracked a lot of jokes during his press conference. But the one thing I will say is that he's excited to be a leader. He moved around a couple positions.
Derrick:He was at the nickel. He was in safety, played corner a lot, and he really got to go away because when he came in, Smith said, I'm gonna put you out of multiple different positions and see what I think about you. I know you're a good player. I know you're talented, but I wanna see how you can play and fit in my scheme. And you put them on a lot of different places, and he finally landed at safety.
Derrick:That was news that came out that he finally landed at safety. That was what he's gonna be playing coming into the season. But Tatum is really super excited to kinda start there. And Jacob, you talked about the transition a little bit. He was kinda skeptical about leaving Michigan State, what's gonna happen when the coaching staff came.
Derrick:But the second that he met Smith, he knew that he this is where he needed to be. He already loved Michigan State's culture. He loved the school a lot. Just the previous regime was a little bit different from him, but when the new coach came in, he knew exactly what he wanted to do and knew that he wanted to be a leader in the system and that him going into a senior year, that's gonna be really important for him, and he's gonna lead this team.
Oscar:Jacob, you got to talk to Vieling. You mentioned, some of the things he said about transferring a little bit. Why don't you go in more about, you know, what can we expect from Vealing, in this offense as, you know, he is one of the he is gonna end up being one of the more featured guys in this offense. So what are we gonna expect from him this year?
Jacob:For me, my biggest takeaway with Vealing was a lot of answers about himself. He kept very plain. He's a very humble dude. Right? He's not gonna say, yes.
Jacob:I'm gonna be the best tight end in the country. Don't don't worry about it. He gave a lot of props to his coaches, and, I think that's the most emotional response we got from him. So when we asked him about, just the decision to come to Michigan State, what made it easier, he said and I wanna go back to I mentioned it before, like, when he was caught in the transfer portal. This is a direct quote from him himself.
Jacob:He said, right when it happened, I didn't know what I was gonna do. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought if I had stayed or if I went somewhere else, I would always be looking back and thinking, well, what if I went there? So I thought why would I ever wanna think that and just kept staying with the tight ends coach and the offensive coordinator who have gotten me to where I am and just trying to stack on another year on top of that. He had a very successful year at Oregon State, one of the best young rising tight ends in the country on a very good team. So the fact that he can work with that coaching regime again, he seemed to be very thankful to be a part of that.
Jacob:And also, I I just got caught the last half of his press conference. Earlier, I was with Dylan Tatum with you, Derek, and I asked Dylan about, there's a media poll that came out and it ranked Michigan State 16th, which I think we should talk about in the end of the episode. But Charles Brantley came out with a tweet. I don't have the exact tweet in front of me, but he wasn't happy. I think he just said stick to your receipt, something along those lines.
Oscar:Make sure you keep your receipts.
Jacob:Yes. Yep. So I asked Dylan about it. I told him about, Charles Brantley's reaction and Dylan said I asked him if it was poster board material or is that something you just kinda throw away and Dylan said something in the direct quote that we don't care what other people think. It's all about us in our locker room.
Jacob:And then he said a great quote. We don't care if we are an underdog. We are gonna go and hit you in the mouth. And if that is Michigan State's mentality that we don't care, like, the true Spartan dog mentality Yep. This is gonna be a very exciting year of Michigan State football.
Oscar:Yeah. So back. I can't lie. I was there as well when,
Jacob:Tatum did say that, and it was a hard line.
Oscar:I can't lie. It was Tatum did say that, and it was a hard line. I can't lie. It was tough. It was a really hard line.
Oscar:That, like, goes back to Dantonio days of Spartan football, I felt like.
Derrick:It was something I've been waiting to hear for a long time now.
Oscar:Definitely. It was very exciting to hear something like that and something like that to come so natural too. It it really feels like that's what this team is trying to embody right now. I got to talk to, Nathan Carter who is looking to be the premier running back one for the Michigan State offense this year. First off, wanna shout out congratulations to him.
Oscar:He got what he got married over this summer. Yeah. So big shout out to Carter. Congratulations on that. But he talked a lot.
Oscar:He didn't really talk about, what the expectations were for himself. He really just focused a lot on the offense as a whole Yeah.
Derrick:Being better. He recognized, you know, they really struggled
Oscar:at that spot last year. They really struggled to put up points, generate off explosive plays, and stuff like that, so that's really been the focus of this offense is trying to be able to generate that momentum and get those explosive plays and get more points on the board, and, you know, Carter is going to be a really big part of that. Carter, we saw during spring ball, he was a really he was the featured back, of course, with Aiden Charles in the backfield, but he was also, you know, lining up at receiver, catching a lot of passes. He caught a touchdown at spring at the spring game too. He's really being used as an outside threat right now, and that's something I think we're gonna expect from Carter, in this offense.
Oscar:But, yeah, he just talked to he talked about how he was the first person to meet Jonathan Smith. This was one of the big things that was, brought up at the press conference. Carter was the first person at on the team to go and meet Jonathan Smith at his hotel. I believe it was the second day that Jonathan Smith was in Michigan, when Carter ended up going to talk to him, and he made it he met with all the coaches, and it really seemed like that went into his decision to end up staying. It seemed like he was the one who did go to Jonathan Smith, to introduce himself, so it seemed like he was already planning on being here, but I definitely believe that him talking to Smith and all the coaches right as they got there definitely helped influence him to stay, a lot more.
Oscar:But, yeah, he loves Jonathan Smith. He has a really great relationship with him. He talked a lot about the running backs coach. I believe it is. Yeah.
Oscar:Kemp, Bonafa. I'm not, Keith. Bonafa. Keith. Bonafa.
Oscar:Yes. Bonafa.
Jacob:His mate calls calls him KB.
Oscar:Yes. KB. He talked about KB a lot and just, you know, how much help he's giving him and, you know, how much he's learning from this, coaching staff and, you know, Brian Brian Rengren as well has played a big part in
Jacob:Yeah.
Oscar:His growth as a running back, and, you know, he's just he is excited. He thinks that this offense is going to be more explosive than last year. He believes that the wide receivers are a lot better, Montori and Cadillac and Nick Marsh, who was gonna be a really in I think an instant impact freshman for this team, and he just he just sounded excited to to get to playing. He he just wanted to go out there and show what this offense is capable of, and he believes it's capable of really great things. And so I'm excited to see how he's going to be featured in the offense, how much he's going to be used in the offense, and how the offense is going to look, in general with, you know, Carter coming back and being a key piece now and, of course, getting the additions of Charles and Vealing into the roster as well, so it'll be very interesting to see how it looks, but, yeah, he was just really excited to to get going and get playing.
Oscar:I think all of them were honestly really excited to just get on the field and, you know, show what they've been working on and show what they got to everyone who's been doubting them in the media so far lately.
Jacob:Absolutely. And I do not blame Carter for being excited about this new offense because I feel like last year, there was a moment in the first game, and this happened repeatedly throughout the season. When it was 4th and 1, you would have Noah Kim in the shotgun. Or no. He would be under center, and you would have Nate Carter maybe 10 yards back.
Jacob:And Noah Kim would get the ball, run backwards to hand it off to Carter, and then Carter would have to run and get tackled for maybe a 2 yard loss. Why do you run that play on 4th and 1? And when I saw that, I'm like, man, like, if you're Carter, you have to be upset. If you're this whole Michigan State offense, you need to be upset because that is not a play you run on 4th and 1, and that was really the story last year for this Michigan State offense. So getting a new coaching staff, getting a new regime, and I Carter seemed emphatic about it.
Jacob:He was so pumped up. He loved the coaches. He loved the details. He loved the new players. As you mentioned, Oscar, I heard your recording of the interview with Nate Carter, and he was just pumped up, ready to go.
Jacob:And I think we can see big things for this Michigan State offense this season.
Derrick:Definitely. Someone One thing Go ahead.
Oscar:Go ahead. My bad.
Derrick:And one thing that I really got talking to every single player hearing them, their excitement is one thing, but definitely they're together, and this is something that's a little bit different. They they all really say the same things when they just wanna see their brother their brothers grow. They wanna see everybody grow as a unit and they wanna build something at Michigan State, which has been different than the things we've seen in the last couple of years. They all wanna take each other to the next level and the next level, and that means winning all of their games, beating competitive, be being competitive and beating all the other teams they need to beat. That's what that is.
Derrick:And they all just wanna see each other grow. So every time they go work out, every time they go talk to each other, they all just want to grow with each other and that's why I think Jonathan Smith is gonna be a fantastic coach and he is really planting a seed in this team and they're all gonna grow in a certain way. That's really exciting if you're a Michigan State fan.
Jacob:I think a quote to go with that, Derek, was when we asked Nate Carter about, I guess, the new coaching staff, they asked about KB being his new running backs coach, and he said he just incorporates a mindset. We worry our family. Yes. We are competing, but it's not necessarily that we are competing with each other. We are competing to be great.
Jacob:We are competing so that our running back room as a whole is great. Coach KB has done a great job making us making sure that we do stay as a family, and that's huge. Because if you have the mindset that we're gonna get good together, I think that what's that's what separated this regime in the last regime. Tons of competitions. I guess we weren't in that locker room, but, I mean, based on the style of play, it did not work out.
Jacob:So if you have a new togetherness as a family, as a team that this coaching staff is trying to implement, it's gonna be pretty good for Michigan State.
Oscar:Yeah. And another thing that Carter talked about too was, you know, he's been working out over the summer with feeling and
Jacob:Yep.
Oscar:You know, talking about how they're competing with each other, but in a way that's sort of, like, trying to make each other be better. You know? He was talking about how, you know, Vealing will add £5 on a squat or something, and then Carter's like, okay. I gotta add £5 too, and then it would go up to 10. And then next thing you know, it's 2 to 4 plates is what he said.
Oscar:And so that's something that you like to hear, you know, from your, from your team that they're just, you know, pushing each other. They're competing with each other, but in a way that is still it's not really going after each other's throats. It's trying to make each other better, and that is something that's really important in a team, and you know, the the chemistry seems to to be there right now, and it's, you know, very, very important. And it again, it's a it's a very big impact that Jonathan Smith has made on this team already. So now I say we look at what to expect about this team as a whole after, talking to some of the guys at media day.
Oscar:Like Jacob said, a media poll did come out recently ranking the big 10, a preseason poll, and Michigan State was ranked 16th out of 18 teams in that poll. I believe only below Purdue and Rutgers.
Jacob:I think it was Indiana.
Oscar:You're right. Yes. It was Indiana. So, yeah, a lot of talk has been going on around that preseason poll. You know, the expectations, of course, from the outside market really feel low for this team, but, we I feel like we all seem to have a different kind of perspective than what most of the other media sees, and we think this team can actually, you know, put up a I think this team can actually put up a winning record, and I think you guys have the same thought process too.
Derrick:Absolutely. I think this team could win 7 or 8 games depending on what happens in October. They have a pretty tough schedule. They play Iowa. They play Oregon.
Derrick:They play Michigan.
Oscar:Ohio State. State as well.
Derrick:So that's just gonna be a It's
Oscar:gonna very interesting month. Be prepared. It is going to be a rough October. It is Very rough October.
Derrick:It's gonna be a rough October, but it's also it can show the resilience of this team really when they go into a stint like that in a month like that, it's gonna be very difficult if they can end it even or they can go 2 and 2 or maybe at least win a game. I think that is that's gonna look good for the rest of the season because they can come out of that and take that momentum in playing a couple of difficult teams and just ride that for the rest of the season.
Jacob:Look, you can call me a homer, but, I think that was so disrespectful, and I think the media has no idea what they're talking about.
Derrick:Oh, yeah.
Jacob:Because Michigan State last year won 4 games. Like, they weren't the worst in the big ten.
Oscar:They could have actually they could have realistically won 6 games.
Jacob:That's that's my point because you had a 4th quarter lead over Rutgers. You had a 4th quarter lead over Iowa.
Oscar:Look at that.
Jacob:Yeah. Michigan State should have won 6 games last season, and we won 4 with a coaching mess. Right? I mean, I don't blame them. They tried to do the best they could, but when your coach gets fired halfway through the season or not even halfway, very early in the season A couple months in.
Jacob:Yet does not help your cause. And also, the roster wasn't great, and so you got a way better coaching staff. I think, in my opinion, one of the best coaching staffs in the big ten conference, and then you also bringing new players, and you have an easier schedule. Now mind you that mess in October, but other than that, this is a very doable schedule for Michigan State. 16th out of 18.
Jacob:Yeah.
Derrick:That's just a suspect.
Oscar:I hope that's insane.
Jacob:If I was a betting man, I just looked up the Vegas total for Michigan State football, 5 and a half wins for the Spartans. I see 7 to 8 at least. Yeah. At least down there.
Oscar:I think that's up a win. I'm pretty sure Yeah. It was originally 4
Jacob:and a half. 4 and a half.
Oscar:It was 4
Jacob:and a half. Any smart person who pays attention to college football was taking the over on that. Yep. I I think it's I think a good goal for Michigan State as a fan, not in the locker room, but as a fan is to get to 6 wins and get a bowl game, but I think they are much more capable to get even exceed those expectations. And like you mentioned, the 4 game stretch in October, it's gonna be tough.
Jacob:But if you can start off with momentum Yes. That is huge. That's what happened in 2021. Michigan State just started off 7 and o, and that's what really carried them to be like, we we are legit. We are good.
Jacob:And so you have 2 early games for Michigan State that are gonna be kinda troublesome, both on the road, Boston College and Maryland. If you can go out of that undefeated and you go through that 4 game stretch in October and you win 2 games, there's a serious conversation college football playoff level, which is absurd.
Oscar:It's absurd. Not to mention.
Derrick:All sorts of, like, ideas and thoughts in the chat glass and, like, the ceiling we put
Jacob:on this team. It's gonna be tough. But if you start off 4 o, then you're gonna go through October. You're I think they would be 6.
Oscar:The first game they would play would be Ohio State at home after that Boston College game if
Jacob:they were 4 and o and you play Ohio State at home, that's gonna be a very very tough environment.
Oscar:That would be a dangerous game for Ohio State.
Jacob:I think Ohio State is the best team in the big 10.
Derrick:Yes.
Jacob:So you may you probably will lose that game, but you still have that momentum. If you go 4 and o, there's a chance you could be ranked. And I think that does great wonders for a team like Michigan State who hasn't really seen an AP top 25 since years ago.
Derrick:2021. Yep. Yeah. It was that year.
Oscar:Alright. I mean, early 2022. Or it
Jacob:was 2022, but it wasn't real. Right?
Oscar:We we lost to Washington week 3, and we were gone.
Derrick:So it
Oscar:was it was a it was yeah. It was not really real. But, yeah, I mean, I agree with everything that you guys said. I think this team, from what people are looking at, they're gonna shock some people who are definitely looking down on this team. And I I would also like to say, I don't know if this is outside media doing this too, but they they seem to have this very big focus on the Michigan Michigan state rivalry.
Oscar:This has I I'm I'm sure this has nothing to do with it, but it's just bringing up the fact that, you know, this is outside media ranking, Michigan state in these polls. They had a lot of questions, it felt like. It could be it could be in state media too, but a lot of questions about that Michigan Michigan state rivalry. And listen, man. They get it.
Oscar:Alright? Yep. They get it. Most of those guys we talked to grew up in Michigan. Alright?
Oscar:Tatum's from West Bloomfield. I'm not sure where Carter is from from Michigan, but he he grew up in Michigan. Like, these guys don't need to be asked that question. Alright? They don't.
Oscar:They know the importance of that game, and they know how much it means to everyone who plays it. I don't know why you need to ask, What does this rivalry mean to you, and what does it mean to this Michigan State team? Everyone knows. Everyone knows what it means. Okay?
Oscar:I'm sorry. I just had to get that, rant off my chest because it really annoyed me, at Indy, when they were constantly being asked that question. It
Derrick:actually it makes sense because it was, mostly the out of state media that were asking that question. They went around to each player, and they asked it the same time.
Oscar:They just have this ideology that Michigan State has just stopped caring about the rivalry all of a sudden because we just lost too straight?
Jacob:If anything, it's the opposite. Right?
Derrick:It's gonna bruise something.
Oscar:Yeah. I I I don't know what this ideology like, there's no chance that Auburn, Alabama are getting asked these same questions, like, about their rivalry. What do you think? Everyone knows. Everyone knows.
Oscar:It's it was it was such ridiculous questions, and I think it just speaks to how outside media is sort of looking at MSU right now as a whole. I'm I'm pre I'm I feel confident they're not very connected with what's going on at the school right now, you know, considering the huge fallout that it had last year and everything that happened last year, it it was a mess. So I don't I don't blame them necessarily for not, you know, keeping such a close eye on the team, but, you know, the least you can do is know that they know the importance of this rivalry and, like, stuff like that.
Derrick:100%. When Smith came here, the first thing he wanted to do was understand Michigan State, understand culture before he even took the job. Like, he wanted to understand what Michigan State is and that includes the rivalry. So when I asked him that question and, like, 5 other follow-up questions about the same thing, he was like, yeah. I understand how important it is, and that's kinda where he left it.
Derrick:He understands the importance. Yeah. All the players do. They grown up here. They know the Michigan Michigan State rivalry is one of the biggest in the country.
Derrick:And if they come to Michigan State, they're gonna understand that, and that's gonna be implanted in them immediately, though. Yeah. So why are you asking that question?
Oscar:It it was stupid questions. I I I am just I I hope the media I hope this team can grab that media's attention this year. Yes. I think if they are able to do that and they're able to get the respect, that I think they can gain this year, and if Jonathan Smith can do that in year one, that I think that exceeds expectations for what should even be the idea or the goal of this year for this team. He talked about constantly just getting better week in and week out, and I think that if we're able to see that, if people are able to see that as a whole, I I think this team is gonna get a lot more respect than they are right now.
Oscar:And going into year 2, that is going to be huge for them, and I think they would have a chance to like you said, if they don't compete for the playoffs this year, I think they could have a chance next year if they do, if they do as well as we think they can this year.
Jacob:I think that was a big storyline at media days was the new playoff format, but I think, obviously, I hope they can make it this year now. That would be a crazy season.
Oscar:Insane.
Jacob:I do not I do not expect that. I hope that. I do not expect that. But No would. I think a good realistic goal would be 3 years.
Jacob:I think in 3 years, Michigan State could be knocking on the door for at least top 12 in the country. I mean, the last regime did it in 2 years. Right? We finished 10th. That would have been Yeah.
Jacob:Well enough to get to the top level.
Oscar:Been an at large bid. Yeah.
Jacob:Yeah. And so if you can just keep on improving year in year out, I think this team really can sneak into that top 25 by the end of this season, and then next year, you're gonna get really, really close. By year 3, I think this team definitely has a good shot.
Oscar:2 guys I also wanna focus on for, you know, expectations of this team who I think are gonna play really important roles, in how well this team succeeds and sort of the guys who have really been the center point of, you know, the attention that this team gets from the media. It's it's Charles and Nick Marsh. Obviously, Charles and Nick Marsh were not there, but they, Tatum, Carter, and Phelan got asked a lot of questions about, you know, Chiles. And I asked, Carter about Nick Marsh, who is, again, one of the more exciting freshmen that we have on team right now, and they they spoke a lot about how, you know, Charles is continually improving. I know during our spring game, some of our concerns where he does tend to make those, you know, young inexperienced mistakes still on throws.
Oscar:Some of them weren't as accurate. Some of them were just poor decisions, but, you know, that is gonna come obviously with a sophomore quarterback, you know, someone who is just getting into the starting role, who in played backup a lot of the time at Oregon State last year. But they talked about how he was just continually improving over the summer and how he's gonna be a dangerous threat. And I I I think, you know, hearing how he's developed and, you know, watching what I saw from the spring game, there was a lot of there was a lot of stuff there to like from the spring game that I saw from trials, and obviously, that's very early into the process. You know?
Oscar:It's about, what, it was played in March, April, and they don't start until August. So It
Derrick:was late April.
Oscar:Yeah. Late April. So it it it obviously, there's not, you know, too much you can take away from that game necessarily, but a lot of the talk around Chiles was, you know, he's constantly improving. He's just absorbing all this information from the coaching staff and teammates and players, and they really think he's going to be a legit quarterback in this, in this league. And a matter of fact, media thinks so too.
Oscar:He was ranked in the top 10 of big 10 quarterbacks, and he has not even had a start yet. Yeah. So he was ranked number 8, I believe. So it it seems like people are really excited about him. And, of course, like, as I mentioned, Nick Marsh was talked about a little bit.
Oscar:Carter mentioned, you know, how he's just a he's he's straight upset. He's just a baller, man. Like Yep. He is just fast, physical, and he is someone who is going to make big plays for this team. And it's been really helpful that he has guys like Alante Brown and Montoya Foster in that room who are able who are older guys, have been around, you know, football for a long time in, the big ten and, you know, can kinda help him grow into that wide receiver one that he can pretend who I think he can be next year.
Oscar:And so I think he's gonna be someone that definitely people need to look out for, and he's gonna be he's gonna be a surprise player for a lot of people who are not paying very close attention to this team, I think.
Derrick:Oh, yeah. What a lot of people talked about with Charles in the spring game was that he you said, Oscar, you said he didn't make a lot of good decisions. He threw a couple interceptions. He had a couple over reads.
Oscar:It was a lot of inexperienced stuff.
Derrick:I feel like. Yeah. A lot of inexperienced there, but one thing that they're talking about now is that he's been glued to the books. He's been trying to get better at that. He's grown more as a man.
Derrick:It's what Dylan Tatum said. He's grown more as a person. He still has a funny side to him. He's still himself and he's still a little bit younger, but that's just gonna come with age, but he's grown more as a leader, grown more as a man, and he's growing. He's gonna be a fantastic quarterback when he comes into this because they all see him as more of a leader now than they did when they first joined because I don't really know him as much.
Derrick:He was a little bit younger. He was a little bit more raw in the spring game. We're gonna see a really different type of Childs
Jacob:when this year comes. Well, for everyone concerned about Childs, like, he came from Oregon State. He was a
Derrick:freshman.
Jacob:Yep. And he played. They would give him drives to play, and that's crazy because you have an experienced quarterback at Oregon State. DJ, I don't know how to pronounce
Oscar:it less. Young galley.
Jacob:Young galley. Yes, sure. So, he transferred from Clemson, DJ did, and he came to Oregon State and he was good, right? This Oregon State won 8 games last year, he was good. Yeah.
Jacob:And you don't put a freshman in to take some of his drives unless you really believe in him, unless you really think he has the talent. And that's what Aidan Chiles got. And that's why when he entered the transfer portal when his head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach left, that's why he wanted to go to Michigan State because they helped develop him. They had confidence in him, and that's why he was ranked one of the top transfer quarterbacks out there because he's a freshman getting these snaps. We saw that with JJ McCarthy ended up being a really good college quarterback, and we see this a lot of times with just good QBs.
Jacob:You never put a bad QB out there their freshman year. Like, it just doesn't happen. They always develop into a good player and the fact that he's he's still gonna have that same coaching staff here at Michigan State and he's young. Right? But remember, both his parents are educators.
Jacob:We heard a lot of time in the summer that he was glued to the books as you said, Derek. Just really understanding this offense, getting better at it. I have no doubt he'll pick it up and be good. He's only a sophomore too. He's only gonna develop further for Michigan State.
Jacob:I it's a great sign that we got a young QB and a good QB with great talent.
Oscar:Yeah. So we are gonna go into a little we'll go into more in-depth about the team in our next episode coming next month. That'll be a college football preview as a whole. We will do some MSU football preview, and then we'll look around the world of college football and look at different conference previews. But for now, we are gonna look look at other takeaways that we had from big 10 media day.
Oscar:Michigan State was not the only team that was there. There were 5 other teams who ended up being there as well, USC, UCLA, Nebraska Nebraska, Penn State, I believe, and Iowa. And so, yeah, I just wanna get your guys', you know, favorite, who do you guys think is gonna be a surprising team out of that 6, coming into the year this year, and, you know, who was who's kind of who do who do you think is flying a which team do you think is flying a little bit under the radar, in the big ten from one of those 6 teams that we saw who you think is really gonna surprise some people?
Derrick:One thing I do wanna talk about is how all the 6 teams at the panel yesterday, they all wanted to talk about the expansion and they all really enjoy it and they're really happy about it.
Jacob:Mhmm.
Derrick:But the Penn State coach said something that was really funny to me. He was, like, I'm excited that all the team teams are coming in USA UCLA, USC, Washington, all those teams, but I am not excited for my team because now we gotta try to beat you guys. So that's just one thing they're all using as a competitive advantage, and now they gotta work a lot harder, and they gotta put more hours into their coaching to try to get the teams to be ready to play those other schools that are they play different, they play a different style, they're used to another style from another school that they've been at, so they're really gonna have to really put a lot of chips in the middle and try to work on their team so they can play able to play different versatile rosters and teams like they've been doing.
Oscar:Mhmm.
Jacob:I just think as a whole, like, it was a great slate of teams for day number 2 because you have 2 newcomers, which you didn't get in day 1. Mhmm. And then you also have 2 teams that were kinda in the big 10 previously, but now our staples, they got added years ago, Nebraska and Penn State. Yep. They have 2 of the original big ten teams in Iowa and Michigan State.
Jacob:And then you also can view it as the coaching aspect. Right? Jonathan Smith, a 1st year head coach for Michigan State. DeShawn Foster, a 1st year head coach for UCLA. And then you have Lincoln Riley who's been there only a couple of years at USC.
Jacob:Matt Ruehl only in a second season at Nebraska, and then you have some staple head coaches, Kirk Ference of Iowa Yep. And James Franklin of Penn State. So I just loved getting the different perspectives because you had a lot of different states of the program. Right? Michigan State and UCLA was about new hope and new beginnings.
Jacob:Yes. And Penn State and Iowa was was about just keep getting better and better. And then USC and, Nebraska was kinda the same route to just keep on getting better and going to try to win this big ten. As you mentioned, Derek, they talked about the expansion, the college football playoff. They all love the new changes.
Jacob:They said it it comes though with challenges. Right? And the biggest challenge we saw was from Penn State. They don't have a major airport near Happy Valley. Right?
Jacob:How are they gonna travel as one of the most eastern teams? And really, how are other teams gonna travel to Penn State? Because if you dug about USC and UCLA, I I can't make the point that Penn State has the toughest travel schedule. They they don't. Right?
Jacob:USC and UCLA are coming all the way from California to the Midwest would definitely constitute as being harder. But for Penn State, you gotta try to figure out a way to get these teams to your stadium. Right? Because it's a marquee event for your town, for your for your city, and honestly in the big ten, you can't just not play these guys right there. They're gonna have to figure out a system.
Jacob:So talking through the big ten in the NFL is how James Franklin said they figured that out, so should be good for Penn State. As far as the most under the radar, I guess, the surprise, it's for me, it's hard to tell during a presser. Right? I can't really take any more inputs, but who I was really impressed with was Matt Rule. Right?
Jacob:He comes from the college game and he goes or he comes from the NFL. He went to college, then went to the NFL, and then his back coaching in college. And a good question that they asked him was what was the biggest adjustment going from the pros to college? And he said the road atmosphere. Right?
Jacob:And we kinda forget how good the college football road atmosphere is. It's loud. It's heavy. And he said last year starting 2 games on the road, 2 of which they lost to Colorado and Minnesota. That's huge, and that can implement your season.
Jacob:When you the start of your season is so important because that's how you build momentum. If you can't build momentum, how are you gonna be any good? Especially in the old state of college football. Right? You can only lose 2 games max, and then you're out of contention for the natty.
Jacob:And if you can't win the natty, what's the point of playing football? Right? So and another point that he made that I love was the big 10 is the conference. Right? Forget about USCC.
Jacob:Forget about UACC. Big 12. Who cares? Right? It's the big 10, baby.
Jacob:And he said, each year, we should have 4 teams go to the college football playoff. We are the NFL of college football. I love that. Made me a little bit more of a Nebraska fan. Yep.
Jacob:We Michigan State doesn't play Nebraska this season, so hopefully, the Spartans play the Cornhuskers Huskers in the big ten championship. We also talked to some of their media. They were super nice. So I guess if I were to say, a team to go over just because of impressions and quotes, I would say Matt Rule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Derrick:I love that.
Oscar:Yeah. I was gonna say I have to agree with you on that one. Not only because like you said, Matt Rule did really impress me in his press conference, but, you know, looking at Nebraska schedule too, it is They they play Ohio State, USC, and Iowa. That's about it for their big ten competition. They there is Wisconsin thrown in there.
Oscar:They have Wisconsin at home, though, so that'll be a big advantage for them. They do have UCLA, but UCLA is in a more rebuilding year this year. But, yeah, I mean, this schedule is very, very friendly for Nebraska. They had Colorado at home now too. They don't have to travel there.
Oscar:That'll be a big, that'll be a big night game in Nebraska. Yeah. I like the schedule. It's very favorable for them. I I I could see them, you know, possibly pushing for the playoffs or knocking on the door at least.
Oscar:I only realistically see 2 possible losses maybe on this team if they can play, really well, and if Dylan Ryola can end up being a really great quarterback like we all think he's going to be. Yeah. I only see 2 losses on the schedule. Maybe the Ohio State and USC. I I'd say that's it, though.
Oscar:But, yeah, and, second thing I wanna talk about of obviously, from my takeaway from big 10 media is, like you said, a lot of the coaches really hammered on the competition now that there is in the big ten. A lot of the knock on the big ten as of late is, oh, it's only one division. It's only the big ten east that's good. The big ten west is a joke. There's no actual competition in the big ten.
Oscar:Well, now we're away with the divisions, and you add 4 of 1 4 of the best teams historically in college football. One of them right now is going to contend for a national championship in Oregon, and it it that all all of that talk has just now seem to gone by the wayside, and now it it's turned to is this the most competitive league in all of college football, and I think that is a huge improvement for the big ten. They played their cards right in this, you know, age of conference rear alignment, and they've put themselves in a position of power. And that's what a lot of coaches had to really thank the big ten for was putting them in this position of power and, you know, being seen as one of, if not the best conference in all of college football. I think it's gonna really benefit all of these teams that are in here, and, you know, the talent that is going to be in the big ten is going to be absolutely insane, and, again, the best we're ever going to see, I think, at this point.
Jacob:And I would hate these changes if there was no college football expansion because that would mean, like, I'm like, there's no way you could even get out of there of that tough conference like I don't know if like if you're Indiana like how how do you how would you have any hope or like just these other teams. Right? Yeah. And so luckily for Michigan State, they did make a college football playoff prior, so I guess you have a little window or a way to do it, but I I love the expansion. And if you expand it, might as well make it more competition.
Jacob:Right? Because that's the thing with college football is you only looking at Michigan last year, they only had 2 real games in their regular season. They had Penn State away and Ohio State at home. And Yeah. As long as they did that, they were going to the big ten championship, and that was gonna be an easy game.
Jacob:They were going to the college football playoff. And when you add more competition like, I have a lot of friends over at, the University of Michigan, and they said, like, the football games are just so boring. Like, why would I wanna
Oscar:sit out half.
Jacob:Sit out at the hot sun, watch my team put up 50. Must be nice. Right? Those trip. Right?
Jacob:But even then, like, it's just it gets boring at a point. Right? Because you just have to wait till the end of the season to see if your team's any good. And so now that you have more impactful matchups, it's like the NFL. Every single week will now start to matter.
Jacob:And if you can put that into college football, I I think it's great. You know, a lot of people like tradition. No more traditional Rose Bowl between Pac 12 and Big 10 but I you lose the old and you get the new, and I think the new is still pretty good.
Derrick:Yeah. Absolutely.
Oscar:Another thing that speaking of, you know, conference realignment, another thing that's sort of been talked about with that realignment is if there's a chance that we might see other teams, join the big 10, you know, Talks about Notre Dame possibly joining the big 10 officially in football, possibly Florida State or Clemson moving over here, but the big ten has now seemed to take a very firm stance on they are not adding anymore. The SEC did the same thing as well in media days. Greg Sankey said we are not adding anymore. We are done with the t we are good with the teams that we have, and so I think that's going to I I think that is an important thing to think about for, you know, a lot of these other teams who kinda got left in the dust. I mean, Florida State's not really left in the dust.
Oscar:They just have to play in the ACC, which is it it it has been a weak conference as of late, but, you know, historically, it it is one of the better conferences in all of college football. It's just the fact that they're having a couple down years, but, you know, they've been, you know, restlessly trying to get out of, you know, the ACC, them and Clemson, but now it it kinda seems that they just have to accept their fate and, you know, same with Notre Dame, but it seemed like Notre Dame didn't really wanna go to any conference in the first place and just decided to stay independent, so I think that was another big thing that we learned is that, you know, it seems that for the time being conference realignment is done until the Pac 12, you know, adds a couple more group of 5 teams if they figure out what they're gonna do. It seems like we have seen conference realignment come and go, and it doesn't seem like we're gonna see it for a lot while longer.
Jacob:Which I'm I'm glad. Right? Because I love the new format of the college football playoff because you have 4 the top 4 teams are conference winners.
Oscar:It is top 5 now.
Jacob:The top 5. That's right. That's right. Top 5. So you'll have the big 10, SCC, ACC, big 12, and the 5th, I think they just determine if
Oscar:I think it's best group of 5 conference champion.
Jacob:Yes. So, like, they'll have to decide if Pac 12 or
Oscar:Mountain West.
Derrick:Mountain West.
Oscar:Mac, something like that. Yeah.
Jacob:But even then I I love it because now if you're Notre Dame and you sat around not picking a conference, sucks to suck. Right? Now you can only get an at large bid Mhmm. Because you have no conference. That's what you get for not joining a conference and playing all these naval academies.
Jacob:Right? And so and even if you're Florida State and Clemson, I know they wanted to to join a conference, but now they can't. Well, now you have an easier conference, and it's easier for you to get to the college football playoff and get that buy, which I think is huge and, you know, yes, you might lose out of that big dough that these the SEC big 10 are getting with their television contracts, but also you make it to the college football playoff and you can make that all back up because if you have a good football team, money pays your way.
Derrick:Yeah. Absolutely. It doesn't matter.
Oscar:I I mean, I I won't touch on this a little bit more when we're doing, conference p views, in a month on our next episode, but, I I I wanna talk about how I don't know how the ACC just all of a sudden, you know, is now looked upon as a group of 5 conference, basically. I I I mean, look at looking at some of the teams that are in here, yes, they've had bad luck as of late. They haven't had the greatest coaches. They haven't had the greatest teams, but these teams, I I mean, historically are still some of the best in all of college football. You have Miami in there.
Oscar:They're gonna they're looking to compete this year. They have Cam Ward who looks amazing right now. You know, North Carolina is on the up and up. Mac Brown is running that program, and we all know how good of a coach he is. He was the guy at Texas for a long, long time.
Oscar:Virginia Tech, you know, historically, as of late is one of is one of the best programs in all college football. And, yeah, they've had had a down year, but, you know, that is still a place where if they are good and they get the right guys, it is a consistently winning program, and so I I just I I don't get how, you know, a couple bad years in the ACC and maybe Clemson losing a lot has, you know, sort of not helped this narrative at all too because Clemson was kind of the team that was representing the ACC in the playoffs for a long time while Florida State was, you know, kind of meddling and figuring out what they were gonna do next after the Jimbo Fisher era. And, you know, it it it's just it's kinda surprising how how quick the narrative around the ACC has has changed, and it it it kinda sucks, but I'm I'm hoping that some of these teams can get better and we can have a 3rd power conference, a 3rd legit power conference, you know, trying to compete with the SEC and the big ten because I think they have the teams and they have they have the brands and they have the teams to do so.
Oscar:It's just a matter of getting the right guys into these programs and building back up these programs, I think.
Derrick:Absolutely. People always forget how good the ACC was. People forget how Yeah.
Oscar:It was amazing.
Derrick:To go there. It was amazing, and it was so good. And everybody will love to watch Clemson. Clemson used to be a powerhouse. Yeah.
Derrick:They would always be in the college football player. They would always have really good season when it comes to wins and losses, so I don't know why people are forgetting that.
Oscar:To be fair, Dabo cannot do this new trash for Porto and I. No. No. Cannot figure this out. I don't know what it is.
Oscar:He just he I think he might refuse to do it or something. I don't know. He just can't he has not been able to figure it out at this point, and that's been a problem with Clemson. But, you know, yeah, as as you were saying.
Derrick:That's just the hardest part. Now some people don't get with the times Yeah. And get with the program. If you can't recruit and you can't get transfers, it's just, like, what are you gonna do because people will commit to you and then they'll leave in another second. Mhmm.
Derrick:They'll really their word doesn't really matter as much anymore. That's what something that Jonathan Smith said a lot is that usually when people say they're committing, another guy will leave in a second, and they don't even know what's happening. So the recruiting is a lot different than how it was when he was at Oregon State and when he was doing his thing over there and just people would actually commit, and then they would stay there and they would never leave. And that was kinda kinda how that happened now, but now people are just looking elsewhere, seeing what's better for them, and I respect that people should be able to go look and see where they should go, where they wanna go. But now it's just and people don't wanna have that loyalty as it used to be anymore.
Derrick:You
Jacob:could say. And Carter's has
Derrick:lost about that too. Loyalty was huge for him, and that's kinda why loyalty was huge for him, but he also transferred us kind of the double standard there. But it's it's important to kinda be able to get players and get to the transfer portal now. That's kinda why the ACC has been down a lot of these years.
Jacob:Yeah. And I'm not too concerned about getting a 3rd power conference. Yes. It could be nice. But then again, you still have your automatic bid.
Jacob:And I think that's the great thing that Richard Clark, he was the first one to speak on day 2, the college football executive director of the playoff committee. And he said, look. We aren't gonna have a committee deciding stuff, AKA Florida State last season. Right? We are gonna have it so that they play it out on the field.
Jacob:Now, of course, the committee is gonna be the one ranking them, but you can't complain about not getting your shot at the title. Right? Because Florida State, what could they do? Right? They went undefeated.
Jacob:They lost their quarterback. They didn't even get a shot at the college football trophy. Now would they have one? No. They they wouldn't have 1, but it's still you want that shot to do it.
Jacob:And so now with this expansion, it doesn't matter what conference you come from. If you're good enough, they'll put you in, and it's it gets rid of that issue, which I really liked, and that's why it's another proponent to like this new system that they're putting in.
Oscar:Something we haven't touched on on the college football playoff that, Richard Clark really seemed to be excited about too was the home playoff games that are gonna be happening in the 1st round. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I cannot wait to see these environments. I can only imagine Happy Valley, a night game, and a playoff win is on the line, oh my god.
Derrick:You won't be able to talk to
Jacob:your friend. You're not gonna be able to
Oscar:talk you're you're not gonna hear anything on the field if you're that team who has to go and play them in there.
Derrick:That's You
Jacob:will go deaf and mute.
Oscar:You might as well just accept the loss, I feel like. Like, these are going to be the best environments we have ever seen in these stadiums, I think, and it is going to be so much fun to watch these home playoff games, I think, specifically because of that environment it is going to create in in on that campus because it is a huge thing. That is basically like a championship game being played on your campus. Yep. You know?
Oscar:Like, it's something that he was really excited about. I'm really excited about. I'm I hope that schools are ready to be prepared to handle that type of, you know, capacity and craziness that is going to happen with their if their team gets a home playoff game, but that is something I am definitely really looking forward to is seeing these different environments and how they can really show out for these play for these 1st round playoff games.
Jacob:And can you imagine too, like, you're gonna be playing a game, like, let's say Michigan State somehow finishes 4 through 8 or 5 through 8 and gets a home playoff game. Like, you're gonna be playing in East Lansing in January. Like, it will be snowing. If you get a
Oscar:West Coast team or a Southern team Imagine
Jacob:you welcome, like, Texas or something or, like, Alabama. That would be crazy. They wouldn't even know what to do.
Oscar:Down to Michigan, man.
Jacob:They haven't even seen snow before, and they're going to a place that's outdoors. I love it. Honestly, if your team makes the big ten championship because we know the big ten champion will be a top 4 seed. So they will have a buy. They won't have a home playoff game in the college football playoff.
Jacob:That's only for the 1st round. And so, honestly, if you're in the big ten championship, you're gonna make the college football playoff.
Oscar:And you're gonna have a
Jacob:hole. If you lose, it's not as bad because now you welcome a team to your campus, and you can just make absolutely good for your campus economy Yeah. You will win that game because no matter what, that is gonna be the most home field advantage possible. I think I think a better question is if we have the home field advantage for the college football playoff, do we think that's more of an advantage or a neutral site game, but the team that shoulda had home field has 21 points? Because that is how much of an impact that is because the other team won't even be able to hear themselves.
Jacob:And especially if you welcome them to your environment, yes, the environment's the same throughout the fall, but if you go someplace northern, like, if Michigan State or Michigan or any of these places because all big 10 yeah. All big 10 teams
Oscar:big 10 team.
Jacob:Are cold in the winter and have an outdoor stadium. That's gonna be tough if you welcome west coast team. It'll be interesting. Also, I I wanted to see what UCLA and USC would react to if they went to the big 10 in November. But, of course, they made the schedule, so they
Oscar:don't go anywhere. Yeah.
Jacob:They don't go anywhere. Yeah. Their road games are against each other in November, which kinda sinks, but hopefully down the line we can get them to go to
Oscar:One day we will see them in the big house.
Jacob:Happy valley in November. Let's switch that
Oscar:up in the next couple
Jacob:of years. Let's switch
Derrick:that up.
Jacob:Because what's so unfair is these big 10 teams in the Rose Bowl, they used to build their teams for November, like big offensive line. We're gonna run the ball, stuff it down your throat. And then for the Rose Bowl, we have to go to their country when it's 80 degrees in Pasadena and play the Rose Bowl. Like, why don't you come over here and play it when it's snowing. Right?
Jacob:So I don't know. It'll be interesting. I love to see it, and so I I really hope that there's a big 10 team this season, not on the west coast, like an original big 10 team, of course, that as a home playoff game and a southern team comes to their stadium, it it'll be just so far.
Oscar:Penn State do us right, baby. I need you guys to lose a conference championship game. Matter of fact, don't even make it. Don't even try to make it. Host a home playoff game.
Oscar:I need to see Happy Valley at its absolute craziness because, my god, that place is going to go bonkers for a
Jacob:call in Baltimore. Alabama. Happy Valley. 8 o'clock. Calling it.
Jacob:Friday night. Snow falling down. White out. You can't even tell if if it's a student or a snowball. Nope.
Jacob:You won't know. There's gonna be pandemonium in the state.
Derrick:You can
Jacob:ever hear the sound waves all the way from Nebraska extends through the big ten country.
Oscar:It's going to be insane. It's
Derrick:gonna be amazing.
Oscar:Another thing you mentioned is, of course, you know, the conference champions, you know, not having as much, implication for them losing as they did in the 4 team, but I I still think the implication is is really there. You know? The the the buy, I think, is going to be a really important factor in how a team wins the national championship because that's one less game that you do have to play. I ran the numbers on this. A team that want that wins a national championship, who wins their conference championship and gets a buy, they play 12 games in the regular season.
Oscar:13 would be the, conference championship, and then they play, I believe, 3 more games in the playoffs. They would have to win 3 more?
Jacob:Yeah. Because there would be 8 teams after the first round. Yeah.
Oscar:So you have to win 3 more games. If you are a team Wait.
Jacob:So hold up. If does that mean the first two rounds of the college football playoff are at home?
Oscar:No. It's only you said
Derrick:it was only 1. Right?
Jacob:Because the semifinal and the final would be at the respective bulls, but, like, what if, like, the 2nd round has 8 teams, which is
Oscar:I'm not I'm not quite sure how they're doing this at home. They might be doing it at home or they might be doing it at bowl.
Jacob:Anyway, if you lose the conference championship, there's still a good chance you could get a home playoff game, which wouldn't be the worst. Right? Because imagine 2 home playoff games. Right? Yeah.
Jacob:They're just double the economic input we thought you had. But more fun.
Oscar:So if you if you win your if you win your conference, you are and you win the national championship, you would have played, 16 games at that point. If you don't win your conference and you play in that conference championship game and you have to get a at large bid, that's 17 games some of these kids are gonna have play. That's a lot. That is an NFL schedule. That's an n that is an NFL year.
Oscar:I think that is going to be such an important thing is getting that buy and winning the conference championship. That's why I think they added it in the first place to make sure the conference championship still have those really strong implications, and being a conference champion, you know, still really matters in, in the college football playoff, and I think, you know, we're gonna see that matter a lot. That bye is going to be very, very helpful to these teams getting an extra week of rest and not having to play that extra game. Very very vital. It it I think it just makes it 10 times harder for an at large team to win, especially if they're playing in their conference championship and they have to play 17 games possibly to win, and you cannot lose those last 4 games possibly.
Derrick:Most of the questions that were given to the executive director were about that, were about how is it gonna be playing 17 games? What do you think about are you gonna change it? Are you gonna make it? Is it gonna wear on their bodies? What's gonna happen with that?
Derrick:Mhmm. And he really just said, I'm excited for the challenge. I'm excited to see what these what these players do, and he's excited to see it.
Oscar:So I
Jacob:think it's gonna be great. Player health
Oscar:needs to not be thrown by the wayside right now. Alright? This this does I I think this will end up being a conversation at some point, but, I I mean, 16 games on a possible college freshman on an 18 year old, that's a lot. Who's true? Games is a lot.
Jacob:And we gotta remember too, like, it's not like the NFL where that's their only job. Like Yeah. They're supposed to be students too. Right? Yeah.
Jacob:Taking classes. I know they can, I guess, manifest it so they could still do it, but you still need to pass your classes? And especially, like, Michigan, I know for basketball, they wouldn't accept students who couldn't do that. Like, Caleb Love couldn't go to Michigan because his grades weren't good enough. So Yep.
Jacob:It actually does mean something at some of these places. So when you're trying to get your degree on top of that, because, I mean, only 1% of these guys are going to make pro football. Mhmm. And so it's still a long season to go. And, like you said, Oscar, I think player health will have to be discussed.
Jacob:But Richard Clark was kinda like, well, we'll see how it goes. Now does that mean he doesn't care about the players? Of course not. Because obviously, if you have this format, the college football itself makes more money, which means they get more NIL money Mhmm. Which helps the state of the sport.
Jacob:Right? Who doesn't want more money? That's that's how you get them to play. So, it it'll be interesting. It'll be interesting how it unfolds.
Jacob:I don't think the players are gonna get totally thrown under the wayside, but still a good storyline to watch for in this upcoming season.
Oscar:Yeah. Definitely. So that'll do it for us on this inaugural Spartan red zone. Like I said, again, we will be back in another month with our full crew this time as Joe Dez and Tim Marshall were not able to join us as they are still enjoying their time at home and enjoying the last few bits of summer that they have before they come here and get right to work on the football season. So the that's the next time you guys will see us, but for now, thank you so much for listening to us.
Oscar:I'm Oscar Henderson alongside Jacob Marr and Derek Mitchell. Thank you so much again for listening, and we'll see you guys in a month.