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Spartan Red Zone breaks down everything happening in the world of Michigan State University football.
Welcome everyone to episode 4 of Spartan Red Zone season 12. This one's an important one here. It is the night before game day here. We have a late night recording. It's currently 10 53 PM.
Oscar:We have the Colorado, North Dakota state game going on. We'll have live reactions to that later. But for now, we are gonna give some MSU previews. I am joined as always with my cohost, Tim Marshall, Jodes, Derek, and Jacob Mauer. Guys, how are we feeling tonight?
Oscar:Are we excited for tomorrow? How are we how are we thinking?
Tim:Oh, so excited. I'm excited for right now, but I am also warm and tired. Yes.
Oscar:So Yes.
Tim:Very ready for tomorrow.
Derrick:I'm so happy. I can't wait to see how this team is gonna play, see that team is gonna act, see if they're gonna be loose or whatever. I'm just excited to see this team, but I'm very hot right now. It's the night before game day,
Jacob:and there's a campfire in our recording studio because it is burning. Yes. We are sweating bullets right now. Not because we're nervous for the game or anxious because it's so hot in this room.
Oscar:It's currently 84 degrees on thermostat. Nothing we can do to fix that, unfortunately. So we are going to march on. As I said, we are a little we are about over an hour away from it officially being game day, 10:54 PM. We will also be broadcasting the game here on WDM Impact.
Oscar:Me and Joe Dez will be on that call. Jacob Mauer will be on at halftime along with either Derek Mitchell or Tim Marshall, whoever decides to come out of the writing booth. Speaking of writing, they will both be dropping pieces about the game afterwards as well, so make sure you take a look at that on the Impact website as well.
Tim:And we all both of us already have pregame pieces out, so go check those out.
Oscar:Go check those
Jacob:out as well. You listen to this episode, if you want even more content, we got it for
Joe:you. We can
Jacob:have it for you.
Oscar:We have you guys covered if you wanna learn everything about this game upcoming. But we speaking of the game, let's get into it. Let's talk about week 1, MSU versus FAU, MSU's traditional Friday night under the lights game to kick off the season. They are 11 and o in these games, and Jonathan Smith looks to continue that streak and pick up his 1st head coaching win in his first game. Guys, what type of energy are we expecting here from Spartan Stadium?
Oscar:Because the more I've been thinking about it today, the more I've realized I think we're gonna be watching something special on Friday, and it it's gonna be a different type of feeling and different type of energy in Spartan Stadium.
Tim:I think it'll be refreshing after kind of the end of last season and not being a lot of energy in the stands and it being, like, cold November games and against 2, like, 3 and 8 teams. Like, nobody's really watching those games. So 0 and 0, fresh new start, and, yeah, I think there will be a lot of anticipation for it.
Derrick:Yeah.
Joe:It's it's gonna be electric. That's just the only way to scrap. Last year, it was rough. It was rocky, and it was about as close as this program can really get to rock bottom. But the good news about rock bottom is you only go up at from there.
Derrick:Sir.
Jacob:Amen.
Derrick:Love that. It was it's definitely gonna be exciting to see all the fans come back. I've been talking to just my roommate and all my friends and stuff like that, and they're just all really excited to see a new football, a new era, and just see a new whole light come to East Lansing. It's gonna be a lot of fun walking around the campus. It's gonna be super busy, so I'm excited to see how everyone just kinda comes together again, and they're just people are just excited to see a good football team.
Jacob:Oscar, I know I talked to you before the show how pumped up I was for tomorrow because last year was the same head coach. It was a program that went 57. I don't know. I just didn't really feel the hype last year but now you have a new regime, first real look at the Spartans. I mean, you can say the spring game but that's just green on white.
Jacob:Right? So now you actually get another opponent. We mentioned how we haven't seen this team since late November and really then, like, who was paying attention back then? Because you had the first four home games in September and by that point, your head coach was gone. Your season was really down the toilet, and then you had one more game against Michigan in the middle, and you got blown out in that game.
Jacob:And then one more against Nebraska, which you won, but it was just at that point, it was kinda deflated. Now we get a new look, new life for Spartan football. It's gonna be a gorgeous day tomorrow. It should be sunny. Stripe the stadium.
Jacob:Just Michigan State's making this a Friday night tradition. I'm so excited, and I think the atmosphere is gonna be one of the best in college football tomorrow.
Oscar:Definitely. It's gonna be really exciting to watch. I cannot wait personally to call it. I cannot wait to feel the energy of Spartan Stadium come back and sort of the life of the stadium come back after it was kinda gone last year. And as Jacob said, it kinda just didn't feel like it was there last season.
Oscar:But now that we have a new regime and sort of a new hope here, there's sort of a new energy and a new exhilaration that feels like it's coming around the campus and will hopefully come into the stadium tomorrow.
Jacob:Yeah. Real quick. Did you guys see on social media how Michigan State dropped that hype video? It was just about 30 seconds. It's a random player just coming out of the tunnel, but in the background, you can hear a little stadium noise and you can hear thunderstruck.
Jacob:Oh my goodness. If they play that tomorrow and they bounce out to that in front of a full Spartan stadium crowd, I I'm gonna be excited.
Oscar:Get a touchdown ride afterwards too. It might just be the Olympics Spartan stadium.
Jacob:Like, you get the 15 minutes before the game, the band starts going out. I I never get so hyped for a band in my life until I went to Michigan State. It's like, don't don't don't you start playing the fight song. Then the team comes out, cheerleaders getting you all hype. Stadium's finally packed.
Jacob:Now you got thunderstruck, dude. Nothing beats it. I hope Michigan State has a great season because they definitely always have a great Friday night start.
Joe:And for this year, it's not just Michigan State. Obviously, there's a whole new head coach, there's a whole new QB. There's so much excitement around the team. The entire football landscape has changed this season. It's 12 team playoff, 2 minute warning is involved.
Joe:There are so many changes coming, and it's gonna be an entire new era.
Oscar:Yeah. Definitely. It's gonna be really exciting to watch. Now let's focus a little bit more on the teams at hand. We have MSU, of course, going into a brand new year of new look team.
Oscar:It seems like this year, a lot of new faces who are gonna be on the team different from last year. Who do we expect to be sort of the most impressive unit tomorrow? Who did the what do you think is gonna be the most surprising unit, I guess, to impress and show out and, you know, gotta, I guess, show themselves as the identity of the team either on offense or on defense?
Tim:I'm looking at the running backs. I think the backfield will be very important. I I think Nate Carter's been there before. We've seen him do it even with a kinda not a great offensive line. So I think hopefully if that'll be a good testing mark to see where the offensive line is if he if Nate Carter can have a good game.
Tim:Also look to k ron Lynch Adams. I think that won't be as I think it'll be more of a shared role back there, especially these 1st couple weeks against lesser competition. And then for a unit that I'm kinda this is a real test for is the defensive line. I I wanna see them getting to the FAU quarterback a lot because if they can't get to him this week, then you're you're not gonna be able to get get to him, with big big ten teams.
Joe:Yeah. For me, I I'm really excited for the tight end room this year. Jack Vailing, he's gonna be nasty. There's no doubt about that. But then behind him, Parachek, Hopper, there's multiple players who can assist.
Joe:And if you watch Aidan Chiles' film back in Oregon State, I was watching much of it last night, he loves his tight ends. He loves throwing it to corner routes with tight end. Anywhere that he can put it with a big body, he loves getting it to them. So I think that's gonna be an area to look out for. O Line, as Tim mentioned, is gonna be a massive area to look out for.
Joe:A whole new outlook on that. It was one of the weakest units for the team last year. If they can really come together and provide just a solid front, allow pressure not to get to the quarterback, and keep room for their running backs to get open, it's gonna be a completely different team. But the team the the position group that I'm really looking out for is the defensive backs. This is not that hard of a test for them.
Joe:The QB for FAU, it last year, he played for Marshall. He put up about 2,000 yards, 11 picks, 11 touchdowns. They should be able to come out and they should be able to play against him. It's gonna be Cam Fancher. And if they can't, I'm not sure how they're gonna do the rest of the season.
Derrick:That's gonna be so hard to sell if they're gonna be good or not because if they can't pick off Marshall the Marshall quarterback, if they can't pick off him, it's just gonna be really hard to see. But my favorite group that I'm looking for right now, the O line's gonna be really important being able to actually score and things like that. And but my really thing that I really wanna see right now is the receivers. I wanna see how Nick Marsh is doing. I wanna see how Montoya Foster can lead this group, and they're gonna have to really create space on these DBs because if they can't do it against the out of conference DBs, are they going as big 10 DBs it's gonna be really difficult so that the receiver really needs to step out.
Jacob:I think, when you start this game tomorrow, Michigan State usually on Friday night games, their offense always starts off a little slow. And that's given really for any team to start a season. It takes a while for your offense to get rid of them. It's totally a different atmosphere out there with the crowd. But the defense, you get that crowd boost, you get that adrenaline.
Jacob:Usually, the defense has a good showing. I know last year against Central Michigan, it was only 10 to 7 at halftime. Michigan State ended up winning 31 to 10 or either 31 to 7. Either way, it was a great defensive performance. I expect the defense to be good.
Jacob:It's gonna be a new look for the defense for the Spartans, but I'm excited to see how they respond to that great energy they will have tomorrow. And that's who I think will really have a solid game against FAU.
Oscar:Definitely. I agree with almost all your guys' points. I especially think, again, the offensive line is really gonna be key for this team, especially looking at how FAU, defensive line is looking. It's a lot of veteran guys, a lot of playmakers on that front 6. You know?
Oscar:They're gonna get after Aidan Chiles, I think. And so it's gonna be a real important test, I think, early on for the offensive line, especially, again, looking at the FAU front 6. It it it's a veteran team out there. They don't mess around, and so it'll be interesting to watch that. But speaking of which, let's talk about FAU a little bit.
Oscar:They are coming in after a struggling season as well. They went 4 and 8 last year. This is Tom Herman's 3rd year as the coach. He was formerly coach of Texas before Steve Sarkeesian came in and took over that job. But Tom Herman is looking to bounce back, and he has a brand new look team as well for FAU.
Oscar:A lot of transfers, a lot of incoming guys, and a lot of new faces on this team as well. Both of these teams really don't have anything to scout off of, but one thing is for sure, Tom here Herman is one of the best offensive coaches in all of college football. And I know we mentioned that he may not have the quarterback, but he is gonna have the play design, I think. So what do we sort of expect from FAU, and what sort of challenges do you think they're gonna give MSU tomorrow?
Tim:It's it's gonna be tough because even looking back to these games in the past where MSU maybe played not a great opponent in the first couple, games, that, like, that you can't really take a lot out of it because they've beaten up on these teams in the beginning and then look what happened. Like, they would go 57. So it's obviously gonna be an interesting game to see what happens with FAU, but you can't take too much out of it.
Joe:You mentioned Tom Herman. He has just a great coaching record. Well, he coached at Houston back in 2015. He had 13 in 1 season with them back then. He knows how to get the best of his players, and it's really gonna be a test for Joe Rossi on the defensive end.
Joe:It's gonna be offense versus defense who whichever one can really send more pressure. Obviously, offense, it's different type of pressure. You're trying to use receivers, running backs, quarterback, and the other side are trying to get sacks. But I think it's mostly gonna be seeing how those new coordinators who came in, Brian Lingering as well as Joe Rossi, seeing how they can develop the players from last year and the new ones that came out this year because there's a lot of new ones this year, seeing how they can contribute against such a powerful coach on the other side.
Derrick:I think the most important thing about this game from Muschocet is gonna be the defense. The DBs, as you said, Joe, are really gonna be very important. Just kinda see how they're gonna be able to defend. That's the one thing that's gonna be really difficult because their offense is not that bad at FAU. They have a couple veterans on that side as well on the quarterback.
Derrick:He's probably is gonna have a better o line this year than he did in his other team, so he's gonna be able to really work with that. So it's gonna be exciting to see how they can kinda defend and off offend at the same time. It's gonna be really interesting to see that.
Jacob:I think for me, the most thing I'm concerned about for FAU is their defensive front and our offense scoring points. You have a brand new offensive line at Michigan State. A lot of talented players, but still brand new. It's gonna be their first time playing in a game together. And here at Spartan Stadium, you got an 18 year old quarterback at a brand new school.
Jacob:I know he has his offensive coordinator and his head coach, but he's only 18 guys. He's only a sophomore. He's young. I know he'll have nerves going out there, and it can be a little shaky especially against a good defensive front. Usually, what you like to do for a young quarterback is try to run the ball, but if there's a good defensive front that might be taken away and more pressure on Aiden Chiles.
Jacob:If Florida Atlantic can make it a dog fight on defense, it can be a really scary game for the Spartans.
Oscar:Definitely. I think that's gonna be the best approach for FAU if they wanna try to win this game. It's definitely dominating at the line of scrimmage both offensive and defensively. That's how they're gonna make their way in this game. But we are gonna do some quick score predictions.
Oscar:Me and Joe did some last Sunday on green and white report, but we wanna get the full crew score predictions here. I believe this is gonna be a high scoring game like Aidan Chiles said. I know he might have been talking about the win total for MSU, but the quote that's been going around, he says, take the over. I agree. I think I this game is gonna be high scoring.
Oscar:I expect MSU to come out and show a lot on offense and try to, you know, air the ball out and get Aidan Childs comfortable quickly, I think. And so I see them trying to do a lot, throwing the ball, and, of course, Nate Carter is gonna do Nate Carter things. I think getting in his 15 touches, he's gonna get you your yards. So I'm gonna say, I think a 42, 21 game is about right. I'm pretty sure that was my prediction on green and white, so I'm gonna stick with that.
Oscar:42 to 21 is gonna be my score prediction.
Derrick:I'm gonna
Tim:go 4520. That's the thing that I had originally. I think FAU will score a little. I I I don't know how much the defense will be as shut down, but I think, they'll get some there'll be a lot more field goals for FAU. They'll get down in the field, and then the defense will kinda shore up a little.
Tim:So I'm gonna say 4520.
Joe:Yeah. I'm gonna say this time, 3517. I don't think that's why I said green and white, but I'm gonna assume that what's gonna happen is it's gonna be kinda close to the beginning. They are gonna get touchdown on that field goal. It might be about 10 14, and then MSU just gotta run away with it, the offense.
Joe:If they live up to their potential, it can be so explosive. But if they don't, it's so many players coming in. They have time to adjust. That second half is really where it's got click, I think.
Derrick:Well, then that really surprised me was some betting odds that I saw in the article earlier. They said that Michigan State was only gonna score 24 points, and they were gonna only win by a touchdown. And I was just like, there's no way that's happening. That can't happen. That's low key disrespectful, but I'm not gonna say that.
Derrick:But I'm thinking it's gonna be 44 to 17 as my prediction.
Jacob:I like Derek, I also look at the sports book. Vegas, dude, they're so knowledgeable, and I do not take them for granted. Last time I checked, Michigan State was a 14 point favorite, so 2 touchdowns. But I feel like the Spartans do better on opening games. Central Michigan, Michigan state was the same amount favored and they handled that game even though it wasn't the prettiest.
Jacob:I think it's gonna be similar to that. I think Michigan state's gonna get off to a slow start as I mentioned on the offensive end. At halftime, you could be looking at it like a 13 to 10 game, 14 to 10 game. I still think Michigan State will be winning, but they'll score their points more later towards in that second quarter. I have the Spartans and I have them winning by 17.
Jacob:I think they'll handle it quite nicely. Maybe FAU scores a last minute touchdown, but I have the Spartans at 34, FAU at 17.
Oscar:Alright. So that will be our score predictions for today. Again, we will be live tomorrow at 6:30 for a kickoff pregame. We will be doing the game live here on WDBM impact. You can listen on 88.9 FM.
Oscar:And as said before, Derek and Tim will have postgame notes on that as well. So now we are gonna move on to the new world of college football as week 1 officially begins on Saturday. We have some amazing games to kick off the college football season this year. We were gonna start with the Colorado game, but we are currently at, I believe, 2 minutes remaining in that game. Colorado up 31 to 28.
Oscar:Assuming they are able to hopefully hold on and win this game, I wanna get some of your initial thoughts on how Colorado work looked in this game, and, you know, what are some takeaways from it that you guys
Tim:had? Well, has over 400 yards. Travis Hunter has been unbelievable, but still they're only up 5 points on an FCS team. I think that's gonna be a lot of what this year is. Individual standouts, but the team will not look great.
Tim:And I I think it's gonna be tough to find 6 wins on their schedule to make a bowl game.
Joe:Yeah. It's true. They they could really go 500 or even under 500 and then still have 2 players in the top 5 overall in the draft next year. We we were talking about a little bit earlier, but is gonna go off. Obviously, Hunter's gonna go off.
Joe:That's not gonna be something that doesn't happen. That's pretty clear. He's been going off this entire game. And I don't think the record's gonna be pretty, but the players who are stars are still gonna be
Derrick:shown off. Definitely, the stars are gonna be the star of the show on a 100%. Shador Sanders and Travis Hunter, they're just insane. Watching him roll out of the pocket and do what he does is really awesome to see. And Travis Hunter just catches whatever and, like, the focus he has when he's in just in the red zone is honestly insane.
Derrick:He catches every single ball down there, even though it's kind of like left or right or everywhere around him. He just grabs it every time, but their old line of defensive line honestly are so bad. They just, I don't know how they're going to be able to really defend him. What's the door is kind of running for his life every single time he gets a snap, so I don't know how they're gonna be able to really reflect with that on their schedule, but we'll see.
Joe:Well, I really quick wanna hop in. The their wide receiver they got this year that is taken from f a f s FAU. Jeez. It's too hot in this room, guys. It's getting rough tonight.
Joe:Yeah. Well, Jontay Wester, he had a 108 catches last year, 1100 yards, and that was with an FAU quarterback that wasn't as good as you'd to put it that way simply. He only had 2,000 yards passing last year, and over a 1000 of those went to 1 guy. I think Wester is gonna be a big key to opening up the offense. I'm excited to see what we can do.
Oscar:Definitely. Again, I I had a very hot take on this podcast and also Green and White report that, Shader Sanders was my Heisman winner, this year. And, again, it again, he as we said, he has been playing very well. He, he had a weird interception in the red zone, near the Q3. It bounced off at North North Dakota state's quarterback's leg.
Oscar:It was one of the wildest interceptions I've ever seen, but, other than that, he's been playing amazing. That's gonna be a pass interference flag, and it looks like
Tim:That might do it.
Oscar:That might be the the game right there.
Joe:So Didn't even try looking back at the ball. Yeah.
Oscar:North Dakota State has one time out left with 141 remaining in the 4th. They just got a pass interference flag on a 3rd and 8th throw from Sanders. That one was on as the aforementioned Webster. So it looks like with North Dakota only having one more time out, Colorado will be able to clock this game and win. As you guys said, I really thought they were gonna take a step forward at the front on the defensive line and the offensive line.
Oscar:The run the run pressure for the defensive line looked really good this entire game. They were getting after the running back, but there was just it seemed little to no pass rush at all anytime Cam Miller stepped back from North Dakota State. And as you guys said, Shredder Sanders is still out there running for his life. That has not changed one bit from this team. I'm still hopeful.
Oscar:I I liked what they were doing on offense. I like that they have a lot of rollouts. They're not letting Shredder stay in the pocket a lot. I don't know how long that can last, but we'll see. And, hopefully, this amazing start to a great Heisman campaign, will begin.
Oscar:I should've been in the PI flag, it looks like.
Tim:They should've ran
Jacob:the ball. I agree. It's over. It ran the same play. That's crazy.
Oscar:Alright. Well, hopefully, I will finish up this game.
Jacob:I'll keep my Colorado take short. Travis Hunter is insane, and it's a shame that he's on a team that won't make a bowl game. But dude's nuts. He's the Shohei Ohtani of college football.
Oscar:It's actually unreal. Alright. So we're gonna move off to what I think is the biggest game of the weekend. We have number 1 Georgia taking on number 14 Clemson in Atlanta in Mercedes Benz Stadium. A alternative home game for Georgia, I'll say, considering it is still in the state of Georgia and Mercedes Benz.
Oscar:But Clemson is looking to make a statement and make a statement early as a lot is on the line, it seems like, here for Dabo Sweeny this year. What do we expect from this game? I I am a avid Clemson. I am avidly against Clemson this year. I don't think they did enough to improve.
Oscar:As long as Dabo Sweeny continues to not use the transfer portal and not use NIL to his, to his favor, they're not gonna do anything, and I think we're gonna get the same old, same old this season, and it's gonna show blatantly against a really, really talented Georgia team once again. Yeah. I wanna get your guys' takeaways. What are your thoughts on the game, and how do you guys think it's gonna end up going?
Tim:I think Clemson I'm a little higher on Clemson than you are this year. I think they can win the ACC, but this isn't an ACC game. I think they both have the guys up front. I think Clemson has the guys up front to deal with Georgia, but II just don't think it'll be enough, especially with that crowd being as you said, it's technically a neutral site game, but it's 95% Georgia fans in there and they'll be loud. So I'm gonna say Georgia and maybe a lower scoring closer game than other people think.
Joe:Yeah. There's a reason Georgia's lost one game in the last 2 years. They are a powerful program. They know how to recruit. They know I use a transfer portal.
Joe:A lot of things Clemson has not been the best at lately, and I I think it's just gonna be a bloodbath. I'm not high on Clemson at all. Every time I've tried talking at Clemson, they have shown me that I was wrong, so I'm not gonna do that this year.
Derrick:I feel you. Clemson just been letting me down the last couple of years, so I honestly can't really rock with them that well. But I think we'll be a low scoring game just because of the kind of rivalry asset they have. So they're gonna be really fighting each other on that one. But Georgia's gonna take it because the fans there, they're just Sarada there.
Derrick:So a lot is a bunch of people there, so it's just gonna be mostly a Georgia bloodbath. But I would say maybe 20 points will be the difference between the 2 teams.
Jacob:I'm sorry, but I have to interrupt this because Colorado is trying their best. Mario crystal ball impersonation. And The game was over.
Oscar:If this actually, like, comes back to bite them, like, the I this is actually Mario. So this is Mario Crystal ball 2 point o.
Derrick:You're ready for a punt
Joe:return touchdown right here.
Jacob:That's it's a 5 point game. The game's not over.
Oscar:I mean, they had to get the they had to try to get the 1st down because they threw it
Derrick:on the
Oscar:1st down.
Jacob:They threw it on 1st down or not.
Oscar:I knew they could've ran It's over. To get the time out.
Joe:Yeah. Yeah. He's low key slow.
Jacob:Yep. Oh my gosh. What are you doing? Yeah. They have one time out left.
Oscar:Alright. Anyway, anyway, Georgia
Jacob:Georgia, Clemson. Georgia, Clemson. I, you said it's the game of the week. I don't think it's gonna be even close. It's in Atlanta.
Jacob:It's basically gonna be a Georgia home game. I think Georgia is by far and away one of the best teams in the country, and I don't think Clemson comes close. I know that 14 one ranking might seem closer, but the division between, like, the top four teams in college football and the rest is a big difference. I really think the game of the week is gonna be Texas a and m and Notre Dame, 7:30 game on a Saturday night at Texas a and m at Kyle Field. I think that'll be electric, but still such a fun slate of games for week 1.
Oscar:Definitely. So we're gonna look at another noon game that is Penn State going into Morgantown to face off West Virginia. This could possibly
Jacob:be a potential
Oscar:trap game for PSU. Again, kinda wish it was a night game in Morgantown. Kind of unfortunate it had to be a big noon kickoff game. But, nonetheless, it'll be very loudy in West Virginia looking to knock off the number 8 team in the country. This is the 2nd tie this 2nd season that Drew Aller will be Penn State's starting quarterback.
Oscar:Really kinda struggled last season. Was not sort of impressive in the big time games where they really needed him to step up and win. Do we sorta think that he's gonna be able to take this step up, and do we think that West Virginia has a chance to possibly complete this, upset here against Penn State?
Tim:Well, like you said, it was against the the higher talent that pen or that Drew Aller really had a problem. He had 25 touchdowns and 2 interceptions last year. He could take care of the ball. He could do what the offense needed to do, and I think that's what they do this week against West Virginia who's just not really quite at the the level of Penn State yet. They're building something nice in Morgantown, but it's still I I think they're still, like, a year away.
Tim:They might keep it close for a half, but I I see this thing being double digits by the end of it. Yeah.
Joe:If we're living in reality, the Nittany Lions should crush them. It should not really be close at all. But if we're living in my dream world, West Virginia, the game isn't till Saturday. They canceled classes on Friday. They've got my vote right now.
Joe:Now. I'm starting to think that they have a chance.
Oscar:Average West Virginia game day weekend. That's how
Derrick:you do it.
Oscar:Alright. Well, we're gonna look at another inner, interstate game that's gonna be going on. We have Miami going to the swamp to take on Florida in a make or break year for both Mario Crystal Ball and Billy Napier, it feels like. This is gonna be a big game to set the tone for both of these program season. Florida, as we know, has that insanely tough schedule throughout their year.
Oscar:I believe facing, right now, 5 or 4 top 10 teams, something like that. And so they're gonna look to try to make a statement early against Miami. Guys, do we think this is finally the year Mario Crystal Ball can lead Miami to a successful season, or do we see sort of the same old same old, and do we see that possibly in Florida?
Tim:I'm a Cam Ward guy. I liked him at Washington state. I think he's gonna be, just a really good QB for Miami. But Florida's an SEC team. They're tough.
Tim:Even look back to last year, they beat a Utah team that they weren't really they had different seasons. Utah had a better season, obviously, but in that first game on the road, Florida won. So I I think in any game,
Derrick:Florida can really have a
Tim:chance, especially in the swamp. That's a tough place to play. This is a close one. I I I'm still 5050 on this one, but I'm gonna go Miami because I think that's the better story. I think they have they can go further this year than Florida can.
Joe:Think what's gonna come down to is whether Florida can get the pressure or not. It's what could really affect Miami if they can just get enough pressure because Ken Moore is not as good at all under pressure as he is when he has a clean pocket. So it matters what the defense is doing, but I think going into Gainesville, it's hard to win, especially against the interstate rival.
Derrick:I I
Joe:I'm going to Florida.
Oscar:Very hot, by the way, in Gainesville. I believe it is a 3:30 kickoff with about a 100 degree weather that day. Oh, goodness. So yeah. Get get ready, Florida.
Oscar:It's gonna be, it's gonna be a long day for those UF kids.
Joe:Yeah. Sometimes you go on the swamp, and you get dragged under by a gator. And I think that's what's gonna happen to the hurricanes.
Derrick:That might happen, actually. They're gonna go in there, and it's gonna be hot. It's gonna be difficult to play. But if they keep their calm and under pressure and honest at play how they usually will, I think they're gonna be fine. I'm gonna have Miami in this one.
Jacob:Yeah. I just don't trust Mario Cristobal, so give me the gator. It's gonna be a tough place to play at the swamp.
Derrick:Oh. Oh
Jacob:my goodness.
Tim:Four yards away for
Oscar:North Dakota state just caught Hail Mary at the 5 yard line to end the game.
Derrick:Put a second on the clock.
Jacob:Yeah. Give him a second.
Derrick:So I'll
Oscar:do it. It is officially 2631. Colorado wins. 1 and o.
Tim:Perfect timing.
Jacob:That bit them in the butt. If you have some coaching like that, you deserve to lose.
Oscar:Alright. Well, get ready to see Travis Hunter and Shader Sanders in New York by the summer, guys. I'm officially booking it. Alright.
Jacob:We'll be done by the end of November. No bowl game for the for the buffalos.
Oscar:Alright. But, Jacob, what are your thoughts on the Miami, Florida game? What are you thinking? Is this gonna be Mario crystal ball's year? You are an avid anti Mario crystal Ball guy.
Oscar:What are your what are your thoughts?
Jacob:Yeah. When you have a a performance like you did, forget the game, but the clock management
Oscar:The Georgia Tech game.
Jacob:I believe. Georgia Tech. You're right. Yes. When you have the clock management skills of a 4 year old, I do not trust you to lead a football team, especially in the Gainesville into the swamp.
Jacob:I know both teams are really gonna be used to the heat, so I don't know if it'll be that big of a deal. They'll have hydration on the sideline, doctors. I mean, it's so nice these days. Nutritionists know exactly what to give their players. So, I mean, maybe cramps, but both teams are used to it and it'll affect both sides.
Jacob:But Gainesville, tough place to play. You always see in the 1st week of college football how home environments are always superior. You saw between Duke and Clemson last year, Colorado and TCU. So I feel like you're gonna see that again for Florida.
Oscar:Interesting. So he's taking the Florida upset. I'm and gonna take Miami to win this. I just don't think Billy Napier quite has it as the Florida head coach, and I'm pretty sure this is gonna be his last year because they're probably going 4 and 8, if I'm gonna be completely honest. Alright.
Oscar:But we are gonna now move to what Jacob believes is the game of the week as Riley Leonard takes on his old coach, Mike Elko, and 2 completely different teams as Notre Dame takes on Texas a and m in Kyle Field. This is a big, big game for Notre Dame. A sort of disappointing year, I would say, for what they were expecting to do next year, take another step, and hopefully make that college football playoff. They kinda stayed where they were at from the year before, but this is Marcus Freeman's 3rd year. He has another transfer quarterback coming in as Riley Leonard.
Oscar:Amazing season he had last season at Duke under Mike Elka who, as I said, is now the new Texas A and M coach. Guys, what do we expect from this game? What do we expect from the new look Aggies? And sort of what do we expect from this new look Notre Dame offense that we're gonna get to with Riley Leonard?
Tim:Well, I'm a former Notre Dame fan before I came to MSU, so I'll give you the game plan on how every big Notre Dame game goes. There's hype throughout the day. You're really counting down for the game. It's a close game, comes down to the final seconds, and somehow Notre Dame finds a way to lose it. It happens every time.
Tim:Especially at Kyle Field, I'm going a and m.
Joe:Yeah. I wanna pick Notre Dame just for the fact of how much I like Shane Gillispa. I gotta go Texas A and M too. For for Notre Dame, they they lost both their starting tackles. They had another one end up getting injured right before the season.
Joe:They lost their center to to the transfer portal. Roderick Estime gone. Exactly. Yeah. They're starting online has 6 career starts of so far going into this game.
Joe:I don't think you're going
Tim:to college. That's usually where they make their money. That's usually where they're the best. They usually have all Americans at each position. So that's, yeah, that's really tough for them.
Tim:Yeah.
Joe:Their o line is usually their biggest strength. I don't think they go into College Station and win without that strong o line. It's really hard to go with, I might say Kyle Field or College Station. I think I said Kyle Station there pretty well. I know this stuff.
Joe:It is, I think that is gonna be Texas A&M taken. I really like them this year.
Derrick:Notre Dame is such a fun team. The ones are always reliable. They're always really, really good on every single position. Like Tim said, they're always just really cool to watch and enjoy. But this year, Texas A&M just they're getting it for me.
Derrick:They have a lot of good players on their team. Their roster is very, very nice, and their coach well is just honestly, it's probably more of deadlier than Notre Dame, so I'm gonna take A
Jacob:and M. I know it's Elko's first season at Texas a and m, but that place is gonna be lit. And I know Marcus Freeman, he's not good on the road, especially in big games. So I like Texas a and m here. It could be a slow start for the Aggies, but college station's gonna be lit.
Jacob:Kyle Field is gonna be it's one of the toughest places to play in all of college football. It's a night game too. I like the Aggies.
Oscar:I don't know. I think I am gonna end up having to go with Notre Dame here. I think I think Riley Renner is gonna bring a facet to this offense that they haven't really had before, that type of mobile quarterback that Marcus Freeman hasn't really had yet. And I'm interested to see what he does with that, and I think they'll be able to make it work. And so I think we'll see an impressive debut from Notre Dame here in Texas a and m, but we are gonna move on to our last game here, a game going on.
Oscar:On Sunday night in Las Vegas, it is USC taking on LSU. 2 teams who kinda had somewhat similar years last year. LSU did go 9 and 3. They had the Heisman winning quarterback, Jaden Daniels, but was kind of a disappointing 9 and 3. The defense was not really there.
Oscar:USC, kind of the same deal. 7 and 5, a generational talent at quarterback, and Caleb Williams, not really living up to expectations. Both of them going in with brand new faces at quarterback and just brand new faces in general. USC getting a new defensive coordinator. Guys, this one, I think, is gonna be a really close and entertaining game.
Oscar:This one, I believe, could go either way. What are your thoughts on it, and what are you guys expecting from these 2 new quarterbacks that we're gonna see?
Tim:Well, yeah, if this game happened last year, you had, had the 1 and 2 quarterbacks. So there those are 2 big holes on both teams. And, sneaky hot seat for Brian Kelly
Oscar:Yes.
Derrick:I think Yes. They paid him
Oscar:a lot of money.
Tim:They're they're cutthroat down in bat Baton Rouge. I I like LSU. I think they just they have the guys up front that'll kinda I think they'll bully USC a little bit, and I think LSU will take this game.
Joe:Yeah. What's real tough for LSU is that they have been awful to open the season the last few years. It it's 4 straight seasons. They have lost the season opener. If if they can live up to what they're supposed to, just like every single season, they should win against did not get that much better.
Joe:I think LSU should be able to handle it, but it's really hard not to bet against 5 years in a row them losing it. So I will say LSU, but I think that is a very shaky prediction as
Derrick:well. I think it can go either way, but LSU really shows me a lot on offense, but it's gonna be an offensive versus defensive game because USC's defense is honestly been a staple besides the fact that Caleb Williams, of course, his office is amazing, but it's gonna be really a defensive offensive game. So this can really go either way, but I'm gonna go LSU for this one.
Jacob:I feel like this is gonna be a very high scoring game because I feel like these teams are so similar. Losing a star quarterback, not the best defenses. I feel like it's gonna be an offensive showcase. I trust Miller Moss a little bit more for USC and Lincoln Riley than Brian Kelly. So I wanna pick USC, although it's not a confident pick, but I still think they'll get it done.
Oscar:Yeah. I'm gonna have to agree there. I think I'm gonna go with USC as well. I don't think LSU has enough talent on the defense to stop what I think is gonna be a really good USC offense, and I I I expect the USC off defense to be significantly better than it was last year. That's been a point of address that they've been trying to make coaching, and I think that they're gonna do enough to make it manageable and be able to win this game.
Oscar:But that is gonna do it for us here for Spartan red zone. Once again, you guys can join us at 7 PM tomorrow on the wdvm 88.9 channel to listen to MSU and FAU. Me and Joe Dez will be on that call. Again, Jacob Marwill be at halftime, or you can look at Tim and Derek's articles posted up on our website after the game, but thank you so much for listening. Thank you guys for joining us.
Oscar:We will be back next Tuesday to talk about week 1 and how everything stood out, but for now, we will see you guys later, and thanks for listening.