00:00College football right around the corner. In fact, a little bit over a month. Bill Bender is getting ready with all of the media days going on right now. We'll touch on some SEC action. No doubt, Bill, great to have you back here on Newswire. The excitement is getting there a little bit. I feel like, you know, once the All-Star break sort of is out of the way and the training camps open, the NFL, we focus over to college.
00:19And, you know, I know we touched on this a little bit last week, but the 23rd is week zero of college football and definitely feels like there's a couple of good matchups on the board.
00:30Yeah, beginning with Kansas State, Iowa State. I mean, that's a huge early season game between two Big 12 favorites and experienced quarterbacks in Avery Johnson and Rocco Beck.
00:40So I like this trend of putting an early season, you know, power four game on in Dublin allows other fan bases to experience that trip. It's not just Notre Dame.
00:52And the winner of that game is going to set the tone in the Big 12 race in a lot of ways because they're going to have four or five teams ranked in that preseason pool so that if you score that first big win farm again in Dublin, of all places, I think you're going to have a leg up on that Big 12 race.
01:08And I would love, you know, if you're going to bet on one of those teams, wait till after that game.
01:12Yeah, definitely. So can't wait to get that all started just a few weeks away.
01:16Now we're a little bit further away from some of the big SEC matchups and it's kind of been the tale of two teams over the last several years, Alabama, Georgia sort of interchanging winning and those coaching changes definitely changed with Kalen DeBoer taking over in Alabama, not the season that they necessarily wanted to have last year.
01:34Georgia ends up winning the SEC, but I think what's more interesting this year, Bill, is taking a look at the favorite to win the SEC this year.
01:43It is the Texas Longhorns and that's a little surprising considering where we've been the last few years, Texas in their first year, last year, pretty impressive.
01:52We know their quarterback. Everyone's talked about that. Should Texas be a favorite over Georgia, Alabama and LSU?
01:58It's interesting. And I'm really going to be interested to see the SEC preseason pull when it comes out later this week. What's the gap?
02:06I do think Texas will be favored. But when you look at those ads and the difference between 280 and 290, you ask yourself a question.
02:14Didn't Georgia win this game both times last year? They did beat Texas and they did win the SEC championship.
02:20And those two schools combined to send 25 players to the 25 NFL draft. Now, so you're basing it on what? Is it the Arch Manning hype? Is it the guys that they have at the skill positions? Is it the defense?
02:33I mean, Georgia has a lot coming back, too. And the interesting thing with Georgia, Alabama and Texas, all of that's going to be dictated by which first year starter plays the best.
02:43We all know Arch Manning, but Gunnar Stockton and Ty Simpson will have something to say about that.
02:47Yeah, I would agree. And it's interesting that my Gators aren't even listed there. I thought they were supposed to be a little bit better this year.
02:53I think they're like 20 to one. OK, so Alabama wins nine games and in a normal world, that's OK, but not in Tuscaloosa.
03:03That's like a down year for them. They ended up losing the Relia Quest Bowl.
03:08Their win total this year is a little bit higher than what it was last year.
03:11Actually, I think it was the same nine and a half going into this year, if I'm not mistaken.
03:15So Kalen DeBoer, definitely with his work cut out for him, he's really following a legend.
03:20It's sort of unfair, I think, to some degree to ask him to do what Nick Saban did, which is win every single year.
03:26But do you think that there's a possibility that we could be looking at DeBoer wondering if he's the long term answer at coach for the time?
03:33Well, every year will be pivotal each year, because once you get to year three and if you're losing four games a year, we've seen this with Zook at Florida.
03:42You remember that. We've seen it with other coaches over the years.
03:45When you're that guy that follows the guy, it can be so tough.
03:49All that said, I'm starting to feel like Alabama.
03:52I can't believe I'm saying this, Craig, is a sleeper.
03:55Fourth easiest schedule in the SEC this year.
03:58Ryan Williams is back.
03:59I think the friendly, you know, these early season games against Florida State and Wisconsin, that is friendly for Alabama.
04:06And Kalen DeBoer can learn from the lessons of year one.
04:09You can't lose to Vanderbilt.
04:11You can't.
04:12You've got to be better on the road than they were last year.
04:14But they've got a little bit of sleeper appeal to me in the SEC race and maybe the college football playoff race,
04:20if Ty Simpson, who waited his turn, is that guy at quarterback.
04:24Now, as far as the Heisman is concerned, the favorite right now is Arch Manning, and I understand it because of the name.
04:33You know, Bill, I saw him play a little for Texas last year.
04:36I'm not doubting it.
04:38I'm not saying that he's not better than Quinn Ewers, and I'm not saying that he can't win it.
04:41But I don't know.
04:43Like, I feel like there's really nothing on the resume that says, like, huge signature win or very big play that I remember from, you know, a couple of years ago or last year.
04:53So I'm guessing I'm probably going to pick somebody else to win the Heisman until I really feel like I've seen enough.
05:00Well, an SEC quarterback easily could win the Heisman with the depth.
05:04The problem is, which one?
05:06Is it Arch Manning?
05:07Does he deliver on this hype in year one?
05:09And I do think if I had to bet, I would say I think Arch Manning plays two years at Texas, and we see the best of him next year.
05:16Everything you've said, the athletic ability, the way to throw the ball down the field, it's all there, but we might have to wait a year to see it.
05:22So you have Garrett Nussmeyer, and you have D.J. Lagway, and you have Lenora Sellers, these quarterbacks that there's still a little bit of unknowns.
05:31But if Lagway can lead a Florida playoff run, he'll be in the mix.
05:35Lenora Sellers will have the best players.
05:37Garrett Nussmeyer, you know, 4,000-yard passer.
05:40So there are a lot of intriguing candidates, but I think the Heisman race is pretty open.
05:45And if I'm looking at all those quarterbacks and I can't separate them, if I'm betting this early, I'd probably throw a couple bucks on Jeremiah Smith, knowing that he's going to have a huge year at Ohio State.
05:55Yeah.
05:56By the way, one note from over the weekend, did I see that BYU's quarterback ended up transferring?
06:00That's kind of late in the game, no?
06:01Well, you know, there was a legal matter there involved as well.
06:05So I think that changes the odds for them in the Big 12 with Jake Retzlaff, and they're going to have to switch.
06:11They did get a transfer in the offseason, so we'll see how that works.
06:14So there is depth in that room, but it will certainly impact the BYU Cougars' Big 12 championship hopes.
06:21Does Retzlaff get to play this year, Bill?
06:23How does that work?
06:25That we're going to find out.
06:26I mean, it's a little touchy with that, so whether it's at BYU or somewhere else, I mean, we're late in the game on that.
06:32It's kind of unprecedented, and we'll have to wait and see if he can find a home this late in the season.
06:37All right.
06:37Real quick, Bill, you said Alabama is a possible sleeper, which is crazy.
06:40Any other sleepers before we let you go here today?
06:43Well, you're Gators.
06:45If DJ Lagwad comes through in that defense and they can get through that tough schedule, a 9-3 Florida team, Craig, would deserve to be in the college football playoff, in my opinion, but they've got to go out and do it.
06:55Understood.
06:56Bill, thanks again.
06:57We'll catch up next week.
06:58Thanks for coming on.
06:59Hey, no problem.
06:59Thanks for having me on.
07:00Thanks a lot.
07:01Bye bye.
07:01Bye bye.
07:02Bye bye.
07:04Bye bye.
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