00:00This is one game on the board, Bill, that I'm excited to watch, but not to bet.
00:03I just literally have no idea.
00:05Oddsmakers are telling us these two teams are dead even when you make Ohio State a two-and-a-half-point favorite at home.
00:10We don't know who the quarterback for Ohio State is going to be.
00:13And honestly, when he names the quarterback, I'm not even sure I know how that quarterback is going to perform.
00:19Should be a great game nonetheless, but this is not one of those that I'm going to plant the flag on coming first week of college football.
00:25It's hard not to go against Ohio State here.
00:27They've lost to three non-conference teams at home since the playoff era started.
00:32And the common thread in those games, Michael Brewer, way back with Virginia Tech in 2014, played well.
00:38Baker Mayfield, that was the one that stood out to me.
00:40He came in there and lit Ohio State up with Oklahoma and then Anthony Brown with Oregon.
00:46So Arch Manning's going to have to play well for them to go in there and win.
00:50Both teams have a ton of talent.
00:52It probably, that line might fluctuate.
00:53I bet it drops a little bit, honestly, before kickoff, and it might get down to one-and-a-half.
00:59And at that point, you've got to take the Buckeyes, in my opinion.
01:01At home, in an opener where both teams have questions.
01:05One big question for Texas, they lost four starters on the offensive line.
01:09That matters on the road at Ohio State in the first game of the year.
01:14Do you know much about, Bill, these two quarterbacks at Ohio State?
01:17Do you think one has an edge over the other?
01:19Well, I think it's going to go right down to the wire, and this isn't a lip service quarterback competition.
01:25Julian Sane gets the ball out quick.
01:27He does.
01:27He was very good in the spring game.
01:29Get it to the receivers.
01:30Get them out in space.
01:31Quick release is what you're always going to hear about him.
01:34Lincoln Keenholtz put some weight on in the offseason.
01:36He looks buff.
01:38Runs well.
01:39So I do think it's a competition, and it may come down to the wire, and they need to settle on a starter.
01:44You saw Jeremiah Smith's comments last week of, you know, when you're practicing with two different quarterbacks, it's two different releases.
01:51So I would anticipate Ohio State settles on a starter probably, hopefully, by next week, even if we don't hear about it.
01:58Ohio State's still the favorite to win the Big Ten.
01:59Penn State also supposed to be in the mix.
02:01Oregon and then a little drop off there.
02:04Michigan's supposed to be one of the top 15 teams in the country, but probably not to win the conference, but certainly we will see.
02:10All right, let's move over, Bill, to Notre Dame.
02:12And Notre Dame is getting ready for their showdown, and everyone will be watching.
02:15I believe it's the only game that night, Labor Day weekend, on Sunday night.
02:19Wow, Notre Dame has Kenny Minchie and CJ Carr battling it out for their starter.
02:25Who do you project wins that?
02:27It's close.
02:29Carr, five-star talent, not a lot of experience.
02:32Minchie's been around a little bit longer.
02:33He's playing really well in fall camp.
02:35So it is a tough decision, and this is the missing piece.
02:38And one thing in Notre Dame's favor, it's not a transfer.
02:42You know, they've had transfer quarterbacks the last two years, and Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard, and I like that they've allowed this guy to grow at home.
02:50So whoever it is, I think we'll have some success, but they need that quarterback to be the missing piece.
02:55They've got good receivers.
02:56They've got Jeremiah Love.
02:57They've got talent on the trenches on both sides.
02:59They've got an All-American corner in Leonard Moore, but their season really starts with those first two games.
03:05They have to beat Miami, and they have to beat Texas A&M.
03:09Otherwise, they'll be out of sight, out of mind, and all the years I've been doing this with Craig, you'll be right about the Irish once again.
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