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Matt Murschel discusses the potential expansion of the College Football Playoff and the future of conference championship games. They also evaluate top future NFL draft prospects and analyze the biggest roster needs for the Atlanta Falcons.
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00:00Before we get into the draft and some of the on-field stuff, Matt, Fox Sports CEO endorses 24-team
00:07college football playoff.
00:08If I set the over-under at two and a half years before we get to 24 teams, what are
00:14you taking?
00:17I'd probably take the over.
00:19I mean, again, you know, we couldn't get the expansion of this year.
00:23You know what I mean?
00:24They wanted to expand from 12, and there was talk of going to 16, and they couldn't even do that.
00:29You know, get on the same page in that.
00:31So I think it's a possibility for sure somewhere down the road.
00:35I'm not sure if it's going to happen right away.
00:37But, I mean, you never know.
00:39Money talks now.
00:40I mean, in the college athletic world, you know, it wouldn't take a lot to really convince people.
00:45I think where you're going to have some challenges is just trying to convince, you know, the ACC, the Big
00:5112, you know, some of those conferences and the idea of going through this.
00:56You know what I mean?
00:57And there's a part of me, I think that's fine.
00:59If you want to get to 24, I think I wouldn't go any larger than that.
01:03I mean, I just think we're getting ridiculous to the point of having so many teams in the playoff.
01:08It loses a little bit of its special, you know, the specialness of it when you have so many teams
01:13in.
01:14But I do think it's probably going to happen, but it's probably – I wouldn't say it's going to happen
01:18at least the next two years.
01:19I could see it somewhere down the next five years down the road.
01:22So with that said, where's your current take on a super conference?
01:27Well, I mean, again, you know, I'm not – once these current television deals come up, you know, which will
01:34come up in 2030, 2031, and 2032 for some of these conferences, you know, I think we could see some
01:39movement here.
01:41I'm still not sold again that the SEC or the Big Ten, you know, want to keep expanding, you know,
01:47want to keep adding schools.
01:49Again, unless you can find a way to guarantee you're going to make more money at every school, it's not
01:53going to lose money when it comes down to it.
01:56They're the two top conferences in college football right now.
01:59So, you know, you're trying to find a way to – if you're going to add some schools, you want
02:03to make sure it means something.
02:05And you want to make sure that when you're bringing someone in, you're not just bringing in teams for the
02:09sake of bringing in teams.
02:10You're going to find someone that's going to come up, and they're going to help you, you know, with your
02:14current TV deal.
02:15So, I think you could see some movement between some of these – some of the Power Forks conferences, you
02:20know, because I think there will be some ACC schools maybe who are interested in moving somewhere.
02:26There's talk – you know, you talked about the Big 12, maybe a couple schools in there may be interested
02:30in maybe moving to the ACC.
02:31I mean, I think there could be a little movement like that.
02:33I'm just not sure about the Super Conference just yet.
02:36I mean, again, there's a lot of things going wrong that they're trying to fix in the sport with Transfer
02:42Portal and revenue sharing and everything going like that.
02:44But I think I wouldn't move forward to a Super Conference, but you're sure you got all that – all
02:50those things kind of taken care of.
02:51Have conference tournaments and conference titles outlived their usefulness?
02:57Yes.
02:57Yeah, I think we're going to – that's something I definitely believe we're going to see go away pretty soon.
03:03I think you'll see the next time they work, you know, the expansion of the college football playoff, I think
03:09you'll see conference commissioners decide to do away with that.
03:12You know, the SEC, the reason they fought so hard to keep their conference championship game was because of the
03:17fact that they felt like, you know, they made money off it.
03:20They made really good money off it.
03:22You know, they sponsored.
03:23You know, it was something that, you know, they were afraid to walk away from because they thought they'd be
03:28leaving money on the table.
03:29Now, with the way things are going to go, if the playoff expands, you get it to 16, 24, whatever
03:34it's going to be if it goes to that point, there's going to be a lot more money involved.
03:38There's no way you could have a conference tournament or a conference championship game going on while you're also trying
03:44to look at diving into a long playoff schedule.
03:48I mean, we're already, I think this next year will be late into January by the time we're done, you
03:55know, by the time we get to the national championship game.
03:57I know college leaders don't want to go any farther than that.
04:01In fact, they'd rather move kind of closer back towards, you know, the first of the year.
04:05So there's no way that they want to have to deal with the idea of having a conference championship.
04:10They'll just eliminate that and take whoever's the top team and move from there.
04:14Speaking of making money, do you think we could ever get to a point where college just copies the NFL
04:19model and only the title game is an off-site game?
04:25You know, we might be able to.
04:27I mean, you know, that's, you know, I think it would be hard-pressed to, you know, I mean, I
04:33know that when we expanded the playoff that, you know, teams that were the top four teams, you know, had
04:38the buys, you know, didn't get to host a game.
04:40And I know that was disappointing for a lot of them, and I think that's something that should be looked
04:44at and changed.
04:45I'm not sure if you do that all the way through the playoffs.
04:48I think those, you know, top bowl games that they use, you know, the New Year's Six games that were
04:54there, you know, Fiesta, Peach, all those games, I think they'll fight hard to try to keep those relevant to
05:00make sure that, you know, that those games are still involved.
05:03So, you know, as long as you're able to provide both schools with a sizable amount of money, I mean,
05:10I can't see that happening.
05:12But I know that there are athletic directors who, you know, don't like the idea of losing a home game.
05:17You know, they want to be able to have a home game that generates, you know, millions of dollars for
05:21them in some cases and would definitely do that.
05:23We've seen that from what's going on with the first round of the playoffs, you know, the game when the
05:27home team's host there.
05:28So, you know, again, I think anything is on the table right now.
05:33We talk about with college athletics, I mean, because of the way the situation of money for a lot of
05:38these, a lot of these programs, you know, it's all about finding ways to make it.
05:41You're seeing patches go on jerseys, you know, you're seeing fields getting renamed and new, you know, new media market
05:48deals with the fields that the teams have.
05:51I think you're going to see a lot more of that moving forward because they're all just trying to find
05:54a way to generate as much revenue as possible.
05:56Talking all things college football, and we'll get into the NFL draft here in a second with our buddy Matt
06:00Merchel.
06:01Make sure you check out his work, All Things College Football in the Orlando Sentinel.
06:06All right, so when it comes to what we're looking at here with the upcoming draft, if you were the
06:11Raiders, do you sit Mendoza behind Cousins?
06:14Is that why you brought him in, or do you think Cousins should be the mentor and Fernando should start
06:18right away?
06:19You know, if it's me, I have Cousins start.
06:22I have Mendoza behind him.
06:25You know, I mean, I don't think it would hurt you that bad.
06:29Now, a lot of people would point to the fact you're paying a lot of money for a guy to
06:32be a backup,
06:33but I think it wouldn't hurt Mendoza to have a year under his belt where he's not necessarily forced into
06:39starting on a team,
06:40especially on a team that's going to struggle, you know, and you get an opportunity maybe to learn from a
06:46veteran
06:46and figure out maybe some of those experiences.
06:48You know, throwing a guy in sometimes right away and trying to have him, you know, kind of, you know,
06:55guide the team,
06:56you know, I think it's risky.
06:58And so I think if I was the Raiders, you know, I'd have Cousins be your guy and let Mendoza
07:03kind of learn from him.
07:04Let him kind of sit back and figure out some of the things that are going on, you know,
07:09when it comes to being an NFL quarterback, you know, the game's going to be a little bit different, you
07:14know,
07:14and as much as Mendoza has a lot of strengths, you know, I mean, there's always something you can learn.
07:19And I think it would be good to sit back and do that.
07:22And that gives you an opportunity because if you're the Raiders, you've got a good quarterback.
07:26If they didn't have Cousins, I say you move forward with Mendoza and you throw him out there and make
07:30him your starter.
07:31But I think Cousins kind of give you a little bit of a leeway to be able to sit back
07:35and kind of let him kind of develop
07:37and figure out some of the nuances of being an NFL quarterback because, you know, it's a different beast.
07:42And he's going to have to learn how to pick that up rather quickly.
07:46A lot of people are saying Caleb Downs, safety out of Ohio State, might be the best player in the
07:51draft,
07:51not named Fernando Mendoza or Jeremiah Love, but he plays a position that you don't usually take in the top
07:57five.
07:57Should he go top five?
08:00You know, that's a good question.
08:01He might, he should be able to go top five.
08:04Unfortunately, there's a lot of players right now that are going to end up, you know, pushing him out of
08:07that list.
08:08You talked about Mendoza, you talked about Love.
08:11David Bailey, you know, the edge rusher from Texas Tech is a guy that a lot of people have in
08:15the top three.
08:16You know, Ohio State's, you know, Arvel Reese is a guy, edge rusher, who's going to be up there.
08:20This is going to be a really good draft for edge rushers.
08:24And you're going to see a lot of those guys go in the first couple rounds.
08:27And then, you know, you've got Sonny Stiles, the linebacker, you know.
08:30So as much as Caleb is probably one of the better prospects, you're right.
08:35You know, you don't see a lot of safeties going in the first five picks.
08:38So I think he should go up there.
08:40But again, I think he's going to end up probably just on the outskirts, unless someone really wants to step
08:45up and make a trade or step up and find a way to make a move.
08:49Here in Atlanta, we have a debate going on about what position the Falcons should take at No. 48 in
08:55the second round, which is their first pick in the draft.
08:57Their biggest needs include interior, defensive lineman, wide receiver, and cornerback.
09:03Out of those three positions, which one do you think has the most depth where they could be picking in
09:07the second round?
09:10You know, probably go with, you know, linebacker, probably one of the spots, you know, or, you know, defensive tackle.
09:18I mean, I think there's enough guys there that you could probably make a run.
09:22Wide receiver, you're going to have some wide receivers out there, you know.
09:25But again, if you're looking for someone that's going to be special, you know, someone that you feel like is
09:29going to, you know, be able to contribute right away.
09:32So I think that's a position that, you know, again, you know, you might be able to kind of, you
09:38know, hold, you might be able to get early on and then, you know, go out and get the, maybe
09:42get a linebacker, get a, get a defensive player.
09:44If it really kind of fits your need, it's always tough because, you know, it just depends on where do
09:50you feel like they're the best players possible.
09:52You know, I think when you're looking at, you know, the group of receivers right now, they're in this, they're
09:59in this, this, this group.
10:00I'm not necessarily sure if there's anyone right now that, I mean, you know, Denzel Boston is a guy out
10:05of Washington that's highly sought after the guy that they got as a possible first round pick.
10:10I'm not sure if there's another one that you would look at and think, okay, let's go after that.
10:15So maybe, maybe Jeremy Bernard, you know, from Alabama is a guy that they could go after.
10:20But again, I'm, I'm just not a hundred percent sure.
10:23I think you could, you could make that move and get what you need to get and then, you know,
10:28try to rely on everyone else.
10:29So it just, it just depends on what happened.
10:31All right.
10:31So it comes down to a couple of things here with the quarterback position, Matt, because usually at this time,
10:39there's one or two guys that have maybe not come out of nowhere,
10:42but let's say did what a Zach Wilson did with the jets a couple of years ago, where he has
10:47this unbelievable pro day.
10:49And then he rises up the boards, Matt, there's been none of that.
10:53There's been none of that this year.
10:54It's Mendoza drop off a cliff, Ty Simpson drop off a cliff.
10:59And then everybody else.
11:00Do you believe that between now and a week from now, that's exactly how it's going to stay?
11:06Yeah, I do.
11:07I mean, it's because I, I just, this, this has been a strong quarterback class, you know what I mean?
11:11I just think that, you know, you're talking about, you know, possibly Carson Beck being the number three quarterback, depending
11:18on who you talk with, you know,
11:19Garrett Nesmeyer, you know, LSU is a guy who's been up, who's been thought of as being the third best
11:24quarterback in this group.
11:25And then you're going to drew Alar from Penn state, possibly, you know, it's four.
11:29And then maybe Carson Beck, that's not a, it's not, you know, no offense to these guys.
11:33It's not a stunning group of quarterbacks, you know?
11:35So I think Mendoza is going to go off the board early, obviously.
11:38And then I think the next big question is who goes after Ty Simpson, you know, and then, and then
11:42maybe you're getting into the mid second round, the third round pick.
11:46You start going after the quarterback.
11:47So to me, quarterback is not the position of, that's going to get a lot of attention, you know, early
11:54on.
11:54And, and, and strap, I think it's going to be on the defensive side of things.
11:57I think you're going to see a lot of, you know, you're going to see a lot of, uh, you
12:01know, defensive guys get swooped up really early.
12:04Like I mentioned, I think edge is going to be a spot that you're going to see a lot of
12:07people kind of go after.
12:09I mean, there's a lot of talent at the edge.
12:10Ruben Bain jr.
12:11From Miami is a guy to think about, um, you know, Zion young from Missouri's names been thrown out there.
12:18Um, you know, TJ Parker from Clemson.
12:20There, there are guys right now that are, they're, they're going to be there.
12:23It's going to be a deep position.
12:24I wouldn't be shocked if there isn't maybe 10 to 12 edge, edge rushers that get selected through the first
12:30two or three rounds.
12:31So I think that's a position people are going to go after, but for quarterback, I think this is just
12:35such a down year.
12:36That's why I think for, for, uh, for the Raiders, it was crucial for them to get a guy like
12:41Kirk cousins, because yes, you're bringing in Mendoza, but at least again,
12:45you've got a guy that you can work with that you can kind of bring along and then, you know,
12:49you can move on from that.
12:50So it's going to be interesting to see who the number three quarterback, but all of this ends up coming
12:54out being.
12:55Before I let you go, former Georgia boys speaks Dylan Rayola now at Oregon, explaining his decision to go and
13:01sit behind Dante Moore for a year.
13:03I don't get it necessarily.
13:05I mean, he wasn't great at Nebraska, but I mean, now he's pushing his whole career back another season, at
13:11least.
13:11What do you make of that whole situation?
13:14Well, you know, I think some of that just goes to, you know, where he thinks of development that it's
13:20strange, but also to,
13:22some of that could come down to the fact that, you know, where does he feel like he's got the
13:26best opportunity to grow?
13:28Go and find a way to get better. And also what it comes down to is money. I mean, there's
13:32a lot of decisions being made by college players right now
13:35that are based solely on just how much money they're getting. If you've got an attractive NIL offer and you
13:41feel, okay, fine,
13:42I could sit and learn a little bit, take a year off and kind of grow and learn and compete,
13:48you know, but there's no pressure on you.
13:49Maybe that's, that's really works, but that's the something that works for you.
13:52And it is a little strange because again, you're, you know, you don't usually choose a high priority quarterback doesn't
13:58usually choose to sit and be a backup guy.
14:01But, you know, if you feel like, okay, I've got some time, I can get better.
14:05And, and maybe, you know, you, you, you kind of find a way to kind of rebound from what happened
14:10at Nebraska.
14:10You can find a way maybe to turn things around.
14:12Uh, it's going to go, or you, or else you feel maybe in your personally, you're going to compete.
14:17You're going to try to contend for the, for the, for the starting job and, and try to push, you
14:22know,
14:22uh, we try to push more and try to make him better.
14:24And that's kind of a thought process, but, um, this adds more to me.
14:28Like maybe there's some good NIL package that Oregon presented to him and it gives him an opportunity maybe to
14:33kind of grow a little bit and also make a little bit of money.
14:36Appreciate it, Matt. Great stuff. As always, we'll be checking you out in the Orlando Sentinel. We'll chat soon.
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