Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Alex, Richard, and Godfrey take a long, detailed trip through the Week 1 schedule, from NDSU-Colorado to Clemson-UGA to JMU-Charlotte to USC-LSU and beyond. Congrats on making it through the offseason. Let’s talk ball.Producer: Anthony VitoTHE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for the most enticing CFB road trip of that week. When you do, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for free tires. (We all use them and have found them to be great wheels.)SZD SHIRTS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: One of our great friends is Wes Boling, the man responsible for our Nokian partnership. This season, 100 percent of the profits from SZD shirt sales at Homefield will go toward a fund to help Wes and his family deal with an extremely difficult and expensive medical situation. More details are here, and our collection of shirts is at homefieldapparel.com/szd This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard links up with the godfather of CFB podcasters, Ty Hildenbrandt of The Solid Verbal. Ty has just about seen it all in CFB podcasting, so let’s ask him: How has the game changed behind the mic? After that, considering the interesting nexus of Ty’s fandoms, we talk Notre Dame/Penn State, and considering where we both live, we have RUTGERS TAKES.Production by Anthony Vito. Thanks to Ty and co-host Dan Rubenstein for their years of friendship. You can find The Solid Verbal wherever you get podcasts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comAfter previewing all 134 FBS teams for the 2024 season, it’s predictions time. Split Zone Duo picks Heisman Trophy finalists, players and games of the year, coaches to be fired and hired, conference champions, and the 12 teams in the expanded College Football Playoff. What will happen this season? Now there’s no reason to even play the games, because we’ve already figured it out. At the end of the season, we’ll dig up this time capsule and see how we did. Production: Anthony Vito.SZD shirts to support the Boling family: https://homefieldapparel.com/szd Fund to support the family: https://tinyurl.com/wesboling

Oregon State and Washington State face unprecedented situations, but not exactly the same one on the field in 2024. Richard, Godfrey, and Alex break down the Pac-12 that’s now a Pac-2. Oregon State is rebuilding almost from scratch, while Washington State has a little bit more left in the tank from the old world. In a brutal moment for both of them, the Beavs and Cougs will hunt for silver linings. Production by Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The ranks of the FBS independent schools are down to three (and still getting smaller). Richard, Godfrey, and Alex talk about UConn and UMass to start, and then Jessica Smetana (18:44) joins for a state of the union talk about Notre Dame: What’s the belief level right now in Marcus Freeman? Has Notre Dame secured its independence forever? How is the fanbase’s relationship with Peacock? Will the Irish be able to block anyone on the edges this year? And will this program ever again have a game-breaking wideout? We discuss all of it. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Join our FCS Upset Draft at www.splitzoneduo.com, and try to pick the correct FCS wins over FBS teams. Craig Haley is the FCS senior editor for Stats Perform. He’s one of the longest tenured and most respected reporters covering FCS football, and he joins Alex to provide an overview of the 2024 season. Who’s a serious national title contender? Where are big steps back expected? Is this the year another FCS QB from the Dakotas makes a huge national name for himself? And which FCS teams have the best chance to pull off major upsets in FBS stadiums?Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The return of the MAC on Split Zone Duo! We preview the 2024 season, as Miami tries to defend its title and establish itself as something like what Toledo has been. Bowling Green tries to remain solid, NIU aims to run over you while playing good defense, Ohio wants to at least tote the rock well, and EMU becomes one of Godfrey’s favorite teams. You won’t believe who now coordinates the WMU offense. Things are going quite poorly at CMU, in more ways than one. Ball State looks to recapture lightning in a bottle. Buffalo tries to get a coach to hang around for a while. Akron and Kent State want … anything. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

SZD previews the Sun Belt: Appalachian State is the favorite in the East, but Coastal Carolina had a more promising first year under Tim Beck than you realized. James Madison resets, Georgia Southern really needs to start winning, Marshall is in the danger zone, ODU is the site of a scandal, and Georgia State is worth checking back in on in a few months. Meanwhile, Texas State (!) is the favorite in the West. Troy underwent a million changes, Louisiana has a serious defense, Arkansas State should make a bowl, and South Alabama made a coaching hire that’s worth debating. Southern Miss has an opportunity in front of it, and, hey, ULM has some competence right now. Production: Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey sits down with longtime Big Ten and Ohio State writer Doug Lesmerises of "Kings of the North" in a traditional north/south idealogical spar that's anything but. We talk about the origins of Doug trying to redefine the northern and midwestern identities of college football and the lopsided decades of Southern dominance that got the sport to this point. Production: Anthony Vito.

Liberty is a heavy favorite after dominating Conference USA in its first season in the league. So let’s start at the bottom of CUSA and work our way up. Will Kennesaw State (4:06) be glad it moved to FBS? Sam Houston (9:56) had a miserable first year and looks to build something in its sophomore FBS season. UTEP and New Mexico State (13:18) have raced in opposite directions lately, but gravity might pull them back together. Is Louisiana Tech (19:39) the “bad situation” of the year? Derek Mason represents a new day at Middle Tennessee (22:43), but it may be best to check back in later. FIU (26:35) needs to not have any trouble with FCS opponents. The top of the conference (28:37) belongs to Liberty until further notice, but WKU and Jacksonville State look like plausible challengers—or, at least, the closest thing to it. Production by Anthony Vito. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe