Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

It’s the 2024 Big 12 season preview from Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey. Utah enters the league as the favorite, but the gap to Kansas State and Oklahoma State looks small (5:03). It’s been a long time since any of Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, or West Virginia won a conference, but they all have riser (and some decline) potential (26:15). Baylor, TCU, and Texas Tech all seem to have an opening with Texas out of the league (47:20), but is anyone poised to seize the moment? None of last year’s new Big 12 schools (58:32) distinguished themselves. Will that change in Year 2? Is Arizona State … in a bad, bad way? (65:58) And let’s just be quick about Colorado? (78:12)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

Ben Haumiller is EA Sports’ principal game designer for college football. He’s here with Godfrey to discuss the long road back for a previously defunct CFB gaming franchise, and to answer questions from Godfrey and our subscribers about how College Football 25 will play and feel. Plus, Godfrey has details on his involvement with the game. 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

It’s the 2024 ACC season preview from Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey. Following a discussion of the start of TALKIN’ SEASON (0:43), the group starts the ACC rundown with FSU and Clemson (20:06) and then goes through the entire Atlantic (and now, uh, Pacific) Coast Conference. How big a step back is reasonable at FSU? Does Dabo Swinney have a revival in him? Who from the Miami/Virginia Tech/NC State/Louisville has the best chance of a surprise? Could someone show proper respect to the nice little rebuild being carried out at Georgia Tech? Will Pitt, Wake Forest, or UNC start moving in a positive direction again? What do we make of new coaches at Boston College, Syracuse, and Duke? And how about new entrants SMU, Cal, and Stanford? Is there a path forward for Tony Elliott’s UVA? 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.comThe Tampa Bay Times' Matt Baker joins Richard to talk all things Florida, Florida State, UCF, and USF ahead of the 2024 season. Now that the Bulls have been left behind in realignment, what’s next? The offense is gonna be good, but you'll never guess who their DC is. UCF has tasted life in the Power 4, so how will Act 2 go? Yes, there's a moment of Billy Napier kvetching, and a whole lotta wondering about just how and when FSU is gonna tear apart the legal fabric of the sport. Production: Anthony Vito.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIt’s a big year for Ryan Day. He might have the preseason No. 1 team, and the pressure couldn’t be higher given three straight losses to Michigan, the Wolverines’ potential step-back year, and a 12-team Playoff format that all but ensures Ohio State will compete for a national title. What is the state of Day’s offensive identity, and how has he evolved? How will he work with his famous new offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly? Ross Fulton of Buckeye Huddle joins Richard for an episode of Scheme School about the coming Ohio State offense. Note: We had some connection problems during the recording, which you might notice in a few spots, but our ace producer Anthony Vito has worked his magic to provide audio clarity. Thanks to Anthony and Ross!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comIn this solo show, Steven Godfrey’s got two hours’ worth of football and life to keep you occupied as you sojourn in this hot valley of news for college football. Let’s talk about Lane Kiffin’s altar-dodging with Auburn, Marshall’s ceiling in the Sun Belt, Jimbo Fisher’s failings, Michigan’s scheduling, and the death of regional identities (for now). Production: Anthony Vito.

Alex and Richard take subscriber questions heading into a holiday week. Which Florida school does Billy Napier least want to let beat him? Did UCLA set up DeShaun Foster to fail? Who can be 2024’s quiet “hang in the Playoff race right to the end” decent team? Is the Big 12 really due for an era of parity, or are media making that up? Who will suffer most in the Big Ten and SEC from the current realignment wave? What do we make of Curt Cignetti and Indiana? Who drives CFB TV ratings? And let’s compare and contrast Nick Saban and his most obvious current contemporary in the other football. Bonus episodes and Q&A: www.splitzoneduo.comProduction: 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

Weeks before the Big 12 expands to 16 teams, Godfrey and Alex dive into the unique place the conference currently occupies. It’s not rich like the Big Ten and SEC, but it’s not teetering like the ACC or dead like the old Pac-12. Things are more precarious than they were four years ago but way better than they were three years ago. Commissioner Brett Yormark is trying ideas that seem at turns silly, destructive, innovative, and extremely smart. So, what do we make of the Big 12’s present and future? Let’s talk about it. Production: Anthony Vito.Bonus episodes: www.splitzoneduo.com 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.comA college football playoff with more than four teams? What will they think of next? Alex, Richard, and Steven talk through what we can learn about the upcoming Playoff expansion by looking back at decades of the FCS (and Division II and III) postseason. What really drives expansion? Will the selection committee draw even more ire with a bigger field, or less? How much of a holy grail will first-round home games be? And what about finally getting a chance to see strange bedfellows in frigid weather in December? Production: Anthony Vito.

The rumor mill demands that several coaches be on the hot seat at all times. But what about when the seat gets so hot that a new description—”pre-fired”—becomes appropriate? With Billy Napier and Sam Pittman headlining the 2024 class of pre-firing candidates, Richard, Steven, and Alex go down memory lane. Sometimes a pre-fired coach goes the way of Bryan Harsin or Ed Orgeron, but sometimes he goes the way of Tommy Tuberville or even Jim Harbaugh. And when the seat gets hottest, what percentage of coaches actually stick around for a while? Does anyone beat the pre-fired rap forever? 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