Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Tulane University built one of the most powerful football programs in the American South. The Green Wave had a spot in the SEC and a history of winning a lot of big games, including against their rivals from Baton Rouge. Then something changed. Alex Kirshner and Steven Godfrey tell the story of Tulane's journey from the upper echelons of the sport to a program scrapping for respectability in the Group of 5. Alex interviews Lenny Vangilder, a Tulane historian, to go deeper into the Wave's story. 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

Damn, it's great to be talking about actual college football again. Welcome to Split Zone Duo Relaunch Week! We're officially turning toward the 2022 season, and this week's show is a hefty preview of two conferences: the Big 12 and Conference USA. We're also releasing four Patreon episodes this week at splitzoneduo.com, and we spend the first 26 minutes or so of this episode talking to you about some of what's on tap. Then we move to the Big 12, and then to C-USA. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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

Hugh Freeze steps in it yet again, and Godfrey, Alex, and Richard explain how it fits into both Liberty's shtick and a years-long personal pattern for the head coach. Then the group talks about the current state of play in realignment, what we're hoping happens next, and a little flap at Minnesota that recently got buried in the news. Subscribe to our Patreon at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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, Godfrey, and Alex take your questions on a long list of topics. Which program is the hardest one to get information about? Is Oklahoma State maybe on the verge of something really good? Why doesn't Spurrier have much of a coaching tree, and why are Florida fans already getting impatient with a new coach who was quite explicit about needing time? (Note: We recorded this before he wrote an open letter.) Would it be good for the MWC if Boise had a few down years? Is Bowling Green in win-or-get-fired mode? Why can't a mid-tier P5 like Arizona State take advantage of demography the way a blue-blood like Georgia can? What do we make of a recent booster revolt at Louisville? (The state of Kentucky rocks for college sports mess.) Thanks for listening, and please check out our Patreon for bonus episodes and more at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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

Alex and Richard spend 30-some minutes closing up last week's realignment conversation and then diving into summer recruiting in an SZD way. We don't cover the ins and outs of everyday recruiting on this show, but there are several things we wanted to bring to your attention as storylines to keep track of over the next six months. And after that, we've decided to share a Patreon episode that we published in March: a conversation with Nate Tice and Diante Lee (both now of The Athletic) about the coaching industry, being on a staff with your father, and a lot more. We hope you enjoy it and check out more at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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

Godfrey and Alex pick through some recent college football news. Godfrey explains the incentives at work that will get UCF, Houston, and Cincinnati to the Big 12 a year earlier than expected, and why their 2023 move could lead to an absolute blast of a conference for exactly one season. Then it's time for a round of the hot new game "Good Schedule, Bad Schedule," where Alex and Godfrey pick out three teams whose 2022 schedules are perfect fits for what those programs need right now—and three teams that put themselves in the opposite situation. Subscribe to our Patreon at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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

Conventional wisdom says a coach's second year is when we start to get an idea of how he'll do at a school in the long run. Godfrey, Richard, and Alex go through every second-year FBS head coach and sort out how we're feeling about his tenure and future, on a scale from "good" to "holding" to "uh oh." This show also features a quick news roundup at the beginning, including programs launching their own streaming services and Miami's billionaire donor not *actually* losing a bunch of cash. Subscribe to our Patreon at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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

College football is in a quiet period, but Split Zone Duo continues apace. Richard and Alex talk about a notable Deion Sanders hire, why Bryan Harsin is starting a podcast to compete with ours, the last embers of SabanFisherGate, how the SEC meetings are now covered like a papal conclave, a 30-year history (at least) of the coaching industry being in crisis over the future of the sport, how much longer Kyle Whittingham will coach at Utah, and how many games D.J. Uiagalelei starts at Clemson in 2022. Subscribe to our Patreon at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex start this episode by picking through the aftermath of the May coaching kerfuffle of the century between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher. After that: The lifting of a 25-man limit on initial scholarship counters is going to be a big deal for programs at the top of the sport, and we'll see how it affects everyone else. Then, to finish up, let's go FBS league by FBS league and establish what they should do about their divisional formats, now that most of them seem on the verge of changing them. Subscribe to our Patreon at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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, Godfrey, and Alex are tired of talking about NIL all the time, but fortunately, this mid-May stretch has brought a kernel of 2022 football business to discuss. ABC’s primetime schedule is partially out, and the inner workings of how it was built are interesting. Let’s also talk about the XFL establishing itself as the new alternative pro league and some coach news around Dan Mullen, Chad Morris, and the similarly situated Nick Saban. Subscribe to our Patreon at splitzoneduo.com. Production: Anthony Vito.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 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