The Audible with Stew, Bruce & Ralph: A show about college football

Bruce’s story on the SEC's struggles sparks debate: is the conference's dominance over? NIL has leveled the playing field, and SEC teams no longer have overwhelming talent advantages. The portal heats up with Brandon Sorsby landing at Texas Tech for a reported $5 million and Trinidad Chambliss is staying at Ole Miss (pending eligibility). Then the guys make their picks for the CFP semifinals: Miami-Ole Miss and Indiana-Oregon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bruce and Ralph went live after an incredible Ole Miss win over Georgia. Can anyone stop this Ole Miss team? They’ll move on to Miami, who came to play and toppled their own giant in a 24-14 defeat of Ohio State. And with bye week teams falling to 1-7 in the 12-team CFP era, does anyone get to use the bye as an excuse? Indiana didn’t disappoint, steamrolling the Tide 38-3 (don’t they know they’re supposed to be a Cinderella story?). And Oregon convincingly shut out Texas Tech 23-0. Will the Texas Tech boosters spend all that money differently next time?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guys break down the quarterfinal matchups and make their picks. Kyle Whittingham takes the Michigan head coaching job after stepping down at Utah, bringing 21 years of experience to stabilize a program in crisis. The guys debate whether the 66-year-old is the right fit and discuss his five-year timeline. Lincoln Riley blames the Irish for the cancellation of the annual USC-Notre Dame matchup, while Marcus Freeman signs an extension. Plus, while transfer portal money reaches new heights, have new rules curtailed spending at all? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bruce, Katie Strang, and Austin Meek's bombshell investigation reveals disturbing details about Sherrone Moore's behavior leading up to his firing at Michigan. Bruce breaks down some of the epic dysfunction inside the program. USC and Notre Dame's historic rivalry goes on indefinite hiatus after playing (almost) every year since 1926. Who's to blame for ending a century-old tradition?Bobby Petrino joins Bill Belichick's circus at North Carolina as offensive coordinator. Will the volatile mix of personalities lead to Petrino as interim head coach by November? Then: the guys preview their favorite bowl games, and answer some mailbag questions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bruce, Stew, and Ralph recap the first round and look ahead to the quarterfinals. Plus, Ralph argues that college football has always been a league of systems and conditions, rather than one based on merit alone. So, do we want a system that gives teams like JMU and Tulane a path to flourish, or do we want to shut them out?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bruce surveyed two dozen college coaches about the playoff field, and the results are surprising: not one coach voted for Ryan Day as the best coach. Only one picked Indiana to win it all, and a majority believe Miami will upset Texas A&M on the road.The guys pick all the first round games against the spread. Can the Group of Five teams avoid embarrassment and preserve future playoff access? Ralph argues these blowout-prone matchups hurt the entertainment product, while Stew defends Cinderella stories.Plus mailbag questions on Indiana's success, Jedd Fisch's coaching credentials, and Diego Pavia's Heisman night behavior. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Michigan situation has taken a darker turn than anyone expected. Bruce, Ralph, and Stew break down how Sherrone Moore's firing has evolved into a potential crisis in the athletic department, why AD Warde Manuel's job may be in jeopardy, and what this means for the coaching search. They debate whether Kellen DeBoer could realistically leave Alabama and discuss candidates like Jedd Fisch.Meanwhile, the transfer portal is exploding with quarterback talent. Dylan Raiola, DJ Lagway, and Sam Leavitt headline a loaded QB class. The crew ranks the top available signal-callers and discusses how NIL money is changing the draft-or-stay calculation.Plus, Ferndando Mendoza wins the Heisman in a relative landslide over Diego Pavia. The guys divulge how they voted this year, and why Pavia's competitive fire led to his controversial social media posts. And: should Notre Dame join a conference after their playoff snub? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was fired yesterday for having an "inappropriate relationship with a staff member." As of last night, he was being held in Washtenaw County Jail. Bruce and Ralph react to this news and what it means for Michigan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ralph and Stew break down Notre Dame’s escalating feud with the ACC, Brett Yormark’s unusually sharp public criticism, and what the fallout means for next year’s CFP format. Plus: early Heisman thoughts and your mailbag questions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Notre Dame right to skip the Pop Tarts Bowl, and/or could it undermine the whole Bowl system? Why are we doing this bizarre Tuesday rankings show? And how did Alabama make it in? Notre Dame's shocking exclusion from the College Football Playoff has sent shockwaves through the sport. The Athletic’s Notre Dame beat writer Pete Sampson breaks down how the team felt about being left out after sitting at #10 all season and AD Pete Bevacqua's comments about "permanent damage" to Notre Dame’s relationship with the ACC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bruce, Stew, and Ralph are live in Los Angeles to react to the final CFP ranking announcement. They'll debate who will make the final cut ahead of the full reveal. Then, they'll pick the first round against the spread, and talk through their predictions for how the Playoff will unfold. Don't miss it!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Multiple Ole Miss players publicly dispute Lane Kiffin’s claim that the team asked him to stay for the playoffs. Does it matter? Chris Klieman steps down at Kansas State after a solid run, and former Heisman finalist Colin Klein is expected to return home from Texas A&M to take over the Wildcats. What might Klein’s experience in a well-funded program like A&M bring to Manhattan?Brian Hartline lands the head coaching job at USF, who might have the highest ceiling among open jobs in the American. And Neal Brown lands at North Texas.Plus, the guys answer your mailbag questions! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Notre Dame is at No. 10, while Miami is on the outside looking in at No. 12. Texas moved up to No. 13, and Alabama sits at No. 9. Who’s in danger of missing the playoff, who’s still on the bubble, and how much motion is possible with just a few days left before the bracket is finalized?Plus, somehow there’s more coaching news. With Kalani Sitake now locked in at BYU, Penn State remains standing at the altar — and Cal looks like it will be hiring Tosh Lupoi.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lane Kiffin is introduced as LSU’s head coach. Will he win a national championship there, or will he leave first?Penn State's coaching search drags on past the 50-day mark. Kalani Sitaki has emerged as a strong candidate, but nothing is imminent. They debate the Penn State timeline and react to the other SEC hires: Will Stein to Kentucky, Alex Golesh to Auburn, Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas, Jon Sumrall to Florida, and Pat Fitzgerald to Michigan State.Then, they make championship picks for all nine conference title games, including Ohio State-Indiana, Georgia-Alabama, and Texas Tech-BYU. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rivalry Weekend delivered chaos everywhere except the playoff race, which remains hostage to the Lane Kiffin – LSU saga. Stew, Bruce, and Ralph unpack whether Ole Miss will be able to let Lane coach a playoff game, then they run through the SEC coaching dominoes already falling. They react to Kalen DeBoer’s bold fourth-and-two call in the Iron Bowl, Oklahoma’s latest escape, and what an Alabama loss would mean for the bracket. Plus Miami’s playoff case and the ACC tiebreaker fiasco.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Morris will leave North Texas to take the Oklahoma State job at the end of the season, sparking a debate: Is this the same as Lane Kiffin's situation at Ole Miss? Ralph and Bruce argue it's fundamentally different: G5 coaches are moving up with salary increases that could triple their pay, while Kiffin would be choosing between $12 million offers at blue blood programs.Bruce shares his history with Morris dating back to his days as "the Elf" at Texas Tech, and explains how Morris discovered Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward, John Mateer, and Chandler Morris before anyone else wanted them. Will Morris could bring quarterback whisperer magic to Stillwater?The latest CFP rankings show minimal movement after a clean weekend, but Ralph and Bruce game out chaos scenarios: What happens if Michigan beats Ohio State again? Could Oregon get bumped at 10-2? Would Texas Tech survive a Big 12 title game loss? Plus, they highlight breakout players ahead of Rivalry Weekend, and mailbag tackles whether paying players in 2000 would have prevented conference realignment and what on-field changes are transforming the game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Justin Wilcox is out at Cal after nine seasons following a blowout loss to Stanford in the Big Game. In a surprising twist, Nick Rolovich is named interim head coach. The guys discuss potential replacements, including Tosh Lupoi, Sean Lewis, and Jim Mora.Rivalry week is here with massive playoff implications. Could Alabama actually play themselves OUT of the playoff by losing the SEC Championship Game? Ralph and Stew debate whether the committee would drop a 10-3 Alabama team after losing a 13th game. They also discuss scenarios where Michigan beats Ohio State and crashes the at-large pool, and Georgia Tech upsets Georgia with head-to-head chaos. Plus, why the committee's head-to-head logic only seems to apply to certain conferences.Also, the guys make their picks for Texas A&M at Texas, Ohio State at Michigan, Miami at Pitt, and Tennessee at Vanderbilt, with one rivalry game upset each.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Lane Kiffin sweepstakes continue. Oregon wins again, but can they win it all? What’s Oklahoma’s playoff ceiling? Kansas State loses a heartbreaker to Utah, and Chris Klieman delivers an emotional post-game statement. Plus, the guys dive into the wild world of ACC and SEC tiebreakers.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should Miami be ranked closer to Notre Dame after their head-to-head win, or does the committee's approach of evaluating teams make sense? Bruce argues passionately for honoring the on-field result, while Stew defends the committee's decision to treat them as teams on separate tiers. Ralph suggests the real issue is process, and questions why SEC teams aren't facing the same scrutiny.Then they debate whether Lane Kiffin would actually leave Ole Miss before the playoffs if he takes the Florida or LSU job, and discusses the ultimatum from AD Keith Carter to decide his future by the Egg Bowl. Could a team be penalized by the playoff committee if their coach leaves mid-season, similar to how a team would be if their QB got hurt?Plus, a mailbag question on coaching hypocrisy: why do coaches get to do the very things they complain about with NIL and the portal? And a throwback to Jeff Jagodzinski's firing at Boston College serves as a cautionary tale for Ole Miss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lane Kiffin faces an ultimatum from Ole Miss: decide on his future by the Egg Bowl, or else. With his family touring Florida and LSU campuses, Ralph and Stew debate whether he'll stay in Oxford or leave for a blue blood program, and whether he'll even be coaching the Rebels in the playoffs. Meanwhile, James Franklin is officially hired at Virginia Tech. How’s the fit?The guys explain why the Big Ten's $2.4 billion deal with UC Investments is now on pause after Michigan and USC pushback. Plus, they make their picks for the week's biggest games including Missouri at Oklahoma, USC at Oregon, Pitt at Georgia Tech, and BYU at Cincinnati.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.