Everything that held the North back on a national level – coaches, the geography of talent, and attitudes about how college football should be treated – seems to have leveled out. When Ohio State faced Notre Dame in Atlanta at the end of the 2024 season, it was a coronation for the North, one paved by the destruction of several of the South's biggest brands. In Episode 5 of The 25 Year Winter, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss what the future holds for the sport, what trends have helped push the North back to the top, and whether balance has, at long last, returned to college football for good. Thanks for joining us. Producer: Michael Henahan.
It's finally here, the episode of The 25 Year Winter where we get into the South's (sometimes alleged, sometimes well-documented) rule-breaking as it took over college football. But it's not just that. In Episode 4 of our five-part series, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are dissecting attitudes: what fueled the South as it so cavalierly pushed the envelope and how the North counted money, touted education, bathed itself in hypocrisy and rarely sought ways to get an edge on the football field. Thanks for joining us. Producer: Michael Henahan
It's a draft of Heisman Trophy contenders on Kings of the North, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples of On3 to pick 12 Heisman contenders. Each of the four drafters picks two favorites, one medium long shot and one big long shot, while discussing the most important players and teams heading into the 2025 college football season. Before that, Doug and Bill dissect veteran quarterbacks vs. young quarterbacks this season, how that might affect this year and how it compares to seasons of the past. Lastly, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. But it's not just Doug and Bill chiming in. They asked a bevy of coaches and players at Big Ten Media Days what they've been watching and eating, and you'll get those answers as well. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
As the SEC took control of college football, demographic shifts helped fuel that dominance by ensuring the region was flush with a large percentage of the country's best high school football prospects. To compound the issue, the North started leaking too much of its best talent. What did it amount to? Sustained success for the South. In Episode 3 of The 25 Year Winter, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis examine how recruiting realities combined with more Northern shortcomings contributed to the South's reign over college football from 1998-2022. The South had the better prospects, and was more aggressive in how it built rosters.This is the players episode. Thanks for joining us. Producer: Michael Henahan.
How deep is the Big Ten this season? Maybe deeper than it has ever been? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into what they think will be an 8-way battle in the middle of the conference behind expected Big Ten leaders Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon. What will separate the next eight teams? Who has the easiest schedule? The toughest? And how does the middle of the Big Ten compare to the middle of the SEC -- and how will it be perceived? Plus breakdowns on Iowa, Purdue and Michigan State and a visit from Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
One of the edges for the South over the North in their dominant era of college football? Coaching. Nick Saban and Urban Meyer drove a new era of SEC excellence -- as natives of the North who spent much of their careers coaching in cold weather before turning around Alabama and Florida. How did the Big Ten let these Northern sons get away? Lacking superstar coaching power, the North also fell short in ingenuity. That happened despite a revolution starting in the middle of Iowa -- before spreading through the rest of the country. And then there was the money that wooed a Wisconsin winner like Bret Bielema -- a true Northerner headed South -- and he was just one example. It's the coaching episode of The 25 Year Winter. Thanks for joining us. Producer: Michael Henahan
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis wrap up Kings of the North's coverage from Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas with a discussion about Michigan. How should we be thinking about the Wolverines in 2025? What impact will Bryce Underwood have? That and more from our final show from Las Vegas. Thanks for watching.
Oregon won the Big Ten last season, went undefeated through the regular season -- and then the Ducks saw their season end in their first College Football Playoff game against Ohio State. Yeah, the Ducks are angry about that. On this Kings of the North from Las Vegas, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis talk with three Oregon players and dive into how their views of Oregon may have changed, as the angry Ducks prepare for 2025. Then it's a debate over the more interesting Big Ten dark horse -- Washington or Minnesota. That includes interviews with Demond Williams Jr., Jonah Coleman, Drake Lindsey, Koi Perich and P.J. Fleck. Then it's talk about Wisconsin and Northwestern, including a chat with Wildcats coach David Braun and players Preston Stone and Anto Saka. Thanks for joining Kings of the North for this episode from Day 2 of Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas.
Penn State is the preseason favorite in the Big Ten, according to KOTN poll. Will the Nittany Lions live up to the expectations? How are they handling them? Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis check in from Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas to discuss.
Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers kicked off the first day of Big Ten Media Days, and Kings of the North was there in Las Vegas to dive into all of them. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all six teams, while interviewing Ryan Day, Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs, Luke Altmyer and Athan Kaliakmanis among others. Indiana-Illinois as a huge swing game for the season. Matt Rhule standing up for the Cornhuskers. Curt Cignetti taking on the SEC. The future of big-time nonconference games. And more. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti opened conference media days touting the strength of a league that's had the last two national champions, and why he thinks his College Football Playoff model is the right direction for the sport. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis give their takes on Petitti's comments, and then welcome Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports for more reaction from Day 1 of Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas.
Big Ten Media Days are here, and Kings of the North will be bringing you coverage from Las Vegas all week. To kick things off, here is the KOTN Preseason Big Ten Poll, the largest and most comprehensive Big Ten poll out there. KOTN gathered 54 voters -- at least one beat reporter from every Big Ten team and two from most -- as well as 20 national college football reporters to put together this poll. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break down the results on this episode. That includes Penn State as the pick to win the regular season and the Big Ten Championship Game; a healthy, strong middle of the league; and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs as the Preseason Players of the Year. Thanks for joining KOTN. Catch coverage from Las Vegas all week. And don't miss the new narrative podcast series in your feed -- The 25 Year Winter.
The South and the SEC took over college football starting in 1998 -- and the North and the Big Ten helped let it happen. This five-part podcast series will examine the how and why of that -- from coaches to players to attitudes to geography to cheating to luck. Between 1998 and 2022, the North won just two national titles as Alabama's Nick Saban and a host of other Southern champs put the North in a corner. Episode 1 starts with a moment of Northern superiority -- the 2006 showdown between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan. Then it explains how it all unraveled, including some close calls for the North that might have rendered this podcast moot if they'd gone another way. And yeah, once the South started winning, the South started bragging. The North didn't have much of an answer, on the field or in a war of words. The next four episodes will dive even deeper on coaches, players, attitudes and the shift in the sport that is ending this era of Northern shortcoming. Hosts Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis from the daily college college football Kings of the North appreciate you being here, and they hope you enjoy The 25 Year Winter. Producer: Michael Henahan.
What's going on the world of college football recruiting? KOTN dove in on the 400-plus blue-chip prospects in the 2026 recruiting class to see where there from, where they're going, what the emerging trends are and how the North is doing defending its turf and stealing players from the South. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis also discuss Indiana's weak scheduling and a big recruiting win for West Virginia. Plus, Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for listening to Kings of the North.
With SEC Media Days underway, KOTN would like to remind everyone that the last time college football gathered in Atlanta, it was to watch two Northern teams play for the national championship, as Ohio State beat Notre Dame. Anyway, let's fix the College Football Playoff. The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 want different things from the playoff, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here to talk out their cases and come up with real solutions that should please everyone. Plus, college football polls are under attack. Are they worth it? A possible plan to save them as well. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
It's Deion Sanders and Colorado vs. Fran Brown and Syracuse in the final KOTN Showdown of the offseason. Who would you rather be in 2025 -- the Buffs or the Orange? But first on this Kings of the North episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis check in on some talk from Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark at the conference's media days. He touted the Big 12's returning production at quarterback -- could it be the best QB league in the P4? And could the SEC be the worst? Yormark also claimed the Big 12 will be the deepest league in the nation. Doug and Bill investigate that claim as well. There's a little more Big 12 news, and then the show wraps with Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Could Oregon, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Kansas State and Illinois have their greatest college football seasons in program history in 2025? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis, look at their best individual seasons for their 28 Northern teams and see which teams had had them recently -- hello Michigan and Iowa State -- which teams had them a long time ago -- how about Boston College and BYU in 1984? -- and which six teams could have them this year. Then it's another KOTN Showdown, this time between two teams that could make real playoff runs this season: Kansas State and Illinois. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
What were the biggest college football recruiting wins in the North this summer? From Michigan to Pitt, from Notre Dame to Washington, from Ohio State to BYU, from Utah to Penn State, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis explain the biggest recruiting moves and what they mean for Northern football. Then it's the latest KOTN Showdown, as two former Big Ten West foes square off: Minnesota vs. Northwestern. Finally, check in on Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are back with another Kings of the North, exploring the rebuild situations at West Virginia and Purdue and what's worked for successful turnarounds in the past. Then, it's another KOTN Showdown between the Mountaineers and Boilermakers. Who would you rather be in 2025? But first, BYU needs a new quarterback. Thanks for watching and listening to Kings of the North.
College football rivalry week continues on Kings of the North with 10 new rivalries that the sport could give us in the next decade, thanks to the College Football Playoff and the occasional appropriate push from conferences when needed. What could new rivalries like Notre Dame-Clemson, Ohio State-Oregon, BYU-Colorado and West Virginia-Cincinnati mean for college football? Then it's time for Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis to take some questions and comments from the Ask KOTN mailbag. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.