Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner guide you through the coming Rivalry Week in college football, going through dozens of games with 1) playoff stakes, 2) conference championship stakes, and 3) none of those stakes at all, because many of these week’s games don’t need them to be fascinating. Among the many, many games that we discuss on this episode: * The Egg Bowl: “Distractions” shouldn’t matter here. Right? * Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: Why we’re not discounting the Yellow Jackets, despite their defense falling off a cliff lately * Texas A&M at Texas: At least half of this podcast thinks the Longhorns are about to pull the upset at home. Why? * Miami at Pitt: A bad matchup for the Panthers, but could Carson Beck gift them a chance at an upset? * Clemson at South Carolina: Which fanbase would be more despondent? * Kentucky at Louisville: Have the trajectories here flipped? * WKU at Jacksonville State: Will the Gamecocks prove harder for WKU’s defense to stop than LSU’s offense was? * Vanderbilt at Tennessee: Why are we a little nervous about the Dores?* The Iron Bowl: Again, why does at least half of this podcast think the home team is going to pull the upset? * And finally, in THE MAIN COURSE presented by Modelo, we’ve got Bill Landis of “Bill and Doug on Ohio State Football” in the house. Bill gets us up to speed on this Ohio State season and talks about the Buckeyes’ path to ending their four-year drought against Michigan. And much, much more. Producer: Anthony VitoThanks to our subscribers and partnersSubscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts during the season. Now, during the coach carousel, is a great time to join. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks!Shop Black Friday a week early at Homefield, using the code HOMEFIELD30 at checkout. Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDThanks to Nokian Tyres. RSVP for our CFB watch party on December 6 at Mason Jar in NYC here. (Entry is free!)Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL 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.comSUBSCRIBER EPISODE (join here): The coaching carousel is about to reach max velocity. Richard leads Alex and Rodger through a broad overview of the state of play six days before “Black Sunday,” starting with the Lane Kiffin extended universe and moving outward from there. Among the topics discussed here:* The media apparatus behind Lane Kiffin and Jimmy Sexton’s moves, plus Rodger’s grand idea to finally reveal what’s happening* Why you shouldn’t trust anyone claiming to know for sure what Kiffin is doing, and why you shouldn’t read too much into his slow process pointing him toward one school or another* Auburn has a clear plan in mind and has been focused on it for weeks. But until Kiffin gives a resolution to Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida, there’s a variable in play for Auburn’s main target* Terry Smith’s maneuvering to get involved in the Penn State search, a great example of how coaches aren’t hired, but elected* The options for Eric Morris, North Texas coach and leader of the nation’s current No. 1 offense by SP+* Florida State keeping Mike Norvell and showing it doesn’t want to compete (in the coaching market)* Cal’s firing of Justin Wilcox, and why the two impending new hires in the Bay Area will be unlike anything we’ve seen in college football* The toxic public conversation around UCLA’s athletic director and whether that makes the Bruins job less attractive* What’s the deal with Kyle Whittingham at Utah?* UAB’s missing-in-action AD. More on him here.And more. Produced by Anthony Vito.

Alex and Richard guide you through dozens of Week 13 college football games, from Oregon’s depth-driven win over USC to an all-time ending in the Division II playoffs. Just a few of the games covered in here include: Oregon 42, USC 27: Depth and special teams matter Pitt 42, Georgia Tech 28: Pat Narduzzi really did it this time Oklahoma 17, Missouri 6: Speaking of special teams mattering! Utah 51, Kansas State 47: A ground-game exhibition for the ages Duke 32, North Carolina 25: Have you ever seen a kicker run like that? Texas 52, Arkansas 37: “The Full Arch” against a horrible defense Tulane 37, Temple 13: The Green Wave roll through some distractionsYale 45, Harvard 28: A disaster from the jump for the Crimson Montana State 31, Montana 28: An upset in the Brawl of the Wild James Madison 24, Wazzu 20: The Cougs’ season of so-close continuesSan Diego State 25, San Jose State 3: The Aztecs’ defense is unreal Benedict 25, Wingate 24: A finish that must be seen to be believed Want much more? Become a paid subscriberSubscribers get bonus episodes each week, usually multiple during the season. We’d love to have you as we continue into one of our busiest times of the year. We are recording a coach carousel-focused episode early this week and will be sharing that with subscribers shortly. Join at www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe Thanks to our partners and subscribers20% off Dad Water: https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDJoin us at 12 p.m. on 12/6 in NYC, along with Nokian Tyres! RSVP for our championship watch party at Mason Jar at https://www.nokiantyres.com/szd Shop Homefield at https://www.homefieldapparel.com/ and use code HOMEFIELD30 at checkout to get 30% off This episode is produced 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

To join our championship Saturday watch party with Nokian Tyres at Mason Jar in NYC on December 6, please RSVP at this page. Entry is free!Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, and Alex Kirshner discuss the penultimate week of the 2025 regular season. This week has very few premium FBS matchups but does have arguably the most important Harvard-Yale game ever, a critical edition of the Brawl of the Wild, and plenty of College Football Playoff stakes even as most of the SEC takes off for SoCon Saturday:* Florida State–NC State, a real “does Dave Doeren go quietly?” referendum with QB run issues lurking for FSU* Hawaii–UNLV, in which the nation’s most reliable kicker and a fun receiver group try to push the Rainbow Warriors to a special season* Missouri-Oklahoma, a great matchup of Ahmad Hardy against the Oklahoma front. Will Beau Pribula play? (It seems unlikely but possible.)* A big FCS interlude: Harvard and Yale play for a playoff berth as the Ivy League enters a new era, while the Brawl of the Wild decides the Big Sky* James Franklin’s Virginia Tech debut weekend: an unusually early coaching transition that could reshape VT’s portal and staff hiring timeline* Pitt–Georgia Tech, an ACC semifinal of sorts that doesn’t feel like one* Kansas State–Utah, the latest check on whether anyone can stay within 24 points of the Utes either way* BYU–Cincinnati, a Nippert Stadium night game and classic Dad Water Home Dog of the Week opportunity for the Bearcats, even off two losses* Arizona State–Colorado, where Kenny Dillingham keeps grinding out competitive football despite missing his best playmakers. (Note: We recorded this before reports started flying about Sam Leavitt possibly entering the transfer portal)* Cal–Stanford, a classic ACC test* USC-Oregon: THE MAIN COURSE, presented by Modelo. ESPN’s West Coast CFB reporter extraordinaire Paolo Uggetti has covered both of these teams in person frequently. He stops by to tell us how much he’s believing in Lincoln Riley, how Dante Moore is different from other bucket-getting Oregon QBs of the recent past, and what he thinks will happen in Eugene.And many more! This episode is produced by Anthony VitoThanks to our subscribers and partnersSubscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts during the season. Now, during the coach carousel, is a great time to join. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks!Oh look, here’s a new episode with Godfrey, Richard, and Alex going deep into 1) the Lane Kiffin situation, 2) Virginia Tech’s James Franklin hire, 3) Maryland and Wisconsin experimenting with a new kind of non-firing, and 4) Florida State.Shop Black Friday a week early at https://www.homefieldapparel.comThanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDThanks to Nokian Tyres. RSVP for our CFB watch party on December 6 at Mason Jar in NYC here. (Entry is free!)Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL 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.comSUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Godfrey is back with Alex and Richard to talk about this moment in the coach carousel. Lane Kiffin continues to make Ole Miss wait, and the rest of the SEC is right there with the Rebels. In this episode: Kiffin didn’t think his family’s private plane tourism around the SEC would go unnoticed, did he?The possibility of a coach leaving a team not just in the midst of a playoff race, but right before that team plays a home playoff gameWhy we can’t blame Ole Miss for being furious (and why LSU and Florida will be their own kinds of mad in different scenarios)Ole Miss’ contingency options if Kiffin walks … or just doesn’t decide What happens if Kiffin just doesn’t make a decision?James Franklin to Virginia TechDoes Franklin taking this job send a good signal about the Hokies’ level of financial seriousness?Why Franklin will be “old-school James” in BlacksburgWisconsin is keeping Luke Fickell, and Maryland is keeping Mike Locksley. This is a new kind of financial arbitrage in hiring/firing decisionsProducer: Anthony Vito

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comSUBSCRIBER SHOW: Our Richard Johnson made his debut as a sideline reporter for CBS Sports on Saturday, interviewing players and coaches and providing insight from the field during the Air Force vs. UConn game. In this bonus episode for subscribers, Richard goes solo to talk about what he learned: how the prep works and what it’s like to do the job. If you wanna know what the job entails, we hope you enjoy a BTS.This is a subscriber episode Everyone can hear a free preview. To get many, many more podcasts from Split Zone Duo, consider becoming a paid subscriber today. Your subscriptions allow us to make this show, and you also get a lot more of this show.www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Richard and Alex take you through dozens of Week 12 games, sharing their best observations from the third-to-last week of the regular season. The full list: Oklahoma 23, Alabama 21Georgia 35, Texas 10Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 30Ole Miss 34, Florida 24LSU 23, Arkansas 22Kentucky 42, Tennessee Tech 10USC 26, Iowa 21Michigan 24, Northwestern 22Ohio State a lot, UCLA very fewIndiana 31, Wisconsin 7Penn State 28, Michigan State 10Oregon 42, Minnesota 13 (Friday)Notre Dame 37, Pitt 15UVA 34, Duke 17Georgia Tech 36, Boston College 34Clemson 20, Louisville 19 Miami 41, NC State 7Utah 55, Baylor 28BYU 44, TCU 13Arizona 30, Cincinnati 24Arizona State 25, WVU 23Texas Tech 48, UCF 9Navy 41, USF 38Tulane 35, FAU 24ECU 31, Memphis 27James Madison 58, App State 10Georgia Southern 45, Coastal Carolina 40Old Dominion 33, Troy 0Texas State 41, Southern Miss 14Jacksonville State 35, Kennesaw State 26Western Kentucky 42, Middle Tennessee 26Missouri State 38, UTEP 24FIU 34, Liberty 27San Diego State 17, Boise 7Fresno State 24, Wyoming 3UConn 26, Air Force 16Northern Illinois 45, UMass 3Western Michigan 17, Ohio 13Central Michigan 38, Buffalo 19Toledo 24, Miami 3Thanks to our partners and subscribers20% off Dad Water: https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDShop Homefield at https://www.homefieldapparel.com/Tire safety tips for winter at https://www.nokiantyres.com/firstThis episode is produced 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThe 2025 UMass Minutemen are making a strong case for the title of “worst FBS team in modern history.” You might THINK that’s because the Minutemen don’t have any money, but you’d be wrong. Rodger Sherman and Alex Kirshner interview Michael Traini, publisher of UMass 247Sports site Fight Massachusetts, about how UMass got to this point. How did this team go from an FCS national champ to an FBS wanderer with no clear plan, no accountability, and waning fan support? We’ll give you the full story.This is the latest in a Split Zone Duo subscriber series, “Why You’re Always Bad”Previously, we’ve covered:* Kent State* Rice* ULMSubscribers can listen to all of these episodes and our entire catalog. Now’s a great time to join for $10 a month or $110 a year and get lots more SZD. And if you just want to support this podcast, we now have a “founding member” option where you can pay whatever Split Zone Duo is worth to you.Producer: Anthony Vito

Richard, Alex, and Rodger Sherman talk through a huge Week 12 in college football, highlighting a few dozen games that should be fun! Among the many topics discussed on this episode: * Texas-Georgia, the real push-comes-to-shove spot for Arch Manning* Iowa-USC, the ultimate test of what Lincoln Riley is building in L.A. * Oklahoma-Alabama, where we think the Sooners have a good shot * UVA-Duke, in which a backup QB stands in the way of Duke mounting a serious playoff push and creating a doomsday scenario for the ACC * Is Miami back in the playoff race now? Might be! Why? Don’t know! * Florida-Ole Miss, which the Rebels have to be glad is not in Gainesville* UCLA-Ohio State, which is really just a chance to talk about the legal battle unfolding now between UCLA and the Rose Bowl* Tennessee Tech-Kentucky, in what some are calling the most captivating Week 12 matchup ever between an FCS team and SEC team * Richard’s big debut as a CBS Sports sideline reporter for UConn-Air Force* Kennesaw State-Jacksonville State, CUSA game of the year? * Boise State-San Diego State, MWC game of the year? * THE MAIN COURSE, presented by Modelo: Pitt hosts Notre Dame for the Panthers’ biggest home game in many years … unless you’re Pat Narduzzi, who does not seem to think the game is that important And much more! Produced by Anthony Vito. Thanks to our subscribers and partnersSubscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts during the season. Now, during the coach carousel, is a great time to join. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks! Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDThanks to Nokian Tyres: https://www.nokiantyres.com/szdModelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL 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.comAlex and Richard take a big handful of subscriber questions after Week 11, starting with actual football and then moving to coach business: * Which plausible title contenders are most overrated, and which are most overlooked? (This part of the episode is the free preview that all can hear.) * Is Notre Dame’s ACC relationship helping ND more than it helps the league?* How sustainable is Virginia’s surge—real progress or lucky break?* What do we think of this particular SEC reffing conspiracy? * Why do close Bama wins get our approval while others are framed as “getting away with it”? What does the latter mean? * Could Haynes King actually win the Heisman? Assuming note, what is a better way to honor this memorable player? * When should a mid-tier Power 4 or G5 school sit out the coaching carousel, and what’s the real value above replacement for a 6-6 coach?* What do we make of UNLV’s rent-a-coach strategy, if that’s what it is? * Should South Carolina be done with Shane Beamer? * Can we recreate a post-House settlement tiering structure for what makes a good job? * If Colorado opens, how much shine remains post-Deion?* How have Alabama boosters responded to the DeBoer era so far?* Do early firings at blue-blood programs hurt their odds of landing top coaches? We are skeptical but let’s hear the theory. Producer: Anthony VitoThis episode and the Q&A opportunity included in it are for paid subscribersThis is a great time of year to join us as a paid subscriber and roughly double how many podcasts you get from us. We’d love to have you.

Richard and Alex take you through dozens of Week 11 college football games, highlighting the most interesting stuff to get you all caught up:Oregon’s grits out a win at Kinnick Stadium after Iowa pulled the Ducks down into a literal puddle and threatened to keep them thereOmar Cooper makes a historic catch at Penn State, which Alex says has a case for the best of all time and Richard is just trying to tear downTexas Tech sits on BYU, making clear that the Red Raiders are the best team in the Big 12Sonny Dykes loses the TCU fanbaseTexas A&M treats Mizzou’s third-string freshman QB very rudelyVanderbilt stays alive by beating an Auburn team that changed its on-field identity overnightWake Forest beats UVA, Cal beats Louisville, and the ACC continues to be a mess. Could this conference miss the playoff? There’s a path!Boston College devolves into a bad situationFlorida State brings nothing to the table in yet another lossNotre Dame overwhelms Navy and keeps marching toward the playoffTulane beats Memphis, making another disappointing year for the TigersUTSA games keep ending up in wars of words between the coachesArmy’s latest endless drive to close out the Temple OwlsTennesaw State UniversityOregon State’s special teams reach new levels of ignominyMontana survives on a SPIKE FUMBLE?? We’d never seen it, eitherAnd a lot more. That’s just a sample. Producer: Anthony VitoThanks to our partners and subscribers20% off Dad Water: https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDJoin Homefield, Steven Godfrey, and Ryan Nanni in Athens on Friday.Enter to win airfare and lodging for a trip to New York City on conference championship weekend at https://www.nokiantyres.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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comSUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Richard and Alex take a bunch of subscriber questions about the state of the coach carousel, about three weeks before things start to come to a head. Among the questions covered here: * Should you actually keep an eye on Lincoln Riley at USC? We’ve got a bit of disagreement here, but anything is possible * Could Lane Kiffin be waiting for the USC? Would that be possible anyway? * What’s up with UTSA’s Jeff Traylor? * Why did Nebraska extend Matt Rhule? Do we like it? * Could this coaching cycle finally bring some sanity to contract structures? (Do not hold your breath.) * Is Jeff Brohm a better candidate for bigger jobs or an extension? * Who is the darkhorse candidate for the Florida job? Speaking of that …* Jedd Fisch would leave for Florida, but UCLA?* Is Brent Brennan in over his head at Arizona? * Could Brent Venables’ success or failure at Oklahoma shift hiring trends back toward G5 coaches, rather than P4 coordinators? Why aren’t coordinators being mentioned more for major jobs?* What should we make of Clay Helton at Georgia Southern amid a decline? * Will Pat Narduzzi keep his OC and stud freshman QB? * Why do people bring up the idea that Auburn should’ve hired Cadillac Williams? * Is Chris Klieman’s seat hot at Kansas State? (No.) * Non-Petrino division, which possible Arkansas hires would qualify as clear whiffs? * What is the pulse check on Fran Brown’s long-term future at Syracuse?* How much influence do GM-type roles have in this year’s coaching hires?* How high could coaching salaries inflate this cycle? Producer: Anthony Vito. This episode and the Q&A opportunity included in it are for paid subscribers This is an amazing time of year to join us as a paid subscriber and roughly double how many podcasts you get from us. We’d love to have you! Everyone can listen to our big preview of Week 11.

Welcome to Week 11. Alex and Richard preview the most interesting games coming up this weekend and also discuss other big CFB developments:* The initial playoff rankings release* The ESPN-YouTube TV standoff and what people are getting wrong about Disney’s motivations* The American race heats up, with UTSA-USF and Tulane-Memphis on tap before we even get to Saturday action* Is this the end of Deion Sanders at Colorado? Good luck guessing* Indiana-Penn State and Ohio State-Purdue won’t be close games, but they will be Heisman platform builders for Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin* Oregon-Iowa has us very intrigued about the Hawkeyes, though we’re split on what’s going to happen at Kinnick Stadium* Auburn-Vanderbilt: Be careful, Commodores* Louisville has a major injury problem as it tries to win the ACC* Dabo Swinney faces a crossroads at Clemson* THE MAIN COURSE, presented by Modelo: CBS Sports national college football reporter Shehan Jeyarajah stops by to discuss BYU-Texas Tech. Read Shehan’s big feature on Tech’s roster build.And much, much more. Producer: Anthony VitoThanks to our subscribers and partnersSubscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts during the season. Now, during the coach carousel, is a great time to join. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks!Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDThanks to Nokian Tyres: https://www.nokiantyres.com/szdThanks to Homefield Apparel: Join them, Godfrey, and Ryan Nanni in Athens next week! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/phantom-island-live-in-athens-tickets-1825198310279?aff=oddtdtcreatorModelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL 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.comHugh Freeze is out at Auburn and probably done forever as a top-level college football coach. Richard and Alex do a postmortem on his Auburn tenure and his broader career, then discuss what Auburn could and should do next:* The brief good times Freeze had at Ole Miss, and how we’d remember him if not for the recruiting class that later got him into trouble* A weird dude whose firing wasn’t weird at all* Failures of QB development and Freeze blowing what turned out to be his only chance to do the thing Auburn dreamed he could do: Beat Nick Saban* A masterclass in ineffective communication by a head coach* Auburn’s infamous donor/administration alignment, currently better than several other SEC programs in the coaching market* Jon Sumrall, the name that will be on everyone’s lips in this search* How Lane Kiffin’s decision-making affects Auburn’s options* Why it’s time to just hire a normal football coach, please* Why Freeze’s firing feels like a party for college football fans of all different ideological persuasionsProducer: Anthony VitoAdditional reading and listening* Steven Godfrey’s 2023 episode about his dealings with Freeze* Jason Kirk on Freeze: “Rub some church on it”

Rodger Sherman joins Alex for a big ol’ rundown of Week 10 of the college football season. Among dozens of games discussed, we go over: Miami’s faceplant at SMU, which keeps the Canes out of playoff contention unless something really drastic happensOklahoma’s kicker-led victory in KnoxvilleUtah manhandling Cincinnati in just the way we expectedNC State knocking Georgia Tech from the land of the unbeatenSomething cool that Rodger noticed about the MSU-Minnesota endingUSC’s huge win in Lincoln, with help from Matt Rhule and some injuriesDuke staying in the ACC race and taking Clemson from bad to worseThe American race becoming even more chaotic with UNT beating NavyHugh Freeze’s emphatic likely ending at AuburnThe Jeff Sims Legacy Game for Arizona State over Iowa StateDeion’s Colorado and Frost’s UCF looking just terribleSyracuse putting a true freshman walk-on lacrosse player at QB for a game against Bill BelichickBoise State getting embarrassed by a team with 35 passing yardsAnd much more! Producer: Anthony Vito. Thanks to our partners and subscribers20% off Dad Water: https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZDVisit Homefield at https://www.homefieldapparel.com/Enter to win airfare and lodging for a trip to New York City on conference championship weekend at https://www.nokiantyres.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