JR and Zach kick off by welcoming viewers and outlining the episode: critiquing the AP Poll, sharing their top 25, and predicting the CFP. They dive into the AP Poll, with Zach arguing Penn State is overrated at No. 2 due to lackluster performances compared to teams like LSU, Oregon, and Miami with stronger resumes. They highlight SEC bias, questioning high rankings for teams like South Carolina (above unranked Vanderbilt despite a head-to-head loss), Ole Miss (up after a close win over weak Kentucky), Auburn, and Mizzou. They praise USF's jump to No. 18 for big wins over Boise State and Florida, suggesting it should be higher. Discussions include inconsistencies like Florida State's ranking after beating Alabama, while similar upsets (e.g., Arizona State over Mississippi State) go unrecognized. They criticize Tennessee's rise for beating a weak opponent.

Moving to their top 25: JR has Ohio State No. 1, Texas No. 2, Oregon No. 3, Penn State No. 4, Miami No. 5, then LSU, Georgia, Notre Dame, Illinois, USC, and others down to Utah at No. 25. Zach has Ohio State No. 1, LSU No. 2, Oregon No. 3, Penn State No. 4, Miami No. 5, Texas No. 6, Georgia No. 7, Florida State No. 8, Illinois No. 9, Utah No. 10, and rounds out with teams like Minnesota, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. They debate specifics, like Utah's ranking (Zach at No. 10 for dominating UCLA; JR at No. 25 as unimpressive) and USF's resume.

Finally, CFP predictions: JR sees Ohio State as No. 1 seed (Big Ten champ), Georgia No. 2 (SEC), Texas No. 3, Oregon No. 4, Miami No. 5 (ACC), with at-large like Penn State, Notre Dame, LSU, Utah, Illinois, Ole Miss, and USF (G5). Zach has Ohio State No. 1, LSU No. 2 (SEC), Oregon No. 3, Penn State No. 4 (Big Ten runner-up), Miami No. 5, Texas No. 6, Georgia No. 7, Florida State No. 8, Illinois No. 9, Utah No. 10, Notre Dame No. 11, USF No. 12. They note potential rematches and committee biases. Episode ends with calls for likes, subs, and comments.

More from JR:

Personal Twitter: https://x.com/jrs_rankings

Big Ten Twitter: https://x.com/TheBigTenHuddle

Read JR's Ohio State coverage: https://scarletandgame.com/author/jrhoades1

Read JR's Illinois coverage: https://writingillini.com/author/jrhoades1

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Catch The Big Ten Huddle Football Episodes 3 times a week. Here is when to catch our live or premiere episodes that are about an hour long (eastern time):

• Sunday at 9 PM w/ Zack


• Tuesday at 9 PM w/ Zack


• Thursday at 9 PM w/ Jeff

You can also expect videos by JR throughout the week covering news and interesting topics.

*All times are Eastern time

AUDIO ONLY PLATFORMS

The Big Ten Huddle is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon.

LISTEN: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/TheBigTenHuddle

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STREAM on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tMaraKvafFzjUrXGq2c4w

The Big Ten Huddle is a podcast dedicated to providing honest, humorous, and insightful analysis of Big Ten football and basketball. With a focus on challenging the national bias, especially against the SEC, hosts JR and Zack offer unfiltered discussions that engage fans of all Big Ten teams. Though critical at times, they always aim to defend the conference and give credit where it’s due, bringing humor and deep analysis together for a unique listening experience.

Rooted in values of integrity, passion, and community, The Big Ten Huddle strives to become the go-to voice for Big Ten sports fans.

There is no show out there like The Big Ten Huddle!

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