The Solid Verbal College Football

In this college football podcast episode, we continue our three-part 2026 Big Ten preview with a closer look at nine teams, beginning with the three programs most likely to determine the conference championship. Oregon has assembled another loaded roster, but is this finally the year Dan Lanning’s program gets over the hump? Can Ohio State maintain its defensive standard while building a new offensive identity under Arthur Smith? And how successfully can defending national champion Indiana reload around Josh Hoover and a wave of transfer portal additions?
We make our Big Ten championship predictions and examine the questions that could separate Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana once the College Football Playoff race begins. Then we turn toward the conference’s crowded middle. Is Iowa’s favorable schedule enough to overcome another uncertain quarterback situation? Can Washington’s promising but unproven roster deliver against better competition? And what happens when Nebraska pairs the unpredictable Anthony Colandrea with Dana Holgorsen?
We also discuss the stakes surrounding Luke Fickell at Wisconsin, Greg Schiano’s attempt to rebuild the Rutgers defense and Purdue’s difficult path toward meaningful progress. Plus: a spirited disagreement over Iowa, a possible resurgences for the RVO offense, suspicious Rutgers sandwich spots, the official installation of Ty as Chief Colandrea Officer, and more.
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In this college football podcast episode, we open our three-part 2026 Big Ten preview by zooming out before diving into the individual team breakdowns. The conference has produced the last three national champions, enters the season with another wave of major coaching and coordinator changes, and features a surprising number of familiar quarterbacks.
We sort all 18 Big Ten teams into contender tiers and ask whether Ohio State, Oregon and defending national champion Indiana have separated from the field. Is USC talented enough to overcome its schedule and lingering defensive questions? Could Penn State, Michigan, Washington or Iowa emerge as the conference’s fourth College Football Playoff team? And how much faith should we place in new systems, new play callers and transfer quarterbacks across the league?
We also work through the crowded middle of the conference, where favorable schedules, volatile quarterbacks and major rebuilds make almost every projection feel negotiable. Plus: Sweet Lady Schedule, the Big Ten’s overarching theme of faith, Bob Chesney’s elite hairline, a renewed commitment to the Minnesota Support Zoom, and a fun announcement about the show's place in the college football media sphere.
Timestamps:
00:00 — Intro & Show News
07:35 — The Big Ten’s three-year heater
10:15 — New head coaches, coordinators and familiar quarterbacks
15:46 — The Big Ten’s Big Three
21:33 — The quest for a fourth playoff team
25:54 — Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and... USC?
40:16 — Who's Next?
41:12 — The potential for a 10-2 Iowa
48:15 — The Illinois contender debate
52:56 — Penn State’s reset with Matt Campbell
58:57 — Michigan begins the Kyle Whittingham era
1:02:04 — Washington’s next step under Jedd Fisch
1:07:34 — Minnesota and Nebraska
1:15:45 — UCLA’s Bob Chesney rebuild
1:22:03 — Wisconsin, Luke Fickell and a friendlier schedule
1:27:02 — Maryland’s upside and unresolved questions
1:30:48 — Northwestern, Rutgers, Michigan State and Purdue
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In this college football podcast episode, we briefly step out of preview mode for a college football news reset. While we were working through the ACC and Big 12, the rest of the sport kept moving, beginning with another strange development at North Carolina. We discuss Mike Lombardi’s reported leave of absence, what it adds to the growing collection of Bill Belichick-era drama in Chapel Hill, and why Tar Heels fans did not exactly greet the news with despair.
Then we dig through the most memorable moments from SEC, ACC and Big 12 Media Days. Lane Kiffin contemplates mortality, Jon Sumrall brings an unmistakable level of intensity to Florida, Pat Narduzzi makes another bold conference comparison, and several SEC coaches begin building the case for nine-win College Football Playoff teams. We also consider Greg Sankey’s acknowledgment that conversations about an SEC and Big Ten breakaway are real, even if nobody is quite ready to explain where those conversations might lead.
Finally, with fall camps opening around the country, we look at the quarterback competitions worth tracking. What could a freshman starter mean for Tennessee? Is Alabama’s apparent favorite ready to take control? Which uncertain situations at Arkansas, Iowa and elsewhere could reshape an entire season? We also ask how many of these competitions are truly open and how many are exercises in keeping quarterbacks engaged during the transfer portal era.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
3:55 - Mike Lombardi on leave at UNC
9:40 - Favorite Quotes from Media Days
31:29 - QB Battles of Interest
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
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In this episode, we finish our Big 12 preview with the conference’s final eight teams: Utah, Houston, TCU, Arizona, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, UCF and Cincinnati. This preview features plenty of teams on the cusp of a breakthrough or a frustrating step backward.
We start with Utah’s transition from Kyle Whittingham to Morgan Scalley and ask how much of the program’s familiar identity can survive a major staff and roster reset. From there, we dig into Houston’s contender case, TCU’s new quarterback and offensive coordinator, Arizona’s attempt to build on last year’s rebound, and Arizona State’s high-variance setup around a talented but unsettled offense.
Then, Ty makes the full-throated case for an Oklahoma State revival under Eric Morris and Drew Mestemaker, while Dan tries to keep expectations somewhere near Earth. We also break down whether UCF can make the Year 2 jump under Scott Frost and whether Cincinnati can survive massive turnover by leaning on one of the Big 12’s best offensive lines.
Plus: Wile E. Coyote branches, short quarterbacks, soufflé assembly and an impromptu summer tennis preview.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
7:12 - Utah Preview
25:21 - TCU Preview
35:26 - Arizona Preview
44:25 - Arizona State Preview
52:27 - Oklahoma State Preview
1:03:58 - UCF Preview
1:10:33 - Cincinnati Preview
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we continue our 2026 Big 12 preview with the first full batch of team-by-team breakdowns. Texas Tech enters as the reigning conference champion and apparent favorite, but the strange offseason surrounding Brendan Sorsby and Will Hammond has made its path back to the College Football Playoff more complicated than it first appeared. We examine whether the Red Raiders can turn one dominant season into a repeatable model, and whether BYU has enough offensive growth and defensive muscle to finally close the gap.
From there, we move into the conference’s crowded and unpredictable middle. What will Kansas State look like with Collin Klein returning to lead the program? Can Dave Aranda and new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman bring order to the chaos at Baylor before time runs out? We also consider whether Andy Kotelnicki can revive the Kansas offense, whether Brennan Marion’s Go-Go system is the answer for Colorado, and how quickly new regimes at West Virginia and Iowa State can start showing meaningful progress.
Plus, we discuss the booming transfer market for competent offensive linemen, the college football equivalent of a veteran left-handed relief pitcher, several dangerous schedule sandwiches, and much more.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
05:30 - Texas Tech Preview
20:26 - BYU Preview
27:41 - Kansas State Preview
36:50 - Baylor Preview
47:00 - Kansas Preview
52:41 - Colorado Preview
59:13 - West Virginia Preview
1:02:59 - Iowa State Preview
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.