GSMC College Football Podcast

Tiering Playoff Contenders & Winners/Losers From Week 7 | GSMC College Football Podcast

Segment 1: Tiering The Contenders Halfway Through The Season: Who Stands Out? | GSMC College Football Podcast
In this episode of the GSMC College Football Podcast, we break down the CFP contenders halfway through the season and tier the teams that are truly in the race for the national title. Who are the certified contenders, and which teams are on the bubble? We’ll analyze performances, key stats, and remaining schedules to determine who has the best shot at making the College Football Playoff. Tune in for this in-depth midseason assessment!

Segment 2: Winners & Losers From Week 7: Understanding Of SEC Race Took A Hit | GSMC College Football Podcast
In this episode of the GSMC College Football Podcast, we reveal the biggest winners and losers from Week 7, with a particular focus on how our understanding of the SEC’s elite teams took a major hit. Who disappointed, and which teams are proving they belong in the conversation for conference supremacy? We’ll break down key games, standout performances, and what these results mean for the SEC and the national landscape. Don’t miss this in-depth analysis of Week 7’s surprises!

Segment 3: Week 7 Superlatives: Gabriel Catapults Himself Into The Heisman Race | GSMC College Football Podcast
In this episode of the GSMC College Football Podcast, we hand out Week 7 superlatives, with Dillon Gabriel's electrifying performance catapulting him into the Heisman conversation. We’ll highlight the standout players, game-changing moments, and teams that stole the spotlight. Is Gabriel now a true Heisman contender? Tune in as we break down the superstars and storylines from an action-packed Week 7.

Segment 4: Look Ahead To Week 8: Bama-Tenn Face Off In Pseudo Elimination Game | GSMC College Football Podcast
In this episode of the GSMC College Football Podcast, we take an early look ahead to Week 8, where Alabama and Tennessee are set to face off in a high-stakes showdown that feels like a pseudo-elimination game. Both teams are fighting to keep their CFP hopes alive, and this matchup could define their seasons. Tune in as we preview the key storylines, matchups to watch, and what’s on the line for both programs heading into this SEC clash.

Segment 5: Top 12 Tuesday: Week 8 Edition - Yet Another New Number 1 This Week | GSMC College Football Podcast
In this episode of the GSMC College Football Podcast, we bring you the Week 8 edition of Top 12 Tuesday, where yet another team claims the No. 1 spot in the rankings. With upsets and close calls shaking up the standings, we dive into why this new number one deserves the top position and what it means for the rest of the season. Who else made big moves, and which teams are sliding? Tune in for our full breakdown of the top teams heading into Week 8!

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Duration:: 1h 17m
Broadcast on:: 15 Oct 2024
Audio Format:: other

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(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) Welcome in everyone to another edition of the GSMC College Football Podcast brought to you by GSMC Sports Network. I'm your host, as always, Tommy Brzee. It is October 15th, a Tuesday around here. And we have a great show for you today. We're gonna start tiering all the college football teams we are halfway home. So I wanna make sure you guys get an idea of at least the way that I see it. Who I think the contenders are, who I think is very much on their way to a CFP berth and everyone else that's on the outside looking in just a little bit. Then we'll get to the winners and the losers from this past weekend. Got eight for you, definitely some more that I could get, but at the end of the day, stuck to eight for today. Then we'll get into week seven superlatives, a little bit of a new segment around here. I'll get my Heisman performance of the week. I'll get my biggest win of the week. I'll get my biggest statement. And then the game of the week, obviously. Then I'll get my early thoughts on week eight. Just kinda bounce around to a number of games, give you guys quick thoughts on different things to watch for, maybe some upsets on the way. And definitely some big time games. We'll talk about those two huge games in the SCC. And then we'll finish it out. I'll give you my top 12 teams in the country. Very, very hard. Very, very hard to put together. But at the end of the day, I like my top 12. But before we jump in, I do wanna remind you all, we get tons of questions and comments throughout the show. And the best way for you all to get your question on the screen, we can have a fun back and forth here, is to use that super chat feature. At the bottom of the chat on the Sports Network page, click on that dollar sign, add any question, comment you like. Your name and the comment will pop up on the screen. We can have a fun back and forth here. Definitely want this to be as interactive as possible. So utilize that. Also, GSMCpodcast.net is up and running. Does the exact same thing. So either one of those you'd like to use, please do. But let's jump into this, because this is not easy to do by any means. You have a college football world right about now that a lot of the lines are very great. You know, you're getting into conference play. You don't really know how great a team is quite yet. I think we'll learn a lot this weekend. But at the end of the day, you're still a little bit up in the air about your opinions about a lot of these teams. But I'm gonna do my best to tier college football right about now, give you guys an idea of who I think are the certified title contenders, who is CFP-bound, who's on the outside looking in, all of that good stuff. And definitely a little bit tough thing to put together, but let's go ahead and jump in here. Certified contenders. For me, it's four teams, and three of them reside in the Big 10. But let's start with Oregon. Obviously, huge win this past weekend. They are elite, the best win of this season, thus far if you were to ask me. The depth is absolutely incredible, pretty much all over the place. Dylan Gabriel's starting to hit his stride. They are very, very incredible. And then the trenches are outright elite. You know, they're right up there with, I think, Texas, some of the best offensive and defensive line units in the entire country. So have to feel really good about Oregon right about now. I think they put themselves in a really, really good spot. You know, they don't necessarily have to face that marquee opponent coming up, avoid Penn State, avoid Ohio State. Do have to play at Michigan, so definitely one to watch there. But at the end of the day, they'll be favored the rest of the way and could vary easily, not easily, but could be undefeated at the very end of the year. Then you got Texas, another one that feels pretty clear. I do think there's still some questions out there about just how real this team is. You know, when they go up against Georgia, we'll learn a lot, obviously. So if they get that win, obviously they're elite. Frankly, even if they don't get that win, if they lose in a close one, I still would feel very good about Texas going forward. But at the end of the day, they could separate from the pack just a little bit with a win this week. And I think them and Oregon would be just a touch above everyone else. But at the end of the day, Quinn Eures was a little bit rusty on Saturday, but we've seen him dominate enough to feel really good about him going forward. The defense has looked absolutely great. Definitely will face some bigger challenges going forward. But at the end of the day, everything seems very, very above board for this team and they're rolling right along. Penn State, I am including in here. And I think it was mainly about what they did on Saturday. I think they proved a lot to me because it wasn't the prettiest game in the world. They had a lot of roadblocks. They did not play good football in the first half. And then they came right back out and really took it to USC, scored two really quick touchdowns, stayed in that game very long, played really good defense in the back half of that game, and then one of them over time. So I think it was one of those moments where Penn State, obviously, you were gonna be measured by the game against Ohio State. So that's the reality of this situation. But it doesn't change that that game, going all the way out west, getting a big win over a team that isn't necessarily elite, but still is a very good team. You're gonna have to really fight to get those wins. I don't know, it proved to me that this team just a little bit different than usual now that Ohio State game could totally change this program going forward. If they get that win, a lot of things change in a hurry. And then I do have Ohio State here. I think there's reason to worry, no two ways about that about this team. The back end did not look quite as strong as you wanted it to. Denzel Burke has to be a lot better going forward. But I saw two of the best teams on the football field in Eugene Organ this weekend. I feel very confident in that. Those are two teams that have every ability to go win a national title. Those are two teams that I'd be very shocked, frankly, if they weren't in the CFP at the end of the year. So I feel pretty good about Ohio State, going forward, I think Will Howard played really good football? You know, he made those couple of mistakes down the stretch, which you can't have, obviously, from your veteran quarterback. But at the end of the day, 300 yards, no turnovers, you have to feel pretty good about that if you're Ohio State. So I understand worrying about Ohio State. I'm a little bit more wary of them going forward, but at the end of the day, still feel very, very good that they are a title contender. Then we got the CFP bound group. We got the group that feels very, very good about where they sit going forward into the CFP race. And the two teams at the top of the ACC pretty much top this list just because of the schedule that they have in front of them. They feel very, very good about where they sit in all of the games they have ahead. Now Miami's playing with a little bit of fire. So definitely something to watch there. I think they're a very, very good team. Will be favored the rest of the way and has one of the best players in the country and Cam Ward. So not overly worried about Miami necessarily, but I do think there is a world where they could stumble at some point. That being said, they can probably handle one loss and still get to the CFP. Clemson, they've already taken their one loss obviously, but frankly, look at the rest of that schedule. There should not be much of a test. Now you go to Pitt, you play Louisville, you play South Carolina. So there are tests, don't get me wrong. But at the end of the day, I feel very confident in what this team is. And I think they're gonna be in the ACC title probably facing off against Miami. I do have Alabama here. And this is the one that I'm a little bit nervous about. They're playing with a little bit of fire. No two ways about that. But I do think when you have an elite quarterback, I think they have an elite play caller. I think they have every ability to at least shore things up defensively. I don't think they're gonna be an elite defensive team by any means, but the reality is, you just need a couple of plays to be made. When you have that explosive offense that they have, when you have Ryan Williams and all the playmakers they have on the outside, you really just need to play opportunistic football. Take away the ball a couple of times a game and give it back to your offense. That'll give you a shot. So feel pretty good about where they are. I do think they're, if they lose this weekend, a lot changes in a hurry, obviously. But at the end of the day, I do think this is a very good team. I think they have every ability to run the rest of the way and maybe get to the SEC title, but feel pretty good that they can lose one more and get to the CFP. Georgia's kind of the same exact thing. I do think they can lose at least one more game that could come this weekend against Texas, but they've been underwhelming. No two ways about that. But you also look around the country, there's a lot of underwhelming teams. So it's hard for me to sit here and say Georgia is bad or Georgia shouldn't be top 10 or anything like that because the reality is, I don't know who would be above them. So at this very moment, I feel pretty good about where Georgia is. I do think if they lose this weekend, this obviously gets a little bit more sketchy. Now I do think this will be a conversation for a little bit later in the year, but I do think with the craziness going on in the SEC, there's a world where three lost Georgia gets in. Now we'll handle that when we get there and I'm not totally sold on Georgia getting three losses this year, but we'll get there when we get there. Definitely will be an interesting weekend this weekend. Frankly, if they win, and they can shoot up a little bit in these tiers, no doubt about that. Then we got the teams on the bubble and I'm gonna start with Notre Dame. This is a very interesting team to me because the reality is they're playing really good football. They're winning the games that they need to win, they're handling their business. But the reality is, when they lost to NIU, they can't take another one. And there's enough games on that schedule whether you wanna talk about Georgia Tech this weekend is just sketchy enough for me to be worried about that one. And then you have USC at the end of the year. So the way I look at it's more about they cannot lose another game or they're probably out of the CFP, so it puts them right on that bubble. I'm gonna put the entirety of the Big 12 in here. I know that's a little bit of a cop out, but the reality is, I don't know where to put this conference. Now, obviously you can take out a good group of those teams from even being in the conversation, but there's definitely a couple of teams. You got Colorado, you got Kansas State, Utah, even West Virginia. A lot of teams that are still very much in the conversation for that conference. So I just put the whole conference here. I don't know who's gonna make it in. Someone will make it in from there and maybe even two teams, but we're well away from having to deal with that. Tennessee is the one that's interesting to me because they're kind of in the same boat as Alabama. And the only real reason that I have them a tier below Alabama is because their quarterback has not been effective. And the reality is, if Tennessee is going to be effective this year, if they're going to make a CFP run, he has to be a big time player for them. There's no two ways about that. That is what the Tennessee offense is. They're gonna be able to run the ball. That's not a problem. They're gonna be able to help them out, but he has to make the prerequisite throws. And frankly, as of right now, he's just not. So he very much needs to turn it up a notch. If he does and they beat Alabama this week, obviously they will shoot up to the CFP bound. But as of right now, if you don't have your quarterback playing elite football deep into the SEC schedule, you're in a lot of trouble. So I'm a little bit worried about Tennessee. I also have LSU here, didn't have a picture for him, but LSU very much back in the conversation here, definitely needs to still keep progressing, especially defensively, but they're playing much better football than they were even a little bit ago. And I'll show you what I think about them, my rankings later. But then A&M is another one to watch here. They're playing just really, really clean football. They have a fairly clear path to the CFP. The one thing I worry about with this team is just losing a game that they shouldn't. It's happened in the past with A&M. And although new coaching staff feel very confident in them, it very well could happen again. They have to be very careful against Mississippi State, this upcoming weekend. And then you got LSU. You win that one, then you're very much CFP bound. And then we got the dangerous teams. And Ole Miss has found their way all the way down to here, definitely a little bit of a drop. But at the end of the day, they still have an ability to run the table, get into the CFP and make some noise. But they got a lot of stuff to figure out, no doubt about that. So they're one of those teams that when you have that offense, when you have the play call, you have ability to make a run. But I wouldn't necessarily bet on it. Indiana is here. And I understand they're undefeated. I don't want to disrespect Indiana by any means. But I think we all understand. They're about to get into the meat of that schedule. It's about to get a little bit tougher for them now. They don't necessarily have a really, really, a game that I wouldn't necessarily love them in until Ohio State. So they have every ability to make a little bit of a run here. I'm holding back just a little bit. I'm a little bit nervous about Indiana. I do think they're a good team. I just think, can they do it 12 weeks in a row? Is the big time question here. Then you got SMU, a really, really talented team, team playing really, really good football right about now. And I think one of those teams, kind of like what Ole Miss could be, hypothetically, they're just turning everything on. It feels like the flip has finally switched. The switch has finally flipped for this team. And they're playing really, really good football. So I like them going forward in the ACC. Missouri is also in this one. And then you got Nebraska. I think there's a team that has really kind of quietly gotten to five in one, playing really, really good football right now. And frankly, when you have that defense, you're going to be able to win a lot of games. And then finally, we have the risers. The most fun group of the entire country. We do have the two service academies here because it's so much fun to watch these guys play. When you talk about Bryce and Daley, when you talk about Ethan Horvath, these are two elite players in college football. Absolutely love watching them play. And these teams are about as much fun as pretty much anyone in the country. Then you got Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt. There's so much fun to watch. Definitely a team that's going to be really dangerous. And frankly, they got Ball State this weekend. And then they might get another shot at history with number one, Texas coming to town. If Texas takes care of businesses upcoming weekend. So a lot going forward for Vanderbilt that could get really interesting. And then Arizona State has played really, really good football. Kenning Daley him deserves some coach of the year. Love has done really an incredible job with a team that's frankly not nearly as talented as some of the other big 12 teams. But he's getting it done. It's really, really impressive what they're doing and cannot wait to see what they do the rest of the year. So overall, you know, tiering these teams right about now is a little bit of a gray area. You know, I think we'll learn a lot over the next week, two weeks when we get deeper and deeper into conference play. People will separate. You know, if Texas wins this weekend, you feel pretty confident in them. If Georgia wins this weekend, then they kick up just a little bit more. So you have to feel like we're going to learn a lot more over the next little bit. Possibly we'll do this in two weeks or so to give you guys an idea of where everything stands then. But let's take our first break here. And when we come back, we're going to talk about the winners and the losers from this past weekend. Definitely some ones I want to get on your radar, including big losers, our understanding of Tennessee and Alabama going forward. But I'll break it down right after this. So stick with us. - Are you ready for more independence as a financial advisor? 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Code Classic24. ♪ I feel like I'm losing my mind ♪ ♪ 'Cause everybody in the world died ♪ ♪ Please, Lord, give me a sigh, a sigh ♪ ♪ I feel like I'm losing my mind ♪ ♪ 'Cause everybody in the world died ♪ ♪ Please, Lord, give me a sigh, a sigh ♪ ♪ I wanna be the greatest ♪ ♪ Everybody on the face, yeah ♪ ♪ I look around, I feel like everybody is the fakers ♪ ♪ I make this ♪ ♪ Every day and I'm in space, yeah ♪ ♪ Hoping one day I blow up from the basement statement ♪ ♪ The top is so vacant ♪ ♪ I don't even shit that I think is amazing ♪ ♪ Waiting for my day when I'm playing ♪ ♪ So that shows were a thousand faces, hey ♪ ♪ Give me that crown ♪ ♪ Getting my weight and to be put down ♪ ♪ It ain't your place on this my side ♪ ♪ If I want that shit that I'll get it right now ♪ ♪ I'm losing it, the lose it fits, the lose it shit ♪ ♪ If you choose to live or choose to dip ♪ ♪ You choose to find a losing grip and lose a gift, oh ♪ ♪ I feel like I'm losing my mind ♪ ♪ 'Cause everybody in the world died ♪ ♪ Please, Lord, give me a sigh, a sigh ♪ ♪ I feel like I'm losing my mind ♪ ♪ 'Cause everybody in the world died ♪ - All right, everyone, welcome back. We just talked about the tiering of the college football world, definitely a little bit of a tough thing to do around this time of year, but I feel like in two weeks, we'll have a much better idea, and we'll probably revisit that segment. But let's get into the winners in the losers from this past weekend, definitely a huge weekend with a lot of winners and a lot of losers. But at the end of the day, I have eight for you guys right here, so let's go ahead and jump into this. And I think the first one is pretty self-explanatory, frankly, the new conference teams that have title hopes, and I know that it's a little bit wordy. At the end of the day, I'm talking about Oregon and Texas because they had a great weekend. No two ways about that. Oregon probably mainly among them, but as of right now, Texas is first in the odds to win the SEC at plus 125. Oregon is actually tied with Ohio State right now plus 145 to win the big 10. So these are the teams to beat in their new conferences, which sounds absolutely crazy, and obviously if Texas falls to Georgia this weekend, that will change in a hurry. But at the end of the day, these teams have come into their new conferences where a lot of people said they would have to adjust, a lot of people said they weren't ready for the physicality, this, that, and the other, and they've handled it beautifully. And frankly, I think it's more a testament to what Dan landing and Steve Sarkeesian have done with those teams because if you were watching, if you showed behind the scenes of those two programs, you'd see what was being built. It was absolutely incredible what Steve Sarkeesian was able to do. I mean, when he came into Texas, I believe they had seven or eight offensive linemen that were actually scholarship offensive linemen. Now they have about 18, and that's the way championship roster should be built. So that's the reality of a lot of the rebuild that had to happen. Now, Dan landing was given a little bit better of a situation when he walked into Oregon, but at the end of the day, they did need to bulk up. They needed to get a little bit bigger, they needed to be able to play that big 10 brand of football that they're getting really good at playing over there in Eugene. And obviously they still have the flash, they still have all that stuff, but they can go physical, physical with just about anyone in the entire country. So if Texas wins this weekend, in Oregon, you know, continues to win, assuming they don't fall this weekend, they will be the teams to beat, and it will be very, very interesting to watch all of that unfold, because these are two new teams that were not meant to come in and dominate the conference in. As of right now, they look like the teams that are gonna do just that. And a loser here is just our understanding of Tennessee and Alabama. I'm not sure if anyone has a real idea of what these two teams are, and I worry about them pretty much week to week because it kind of changes. Now, Tennessee is a little bit easier to wrap my head around, because it's Nico Imaliaba. That is an issue on this team, and they're gonna have to figure out a way around it, this upcoming weekend, when they face off. But the reality is, we will figure out this weekend, who is better, get a little bit better of an understanding of these teams, although I think it's gonna be a weird game overall. It's gonna be a really interesting one. No two ways about that. I do think Bama has an ability to possibly get the train back on the tracks, you know, with Jalamilra, with this offense, possibly put up a ton of points, but on the other side, they're gonna have to be able to play back in defense, and they can't right now. So overall, you know, you came out of those games where they fell to teams that they probably shouldn't have, you're looking up, you're saying, okay, tough loss, no two ways about it, but it happens in college football. Maybe they're able to bounce back, play a little bit better football this time around, and then they both just eke out wins, and they look pretty ugly doing it. So at the end of the day, I'm very, very confused about these teams. We'll learn a little bit more this upcoming weekend, but maybe it's just a lot of confusion on that field, frankly, and then we got a winner. If you love Big 12 Chaos, you got plenty this last weekend, and frankly, I don't think it's stopping anytime soon, because the reality is we had a chance this weekend to kind of get things under control, to get an idea of what the Big 12 is gonna be going forward, that didn't happen at all. You know, if Utah was able to knock off Arizona State, that would clear out some teams, Arizona State beats Utah, and then if Colorado was able to beat Kansas State, that would probably knock Kansas State out of the game, and then KSU beat Colorado. So we got a lot of things to figure out over there. We do have three undefeated teams in that conference or in conference play, and then five won lost teams. So your guess is a good in mind. I have no earthly idea the way this conference is gonna go. There are a couple of teams that are separating in Iowa State, BYU, and I suppose Texas Tech, I'm still a little bit worried about that team, but I do think it's one of those conferences that we're just gonna have to hold our breath and see where it lands at the end of the day, going to be incredible down the stretch, and definitely pretty much every game in this conference is going to matter going forward. So it's gonna work itself out, I tend to believe so, but it could get really, really interesting before it works itself out, that is for sure. A loser was all of the SEC tier two teams because the reality is, things got thinned out just a little bit this past weekend, and it wasn't necessarily that you lost a ton of teams from the top. The only team that really left was Ole Miss, losing that game to LSU. Feel pretty confident that they're not gonna factor into the SEC title race at least very aggressively. Then you get to Georgia, you get to Tennessee, you get to Alabama, Georgia defense looks fairly benign against Mississippi State, and we're very, very confused about where they stand going forward. Alabama continues to have an issue just keeping their foot on the gas, and some crazy things kind of got in the way there, and I'll get into that a little bit later. And then Tennessee continues to eke out wins just running the ball and playing defense. I'm very, very confused about what these teams are. There's a world where, you know, Texas just separates. They beat Georgia this weekend, and everyone else is kind of just playing for second. I'm a little skeptical that that's gonna happen. I'll be totally honest with you, just how good the other teams are, but at the end of the day, all of these teams seem to be kind of just fighting over wins, not playing really, really clean football, and maybe it's enough to just open a door for Texas to kind of take over the conference. It'll be really, really weird to watch, but it could be a little bit of cannibalism and maybe it affects the CFP look at the very end of the year. So definitely something to watch, and we will keep our eye on that throughout the year. But a winner was home field advantage, because the reality is there are a lot of places just on absolute fire. Eugene Oregon was absolutely crazy throughout that entirety of the game. In fact, Josh Payt, who was there this past weekend, said it was the best atmosphere in the Big 10. Can't confirm nor deny, but I mean, he's been and I haven't, so I'm gonna roll with him for that one. Oregon got a big time win at home. LSU's atmosphere was absolutely massive in winning that game against Ole Miss down the stretch, and then we can argue, you know, let's talk about USC getting, or USC just doesn't count, frankly, losing at home to USC losing at home is not that big of a deal. They don't necessarily have the home field advantage that you would like to have, so not necessarily worried about that. And also, another thing, I think Bama and Tennessee were on the road. They probably would have taken the L on those games. So definitely something that you probably wanted to be at home this past weekend, 'cause if you weren't, there were a lot of teams that could have gone down and a lot of things that could have gone very haywire the last little bit. Bad time management in big games was incredible this past weekend. It was all over the place. There were so many different things that were really, really bad, but I wanna zero in on the USC final driving regulation and the final drive for Ohio State in regulation, but in the game as well. The handling of the final drive for USC was just downright ridiculous. They were on the Penn State 49 with one minute 27 seconds left with timeouts in their pocket. They run the ball for a two-yard loss, they pass the ball in bounds for six yards, and then they throw an interception. Those are the only plays they ran. They threw the interception with about 10 seconds left on the clock, and Lincoln Riley after the game said, "You know, we didn't wanna give 'em another possession, "we didn't wanna put the ball back in their hands." That's insane to me. I'll be totally honest with you. He somehow both simultaneously didn't believe in his offense and didn't believe in his defense, and that is outright insane. Leave your quarterback on the field. You have one of the better throwers of the football in the entire country. Let him go get the win. I never understood that. It's one of those things that you're playing scared. You should not play scared in a game like Penn State 'cause you had a chance to win it. They were right there for the taking, and you left them on the table. So I think that was a crazy, crazy decision. For Ohio State, it was a little bit more of a play-calling issue. I don't know if it was a Ryan Day issue. Now, there were a couple of things that Ryan Day could have done that would have made it better. But at the end of the day, two of the eight plays and the final drive for Ohio State got out of bounds. That cannot happen. And a lot of 'em got shorter than sticks, so the clock kept moving. You didn't even stop it to reset the ball. It was absolutely insane, the way that they handled that with not a lot of time on the clock. So that's on Ryan Day, that's on Chip Kelly, that's on Will Howard, it's on all of them. But at the end of the day, you put them in a much tighter spot than he had to be at the end of the game where you probably could have 25 seconds on the clock when you got down there. But the way they handled that final drive from a play-calling perspective was just outright terrible, in my opinion, at least. And then the winner, the team's dodging a late season gauntlet feel really good right about now. And I think this was another week that just kind of confirmed that more and more because you take a peek at the rest of Georgia's schedule compared to the rest of SMU's schedule. It's pretty astounding. And obviously, you know, conference differences play a part in this, no two ways about that. But it is absolutely wild. What SMU, what Miami, what Clemson, all I have to deal with in the ACC 'cause none of them play any of the other two. So they could all be 11 to 1, feel really good about where they are. I believe SMU would miss out on the title, but still some tie-breakers to work out there. But they'd be a CFP lock. So there's a world where a lot of teams get into the CFP just by circumstance of what their schedule is with this no division world. And that's kind of the world that we live in right now. So it's kind of an interesting thing to think about. But there is a world where the SEC and the Big Ten just fight each other. Just beat each other up, cannibalize each other. And then you look up and the SEC only has two teams in, three teams into the playoff because you got a ton of nine, three teams. Now, I'm a little bit skeptical that that's going to happen. I think all of these gauntlets of schedules are probably gonna work itself out. But at the end of the day, definitely something to watch going forward and could be a huge difference in who's in the CFP and who's not. And then we got officiating. I think everyone understands that this past little bit was downright terrible. But at the end of the day, we have a couple of examples. I think the Oregon Ohio State game was a pretty good example of a couple of them. Oregon should have had a pick. In the opening possession, there was no doubt in my mind that was absolutely a pick. I also didn't love the offensive pass interference for Jeremiah Smith. I'll be totally honest with you guys. I thought he was just trying to get out of a break. The Oregon player tried to jam him. He threw his hands to get out of that. And I think Jeremiah Smith's just that strong. I'll be totally honest. And there's a little bit open to interpretation, but I've seen enough football players back to my side that I feel pretty good about that take. So I do think that was not offensive pass interference. I fully understand calling it because he felt pretty good. No two ways about that. I just think it was more Jeremiah Smith getting out of a jam and he's really, really strong. So he knocked him over. But in the Colorado game, there were a ton of different things. People had an issue with the final play. I tend to believe it was a pass interference. A tough way to lose a game, no doubt about that, but I do think it was pass interference. And then Penn State could have easily gotten defensive pass interference a couple of times in that overtime game. So it's a huge issue in the sport. I saw Joel Klatt talking about it earlier this week. We just have to get a centralized body governing this stuff because the reality is they're just officiating this game totally differently depending on what part of the country you're in. And that cannot be the case going forward. Something that absolutely has to be fixed in. It's not necessarily a Herculean effort to fix it, but we'll figure out what happens with that going forward. Definitely a crazy weekend with a lot of winners, a lot of losers, definitely some in between. That's very confusing, but at the end of the day, we will continue to break that down as the season goes on. Definitely a lot of changes week over week as we've found. But let's take our second break here. And when we come back, we're going to do some weeks, seven superlatives. We'll give out, I believe six here, statement of the week, Heisman performance of the week, everything in between right after this. So stick with us. - Are you a financial advisor considering the independent registered investment advisor or RIA model and wondering where to start? Start with Schwab advisor services. Schwab has helped thousands evaluate the full range of options and can help you determine your best path forward. Navigate the big and small decisions by tapping into Schwab's decades worth of insights on what fuels RIA success. With Schwab advisor services, you have a custodian that will support you every step of the way. Start your journey today at advisorservices.swab.com/paths. Are you ready for more independence as a financial advisor? Are you ready for more growth and control over your future? The independent registered investment advisor or RIA model might be right for you. There are many paths to independence and Schwab advisor services has helped thousands of advisors make the move with confidence. From defining your vision to successfully transitioning your clients, Schwab helps you build your roadmap to independence. To find your path, start with Schwab advisor services at advisorservices.swab.com/paths today. - Ritual is hardly the only brand running a 40% off sale, but it is the only sale asking you to shop responsibly. In this chaotic sale season, we're urging you to think about what's essential, supporting your foundational health, immune system and gut microbiome, all pretty essential. How about making sure your products are heavy metal tested, clean label project certified, and vetted for ingredients deemed high risk for human rights and environmental issues, also essential. So this Black Friday, skip the micro trends and put your savings where they matter, your health. Give back to your body and support your foundational health with 40% off daily essentials like synbiotic plus for gut support, highest air for skin support and stress relief to support the body's natural cortisol response. Ritual products are science backed, vegan, GMO free, and sourced through their trademark traceable supply chain. Get 40% off at ritual.com/podcast and shop responsibly. - Looking for your daily fix of sports talk without having to pay for it? GSMC Sports Network is available on YouTube. Just search GSMC Sports Network. Get your fix of daily sports talk shows on YouTube. Absolutely free. NFL, college football, NBA, MLB, MMA, UFC, fantasy football, and so much more. GSMC Sports Network has shows running all day long with new sports shows starting every two hours. Just like on your favorite cable sports channel, GSMC Sports Network is absolutely free. Just search GSMC Sports Network on YouTube to catch one of your new favorite shows like the GSMC College Football Podcast, Chip Shot Football Podcast, Hoops and Heels Women's Sports Podcast, GSMC Basketball Podcast, and so many more. Check it out for yourself, GSMC Sports Network. Now available on YouTube, absolutely free. - Search GSMC Sports Network on YouTube right now. - All righty, welcome back everyone. We just broke down the winners and the losers from this past weekend. Definitely a crazy weekend with plenty of losers, plenty of winners and plenty of teams that are very, very confused right about now. Oh, excuse me. But let's jump into the superlatives for this past weekend because there were a lot of incredible performances. There were a lot of incredible games, but let's try to break it down a little bit for you guys. So let's start with the biggest game of the week. What was the game that really, really set everything off? Not necessarily the game that you got the biggest win in or the one that, you know, meant the, that's a weird way to say it. I think the biggest win for this year is probably the best way to say it honestly because you have a lot of games that meant a lot for that program going forward but did it mean the load that it should have in this certain year? So Penn State, they were down 14 on the road at halftime, obviously coming back, getting an overtime win is absolutely huge. This is a game that frankly Penn State loses pretty much every year in the past and they were able to get this one done. Absolutely huge. And one of those teams that continues to move forward playing really, really good football, if they get that from Tyler Warren pretty much every week, they're gonna be nearly impossible to stop. So a really, really fun team. One of those teams that continues to play really solid football pretty much week over week. Then you got Oregon. I think obviously this was a huge win for them. Puts them in a really, really good place going forward. Favorites to win the conference going forward. Everything is on the table for this team, but I think they could have done that regardless if I'm being totally honest, but at the end of the day, I do think that was a really good team, but my pick is very, very clear. LSU pulled their season from the grave in a lot of different ways on Saturday. There was a moment there where it felt like Ole Miss was gonna be able to just win that one, get out of dodge with a win, and LSU was gonna be sitting there trying to figure out what the rest of the season looked like. Now they still have a lot to go, no two ways about that, but they just gave himself a shot to where they can probably take a loss coming forward. They can go 10-2, still very much get into the field, and then they got A&M, they got Alabama. Let's just say they beat one of those teams and they run the table the rest of the way, they're definitely in. Now, if they beat both those teams, then you open a little bit more of a door. You can possibly go to the SEC title, you can possibly do a number of different things, so there's a lot on the table for this team. They have to play good football coming forward, but the way that Alabama is playing right now, I would call that game a relative toss-up, and A&M's one of those teams that maybe it would be just a little bit of them playing their best football against Missouri rather than who they actually are. So I would definitely give LSU the biggest win of the weekend, although it wasn't necessarily against the best team of the weekend. Then we gotta give the Heisman performance of the week, and frankly, there were a number around the country, but not necessarily ones that really, really stood out. So I'm just gonna give a quick update on where we are with the Heisman, because Ash and Jainty took a little bit of a step back in his yards per carry. He went for seven yards a pop, so definitely a little bit of a tough performance from the guy, but 31 carries, 217 yards, one touchdown. The kid is remarkable. He's all over the place. He's one of those guys that, if you're not watching him pretty much every Saturday, I question what you're doing, because this guy is so much fun. He stands back there like Grim Reaper before he starts running the ball in. He runs the ball like Grim Reaper. He's an absolute nightmare to deal with and cannot wait to see him the rest of the season. Then you did have the unfortunate news of Travis Hunter going down, and frankly, if he's out this upcoming weekend, there's no way he's winning the award. Whether that's fair or not, we can talk about that, because this is the best player in football. As far as I'm concerned, he is so dynamic. He's one of the most dynamic players I've ever seen, played college football. But at the end of the day, if he does miss a couple of games here with this injury, I don't know how serious it is, so it could very well just be back on the field this upcoming weekend, but if he does miss time, I can't imagine he's going to get to New York and win that Heisman Trophy. And then Jalen Milroy effectively bowed out of the Trophy, or out of the race this last weekend, did not play good football. And frankly, I don't think he's going to be able to get back into it, honestly. Dylan Gabriel wins this award, and I think that is a given. If I'm being totally honest, 23, 4, 34, 3, 49, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, which was absolutely huge to kind of close out that game. He really shot up to at least the top five in Heisman. You know, didn't necessarily start the year the way that he wanted, but with a lot of people playing some really inconsistent football, you can shoot up to the top pretty quickly. Frankly, I think if Queen Eures has a similar performance this upcoming weekend against Georgia, you'll find him up near the top of the odds again. So it's one of those things that it's a definitely a very fickle award. I still think Ash and JT is setting the pace. I would have Travis Hunter 2 until he misses a game or two, and then I'll probably have Dylan Gabriel 3, and then maybe Cam Ward 3. It's a very confusing race right about now, so we'll figure it out down the road, but Dylan Gabriel definitely put on the best performance of this past weekend. Then we got the statement of the weekend, and this has very little to do with what was the biggest win, what was the best win, all of that stuff out the window. Who made the biggest statement? Who did the thing that we did not expect them to do? And I want to start with Arizona State, because this was the only true upset of the weekend. You know, Utah was coming in with Cam rising, kind of limping in, and it definitely looked that way. He is going to be out for the year, actually, with a lower body injury, and if you're watching that game, it seemed pretty clear. He was not driving into throws the way he usually does. A lot of guys, a lot of ones floating in, it led to three picks. So a terrible day for him, hate it for him. We'll see if he comes back for an eighth year. I'd be a little bit surprised, but obviously we have plenty of time to talk about that. But huge shout out to Kenny Dillingham. This is a very, very tough game to play, and one of those that they really just had to gut out, and they were able to get it done. Cam Scadaboo is an absolute star, but really huge win and definitely a statement for the Sun Devils. BYU also made a statement, at least in my eyes, because the reality was, I feel like a lot of people were looking at this game just a little bit more sketchy. Frankly, I picked Arizona to the win it, because I just thought it's the big 12. Things are gonna go crazy. There's going to be a game this weekend that goes a little bit haywire, and then BYU just took care of business. They're playing really clean football, playing really confidently. Jake Wret's life is awesome, so they're doing exactly what you want them to do, and it's really, really incredible what they're being able to pull off, at least throughout the early parts of this year. Vandy's the winner to me. I feel very confident in that, 'cause Vandy just had probably one of the craziest weekends that, or weeks, that a lot of those kids have ever had. Players were doing endless interviews, they were starting podcasts, doing NIL deals, everything in between, and then they come out on the field against a really tough Kentucky team, and just kind of bury them. It was really, really impressive stuff, and it's one of those things that, Vandy just continues to answer the bell. I think everyone's waiting for that other shoe to drop for Vandy, and I don't know if it's going to. We'll see what happens in a couple of weeks when they play Texas, but at the end of the day, this is a very dangerous team, and whoever plays them better come on their A game. Then we gotta get into the loser of the week. I hate to do it, but we definitely have to, and it's going to start with Oklahoma. That was really gross. The offense was as bad as I've ever seen it, watching Oklahoma by a pretty comfortable margin, if I'm being totally honest, and frankly, the biggest issue is there's not too much to be done this year. Now, you can get better, pretty much week over week. I think Michael Hawkins is going to get better week over week. If that's your offensive line going forward, which it pretty much has to be, you got no real shot to put together a really good offensive game. Now, you can put together little moments here and there. Michael Hawkins can make that big run like he did against Auburn, or you hit a deep Baldi JJ Hester like they did against Auburn. But at the end of the day, if that's your offensive line, if you're rolling forward with that group, it's going to be a nightmare the rest of the way. The off-season's going to be huge for this team, but Saturday was kind of just a microcosm of what this team is right now, and they're going to have to fix quite a bit in the off-season. Another team that took a hard hit obviously was USC, a chance to salvage their season this past weekend, where if they get that win, a lot of things could happen for them. You know, they're a two-loss team in a big-time conference with Notre Dame still on the schedule. Maybe they can make a little bit of a run. Obviously still plenty ahead of them, and I wouldn't necessarily bet on them to make that run if they won this game, but it would have been a huge moment, a lot of confidence going forward, and they left it on the table. Definitely a lot of things that they could have done to win that game, but Lincoln Riley kind of messed up that final drive. That's really all I got for that team right about now. And then Ole Miss is the winner. No two ways about that. This is a team that very much was probably the most hype maybe up there with Miami. One of the most hype teams coming into the year, it's October 15th, and they are effectively out of the CFP race. An absolute disaster. Obviously they could hypothetically get back in like we talked about earlier, but let's be honest, but the schedule they have coming forward, I can't imagine they're going undefeated against that unit. And then we got the surprise of the weekend, because there's a lot of things, these are a little bit more nitty gritty than the other ones, but there's a lot of things that I just didn't expect that happened this past weekend. And then the biggest one probably was the organ O line, just dominating. I did not expect that against an Ohio State D line that is downright terrifying pretty much across the board. They are really, really deep play incredible, incredible football, and they got nothing. It was incredible what the organ offensive line was going to do, especially Josh Connolly and Johnny Cornelius. They played just ridiculously good football on Saturday. So a huge shout out to them with a huge deal on that one. And then I want to talk about the Wisconsin offense. This is something that kind of came out of left field, because the first parts of the season, it looked like it was last year. It looked like very anemic, they couldn't throw the ball down field, weren't making big time plays. And then it all came out of nowhere. Obviously they played Purdue, they played Rutgers, but at the end of the day, Rutgers is a fairly good defense. If you can put up 42 points on them, you're doing something right. So I'm not saying that Wisconsin's rolling down a hill or they're going to be really, really dangerous, but I do think they're a team that say they put together a good end of the season here, put together a good off season, maybe they're a dark horse team in the Big 10 going into 2025. Obviously you're going to have to wait a little bit if you're a Wisconsin fan, but a really, really fun team that seems to kind of be putting together under Luke Fickle. And then we got to talk about Iowa. By far, the biggest surprise of this weekend was Iowa putting up 40 points. I don't know how it happened, but at the end of the day, Tim Lester has made this offense not necessarily elite or explosive or anything crazy. He's just made them move the football a little bit more consistently. They use a little bit more motion. So Caleb Johnson has those opening running lanes. They utilize different personnel groups at different moments. So they added a little bit of flavor to this offense. It's not necessarily entirely different offense. They didn't reinvent the wheel here, but at the end of the day, they played really, really good football and just added that couple of nuances to that offense and it's opened up plenty for that team. And then we got to get the game of the week. Frankly, this is a Sophie's Choice type of thing here because the reality is there are so many great ones. Colorado KSU was incredible. Illinois Purdue went to overtime 50 to 49. We had Bam and Tennessee get pushed to the edge, but I'll start with Penn State. This one was downright special. You had the comeback. You had big plays down the stretch. You had overtime to finish it. It was so much fun to watch these two teams go at it and you knew Penn State really needed it, which obviously added to that intrigue a little bit in the second half where you knew James Franklin was feeling that pressure just a little bit more and they were able to deliver a huge win for them and definitely an incredible game. Ohio State Oregon obviously was the main event. It was incredible to watch these two teams go at it. Two of the best teams in the country at an incredible atmosphere, one of the best in the country and tons of storylines coming out of it. Where does Ohio State go from here? Is this season a little bit going down a wrong path? Is Oregon the new class of the Big 10? A lot of things to break down in that grand scheme of things, but incredible game start to finish. Obviously the ending was slightly anticlimactic, but really, really crazy game and definitely one that I frankly want to see again if I'm being totally honest. For me it was LSU Ole Miss. I'll be totally honest. I thought this game was just incredible. It was a little bit all over the place. Some penalties, some turnovers, some lengthy drives, or the lengthy drive to force touchdown and then Lacey wins it in dramatic fashion. And I think for me, the biggest thing that made this so cool was it did not go the way that I thought it was going to go. I thought it was going to be much closer to what we saw last year, 50 to 49 Ole Miss win. We got a 29 to 26 LSU win. It was absolutely crazy, really, really fun game and showed a lot of these, or these two teams in particular, really LSU in particular, making that big time stride forward that could lead to a really, really successful end of the season. So an awesome week, no two ways about that. We had tons of superlatives that frankly could have gone any number of places. That game of the week, take your pick. It was absolutely incredible weekend. So many different games that were so much fun to watch. I just thought the LSU Ole Miss one had a little bit more juice to it. Maybe it was because it was a pseudo elimination game in. We got another one this upcoming weekend, but we'll get to that in time. But let's take our third break here. And when we come back, we're just going to give quick thoughts on the upcoming weekend, just go through the big two games, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, and then kind of do quick thoughts about a number of other games. So stick with us and we'll be right back with that. Are you a financial advisor considering the independent registered investment advisor or RIA model and wondering where to start? Start with Schwab advisor services. Schwab has helped thousands evaluate the full range of options and can help you determine your best path forward. Navigate the big and small decisions by tapping into Schwab's decades worth of insights on what fuels RIA success. With Schwab advisor services, you have a custodian that will support you every step of the way. Start your journey today at advisorservices.swab.com/paths. Are you ready for more independence as a financial advisor? Are you ready for more growth and control over your future? The independent registered investment advisor or RIA model might be right for you. There are many paths to independence, and Schwab advisor services has helped thousands of advisors make the move with confidence. From defining your vision to successfully transitioning your clients, Schwab helps you build your roadmap to independence. To find your path, start with Schwab advisor services at advisorservices.swab.com/paths today. Ritual is hardly the only brand running a 40% off sale, but it is the only sale asking you to shop responsibly. In this chaotic sale season, we're urging you to think about what's essential. Supporting your foundational health, immune system, and gut microbiome? All pretty essential. 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Subscribe and download the GSMC podcast networks family of shows available everywhere podcasts are found. All righty, welcome back everyone. We just got into this purlatives of the week, definitely gave out some ones that maybe the game of the week you disagree with, no two ways about that, but there are plenty of games to choose from, no doubt. So definitely whichever one you pick there, I'm more than on board for that. But let's look ahead a little bit to that week 8 slate. We will start our picks and everything tomorrow, but wanted to give you guys some quick thoughts about the upcoming games this weekend 'cause there's some really good ones. And it starts with this one. Cannot wait for these two teams to face off in Austin, Texas. Definitely a really fun game, a very confusing game for me personally, but I'll leave that to the side for the time being. This is going to be an incredible game. Texas has a chance to truly separate from the SEC UGA, has a chance to get right back on track and become the conversation of the conference, possibly the team to beat in the conference if they win this game. So a lot going into this one, really, two elite rosters, two quarterbacks that I think are the two of the best in the entire country, two of the best coaches in the entire country. An atmosphere that, frankly, I think is going to be on absolute fire and obviously plenty of post-season implications in this one. So I think it's going to be incredible. It's two really, really interesting teams that, Georgia, you worry, you know, can they stop this Texas offense on Texas? Are they the team that they've shown the past, the first couple of weeks? Or are they a little bit worse than that? I tend to believe the defense is a little bit worse than they've shown with the offense that they face, but I still think they're really good. So we'll figure out what happens there, but one thing I can say with absolute confidence, there's not a lot that I can say with absolute confidence here, but one thing I can say, if Georgia spots them 28 points, they are not coming back in this game. They are not doing what they did to Bama. I can absolutely promise you that because Texas has a back end that is, I don't want to say miles, but comfortably, better than what Alabama has on that back end. So that's not going to happen. You cannot give them, even a 14-point lead, would be very, very sketchy against this Texas team to start this game. So Georgia's got to be careful. They have not been good starting games. They've started very, very slowly, and it's allowed teams like Kentucky, teams like Alabama, teams like even Mississippi State last week to kind of get their feet under them and then get moving forward. Mississippi State was a little bit cleaner. That game got closer than it looked at the end of the game, but at the end of the day, they got to figure out some stuff. If that back end is going to play at that level football, when yours is going to have a career day and Texas is going to walk out with a 10-point win. So they got to be very careful, I think, for Texas. This is about planting your flag. There's so many different things that go into this game. You knew you were circling it from the beginning of the off-season where this was the one. This was the one where you prove you belong in the SEC or you prove that you're not quite to the level, that everyone thinks that you are. So there's a lot going into this one. How Texas reacts, the mentality going in, the mentality of Georgia going into this game is going to be really fascinating to watch. And frankly, it could just come down to who wants it more. At the end of the day, with a team that, a lot going in, a lot of emotions, a lot of different things playing into this one that it's going to be really, really tough to get a beat on this one before it starts to kick off. But we've had two big-time games thus far this year that we've been circling for the entirety of the off-season. We had Georgia Bama, we had Ohio State Organ this past weekend. And then we now have this one. Both of those have lived up to the hype. And frankly, I tend to think this one is going to as well. This is one of the very few teams that Kirby Smart has lost to in his career. Maybe he's out for a little bit of a revenge. We'll see what happens in that one. Just keep Bivo and Ugo away from each other. And we're probably in pretty good shape. But incredible game cannot wait for that one to kick off and then you got another incredible one. Tennessee, Alabama, whenever they get together, it's awesome. There's no two ways about that. You get the cigar smoke at the end of the day and it's going to be incredible to watch this one. Frankly, this is one of the most confusing games of the entire year. And if you told me two weeks ago, I wouldn't have nearly as many questions or two years ago, two weeks ago, I wouldn't have nearly as many questions about these two teams. I would feel pretty confident making a pick. I'd probably pick Alabama by a hair. But at the end of the day, now I don't know. I'm all over the place. I think there's one of those games that it comes down to just covering your holes. There's going to be holes on these two teams. The back end of really both of these teams are very, very, very much attackable. Nico not playing elite football. So if Alabama can get after him, maybe that opens up some doors and then Alabama. Can they play the consistency on offense? Can they find more receivers than just Ryan Williams? Jeremy Bernard did a great job last week. So hopefully that's a sign of things to come. But at the end of the day, these teams have issues. There's no two ways about that. They are relatively exploitable teams. But whoever can cover those issues the best, whoever can keep a cap on these offenses and keep everything in front of them is probably in pretty good shape this weekend. Frankly, it comes down in eco-eomali off. Can he make the plays that they very much need him to make down the stretch of this game? Because it's a huge one. It's probably the most pressure-filled environment that he has ever played in. It's one of those games that if he doesn't win it, there's going to be some really mad Tennessee fans and I wouldn't necessarily blame them. They badly want this one. This is the first one in quite some time. Even in 2022, you felt like it was a little bit more leaning towards Alabama. Tennessee was obviously able to win that night. But at the end of the day, this is the first one where it feels like these two teams are on totally even footing, whoever wins it won't be a crazy upset one way or the other. It's just going to be a fight. And you're going to have to figure out which team has kind of regrouped after this past couple of weeks where you're really reeling a lot of questions behind and in front of the scene. So a lot of stuff to figure out. They have every ability to figure out and get a big win here, but it's going to be interesting to see how this one plays out because whoever loses is going to be asking quite a few questions on Monday. We also got one that's happening in West Lafayette on Friday and I just had to bring this up pretty quickly because Oregon got that big win against Ohio State. That is absolutely massive. They are the leaders in the big 10 right now. They feel incredible going forward. This is as dangerous of a game as you could possibly imagine because Purdue is just one of those teams. It doesn't make any sense. West Lafayette on Friday, it just happens. I don't know how to describe it, but I'm not saying Oregon's going to lose. I am saying this is one of the weirdest, welcome to the big 10 moments of all time. It's going to take a little bit of mental toughness, a little bit of physical toughness to get through this one and maybe Oregon falls victim to Purdue the same way Ohio State did all those years ago, but it'll be an awesome game. It's one of those that obviously you look at it now and say Oregon's going to win, keep moving, no doubt about it, but Purdue's starting to put some things together on offense and just one of those things. When you play a game that doesn't look like it's supposed to matter in West Lafayette, it starts to matter in a hurry. And then we've got to talk about the undefeateds that are trying to stay alive this upcoming weekend. Army invites Eastern Carolina into town, should feel pretty good about where Army is in this game, but East Carolina, very good defense played incredible against App States, excuse me. So definitely something to watch this upcoming weekend. Cannot love this Army team enough. Frankly, Bryce and Daly is so much fun to watch and I tend to believe they're going to keep it rolling, but you get a little bit nervous around this time of year when you have an undefeated year 'cause every single week is that much more pressure packed. And then we got Navy. They're facing off against Charlotte this upcoming weekend, one, they should very well be able to roll in. If they've struggled in this game, then maybe it's not quite the team that we thought they were, but I expect them to win. I expect them to win very comfortably. Then we got a couple of teams out of the big 12, Iowa State and BYU. Iowa State draws UCF at home and BYU invites Oklahoma State to town. Both should be in okay shape. Both those teams, UCF and Oklahoma State are very much reeling, not necessarily playing really good football, but it's the big 12. So you gotta be very careful. Definitely one that they need to get out with a win, but I relatively expect them to at least. And then talking about BYU. BYU definitely, Oklahoma State is one of those teams that if Ollie Gordon gets going out of nowhere, then there are a load to deal with, but I'd like BYU in this game, at least as of right now. We'll break it down a little bit later in the week. And then Indiana gets a big test against Nebraska this upcoming weekend, a team that knocked off Rutgers and they're undefeated season. Gotta be careful in this one. Definitely gonna be an interesting one to watch. Pitt is on a buy. So they get to say undefeated for at least one more week. Huge thing for the Panthers, but moving forward to this game, this is one of the more interesting games of the entire year in my opinion, because I have a very little idea of what Michigan's going to be with Jack Todalot on offense. And then Illinois kind of trying to get themselves back into the CFP race, a crazy win over Purdue last weekend. If they can regroup and get this win, Oregon's really the only other one on the schedule that I would call, I don't wanna say guaranteed, but a likely loss, at least on this schedule coming forward. So you gotta feel pretty good. If you're able to get this win, obviously going to be a load to deal with is going to be a very, very slow game. Frankly, I would be surprised if we got anywhere over 18 possessions in this game. It's going to be absolutely a slug fest, but at the end of the day, whoever can come out on top, especially Illinois, if they can come out on top, they're still in this conversation for the CFP, if Michigan comes out on top, it's at least a little bit of a consolation prize in a year that is not necessarily going the way that you want it to. Then we gotta talk about a couple of teams that are facing off in a couple of weeks now, but have to deal with something before they get there. We'll start with A&M. They do hate head to Mississippi State this upcoming weekend, and we saw Michael Van Buren can do last weekend. He's played really, really good football. I think he's one of those guys that you're going to want to watch out for in 2025, especially with that Jeff Levy offense, could be a very, very fun thing down there in Starkville. I don't think they're going to lose this game, but frankly, it's very scary, an interesting environment, a team that has a little bit of confidence after last week, so definitely got to be careful here. And then you do have LSU, coming off a huge win at Ole Miss and heading to A&M right after this, they go to Fayetteville, and that is a nightmare to play in. We saw it with Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. We've seen it really for a long time over there in Fayetteville. Very, very tough place to play, and LSU is going to have to be very, very on there, on their P's and Q's to win this game. We'll break it down a little bit later in the week, but definitely a huge game for LSU. If they win it, that'd feel pretty good about where they're going going forward. And then we got a little bit more of the big 12 thinning out, I hope. I think there's a couple of games that could possibly give us a little bit more clarity as we head forward. Texas Tech is going to be an interesting one. They face off against Baylor this upcoming weekend. BYU, Oklahoma State obviously, and then Iowa State UCF like we talked about. So a lot of things can happen, no two ways about that. But if all three of those teams win, you get three teams totally knocked out of the race, you get three teams that have kind of elevated themselves, maybe one of them loses and kind of knocks themselves down a little bit of a peg. But there are two games that I'm really watching in this next weekend. And one of them involves Colorado. Colorado at Arizona is an interesting one because whoever loses that one is totally out. I think Arizona is probably already kind of on their way out, but possibly if they were able to win this one, they could get back into the fight. If they lose, they're out. If Colorado loses, I think they're probably out. There's too many games coming forward for Colorado that are a little bit sketchy that they probably need to get this one done. And then you got Kansas State, West Virginia, another one to watch. I think that's one of those that Kansas State and West Virginia both have a loss in conference. They're both playing relatively good football right now, but it's one of those games that if they don't get it, there's going to be a lot of questions. Now, if Colorado and Kansas State win those, then the other two are totally out. They feel pretty confident that if they lose, everything goes insane. And I have no earthly idea where we're standing at the end of this week. So we had an incredible week seven, no doubt about that. And we're going to follow it up with a remarkable week eight. So many big-time games, those two that really headline everything obviously, but then you got a number of ones that are going to define the big 10, that are going to find the big 12 in the ACC and the SEC, and a couple of group of five matchups that are going to be huge for the CFP coming forward. So incredible week, no two ways about that. We got an incredible week seven in, they're following it up with another remarkable one. So it's going to be awesome to watch that on full, but let's take our last break here. And when we come back, I'm going to break down my top 12 teams in the country. This is very hard to do, and it's getting harder by the week, but at the end of the day, I have my top 12. I feel pretty good about it going forward. So we'll break it down right after this. So stick with us. - Are you a financial advisor considering the independent registered investment advisor or RIA model and wondering where to start? Start with Schwab Advisor Services. Schwab has helped thousands evaluate the full range of options and can help you determine your best path forward. Navigate the big and small decisions by tapping into Schwab's decades' worth of insights on what fuels RIA success. 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We just broke down a little bit of week eight, didn't get too much into detail, 'cause I wanna keep my picks up secret, but we'll get into that in more depth tomorrow. I believe we're picking Alabama Tennessee tomorrow, but maybe we'll switch something up. But definitely be on the lookout for that. Let's get into my top 12, and it's really tough. There are so many teams that I wanna drop out, but I don't feel confident dropping out, or teams that I wanna put in, but I don't feel fully confident putting them in. But let's jump into here, and I think there's one at least team that has moved a lot that, or there's two teams actually that have moved a lot that I think are gonna be a little bit surprising, but number 12 is BYU. I have been discounting BYU just a little bit. I'll be totally honest with you guys, but I'm no longer gonna do that. Defense is absolutely for real. Jake Retsloff is playing great football. This offense is making a lot of defenses just life a nightmare for evening, so they're playing really, really good football. I think it's still a team I worry about just a little bit, because I think when you look back at a couple of those games that they played, especially Kansas State and even this past week and against Arizona, there are a couple of 50/50 plays that go their way, and they've been going their way quite a bit. So maybe that comes back down to Earth. Maybe we find a little bit of a median there, but at the end of the day, they're playing really good football. They're winning football games in a conference that not a lot of people are consistently winning football games in, so I feel pretty good about them going forward. I think they're a really great team and cannot wait to see what they can do the rest of the year. And then I do have the other team that is winning games in that conference. Iowa State just continues to plug away, playing really good football very consistent. One of those teams that I just think hasn't even hit what they can be. I think offensively they still have a little bit of a gear to hit, and I think they're one of those teams that has played really good football. They have a lot coming forward, no two ways about that. There are so many different things that they're going to have to deal with a schedule that doesn't necessarily look super tough on paper. Once you get on that field, there's so many different things that can come into play, and a lot of teams that are just right around each other to be totally honest with you. So more than anything else with these two teams, really Iowa State and BYU, they have an identity where a lot of teams in that conference just don't really. They don't really feel confident in who they are. They're kind of playing around with a lot of stuff week by week. Neither of these teams are doing that. They're handling their business and going about it very, very smoothly. I have A&M at 10. They kind of hung out this past weekend, definitely stayed still, and they probably needed it because the door opened just a little bit more. You know, none of those teams lost, but plenty of teams looked very, very mortal, if you will. Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee is one of the teams that has dropped quite a bit. I am worried about that team. If Nico E. Malayov is going to play that level of football, they're not a top 12 team. So very worried about them. They dropped out of my top 12 just because of that. I cannot feel confident going forward. If that Tennessee offense does not have a quarterback that can make the throws plain and simple. And then this is a team I'm very much on the cusp of loving. I just need to see it one more time. I need to see them probably against LSU if they totally blow out Mississippi State and look incredible. Maybe that encourages me enough, but LSU is going to be the one that I'm watching. If they're able to take care of business in that one, then my entire opinion of this team changes. And it's no longer about can you make it to the CFP. It's what type of run could you possibly make there? And then I got Clemson at nine. They've kind of stuck at nine. I wanted to move them a little bit higher, but just can't bring myself to say that they're going to beat any of the teams that are ahead of them. So going to be a really interesting team coming forward, a squad that has so much stuff going forward. And frankly, K club Nick is being overlooked as one of the best stories in college football right about now. 17 touchdowns, two interceptions after week one, where he looked like K club Nick. A lot of people wrote him off after that Georgia game, and he's played incredible football since. Obviously has not played that elite defense that Georgia is. Well, they haven't played a defense like Georgia. I don't want to say Georgia's defense is elite right now, but at the end of the day, they're playing really, really good football. They're doing everything that you could possibly want them to do. And I fully expect them to be in the ACC title at the end of the year, barring anything crazy happening. I do have Georgia at eight, and I'm in a very weird place with Georgia. I'll be totally honest with you. They have not played great football the last couple of weeks. That being said, I do think they're one of those teams that can just turn them on. I think they have every ability to get Carson Beck going to possibly get Tate Ratlage back, and this offensive line play a lot better, and everything starts to roll downhill. So I couldn't drop them lower. It's one of those teams that very well, you know, you could make the argument that they're not a top 10 team right now, and I wouldn't necessarily argue with you too much. But at the end of the day, when I'm looking at this team comparative to the teams behind them, I'd very much like them on a neutral field. So it's kind of a fight between myself. It's going to be one of those teams that if they can't answer the bell against Texas, then I very much will drop them. No two ways about that. But if Georgia answers the bell, then they're very much right back towards the top of this thing. So a very confusing team, hard to rank them, but as of right now, I'll just keep them put at number eight. And I'll do the same thing with Alabama. This is a team that did not play a good game against South Carolina, and you could easily make the same argument for Alabama that you would for Tennessee. And I fully understand that argument. The difference I have is I think this team has the quarterback to make the plays that they need to make. I think they have playmakers on the outside that the quarterback can get the ball to. And I think they have a defense that while not elite by any means, I think they can make the plays. I think they can make the opportunistic plays, get that one pick, get that two picks per game, and put themselves in a position to make more plays offensively. So it's a flawed team. There's no two ways about that. And you can make the argument, I don't want to say easily, but you can make the argument that Tennessee is the better squad. And we will see this upcoming weekend, but when it comes down to it, if one team has a quarterback that's playing close, at least a Heisman level football and one quarterback that is a lot of questions about, I'm going to lean to the team with a better quarterback. That's just the way that I operate. I'm going to put LSU here at six. I know this sounds crazy. This is the biggest change of the weekend with them coming all the way up here. This is a totally different LSU team than it was in week one. This is a team that is playing much better football. They're playing together on the defensive side of the ball, which is totally different than what they were the first couple of weeks. Wit Weeks is playing great football. The Edge Ruchers with Braden Swinson and Deshawn Womack and all of those guys are all over the place. And this back end, while it's not great, they're starting to play much better football. Ashton Stamps is making really good plays. PJ Woodland's awesome. There's a number of different players that Ziak Zander had picked this past weekend. So it's not that I think LSU is on their way to a national title or anything crazy, but they got a win in the way that I did not think they were capable of getting one. And I could have bumped them below Alabama. I could have bumped them below Georgia. But frankly, if they were meeting on a field tomorrow, I think I would like LSU to put up quite a few points and get out there with a win. I know that sounds maybe a little bit crazy, but we'll see LSU against Alabama in a couple of weeks. I really like this team. I think they're playing good football. And I think frankly, if that defense can keep coming together, there's a lot of things this team can do the rest of the year. I have Miami staying at five. I don't think there's any real reason to move them. They were sitting Pat this past weekend. So one of these teams that has a lot in front of them. There's so many different things they have to do. And frankly, the schedule in front of them is not all that hard to do those things. But at the end of the day, they are playing with a little bit of fire. There's been too many mistakes on this team the last couple of weeks and they played teams where they've been able to come back against Virginia Tech and against Cal. That's not going to be the case the rest of the way. There's going to be a couple of teams here and there. I think Georgia Tech is one of those teams that you give them a couple of opportunities early in this game. You give them a couple of picks. It's going to be hard to stop that team because the run game is so good. They have the ability to run the clock that you might not be able to get back in one of those games. So it's someone to watch no two ways about that. Things could go sideways for this team. But frankly, I feel pretty good about where they are going forward. Ohio State at four. I don't think this has to be really explained too much. This is one of the best teams in the country. Obviously got to get better about not making those mistakes down the stretch if you're Will Howard. At the end of the day, they're elite. I think the defense does give me a little bit of worries. But when you're facing a Willstein offense with a quarterback that's executing at that level, it's not going to look all that pretty. Denzel Burke needs to figure out what he's doing. But at the end of the day, I still think this is an elite team. I still think that every ability to get back right on track and win that Penn State game, get to the Big Ten title, beat Oregon and be the number one number two seed in the CFP. So I'm not panicking about this team. There's only some things that need to get handled and especially on the defensive side need to get handled. But as of right now, any lower than four would feel a little bit wrong to me. Penn State at three, kind of handling business. As we've talked about really the past couple of weeks with Penn State, they've been, this week was a little bit louder. But at the end of the day, they've been a team that's kind of just winning football games in a world where not a lot of people are doing that. They're handling their business and they're a team that, frankly, the biggest thing from this past weekend was they've showed me that they can win football games pretty much every single way. You know, they can beat a team totally blow out a team. They can win a rock fight. They can win a shootout. They can do pretty much everything you want them to do. And that's a huge thing to be a championship team. I think Drew Aller is playing really, really good football. One of those guys that, frankly, when he releases the ball, it's just, it's special coming out of his hands. The run game is absolutely for real. Tyler Warren is becoming one of the best tight ends in the country and the defense, although not necessarily elite, is very, very solid, has every ability to give them chances to win games and that offense can keep it going, then they're going to have the ability to beat Ohio State in a couple of weeks and possibly be undefeated, walking into that Big Ten title. I have Texas at two. I did not want to move them from two after this past weekend, but at the end of the day, they did nothing wrong. If you watch that Oklahoma game, you know they did nothing wrong. This team is absolutely elite, has everything going for them. The one worry that you do have is have they played that huge game? They've gotten that team that is going to be able to match them in just about every way. They'll get this one this weekend. So, frankly, I'll be totally honest. If they beat Georgia this weekend, they're very likely going to be the number one team in next weeks, but that's a little bit of a spoiler. Definitely a team to watch. I think Quinn Evers was rusty last week, but he is elite. I have no doubt about that. The weapons are absolutely insane. The defense is flying around with Anthony Hill playing as an all-American linebacker. It's an incredible team and obviously, if they beat Georgia, then they're probably jumping this team here, but I do have Oregon at number one. They made the big statement of the weekend. They did an incredible, incredible job winning that game in a spot that it was really weird. It was one of those games that you felt like Ohio State had just enough time to come back down the field, but then Oregon made just enough plays and got a couple mistakes. No two ways about that. But at the end of the day, Dylan Gabriel played the best game that I've ever seen him play on Saturday, at least against elite opponents. The weapons are absolutely incredible. O-line is one of the best in the country, right along with Texas number two. And then defense has tightened up in a number of different places, but they're plenty good. No two ways about that. They have to get a little bit better in specific areas, but they're playing really good football. Not super worried about that unit overall. So a tough list to put together. No two ways about that. I do have Texas staying at two. Didn't want to bump them up to one quite yet. If they beat Georgia, they very much will be there. And then LSU is the big mover. No two ways about that. I just think there's a team that's starting to find themselves. I could be totally wrong and they lose to Arkansas this upcoming weekend, but that win against Ole Miss showed me a little bit of a different team than I even expected to see at this point this season. So a huge win for them. Definitely a unit that it's hard to rank these teams right about now. I would have noted aim just probably at that 13th spot if I had to imagine, and then probably Tennessee at 14. It's very, very close. All of these teams are pretty much packed against each other, but it's one of those things that you kind of just have to take it. You kind of just have to put the 12 teams on the board, roll with it, and move forward. And that's exactly what I did. But that'll do it. For this edition of the GSMC College Football Podcast brought to you by the GSMC Sports Network, your support means a lot to us. So please remember to subscribe to the show, leave a positive review. It does make a huge difference for us. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, all the social pages for all of the content and updates you could possibly need. We are really incredible people doing awesome work across every single sport you could want. So whether it's NFL or MLB or NBA, we totally have you covered. So come on over to GSMC. But thank you once again for listening and we will be back tomorrow to break down the crazy week eight that we have on Slate. Let's go. Are you a financial advisor considering the independent registered investment advisor or RIA model and wondering where to start? Start with Schwab advisor services. Schwab has helped thousands evaluate the full range of options and can help you determine your best path forward. Navigate the big and small decisions by tapping into Schwab's decades worth of insights on what fuels RIA success. With Schwab advisor services, you have a custodian that will support you every step of the way. Start your journey today at advisorservices.swab.com/paths. Are you ready for more independence as a financial advisor? Are you ready for more growth and control over your future? The independent registered investment advisor or RIA model might be right for you. There are many paths to independence and Schwab advisor services has helped thousands of advisors make the move with confidence. From defining your vision to successfully transitioning your clients, Schwab helps you build your roadmap to independence. To find your path, start with Schwab advisor services at advisorservices.swab.com/paths today.