Takes

Willie Fritz at Houston is the blueprint for the next 'Curt Cignetti' hire

If you're looking for the Curt Cignetti profile—guy in his sixties who's coached at all these different levels and won—it's actually Willie Fritz at Houston. He is 65 and has won at Sam Houston State and Georgia Southern and Tulane. That he's the model for that.

Schools should offer Nick Saban $30 million a year to return to coaching

For Saban, I would offer 30 million. When he was at Alabama, I tried to calculate what he's actually worth... and 30 million was still a bargain. Offer Nick Saban 30 million and see if he'll leave college game day. I don't think he will.

Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs are the two best defensive players in the country

Ohio State is the one that feels different from the others. I think I can confidently say Ohio State has the best two defensive players in the country in Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs.

I would be fine with Brian Kelly coaching the Wisconsin Badgers

Have, have you thought about a world where Brian Kelly is the coach of the Wisconsin Badgers? I'd be fine with it. He'd, he'd make us better than what we are right now. He, he gets good results... I am so sick of watching my team suck every Saturday that I will, I will have the guy that I probably hate most of any coach, coach my alma mater.

Brian Kelly deserves at least another year at LSU

Whenever I look at the fan bases, they get really, really mad... I think [Brian] Kelly deserves another year, but it really sometimes those spots are just so intense that you could admit, like the coach would go, I'm not gonna be miserable if I don't have to do this again.

Ohio State's quarterback room is even better than last year's because of Julian Sayin

[Big Cat: Are you ready to say this team is better than last year's team?] Yeah. I think [Julian] Sayin's even better. He just, you know, they don't even need him.

Indiana winning at Oregon is the best college football win of the season

The Indiana win at Oregon I think is the single best win of the entire college football season. And I also think Oregon's getting dropped down too far in the polls after the fact, 'cause I think Indiana really is that good this year.

Louisville is the most dangerous team in America on Friday nights

Louisville on Friday nights is they're the most dangerous team in America and they have been for years. If you you don't know about Louisville Friday nights... They play different there. So I'm not riding Miami off just yet or anybody that loses to Louisville on a Friday night this year.

I like Tennessee more than Georgia as a playoff threat

I probably like Tennessee more than I like Georgia, to be honest with you. [Big Cat: Their defense though, man.] Yeah, but that Georgia defense isn't—this Georgia team is not even close to those [previous] teams. The defense isn't as good.

Alabama's Germie Bernard is one of the ten best football players in the country

Germie Bernard is one of my favorite football players in all college football... Every time that kid gets going I'm like, I don't think there's that many players that are playing on Saturdays that are better than he is. I don't think there's 10 better football players in college than him.

Sherrone Moore's 'blue-collar' jacket is a cheap, ineffective imitation of Jim Harbaugh

[Sherrone Moore] has his blue collar jacket on and he basically was like, Hey, I'm back to work. ... It worked for Jim Harbaugh because Jim Harbaugh had won... This feels like a cheap knockoff and it's not gonna work.

Travis Hunter the wide receiver would beat Travis Hunter the cornerback

Travis Hunter, the wide receiver we think could beat Travis Hunter the cornerback. Yes. Get toasted.

Arch Manning looks like an unpolished freshman and is not ready for the SEC

I thought like the last few years sitting on the bench developing behind Quinn Ewers is like we were gonna see a much more polished player than what we have seen to this point. He just looks like a freshman even though he is now in his third year on campus. So I think that is very alarming.

Billy Napier is the best coach ever when his back is against the wall and he's almost fired

Billy Napier with his back against the wall might be the best coach ever. He literally just, just get him, get him almost fired and he'll start performing.

The adults and coaches set the tone for a program, not the players

People always saying, well, players nowadays bullshit. Right? It the adults, the adults set the tone right and the players will follow. And we have the right kind of players with the right kind of mentality is full throttle every day, man. And you and you're honest, don't, we don't sugarcoat anything.

Awarding the Heisman Trophy before postseason games are played is bizarre

The only thing I would wish for the Heisman Trophy that it was awarded when all the games were done. That whole award before these postseason games are played is absolutely bizarre to me. Like, I don't, I can't comprehend it. Never will.

The top of the SEC has regressed and is now even with the rest of the country

I think that game [Florida State vs Alabama] might be a sign that the top of the SEC has come down to Earth. If you look at Georgia and Tennessee, they were very even... Alabama is nowhere near what they were. Georgia is nowhere near what they were... I think the top of the SEC has really regressed.

Dabo Swinney would be an incredible fit at Florida if he embraces the portal and NIL

If you're Florida... and you say, Dabo, I'm willing to give you this job if you embrace the transfer portal, if you change what you're doing... I think he would be an incredible fit at somewhere like Florida. If he just tweaked his recipe to cook with the ingredients that modern College Football has, I think he can be that coach again.

LSU has the wrong head coach in Brian Kelly

LSU should panic. LSU's got the wrong coach. They've had the wrong coach the whole time... Brian Kelly does not fit LSU football... as soon as he loses the seventh [game], the fan base is gonna turn on him again 'cause they don't like him. And I don't think he likes them.

Penn State should stay the course with James Franklin despite big-game losses

I think Penn State is absolutely on the should stay on the same course. Nothing has fallen off... Everything about the first three quarters told me James Franklin can't do it, and then the fourth quarter happened. I think they played well enough in the fourth quarter to convince themselves that they can break through.

Oklahoma is being ranked far too high at #5 in the AP Poll

Oklahoma, technically right now, they have a win over Auburn. They have a win over Michigan. I don't think either of those teams are any good. Oklahoma's number five in the country. I think that's poppycock. They should be like number 12.

Dylan Raiola needs to stop mimicking Patrick Mahomes because it is getting weird

I don't understand how we have such a disconnect with everyone in the Dylan Raiola, Patrick Mahomes thing... we keep talking about it because he keeps doing it. It's weird at this point... just be a good quarterback. 'Cause you are.

The era of Dabo Swinney being elite at Clemson is over

It feels like it's over for Dabo just because of like the way he... he's in a crisis. Dabo is, I think he's reached the point now where he is, he's outwardly hostile towards Clemson fans... It's a common theme of coaches or programs not getting with the times.

Lane Kiffin's daughter's relationship with an LSU player is a 'coordinated attack' to get intel

He definitely knew. They've been dating for a while. He posted a picture of her... he's already talked to Weeks about what they're gonna run on defense.

Every college football game should be played on campus because neutral site games lack 'juice'

This is why every single game should be played on campus because it was awesome. And I hate like the Syracuse, Tennessee game being played in Atlanta just had no juice. South Carolina, Virginia Tech, no juice. Play every game on campus. That's what makes the sport so much fun.

Northwestern's athletic department are 'scumbag pieces of shit' for refusing Tulane's request to honor Hurricane Katrina victims

What the fuck, Northwestern, you fucking scumbag pieces of shit. Did you guys see this story? Tulane wanted to wear their all white jerseys in honoring the 20th anniversary of the hurricane Katrina... Northwestern said, no... You can't be a bigger dick than to be like, no, you can't wear these uniforms to honor Katrina.

Alabama's players looked out of shape and lacked the necessary effort in their loss to Florida State

The most surprising thing... they didn't play with a lot of effort, they almost reminded me of guys that weren't in shape. Like they were loafing. They didn't run to the ball. It was like they just didn't care... the thing that made Alabama really good, which was the attention to detail, the effort, they didn't have.

Will Howard will look much better at Ohio State because of the elite wide receivers around him

I think of how Will Howard looked at Kansas State and then I think of how Will Howard looked at Ohio State. Right. Looked a lot different when you have all those guys to throw to... great receivers can elevate a mediocre quarterback.

South Carolina is the biggest fraud in the SEC

I don't really believe in Florida and I don't believe in South Carolina to the level of the pe I think South Carolina is the biggest fraud in the SEC.

Number 47 is a terrible number for a BYU quarterback

Bear's a bad start. You can't. You put harder earned money on a team and you see a quarterback coming out wearing number 47. Terrible number for a quarterback.

Expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 or 28 teams is way too many

I was fine with 12. I do think there's seasons when you can have those teams from that six to eight range where, hey, they're peaking at the right time. 24? No thank you. This would suck.

The 2019 LSU Tigers are the best college football team of all time

With Joe [Burrow], I think we could beat anybody. It's gotta be won on the field. Now they've had some other great teams, but I do believe with Joe and the team that we had, we could've beat anybody we played that year... I'd put the LSU team in front of everybody.

Shedeur Sanders' Nike ad was a little premature

I just thought that the Nike ad, only a matter of time for the first preseason game was maybe a little premature.

Ashton Jeanty's highlights look awesome

I did see an Ashton Jeanty highlight and he looked awesome.

Jordan Hudson is going to take UNC football to new heights

Jordan Belichick. Classic Game Queen. Gonna take UNC football to new heights. Oh my God. She is, she is a shining star.

Dabo Swinney is a master motivator but not the most 'cerebral' X's and O's coach

He's not like the biggest, he understands the game, he's not a huge X's and O's guys, but he's like motivator vision... he would make you believe like you could do anything. Like our team, we'd be like, dude, we're gonna like, it didn't matter who we're playing, like we're gonna kill these dudes.

The best indicators for a recruit's success are the uncles on the mother's side

If you can meet mom and then if you meet one of her brothers. The uncles from mom's sides are usually the greatest indicators of what you're gonna get... DNA means a lot.

Good riddance to Lee Corso

Good riddance [to Lee Corso].

Nico Iamaleava is receiving bad career advice from his father/agent

I think he's getting bad advice from his, so his dad is his agent, which also complicates thing because when your dad is your agent... he doesn't have to act in good faith... I think it's shortsighted because Nico, if he had a really good year in Josh Heupel's offense could be a high draft pick.

Bill Belichick's girlfriend being copied on all North Carolina emails is a sign of shadow coaching

Belichick is telling all the North Carolina officials to copy his girlfriend on any emails that they send him... she's apparently very smart philosopher, right? He's asking his bosses to copy her on all the emails... Is she the shadow coach at UNC?

Bill Belichick's Hard Knocks at UNC will be a massive recruiting commercial for the Tar Heels

I'm actually excited to watch this. Yeah. I wanna see it is gonna be a giant commercial for UNC. That's the reason why he's doing it. Obviously. Smart. It's smart. It's very smart. You get a lot of publicity. Guys wanna come play for you.

The 'Underground Talent Railroad' transfer strategy is a genius college football idea

Let's create a network where we're all transparent with each other every fifth year. Each one of us can take its turn having the A team... PIT gets to have the 22 best players between the five programs... I don't hate it. I love it. I actually don't hate it at all. I love it.

Ashton Jeanty should have won the Heisman

The person who should have won the Heisman, Ashton Jeanty... Travis Hunter had a pretty good season... [but] Ashton Jeanty shoulda won the Heisman.

The National Championship game should be played no later than January 10th

January 10th should be the latest they play the national championship. You can't have it. You can't have four NFL teams left and still not have a national title champion for college football. It just feels weird. It feels off. It's stupid.

NIL and the transfer portal have ended the era of SEC and Clemson dominance in college football

I think the years and the ages were the SEC and to a certain extent the ACC would Clemson dominate college football is over with. And you, you look no further than the transfer portal and NIL because no longer can these teams in the south stack their rosters because I'm not gonna wait two years to play when I can go to Penn State or Oregon or Michigan and I can play right now.

I am officially over the Quinn Ewers experiment at Texas

I'm over the Quinn Ewers experiment. No offense to him. He's like, it's a perspective thing because I do think Quinn Ewers had a great college career... I just don't know if he's like that extra step of getting you to the national championship.

Ohio State has the most talented roster in college football

Ohio State has more talent. Like they have the most talented roster in college football. I don't think even Notre Dame fans would disagree with that.

The Rose Bowl is overrated and holds back the progress of college football

The Rose Bowl is not that special. It is also absolutely in love with itself and thinks it's bigger than the sport. The Rose Bowl needs to be taken down a peg. It holds up college football progress. It stands in the way.

The SEC is dead and the effectiveness of first-round byes is over in the CFP

The SEC is dead. So is byes. Byes are dead. Byes are dead. Byes are dead. The rest versus rust has been settled. The SEC is dead.

College football is back following an incredible slate of quarterfinal games

Texas-Arizona State was an instant classic. Notre Dame-Georgia had some good drama. College football might be back.