College Football News (Segments)

Chris "The Bear" Fallica from ESPN and College Gameday joins Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak for an extended interview on the 150th season of college football.  Where is there still value in betting this year and who is the most-likely to win a title come early January?  Chris has answers and potential odds for all of it all while the guys get into some fun conversations about the "Baddest MF's Ever" and rough beats at the college football window over the years! 

Each week we try and dig a little deeper in each of the Power 5 conferences.  This week is no exception as we discuss:

The gap between Clemson and the rest of the ACC that has somehow grown since the start of the year.

A one-loss Big XII Champions odds to make the CFP

A potential upset and perfect season ruined in the Big Ten this weekend?

USC doing work in the Pac-12 South.  Can they win the division?

And finally - when does Jimbo Fisher start getting criticism for Texas A&M coming up short?

Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak are ready to make their week nine picks in college football and have three huge games across the nation to discuss.  Can Auburn end LSU's bid for a perfect season?  Does Wisconsin bounce back with a shocking win at Ohio State?  And can Jim Harbaugh build on the second half momentum Michigan had at Penn State and roll it into a home victory over Notre Dame?  The guys break it all down on this episode of the CFN Pod.

Wisconsin suffered one of the most stunning loses of the year Saturday when somehow Lovie Smith's Fighting Illini got them in Champaign.  What does that mean for Wisconsin's CFP chances even if they do somehow win out and after Oregon knocked off Washington where do the Ducks rank in terms of one loss teams in the country?  

We've reached the halfway point of the 2019 College Football season and things appear much more wide open than we could have ever imagined entering the year.  Instead of it being just Alabama, Clemson and the rest of college football you're seeing great ball being played by the likes of Ohio State and Wisconsin in the Big Ten, Oklahoma perhaps a surprise because of their sudden defensive arrival?  

There are some disappointments from the first half that half to be addressed but in whole, find out who our award winners are for the first half of the 2019 College Football Season as Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak award the following:

Biggest Disappointment
Coach of the Year
Best Game
Player of the First Half
Best Team

It has been a great year of college football, but some teams have disappointed.  In other cases, some programs have disappointed now for an extended amount of time.

Which coaches are on the hottest of hot seats and who are realistic candidates to replace them that will take said programs to the desired level of competition?

Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak break down the following and more:

Why would someone leave the SEC for...Rutgers?

Lovie Smith's flop and how to fix Illinois

Is Mark Dantonio in any kind of trouble at Michigan State?

If Urban Meyer doesn't replace Clay Helton at USC then who does?

And finally - how much does the college football landscape change if Lincoln Riley goes to the NFL?

All of that gets discussed by Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak

Week 8 of the College Football season is upon us and there aren't a ton of marquee games.  However, they're are plenty that will play a roll in determining both conference titles and College Football Playoff qualifiers.

In this part of the episode Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak give thoughts on the following week 8 matchups:
Penn State vs Michigan

South Carolina vs Florida

Washington vs Oregon

Utah vs Arizona State

Find out who, if anyone should be on upset alert and what to be on the lookout for this Saturday.

Trey Luerssen of Rivals.com joins the College Football News podcast to break down this week's Red River Showdown and share why although being a die-hard Texas fan, he doesn't feel good about Saturday.  Is Lincoln Riley a genius?  Is Texas back?  And what kind of game does it have to be in order for the Longhorns to have a chance at shocking the world on Saturday?  All is discussed during this interview.

Kegan Reneau of Sooner Wire on the USA Today network of college sites stops by the show to discuss the Red River Showdown (not shootout) and discuss where this Oklahoma squad is compared to the last two, who both wound up in the CFP.  Also, will  Lincoln Riley stay in Norman by the time next fall comes around?  Kegan gives his biggest reason why he thinks so before giving his pick to this years Red River Showdown.

A quick look at some of the lesser discussed stories that aren't getting the love they so much deserve.  
Virginia at Miami - Should Nick bet his unborn child's college fund on the Cavs?
Michigan State at Wisconsin - Can the Spartans bounce back after getting run at Ohio State?
Missouri - Is there another college fanbase that gets as heartbroken anywhere near as often?
Baylor at Texas Tech - Can the Bears stay unbeaten or does TTech have another upset in them?
Washington at Arizona - What is wrong with the Huskies and when do the Cats become an actual Pac-12 South threat?

We start the Week 7 Preview edition of the College Football News Podcast by previewing 4 big games across college football this week.  Is Florida good?  We're about to really find out.  We preview their matchup with LSU, Alabama's trip to Texas A&M, Penn State at Iowa and Notre Dame's annual battle with USC to start off the Week 7 Preview Show.

Ralph Russo continues his conversation with Pete and Nick on the College Football News Podcast as they get into discussions about the biggest games this weekend.  What will be the takeaways from Florida hosting Auburn in a battle of unbeaten top 10 teams?  What can Michigan prove with a win over #14 Iowa?  And who provides the biggest test the rest of the way for Ohio State, who Ralph sees as impressive as anyone in the country to date.  Find out the answers to all these questions and more right here!

Ralph Russo from the Associated Press joined the College Football News Podcast with Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak to discuss the new California law, what it means for the NCAA and players who want to make money off of their very own likenesses and attempted to dispell some misconceptions about the often referenced "car dealer" and other booster stories.

Still can't believe what happened in Pac-12 After Dark on Saturday night?  Neither can Nick or Pete.  Pete has some numbers from other successful programs to put a little perspective on what these two did Saturday 

It took a road-trip from the "Philly Special" to get it done, but the Pitt Panthers and their "Pitt Special" upset UCF on Saturday in a game that will eliminate the Knights from any conversation or wishful thinking of a CFP spot.  Pete and Nick discuss how this UCF program stacks up to some of the Boise State's of the world and why the loss is so significant for them, aside from the obvious.

Steve Greenberg had the pleasure (?) of going to the University of Wisconsin with Pete Fiutak back in the late 80's but had to watch some truly awful Wisconsin football teams.  How did Wisconsin go from that to now being a traditional force in the Big Ten?

That gets discussed as does the conference as a whole.  Where does Michigan go from here?  How good can Michigan State be?  Will Northwestern turn it around or are they going to be bowl-less this season?  Nebraska over-hyped or turning a corner?

If you're a Big Ten fan  you're going to enjoy this conversation with Steve as just about every school in the league gets addressed in some capacity.

Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak look at the biggest games of week 4 and share their picks as to how each will go down.  Will Michigan's Big Ten title hopes take a hit in Wisconsin?  Is Willie Taggart done if he loses to Louisville?

Could 39.5 possibly be way too high of a total for Michigan State and Northwestern?  Will any defense be played between Oklahoma State and Texas?

Auburn/Texas A&M is also discussed at length before Nick and Pete break down whether or not Notre Dame can pull off an upset in Georgia this weekend.

There aren't many teams in college football that draw the reaction from fans that Michigan does.  Love em or hate em, people love to watch and discuss them.  Factor in Jim Harbaugh as their head coach and that is even moreso.  

John U. Bacon authored "Overtime" a look behind the scenes at the 2018 Michigan football season but also about the inner workings of big-time college football.  Do you actually have to cheat in order to win?  And does anyone actually care if you are cheating?

John joins Nick Shepkowski to discuss the book and those exact topics.  Whether you're a Michigan fan or just a college football fan as a whole, you'll enjoy this conversation.  John also shares his thoughts ahead of a big Michigan/Wisconsin game this weekend up in Madison.

"Overtime" is available for college football fans wherever books are sold.

Friend of the program, Bryan Driskell of Blue and Gold Illustrated joined the podcast ahead of week 4 to discuss Notre Dame vs. Georgia and everything this game means for the Fighting Irish.  How can ND pull off the bigtime upset they enter as a nearly 2 touchdown underdog?  Bryan breaks that down and shares his thoughts on how Notre Dame currently stacks up with the best teams in all of college football today.

Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak spend this episdoe of the Power 5 on:
The SEC is great at the top but boy oh boy did the bottom look bad in week 1.  Who is the worst team in the conference?  That may be decided this week and the guys preview that.
Did no voters watch the Virginia/Pitt game?  We discuss how the Cavaliers got no respect in the latest top 25 poll.
Anyone more impressive in the Big Ten this past week than Wisconsin?  And was any player moreso than Jonathan Taylor?  Badgers love to be found.
Are the Illinois Fighting Illini headed towards a bowl berth?  Or is that a week 1 overreaction?  That gets discussed.
And finally, when Colorado and Nebraska played in the 90s it was must-see TV.  This year?  Eh, not so much.  We preview the old Big 8 rivalry to close this week's Power 5.

For some SEC haters it was a big week as the likes of South Carolina, Tennessee and Mizzou all fell in out of conference matchups.  But for the top dogs it was business as usual.  Rachel Baribeau of Sirius XM's College Sports Station (Channel 84) joined the College Football News Podcast to discuss an ugly week 1 for a good chunk of the conference but to also preview LSU at Texas, Texas A&M at Clemson and what Tennessee does after what was perhaps their worst loss in school history.

5 games or storylines that aren't getting as much love nationally that Nick and Pete think deserve more.  Listen to this episode and find out where the two of them are leaning in regards to the following games this weekend and teams this year:
Virginia at Pittsburgh
Texas vs. Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee at Michigan
Fresno State at USC
Georgia at Vanderbilt

Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak are joined by Brian Noe as they discuss the 2019 Oregon Ducks and their week 1 matchup with Auburn in Dallas.  Can the Ducks end the bad run the Pac 12 has had in big-time games of late?  Are the Ducks a playoff contender despite their difficult schedule?  And just how good is Justin Herbert and his super-experienced offensive line?  All of that and some Auburn/SEC discussion is had as well as Brian breaks down the game and the 2019 Pac 12 with Nick and Pete on the CFN Podcast.

Week 0 is in the books and week 1 is finally upon us!  Nick Shepkowski and Pete Fiutak are back to preview week 1 from a gambling perspective as they welcome in Scott Steehn from Winners and Whiners as the lead handicapper breaks down the following games and gives you his picks:
Northwestern at Stanford
Boise State vs Florida State (Jacksonville)
Oregon vs Auburn (Dallas)
Houston at Oklahoma
Notre Dame at Louisville

And a Missouri at Wyoming conversation is had, leading to some big-picture Mizzou discussion!