The Stars Matter team makes a thorough examination of Alabama from a recruiting perspective. Is the "Nick Saban Way", an accumulation of the best talent in the sport, the only option for Kalen DeBoer in Tuscaloosa, or can the Tide's new head coach do what he did in Washington (3:00)? LSU's made some huge strides (33:00). Will Nick Saban let Alabama slide (38:00)? There are no more excuses for Miami (45:00), and trivia on our way out the door (1:04:00).

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Follow Manny on Twitter: @Manny_Navarro
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Stars Matter: Is the "Nick Saban Way" the only way at Alabama? | LSU's surge | No more excuses for Mario Cristobal

Welcome to Until Saturday, The Athletic's NEW college football podcast. This is your home for everything college football. Join Ari Wasserman, David Ubben, Nicole Auerbach, Max Olson, Chris Vannini, Sam Khan Jr., and The Athletic's CFB staff as they break down the game we all love.

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In the NEW Big 12, the one with 16 teams, separation between teams is infinitesimal. There are seven teams (nearly half the league) that are within one O/U win total of each other (per BetMGM). Sam Khan Jr. and Justin Williams use one word to describe each of the 16 conference teams to deliniate where each team is at this season. But before then, Justin takes us through House vs NCAA and where it stands. Plus, rapid fire O/U win totals for every program.

Learn more about House vs NCAA: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5506457/2024/05/20/ncaa-settlement-house-lawsuit-college-sports/?partner=slack&smid=sl-share

Post-spring Big 12 preview: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5495963/2024/05/16/big-12-football-preview-power-rankings-transfers/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cfbtw&source=cfbtw

Read Sam's Willie Fritz, Houston story:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5495799/2024/05/21/willie-fritz-houston-football/

Big 12 QB carousel: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5484819/2024/05/14/big-12-quarterbacks-starters-returners-transfers/

Who's the SEC dark horse? Sign up for our FREE newsletter and answer future QOTDs: https://theathletic.com/newsletters/until-saturday

Rundown:
- House vs NCAA latest + what the heck does it mean? (2:00)
- ONE WORD WONDERS: Big 12 edition; Arizona, Arizona St., Baylor (12:30)
- BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, Kansas (19:30)
- Colorado, K-State, Iowa St., Oklahoma St. (27:30)
- UCF, TCU, Utah, Texas Tech & West Virginia (37:00)
-Win totals (51:00)

Call/text the Until Saturday phone and leave us a question for a future mailbag and/or Sunday Sound-Off podcast: (316) 462-9852
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Describing EVERY Big 12 team in one word + What House vs NCAA approval means

Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell joins Ari Wasserman to discuss the Seminoles' approach to team building. Does Norvell believe his team's portal to high school recruiting ratio is a recipe for success? Is it sustainable? Manny Navarro, The Athletic's AuFlority, then hops on the mic to breakdown Norvell's roster construction from a analytical angle. Were FSU's portal hits more luck based, or are they the new standard for how to build a team? Later, the guys answer a voicemail from the Until Saturday phone line (316-462-9852) about who belongs in the NCAA 25 game's All-99 club. Plus, what is the lowest ranking a team can recruit at each position to win a national title?

Read Pt. 1 of our NIL confidential:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5484900/2024/05/13/college-football-transfer-portal-nil-deals/

Read Pt. 2 of our NIL confidential:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5499474/2024/05/20/college-football-transfer-portal-nil-collectives-movement/

Listen to last week's show:
https://pod.fo/e/23ce9b

Who's the SEC dark horse? Sign up for our FREE newsletter and vote: https://theathletic.com/newsletters/until-saturday

Rundown:
- Portal reliance; "transactional program" a functional model? (:30)
- Mike Norvell joins the show (5:00)
- Opinions on FSU's approach + advanced recruiting (20:00)
- Is FSU's portal success sustainable? (26:15)
- Other "transactional programs" & how certains teams use the portal (34:00)
- NCAA 25 All-99 club (45:45)
- Lowest rated position but still win a title? (49:30)

Call/text the Until Saturday phone and leave us a question for a future mailbag and/or Sunday Sound-Off podcast: (316) 462-9852
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Is Florida State an outlier, or the new gold standard for team building? with Mike Norvell

Ari, Chris and Max share their instant reactions to the first EA Sports NCAA 25 trailer! Chris also shares what features fans can expect in the game. You may think you know how the transfer portal and NIL works, but Manny Navarro, Chris Vannini, and Ari Wasserman tells you how it REALLY works. Manny, Chris, and several other The Athletic reporters interviewed players, coaches, and agents about how two of the most prevelant yet perplexing topics in college sports. How do programs recruit players? Where do agents fit into all of this,are players only after a bag, and which programs spend the most? WE HAVE A RELEASE DATE FOR NCAA 25. An array of news came out of Florida at the ACC Spring Meetings. Dabo dropped another transfer portal comment, Florida St. vs ACC still rages on, even with both parties at the same hotel, and does the conference have a perception problem?

Read about how the transfer portal works:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5484900/2024/05/13/college-football-transfer-portal-nil-deals/

Read about how NIL agents fit into the picture:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5490748/2024/05/15/college-football-nil-agents-transfer-portal/

Read Nicole Auerbach's stories from ACC Spring Meetings:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5494186/2024/05/14/acc-college-football-playoff-perception/

Who's the Big 12 dark horse? Sign up and answer future Until Saturday newsletter's Question of the Day here: https://theathletic.com/newsletters/until-saturday

Rundown:
- EA Sports NCAA 25 trailer + features (:30)
- How does NIL/portal work? What we learned (15:00)
- So...tampering (24:00)
- Are players only after a paycheck? (28:30)
- Transactional programs (29:45)
- How do deals get done? (41:00)
- Biggest spenders (48:30)
- NCAA 25 release date (1:00:30)
- ACC Spring Meetings: Dabo, league perception, FSU + House vs NCAA deadline (1:08:00)

Call/text the Until Saturday phone and leave us a question for a future mailbag and/or Sunday Sound-Off podcast: (316) 462-9852
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EA Sports NCAA 25 features + trailer reveal! How NIL and the portal REALLY work: Players, coaches & agents weigh in

One of Until Saturday's most dedicated listeners, Sad Husker Nate, did it again. He left another gem of a question for Ari Wasserman, Sam Khan Jr., and Mitch Light on the Until Saturday Phone Line (316-462-9852): Who's on our Mount Rushmore of CFB Villains? The trio go meta with some of their choices (like the Pac-12's cognoscenti that destroyed the conference), but weren't bashful about naming some names (like Michigan's Jim Harbaugh). Baylor is gambling on Dave Aranda after consecutive losing seasons. Why did AD Mack Rhodes decide to retain Aranda? Sam takes us inside his excellent story before the group delves into a bigger picture conversation: What's a fair timeline for a coach? Lastly, EA Sports NCAA 25 dropped a bombshell on us last Friday.

Read Sam's Dave Aranda story: https://theathletic.com/5467548/2024/05/06/dave-aranda-baylor-football/

Who's the Big 12 dark horse? Sign up and answer the Until Saturday newsletter's Question of the Day here: https://theathletic.com/newsletters/until-saturday

Rundown:
- Mount Rushmore of CFB Villains via Sad Husker Nate (4:00)
- Honorable mention villains (38:00)
- Baylor's big bet on Dave Aranda + fair timelines (44:45)
- NCAA 25 cover athletes (1:00:00)

Call/text the Until Saturday phone and leave us a question for a future mailbag and/or Sunday Sound-Off podcast: (316) 462-9852
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Mount Rushmore of CFB Villains + Baylor's bet on Dave Aranda & coaching timelines

We asked you, Until Saturday and college football fans alike, to weigh in on Ari Wasserman's Post-Spring Top-25 rankings. Ari takes fan feedback on his list as well as input from Chris Vannini, who joins him on today's show. Why was Utah ranked so low? Was a Group of 5 team considered, and a fan thinks Ari's story was DISGUSTINGLY...rational? Plus, Brian Kelly, Spencer Danielson, and more coaches spoke openly about certain aspects of their school's NIL approach. Some of what was said wasn't well received, but are outspoken parties simply overreacting? Unlimited coaches, Iowa's new QB, the ACC's dark horse and more!

Subscribe to the Until Saturday newletter & join in answering the Question of the Day!: https://theathletic.com/newsletters/until-saturday

Rundown:
- NIL consternation + Boise St. HC Spencer Danielson on Freshman/NIL comments (2:00)
- Post-Spring Top-25 postmortem + Chris weighs in (13:30)
- Changes + G5 regrets and contenders (21:15)
- Until Saturday phone line opens: Ari, why do you hate Carson Beck? (26:45)
- How are early-season marquee matchups contextualized? (31:30)
- Someone liked Ari's rankings? (38:00)
- Text via Jason from Austin: Why is Utah ranked so low? (41:00)
- Text via David G San Antonio.: Post-spring hypothetical 12-team playoff (44:00)
- Text via Ben from Louisville: Kudos for ranking the Cardinals (51:00)
- Until Saturday newsletter QOTD: Which team is the ACC dark horse? (53:00)
- Iowa's new QB + unlimited coaches (56:00)

Call/text the Until Saturday phone and leave us a question for a future mailbag and/or Sunday Sound-Off podcast: (316) 462-9852
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Stars Matter: Is the "Nick Saban Way" the only way at Alabama? | LSU's surge | No more excuses for Mario Cristobal

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