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Ohio State played host to one of the most bizarre commencement speeches of all time this month, when alumnus Chris Pan pitched graduates on Bitcoin and attempted to lead the Buckeye crowd in multiple singalongs. D.J. Byrnes writes The Rooster, a newsetter covering Ohio and its politics. Last week, Byrnes’ publication broke the news that Ohio State’s president, Ted “Slapshot” Carter, broke with recommendations from an advisory committee to select Pan. What was happening there, and what does it reveal about the leadership structure bewteen one of the most powerful institutions not just in higher education, but college sports and the entire Midwest? D.J. joins Alex to talk about it.  Read Byrnes' story: https://www.rooster.info/p/ohio-states-drug-fueled-bitcoin-shame

The politics behind Ohio State's ridiculous commencement speech

An independent college football podcast that eats the whole hog. Plus a newsletter. All with Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, and Alex Kirshner.  

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Welcome to a new episode of Scheme School. Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice returns to the show to have a completely on-field-focused (we promise) conversation about Colorado's already-polarizing QB1. What does he struggle with? And what does he excel at? What was the Buffs’ offense last year, what will it be this year, and what should it be to maximize Sanders as a player? Read Nate's in depth breakdown of Sanders here. (Now Richard can just point at this episode as Shedeur’s draft stock goes up and down.) Production: Anthony Vito.  Like this show? Here’s more Scheme School  * The evolution of Chip Kelly, schemer  * How defense evolved in CFB in 2023 * All these different safety positions: What happened?  This episode is for paying subscribers of Split Zone Duo, but everyone can hear a free preview.  Not a subscriber yet? Now’s a great time to become one, as we begin our ramp-up into the college football season, which quickly gives way to the coach carousel and then back to the big postseason games. By subscribing, you get frequent bonus episodes, the ability to ask questions that might appear on the show, and a place in a growing college football community. We’d love to have you. The cost is $10 a month, and you can get a month free with an annual subscription.  You can listen to bonus episodes in the same feed where you listen to free episodes, whether that’s on the Substack app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, YouTube Music, or any other platform. It’s easy! 

Scheme School: How good is Shedeur Sanders, actually?

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College football is about to get a lot different. Alex and Richard talk through how changes to player compensation come 2025 will reshape the sport. We think it’s ultimately a winner for both players and fans, but there are big questions left to answer: What will become of collectives? Which type of program will get the most benefit from the House v. NCAA settlement? Which type will be hurt? Will this settlement be the line of demarcation between an eventual superleague and everyone else? And is this an ideal economic system? Production: Anthony Vito.  

The Impending Arrival of College Football 3.0 (3.1?)

Godfrey's insisting that everyone pick a Sun Belt team to ride and/or die with in '24. Plus, did the NFL kill USC's L.A. vibes? And let's set an expectation for every single FBS team changing conferences this season. The Big 12 is a Las Vegas buffet, and it's 3 a.m., baby. Production by Anthony Vito.  Throughout May, The Single Wing is free for everyone thanks to Magic Mind. If you’d like to hear The Single Wing all year and ask the questions that help Godfrey build the show, become a paying subscriber to SZD today.  

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Single Wing: New Conference Expectations for Everyone from Texas to Army

For more episodes like The Single Wing, subscribe at splitzoneduo.com. Godfrey's circling back on TV scheduling tactics for Week 1, explaining San Jose State’s triple-free offense, answering a desperately sad question about Group of 5 feeder programs, waxing emotional about EA NCAA, and teaching you why stupid ass-ideas like the G5 playoff get floated. Production by Anthony Vito.  Throughout May, The Single Wing is free for everyone thanks to Magic Mind. If you’d like to hear The Single Wing all year and ask the questions that help Godfrey build the show, become a paying subscriber to SZD today.  

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Single Wing: Week 1's High (Big) Noon Showdown and the G5 Playoff Proposal Debunked

College football (including its TV partners) usually gets out of the NFL’s way. But when the 12-team Playoff arrives this December, the two levels of the sport will be head-to-head in a way they almost never are, especially since college’s powers that be made a tactical retreat from Thursday night. Is it surprising that the Playoff and ESPN would counterprogram the NFL? Was it avoidable? Should we, as fans of the sport, care? And why is CFB finally so comfortable existing on its own, even on the same day as the NFL? Production: Anthony Vito.  Bonus episodes: https://www.splitzoneduo.com  

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The politics behind Ohio State's ridiculous commencement speech

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