Agent Confidential

Saturday changed the passenger manifest.

Five coaches. Plenty of turbulence. And one unbelievable finish that sent a coach straight to the top of the Buyout Island Index.

The weather is beautiful. The drinks are cold. And job security is always subject to change.

Wheels up.

Three things mattered to me this weekend in college football.

Mississippi State is for real — Jeff Lebby has something building in Starkville, and bringing Zach Arnett back may prove to be one of his smartest moves.

NC State found an almost unimaginable way to lose a football game.

And while everybody was watching Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, Pete Golding owned the night.

Three games. Three takes. What Mattered This Weekend.

🎙️ Agent Confidential with Mike Chaudron
MikeChaudron.com

This week’s Whiner of the Week is… me.

I buried Alabama at halftime against Kentucky. Then the Tide went out and made me look like an idiot.

I’ll own it.

Then we get to Mike’s Losers: Houston–Texas Tech, Mississippi State–South Carolina, and the main event — Lane Kiffin and LSU heading back to Oxford to face Ole Miss.

Welcome to this week’s Whiners & Losers

How does West Virginia compete in a college football world where generating revenue has become almost as important as generating touchdowns?

I joined Couz for a wide-ranging conversation about WVU, the Big 12 and the rapidly changing business of college football.

We get into revenue, sponsorships, BioPrecision, private equity, Brett Yormark and the Monster Energy deal — and why finding new ways to generate money isn't optional anymore for programs trying to compete.

This is the business behind the game.

X

Description:
Five coaches. Five contracts. One plane standing by.

Dan Lanning is new to the Index. Dabo Swinney and Luke Fickell remain under pressure. Greg Schiano already has the flip-flops and Hawaiian shirt packed.

But after Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford, there’s a new No. 1.

Mike Norvell — the plane is on the Ready Five with the engines running.

This week’s Buyout Island Index from Agent Confidential.

What mattered this weekend in college football?

Texas finally won the kind of game it’s been waiting to win, coming from behind to beat No. 1 Ohio State 24-23. Sark and the Longhorns MAYBE showed us they belong on the biggest stage.

Oregon? A 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State raises a pretty big question: was all that preseason hype just that — hype?

And Alabama looked awful in the first half at Kentucky — bad enough that I was making Buyout Island references. Then the Tide outscored Kentucky 32-0 in the second half.

Texas breaks through. Oregon gets a reality check. And the rumors of Alabama’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

That’s What Mattered This Weekend.

I’m Mike Chaudron, and this is Agent Confidential.

Three things mattered this weekend in college football.

Texas may have finally gotten over the hump with a dramatic win over Ohio State.

Oregon’s loss to Oklahoma State raises a pretty simple question: were the Ducks overrated?

And after one of the ugliest first halves of Alabama football in a long time, the Tide responded by dominating Kentucky after halftime.

Texas. Oregon. Alabama.

Here’s What Mattered This Weekend on Agent Confidential.

Dabo Swinney earns this week’s Whiner :hello, Buyout Island — and Mike picks the loser in three of the weekend’s biggest games:

Alabama-Kentucky.
Oklahoma-Michigan.
Ohio State-Texas.

One Whiner. Three games. Three losers.

Welcome to Whiners and Losers 2026

I joined Mac & Bone on WFNZ Charlotte for a wide-ranging conversation about the business behind college football — and where the sport goes from here.

We got into governance, why a multibillion-dollar sport still doesn’t have anyone truly in charge, the growing power of the conferences, NIL and the transfer portal, and why I believe some form of 48- or 60-team super conference may ultimately be where this ends.

We also talked about Agent Confidential and had a lot of fun along the way.

One of my favorite conversations yet.

Agent Confidential — because the biggest stories in college football don’t always happen on Saturday.

Week 1 is in the books, and the first in-season Buyout Island Index has some new arrivals.

Dabo. Aranda. Fickell. Norvell. Schiano.

Five coaches. Five very different situations. One Island.