Why is USC so frustrating and are we too nitpicky? USC is 5-0 with one of the great college football players of the past 20 years, but yet the Trojans have become one of the most frustrating teams in the country. Why? Dan Rubenstein from the Solid Verbal joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about some of the Trojans troubles, which leads to a broader conversation: Are we too nitpicky when it comes to the top teams in college football? Most of the best teams have been rolling along other ...

Ohio State’s toughness dilemma Ohio State coach Ryan Day went off after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame last week, targeting Lou Holtz, but, really, he was going after the notion that his team lacks toughness. That is not a new thing for Day and Ohio State. Doug Lesmerises of THE Podcast joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about the Buckeyes’ toughness dilemma.Also, is the top tier of college football growing this season? How many teams are capable of winning a playoff game? Plus, Doug thinks th...

Previewing a monster weekend, by the numbers Week 4 of the college football promises to be the best one yet. There are six games matching ranked teams, plus several other fascinating matchups. To preview the biggest games, college football stats analyst Parker Fleming joins AP’s Ralph Russo. What can we expect out of No. 13 Alabama against No. 15 Ole Miss now that Nick Saban has committed to Jalen Milroe at quarterback? Is the bill about to come due for No. 19 Colorado as Coach Prime’s t...

College football dynasties Clemson and Alabama have both already lost, which prompts the question: How do college football dynasties rise and fall? Paul Myerberg of USA Today joins AP’s Ralph Russo for a college football history lesson, searching for comparable runs to Clemson’s under Dabo Swinney and putting Alabama’s dynasty under Saban into historical context.Email the show: [email protected]

Clemson’s fall; CU’s ceiling Two stunning upsets defined Week 1 of the college football. Colorado beating TCU and Clemson falling to Duke. David Ubben of The Athletic joins AP’s Ralph Russo to talk about what’s happened to Dabo Swinney’s program at Clemson and how the rest of the season might play out for Deion Sanders and Colorado. Plus, a Texas-Alabama preview.Email the show: [email protected]

Coaching carousel preview With the season on the verge of full-blown kickoff, it’s time to check in on which coaches need to have success to keep their jobs. Adam Rittenberg from ESPN joins Ralph Russo from AP to talk about the coaching carousel, which these days starts spinning earlier than ever. The clearest hots spots are in West Virginia and Indiana. In recent years, there have been mid-season coaching changes that nobody saw coming. Adam and Ralph dig around to find the not-so...

G5 and Notre Dame previews Who will emerge as the top teams in the new-look American Athletic Conference? Is it time for SMU and Memphis to takeover? Boise State might have a difference-maker at quarterback in the Mountain West and the Sun Belt could be the most balanced of the Group of Five conferences. Chris Vannini of The Athletic joins Ralph Russo to preview the non-Power Five conferences. Then Pete Sampson of The Athletic and The Independent podcast previews Marcus Freeman’s s...

Rece Davis and preseason AP Top 25 The preseason AP Top 25 is out. It’s the unofficial start of the college football season. In keeping with tradition, Rece Davis, host of ESPN’s “College GameDay” joins Ralph D. Russo on poll drop day to talk about how he voted. Michigan at No. 1?! With so much news recently in college football, especially with conference realignment, and heading toward a historic season, we’ll get Rece’s thoughts on current events and what feels like the end of an era i...

Big Ten Preview Before the Big Ten expands to the West Coast, there is another season to play as a 14-team, mostly Midwest conference. Matt Fortune of the Inside Zone joins Ralph Russo from AP to preview the Big Ten – and talk about recent realignment news. Michigan and Ohio State are again the favorites, with Penn State looking to step up to that class. In the final year of the West Division, new coaches Luke Fickell at Wisconsin, Matt Rhule Nebraska and Ryan Walters at Purdue are in th...

Pac-12 Preview The Pac-12 might be the most exciting and interesting conference in the country this season with Heisman winner Caleb Williams and several other star quarterbacks leading the way. Off the field, there is a real concern about whether the conference will still exist next year. Yogi Roth from the Pac-12 Network joins AP’s Ralph Russo to breakdown the Pac-12 on the field. Then Russo tries to sort out where things stand with the Pac-12’s media rights deal and will it be good en...