Six of the top eight teams in the first AP poll have a first-year starter at quarterback. However, the experienced quarterbacks are lurking on teams just outside of the top eight. What might this mean as the season begins to unfold? Will experience win out or can guys like Arch Manning and Dante Moore overcome their lack of on-field experience? College Football Enquirer's Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey debate if they have more faith in experience or the first-year guys. Plus, not all of these teams' quarterback races are decided. What have the guys heard coming out of Ohio State and Notre Dame about who their signal callers will be this year? 

Later in the show, the guys discuss the NCAA's announcement that Friday will be when they issue the punishments against Michigan football for their sign stealing scandal. A two-year process will finally come to a close. Ross gives a behind-the-scenes look at what the process to come to this decision has been like and what kind of penalties the NCAA can actually inflict on the school. Andy, Steven and Ross give their predictions on what they think the result may end up being. 

They end the show with a discussion about the Big 12 ADs' vote to solidify an existing policy related to throwing items onto the field. After the first two violations in a game, teams receive a 15-yard penalty. Ross shares his report about this decision and the guys discuss how this is directly connected to Texas Tech's tradition of tortilla throwing. How serious is this matter and what items should other Big 12 teams be throwing? 

Week 0 is next week. College football is almost back, and the news continues to fly. Come hear about all of it on today's College Football Enquirer!

(6:06) - Can a first-year starter win it all?

(27:22) - Michigan sign stealing penalty predictions

(45:50) - Big 12 ruling jeopardizes Texas Tech's tortilla tradition

(59:10) - Ross' Bites & Booze column

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We are back! After a bit of a break, your favorite college football podcast has returned! Some new voices have joined the show with the departures of Dan Wetzel and Pat Forde. Andy Staples and Steven Godfrey join Ross Dellenger for College Football Enquirer's newest version!

There was quite a bit of news that happened while we were away, so it's time to catch up. Schools can pay athletes directly now. Revenue sharing has arrived! This has already caused an immediate shift in the college football landscape and schools are taking full advantage. One team who is capitalizing on that is Vanderbilt. Huge hype and ticket prices have followed. How has this change affected the college landscape? Has it changed for the better? These questions and more are what Andy, Ross and Steven answer.

As athletes continue to get paid, guardrails around how they can be paid continue to be developed. Enter the College Sports Commission. This commission is supposed to make sure there is fairness across the board in how athletes are being paid. How exactly they are doing that is a bit more complicated. Luckily, Ross can break it all down.

Another huge change on the horizon has to do with the transfer portal. This topic has been discussed at length. Should there only be one portal window rather than two? When should that be? Change is coming and while there is some disagreement among conferences for when the portal window should open, a shift appears imminent. The guys explain what the change may look like, and they give their takes on when the portal should open.

We are just a few weeks away from the start of the season, so naturally we have to talk about what coaches are hoping to still have a job by the end of the season. While some coaches' buyouts are too big for them to have any concern this year, others do not have that luxury. Texas Tech's Joey McGuire and Oklahoma's Brent Venables are two coaches that look to be in win now situations. The guys discuss the coaches' futures with their respective programs. They also dive into how the new college landscape of paying players may have led to some coaches' jobs being saved.

Finally, Andy, Ross and Steven take a look at some upset ready matchups in the Week 1 slate. Are Boise St., Mississippi St. and Kentucky on upset watch? The guys chat about what they are looking at in those Week 1 games.

A jam-packed episode of College Football Enquirer begins now. Welcome back!

(5:10) - Paying athletes

(16:43) - College Sports Commission

(28:01) - Transfer Portal changes

(44:46) - Coaching hot seat

(1:20:42) - Week 1 Upset Watch List

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Have your box of tissues nearby, it’s Dan Wetzel’s final episode as host of College Football Enquirer alongside Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde. The trio react to some of the most passionate fan responses to the news of Dan’s departure and share memorable moments from the show's 700+ episode journey.

Dan, Ross & Pat also chat about the recent success of old-school college basketball coaches like Rick Pitino, Bruce Pearl, Kelvin Sampson and Rick Barnes. How have these coaches found continued success despite the ever-changing landscape of college athletics?

Ross reports on the AAC’s decision to implement a $10 million minimum revenue sharing standard for each of the schools in its league. Plus, a People’s Court involving the robbery of a solid gold toilet.
 

(0:45) Farewell Dan Wetzel

(18:07) Old-school CBB coaches

(33:06) ‘D-II’ Drake advances to NCAA tournament

(39:15) Could Pitino find success anywhere?

(41:45) AAC implements $10 million revenue share minimum

(51:05) Rick Pitino continued

(53:53) People’s Court

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Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI's Pat Forde break down Bill Belichick’s first spring practice as head coach of UNC Football this week. While many college football practices around the country are loud and energetic, Pat reports that Belichick’s practice was a quiet, NFL-like, professional atmosphere, likely indicative of the type of program he hopes to build in Chapel Hill. But can Bill really take a mid-level program and make them a college football juggernaut?

Dan, Ross & Pat also react to the latest NIL-centric congressional hearing from earlier this week. Little progress was made, and a bill has yet to be introduced, but time is of the essence for college administrators who are desperate to gain control of the ever-changing NIL & revenging sharing landscape.

The three also recap the record-breaking 23-run inning from George Mason baseball as they hosted Holy Cross and dive into a Texas lottery scandal in the People’s Court.

(1:11) Belichick era begins at UNC

(23:22) Why did UNC MBB extend Davis?

(25:44) Latest NIL congressional hearing

(46:03) George Mason scores 23 runs in one inning

(54:20) People’s Court: Texas lottery scandal

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Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI's Pat Forde react to reports that the ACC is nearing a settlement with Clemson & Florida State. Would a change to the conference’s revenue distribution satisfy the conference’s most restless football teams? With a new setup for revenue distribution based on TV viewership, could the ACC compel the Tigers & Seminoles to stay in the conference long-term? And will other Power conferences look to the ACC’s example and base their own revenue sharing on TV performance as well?

The trio also debate which college football stadium would be the best location for a ‘lockup’ TV show. It’s definitely not BYU, but could Florida, LSU or West Virginia be top contenders?

(0:58) ACC nearing agreement with Clemson & FSU in lawsuit

(12:38) The end of TV markets?

(16:06) How will settlement impact other leagues?

(25:38) Is this a win for FSU & Clemson?

(35:06) ACC's 5-year plan

(39:01) Should ACC support 14-team CFP?

(47:08) Impact of settlement on Notre Dame

(51:03) CFB stadium lockup

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700 episodes of College Football Enquirer later, Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI's Pat Forde are somehow STILL talking about the College Football Playoff format. Ross returns from Dallas, Texas with the latest news from the CFP Management Committee on impending changes to both the 2025 & 2026 playoff structure. These two playoffs are separate events but the decisions surrounding them are linked as the Big 12 and ACC try to leverage the power they DO have in the 2025 playoff into greater concessions from the SEC & Big Ten when they take control of the 2026 playoff. From potential changes to the quarterfinal bowl games, to a switch to straight seeding, to additional automatic qualification—Dan, Ross & Pat cover it all.

Pat dives into his recent article about a gambling ring that allegedly tampered with obscure men’s basketball games including the likes of Temple, East Carolina, Mississippi Valley State and more. Finally, the People’s Court attempts to answer the oh-so-important question: which SEC team has the most fans currently incarcerated?

(2:29) CFP format discussions continue
(48:02) CBB point shaving scandal
(55:05) Most incarcerated SEC fanbases 

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Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI's Pat Forde are back with part II of their SEC coaches pressure index for the 2025 college football season. In a conference that loves to say it ‘just means more,’ how much ‘more’ pressure will these coaches face than their peers?

Brent Venables could be in big trouble in Oklahoma after finishing last season with a losing record and an overall rough entrance into the SEC. Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss had an 11-2 season in 2024 but missed the playoffs, is he still facing pressure to get the Rebels to the playoffs even without Jaxson Dart?

Shane Beamer has exceeded expectations at South Carolina, but could be feeling the heat again if the Gamecocks backslide into their losing records of the past. Dan, Pat & Ross break down what each of these coaches and the rest of the SEC must do to withstand the pressure in the 2025 college football season.

The trio also discuss Nebraska backing out of their home-and-home agreement with Tennessee in 2026 & 2027 as well as a People’s Court on students filing lawsuits against their schools over grades.

(0:52) SEC coaches under pressure

(1:56) Drinkwitz, Missouri

(9:07) Venables, Oklahoma

(14:11) Kiffin, Ole Miss

(21:34) Beamer, South Carolina

(25:44) Heupel, Tennessee

(32:03) Sarkisian, Texas

(35:35) Elko, Texas A&M

(40:11) Lea, Vanderbilt

(43:54) Nebraska ends home-and-home series with Tennessee

(50:47) People’s court: suing your school

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Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI's Pat Forde present part I of their SEC coaches pressure index for the 2025 college football season. In a conference with the highest of expectations, are there any coaches who aren’t feeling the pressure this upcoming season?  

Kalen DeBoer must show improvement at Alabama as he continues the impossible task of living up to Nick Saban’s success. How much longer will Auburn wait on Hugh Freeze to deliver wins? Brian Kelly has done well at LSU, but you might not know it from asking the Tiger fanbase. The trio reveal their pressure index for half of the SEC, with the rest to follow early next week.  

Dan, Ross & Pat also speculate about the potential outcomes of the joint Big Ten-SEC meeting today in New Orleans and revisit a hot People’s Court topic: is a boneless chicken wing really a wing at all? 

(2:07) SEC, Big 10 joint meeting

(14:33) SEC coaches under pressure

(15: 37) Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

(20:43) Sam Pittman, Arkansas

(24:26) Hugh Freeze, Auburn

(28:05) Billy Napier, Florida 

(32:41) Kirby Smart, Georgia 

(35:35) Mark Stoops, Kentucky 

(40:50) Brian Kelly, LSU

(44:53) Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State

(49:07) People's court: boneless chicken wings 

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Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI's Pat Forde look ahead to this week's meeting between the SEC & Big Ten conferences which may change college football as we know it. After only one season of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the SEC & Big Ten conferences have already determined it’s time for a change.

The conferences are likely to propose a 14 or even 16-team playoff next week that would grant four automatic qualifiers each to the SEC and Big Ten; two each to the ACC and Big 12; and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. Dan, Ross & Pat take a deep dive into all the ways this proposal could alter the college football landscape including the devaluation of conference championship games, non-conference games becoming all but irrelevant, and scheduling disparities that would alienate many conferences.

(0:55) SEC & Big Ten meeting to change CFP format
(56:30) People’s Court: Florida burger brawl

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On this episode of The College Football Enquirer, Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger and SI's Pat Forde break down the Department of Education’s reversal of the decision to include revenue sharing as part of Title IX. How can the system be made more fair without crippling the budgets of collegiate athletic departments or leaving Olympic sports in the lurch? 

The trio also react to the latest Yahoo Sports NFL mock draft that has Travis Hunter going first to the Tennessee Titans, Cam Ward second to the Cleveland Browns and Shedeur Sanders third to the New York Giants. Is it crazy to have Ward before Sanders? Ohio State boasted how many players they returned to the program last season, so why are there only two Buckeye players projected to go in the first round?

Speaking of Ohio State, they’re set to hire ex-Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia as their new defensive coordinator. What’s led to the increase of coaches leaving the NFL for college football this season and can Patricia find success at OSU after a rocky run with the Lions?

Dan, Ross & Pat also preview the IBOB or 'Iron Bowl of Basketball' happening this weekend between no. 1 ranked Auburn and no. 2 Alabama.

(0:50) 2025 NFL mock draft

(19:15) DoE rescinds Title IX NIL decision

(40:30) Ohio State hires Matt Patricia

(50:17) Auburn vs. Alabama men’s basketball preview

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