We have finally made it. Week one is upon us and everyone is back in action. Ryan and Clinton stroll through a busy first week in the Big Ten and break down the action.

Perhaps the headliner of the weekend is a nonconference showdown between former Pac-12 foes in UCLA/Cal. An intriguing QB matchup pits new Bruins head coach Bob Chesney against new Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi. Both teams reloaded through the portal. Can new RB Wayne Knight provide enough of a spark to the Bruins to awaken a rush attack that struggled most of the past two seasons?

Elsewhere in the conference, Purdue (-36.5 vs Indiana St), USC (-21.5 vs Fresno St), Nebraska (-23.5 vs Ohio), Indiana (-40.5 vs North Texas), Ohio St (-50.5 vs Ball St), Oregon (-24.5 vs Boise St), Penn St (-24 vs Marshall), Iowa (-31.5 vs NIU), Michigan (-28 vs Western Michigan), Maryland (-45.5 vs Hampton) and Washington (-23.5 vs Washington St) all take the field as massive favorites.

Michigan State takes on Toledo on Friday night in another contest between two new coaching staffs. Northwestern takes on South Dakota St in a trickly P4 vs FCS contest. Wisconsin takes on Notre Dame as a long-shot underdog in a game that will be played at Lambeau field.

Ryan and Clinton also discuss the just-finished or in-progress Thursday night games featuring UMass vs Rutgers; Eastern Illinois vs Minnesota; and UAB vs Illinois that they forgot to discuss Monday.

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. The season is back in swing and we will be back to our thrice-weekly shows. Midweek shows are live on Youtube around 9 pm EST on Monday/Thursday, with recap shows either Saturday night following the late games, or on Sunday, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Clinton makes his triumphant return to the show just in time to uncork a round of stinky predictions, as the guys talk through their playoff brackets and seedings. How many Big Ten teams will make the field? Who will come out on top as national champs?

The guys also talk through brief week 0 takeaways from Saturday.

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. The season is back in swing and we will be back to our thrice-weekly shows. Midweek shows are live on Youtube around 9 pm EST on Monday/Thursday, with recap shows either Saturday night following the late games, or on Sunday, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Ryan continues his solo journey for one more week, and tackles the most compelling conference of all: The Mid-American. The Luke and Justice from The G5 Hive join the show to talk big-picture MAC stuff and break down the 2026 season.

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Gameshow week continues at ITP, as Ryan welcomes Mitch Mason from The Three Tech pod to the show to play a game of "two truths and a lie." Six separate three-statement prompts. Which of the two does Mitch think will ring true during the 2026 college football season, and which will prove to be the lie?

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Clinton continues to be off galavanting with important things like taking care of his newborn, so Ryan continues his solo host journey with a week of special guests! First up, Ty Hildenbrandt from The Solid Verbal stops by to play a game of Midwest CFB over/under.

What will the Big Ten (and MAC?) representation in the playoff look like? Any Heisman favorites to keep an eye on? Can Rocco Becht rediscover his 2024 form? That and more in the first of two special pre-college football shows this week.

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Ryan and Clinton continue with fall previews, and Ryan Abraham from USCFootball.com rejoins the show to talk USC ahead of a massive season for Lincoln Riley's program.

The head coach made waves in the offseason, declaring the USC's championship window was now open. This surprised many, considering his first team featured Heisman and Biletnikoff award winners, and played for a PAC-12 title. Has Riley's own words made this a make-or-break season for his tenure in Southern California?

He returns plenty of talent on offense. QB Jayden Maiava returns for his three season with the program after a strong 2025. RBs Waymond Jordan and King Miller return, as do all five OL starters. The WR and TE rooms will feature a bit of a makeover, but Maiava will have all the tools needed to pilot what could be the Big Ten's best offense. Outside of the returning Tanook Hines at WR, who else can be expected to step up as a pass catcher? And after struggling to run the ball against their toughest competition in 2025, can the Trojans rely on the run to close out games against what will be one of the nation's most difficult schedules?

Defense has long been an Achilles Heel for Riley. Former DC D'Anton Lynn built this unit to "average" in 2025, but he is off to Penn State. In comes former TCU head coach and renowned defensive mastermind Gary Patterson to coordinate Riley's defense. Can the man who has not been a coordinator since 2000, and who has not held an on-field roll since the middle of the 2021 season, take the Trojan's defense to another level?

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Ryan and Clinton hit the home stretch of fall previews, and for the penultimate team preview welcome back to the show Tyler Tachman from the Des Moines Register, to help the guys break down Iowa.

Kirk Ferentz's squad continues to be a consistently good team, They have made a bowl game every season since 2013 and -- aside from the COVID-shortened 2020 season -- have not posted a season with fewer than 8 wins since 2014. However in the two seasons of the 12-team CFP era, the Hawkeyes have been out of contention by early November each year. They were damn close to be dangerous last year, with their four losses coming by a combined 15 points, including 2-point and 5-point losses to Oregon and Indiana, respectively. Are Iowa fans happy with the trajectory of the program? Or has the lack of playoff contention left them wanting more?

The offense, particularly passing, continues to be a challenge but has been better under OC Tim Lester. They forsake the portal in 2026 in favor of an in-house competition between former portal adds Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown. Where does that competition stand and what does each player bring to the position?

Whoever starts should have a strong run game once again. Kamari Moulton returns after rushing for nearly 900 yards a year ago despite battling injuries. They also import LJ Phillips, who rushed for nearly 2000 yards last season for FCS South Dakota. How will the rushes split between these two?

On defense, Phil Parker's unit is always exceptional but they must replace plenty from last season's team. This includes all four players who posted multiple sacks in 2025. Who are X-factors we should be looking out for? And how can a unit that forced only 14 turnovers a season ago create more havoc in 2026?

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Ryan and Clinton continue with fall previews, and welcome back Sunny Verma from Locked on Illini to the show, to preview Illinois.

Bret Bielema has performed a remarkable revival act. A 5-7 season in 2024 had him on the hot seat. In the two years since his team is 19-7 and has pushed itself into that second tier of the Big Ten. However he will have to replace three-year starting QB Luke Altmyer, who capped a successful run in Champaign with 27 total TDs and 3200 yards last season. Katin Houser returns to the Big Ten after a two-year run with East Carolina and appears primed to succeed Altmyer. Will the offense run similarly with him at the helm in 2026?

The Illini will need to run the ball better, however, after finishing last season 88th in FBS in rush yards per game. Is Ca'Lil Valentine the answer?

The Illinois defense was ok last season, but struggled creating turnovers and getting after the QB consistently. Star pass rusher Gabe Jacas is off to the NFL. Bobby Hauck and his 3-3-5 enter as new DC, after a successful run as head coach of Montana in the FCS. What will Hauck bring to this team and how can they be better at creating havoc in 2026?

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Ryan and Clinton continue with fall previews, and Justin Julka from The Bucky Report joins the show to help the guys break down Wisconsin in a make-or-break season for Luke Fickell.

Year three of the the Fickell regime once again featured an inept offense, spurred by more injury issues at the QB position. Billy Edwards got hurt in the season opener against Miami and then played one additional game the rest of the season, a season after Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending injury in game three, a season after Tanner Mordecai missed three games after a 4-2 start that lead to a 7-6 finish. The Badgers went portal shopping again at QB bringing in Colton Joseph from Old Dominion. A dynamic running threat, he adds a different dimension to this Badgers' attack. But can he avoid turnovers enough to be a true difference maker?

On defense, Wisconsin was great against the run last season but struggled at times against the pass. Where can they most improve in 2026?

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI

Ryan and Clinton continue with fall previews, and Clayton Sayfie from the Wolverine joins the show to talk Michigan in Kyle Wittingham's first season.

Michigan is perhaps the most fascinating wild card in the Big Ten for 2026. It went 9-4 last season, losing to arguably the four best teams it faced. However, one could argue the impressiveness of winning nine games with the coaching ... situation ... that was present. In comes Kyle Whittingham have a highly successful two decade run leading Utah. Bare minimum, he brings an "adult in the room" mentality, even if he has never coached east of the Rocky Mountains. What have the early returns been on Michigan's new head man?

On offense, Bryce Underwood arrived last season to much fanfare, but struggled throwing the football for large stretches of the season. How can he elevate his game in 2026, and how much will having an actual QB coach help? The rushing game was one of the country's best last season. Lead back Justice Haynes transferred to Georgia Tech, but Jordan Marshall returns -- and five-star freshman Savion Hiter enters. OC Jason Beck's Utah offense finished last season second in rush yards per game. What is the ceiling of this Michigan rush attack?

On defense, Michigan once again excelled last season. Plenty of talent returns, particularly in the secondary. However health is a concern for several key players. Safety Rod Moore played sparingly last season, after missing all of 2024 due to a knee injury. Imported edge rusher John Henry Daley is one of the best in the nation, but had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon last November. Can either player be an X-factor in 2026?

Join us on our Youtube channel live for shows. We are back into fall preview season. Episodes will be live on Youtube throughout the week as schedule permits, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our fall preview episode schedule, to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. Subscribe on your preferred podcast platform to get notified as soon as a new episode drops so you never miss a show.

LINKS:

Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI