It’s Rivalry Week out West and we have you covered at Y-Option.

USC visits the Rose Bowl for an iconic game in Los Angeles against the Bruins with stakes locally, and the postseason for both teams is on the line. Stanford heads across the Bay to visit Cal in The Big Game in what should be a packed house at Memorial Stadium as the Bears hope to clinch a bowl berth. Oregon State hosts Washington State in a game pitting two Pac-12 schools who, over the past 12 months, have navigated adversity unseen in college sports and we welcomed the man who will be the sideline analyst on The CW for the Cougs vs. Beavs, Nigel Burton, to the latest episode of Y-Option presented by our founding partner 76.

I’ve known Nigel for years, having broadcast his first game as the head coach at Portland State and was fortunate to have him as a colleague for over a decade at the Pac-12 Network. We dove into the game, both Trent Bray and Jake Dickert’s role as each school's respective head coach and what his year has been like at the CW. In addition, Nigel unearthed what it’s like to be a parent of a college football player, as his son Jace is a freshman defensive back at Nigel’s alma mater, Washington.

Jim Thornby and I thoughtfully react to the latest CFP rankings, discuss #5 Indiana visiting #2 Ohio State and a huge weekend in the Big 12. Can #16 Colorado keep it going? Will #21 ASU take the next step toward a Big 12 title berth as they host #14 BYU? Can Utah play spoiler to #22 Iowa State on Senior Night at Rice-Eccles?

I’m off to D.C. as Maryland hosts Iowa in a B1G game at 9a PST in a game that has two teams that play completely different styles of football.

There are only two weekends for the majority of fans in college football to watch your team compete. Our advice, lean into it and enjoy every moment as you’ll be yearning for football season to return in a matter of weeks once the regular season ends.

Finally, the Pullman community lost a special young man this past weekend. 13-year-old Zion Bischoff passed away in an automobile accident and his impact on so many people has been celebrated. Please consider supporting the Bischoff family as they process this tragedy by visiting their GoFundMe page, Washington State will be wearing “ZB” patches on their helmets this weekend to honor Zion, who was close with many of the coaches’ children.

Our hearts go out to his family and friends, as we lost a beautiful soul far too soon.

Much love,

Yogi

This episode is executive produced by Jim Thornby and edited by Victor Ren

This podcast is a Best Coast Media production

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