Kings of the North College Football

The 25 Year Winter Episode 5: The North Returns Aug 05, 2025

Everything that held the North back on a national level – coaches, the geography of talent, and attitudes about how college football should be treated – seems to have leveled out. When Ohio State faced Notre Dame in Atlanta at the end of the 2024 season, it was a coronation for the North, one paved by the destruction of several of the South's biggest brands. In Episode 5 of The 25 Year Winter, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss what the future holds for the sport, what trends have helped push the North back to the top, and whether balance has, at long last, returned to college football for good.

Thanks for joining us.

Producer: Michael Henahan.

The 25 Year Winter Episode 4: The cheating episode Jul 31, 2025

It's finally here, the episode of The 25 Year Winter where we get into the South's (sometimes alleged, sometimes well-documented) rule-breaking as it took over college football.

But it's not just that. In Episode 4 of our five-part series, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are dissecting attitudes: what fueled the South as it so cavalierly pushed the envelope and how the North counted money, touted education, bathed itself in hypocrisy and rarely sought ways to get an edge on the football field.

Thanks for joining us.

Producer: Michael Henahan

Heisman Draft from Jeremiah Smith to Arch Manning to Jeremiyah Love | Young QBs vs. Veteran QBs Jul 30, 2025

It's a draft of Heisman Trophy contenders on Kings of the North, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples of On3 to pick 12 Heisman contenders. Each of the four drafters picks two favorites, one medium long shot and one big long shot, while discussing the most important players and teams heading into the 2025 college football season. Before that, Doug and Bill dissect veteran quarterbacks vs. young quarterbacks this season, how that might affect this year and how it compares to seasons of the past. Lastly, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. But it's not just Doug and Bill chiming in. They asked a bevy of coaches and players at Big Ten Media Days what they've been watching and eating, and you'll get those answers as well. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

The 25 Year Winter Episode 3: North leaks talent, South reaps advantages as SEC asserts dominance Jul 29, 2025

As the SEC took control of college football, demographic shifts helped fuel that dominance by ensuring the region was flush with a large percentage of the country's best high school football prospects. To compound the issue, the North started leaking too much of its best talent.

What did it amount to? Sustained success for the South.

In Episode 3 of The 25 Year Winter, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis examine how recruiting realities combined with more Northern shortcomings contributed to the South's reign over college football from 1998-2022. The South had the better prospects, and was more aggressive in how it built rosters.This is the players episode.

Thanks for joining us.

Producer: Michael Henahan.

Why Nebraska, USC, Michigan make Big Ten deeper than ever | 8-way battle for playoff contention Jul 28, 2025

How deep is the Big Ten this season? Maybe deeper than it has ever been? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into what they think will be an 8-way battle in the middle of the conference behind expected Big Ten leaders Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon. What will separate the next eight teams? Who has the easiest schedule? The toughest? And how does the middle of the Big Ten compare to the middle of the SEC -- and how will it be perceived? Plus breakdowns on Iowa, Purdue and Michigan State and a visit from Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

The 25 Year Winter Episode 2: Nick Saban, Urban Meyer leave the North and ignite Southern dominance Jul 25, 2025

One of the edges for the South over the North in their dominant era of college football? Coaching.

Nick Saban and Urban Meyer drove a new era of SEC excellence -- as natives of the North who spent much of their careers coaching in cold weather before turning around Alabama and Florida. How did the Big Ten let these Northern sons get away?

Lacking superstar coaching power, the North also fell short in ingenuity. That happened despite a revolution starting in the middle of Iowa -- before spreading through the rest of the country.

And then there was the money that wooed a Wisconsin winner like Bret Bielema -- a true Northerner headed South -- and he was just one example.

It's the coaching episode of The 25 Year Winter. Thanks for joining us.

Producer: Michael Henahan

The Michigan mystery of 2025: Bryce Underwood, NCAA questions and rivalry dominance Jul 24, 2025

Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis wrap up Kings of the North's coverage from Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas with a discussion about Michigan. How should we be thinking about the Wolverines in 2025? What impact will Bryce Underwood have? That and more from our final show from Las Vegas. Thanks for watching.

An angry Oregon title run | Big Ten dark horses Washington & Minnesota | Day 2 from Las Vegas Jul 24, 2025

Oregon won the Big Ten last season, went undefeated through the regular season -- and then the Ducks saw their season end in their first College Football Playoff game against Ohio State. Yeah, the Ducks are angry about that. On this Kings of the North from Las Vegas, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis talk with three Oregon players and dive into how their views of Oregon may have changed, as the angry Ducks prepare for 2025. Then it's a debate over the more interesting Big Ten dark horse -- Washington or Minnesota. That includes interviews with Demond Williams Jr., Jonah Coleman, Drake Lindsey, Koi Perich and P.J. Fleck. Then it's talk about Wisconsin and Northwestern, including a chat with Wildcats coach David Braun and players Preston Stone and Anto Saka. Thanks for joining Kings of the North for this episode from Day 2 of Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas.

Will Penn State live up to 2025 expectations? | Big Ten Media Days reaction Jul 24, 2025

Penn State is the preseason favorite in the Big Ten, according to KOTN poll. Will the Nittany Lions live up to the expectations? How are they handling them? Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis check in from Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas to discuss.

Ohio State's test | Curt Cignetti vs. SEC | Illinois-Indiana showdown | Inside Big Ten Media Days Jul 23, 2025

Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers kicked off the first day of Big Ten Media Days, and Kings of the North was there in Las Vegas to dive into all of them. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all six teams, while interviewing Ryan Day, Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs, Luke Altmyer and Athan Kaliakmanis among others. Indiana-Illinois as a huge swing game for the season. Matt Rhule standing up for the Cornhuskers. Curt Cignetti taking on the SEC. The future of big-time nonconference games. And more. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Tony Petitti touts Big Ten strength, lays out playoff model | Nicole Auerbach joins: Day 1 Reaction Jul 22, 2025

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti opened conference media days touting the strength of a league that's had the last two national champions, and why he thinks his College Football Playoff model is the right direction for the sport. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis give their takes on Petitti's comments, and then welcome Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports for more reaction from Day 1 of Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas.

Big Ten football preseason poll | Penn State predicted champ | Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs POY picks Jul 22, 2025

Big Ten Media Days are here, and Kings of the North will be bringing you coverage from Las Vegas all week. To kick things off, here is the KOTN Preseason Big Ten Poll, the largest and most comprehensive Big Ten poll out there. KOTN gathered 54 voters -- at least one beat reporter from every Big Ten team and two from most -- as well as 20 national college football reporters to put together this poll. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break down the results on this episode. That includes Penn State as the pick to win the regular season and the Big Ten Championship Game; a healthy, strong middle of the league; and Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs as the Preseason Players of the Year. Thanks for joining KOTN. Catch coverage from Las Vegas all week. And don't miss the new narrative podcast series in your feed -- The 25 Year Winter.

The 25 Year Winter Episode 1: How championship college football went dormant in the North Jul 21, 2025

The South and the SEC took over college football starting in 1998 -- and the North and the Big Ten helped let it happen. This five-part podcast series will examine the how and why of that -- from coaches to players to attitudes to geography to cheating to luck. Between 1998 and 2022, the North won just two national titles as Alabama's Nick Saban and a host of other Southern champs put the North in a corner.
Episode 1 starts with a moment of Northern superiority -- the 2006 showdown between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan. Then it explains how it all unraveled, including some close calls for the North that might have rendered this podcast moot if they'd gone another way. And yeah, once the South started winning, the South started bragging. The North didn't have much of an answer, on the field or in a war of words.
The next four episodes will dive even deeper on coaches, players, attitudes and the shift in the sport that is ending this era of Northern shortcoming.
Hosts Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis from the daily college college football Kings of the North appreciate you being here, and they hope you enjoy The 25 Year Winter. Producer: Michael Henahan.

College football recruiting trends | South stealing North QBs | Indiana scheduling weak Jul 16, 2025

What's going on the world of college football recruiting? KOTN dove in on the 400-plus blue-chip prospects in the 2026 recruiting class to see where there from, where they're going, what the emerging trends are and how the North is doing defending its turf and stealing players from the South. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis also discuss Indiana's weak scheduling and a big recruiting win for West Virginia. Plus, Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for listening to Kings of the North.

Fixing the College Football Playoff for the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 | Saving college football polls Jul 14, 2025

With SEC Media Days underway, KOTN would like to remind everyone that the last time college football gathered in Atlanta, it was to watch two Northern teams play for the national championship, as Ohio State beat Notre Dame. Anyway, let's fix the College Football Playoff. The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 want different things from the playoff, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here to talk out their cases and come up with real solutions that should please everyone. Plus, college football polls are under attack. Are they worth it? A possible plan to save them as well. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Is the Big 12 the best quarterback conference -- and is the SEC the worst? | Colorado vs. Syracuse Jul 09, 2025

It's Deion Sanders and Colorado vs. Fran Brown and Syracuse in the final KOTN Showdown of the offseason. Who would you rather be in 2025 -- the Buffs or the Orange? But first on this Kings of the North episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis check in on some talk from Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark at the conference's media days. He touted the Big 12's returning production at quarterback -- could it be the best QB league in the P4? And could the SEC be the worst? Yormark also claimed the Big 12 will be the deepest league in the nation. Doug and Bill investigate that claim as well. There's a little more Big 12 news, and then the show wraps with Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Can Oregon, Illinois, Penn State, Ohio State, Kansas State & Notre Dame have their greatest seasons? Jul 07, 2025

Could Oregon, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Kansas State and Illinois have their greatest college football seasons in program history in 2025? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis, look at their best individual seasons for their 28 Northern teams and see which teams had had them recently -- hello Michigan and Iowa State -- which teams had them a long time ago -- how about Boston College and BYU in 1984? -- and which six teams could have them this year. Then it's another KOTN Showdown, this time between two teams that could make real playoff runs this season: Kansas State and Illinois. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Michigan, Notre Dame recruiting on fire | BYU lands 5-star QB | Minnesota vs. Northwestern showdown Jul 02, 2025

What were the biggest college football recruiting wins in the North this summer? From Michigan to Pitt, from Notre Dame to Washington, from Ohio State to BYU, from Utah to Penn State, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis explain the biggest recruiting moves and what they mean for Northern football. Then it's the latest KOTN Showdown, as two former Big Ten West foes square off: Minnesota vs. Northwestern. Finally, check in on Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Jake Retzlaff leaving BYU | How to rebuild a college football program | West Virginia vs. Purdue Showdown Jun 30, 2025

Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are back with another Kings of the North, exploring the rebuild situations at West Virginia and Purdue and what's worked for successful turnarounds in the past. Then, it's another KOTN Showdown between the Mountaineers and Boilermakers. Who would you rather be in 2025? But first, BYU needs a new quarterback.

Thanks for watching and listening to Kings of the North.

Notre Dame-Clemson, Oregon-Ohio State, Texas-Georgia, Michigan-Washington & more: 10 new rivalries Jun 25, 2025

College football rivalry week continues on Kings of the North with 10 new rivalries that the sport could give us in the next decade, thanks to the College Football Playoff and the occasional appropriate push from conferences when needed. What could new rivalries like Notre Dame-Clemson, Ohio State-Oregon, BYU-Colorado and West Virginia-Cincinnati mean for college football? Then it's time for Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis to take some questions and comments from the Ask KOTN mailbag. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College football rivalries: Perfect plans for Cy-Hawk, Backyard Brawl and more | Iowa vs. Iowa State Jun 23, 2025

What is college football's perfect plan for protecting rivalries, especially those rivalries that are not protected by conference affiliations? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis identify the 18 most important non-conference rivalries, starting with Iowa-Iowa State and Pitt-West Virginia, and then create a plan to keep them alive and thriving. Then it's the next-tier rivalries -- what should be done with them? And which teams are getting it right and wrong with how they go about rivalry planning right now? Then it's time for another KOTN Showdown -- and it's the Hawkeyes and Cyclones that Doug and Bill pit against each other. Who would you rather be in 2025, Iowa or Iowa State? Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Ohio State vs. Oregon Showdown: Rather be Buckeyes or Ducks in 2025? | Julian Sayin vs. Dante Moore Jun 18, 2025

Ohio State vs. Oregon, the defending national champion Buckeyes vs. the Ducks, the only undefeated regular season team of 2025. Which college football program would you rather be in 2025? On this KOTN Showdown, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through the Buckeyes vs. the Ducks at quarterback, skill positions, offensive line, defensive front seven, secondary, coaching and intangibles. And then they decide who they would rather be this season. After that, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Inside college football's hot seat: How to find coaches really in trouble | Cincinnati vs. Maryland Jun 16, 2025

Is college football's coaching hot seat a real thing? KOTN has always wondered about the talk around coaches in danger of getting fired, and dove in to investigate how coaching pressure really works, and which coaches should be worried or not in 2025. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis will give you three categories of coaches who get fired, and candidates for each label, while reminding you there are always firings you don't see coming. And how many coaches should you expect to be fired this season? They have the number. Plus, another KOTN showdown as two teams with coaches on the hot seat are paired up and go head-to-head: It's Mike Locksley and Maryland and Scott Satterfield and Cincinnati. Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.

College football playoff picks and odds | Worries for Georgia & Alabama? | Boston College vs. Pitt Jun 11, 2025

It's time for another round of College Football Playoff picks as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis offer their updated predictions for the first time since the end of spring football. Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Texas -- which SEC teams are they picking? Who's the Big 12 champ? Will Notre Dame be back in the playoff? Which Big Ten teams will be in the postseason? Plus, a look at the odds to make the playoff and the eight teams that are odds-on favorites to be there. Then it's another KOTN Showdown, this time of two Northern ACC teams -- Boston College vs. Pitt. Which team would you rather be in 2025? Finally, join the guys for Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for being part of Kings of the North.

House vs. NCAA settlement for fans | Wisconsin vs. Michigan State Showdown | Luke Fickell Go Time Jun 09, 2025

What does the House vs. NCAA settlement that will allow the direct payment of college players mean for fans? Doug Lesmerises looks at the new world of college football from the fans' perspective to open Kings of the North. Then Doug and Bill Landis talk about the hiring process of Northern coaches -- how they got to their jobs, what hires made sense and didn't, how many were head coaches before. That's a prelude to a Jonathan Smith vs. Luke Fickell coaching discussion as Doug and Bill get into their latest KOTN Showdown -- Michigan State vs. Wisconsin. Would you rather be the Spartans on Badgers in 2025? Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Michigan vs. Utah Showdown | NCAA lessons on bowl bans, vacated titles | Has your team been banned? Jun 04, 2025

It's Michigan vs. Utah on this KOTN Showdown, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis examine two winning programs with new quarterbacks and new offensive coordinators who are looking to bounce back into College Football Playoff contention after down seasons in 2024. Then the guys dive into the history of major NCAA penalties to provide some context as Michigan prepares for its hearing before the Committee on Infractions this weekend. How many Division I teams have actually had championships vacated? Maybe not as many as you think? How many power conference football teams have been banned from the postseason at least once? Maybe more than you think. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Fighting the SEC: The Big Ten hides while the SEC whines in a public battle for college football Jun 02, 2025

The Big Ten and SEC are in control of college football - one silent partner and one very loud partner. After the SEC popped off all of last week, and the Big Ten stayed in the shadows as usual, Kings of the North is here to ask -- is the Big Ten losing the PR war to the SEC? On this episode Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss how the Big Ten should handle itself, how this PR battle matters, the continuing disagreements over auto bids for the playoff and why the Big Ten is hanging out with the SEC to begin with. Then Steven Godfrey joins the show to discuss why the SEC acts this way and how far the conference is willing to push things. And then it's a wrap up with some Ask KOTN questions and comments from viewers and listeners. Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and expect some calls to cram it in this one.

Why an Ohio State national title repeat is more likely than you think | Kansas vs. Rutgers Showdown May 28, 2025

Can the Ohio State Buckeyes repeat as national champions in the 2025 college football season? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis go inside the numbers on attempted title repeats since the start of the BCS. That includes how many champs returned starting quarterbacks, lost coordinators and would have made an expanded 12-team playoff. There's a big picture discussion here about the challenges of repeating, and a smaller picture investigation of what the Buckeyes have back and need to navigate to do it. Also, time for another KOTN Showdown. This time it's a Big Ten vs. Big 12 battle as the guys decide if they'd rather be Rutgers or Kansas in 2025. Plus Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Can only college football blue bloods win nattys? Play-in games, CFB Marvel movies | Ask KOTN May 26, 2025

Can teams jump up to college football blue blood status, and can programs not considered blue bloods win national titles? That's one of the questions in this Ask KOTN mailbag on Kings of the North. This Monday show is not live because of the holiday, but we are glad you're here as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis take questions and comments, analyze feedback on Ohio State noon games, and entertain suggestions for making the show even better. Thanks for joining Kings of the North, which will be back live on Wednesday at noon eastern on YouTube.

Big Ten vs. SEC: From Ohio State-Georgia to Michigan-LSU, 16 battles over elite teams, better depth May 21, 2025

In the expanded College Football Playoff era, will conference depth matter more than it did before? And is the Big Ten ready to compete with the SEC when it comes to not only elite teams at the top, but better teams in Tiers 2 and 3? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at the playoff history of conference depth, and come up with some surprising answers. Then it's 16 showdowns of the Big Ten and SEC, running from the top to the bottom of those conferences, to determine which has more elite teams and better depth. From Ohio State vs. Georgia, to Oregon vs. Alabama, to Michigan vs. LSU, to Illinois vs. Ole Miss, to Indiana vs. Tennessee, how does the Big Ten stack up? Finally, Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking wraps up the show. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Ohio State's Noon problem | Nebraska-Washington Showdown | College football offseason winners May 19, 2025

Which college football teams won the offseason? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Adam Rittenberg to run through offseason winners from Oregon to Utah, from Penn State to Illinois. Then it's onto another KOTN Showdown, as Doug and Bill Landis debate two teams with sophomore quarterbacks who could be ready to break out. That's Washington and Demond Williams Jr. and Nebraska and Dylan Raiola. Who would you rather be in 2025? But to start the show, Doug looks at the history of FOX broadcasting big games at noon, and what could or should be done about Ohio State fans feeling like the Buckeyes are on at noon too much. Doug has the numbers and a solution. Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.

New College Football -- The South bends a knee to The North | BYU-Indiana Showdown | Is Bama back? May 14, 2025

It's time for another college football KOTN Showdown as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis pit BYU and Indiana against each other as upstarts from 2024 who are trying to, and could, continue their program momentum with runs at the playoff in 2025. Who would you rather be this season? But first, Doug is joined by Connor O'Gara of Saturday Down South. O'Gara has to admit that Doug is a genius for one of his takes last season, then it's a discussion of whether the South can admit that the North is now on the same level when it comes to college football winning and depth. Then a couple Southern teams to watch are discussed, including Alabama, Georgia and LSU. Finally, Doug and Bill wrap things up with Whatcha, including society's difficulty with Uranus. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Would you rather be Notre Dame or Penn State in 2025? | Bill Belichick disaster | 16-team playoff? May 12, 2025

College football is considering a 16-team playoff, and to start this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break down what that would mean for the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC, and how it would affect fans from when it comes to scheduling and getting more great college football games in a season. Then it's the first KOTN Showdown of the offseason, as Doug and Bill compare two similar Northern programs and decide who they would rather be in 2025. To kick it off, it's a rematch of a College Football Playoff semifinal from 2025 and two programs with real national title goals -- Notre Dame and Penn State. Finally, the Bill Belichick mess at North Carolina leads to a discussion about what other teams can learn from it, and the audience chimes in on some Perfect QB and All-Transfer team picks from last week. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Finding College Football's Transfer Portal Stars for 2025: 23 best additions for Penn State & more May 07, 2025

Which players from the 2025 transfer portal will be the stars that help shape Northern college football this fall? On this Kings of the North, Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises look at the most impactful Northern transfers from 2024 to help get a handle on 2025. And then they run though the 23 Northern portal additions they think will make the biggest differences for their teams this season. That's receivers for Penn State and Iowa State, safeties for Oregon and Notre Dame, defensive linemen for Ohio State and Michigan, offensive linemen for Colorado and Michigan State, and more. Plus Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Michigan expected to suspend Sherrone Moore | College football perfect QBs — Has your team had one? May 05, 2025

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore will be suspended for two games in the 2025 college football season, ESPN reported Monday. What's it mean for the Wolverines? Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss it to open this Kings of the North. Then it's onto the heart of the show -- has your Northern college football team had a perfect QB in its history? Based on winning, stats, big plays and legendary aura, has the title of the best QB in your program's history been locked down? Or is it there for the taking? For our 28 Northern teams, the show theorizes that 15 of them have in fact had a perfect quarterback, 9 of them maybe have, and 4 of them have not and are wide open for that title to be taken. From Doug Flutie at Boston College to Marcus Mariota at Oregon, from debates at Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan to open opportunities at Illinois and Indiana, join KOTN for the search for the perfect QB.

Oregon, Illinois, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Utah: Offensive lines on top and under pressure Apr 30, 2025

Four offensive lines in Northern college football are primed for great seasons in 2025. Another three are in pretty good shape. And then a lot of them are under pressure, as Kings of the North dives into the trenches on this episode. You'll learn: • Which teams are working the transfer portal for O-linemen • What kind of transfers have the most success on the offensive line • Which teams handled offensive line injuries last year and which struggled • How important is great offensive line play to winning What teams have major questions at the position group heading into this season Plus an early look at the 2026 NFL Draft and how many Northern players are projected in the first round, plus Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

How the NFL Draft is completely changing college football's QB marketplace | North draft wins Apr 28, 2025

Shedeur Sanders was the biggest story of the 2025 NFL Draft, but Quinn Ewers was the quarterback lesson that should have the greatest lasting effect on college football. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at the one thing that did NOT happen in this draft for college quarterbacks and what that means for the future of third-year college football quarterbacks like Arch Manning and Sam Leavitt and for second-year quarterbacks like Julian Sayin and C.J. Carr. Is the entire landscape for college football quarterbacks changing even more than we realized? Then Doug and Bill look at the full numbers for the NFL Draft: That includes how the North did overall and some position groups where the North surprisingly won the draft and others where the South had the edge. Finally, it's some other lessons, including one about what happened with draft picks, or lack of picks, for BYU and Utah and what that means for the 2025 season. It's what the draft means for college football, not what college football means for the draft, and it's all here on Kings of the North. Thanks for joining us.

2025 NFL Draft: Busting SEC myths as Northern talent wave hits | Ohio State, Michigan draft records Apr 23, 2025

The SEC and the South used to dominate the NFL Draft. But those days are over -- though not many people will tell you the truth about that. On Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis explode Southern draft myths while explaining how the Northern talent wave is already here and will continue. From development to keeping North talent home, they dive into the reasons this is happening. Then from Michigan and Ohio State to Iowa State, Penn State and Notre Dame, they look at the biggest stories in the 2025 NFL Draft in the North -- including a run of very interesting quarterbacks. Bradley Locker of PFF.com also stops by to explain some of his recent research that revealed SEC draft busts. Then the guys run through the most productive Northern draft teams of the last decade, and those that are in a drought. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Transfer portal winning and losing: Strategy for Indiana, Oregon, Notre Dame, Iowa State & more Apr 21, 2025

The transfer portal window for the spring is wide open in college football, and Kings of the North isn't looking just at what's happening, but at what are the right ways to go about winning in the portal. On this KOTN, from Oregon, Indiana and Colorado relying heavily on transfers last year, to Iowa, Utah and Iowa State barely doing anything in the portal a year ago, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all the numbers and results from Northern teams in the portal in 2024 to find what lessons should be learned. Who's doing the same thing this year, and which teams are changing their portal strategies? Plus Max Olson of ESPN.com visits to share his portal knowledge on how important the spring widow really is, what teams are doing the best job in the portal, which positions have the most value and whether the Nico Iamaleava transfer from Tennessee to UCLA is a one-off or a sign of things to come. As always, thanks for joining Kings of the North.

The rise of Michigan's Bryce Underwood and myth of SEC quarterbacks: Why CFB QB rankings are wrong Apr 16, 2025

Michigan true freshman Bryce Underwood seems poised to seize the starting job for the Wolverines in 2025, and if he does, where might he fit in the hierarchy of best college football quarterbacks? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at and take apart the consensus rankings of the best returning quarterbacks in college football. Southern QBs are overrated and too many Northern quarterbacks are left out. But more importantly, young quarterbacks across the North from Michigan to Notre Dame to Ohio State to Oregon to Maryland are poised to potentially make big leaps this year and shake up the quarterback landscape. Underwood tops that list, and the guys then dive into the recent history of true freshmen starting quarterbacks and find eight in the last decade that might serve as the best comparisons for Underwood. Among them -- Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Ohio State and secrets to WR success | Nico Iamaleava -- Who should take him? | P.J. Fleck interview Apr 14, 2025

Ohio State has created an receiver pipeline and it's a huge part of the Buckeyes' success. How do they do it, what can other teams learn from it, what other teams have been elevated by great receiver play, and do your NEED great receivers to win at the highest level in college football? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into the stats and strategies of dominating a position group, while looking at teams like Penn State, Notre Dame, BYU, Iowa State, Syracuse, Clemson and others in the process. Then it's a visit with Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck, who talks about the Gophers' playoff aspirations, how much Koi Perich might actually play on both sides of the ball, the development of the quarterback room, and their strategy for retaining and developing talent in the NIL and portal world. Finally, it's a discussion of which Northern teams should possibly be interested in adding Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava and whether his move is a huge shift in college football or a one-off. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College Football Playoff locks and dark horses: Notre Dame? Utah? | Ohio State wraps up 5-star WR Apr 02, 2025

What college football teams are already locks for the 2025 College Football Playoff? What teams are the greatest contenders to be the next Indiana, SMU or Arizona State to come from off the radar? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis each drop three locks and three dark horses for this season. Plus, there's news from around college football on a 5-star receiver prospect reaffirming his pledge to Ohio State, a couple teams beefing up in the trenches, BYU wrapping up spring football, and Kirby Smart complaining about something else. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College football Southern frauds from Georgia to LSU to USC to Miami | Northern CFB bracket champ Apr 01, 2025

Frauds or Fearsome? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis play that game with college football teams across the South. Gotta keep an eye on those guys. From Georgia to Miami, from Clemson to Texas, from LSU to USC, the Doug and Bill run through 14 Non-Northern teams in rapid fire succession and decide whether anyone in the North needs to worry about them this season. Plus it's the conclusion of the bracket for the Most Important Person in Northern College Football. The Final Four is Penn State coach James Franklin, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Minnesota safety Koi Perich. Who will take home the crown? To start the show, it's a roundup of Northern college football news, including the new contract for Colorado's Deion Sanders. And should we have done an April Fool's Day prank? Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • News around the north (03:00) • Fearsome or fraud of southern teams (32:00) • Most important northern person final four and champion (1:19:10)

Spring football updates around The North | Young Oregon stars | Most Important Defensive Players Mar 26, 2025

From quarterback play at Syracuse to offensive line action at Pitt, from young stars at Oregon to a receiver search at Utah, from Nebraska offensive plans to Indiana pass protection, Kings of the North takes you around Northern spring football on this episode. Then it's the fourth region of our Most Important Person in Northern Football bracket. This time, Bill Landis has 16 seeds for Defensive Players in The North, and he and Doug Lesmerises have to pick a winner. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Penn State's title hopes all on James Franklin? | North coaching bracket | Michigan, Georgia issues Mar 25, 2025

Penn State coach James Franklin is entering Year 12 leading the Nittany Lions, with his best chance at a national title yet. But there haven't been many modern coaches who won their first national title in Year 12. Is Franklin ready to lead a natty run this season? Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss that. They also open the show with their latest region for their Most Important Person in Northern College Football bracket -- and it's coaches. Franklin is in there, but what other Northern coaches -- head coaches and assistants -- will most define this season? They run through 16 options. Finally, it's a look at several issues around college football from the legal problems of a former Michigan assistant, the continuing arrests of Georgia players, and the departure of the Maryland athletic director. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Most important northern coach region (09:00) • Can James Franklin win a title after being at Penn State for over a decade? (01:06:30) • News around the north (01:40:48)

College Football coach 5-year plan | Jeremiah Smith, Nick Singleton, Dane Key and offensive stars Mar 20, 2025

Where will your college football coach be in five years? Only 11 of our 28 Northern coaches were in their current jobs five years ago, so on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look to 2030 and guess who the head coaches will be then. Will your coach be around? If not, who might be a replacement? Then it's the second region in our bracket of Most Important People in Northern College Football in 2025. Last show we did quarterbacks. This show, it's all the other offensive players, from running backs to offensive linemen to receivers. Who are our 16 seeds? Who will win the region? And to finish, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • News around the north (03:40) • The 5-year coach test - will each coach still be at their northern school in 2030? (12:30) • Non-QB offensive player region for most important northern player (01:02:00) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:35:40)

Best quarterback bracket | Saving spring football | Deion's big idea | Solving AD controversies Mar 18, 2025

Which college football quarterbacks will have the greatest impact on the North in the 2025 season? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis unveil their first bracket of the spring, and it's the 16 Northern quarterbacks with the chance to affect this season the most. With the help of the audience, they'll produce a bracket winner. But first, it's a look at which teams are having spring football games and which aren't. Are that many teams really doing away with them? What about an interesting suggestion from Colorado head coach Deion Sanders? How would Bill and Doug save spring football? Finally, it's a look at which Northern football powers are doing it best on the basketball court? And why is the South kicking the North's butt there? Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • What to do with spring games? (09:20) • Should teams play against each other (10:30) • Spring game solutions (35:30) • Most important quarterback for 2025 season bracket (46:10) • Football-basketball power balance (1:33:00)

Early college football recruiting winners | Clemson invasion | All 28 Northern team win totals Mar 12, 2025

It's a college football recruiting reset for the Class of 2026, from a Clemson invasion to Oregon's national reach, from Northern victories in the South to Kansas wins in its homestate, from Maryland five-stars to quarterback commits at Penn State, Michigan State, Notre Dame and more. Join Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis for a spin through Northern recruiting on this Kings of the North. Then, all win totals are now set for the 2025 season, which gives Doug and Bill time to fully dive into all Northern squads, including the glut of teams with an over-under of 7.5 wins: BYU, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and Washington. Plus Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking, where Doug brings a visual aid. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Class of 2026 recruiting trends (03:30) • Maryland looking for two 5-star prospects (14:00) • Clemson invading the north (24:00) • Early QB commits (28:24) • North-south recruiting trends (34:30) • Kansas locking down its home state (37:25) • Oregon recruiting around the country (40:00) • Breaking down every northern team and their win total (50:10) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:24:45)

Will Eddie George change Bowling Green and the MAC? | Football trades for Michigan, Iowa, Pitt, etc. Mar 10, 2025

It's college football trades on Kings of the North, as the rosters of teams like Michigan, Pitt, Kansas State, Iowa, Texas, Ohio State, Clemson, Penn State and Oregon are examined and some tweaks found ... if only college football allowed trades. It's a version of transfer portal movement where teams on both sides get something. But Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis had more trouble with the trades this season than they did a year ago, and they think they know why. Plus, Eddie George was introduced as the new head coach at Bowling Green on Monday morning. The guys examine what the former Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner might do for the Falcons and the MAC. Will a MAC team ever make the College Football Playoff? Will the best coaches in that league move on the way so many did in the past, from Brian Kelly to Dino Babers? What's the state of the MAC and what can George do about it? Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Bowling Green hires Eddie George (01:15) • What can Eddie George do for the MAC? (09:00) • Will the MAC ever make the college football playoff? (39:30) • College football trades (50:00)

College Football Playoff 2025 projections, from Penn State and BYU to Michigan and South Carolina Mar 05, 2025

The 2025 College Football Playoff is less than 10 month away, so how could Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis not have playoff picks on the board yet? They are fixing that on this episode of Kings of the North, putting their first 12-team brackets on record. How many North teams? How many South? How many locks? Who are the off-the-radar contenders like Indiana and Arizona State turned out to be last year? They also review their five different playoff projections through the course of 2024 to help you figure out how much you should trust them. And there's a discussion of the new College Football Playoff committee members, and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Six new members of CFP selection committee (03:30) • Look back at Doug and Bill predictions for 2024 CFP before spring football last year (22:00) • Doug and Bill top 4 seeds for 2025 CFP (53:40) • Doug and Bill first CFP bracket for 2025 (1:05:45) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:19:45)

College football spring breakouts at Penn State, Maryland, Oregon, Nebraska, Syracuse, Kansas & more Mar 03, 2025

Spring football has started at West Virginia, BYU and Kansas, with other Northern schools starting this week. On Kings of the North, that means a dive into 10 potential breakout players to watch this spring. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis chose players from Oregon, Nebraska, Maryland, Kansas State, Penn State, Ohio State and Syracuse, among other schools. Should you trust their spring breakout picks? A year ago, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith were two of the players they discussed. Plus a look at some Northern players who stood out at the NFL Combine, including a couple of Iowa State Cyclones. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • ACC agreement update (06:45) • First 5 players to watch during spring football (14:00) • NFL Combine notes (36:05) • Recapping our 2024 players to watch during spring football (55:40) • Final 5 players to watch during spring football (01:04:00)

College football playoff seeding compromise? | Northern teams stacked with most returning production Feb 26, 2025

Which Northern college football teams are bringing back the most and the least from last season? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at the teams returning a lot (Illinois, Rutgers, Michigan, Cincinnati) and a little (Syracuse, Oregon, West Virginia). Plus more talk of changes to the College Football Playoff seeding, some NFL Combine updates, and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Northern news (01:30) • 2025 returning production - who has the most returning production? (21:30) • Who has the least returning production for 2025? (53:40) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:05:25)

Texas in the Big Ten | No 12-team CFB Playoff | Brian Kelly still at Notre Dame | Change One Thing Feb 25, 2025

College football changes on moments, from wins and losses to coaching swaps, from transfers to conference realignment decisions. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis decide to Change One Thing with recent Northern college football history, from Texas joining the Big Ten to Brian Kelly staying at Notre Dame to Michael Penix staying at Indiana to big wins for Kansas State, West Virginia, Michigan and others with title implications. Thanks for joining Kings of the North for this quick version of some alternate histories. Chapters: Change one thing - • The Pac-12 stays alive (05:00) • Nick Saban stays at Michigan State in 1999 (14:10) • BYU beats Arizona State in 2024 (22:20) • Oregon or Kansas State make the 2012 title game (28:00) • 2024 is still a 4-team college football playoff (36:40) • Texas joins the big ten in 2010 (43:55) • Iowa hires Bob Stoops instead of Kirk Ferentz (50:55) • Michigan beats Ohio State in 2016 (59:20) • Justin Fields attends Penn State (1:06:41) • West Virginia beats Pitt in 2007 (1:11:00) • Michael Penix stays at Indiana (1:18:15) • Ohio State makes the 2017 CFP over Alabama • Wisconsin beats Ohio State in 2017 big ten title game (1:22:50) • Brian Kelly stays at Notre Dame (1:31:25) • Ohio State beats Georgia in 2022 CFP semifinal (1:36:25)

Will College Football Playoff seeding change? | Six true title contenders? | Most annoying coaches Feb 20, 2025

From head coaches on the hot seat to college football teams that should be happy with their head coaches; from college football seeding changes to the number of true national title contenders; from Northern first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft to the best first-year coach of 2025; Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis face 10 college football truths on this episode of Kings of the North. Plus Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking to wrap up the show. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • True or false on 10 statements about college football (02:15) • Statement 1 (02:44) • Statement 2 (25:20) • Statement 3 (31:00) • Statement 4 (35:30) • Statement 5 (45:05) • Statement 6 (48:35) • Statement 7 (59:00) • Statement 8 (1:03:05) • Statement 9 (1:06:50) • Statement 10 (1:10:15) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:15:00)

College football's best quarterbacks for 2025 | Is Big Ten-SEC playoff control bad for CFB? Feb 18, 2025

Big Ten and SEC leaders are meeting again this week to discuss (and determine) the future of the College Football Playoff. From guaranteed bids to the size of the field to adjusting conference championship weekend, more changes are on the table. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break down all the possibilities and discuss how much freaking out is in order. Then it's a draft of the best Northern quarterbacks, plus some possible Southern quarterbacks to fear. From returning starters like Penn State's Drew Allar, Kansas' Jalon Daniels and Michigan State's Aidan Chiles, to ready-made transfers like Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Iowa's Mark Gronowski and Wisconsin's Billy Edwards, to rising young QBs like Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Michigan's Bryce Underwood and Minnesota's Drake Lindsey, Doug and Bill discuss and draft what the North has to offer in 2025 at QB. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Inbounds/out-of-bounds: SEC and Big 10 should lead the CFP discussion (09:00) • Inbounds/out-of-bounds: The playoff should move to 16 teams in 2026 (14:20) • Inbounds/out-of-bounds: Conference championship weekend should change (20:30) • Inbounds/out-of-bounds: SEC should play 9 conference games (30:00) • Inbounds/out-of-bounds: SEC/Big 10 should play a series (34:40) • Inbounds/out-of-bounds: ACC and Big 12 should play a series (39:45) • Drafting the best QB situations in the North (52:00) • Drafting the best QB situations in the South (1:57:50)

Ohio State hires Matt Patricia | Notre Dame, Penn State, OSU, Oregon -- Who will win more games? Feb 12, 2025

College football win totals are the topic of the day on Kings of the North, including a discussion of four Northern teams that are projected at 10.5 regular-season wins. Among Oregon, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State, which teams will go over and which will go under that number? Plus other win total predictions on Michigan, Iowa, Alabama and more. And Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking to wrap up the show. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Four northern teams with win totals set at 10.5 (02:45) • Review of 2024 win total picks (44:10) • Doug's 2025 college football win total picks (49:30) • Doug and Bill's 2025 college football win total picks (56:00) • Bill's 2025 college football win total picks (1:05:00) • Matt Patricia hired as Ohio State's defensive coordinator (1:08:20)

Ultimate Northern Schedule: Ohio State to BYU to Boston College | Notre Dame takes Penn State coach Feb 10, 2025

Starting with Kansas State-Iowa State in Ireland, through Ohio State-Michigan, Oregon-Washington and Nebraska-Iowa to end the season, Kings of the North gives you its Ultimate Northern Schedule on this episode. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through the best game each week of our 28 Northern teams, finding the greatest variety of great Northern action. There are 25 of the teams represented on this schedule (sorry to the other three) as Doug and Bill plot out what could be some of their travel schedule this season and let you know how the college football season will unfold. Plus, Northern news including more coaching movement involving Penn State, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Colorado and more. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • News around northern football (03:00) • Ultimate northern schedule for 2025 season weeks 0-7 (40:30) • Ultimate northern schedule for 2025 season weeks 8-14 (1:09:15)

Ohio State promoting Brian Hartline? | How to hire a CFB coordinator | Big 12 schedule bangers Feb 05, 2025

What's the best way to hire an offensive or defensive coordinator in college football? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at Ohio State's coordinator decisions to dive into a deeper discussion of the best strategies, with some lessons learned from Nick Saban. And yes, there seems to be a plan that has the most success. Also, the full Big 12 schedule is out and the guys look at the biggest and best games. Plus some other news from around Northern football, and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Chip Kelly leaves Ohio State | Nebraska cancels spring game? | All-North stars | Cram-O-Meter Review Feb 03, 2025

From Travis Hunter to Mason Graham, from Jeremiah Smith to Jeremiyah Love, from Abdul Carter to Tez Johnson, Kings of the North names its All-North first and second teams on this episode. That also includes a debate over the King of the North award for the best Northern player. Also on this show, final Performance Review rankings for all 28 teams, and news around Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State, Nebraska maybe canceling its spring game, Senior bowl standouts and the future of the ACC. Plus, a South Cram-o-Meter Year in Review. Thanks for joining Kings of the North Chapters: • Ohio State losing 3 assistant coaches (03:30) • Nebraska to cancel their spring game? (10:15) • ACC agrees to new network deal with ESPN (13:45) • Who stood out at the senior bowl? (18:30) • Performance Review recap (21:30) • Cram-o-meter season in review video package (29:55) • KOTN first team defense (54:00) • KOTN second team defense (57:50) • KOTN first team offense (1:04:00) • KOTN second team offense (1:11:55) • King of the North debate (1:29:00) • King of the North winner is (1:42:00)

Comparing Ohio State & Michigan Natty teams | Reviewing Oregon, Illinois, Iowa State, Indiana & more Jan 30, 2025

Oregon, Penn State, Indiana, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, BYU, Illinois and Iowa State finish off the Kings of the North 2024 College Football Performance Reviews on this episode. Those are the KOTN teams that put together the best seasons, so corporate headquarters should be pleased. But first, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis take a moment to compare the 2023 Michigan and 2024 Ohio State National Championship teams. How did they stack up statistically, in talent and on their paths to titles? Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Comparing Ohio State to Michigan championship teams (01:40) • Oregon 2024 season performance review (30:45) • Syracuse 2024 season performance review (39:13) • Penn State 2024 season performance review (45:00) • BYU 2024 season performance review (52:30) • Notre Dame 2024 season performance review (01:00:00) • Ohio State 2024 season performance review (01:08:20) • Iowa State 2024 season performance review (01:14:40) • Indiana 2024 season performance review (01:20:30) • Illinois 2024 season performance review (01:26:45)

Michigan fights back on Connor Stalions allegations | Reviews of Nebraska, Kansas State, Pitt & more Jan 29, 2025

It's Part 2 of College Football Performance Reviews on this Kings of the North, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis rate the seasons of Iowa, Kansas State, Utah, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pitt, Boston College, Northwestern and Maryland. But first, Michigan has responded to the NCAA over the allegations of sign stealing. Doug and Bill discuss what Michigan said in its response, how the rest of The North is reacting, and the important item that relates to the start of the investigation. Thanks as always for being part of KOTN. Chapters: • Michigan's response to the NCAA (01:20) • Who was the tipster? (03:00) • Sherrone Moore deleted texts (08:21) • What advantage gained? (14:44) • Kansas State 2024 Performance Review (39:40) • Minnesota 2024 Performance Review (47:30) • Nebraska 2024 Performance Review (54:30) • Pitt 2024 Performance Review (01:01:40) • Utah 2024 Performance Review (01:08:30) • Maryland 2024 Performance Review (01:14:00) • Iowa 2024 Performance Review (01:19:00) • Boston College 2024 Performance Review (01:23:30) • Northwestern 2024 Performance Review (01:30:00) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (01:35:50)

Rating the 2024 CFB season | Reviews for Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, etc | ACC schedule bangers Jan 28, 2025

The ACC released its schedule Monday night, and Kings of the North looks at the biggest games and most important weeks for Notre Dame, Syracuse, Boston College and Pitt. Then it's the start of 2024 Performance Reviews, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis will review and rate all 28 of their Northern teams, starting on this episode with Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Kansas, Rutgers and Colorado, among others. Then it's a quick look at other Northern college football news. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • ACC schedule release (02:30) • Washington 2024 performance review (21:30) • Michigan 2024 performance review (27:10) • Colorado 2024 performance review (33:10) • Wisconsin 2024 performance review (40:10) • Michigan State 2024 performance review (45:36) • Kansas 2024 performance review (52:40) • Rutgers 2024 performance review (59:37) • Cincinnati 2024 performance review (1:06:40) • Purdue 2024 performance review (1:13:15) • West Virginia 2024 performance review (1:15:26) • Ryan Day on Jimmy Fallon (1:22:00)

Jim Knowles from Ohio State to Penn State | North coordinator moves for Washington, Nebraska & more Jan 27, 2025

Penn State hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from Ohio State and made it official on Monday. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at what this move means for both schools -- and their November matchup in Columbus. But then the guys go beyond that, looking at every coordinator move this offseason for their 28 Northern teams. That's 56 coordinators -- how many do you think have changed? And what do we learn from the idea that the offensive coordinators were fired and the defensive coordinators were stolen away? Thanks for joining Kings of the North -- it's great to be back! Chapters: • Jim Knowles leaves Ohio State and heads to Penn State (06:00) • What does this mean for Penn State? (25:36) • What does this mean for Ohio State? (35:30) • Defensive coordinator changes in the north (57:15) • Offensive coordinator changes in the north (1:36:00)

Ohio State beats Notre Dame: National Championship postgame reaction as the Buckeyes are CFB kings Jan 21, 2025

Ohio State and Notre Dame completed a Northern takeover of Atlanta on Monday for the College Football Playoff National Championship. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis come to you live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium with postgame reaction and on-the-scene team celebrations from a second straight Northern national champ. If you're talking Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Northern college football, you want to do it with Kings of the North. Thanks for being part of it with us, and what a way to end this season.

Ohio State-Notre Dame final National Championship thoughts, picks and capes Jan 20, 2025

Ohio State and Notre Dame battle for the National Championship on Monday night and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here with final thoughts, capes and crowns on KOTN. Nine other media members swing by to give quick keys for the game and picks. And there’s an emotional final Cram-o-Meter for the season. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. And see you after the game for a live postgame show.

Ohio State-Notre Dame College Football National Championship Picks and Preview: Buckeyes or Irish? Jan 19, 2025

Will the Ohio State Buckeyes or Notre Dame Fighting Irish claim College Football's National Championship on Monday night in Atlanta? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis, after gathering news and vibes in Atlanta for two days and checking out both teams for more than a week, finally make their picks. It's a Big Game Breakdown on both sides of the ball, with the key offensive and defensive matchups. But first, Ryan Day and Marcus Freeman gave a final check-in on where their teams stand, and KOTN brings you their most interesting thoughts. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • News and vibes from head coaches news conferences Sunday morning (04:00) • Ohio State offense vs Notre Dame defense (24:00) • Notre Dame offense vs Ohio State defense (47:00) • National championship game picks (1:25:40)

College Football Playoff National Championship Game: News and Vibes from Ohio State and Notre Dame Jan 18, 2025

Ohio State and Notre Dame went through media day on Saturday in Atlanta, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis were there to gather all the news and vibes from the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish. On this Kings of the North, catch everything you need to know to get ready for Monday's National Championship. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Why Ryan Day and Marcus Freeman are winning | Indiana center Mike Katic breaks down Buckeyes & Irish Jan 17, 2025

Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman were both young, internal hires with no head coaching experience. What does it mean for college football coaching that they are meeting in the national title game? And how does Jim Tressel affect both of them? And where does Dabo Swinney fit in that conversation? Doug Lesmerises delves into that on this Kings of the North. Then Indiana center Mike Katic joins the show to break down the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish — the only two teams the Hoosiers lost to this season. Plus, life in a tiny visitors locker room. Then Tyler Shoemaker and Doug suggest their bets for the title game, as TShoe has been on top of Notre Dame all season. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • How Ryan Day got here (02:20) • How Marcus Freeman got here (16:20) • Mike Katic joins KOTN to breakdown Ohio State and Notre Dame (38:15) • Tyler Shoemaker gives his best championship bet suggestions (1:12:25)

How Ohio State and Notre Dame got here | Key moves that pushed Buckeyes and Irish to the title game Jan 16, 2025

From recruiting to coaching hires, from big wins to injuries overcome, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish did a lot right to get to Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship Game. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis pick the 10 key moves and moments for the Buckeyes and the Irish on their paths. It's inside the building of championship teams. Plus, the latest news from Notre Dame interviews. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • How Notre Dame got to the national championship game (06:30) • How Ohio State got to the national championship game (43:30)

College Football Playoff Teams -- Who's Next in The North? From Nebraska to Illinois to Utah Jan 15, 2025

The College Football Playoff has seen seven of our 28 Northern teams the last two years -- Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Oregon and Indiana this season and Michigan and Washington last season. Which of the other 21 Northern programs will be next to make the playoff? And of the seven that have made it, how often should we expect to see them in future playoffs? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis each pick five Northern teams for Who's Got Next, and give their thoughts on the staying power of other Northern teams. Plus a report on the latest National Championship interviews at Ohio State, and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • News and notes from Ohio State coach and player interviews (03:00) • Teams we should expect to be College football playoff regulars (27:05) • Teams that we think could be next to make the College football playoff (42:50) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:22:40)

College football domination: 10 reasons the North took over the sport | South Cram-O-Meter Jan 14, 2025

College football is getting back-to-back Northern national championship games, and with Ohio State-Notre Dame following Michigan-Washington from last year, Kings of the North is here to remind you of the Top 10 reasons the North has taken over college football. But first, Doug Lesmerises runs through some news and notes for the national title game. Then Doug and Bill Landis lock in their South Cram-O-Meter for this week and note how rare it has been to get two Northern teams facing off for it all. Then Dan Wetzel joins Doug to run through the first five reasons the North has taken over, and Doug finishes off the show with the final five reasons. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • National championship news and notes (02:40) • South cram-o-meter (15:15) • Dan Wetzel joins KOTN (33:00) • First 5 reasons why the north dominated this season (36:16) • Final 5 reasons why the north dominated this season (1:13:08)

Ohio State vs. Texas Instant Reaction: Cotton Bowl win sends Buckeyes to national championship game Jan 11, 2025

Live from the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl, Bill Landis joins Doug Lesmerises to talk about Ohio State's win over Texas. From the scene to the scheme, Bill and Doug break it all down on this Kings of the North, as we head toward a Northern title game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Thanks for joining KOTN Late Knight on Kings of the North

Ohio State-Texas great game potential | How will Notre Dame handle national championship game? Jan 10, 2025

Will Ohio State or Texas be the opponent for Notre Dame in the college football national championship game? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis give final previews of the Cotton Bowl semifinal, final thoughts on Notre Dame’s win and talk about the overall state of Northern football. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Penn State vs. Notre Dame Instant Reaction: Live from the Orange Bowl, Northern showdown breakdown Jan 10, 2025

Penn State vs. Notre Dame was a Northern football celebration, and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dig into everything that happened between the Nittany Lions and the Fighting Irish and what it means for the national title game. Thanks for joining us on Kings of the North, and make sure to come back Friday night for the Ohio State-Texas postgame after the Orange Bowl.

Ohio State-Texas Cotton Bowl Picks: Will the Buckeyes dominate this College Football Playoff semi? Jan 09, 2025

It's a Cotton Bowl Big Game Breakdown live from Dallas, as Ohio State-Texas is previewed and picked by Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises. Will the Ohio State defense handle Texas QB and former Buckeye Quinn Ewers? Will WR Jeremiah Smith get loose against the Longhorns? Plus some best bets for the semifinals from Tyler Shoemaker. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • News and vibes from the Cotton Bowl (01:15) • Ryan Day vs Steve Sarkisian (13:40) • Ohio State-Texas series history (36:40) • Big game breakdown of Ohio State offense vs Texas Defense (44:00) • Texas offense vs Ohio State defense (58:00) • Tyler Shoemaker with CFP semifinal best bets (1:13:40) • Doug and Bill picks for the Cotton Bowl (1:37:00)

Picks for Notre Dame-Penn State Orange Bowl: Preview live at the College Football Playoff semifinal Jan 08, 2025

Penn State vs. Notre Dame offers a Northern banger at this College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl, and Kings of the North is live in South Florida to break it all down. On this KOTN, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis react to the latest news from Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Penn State coach James Franklin, including the status of star Penn State defender Abdul Carter. Then they break down both sides of the ball and make their picks for the game. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and check out our Cotton Bowl Preview of Ohio State-Texas on Thursday. Chapters: • News and vibes heading into the Orange Bowl (03:00) • Marcus Freeman vs James Franklin (14:05) • Big game breakdown (37:00) • Penn State offense vs Notre Dame defense (41:00) • Notre Dame offense vs Penn State defense (1:01:40) • Orange Bowl picks (1:14:50) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:20:15)

Is Southern college football in trouble? | Orange Bowl/Cotton Bowl live info & vibes | Portal action Jan 08, 2025

Kings of the North has arrived for both the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl, and on this episode, Doug Lesmerises brings you live vibes and info on Penn State-Notre Dame in South Florida, while Bill Landis does the same for Ohio State-Texas in Dallas. But first, Steven Godfrey of Who Killed College Football joins the show to discuss whether the SEC is in trouble and why college football overall is thriving. Then it's news and notes from Penn State and Notre Dame interviews, thoughts on Texas QB Quinn Ewers and his first year spent at Ohio State, the championships won by other Northern college football teams this season, and portal news for Iowa, Purdue, Oregon and NFL decisions for Illinois. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Steven Godfrey joins KOTN. What now for the SEC? (03:00) • Is college football thriving? (32:30) • Vibes from the Cotton Bowl including Quinn Ewers facing his old team (43:00) • Vibes from the Orange Bowl (1:00:00) • Northern football, home of champions (1:14:30) • Northern football news (1:19:30)

How Ohio State, Notre Dame & Penn State built championship rosters | North dominates South in bowls Jan 06, 2025

In college football's bowl season, the North dominated the South in every way, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here to break all of that down on another Kings of the North. Big week ahead with live coverage from the Cotton and Orange Bowls, but first, a look at how the North went 6-1 against the South in P4 postseason matchups. That leads into the South Cram-o-Meter. Then it's a look at how all four College Football Playoff semifinal teams -- Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Notre Dame -- built their rosters. From transfers to 5-stars, from youth to experience, we break down exactly how these teams got here. Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • North dominates bowl season (04:00) • South cram-o-meter (26:30) • 3 keys to the College football playoff structure (41:00) • More reaction to Notre Dame beating Georgia (51:50) • Building semifinal rosters (1:02:35)

Notre Dame vs. Georgia Instant Reaction: Notre Dame wins 23-10 to advance to playoff semifinal Jan 03, 2025

Notre Dame beat Georgia in a Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal, and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises reacts to the 23-10 Northern win live from the Superdome. That’s three Northern teams in the semifinals as Notre Dame joins Ohio State and Penn State, which means, yes, the North rules college football. Thanks for joining Kings of the North on KOTN Late Knight.

Ohio State vs. Oregon Instant Reaction: Buckeyes dominate Rose Bowl to advance to playoff semifinal Jan 02, 2025

Ohio State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, jumping out early behind freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith and then rolling to victory. The Buckeyes avenged their regular-season loss to Oregon and advanced to a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Cotton Bowl against Texas. On this Kings of the North, Bill Landis live in Pasadena and Doug Lesmerises break down the game between two Northern powers and touch on the Longhorns' win over Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Catch you Thursday for another postgame show after the Sugar Bowl.

Penn State vs. Boise State Instant Reaction: PSU punches ticket to College Football Playoff semis Jan 01, 2025

Penn State put away Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday night to advance to a College Football Playoff semifinal against the Notre Dame-Georgia winner. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss the Nittany Lions' win, Boise State's fight, Abdul Carter's injury and more. Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and see you after the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night.

Oregon-Ohio State Preview and Picks for the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Dec 31, 2024

It's Oregon vs. Ohio State in a Rose Bowl quarterfinal in the College Football Playoff and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here to break it down on Kings of the North. Bill is live in California covering the game and leads the conversation on this rematch between the Ducks and Buckeyes, won by Oregon the first time by a point at home. Now the Buckeyes are slight favorites. What are the key matchups and the picks in this game? Plus a quick preview and picks for the Texas-Arizona State Peach Bowl quarterfinal. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. And don't miss the Sugar Bowl preview in a separate show, and the Bets of the North show suggesting wagers for all four quarterfinals.

Notre Dame-Georgia Preview and Picks for the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Dec 31, 2024

The Sugar Bowl matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia gets the Big Game Breakdown treatment on this Kings of the North. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dissect both sides of the ball as the Fighting Irish and Bulldogs prepare to meet in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal on New Year’s Day. Plus Doug, live in New Orleans for the game, gives the latest news and updates from Tuesday morning’s news conference with head coaches Marcus Freeman and Kirby Smart. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Best Bets on Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Oregon Dec 30, 2024

What are the best College Football Playoff quarterfinal bets on the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl? On this Bets of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker give their favorite bets for each of the four quarterfinals, leaning on some underdogs, some bets by quarter and some team totals involving Penn State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Oregon and more. Thanks for joining Bets of the North.

Ohio State-Oregon Rose Bowl, Notre Dame-Georgia Sugar Bowl Live Reports | Penn State-Boise Breakdown Dec 30, 2024

Ohio State-Oregon at the Rose Bowl and Notre Dame-Georgia at the Sugar Bowl -- Kings of the North reported live from both events on Monday. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break down the ball talk and vibes talk from those two College Football Playoff quarterfinal sites in Los Angeles and New Orleans. Plus it's a Big Game Breakdown of the first quarterfinal that will be played on New Year's Eve between Penn State and Boise State. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Vibes from the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl (02:45) • Doug reports from the Sugar Bowl media day (34:00) • Bill reports from the Rose Bowl media day (42:40) • Sean McDonough joins KOTN (56:38) • South cram-o-meter (1:08:40) • Fiesta Bowl breakdown with penn state vs boise state (1:13:50)

Transfer Portal Action from Nebraska, Michigan and Notre Dame to Kansas, Ohio State and Colorado Dec 26, 2024

Transfer portal moves for all 28 Northern teams, from Nebraska, Notre Dame and Kansas, to the quarterbacks added by Indiana, Colorado and Wisconsin, are analyzed in this episode of Kings of the North. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis also look at the latest round of Northern bowl games involving Pitt, Rutgers, Kansas State, Boston College and more, but the focus is the roster building going on right now, with this transfer window closing on Saturday. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Reseeding The College Football Playoff | South Cram-o-Meter | Does The North have the 4 Best Teams? Dec 23, 2024

The eight teams left in the College Football Playoff -- how would you rank them 1 through 8? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis offer their playoff reseeding ideas and discuss whether it's something that can actually happen. Does the North have the four best teams left? Plus the South Cram-o-Meter, Northern news and notes, and a look at Northern dominance in the FCS, Division II and Divisions III playoffs. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Should reseeding the playoff be done? (04:30) • Doug and Bill rank the remaining 8 teams (07:30) • South cram-o-meter (43:40) • News from around the country (1:07:40) • North dominating playoffs on all levels (1:28:22)

Ohio State -Tennessee College Football Playoff reaction | Penn State dominates SMU in State College Dec 22, 2024

Three College Football Playoff first-round games are wrapped up on this Saturday KOTN Late Knight. The focus is on the Ohio State-Tennessee primetime battle in Columbus and the big Penn State early afternoon win over SMU. Plus Texas beat Clemson. Doug Lesmerises was in State College, Bill Landis was in Columbus and both are on this show to bring you their in-person impressions on two huge Northern playoff games. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Notre Dame beats Indiana | Live KOTN reaction in South Bend to the 12-team College Football Playoff Dec 21, 2024

The 12-team College Football Playoff debuted in South Bend, Ind. on Friday night and Kings of the North was there. With Bill Landis taking in Notre Dame-Indiana in person and Doug Lesmerises holding down the fort in Pennsylvania while preparing for Penn State-SMU on Saturday, Late Knight KOTN reacts to the Fighting Irish handling the Hoosiers and advancing to a Sugar Bowl quarterfinal against Georgia. How good are the Irish? What were the vibes like for this historic game? How should this Indiana be viewed? All that and more on this KOTN, and get ready to join us again on Saturday night after Ohio State-Tennessee.

College Football Playoff Bets on Ohio State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Indiana, Clemson and more Dec 20, 2024

From Ohio State-Tennessee to Notre Dame-Indiana, from Penn State-SMU to really liking Clemson against Texas, Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker cover all the betting angles for first-round College Football Playoff Games on Bets of the North. The guys suggest a bet each on those four games, plus TShoe has a couple bowl suggestions and they look at a few early lines on potential quarterfinal matchups. Should you bet on Clemson-Arizona State now? Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

College Football Playoff and National Champion Picks | Penn State-SMU Preview | Oregon gets stronger Dec 19, 2024

Penn State-SMU is the fourth College Football Playoff first-round game to get previewed on Kings of the North, as Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises give the Nittany Lions and Mustangs a Big Game Breakdown on both sides of the ball. That's followed by the latest transfer portal news, which includes Oregon filling both holes at offensive tackle for 2025. Then it's time, finally, for Doug and Bill to make their playoff picks. They give score predictions for all four opening games and then fill out their brackets all the way through and choose their national champions. Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and see you for Late Knight postgame shows on both Friday and Saturday. Chapters: • SMU vs Penn State big game breakdown (01:30) • College football news (43:40) • Indiana vs Notre Dame pick (58:10) • SMU vs Penn State pick (1:07:20) • Clemson vs Texas pick (1:10:53) • Tennessee vs Ohio State pick (1:15:25) • Bill's full playoff bracket (1:24:00) • Doug's full playoff bracket (1:24:20)

College Football Playoff Ohio State-Tennessee Preview | Ryan Day vs. Josh Heupel | Coaching news Dec 18, 2024

Ohio State vs. Tennessee in a College Football Playoff first-round matchup gets the Big Game Breakdown treatment on this Kings of the North episode. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into the Buckeyes vs. the Volunteers on both sides of the ball. But first, Steven Godfrey joins the show to discuss Ryan Day's place in the coaching world, what the vibes are like for Tennessee and the SEC entering the playoff, and all the latest coaching hire news. The show wraps with Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Steven Godfrey joins KOTN to discuss where Ryan Day is in the coaching world (05:30) • Tennessee vibes heading into Saturday (16:25) • Tennessee vs Ohio State big game breakdown (44:25) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:33:20)

Notre Dame vs. Indiana College Football Playoff Preview | Could Clemson upset Texas? | Portal news Dec 17, 2024

Notre Dame vs. Indiana on Friday kicks off the first 12-team College Football Playoff and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into a Big Game Breakdown of the Fighting Irish and Hoosiers on both sides of the ball. Then there's some discussion about the mid-day Saturday playoff game between Clemson and Texas before Shehan Jeyarajah of CBSSports.com joins the show to really dive into the Longhorns. Plus some transfer portal news on Michigan, Nebraska, Utah, Penn State, Colorado. Washington State and more. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. And don't forget to join our bowl and bracket pool at PoolPartyGaming.com. Chapters: • Join the KOTN bowl pick 'em and playoff bracket (02:00) • News around the north (04:10) • Indiana vs Notre Dame big game breakdown (09:30) • Clemson vs Texas game discussion (59:00) • Shehan Jeyarajah joins KOTN (1:13:30)

College Football Playoff: From quarterbacks to coaches, ranking 12 playoff teams in 12 categories Dec 16, 2024

KOTN Playoff Bracket and Bowl Pick 'Em: https://poolpartygaming.com/ The 12 teams in The College Football Playoff are compared and ranked in 12 categories from best quarterback, best coach, and most defensive dudes to red-zone touchdown rate. and offensive success rate on this Kings of the North. Doug and Bill rank the teams from 1-12 in 12 categories then total everything up to give you their idea of the best teams in the playoff. Plus more transfer and coaching news, including one Northern playoff team losing a key contributor to the portal right now. Thanks for joining KOTN. Chapters: • News around the north include the quarterback situation at Penn State (03:20) • Ranking the 12 playoff teams based off 6 different statistical categories (18:20) • Ranking the 12 playoff teams based off 6 different subjective categories (45:30) • Overall team rankings of the 12 playoff teams (1:36:30) • More northern news (1:42:00)

College Football Transfer Portal -- which Northern teams need portal QBs? | KOTN Bowl Pool Info Dec 12, 2024

KOTN Playoff Bracket and Bowl Pick 'Em: https://poolpartygaming.com/ From Iowa to Utah, Wisconsin to Notre Dame, Oregon to West Virginia, Kings of the North looks at the quarterback situations for all 28 of their Northern teams on this episode. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis figure that: • 14 Northern teams have potential returning starters • 6 Northern teams have backups on the roster ready to step into the job • 8 Northern teams have to find a starter in the portal For 2024, 13 Northern teams found their starting quarterbacks in last offseason's transfer portal -- and 11 of those worked out pretty well. So the portal could change your team's fortunes. Plus information on the free KOTN Bowl Pool and Playoff Bracket contest that we'd love you to join. And news and notes from around college football. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Rich Rodriguez hired as West Virginia's head coach (01:50) • Join the KOTN playoff bracket and bowl pick 'em (10:20) • TShoe's early bowl suggestions (20:00) • Army-Navy game predictions (26:40) • 2025 QB situations for teams' with a returning starter (38:45) • QB situations for teams' with a starter in place (1:08:20) • QB situations for teams' who need to hit the portal (1:24:45) • Northern news (1:47:00)

College Football Playoff Outrageous Predictions | Why Ohio State-Tennessee is so intriguing Dec 11, 2024

College Football Playoff Predictions are confidently made on this Kings of the North as Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises are joined by Ari Wasserman of On3 to dive into the 12-team field. They look at their predicted playoff brackets from the last week of October and see where they went right and wrong. They wonder why their Heisman predictions from then were so easy. And then they give two outrageous predictions, their playoff team dark horse, and the playoff game they are most excited to see, including Ohio State-Tennessee and a Notre Dame-Penn State semi. Plus portal news and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Michigan hires Chip Lindsey (01:50) • Nebraska promotes John Butler (08:48) • Northern football news update (13:15) • Ari Wasserman joins the show (21:00) • Playoff dark horses (43:15) • Games we are most excited for (1:01:30) • Outrageous playoff predictions (1:08:15) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:25:15)

College football playoff fixes and TV power | Playoff quarterbacks | Do we have an Alabama problem? Dec 10, 2024

What does SMU over Alabama tell us about the power of TV in the college football playoff selection process? And what does the Alabama complaining since then tell us about Bama’s place in the sport? On this Kings of the North, Steven Godfrey opens the show with Doug Lesmerises to discuss that. Then Doug is joined by Dan Wetzel to debate what we’ve learned about the 12-team structure now that the field is in. Who wants 14 teams? Finally, Doug looks at the Carson Beck injury for Georgia and the quality of the QBs in the playoff, and runs through some more portal and NFL news in Northern player movement. Thanks for joining KOTN. Chapters: • Steven Godfrey on does college football have an Alabama problem? (05:10) • TV influence on the playoff committee (15:40) • Dan Wetzel on if this playoff structure works (37:00) • Do conference champs deserve byes? (48:05) • Will we get to 14 teams? (52:00) • Is Boise State seeded too high? (57:50) • Carson Beck injury status (1:06:40) • Playoff quarterbacks (1:11:20) • News around the north (1:20:50)

College Football Playoff Most Dangerous Players | Transfer Portal action | Best bowls | Purdue coach Dec 09, 2024

In the 12-team College Football Playoff, which players have the capabilities to propel their teams to victory? From Penn State to Notre Dame, Ohio State to Oregon, Indiana to Boise State, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis each pick their most dangerous player in each region on this Kings of the North. Plus Purdue hired a new coach, the transfer portal is open and active, and there are a ton of interesting Northern bowl matchups to run through. The guys do all of that, plus the South Cram-o-Meter. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Most dangerous players in the Oregon region (07:10) • Most dangerous players in the Arizona State region (14:05) • Most dangerous players in the Georgia region (20:30) • Most dangerous players in the Boise State region (25:44) • South cram-o-meter (28:55) • Coaching news around the north (48:40) • Portal news around the north (1:09:20) • North vs North bowl games (1:23:04) • North vs border bowl games (1:31:00) • North vs south bowl games (1:34:50)

College Football Playoff bracket announcement | 12-team field reaction and analysis Dec 08, 2024

The 12-team College Football Playoff is out and Bill Landis and Doug Lesmeriss are here to react to all the matchups, especially the seeding for the six Northern teams in the field: No. 1 Oregon, plus Boise State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana. Stick with Kings of the Northern for coverage all the way through the playoff from a Northern point of view. Because The North rules college football and The South can cram it. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College Football Playoff projections | Oregon-Penn State Big Ten showdown | #SECtion title game Dec 08, 2024

The College Football Playoff will announce its 12-team bracket on Sunday afternoon. Here on Saturday night, Kings of the North takes you inside conference championship weekend and what they think that means for the bracket. Live from Indianapolis, where they took in the Oregon-Penn State showdown in the Big Ten Championship Game, Doug and Bill take you through Iowa State's loss in the Big 12, Georgia's win in the SEC, Boise State's win in the Mountain West, Army's win in the American Athletic, Ohio's win in the MAC, and the late night matchups in the Big Ten and in the ACC between Clemson and SMU. Thanks for joining KOTN Late Knight on Kings of the North.

Betting Overs in Conference Championship Games | Gambling plays on Iowa State, Louisiana, and Miami Dec 06, 2024

The Big Ten Championship Game and ACC Championship Game are two of the matchups this weekend where Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises have betting suggestions on this episode of Bets of the North. The guy are licking their wounds after a rough Rivalry Week, but they remain ahead on the season in their betting to give money to FeedingAmerica.org. They are back with two more real money bets this week and some other best bets. Also, Doug and TShoe review their preseason win total bets and where they were right and wrong -- and there was more right than wrong. Thanks for joining Bets of the North.

Oregon-Penn State Big Ten Picks and Preview | Miami-Ohio MAC title | Boise State-UNLV Mountain West Dec 05, 2024

The Big Ten Championship Game battle between No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State gets the Big Game Breakdown on this Kings of the North, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into this matchup between the Ducks and Nittany Lions. Then its breakdowns of the Mountain West title game, with a playoff spot on the line for Boise State and UNLV, and the MAC title game between Miami (Ohio) and Ohio University, with the Bobcats chasing history. Plus a few other conference title games and a final breakdown on our regular-season picks success this season. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Big Ten championship breakdown (02:00) • Big ten championship picks (34:55) • Mountain west championship picks (40:55) • MAC championship picks (53:45) • AAC championship picks (1:08:30) • Sun Belt championship picks (1:12:05) • Conference USA championship preview (1:15:00) • Fantasy results for the season (1:17:45) • Regular season record final standings (1:19:30)

Why Iowa State will make Big 12 history | Georgia-Texas Breakdown | Playoff and recruiting reaction Dec 04, 2024

New College Football Playoff rankings and National Signing Days news means that the Kings of the North have a lot to react to on this Wednesday show. But it's also time to start breaking down games for conference championship weekend. So Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis offer a Big Game Breakdown on the Big 12 Championship Game between Iowa State and Arizona State, with history on the line for the Cyclones. The guys also make picks for the SEC title game between Georgia and Texas (does someone really have to win?) and the ACC title game between SMU and Clemson. Plus signing day flips and why the North doesn't need to be flipping out over the playoff. And of course, Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Northern recruiting news on national signing day (01:30) • Latest reaction from the college football playoff bracket (03:10) • Kirk Campbell out as Michigan's offensive coordinator (10:40) • SEC Championship game preview (13:15) • ACC championship preview (27:50) • Big 12 championship preview (39:00) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:16:50)

National Signing Day recruiting preview -- North vs. South | Rivalries in the 12-team playoff era Dec 03, 2024

National Signing Day is Wednesday, and Kings of the North breaks down the recruiting battles between the North and the South like no one else does. Of course the South has a numbers edge, but how big is it? Is the North gaining or falling back? And how much does recruiting matter for winning? Then Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by Dan Wetzel to discuss what rivalry weekend in the first year of the 12-team playoff told us about the state of college football. Also, are the conference championship games this week giving us what we want? Finally, it's a check on the KOTN preseason Big Ten poll and what the voters got right and wrong when it came to title game picks and players of the year. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • North vs South recruiting with national signing day tomorrow (01:30) • Northern recruiting ranks nationally (19:00) • Biggest northern recruiting news (29:30) • Dan Wetzel joins the show (39:30) • Rivalries in the 12-team playoff era (41:00) • How good are the conference championship games? (1:04:00) • Revisiting the KOTN Preseason poll (1:15:15)

CFB playoff field predictions | West Virginia, Purdue fire coaches | Strong Northern finishes Dec 02, 2024

The College Football Playsoff field has taken shape and Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Indiana are ready to play for it all. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at the final remaining playoff questions entering Conference Championship Week. Then they discuss the firings of Neal Brown at West Virginia and Ryan Walters at Purdue and what’s ahead for those teams. Finally, it’s a look at the Northern teams who finished strongest to go out on a high note. Plus the South Cram-o-Meter! Thanks for joining KOTN. Chapters: • Neal Brown fired from West Virginia (07:20) • Ryan Walters fired from Purdue (28:10) • K.C. Keeler hired by Temple (39:32) • Projecting the college football playoff field (44:52) • Other college football playoff topics (50:55) • South cram-o-meter (1:09:45) • Northern teams that finished strong (1:20:30) • Northern teams that struggled to finish the season (1:35:40)

Michigan shocks Ohio State | Penn State, Notre Dame, Indiana grab playoff spots | Syracuse KOs Miami Dec 01, 2024

Michigan's 13-10 upset of No. 2 Ohio State sent shockwaves through Northern football as the Wolverines leaned on their defense and special teams to beat the Buckeyes for the fourth straight time. Across the rest of The North, a bunch of teams handled necessary business, including Penn State's rout of Maryland, Notre Dame's win at USC, and Indiana's mashing of Purdue in a rivalry game setting up those three winners to make the College Football Playoff. No. 1 Oregon also did what was needed in its rivalry game with Washington, as the Ducks will now face the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship. Syracuse won an ACC shootout with Miami to end their regular season at 9-3 and knock the Hurricanes out of the ACC title game, and maybe out of the playoff. Meanwhile, the Big 12 race came down to the wire with Iowa State, BYU and Colorado fighting for a title game spot opposite Arizona State. Other Northern winners going out on top in the regular season included Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers, Iowa, Boston College, and Utah. Doug and Bill squeeze as much of that as they can into this Week 14 version of KOTN Late Knight. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Betting Kansas to keep it rolling | Another SEC upset ready to cash | Notre Dame, Cincinnati bets Nov 28, 2024

Bets of the North hit the Florida upset of Ole Miss last week, and there's another SEC underdog that Doug is taking a swing on this week. But the big bet is where Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker need a cash after getting busted by Iowa State last week. The call here? The red-hot Kansas Jayhawks. Find out why. With both guys ahead on their individual best bets for the year and with the real money column still nearly $1,000 up, take in betting advice on Illinois, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Texas, Syracuse and Jacksonville State as well. Thanks for joining Bets of the North and Happy Thanksgiving.

Ohio State-Michigan Big Game Breakdown | Oregon-Washington, Notre Dame-USC | Thanksgiving sides Nov 27, 2024

Ohio State-Michigan gets the Big Game Breakdown treatment from Doug and Bill on a third day this week of Northern game previews on Kings of the North. Oregon-Washington, Penn State-Maryland, Notre Dame-USC, Indiana-Purdue, Illinois-Northwestern, and Rutgers-Michigan State are also previewed and picked. Plus there’s another upset call in the SEC playoff picture. Then it’s Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking on Thanksgiving sides and more. This is the last full KOTN this week before the Saturday night postgame show at 11 eastern. Catch Bets of the North on Thursday morning. Thanks for joining KOTN. Chapters: • First set of game picks (02:30) • Michigan vs Ohio State big game breakdown (43:40) • Cram it game picks (1:20:50) • Fantasy picks for week 14 (1:27:00) • Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:31:12)

Syracuse-Miami offensive explosion ahead | Massive Farmageddon showdown | Playoff race breakdown Nov 26, 2024

Syracuse-Miami and Iowa State-Kansas State get the Big Game Breakdown treatment on this Kings of the North, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis continue to preview Northern games in Week 14. This episodes focuses on the ACC and Big 12 Northern games, including Boston College-Pitt, BYU-Houston, and Kansas-Baylor, with the Big Ten previews coming Wednesday. Also, Doug lays out the stakes for every playoff contender and team chasing a bowl berth. And the guys pick a couple SEC games and check in on a major MAC matchup between Miami and Bowling Green. Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • Conference races and playoff battles updates (02:10) • Teams that are locks for the playoffs, teams that need to win Week 14 and they are in and teams with a chance still at the playoffs (10:10) • Miami at Syracuse big game breakdown (19:30) • Kansas State at Iowa State big game breakdown (38:24) • More game picks (58:50)

Nebraska, Michigan, Kansas State show life | Playoff race | QB recruiting wins | South Cram-o-Meter Nov 25, 2024

College football Rivalry Week is here with the final week of the regular season, and Kings of the North is jumping right into some previews, as all three episodes this week will dive into Northern games of Week 14. Among the games previewed by Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis here are Nebraska-Iowa and the Paul Bunyan's Axe game between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Plus Doug and Bill tip the cap to some of the best under-the-radar performances from Week 13, by Michigan, Illinois, Kansas State, Boston College and Nebraska. Dan Wetzel also stops by to discuss which teams are truly in the national title race and which are in the playoff race. There's also a look at Northern quarterback recruiting, and how the North is stacking up in chasing five-stars. And, as with every Monday, sit back and enjoy the South Cram-o-Meter, which should be broken again. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Chapters: • Teams of the week for week 13 (05:15) • Teams that changed our mind (15:15) • Players of the week (23:20) • South cram-o-meter (31:00) • Top 11.5 rankings after week 13 (33:35) • Dan Wetzel joins to talk about the national championship contenders and Bryce Underwood to Michigan (39:52) • Week 14 first game picks including Nebraska vs Iowa, Colorado vs Oklahoma State, Minnesota vs Wisconsin and Utah vs UCF (1:14:00)

Ohio State stifles Indiana | SEC crumbles | Kansas upsets Colorado | Penn State lives, BYU falls Nov 24, 2024

College football in the North got wild Saturday afternoon, as Penn State survived by a point on the road at Minnesota, BYU got field stormed twice in a loss at Arizona State, and Illinois and Rutgers traded final-minute TDs before the Illini prevailed on a fourth-down game-winner. But the day started in the North with No. 2 Ohio State smothering No. 5 Indiana in Ohio Stadium, beating the Hoosiers 38-15. But the playoff picture for Indiana remained pretty clear, thanks to an SEC upset as Ole Miss fell at Florida. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis cover all of that on this Kings of the North postgame show, plus Notre Dame-Army, Iowa State-Utah, Kansas State-Cincinnati and more. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Iowa State bet feels great after line move | 4-way play on BYU, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Michigan State Nov 22, 2024

Iowa State, BYU, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Syracuse are among the Northern college football teams that Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises are firing away on this week on Bets of the North. The guys bemoan their close Purdue miss on their $500 bet last week, and celebrate their big victory on their plus money swing. And they're back to bet another $600 in real money (including a $25 bet that had Doug begging for forgiveness from TShoe) as they continue to try to make money to donate to Feeding America. Thanks for joining Bets of the North from Kings of the North

Penn State-Minnesota, Colorado-Kansas, Notre Dame-Army, Nebraska-Wisconsin & more Week 13 CFB Picks Nov 21, 2024

From Penn State-Minnesota to Illinois-Rutgers, Nebraska-Wisconsin to Notre Dame-Army, Colorado-Kansas to BYU-Arizona State, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis preview and pick all the Northern college football games on this Thursday episode of Kings of the North. The Ohio State-Indiana preview of that Top 5 game was on the Wednesday show, but this edition still features six Northern playoff contenders to analyze (Penn State, Notre Dame, Colorado, BYU, Iowa State). Plus Pitt-Louisville, Cincinnati-Kanas State, Purdue-Michigan State, Iowa-Maryland, Northwestern-Michigan, North Carolina-Boston College and an upset pick in a Cram It Game in the South. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Chapters: • First set of game picks including Penn State at Minnesota (04:50) • Julian Lewis commits to Colorado (16:40) • Second set of game picks (49:20) • Final set of game picks (1:21:00) • Fantasy picks for week 13 (1:36:10)

Ohio State-Indiana Big Game Breakdown | Inside Buckeyes, Hoosiers offensive machines | OSU OL injury Nov 21, 2024

Indiana at Ohio State is another Northern college football banger, the third Top 5 matchup involving the Buckeyes this season as the No. 4 Hoosiers take on the No. 2 Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium on Saturday. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break down both sides of the ball for this big game, as the two most efficient offenses in the power conferences take the field. Ohio State must do it after sustaining another major injury on the offensive line. Then Indiana writer Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star joins the show to put this historic matchup in the winningest season in Indiana history in context. Then it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Busting SEC myths | Getting NFL money for college football | Big 12, Boise State playoff debate Nov 19, 2024

Georgia is actually right. It’s the rest of the SEC discussion that is wrong. Busting myths about the SEC in the College Football Playoff debate is a priority on this Kings of the North.
Doug Lesmerises and Steven Godfrey dig into that to start the show, before Doug digs in deeper at the end of the show. Doug and Steven also discuss the Boise State-Big 12 playoff seeding debate and whether the NFL should be paying college football.
Then Dan Wetzel joins to talk Army and Navy football in the portal era leading into the Army-Notre Dame game this week. Then off the new Indiana football commitment to coach Curt Cignetti — should every P4 team prioritize football over basketball, even traditional hoops bluebloods?
Then Doug wraps with the final SEC myth busting.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Steven Godfrey joins the show to talk SEC media worst-case scenarios (01:30)
• The race for the last playoff bye (25:00)
• Dan Wetzel joins the show (37:30)
• Should everyone try and be good at football? (47:10)
• Army and Navy as G5 contenders (1:02:10)
• Bustin SEC myths for the college football playoff (1:21:00)

Northern college football coaches succeeding and failing | Curt Cignetti payday | Wisconsin firing Nov 18, 2024

From Colorado's Deion Sanders and Oregon's Dan Lanning, to Indiana's Curt Cignetti and Penn State's James Franklin, to Syracuse's Fran Brown and West Virginia's Neal Brown, Northern college football coaches are getting rated on this Kings of the North.
With Cignetti getting paid over the weekend, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis use the results of Week 12 to guide their evaluations of all 28 Northern college football coaches this season.
Plus, their Top 11.5 rankings and the South Cram-o-meter. Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.

Oregon escapes at Wisconsin | Notre Dame playoff vibes | Ohio State, Penn State, Colorado rolling Nov 17, 2024

From Oregon-Wisconsin to Penn State-Purdue, from Colorado-Utah to Ohio State-Northwestern, from Notre Dame-Virginia to Kansas State-Arizona State, the biggest college football games involving Northern teams are covered on this KOTN Late Knight show with Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis.
Plus ... SEC players are cold when it's 55 degrees?
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Hammering Penn State on two big bets | Best bets on Washington, Kansas, Florida, Notre Dame Nov 15, 2024

Off another college football betting win, Bets of the North likes Penn State to take care of business this week.
Now 7-4 on the season on their $500 bets, Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker turn toward the Penn State defense against Purdue for this major wager. Then it's a parlay with more on the Nittany Lions and a Big 12 team that could be in for an upset.
Finally, with TShoe coming off a 4-0 week on his best bets, the guys like Florida, Louisiana, Washington, Notre Dame and Kansas, among others.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Upset alerts: BYU, Kansas State | Week 12 Picks for Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Illinois and more Nov 14, 2024

Week 12 college football picks and previews fill this Kings of the North as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dig into 19 games, including eight between Northern teams: Iowa State-Cincinnati, Oregon-Wisconsin, Colorado-Utah, Ohio State-Northwestern, Illinois-Michigan State, Penn State-Purdue, Rutgers-Maryland and Kansas-BYU.
Can Boston College, with a new starting QB, upset the Big 12 race at SMU? Can Pitt do the same at home against Clemson? What will happen in Nebraska-USC as both teams show off new offensive looks? Will Notre Dame continue to roll against Virginia?
Plus a quick look at the Cram It Game of the Week between Tennessee and Georgia.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Will Oregon win a national title? | How would an Oregon-Ohio State rematch go? | Army RB Kanye Udoh Nov 13, 2024

Oregon is the undefeated No. 1 team in the country -- so are the Ducks headed toward a national title? On this Kings of the North, Yogi Roth of Y-Option and the Big Ten Network joins Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis to discuss Oregon's success, head coach Dan Lanning and whether the Ducks are entrenched as a new power.
Then Doug and Bill ponder what a second Oregon-Ohio State game might look like.
Army running back Kanye Udoh of the 9-0 Black Knights, who are ranked No. 16 in the nation, then joins the show to talk about their undefeated season with a game against Notre Dame looming on Nov. 16.
Then it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Yogi Roth joins KOTN to talk all things Oregon (03:49)
• Will Oregon be a modern power? (21:00)
• Is Oregon the best team in the country? (29:00)
• Has West coast travel affected big ten teams? (32:40)
• Is USC in trouble? (35:40)
• What would an Ohio State - Oregon rematch be like? (42:45)
• Reaction to the 2nd college football playoff rankings (1:03:20)
• Army running back Kanye Udoh interview (1:13:15)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:30:40)

College football's biggest upsets | Deion Sanders vs. Kirby Smart | Power polls vs. rankings Nov 12, 2024

College football's biggest upsets this season have happened in one area -- The South. Doug Lesmerises runs through them all and how they should affect the view of the second College Football Playoff Rankings that will be released Tuesday night. Along those lines, gambling expert Tyler Shoemaker from our Friday Bets of the North show stops by to talk Power Ratings vs. Rankings and how somebody with an eye on Vegas thinks about the sport's best teams.
Dan Wetzel joins the show, as he does every Tuesday, to discuss how Deion Sanders at Colorado and Kirby Smart at Georgia are affecting the sport this season.
Plus Punt and Block of the Week from Bill Landis, and Doug's Overrated Southern team of the week.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Bad losses by ranked teams (03:10)
• Tyler Shoemaker on power polls vs rankings (12:15)
• Dan Wetzel joins the show about Deion Sanders and Colorado (35:30)
• Is Kirby Smart bad for college football? (1:00:20)
• Bill's punt and block of the week (1:15:22)
• Overrated southern team of the week (1:17:30)
• News around the north in college football (1:20:00)

Utah-BYU madness | West Virginia, Rutgers, Kansas, Colorado, BC tell haters to cram it | Pitt hosed Nov 11, 2024

From West Virginia and Colorado to Boston College, Kansas and Rutgers, Northern teams assumed at various times this season to be done rose up with big wins on Saturday.
And that doesn’t even include BYU’s wild comeback against Utah in the Holy War.
It all made for a great Week 11 in college football and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are talking greatest players, toughest teams and biggest moments in Northern CFB on Kings of the North.
Plus The South Cram-o-Meter and Top 11.5 rankings.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• BYU vs Utah game recap (02:45)
• Categories including games we are glad we saw, teams of the week, and teams that got us excited (20:24)
• South cram-o-meter (54:40)
• Remaining weekly categories (1:00:30)
• Top 11.5 rankings (1:45:00)

Miami, Georgia lose | Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana, Notre Dame handle Northern business Nov 10, 2024

Miami was exposed as a fraud and Georgia exposed as a myth in college football losses on Saturday as the top two Southern teams in the College Football Playoff rankings went down.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss that on KOTN Late Knight on Kings of the North, while noting how the top-ranked Northern teams that played before late night on Saturday all handled their business.
That's No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Penn State, No. 8 Indiana and No. 10 Notre Dame all chalking up wins.
Again, GEORGIA AND MIAMI LOST.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Betting Notre Dame to smash Florida State for $500 | Kirbo Parlay | Bets on Indiana, Boston College Nov 08, 2024

Why Notre Dame is the play against Florida State is the focus of Bets of the North this week, as Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker are still more than $1,200 ahead for charity off their initial $5,000 bankroll.
The guys also like a parlay against Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, and they explain best bets they like involving Cincinnati, West Virginia, Minnesota, Boston College, Indiana, UConn, Army and more.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Will Indiana stomp Michigan? | Watch out for Colorado | Holy War, White Out, Cuse-BC | Week 11 Picks Nov 07, 2024

From Indiana-Michigan to West Virginia-Cincinnati, from Penn State-Washington to Syracuse-Boston College, from Minnesota-Rutgers to BYU-Utah, there are a load of interesting All-North bangers ready to kick off in college football's Week 11.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through them all with previews and picks on this Kings of the North, with other focuses on Colorado's major Big 12 chance at Texas Tech; Iowa State on alert against Kansas; and opportunities for playoff contenders from Oregon to Ohio State to Notre Dame to impress the committee with big wins.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• First set of game picks (05:25)
• Second set of game picks (48:25)
• G5 game pick and cram it game picks (1:33:15)
• Fantasy picks for week 11 (1:42:00)

College football playoff reactions for Penn State, Indiana, BYU and more | Coaching hot seats Nov 06, 2024

The first College Football Playoff rankings are out with Oregon at No. 1, and where Penn State, Indiana, BYU, Ohio State, Iowa State and other Northern teams landed are on the minds of Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis.
They’ll also talk about the arrival of MACtion this season with mid-week games underway, and they also wrap the show with Whatcha Watching. Eating and Thinking.
But the show starts with Doug and Steven Godfrey talking the state of college football coaching and the carousel and where changes could come.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• The state of college football coaching with Steven Godfrey (03:00)
• Coaches on the hot seat (33:30)
• College football top 25 rankings reaction (41:20)
• The return of Maction (1:07:15)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking ( 1:14:10)

Inside BYU's stunning season | Tiebreaker nightmares | The Playoff Committee hole | Best Punt/Block Nov 05, 2024

How did BYU wind up at 8-0 and in the driver's seat for a College Football Playoff spot in a season where even a 6-6 record would have bene viewed as success? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises is joined by BYU reporter Mitch Harper of KSL Sports to go inside the Cougars' stunning success.
Then Doug and Dan Wetzel cover some potential tiebreaker nightmares now that conferences have rid themselves of divisions. And Olympic sports are fighting for funding? What's the answer there?
Also, Brian Fremeau of BCFToys.com, who has been analyzing college football from the mathematical side of things for more than a decade, joins Doug to talk about his CFB formula and the hole that he believes exists in the College Football Playoff Committee.
Plus Punt and Block of the Week and Overrated Southern Team of the Week.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Mitch Harper interview about BYU (07:00)
• Dan Wetzel segment talking tiebreaker problems and funding olympic sports (32:45)
• Bill's punt and block of the week (1:07:27)
• Overrated southern team of the week (1:09:25)
• Brian Fremeau interview (1:14:03)

From Indiana and Nebraska to Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame: College football smart/dumb takes Nov 04, 2024

Preseason predictions on Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, West Virginia, BYU, Utah, Pitt, Nebraska, Notre Dame and more Northern teams are under the microscope on this Kings of the North. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis revisit the dumbest and smartest things they said about this college football season and why they were right or wrong.
Plus trying to think like College Football Playoff Committee members with the Top 11.5 rankings, and the South Cram-o-Meter is back with lots to talk about thanks to Texas A&M and more.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Ohio State's big win | Big 12 chaos with Kansas State, Iowa State losses | Pitt-SMU Nov 03, 2024

Ohio State beat Penn State 20-13 in a 3-4 matchup on Saturday. Oregon lost a key player but handled its business at Michigan. Upset losses for Iowa State and Kansas State scrambled the Big 12 race. Indiana continued its dominant ways against Michigan State. And Pitt and SMU played a primetime ACC game that mattered a lot to the College Football Playoff picture.
Run through it all on KOTN Late Knight with Doug and Bill.

College Football Best Bets on Nebraska, Syracuse, Kansas State, Army, Iowa State, Vanderbilt & more Nov 01, 2024

The college football best bets still have Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises more than $800 ahead from their initial real money $5,000 bankroll on Bets of the North.
The guys lost their $500 bet last week, but hit their Plus Money Swing, and they are back this week with betting thoughts and picks on Kansas State, Nebraska, Syracuse, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Army and more.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Penn State-Ohio State Big Game Breakdown | Pitt-SMU, Iowa State-Texas Tech, Illinois-Minnesota, etc. Oct 31, 2024

No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 4 Ohio State gets the Big Game Breakdown as Kings of the North opens with Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis diving into this Top-5 Big Ten matchup and investigating both sides of the ball and the two head coaches, PSU's James Franklin and OSU's Ryan Day.
The guys pick that game and then move through other Northern previews and picks including Pitt-SMU, Indiana-Michigan State, Iowa State-Texas Tech, Kansas State-Houston, Nebraska-UCLA, Illinois-Minnesota, Iowa-Wisconsin, Northwestern-Purdue and more.
Plus the battle for the Dragon Statue.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Ohio State vs Penn State big game breakdown (03:15)
• Paul Finebaum talks about Doug Frenchbaum (48:50)
• Other game predictions (52:35)
• Fantasy picks for week 10 (1:37:15)

Oregon-Michigan preview | College Football Playoff predictions to blow your mind | Heisman favorites Oct 30, 2024

The College Football Playoff race is even more wild than you might imagine. With chain restaurant gift cards at stake, Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises are joined by Ari Wasserman to make 12-team playoff predictions for the end of the year that they are all willing to bet on. They do the same with the Heisman Trophy race, and pick lots of Northern names.
Plus Doug and Bill start with a Big Game Breakdown of Oregon-Michigan, and they wrap up with Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Oregon vs Michigan big game breakdown (01:30)
• Ari Wasserman joins to give final college football playoff predictions (35:50)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:43:25)

College Football Playoff — 10 most important games in race | Do we trust the committee? | QB news Oct 29, 2024

The College Football Playoff race is in the final month and Kings of the North runs through the 10 most important games of the regular season that will affect the race.
Then Doug Lesmerises and Dan Wetzel look at the playoff committee and the first rankings that will come out in a week. Is this the best way to do this?
Then it’s Punt and Block of the Week, Overrated Southern Team of the Week and news on some Northern QBs.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Playoff hopefuls (03:30)
• Top 25 teams with no ranked games remaining (09:30)
• Ten most important playoff race games remaining (15:00)
• Dan Wetzel on all things college football playoffs (35:00)
• Overrated southern team of the week (1:12:40)
• Bill's block and punt for week 9 (1:14:55)
• Northern news (1:17:00)

BYU, Pitt, Colorado reminders | Nebraska pride | Ohio State, Iowa questions | Minnesota dimes Oct 28, 2024

BYU, Pitt and Colorado put college football on notice with weekend wins, while the Ohio State-Nebraska game produced a winner with questions and a team in defeat that showed why it was proud of itself.
On this Monday Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis investigate the most interesting parts of Northern college football, including a possible quarterback change at Iowa, a Michigan response in a rivalry, Oregon continuing its roll and a Minnesota quarterback dropping dimes.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Nebraska nearly upsets Ohio State| Oregon, Notre Dame, Indiana, BYU dominate | Penn State-Wisconsin Oct 27, 2024

Ohio State barely survived against Nebraska on Saturday, holding on 21-17 in Ohio Stadium. Elsewhere in the Big Ten race, Oregon dominated Illinois in a Top-25 matchup and Indiana (with a backup QB) handled Washington. In a primetime showdown, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was forced to leave the game against Wisconsin with a knee injury.
So on this KOTN Late Knight, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through those games and reset the Big Ten race.
Notre Dame also put up a big win against Navy in another Top-25 game, and BYU (somehow as an underdog) stayed undefeated with a smooth win at UCF.
Plus Kansas-Kansas State, Michigan-Michigan State and more on Kings of the North.

College football's best teams vs. the spread | $500 on Penn State-Wisconsin | Ohio State best bet Oct 25, 2024

Which college football teams are the best against the spread the season? Army at 6-0-1 is the only FBS team undefeated on the betting lines, and they only pushed last week because Doug Lesmerises noticed it and jinxed them.
On this Bets of the North, Doug and Tyler Shoemaker run through the best teams vs. the spread and talk about what to do with winning teams like Indiana, BYU, Illinois, Navy and Iowa State.
Then it's on to their $500 real money bet on Penn State-Wisconsin (and why they are adjusting the line), plus a moneyline parlay and other best bets including on Cincinnati, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Pitt dominates Syracuse as Panthers defense goes Pick Six wild Oct 25, 2024

Pitt's defense picked off Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord four times in the first half Thursday night, returning three of them for touchdowns, as the Panthers dominated this major Northern football and ACC matchup.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis were on the scene and react live from Acrisure Stadium to Pitt moving to 7-0 on the season.

Oregon-Illinois, Ohio State-Nebraska, Penn State-Wisconsin Week 9 Picks | Can Navy beat Notre Dame? Oct 24, 2024

Notre Dame-Navy is unexpectedly a Top-25 matchup on Saturday, and it joins Oregon-Illinois and Boise State-UNLV in getting the Big Game Breakdown treatment from Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis on this Week 9 Picks and Previews show on Kings of the North.
Among the other games of interest are Michigan-Michigan State, Kansas-Kansas State, Penn State-Wisconsin, Indiana-Washington, Rutgers-USC and BYU-UCF.
Plus check Wednesday's show for major breakdowns of Pitt-Syracuse and Colorado-Cincinnati.
Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• First set of game picks including Penn State at Wisconsin, Nebraska at Ohio State, and Michigan State at Michigan (06:05)
• Notre Dame vs Navy big game breakdown (36:15)
• Illinois vs Oregon big game breakdown (48:30)
• Boise State vs UNLV big game breakdown (56:53)
• Final game predictions for week 9 (1:09:25)
• Fantasy picks for week 9 (1:29:30)

Can Boise State beat Georgia? | Pitt-Syracuse and Cincinnati-Colorado breakdowns | ACC, Big 12 races Oct 23, 2024

A major Group of 5 game looms on Friday night between UNLV and Boise State, plus there are huge and underrated games this week in the race for the ACC and Big 12 titles between Pitt and Syracuse on Thursday night and Cincinnati and Colorado on Saturday night.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises welcomes Steven Godfrey of Split Zone Duo to talk about Boise-UNLV and the hopes for the G5 in the 12-team playoff.
Then Doug and Bill Landis break down Syracuse at Pitt and Cincinnati at Colorado and how positioned the winners of those games might be to make a run at their conference titles.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Boise State vs UNLV preview (08:00)
• Could Boise State beat Georgia? (19:11)
• When will a 12 seed beat a 5 seed in the CFP? (25:00)
• Syracuse vs Pitt big game breakdown (47:15)
• Cincinnati vs Colorado big game breakdown (1:21:20)

Michigan problems vs. Alabama problems | Best and Worst Head Coach hires | Overrated Southern team Oct 22, 2024

National champion Michigan and modern dynasty Alabama are a combined 9-5 under first-year head coaches a year after making the College Football Playoff. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Dan Wetzel compare the issues in Ann Arbor and Tuscaloosa and discuss how much we should expect new playoff teams in the 12-team playoff era.
While looking at Sherrone Moore and Kalen DeBoer, Doug also examines all the first-year head coaches in FBS, from Indiana's Curt Cignetti to Michigan State's Jonathan Smith to Syracuse's Fran Brown and gives them a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs sideways.
There's also the Punt and Block of the Week from Bill Landis, Doug's Overrated Southern Team and some news from around Northern college football.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Best and worst coaching hires (03:00)
• Thumbs up coaching hires (07:30)
• Thumbs sideways coaching hires (22:00)
• Thumbs down coaching hires (26:00)
• Michigan vs Alabama problems (34:45)
• What 12-team playoff would have been in 2023 (58:45)
• New playoff teams (1:02:30)
• Bill's block and kick of the week (1:11:20)
• Overrated southern team of the week (1:13:40)
• Northern college football news (1:17:30)

College football undefeated teams -- The North dominates | Comeback heroes | Paths to bowl games Oct 21, 2024

Iowa State and BYU staged huge comebacks in Week 8 to stay undefeated, as The North continued to dominate the ranks of remaining teams without a loss.
On this Kings of the North, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt and Indiana join BYU and Iowa State as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis open with a discussion of the undefeated teams in college football.
They they run through every other group in The North: 1-loss teams, 2-loss teams, 3-loss teams and teams with losing records (there aren't many.)
So it's a reset of where every Northern team stands right now, from Ohio State and Cincinnati, to Washington and Pitt, to Colorado and Wisconsin.
Plus, it's Monday, and that means The South Cram-o-Meter.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Andy Ludwig resigns as Utah offensive coordinator (05:40)
• Regular season record updates on undefeated northern teams (23:00)
• Top 11.5 rankings (53:00)
• Regular season record updates on teams with losing records (58:57)
• Regular season record updates on teams with one loss (1:07:28)
• South cram-o-meter (1:21:44)
• Regular season record updates on teams with two losses (1:25:45)
• Regular season record updates on teams with three losses (1:36:00)

Indiana destroys Nebraska | Tennessee-Alabama is a joke | Michigan is done | Kansas State rolls Oct 20, 2024

The Indiana Hoosiers destroyed Nebraska 56-7 to make a College Football Playoff case on Saturday, and KOTN Late Knight is here to talk about it.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis also discuss:
• Illinois taking care of Michigan as the Wolverines' QB problems were not solved.
• Tennessee beating Alabama in a game where both teams looked terrible.
• Kansas State rolling over West Virginia in a result what was not great for Mountaineers' coach Neal Brown.
• The general turmoil in the SEC.
• Iowa State on the edge against Central Florida.
And more. For the best and most interesting discussions of Northern College Football, stick with Kings of the North.

Notre Dame, Colorado best bets | Iowa Hawkeyes as a juicy $500 play | Betting against Georgia again Oct 18, 2024

Betting against Georgia was a successful play for Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises last week, as their $500 bet on Mississippi State +34 against the Dawgs hit to make them 5-2 on real money $500 bets this year, and pushing their bank roll to more than $1,800 ahead.
Now they are back to bet against Georgia again as part of their Plus Money Swing. They like Iowa as a $500 bet this week, and there are some other best bets on Notre Dame and Colorado, among others.
Plus, Doug incorrectly cited Greek literature and danced like a mermaid.
Thanks for hanging out with Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Michigan revival? | Indiana-Nebraska playoff eliminator | West Virginia fun cringe | Week 8 picks Oct 17, 2024

College football Week 8 brings two major matchups in the strong middle of the Big Ten, as Michigan visits Illinois and Nebraska goes to Indiana. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis give both those games the Big Game Breakdown treatment.
In other previews, Michigan State thinks it figured out its offense in the off week, and will test it against Iowa. Oregon gets a Friday night trip to Purdue off its huge win over Ohio State. Boston College has a gotta-win Thursday night game at Virginia Tech. And Kansas State gets another road test at West Virginia, where the coach said the wrong thing about fun.
Plus Doug and Bill will make picks on Georgia-Texas and Alabama-Tennessee as well as every other Northern game.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• First set of game predictions (02:00)
• Michigan vs Illinois big game breakdown (41:42)
• Nebraska vs Indiana big game breakdown (57:56)
• Final set of game predictions (1:14:20)
• Fantasy picks for week 8 (1:34:23)

Travis Hunter, Jeremiah Smith, Tyler Warren and All-North Team | Will Georgia and Bama lose again? Oct 16, 2024

From Ohio State’s Jeremiah Hunter to Oregon’s Derrick Harmon, from Colorado’s Travis Hunter to Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, from Penn State’s Tyler Warren to Syracuse’s Orande Gadsden, Kings of the North reveals its midseason All-North team on Wednesday.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis picked first and second teams on both sides of the ball, including a tough call at quarterback.
Plus, Punt and Block of the Week, and Connor O’Gara of Saturday Down South visits to discuss the most dangerous Southern teams and to preview Alabama at Tennessee and Georgia at Texas this weekend.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• KOTN All-North Offense (04:30)
• Quarterback discussion (08:15)
• All-North Offense 1st and 2nd team (16:15)
• All-North Defense 1st and 2nd team (41:25)
• King of the north top 5 midseason candidates (1:01:00)
• Bill's block and punt of the week (1:09:35)
• Overrated southern team of the week (1:12:45)
• Connor O'Gara joins KOTN (1:16:10)

Nebraska time | Big Ten-SEC Pick ‘Em | Michigan, Wisconsin, Cincinnati spoilers | Farmageddon Mania Oct 15, 2024

Nebraska travels to Indiana for Saturday’s game as a 6.5-point underdog to the Hoosiers, who are having the season many expected the Cornhuskers to have. A week before a trip to Ohio State, this is a huge moment for Nebraska and Doug Lesmerises talks to Cornhuskers reporter Zack Carpenter about it.
Plus, in a packed show:
• Doug sets up how Michigan, Cincinnati and Wisconsin will factor into the playoff race
• Doug and Dan Wetzel talk North NIL and compare the best teams of the Big-Ten and SEC
• It’s a preview of what could be an awesome last-weekend Farmageddon showdown between Kansas State and Iowa State as Doug talks with K-State reporter Ryan Gilbert and Iowa State reporter Alec Busse.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• News around the North (02:10)
• 3 teams that could change the playoff race (11:00)
• Zack Carpenter interview on Nebraska (18:45)
• Dan Wetzel on Ohio State and Oregon NIL (38:00)
• Dan Wetzel joins on the SEC vs Big Ten pick 'em (59:12)
• Ryan Gilbert interview on Kansas State (1:14:45)
• Alec Busse interview on Iowa State (1:30:30)

Kirby Smart shoves a player | BYU, Oregon, Iowa State heat checks | Pitt, Penn State dial it up Oct 14, 2024

BYU, Oregon, Iowa State and Pitt continued to take care of business as undefeated teams while Georgia coach Kirby Smart looked out of control during a sideline incident where he shoved the Mississippi State quarterback.
That’s all on this Monday Kings of the North with Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis, which also includes their rankings, The South Cram-o-Meter, a look back at Kansas State-Colorado and Iowa-Washington and more.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Kirby Smart shoves player (01:00)
• Teams of the week (08:50)
• Teams that changed our mind, got us excited, and players of the week (21:00)
• South Cram-O-Meter with Kirby shove (50:00)
• Top 11.5 Team rankings for week 7 (1:01:45)
• Final team categories (01:11:30)
• One thing from this week about the final teams (01:26:30)

Oregon epic win over Ohio State | OT thrillers for Penn State, Illinois | Pitt, BYU also hit 6-0 Oct 13, 2024

Ohio State-Oregon led a slate of huge Northern college football games in Week 7 that matched the hype. Beyond the Buckeyes and Ducks, Penn State came back to beat USC in overtime to get to 6-0. Purdue stormed back to force overtime vs. Illinois and fell after going for a two-point conversion and the win. Pitt and BYU both won to advance to 6-0, Cincinnati pulled out at win at UCF, Wisconsin made a statement at Rutgers and Iowa rolled over Washington.
Plus, Alabama almost loss.
A great day of Northern football, thanks for joining KOTN to talk about it.

Betting against Georgia for $500 | Why TShoe likes Ohio State | Picking Kansas State in a parlay Oct 11, 2024

After a loss on Ohio State-Iowa last week, Bets of the North is still up more $1,200 on the year after starting with a $5,000 bankroll. To get back on the horse, Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker are returning to an old favorite -- rooting against Georgia.
They aren't just rooting against the Dawgs, they are betting against the Dawgs. There's also a plus-money parlay involving Ole Miss, a TShoe Best Bet on the Buckeyes and Doug liking bets on Pitt and Minnesota.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Colorado-Kansas State, USC-Penn State, West Virginia-Iowa State and Week 7 Picks and Previews Oct 10, 2024

Colorado-Kansas State, USC-Penn State and West Virginia-Iowa State get the Big Game Breakdown treatment as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis preview and pick every Northern college football game in Week 7. Other showdowns involving Northern teams include Iowa-Washington, Notre Dame-Stanford, Illinois-Purdue, Rutgers-Wisconsin, Pitt-Cal, BYU-Arizona, Minnesota-UCLA, Syracuse-NC State and Maryland-Northwestern. Plus Doug and Bill devoted Wednesday's entire show to Ohio State-Oregon, so don't miss that on the biggest game of the week.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North
Chapters:
• Kansas State vs Colorado big game breakdown (04:22)
• First set of game picks (21:00)
• Penn State vs USC big game breakdown (40:55)
• Iowa State vs West Virginia big game breakdown (56:02)
• Final set of game picks (1:10:10)
• Fantasy picks (1:29:30)

Ohio State-Oregon Big Game Breakdown | Ryan Day vs. Dan Lanning among best CFB coaches Oct 09, 2024

It's Ohio State vs. Oregon on this Kings of the North, as the No. 2 Buckeyes visit the No. 3 Ducks on Saturday night.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis offer a huge Big Game Breakdown on the game, with run game and pass game breakdowns on both sides of the ball, from Dillon Gabriel, Jordan Burch and Tez Johnson for Oregon to Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins for Ohio State.
Also, watch for huge defensive line battles on both sides.
To open the show, Steven Godfrey of Split Zone Duo joins Doug to break down the two head coaches -- Ryan Day and Dan Lanning -- who both could use a big game win for the resume.
Plus Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking on Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Steven Godfrey joins KOTN (01:30)
• How Ryan Day is viewed (20:40)
• How Dan Lanning is viewed (27:30)
• Oregon passing vs Ohio State defense (47:00)
• Oregon rushing vs Ohio State defense (1:02:20)
• Ohio State passing vs Oregon defense (1:08:30)
• Ohio State rushing vs Oregon defense (1:19:00)
• Score predictions (1:30:00)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:41:00)

Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, BYU-Utah, Georgia-Bama & biggest rivalries | A new Penn State? Oct 08, 2024

What rivalries matter the most to this college football season? With Texas-Oklahoma on the schedule this week, Doug Lesmerises and Dan Wetzel look at the 10 rivalries that will have the greatest impact on the full season. You've got to dislike each other and both be good.
Plus Audrey Snyder of The Athletic stops by to talk about Penn State and how the Nittany Lions might be different this season. Doug runs through five hot truths about the college football playoff race to this point, Bill Landis has his Punt and Block of the Week, and Doug gives you his Overrated Southern Team of the Week.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Nebraska fight | Iowa State rise | Washington revenge | Minnesota wild | South Cram-o-meter explodes Oct 07, 2024

College football went crazy in Week 6, especially in the South. There were a lot of great wins in The North, too, and from Minnesota and Nebraska to Iowa State and Washington, from Pitt and Syracuse to Ohio State and West Virginia, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into all the best of Northern football — and decide how hard The South should cram it. Thanks for joining KOTN.

Alabama, Tennessee collapse | Ohio State beats Iowa | Washington, Minnesota, Iowa State big wins Oct 06, 2024

Alabama went down in a huge upset to Vanderbilt on Saturday, while Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Oregon, West Virginia, Pitt, Syracuse and Indiana were among the Northern teams that won in Week 6.
On this KOTN Late Knight, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through the best and most interesting Northern games, and all the ways the South can cram it.
Thanks for hanging with Kings of the North

Betting $500 on Ohio State again | Miracle win on late-night over | Upset mania in Florida Oct 04, 2024

A late-night touchdown with 19 seconds to play by Washington State last week sent Bets of the North to another win on a $500 bet, as the bank roll is now up more than $1,800 on the season. Add in the Alabama moneyline play, and it was a huge week for Bets of the North.
Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker are back and getting after it with an Ohio State bet, some wild upset possibilities in the state of Florida, and six more underdogs to like in Best Bets.
Thanks for joining us on Bets of the North. Let's have some fun and cash some bets.

Week 6 Picks | Ohio State-Iowa Big Game Breakdown | CFB sack leader Donovan Ezeiruaku interview Oct 03, 2024

Iowa at Ohio State gets the Big Game Breakdown treatment among the picks and previews for 14 Northern college football games on Kings of the North. Washington-Michigan, Oregon-Michigan State, Nebraska-Rutgers, West Virginia-Oklahoma State, Syracuse-UNLV and Indiana-Northwestern are among the other games that get long looks from Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis.
Plus Boston College star edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, who leads the nation with eight sacks, stops by and explains how he did it on all three of his sacks against Western Kentucky last week and what's it like on campus with the Eagles at 4-1 going into Saturday's game at Virginia.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• First set of game picks including Michigan at Washington (04:00)
• Boston College defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku interview (39:00)
• Ohio State vs Iowa big game breakdown (58:07)
• Final game picks (1:20:05)
• Doug and Bill fantasy picks (1:41:00)

Indiana football lessons, playoff hopes | Interview with IU's Mike Katic | The next Curt Cignetti? Oct 02, 2024

How are the 5-0 Indiana Hoosiers doing this, is it sustainable, do they have real playoff hopes, and could other teams learn from this? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into those question with some IU help.
First Doug and Bill discuss if other teams should be looking for a Curt Cignetti. Then it's an interview with Indiana center and sixth-year Hoosier Mike Katic. That's followed buy a talk with Taylor Lehman, who covers the Hoosiers from the statistical side of things and tells us the data says this could keep going.
Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking on breakfast burritos, diet nightmares, bands with an '80s sound, soggy fries, and more.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

New College Football Playoff Predictions | Big Ten-SEC meet for a takeover? | Punt/Block of the Week Oct 01, 2024

Time to update College Football Playoff picks on Kings of the North, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis revisit and adjust their playoff predictions for the first time since the preseason. What happens to Michigan, Notre Dame, Utah, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oregon, Ohio State, Pitt and Penn State in the new brackets?
Then Dan Wetzel stops by to join Doug for a discussion about the meeting between the Big Ten and the SEC. They run through six topics that are on the minds of the two major conferences as they think about the future of college football.
Then it's Bill's Punt and Block of the Week, Doug's Overrated Southern Team of the Week and some final thoughts about Northern ball.
As always, thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Doug and Bill make their new final playoff predictions (09:00)
• Dan Wetzel joins the show to talk about if the Big Ten and SEC should work together? (35:00)
• Bill's block and punt of the week (1:17:44)
• Overrated southern team of the week (1:20:00)

Rutgers, Indiana, BYU, Ohio State, Iowa State and sizzling North teams | Purdue, Wisconsin trouble Sep 30, 2024

From Rutgers to Iowa State, from BYU to Ohio State, from Indiana to Pitt, college football fanbases across The North should be excited about their teams' start to the season.
One-third of the way into the season, Kings of the North is ranking all 28 teams of The North by Fanbase Happiness Ratings, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run from the ecstatic to the hopeless.
That includes teams like Michigan, Washington and Notre Dame floating somewhere in the middle, and teams like Wisconsin, Kansas and Purdue foundering at the bottom.
Plus, The South Cram-o-meter. Thanks for joining Kings of the North

Georgia, Ole Miss frauds | Week 5 Instant Reactions | Kansas State, Notre Dame, Colorado big wins Sep 29, 2024

A huge week of college football for The North includs a tight primetime showcase for Penn State and Illinois; big wins for Notre Dame, Kansas State, Indiana andColorado; tight escapes for Michigan, Boston College and BYU; and more.
But it's also part of The North to tell The South to cram it -- and there are a lot of reasons to do that this week.
Ole Miss showed up as a fraud in a loss to Kentucky.
And the air of Georgia invincibility was popped by Alabama.
Ohhhh, what a night for The North. You'll want to be here.

Betting against Georgia, and a $500 college football comeback on an over to love: Bets of the North Sep 27, 2024

Off their first $500 real money college football betting loss, Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker are back with a bet they really like, other best bets on some familiar teams, and a great reason to bet and root against Georgia.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Week 5 Picks | Penn State-Illinois Banger | Pat Narduzzi interview | K-State, Nebraska bouncebacks? Sep 26, 2024

College football previews and picks for Week 5, including 19 Northern games, a huge Group of 5 game and a Cram It Southern Game, are the focus for Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis on this Kings of the North.
But the show starts with a guest appearance from Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, with the 4-0 Panthers off this week.
This it's a Big Game Breakdown of Illinois at Penn State, with the Illini an 18-point underdog in a Top-20 matchup that feels like it will be closer than that.
Other big Northern games include Oklahoma State at Kansas State, Washington at Rutgers, Louisville at Notre Dame, Nebraska at Purdue, Minnesota at Michigan, Indiana at Maryland, Ohio State at Michigan State and Colorado at Central Florida.
And then it's the Fantasy Picks Battle for the Dragon Statue. Can Bill finally claim it?
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi interview (00:20)
• Big game breakdown of Illinois vs Penn State (19:55)
• First 7 game picks (45:36)
• Rest of the game picks (59:20)
• Dragon statue handoff (1:30:55)
• Fantasy picks for week 5 (1:32:30)

Georgia-Alabama battle | UNLV QB chaos | Who Killed College Football? | Big Ten After Dark Sep 25, 2024

Alabama and Georgia kick off Saturday in a Battle for the Soul of the South. Steven Godfrey of Split Zone Duo joins Doug Lesmerises to discuss the past and future of Southern football, and whether Kirby Smart could be the steward for the sport that Nick Saban was for two decades.
There's more coaching talk on Indiana's Curt Cignetti and the future at Iowa, and then a dive into a new narrative podcast called Who Killed College Football? The UNLV QB leaving the team this week over apparent NIL issues fits right into that discussion.
Then it's an Alabama-Wisconsin KOTN Tailgate Report, a look at a busy Big Ten slate this week and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking.
Thanks for joining Kings of The North.
Chapters:
• Who killed college football and discussion about the south in general (01:40)
• Battle for the soul of the South (14:00)
• Curt Cignetti success (34:30)
• Steven Godfrey new podcast Who Killed College Football? (47:40)
• UNLV QB Matthew Sluka decides to leave the program (57:30)
• KOTN Tailgate report from Alabama vs Wisconsin (1:07:10)
• Big Ten After Dark (1:17:20)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:30:10)

Big Ten power ratings | Realignment mania | Notre Dame limbo | Oregon fixed | Overrated Texas A&M Sep 24, 2024

Is the Big Ten, in its first season as an 18-team league, up or down this season? Better than expected or disappointing? Doug Lesmerises runs through all the Big Ten teams to see if they're going up, down or staying the same, and then offers his Big Ten power ratings. He also groups the Big Ten teams by playoff tiers and compares them to the SEC.
Then Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports visits to discuss the state of Notre Dame football and realignment mania.
Then Bill Landis has his Block and Punt of the Week.
Finally, Tyson Alger of the 1-5 Corridor talks Oregon football after the Ducks had a week off, and Doug gives his overrated Southern Team of the Week.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Week 4 stars, stumbles | Iowa Heisman case | Welcome back, Ohio State | BYU, Utah are rocking Sep 23, 2024

Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson should be in the thick of the Heisman Trophy conversation, and Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises are here to make the case on Kings of the North. Plus a Northern pass rusher that also impressed Saturday as part of the stars and stumbles from Week 4.
Also in the North, BYU and Utah rise up (hello, Utah college football), Nebraska, Syracuse and Kansas State create questions and how hard can The South cram it this week?
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Kaleb Johnson Heisman Case (03:40)
• Teams that changed our minds (26:32)
• Teams of the week (39:25)
• State records for power conference teams (47:00)
• Other weekly team awards including teams with big questions, games we are glad we saw, and games that were boring (50:15)
• Top 11.5 rankings for week 4 (1:12:20)
• South cram-o-meter (1:15:45)
• One thing for each remaining team (1:20:48)

Week 4 Instant Reactions | Michigan, Utah pound the run to tight wins | West Virginia flips comeback Sep 22, 2024

Week 4 of college football brought some big wins for The North and on this instant reaction show, Michigan’s win over USC and Utah’s win over Oklahoma State are at the front of the minds of Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis.
Plus West Virginia’s comeback win against Kansas, Rutgers hanging on against Virginia Tech and some blowouts for Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Iowa State and Cincinnati.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North for KOTN Late Knight.

Big college football underdog action, plus bets on Rutgers, Ohio while up $1,600: Bets of the North Sep 20, 2024

At 3-0 on their $500 real money college football bets, Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises arrive at a consensus while trying to go 4-0 and zero in on the Ohio Bobcats and Kentucky Wildcats this week on Bets of the North.
Plus TShoe loves a slate of underdogs, based on the early success of his numbers, and he puts four of them in his Best Bets.
Plus Doug's fat thumb made a bet he wasn't entirely sure about. But remember ... this show is ahead more than $1,600 after three weeks.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Week 4 Picks | Utah-OK State | Iowa-Minnesota for the pig | Kansas-West Virginia Gotta Have It Game Sep 19, 2024

Utah-Oklahoma State, with major implications in the Big 12 race, gets the Big Game Breakdown treatment from Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis on your Week 4 Picks and Previews show on Kings of the North.
The guys also dive into the Boston College-Michigan State Red Bandana game, Iowa-Minnesota fighting for Floyd of Rosedale, USC heading to Michigan for the first time in more than 60 years, Rutgers at Virginia Tech, and a Friday banger with Illinois at Nebraska.
Plus every other Northern game and more fantasy picks as the battle for the Dragon Statue continues.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Game predictions for the best 6 northern games this week (02:45)
• Big game breakdown of Utah at Oklahoma State (38:50)
• Final 14 game predictions (59:30)
• Fantasy picks (1:28:40)

Arch Manning Dylan Raiola, Avery Johnson: Young QB Draft | Iowa State’s Matt Campbell makes history Sep 18, 2024

Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola, Texas’ Arch Manning, Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles, Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava and Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold are among the first- and second-year players leading their teams at quarterback right now.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by Shehan Jeyarajah of CBSSports.com to draft the best young QBs based on what they should do in their college careers.
Then it’s a Would You Rather Wednesday as Doug and Bill look at Iowa State’s Matt Campbell approaching history and the all-time coaching wins leaders for all Northern schools, bacon crispness, North-South scheduling and Pitt, Boston College, Syracuse, Kansas and West Virginia in various scenarios.
Finally it’s Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Drafting the 9 best young quarterbacks in college football with Shehan Jeyarajah (09:10)
• Would you rather Wednesday (45:22)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:22:40)

USC-Michigan moment of truth | Don't doubt Bret Bielema | Toledo coach Jason Candle | Northern news Sep 17, 2024

USC's game at Michigan on Saturday is a moment of truth for both teams -- maybe a last stand for the Wolverines in 2024, and a maybe a moment for the Trojans to plant their flag in the Big Ten.
Doug Lesmerises and Dan Wetzel talk that out. Plus Toledo coach Jason Candle visits after the Rocket's huge win at Mississippi State; Jeremy Werner breaks down how Illinois got to 3-0 and what the Illini must do to compete at Nebraska on Friday; and Doug runs through Northern news from Iowa to Syracuse.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• College football news around the North (01:30)
• Bill's kick and block of the week (12:32)
• Toledo head coach Jason Campbell interview (16:47)
• Dan Wetzel joins to talk about USC vs Michigan this weekend (32:00)
• Jeremy Werner interview (1:06:26)

Overrated Georgia should have lost | Week 3 stars and questions | Kansas State, Indiana dominate Sep 16, 2024

The Georgia Bulldogs should have lost to Kentucky and don’t look like the No. 1 team in the country. While rolling out their Southern Cram-o-meter, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dig in on Georgia’s shortcoming.
Then it’s Northern teams of the week and teams that surprised us, including Kansas State, Indiana and Pitt. Is Kansas State the new Big 12 favorite?
Plus Top 11 1/2 rankings and a rundown of every Northern team. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• South Cram-O-Meter (01:11)
• Top 11.5 Rankings (25:42)
• Teams that changed our mind and teams of the week (31:45)
• More weekly awards including player of the week (48:05)
• G5 Minutes focusing on Toledo (53:15)
• One thing from this week about the remaining 12 teams (1:14:45)

Michigan QB change? | Pitt wins Backyard Brawl | Bama destroys Wisconsin | Notre Dame, Oregon roll Sep 15, 2024

Pitt won a thriller over West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. Michigan got back on the winning side, but has serious QB questions. Wisconsin got blown out by Alabama. Notre Dame steamrolled Purdue. Cincinnati snatched the Victory Bell back from Miami (Ohio).
It was another jam-packed Saturday of college football in the North. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break it all down on KOTN Late Knight.

A scared $500 real money parlay | Betting Northern college football upsets | Look out Cincinnati Sep 13, 2024

After a wins on Ohio State, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska and Kansas State last week, Bets of the North is up more than $1,000 of real money from its $5,000 bankroll.
Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker are back and ready to go 3-0 on their big money bets with an adjusted line parlay that might mean Doug is scared.
Plus some upsets and an announcement about the charity that this bankroll will benefit.
Come join the fun and maybe cash a bet or two on Bets of the North from Kings of the North.

Week 3 Picks | Inside Backyard Brawl | Apple Cup | Another BC upset? | Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai Sep 12, 2024

From West Virginia-Pitt to Washington-Washington State, from Boston College-Missouri to Kansas State-Arizona, the best Northern college football games are previewed and picked on Kings of the North. Just as they do every Thursday, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis check in on every game involving one of their 28 Northern teams.
The Big Game Breakdown on this ep is Boston College at Missouri (check Wednesday's episode for the Alabama-Wisconsin breakdown.)
Special additions this week -- a Backyard Brawl preview with both Pitt and West Virginia fans talking trash to each other, and Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai stopping by for an interview after a career game last week rushing for 208 yards and three touchdowns.
Plus Doug and Bill fantasy football picks for the weekend.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• First five game predictions including Notre Dame vs Purdue, Arizona vs Kansas State, and two rivalry games (03:40)
• Backyard Brawl trash talk (33:20)
• Eli Holstein interview (36:31)
• Pitt vs Cincinnati Tailgate Report (48:15)
• Kyle Monangai interview (58:00)
• Big game breakdown of Boston College vs Missouri (1:15:22)
• Rest of the game predictions (1:26:45)
• Fantasy picks (01:40:50)

Alabama-Wisconsin breakdown and picks | WVU tailgate report | Syracuse WR Trebor Pena interview Sep 11, 2024

Alabama is coming North for the first time in 13 years for a Saturday showdown at Wisconsin, and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by Adam Ritternberg of ESPN.com to discuss it.
Then Doug and Bill give the Tide and Badgers their Big Game Breakdown treatment. Syracuse receiver Trebor Pena also stops by for a visit, and Northern Illinois leads the discussion of whether the MAC could make the playoff.
Plus, a tailgate report talking to fans at West Virginia, and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking to wrap things up.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Adam Rittenberg of ESPN joins to talk about Alabama (03:27), Wisconsin (16:40), and Northern Illinois (24:51)
• Trebor Pena, Syracuse wide receiver, joins KOTN (33:00)
• Alabama vs Wisconsin big game breakdown and picks (46:47)
• Tailgate report from the Penn State vs West Virginia game (01:09:30)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (01:14:00)

Nebraska 7-0 start? | OSU QB Will Howard interview | Travis Hunter vs. Ashton Jeanty | Top North RBs Sep 10, 2024

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard joins Kings of the North to talk about his first two games with the Buckeyes and the four years of ups and downs at Kansas State that brought him to this point.
Plus Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis rank the Top 10 running backs in The North.
But first, Doug and Dan Wetzel open the show talking Nebraska's 2-0 start and what might be ahead, Colorado's Travis Hunter and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty as Heisman Trophy candidates, and whether we need to think about Ole Miss.
Plus, the Block and Punt of the Week.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Dan Wetzel joins the show to talk about Nebraska (02:00), Ole Miss (20:10), and Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter heisman chances (24:13)
• Will Howard interview (33:15)
• Bill's punt and block of the week (58:02)
• Top first-year quarterback transfers (1:00:26)
• Top northern running back rankings (01:04:08)

Oregon's biggest problems | Week 2 Stars and Clutch Plays | Fixing Michigan | South Cram-o-meter Sep 09, 2024

How can Oregon and Michigan get back on track? How hard can Southern college football cram it? And what about winning plays made by teams like Iowa State, Illinois and BYU in Week 2?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis point out the best and most interesting parts of Northern college football in Week 2, and they drop another round of their Top 11.5 rankings.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Pitt fires their AD (01:50)
• Teams that changed our minds (04:50)
• South cram-o-meter (27:10)
• Weekly team categories (37:50)
• G5 Minutes (1:20:20)
• One thing about each team (1:26:20)
• Top 11.5 Rankings (1:39:25)

Notre Dame’s disastrous loss | Michigan thumped | Iowa State, Michigan State, Pitt stunning upsets Sep 08, 2024

Notre Dame’s shocking loss to Northern Illinois threw the playoff picture in The North into turmoil. Michigan’s thumping at the hands of Texas showed the Wolverines exactly where they need to improve. And Pitt, Iowa State, Michigan State and Kansas State pulled out last-second wins.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into a wild day in Northern football on KOTN Late Knight.

Big Ohio State $500 Bet | Nebraska-Kansas State parlay | Iowa-Iowa State debate: Bets of the North Sep 06, 2024

After hitting a $500 bet on Notre Dame last week, Ohio State is the target this week for a $500 bet on Bets of the North.
Doug Lesmerises offers two other Best Bets and Tyler Shoemaker suggests four other Best Bets before they team up and agree on their big play on the Buckeyes. Then it's time for a four-team moneyline parlay featuring Nebraska, Kansas State and two teams in orange.
Join us every Friday morning for college football betting fun and advice on Bets of the North.

Week 2 Game Picks | Nebraska-Colorado, Iowa-Iowa State Huge Breakdowns | Abundant Northern Bangers Sep 05, 2024

Huge college football games are all over the North this week, from Nebraska vs. Colorado to Iowa vs. Iowa State, from Cincinnati vs. Pitt to Illinois vs. Kansas, from Maryland vs. Michigan State to Texas vs. Michigan.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis preview and pick them all on this Kings of the North, including Big Game Breakdowns on the Cy-Hawk Showdown and Shedeur Sanders against Dylan Raiola.
Plus Syracuse-Georgia Tech, Boise State-Oregon, Kansas State-Tulane, BYU-SMU, Utah-Baylor, Northwestern-Duke and every other Northern game.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• First three game predictions (05:50)
• Iowa State vs Iowa big game breakdown (22:20)
• More game predictions starting with Texas vs Michigan (41:30)
• Colorado vs Nebraska big game breakdown (59:30)
• Final 11 game predictions (1:14:10)
• Week 2 fantasy picks (1:34:30)

Huge Michigan-Texas breakdown | Is KOTN Anti-Michigan? | Michigan-Texas as big money bluebloods Sep 04, 2024

Michigan vs. Texas is the huge Week 2 showdown and Kings of the North dives into the Wolverines and the matchup in every way on this episode.
First, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis answer the big question -- are they anti-Michigan? They outline their five foundational thoughts on the Wolverines.
Then it's a huge Big Game Breakdown on Michigan-Texas on both sides of the ball.
Finally, Steven Godfrey of Split Zone Duo stops by to talk about the place Michigan and Texas hold in the sport when it comes to history, winning and money.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Are Doug and Bill anti-Michigan? (01:40)
• Bill's five feelings about Michigan (19:55)
• Doug's five feelings about Michigan (23:35)
• Texas vs Michigan breakdown (34:10)
• Steven Godfrey joins the show (1:02:10)

Boston College's big win | Transfer QB solutions | Syracuse Rises | Notre Dame's playoff path Sep 03, 2024

Boston College upset Florida State on Monday night, and after an offseason visit to BC, Kings of the North has a handle on that big Northern win. Plus, what's the right way to handle quarterbacks in the transfer portal? On this KOTN, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Dan Wetzel to talk out all the offseason QB movement and which teams got it right. Plus our Punt and Block of the Week, the Overrated Southern Team of the Week, and interviews on Syracuse's big chance, Notre Dame's playoff path and Northwestern's new stadium.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Dan Wetzel joins the show to talk about Boston College and transfer QB situations (01:50) and (18:22)
• Brent Axe of Syracuse.com interview (39:55)
• Matt Fortuna reporting on Notre Dame interview (56:53)
• Bill's block and punt of the week (1:13:40)
• Overrated southern team of the week (1:17:00)
• Matt Shelton reporting on Northwestern interview (1:22:40)

Week 1 Stars, Surprises | Pitt, Purdue, Illinois, Notre Dame impress | Ranking Top 11.5 CFB Teams Sep 02, 2024

From Notre Dame and Penn State to Iowa and Pitt, from Purdue and Illinois to Maryland and Colorado, Week 1 brought plenty of stars and surprises for Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis to discuss on this episode of Kings of the North.
The guys will touch on every Northern team, and give their rankings of the top 11 1/2 teams in the country.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North, both new friends and old ones, as KOTN rolls into a second week of bringing you live college football talk five days a week from a Northern point of view
Chapters:
• Top 11.5 team rankings (07:30)
• Other college football news from week 1 (15:30)
• Categories of the week - team, player, most exciting game, etc (18:40)
• Doug's sword shopping experience (57:24)
• One thing from week 1 about each team (1:00:44)
• Five minutes about the group of 5 (1:26:00)
• What else you got? (1:30:40)

Week 1 Reaction: Penn State-West Virginia | Notre Dame-Texas A&M | Michigan, Ohio State debut Sep 01, 2024

Penn State dominated West Virginia, Notre Dame pulled out a huge win over Texas A&M, Oregon had a weird night and close game as a 50-point favorite, Ohio State dealt with a slow start and some offensive line issues, and Michigan has lingering quarterback questions after a win over Fresno State.
All that is covered on KOTN Late Knight, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis kick back and run through the biggest games in Northern football.
They also discuss ponies and what Playoff Quarterback shows they would greenlight as scripted shows.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and see you for a full live wrapup on Monday.

Big money Notre Dame bet | Washington-Oregon parlay | 4 other Best Bets: Bets of the North Aug 30, 2024

It's time to make a real money $500 college football bet on Bets of the North, and Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker have zeroed in on their Week 1 target. The Plus Money Swing of the week looks to a West Coast Northern parlay, and TShoe and Doug suggest other best bets on a MAC team, a new quarterback and an old offseason favorite.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Week 1 Game Picks | West Virginia-Penn State Big Game Breakdown | Fantasy Player Showdown Aug 29, 2024

College football Week 1 features 27 games involving Northern teams from the Kings of the North family, and Doug Lesmerises are previewing and picking all of them on this Thursday episode.
From Colorado-North Dakota State on Thursday night to Boston College-Florida State on Monday, to Notre Dame-Texas A&M, Michigan-Fresno State and more in between, the guys run through every single game and pick scores for their teams.
The Big Game Breakdown, a deeper dive into both sides of the ball, will be a part of this show every week, and for Week 1 that treatment goes to Penn State-West Virginia.
Plus Doug and Bill each pick a Northern quarterback and skill player for a weekly head-to-head Fantasy football competition.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Thursday and Friday games and picks (03:00)
• Big game breakdown of Penn State vs West Virginia (21:20)
• Saturday and Monday games and picks (55:25)
• Week 1 fantasy picks (1:38:30)

College Football Playoff Picks | North vs. South playoff debate | Whatcha Watching, Eating, Thinking Aug 28, 2024

Ohio State? Notre Dame? Kansas State? Utah? Penn State? Michigan? Georgia? Texas? College Football Playoff Picks will be revealed on this Kings of the North as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis each pick their 12-team bracket and their national champion.
Then Connor O'Gara from Saturday Down South joins to discuss North playoff contenders vs. South playoff contenders.
Plus news on quarterback battles and Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Chapters:
• Top 4 CFP seeds (03:00)
• College football news (10:06)
• CFP 5-12 picks (32:00)
• CFP semifinals and championship picks (46:00)
• Connor O'Gara joins the show (52:05)
• Whatcha watching, eating, thinking (1:18:50)

Connor Stalions reaction | Overrated Southern team | Experts on WVU, Minnesota, North Dakota State Aug 27, 2024

The Netflix documentary "Sign Stealer" about Connor Stalions and Michigan dropped on Tuesday, and Kings of the North welcomes one of the primary voices of that doc, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, to the show to talk all about it.
Plus our KOTN All-North preseason team is revealed, we introduce our Overrated Southern Team of the Week segment, and experts covering West Virginia (Jeremy Phoenix of The Raspy Voice Kids), North Dakota State (Jeff Kolpack of Inforum.com) and Minnesota (Ryan Burns of 247sports.com) drop by to talk about the big games for those teams in Week 1.

KOTN is Live | Southern College Football Villains | Northern College Football Royalty Aug 26, 2024

Kings of the North is fresh and live, as Northern college football from Ohio State and Oregon to Notre Dame and Syracuse to Utah and Michigan finds a home on KOTN.
Now going live five days a week, including Monday through Thursday at noon and Saturday at 11 PM, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis explain their 28 teams on this show. Who are they, and why are they?
Then it's the 20 Most Important People for Northern football in 2024, and the 5 Southern Villains who could stand in the way of Northern football this season.
Tell a friend The North is here! Thanks for joining us on Kings of the North.

Ohio State-Michigan to Georgia-Alabama, betting early lines on Games of the Year: Bets of the North Aug 23, 2024

Bets of the North finishes this show with a big announcement of how it will be betting this season. But first, Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises talking betting early lines, watching line movement, and live betting.
Doug seems to understand it, but still loses money at it.
Among the early games where the guys check the lines and discuss whether making a bet now makes sense are Iowa State-Iowa, Nebraska-Colorado, Alabama-Wisconsin, Georgia-Alabama, Ohio State-Oregon, Kansas State-Colorado and Ohio State-Michigan.
Thanks for joining Bets of the North on Kings of the North and come back next Friday for best bets on real games in Week 1.

College football record predictions for all 28 teams of The North: Doug and Bill go head-to-head Aug 22, 2024

From Michigan and Washington to Penn State and Oregon, from Syracuse and Cincinnati to Iowa State and Ohio State, record predictions for all 28 Northern power conference teams are locked down on this Kings of the North.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis mark down their records and reasonings, giving you an easy way to pat them on the back come December, or, more likely, call them out for being wrong.
• Notre Dame, the Northern ACC schools, and Oregon and Washington are up first
• Then it's the former Big Ten West schools
• Then the eight Northern teams in the Big 12
• Finally, the teams from the old Big Ten East
Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and see you for our new schedule of live shows, starting at noon on Monday.

College football's best QB matchups | Northern QB power ratings | Ari Wasserman visits KOTN Aug 20, 2024

What college football quarterback matchups have you most excited this season? Something involving Texas' Quinn Ewers, maybe against Michigan, Oklahoma or Georgia?
A Big 12 showdown involving quarterbacks like West Virginia's Garrett Greene, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Kansas State's Avery Johnson or Utah's Cam Rising?
A Big Ten game with Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Ohio State's Will Howard, Penn State's Drew Allar or Nebraska's Dylan Raiola?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis welcome guest Ari Wasserman for a draft of the 15 best QB matchups in college football -- and most of them are in the North.
Doug and Bill start the show with a rundown of all 28 quarterback situations in the North, and then Bill gives his Northern Power Rankings of Quarterbacks.
And then the guys end the show with Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking with apple pie cinnamon rolls, bad endings to great TV shows, the best way to podcast and more.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College football win total bets on Notre Dame, West Virginia, Illinois and more: Bets of the North Aug 16, 2024

College football win total best bets are on the menu on Bets of the North with Doug Lesmerises and Tyler Shoemaker.
Each of them pick five win total over-unders, hitting teams like Notre Dame, Rutgers, Nebraska, Colorado, Syracuse and more — and disagreeing on Illinois.
Then it’s a Group of 5 best bet, a Dawg Mentality best bet, and a Cy-Hawk Super Combo.
Catch our college football betting show every Friday morning all season with Bets of the North on Kings of the North.

Outrageous college football predictions for 2024; Heisman Trophy draft Aug 15, 2024

Who will win the Heisman Trophy? What outrageous events may happen this college football season? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are ready to make some picks for the 2024 college football season, and Doug is wound up about it, starting with a draft of 10 Heisman Trophy candidates. Players from Penn State, Utah, Kansas, Ohio State, Oregon and Kansas State are among those who come off the board.
Then Doug and Bill make their official Heisman Trophy picks.
They follow that with three Outrageous Predictions on undefeated seasons, rushing touchdown records, Alabama's year, an ACC champ, a 2,000-yard receiving season and more.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Dylan Raiola, Jeremiah Smith and the top Northern freshmen; what we love about the 2024 CFB season Aug 13, 2024

Which college football freshmen in the North could get on the field in a big way in 2024? From Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith to Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola to Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa to Iowa punter Rhys Dakin, the North has plenty of young talent.
On this episode of Kings of the North, Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises run through the best freshmen around. (02:30)
Then they list 10 things they love about the 2024 college football season, including hot seat Southern coaches, second-year quarterbacks and teams ready for their best seasons in 20 years. (36:30)
Then Brett Ciancia of Pick Six Previews joins the show to talk about overrated and underrated teams. (58:17)
Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.

College football betting tips and inside info: Bets of the North Aug 09, 2024

Betting on college football is part of the game now. So while some of you might be trying to enjoy it, maybe you want a little help.
Bets of the North is here to do that.
This weekly college football gambling show will hit every Friday morning with betting insider Tyler Shoemaker, and his proprietary T Shoe Index, joining Doug Lesmerises and adding some smart math to the football conversation.
But it’s fun. Betting on sports shouldn’t feel like homework.
On this first show. Doug and Tyler run through tips for making smart bets, including advice on parlays, player props, season win totals and betting on less popular teams.
So check this out and if you enjoy it (we think you will) join Doug and Tyler every week on Bets of the North.

Nebraska-Colorado matchup will swing the season; inside future recruiting changes Aug 08, 2024

Changes to how college football teams recruit players and build rosters are ahead, and Doug Lesmerises has inside info on the future of the sport after attending a personnel and recruiting conference with almost 700 staffers from college football in Nashville.
That discussion includes an interview with Mark Pantoni, the general manager of Ohio State football.
But first, Doug looks at the energy of Nebraska football and the questions around Colorado football and what that might mean for their Week 2 matchup.
How ready is Nebraska freshman QB Dylan Raiola?
Why does everyone like to pile on Colorado?
And what's the stat that proves Nebraska could make a major leap this season?
Plus the energy at Utah, the cool leather helmets at Illinois and more.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Why the Michigan cheating discussion is wrong; plus a Notre Dame injury and a bad preseason poll Aug 05, 2024

On this Kings of the North, the discussion about the latest Michigan news around the NCAA's look at Connor Stalions and alleged sign-stealing is on the minds of Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis. They believe the general debate around Michigan is all wrong and not focusing on the most important part of the story.
They dive into that, but first they have a few show announcements, a look at an unfortunate Notre Dame injury, some sophomore slumps at running back in the North, and Doug's visit to Penn State over the weekend.
Then it's a lot of Michigan and finally a look at the preseason coaches poll, which loves No. 1 Georgia much more than Doug and Bill think is appropriate.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Utah and more open camp; Oregon and Washington's places in the North Aug 01, 2024

Oregon and Washington are moving from the West to the North with their shift from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis talk about how the Ducks and Huskies will fit into their new realities.
To assist that conversation, they are joined by two guests: long-time Pac-12 analyst Yogi Roth, now a Big Ten Network announcer and the creator of a new media outlet called Y-Option; and Washington beat writer Andy Yamashita of the Seattle Times.
Yogi interview - (51:52)
Andy interview - (1:10:36)
But before that, Doug and Bill run through the start of preseason college football camps, hitting especially on the teams that got an early start to practice this week as they discuss Utah, Kansas, Wisconsin, Colorado, Michigan State, Rutgers, Illinois, Minnesota and Notre Dame.
Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.

Kansas, Kansas State football join KOTN, and The North will rule the Big 12 Jul 30, 2024

The Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats are officially joining The North, as on this episode, Kings of the North swells to 28 Power Conference college football teams.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis explain why they are adding these Kansas schools to the teams they will cover, and they reset the state of two rising football programs.
They are aided in that cause by several interviews with Jayhawks and Wildcats:
• Kansas State coach Chris Klieman (9:03)
• Kansas deputy athletic director Collin Sexton (33:11)
• Kansas State safety Marques Sigle (46:49)
• Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor (53:15)
• Kansas State announcer and former QB Stan Weber (1:09:10)
Then Doug and Bill wrap up with their desire to get to the Kansas-Kansas State game this year, and they look at other major Northern games those two will play against Illinois, West Virginia, Iowa State and others.
Welcome to Kansas and Kansas State and thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Indiana’s swagger, Michigan’s future; Minnesota’s Serbian Hammer; and why Paul Finebaum can cram it Jul 26, 2024

An Indiana lineman who gets told he looks like a plumber, a Maryland linebacker who wants to take our jobs, and a deep discussion about Michigan’s future are part of this Kings of the North from Day 3 of Big Ten Media Days.
Doug Lesmerises starts things off with a rant about Paul Finebaum’s comments on Penn State coach James Franklin.
And then Doug and Bill Landis interview:
• Indiana lineman Mike Katic (09:08)
• The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman about Michigan (20:18)
• Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson and Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich together (36:31)
• Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite (49:18)
• Washington safety Kamren Fabiculanan (1:01:19)
• Minnesota running back Darius Taylor (1:10:27)
• Michigan safety Makari Paige (1:16:31)
• Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa (1:22:30)
It’s the last KOTN from Indy this week, so thanks as always for joining the show

NFL should pay college football; is Big Ten as aggressive as the SEC, with Ohio State AD Ross Bjork Jul 25, 2024

New Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork came from Texas A&M, so he knows both sides of North-South college football.
In this Kings of the North, Bjork joins Doug Lesmerises to discuss life in the Big Ten compared to life in the SEC.
Is the Big Ten as aggressive as the SEC?
Bjork also talks about the future of college football and funding other sports.
He has an idea — the NFL could pay college football for serving as a de facto minor league.
That and more with one of the decision-makers in college sports on Kings of the North.

Nebraska's Matt Rhule on snow football; Penn State's new playoff standard; and Iowa's defensive QB Jul 25, 2024

Big Ten Media Days Day 2 brought another round of college football talk, including a focus on how much Penn State fans would embrace a spot in the 12-team playoff, or whether they'd only be frustrated if that bid wasn't followed by a win.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis welcome several guests:
• Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins on maybe being the Big Ten's best defender and serving as the right-hand man for Hawkeyes' defensive coordinator Phil Parker. (05:22)
• Nebraska coach Matt Rhule on playing football in the snow and re-establishing the Cornhuskers standards. (11:00)
• Audrey Snyder of The Athletic discussing Penn State coach James Franklin saying the Nittany Lions are one of the few teams that could win 10 or 11 games and not please their fans. (15:40)
• Michigan State running back Nate Carter on a reset in East Lansing with new coach Jonathan Smith. (36:53)
• Nebraska center Ben Scott on helping freshman QB Dylan Raiola prepare for the season. (45:45)
• USC offensive lineman Jonah Monheim on looking like a Man of the North while playing in Southern California. (55:22)
• UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond on his roots at Michigan State and Ohio State helping to lead the Bruins into the Big Ten. (1:04:09)
Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and check back for another round of interviews from Day 3 of Big Ten Media Days, which will feature Michigan, Oregon and Washington, among others.

Ohio State's Ryan Day through the fire; Wisconsin ready to tell Bama to cram it; Purdue fights back Jul 24, 2024

Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers head coaches sit down with Kings of the North on this episode, as players from Wisconsin and Illinois also stop by at Day 1 of Big Ten Media Day in Indianapolis.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis kick off the show with a discussion of how much juice the Big Ten brought to the Tuesday proceedings (not enough).
Then it's off to interviews with:
• Ohio State head coach Ryan Day on why he'll be the best head coach he's ever been. (15:05)
• Purdue head coach Ryan Walters pushing back on the Boilermakers picked to be last in the conference. (26:20)
• Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano explaining why this will be his last job, and not wanting Doug to share his Rutgers record prediction. (36:11)
• Wisconsin tackle Jack Nelson on how fired up Badgers fans are for the Week 3 home game against Alabama. (51:03)
• Illinois defensive players Seth Coleman and Gabe Jacas explaining why they left Florida to play college football in the North. (58:20) - Seth, (1:03:23) - (Gabe)
Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and come back for more coverage the next two days from Big Ten Media Days.

Big Ten Preseason Poll results: Ohio State picked to beat Oregon for conference title Jul 22, 2024

Ohio State was picked to beat Oregon for the Big Ten title, and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson were named the Big Ten preseason players of the year in a poll conducted by Kings of the North.
On this episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis reveal the choices of 33 voters from across the conference, and discuss their own picks for:
• The full predicted Big Ten standings, 1 through 18
• The Big Ten title game participants and champion
• The number of Big Ten teams predicted to make the College Football Playoff
• The voting for Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
• The voting for Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Get ready for even more KOTN coverage from Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis this week, and thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Nick Saban's retirement ends Alabama's dominance; Can any team rule college football next? Jul 18, 2024

Alabama's Nick Saban leaves a hole in his sport as large as any sporting figure since Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls. With so much changing in college football, it's possible everyone is underestimating how big the Saban void will be.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises is joined by guest Dan Wetzel of The College Football Enquirer to dig into Saban's legacy and examine whether anyone can replace him as the King of College Football (sorry Kirby Smart, it won't be easy as some are making it out to be.)
Doug and Dan discuss:
• Is Saban the greatest college football coach of all-time?
• Was Kalen DeBoer the right hire to replace him?
• How hard is Saban to replace?
• What’s the expected drop-off for Alabama?
• Which team could be next up to dominate like Alabama did for the last 15 years?
Then Doug and Bill Landis talk about the latest from SEC Media Days and what DeBoer and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian had to say.
Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North. We'll stop talking about the South for a while -- we can't take it.

Branding Georgia a rogue program: Why Kirby Smart isn't above questioning Jul 16, 2024

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart addressed reporters at SEC Media Days on Tuesday -- but why wasn't he asked about the repeated driving issues of Georgia players while the cameras were on him?
On this episode of Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss the way Georgia football should be viewed for now -- as a rogue program.
The guys cover what Smart did say to reporters about driving problems when the cameras weren't on, the baseline of Georgia driving arrests in the last year-and-a-half, the way the media has handled Georgia's problems (often poorly) and why Smart should be compared to Urban Meyer and not Nick Saban.
Then they decide what Smart should do to try to fix the issue and how media and fans should view Georgia until this gets better.
There's also some talk of why Smart isn't at Nick Saban's level, why LSU's Brian Kelly wants to play in Ireland, and what SEC commissioner Greg Sankey thinks about the future of college football.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

West Virginia’s reckless, winning QB plan; Big 12 coaching futures from Media Days Jul 11, 2024

At Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, on Day 2 Doug Lesmerises talked to West Virginia coach Neal Brown and quarterback Garrett Greene about the “reckless” quarterback play that could put the Mountaineers over the top this season.
The Colorado punter stopped by to talk punting for Coach Prime; and the conference chief marketing officer explained how Big 12 branding (hello Nelly and wrestling!) can help this chesty outlaw conference promote its football.
Also, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN talked Big 12 coaching futures and Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports discussed the league without Texas and Oklahoma.
• Garrett Greene (02:46)
• Neal Brown (07:06)
• Wyatt Milum (15:52)
• Adam Rittenberg (18:41)
• Mark Vassett (46:00)
• Tyrel Kirkham (53:23)
• Shehan Jeyarajah (1:09:06)
Thanks for joining Kings of the North from Las Vegas.

Inside Big 12 Media Days: Talking Cincinnati wild punters, Iowa State skill and Utah toughness Jul 10, 2024

The Big 12 Media Days kicked off in Las Vegas on Tuesday and Kings of the North was on the scene to talk Northern college football.
On this show, Doug Lesmerises brings you interviews from three Northern teams. In order, get ready for:
• Cincinnati punter Mason Fletcher (06:21)
• Iowa State receiver Jaylin Noel (15:36)
• Utah defensive tackle Junior Tafuna (21:45)
• Cincinnati running back Corey Kiner (26:49)
• Cincinnati right guard Luke Kandra (33:09)
• and Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham (39:50)
Check out the Kings of the North YouTube feed for live shows Tuesday and Wednesday night, and come back Wednesday for more interviews with Colorado, West Virginia and BYU.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Was the Big Ten West a bad idea? Can the College Football Playoff committee handle no divisions? Jul 02, 2024

It's a final farewell to the Big Ten West and a look into a future with no college football divisions on this Kings of the North.
Scott Dochterman of The Athletic joins Doug Lesmerises to take a final look at the 10-year run of the Big Ten West: Why it was formed, why it went 0-10 in the Big Ten title game, and why its perception was even worse than its reality.
Without it, will teams like Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northwestern be better off or worse off? Those questions are answered.
But first Doug runs through the full history of divisions in major college football, and how every major conference had a stronger division and a weaker division -- and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing
After Scott, Doug expresses a fear about the College Football Playoff committee with no divisions around.
And then Doug hands out his final awards for the Big Ten West's 10-year run:
• Best Player
• Best Quarterback
• Best Coach
• Best Win
• Best Team
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Betting angles on Notre Dame, Oregon, Clemson, Utah and more for 2024 college football season Jun 27, 2024

College football win total overs and unders are the topic of the day as Doug Lesmerises is joined by old friend and betting insider Tyler Shoemaker to discuss 10 college football bets for this season.
Doug also wraps up with news on quarterback recruiting, coaching rules and Blue-Chip Ratio. But thinking about the college football season through a gambling lens is the heart of the show.
That doesn't mean you have to bet or even like betting, because Shoemaker's analysis of the season is worth the time for anyone who likes college football.
So first up are five win total overs that Shoemaker likes -- including Notre Dame.
Then are five win total unders that he likes -- including Penn State.
Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.

Kirby Smart, Jim Harbaugh, Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and more: Coaches and their indispensable players Jun 25, 2024

Which single college football player -- from Deshaun Watson to Manti Te'o to Aidan Hutchinson -- defined the tenures of their head coaches?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at 16 coaches from across college football -- 12 North and 4 South, 7 at their current school and 9 who moved on -- and pick one player for each of them that the coach couldn't live without.
Which players got coaches over the top for a title or playoff spot or 10-win season?
Which players changed their coaches' reputations?
Doug and Bill picked players for these 16 coaches at these schools:
• Nick Saban, Alabama
• Matt Campbell, Iowa State
• James Franklin, Penn State
• P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
• Kirby Smart, Georgia
• Jeff Brohm, Purdue
• Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
• Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
• Kyle Whittingham, Utah
• Urban Meyer, Ohio State
• Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
• Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
• Dabo Swinney, Clemson
• Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
• Chip Kelly, Oregon
Thanks for joining this episode of Kings of the North.

College Football Tiers: National Championship contenders, playoff dark horses, rebuilding teams Jun 20, 2024

Which college football teams are truly thinking about a national title in 2024? Which are aiming to make the playoff? Which could be playoff dark horses? Which are rebuilding, or happy to hope for a bowl?
From Georgia to Notre Dame, from Texas to Ohio State, from Ole Miss to Iowa State, on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break all 68 Power Conference teams into six tiers for this season. And, by luck, they wound up with a pretty even breakdown of the sport.
The six tiers and how many teams landed in them:
• Title contenders (5)
• Playoff contenders (11)
• Playoff dark horses (14)
• Bowl hopefuls (14)
• Rebuilding (14)
• Struggling (10)
Where does your favorite team fit? Doug and Bill categorize all 26 Northern teams, plus everyone in the South, from Florida and Texas A&M to Clemson and USC.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Michigan stealing Ohio State staffers, Rutgers recruiting hot streak and more college football takes Jun 18, 2024

College football takes are on the menu, from Michigan taking another Ohio State staffer, to Illinois getting a major transfer, to the politics of college football and what comes next.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into six different issues on these Takes of the North, starting with cold, reasonable takes that they then must warm up. A couple times, they set the kitchen on fire.
In order, they cover:
• The Big 12 potentially selling naming rights and what else in college football (including stadium names) should be sold
• Rutgers hitting a recruiting run that could signify something
• Michigan hiring another staffer away from Ohio State and how people should react
• Illinois landing a veteran receiving star in the portal
• The politics of college athlete compensation
• The future of walk-ons and how coaches might react
Plus it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking on a Dr. Phil impersonator, Doug eating too much on his recent vacation, and a weird football dream.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

1994 Colorado-Michigan Rewatch: Miracle end, QB trendsetter, Heisman winner on The North Remembers Jun 13, 2024

The 1994 Colorado-Michigan college football matchup is remembered as The Miracle at Michigan, and on this inaugural edition of The North Remembers from Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis tell you why.
Reliving great northern college football games of the past, Doug and Bill cover stars like Kordell Stewart, Rashaan Salaam and Michael Westbrook from Colorado and Ty Law, Tim Biakabatuka and Tyrone Wheatley from Michigan in breaking down this 30-year-old classic.
With categories like Why It Mattered, King of the Game, Meme It, The South Can Cram It and Crazy Time, Doug and Bill run through a fast, furious,. informative and wild 40-minute recap.
That includes the idea that this was the surprising final seasons for both head coaches -- Colorado's Bill McCartney and Michigan's Gary Moeller.
Zip through the past and celebrate a great game in northern college football history with Kings of the North on The North Remembers.

Why Notre Dame is like Oklahoma; Why Nebraska is like Florida State: North-South Sister Schools Jun 11, 2024

What Southern college football teams are most like Northern schools such as Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Syracuse, Oregon, Boston College, Michigan State, Washington, Penn State and Nebraska?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis pair up 13 Northern football teams with Southern counterparts based on success, history, geography, coaching mistakes and more. And then they ask whether you'd rather be the Northern team or the Southern team?
Who is Cincinnati's match? Colorado's? And why do Doug and Bill want to see Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz in a mullet?
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College Football Playoff Picks: Georgia, Michigan in danger? Ohio State-Oregon battle! Iowa sleeper? Jun 06, 2024

It's another round of College Football Playoff Picks on this Kings of the North.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis made their first picks in February, and they are back for Round 2 after taking in spring football.
First, they look at all the contenders from the South.
Is Texas or Georgia a bigger monster?
Is Missouri or Ole Miss a more interesting upstart?
Which young QB at Tennessee or Oklahoma is more likely to lead a playoff run?
Then they make their picks, with adjustments from February, and with some teams staying the same. Where are Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Utah and West Virginia as playoff contenders? Is Ohio State or Oregon more likely to win the Big Ten?
Get all those picks here, and thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Boston College's Bill O'Brien on his 16-year BC plan, the Eagles' starting QB and Penn State lessons Jun 04, 2024

Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien joins Doug Lesmerises on this Kings of the North for a dive into his career and why Boston College is the place for him.
The new head coach of the Eagles discusses:
• His grandfather's legacy in semi-pro Boston football a century ago
• The starting QB plans for the Eagles
• The depth of skill talent at Boston College
• The secret to Boston College's greatest seasons
• If he thought he'd ever be a head coach again
• Balancing career and family
• What he learned as the head coach at Penn State
• His plan to win
This is our second head coaching interview on KOTN after a visit from Wisconsin's Luke Fickell. Look for more of these of future shows.

Northern Recruiting Battles: Fighting Bama, Miami and Texas; Defending Home Turf; Going to the Mat May 30, 2024

What are some major college recruiting battles in the Class of 2025 for Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Boston College, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Iowa and more Northern teams?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises is joined by recruiting insider Jeremy Birmingham to dive into 10 major recruitments involving North vs. South and North vs. North, and to look at some Northern prospects the South is trying to pluck out of the area.
Plus, the conversation hits on major recruiting battlegrounds like Southern California; Washington, D.C.; Texas; Las Vegas; and Ohio and how Northern schools are faring in those areas.
Official visits are heating up and Kings of the North has some players for you to keep an eye on.
Thanks for joining KOTN.

Utah, Oregon, Michigan State going up; Illinois, BYU, Washington going down: 26 Northern Team Trends May 28, 2024

Which way are the 26 Northern college football teams that are part of Kings of the North headed?
On this episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all the Northern schools and designate each as Trending Up, Trending Down or Staying the Same.
• 12 teams are Trending Up
• 5 teams are Trending Down
• 2 teams are Staying the Same
• And 7 teams found Doug and Bill disagreeing on their status, including 2 that one had as Up and the other had as Down.
Which way is your team headed?
Check it out on Kings of the North.

From Penn State to Iowa State to Notre Dame, a shocking draft of best Northern Big 4's May 23, 2024

How good are the skill players at Iowa State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Syracuse and other Northern schools, including ... Rutgers?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis draft the Top 10 Big 4's of their 26 Northern teams. The Big 4 parameters -- it's a QB and three skill players from any combination of running backs, receivers and tight ends.
You might be surprised at some teams picked in the Top 10 and equally surprised by some very good teams left out.
As always, thanks for joining the discussion on Kings of the North.

Is College Football Getting Better or Worse? Money battles, conference fights and big-time Saturdays May 21, 2024

Is college football getting better or worse? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by two special guests to discuss that.
Adam Rittenberg of ESPN and Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports give their views as KOTN examines the past, present and future of college football.
Doug, Bill and Adam discuss:
• Whether the regular season is better or worse (01:30)
• Whether determining a national champion is better or worse (12:00)
• Whether the treatment of players is better or worse (23:45)
• Amanda then drops by to give insight on the future of player compensation and to discuss her blockbuster story on the NCAA and lobbying in Washington for Front Office Sports (35:15)
• A final look at whether it's getting better overall for different levels of teams (56:50)
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Is Ohio State Natty of Bust this season? Inside all-in college football seasons May 16, 2024

Are the Ohio State Buckeyes in National Championship or Bust mode for the 2024 college football season? Is that what the Michigan Wolverines were, and lived up to, in 2023?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises investigates the recent history of Natty or Bust teams and figures out whether Ohio State fits the bill. He checks into:
• The 6 teams with the most NFL Draft picks in a year, who all won a title with those players
• The 4 parameters to make a Natty or Bust team
• The 11 teams in the BCS era who have so far been Natty or Bust -- and only 4 won it all
• Then Doug's old co-host Shehan Jeyarajah joins the show to discuss whether Natty or Bust is a good or bad thing, how he would handle this season if he were Ryan Day, and whether multiple teams can be Natty or Bust in the same season.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Ohio State-Michigan, Nebraska-Colorado, Alabama-Wisconsin: Drafting the North's best TV games May 14, 2024

What college football games in the North will draw the most TV viewers this year? TV is controlling and reshaping college football, so on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis try to think like TV execs (like it or not) while drafting the Top 20 Northern college football TV games for this season.
First, they dig into seven Northern CFB topics, including a huge recruit visit for Indiana, a new player at Purdue, some confused head coaches, the new EA Sports college football cover, returning production, a Kansas rumor and a 1-star review for Doug's gaslighting of himself over Colorado.
Then it's the TV draft, where games like Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Wisconsin, Texas-Michigan, Colorado-Nebraska, Ohio State-Oregon and Penn State-West Virginia fly off the board.
Which teams could be the new TV darlings of 2024? The guys have two suggestions. And how much will TV miss Jim Harbaugh?
As always, thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Frantic 14 - (06:30)
Top-10 Most Watched 2023 Northern Games - (31:30)
2024 Television Draft - (47:20)

From Dillon Gabriel to Julian Sayin to Rocco Becht: A wild Northern QB Draft May 09, 2024

Northern college football is in a bridge year for the 2024 season when it comes to quarterback play.
Of the 26 Northern teams discussed on Kings of the North, 14 have projected starting QBs in their last years of eligibility.
Here's the good news -- a ton of Northern teams have young backup quarterbacks ready to take over in 2025.
On this episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all that, and then they finish the show with a draft of 16 quarterbacks based on the winning, awards and stats they should compile for the rest of their careers.
That means drafting QBs with one year left -- like Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Ohio State's Will Howard, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and West Virginia's Garrett Greene -- with young quarterbacks with multiple years left -- like Notre Dame's C.J. Carr, Ohio State's Julian Sayin, Iowa State's Rocco Becht, Michigan's Jadyn Davis, Nebraska's Dylan Raiola and Michigan State's Aidan Chiles.
This will give you a full QB picture for all 26 Northern teams, and it will prepare you for the Northern quarterback renaissance to come.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Quarterbacks in last year - (7:00)
Young quarterback discussion - (19:30)
Quarterback 2024 recruiting rankings - (26:40)
2025 Quarterback Questions - (45:30)
Quarterback draft - (1:14:00)

Washington, Wisconsin, BYU and final Northern Spring Football reactions May 07, 2024

Spring football is a wrap, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through five final Northern teams on this episode, meaning they have now covered all 26 of their Northern teams after spring football.
First up is Washington, which held its spring game on Friday night. Reflecting and rebuilding is the name of the game for the Huskies, who did get interesting QB play and showcased a possible young receiver breakout.
Then it's to the four Northern teams that didn't hold public spring games:
Doug and Bill talk BYU
(39:40) Ryan Burns of 247Sports and Gopher Gridiron Radio talks Minnesota
(55:42) Zach Heilprin of The Camp: A Wisconsin Football Podcast joins to talk about the Badgers
(1:10:05) Matthew Shelton of WildcatReport joins to talk Northwestern
(1:27:05) Then Doug and Bill finish with Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking on Challengers, hot chicken pizza, farmers markets, John Mulaney and the Doppler.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Transfer Portal Northern Action, from Michigan to Rutgers to Minnesota May 02, 2024

Northern teams like Ohio State, Cincinnati and Michigan added major players in the spring transfer portal window a year ago. What's the biggest Northern action happening in the spring portal window now?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis compare this transfer class to a year ago, talk about why more QB movement didn't happen, plan a calendar of handsome Northern punters, and cover portal moves for schools like:
• Rutgers
• Minnesota
• Washington
• Michigan State
• Pitt
• Colorado
• Michigan
• Cincinnati
• Syracuse
• Penn State
And more. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Nebraska, Oregon, West Virginia and more Northern Spring game reactions Apr 30, 2024

From Nebraska to Oregon, and Rutgers to West Virginia, six more Northern teams held spring games over the weekend and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are back to cover them on the latest Kings of the North.
Plus, Doug has some stats on the North in the 2024 NFL Draft that are interesting in how uninteresting they are.
Topics covered on this episode:
• Oregon spring game (01:45)
• Nebraska spring game (17:00)
• The North in the NFL Draft (28:08)
• Maryland spring game (36:00)
• Maryland hiring Brian Ferentz
• Colorado spring game (47:55)
• West Virginia spring game (59:45)
• Rutgers spring game (1:10:45)
Plus some talk on a guy we thought was named Bazooka, and a Warren Sapp story.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

NFL Draft 2024: Marvin Harrison Jr., J.J. McCarthy, Rome Odunze and best Northern draft in 50 years Apr 24, 2024

The top of the 2024 NFL Draft will be filled with Northern college football stars like Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Washington's Rome Odunze and Michael Penix Jr., Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt and more.
The talent is so deep, Doug Lesmerises explains why the top of the first round could feature more Northern players than any draft since 1967.
Then Doug is joined by NFL Draft analyst Ian Valentino of the 33rd team to run through Northern QBs like Penix, McCarthy and Oregon's Bo Nix; Northern tackles like Alt, Penn State's Olu Fashanu and Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga; Northern running backs like Wisconsin's Braelon Allen, Michigan's Blake Corum and Notre Dame's Audric Estime; Northern cornerbacks like Iowa's Cooper DeJean and Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell; and the battle between Northern and Southern receivers in this draft.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Michigan, Notre Dame, Syracuse and more Northern Spring Game reactions Apr 22, 2024

College football rolled out eight more Northern spring games last week, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here to react to all of them, finding spring stars and asking spring questions on this Kings of the North.
From excitement about Syracuse and Indiana to questions about Iowa and Illinois, ton some confirmation about Michigan and Notre Dame, Doug and Bill discussed in order:
• Syracuse (0:41)
• Michigan (13:00)
• Indiana (25:30)
• Notre Dame (34:45)
• Iowa State (46:00)
• Michigan State (54:00)
• Iowa (1:01:30)
• Illinois (1:10:00)
Thanks for joining kings of the North.

Transfer Portal Updates, Colorado strategy, Michigan's NCAA punishment and more Apr 18, 2024

From the transfer portal to a proposed Super League, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis hit several topics on this Kings of the North.
• What is Colorado doing in the portal and why Deion Sanders might be like Urban Meyer
• Transfer portal moves in the North
• Pick between current football rules or an NFL minor league
• The idea floated of an 80-team Super League
• Jim Harbaugh's future relationship with Michigan after an NCAA settlement
• Basketball power in the North and why Northern football schools aren't winning at hoops
• Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking
Thanks for joining Kings of the North

Ohio State, Utah, Penn State and more Northern Spring Game reactions Apr 16, 2024

Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Pitt, Boston College, Cincinnati and Utah played their college football spring games last weekend and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis react to them all.
From new coordinators like Penn State's Andy Kotelnicki and Pitt's Kade Bell to returning QB stars like Utah's Cam Rising to defensive position changes like Purdue's Kydran Jenkins and Penn State's Abdul Carte to sure things like the Ohio State defense and the Cincinnati Kelce brothers, Doug and Bill dive into three things they learned about each team this spring.
In order, they cover:
• Penn State
• Pitt
• Purdue
• Cincinnati
• Ohio State
• Utah
• Boston College
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

7 college football spring games ahead; Boston College visit; Show update Apr 12, 2024

Kings of the North is back with an explanation. First, seven Northern teams play spring games Saturday: Ohio State, Penn State, Utah, Pitt, Cincinnati, Purdue and Boston College.
Then, Doug Lesmerises checks in from his visit to BC, where he watched a practice and talked to head coach Bill O’Brien.
Finally, Doug explains what went wrong with his eye in Boston that caused KOTN to go on a brief hiatus.
Thanks for sticking by the show and it’s good to be back.

Fraudulent Georgia, Fearsome Texas: How the North should view The South Apr 02, 2024

Clemson receivers, Texas experience, Georgia quarterback play, Louisville defense, Alabama offensive linemen, Texas A&M unwarranted optimism -- how should Northern college football fans view all these pieces of Southern college football in 2024?
On this episode of Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis go through 5 Southern Frauds and 5 Northern fears, looking at what from the South will and won't challenge Northern football teams in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff.
There's a long look at quarterback play in the South vs. the North, plus a disagreement about the place the Georgia Bulldogs hold in the college football world right now.
Dawg Mentality!
This show is all about the North -- and sometimes that means checking in on the South.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College Football Trivia: Northern Jeopardy on Heismans, Coaches and Southern Frauds Mar 28, 2024

From Washington to Syracuse, from Heisman winners to NFL stars, from Notre Dame to Ohio State, it's time to test your knowledge of Northern college football.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis go head-to-head in a college football battle as producer Mike Yourstowsky asks them questions about college football that he devised.
What do you know about Northern Heisman winners?
About Southern schools that suffered humiliating losses?
About the best Northern coaches?
About bubble game production and Northern college airports?
Test yourself against Doug and Bill. Plus there's a check-in at the start on some Northern injuries and time at the end for Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking and Doug and Bill share what's on their minds.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
01:30 - Northern college football injury news
08:15 - Northern Jeopardy
47:51 - Final Jeopardy and whatcha watching, eating, thinking

Arch Manning to Michigan and 9 other college football trades Mar 25, 2024

Michigan dealing defense for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Notre Dame making a trade with Indiana, and rivals Iowa State and Iowa swapping offense for defense are among the 10 Northern college football trades that Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis conjure up on this edition of Kings of the North.
There are 10 deals overall and these are the teams involved:
• Michigan-Texas
• Ohio State-Minnesota
• West Virginia-Wisconsin-Boston College
• Penn State-Northwestern-Boston College
• Penn State-Stanford
• Iowa-Iowa State
• Oregon-Cincinnati
• Michigan-Cincinnati
• Notre Dame-Indiana
• Rutgers-Colorado
Who are the players involved? Is any of the fake movement something that could happen in the transfer portal in real life? What do these fake proposals tell us about the real rosters of the teams involved?
Check out the latest KOTN to find out.

Spring Football Preview: Michigan, Nebraska, Washington and 10 more Northern teams Mar 20, 2024

From the Michigan Wolverines to the Washington Huskies, from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to the Iowa State Cyclones, from the Colorado Buffaloes to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Kings of the North Spring Football Mega Preview Part 2 is here to prepare you for spring football for the 13 Northern teams that weren't covered in Part 1.
That means Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis also discuss West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Maryland, Syracuse and Wisconsin. How many players and coaches are back? What's the main issue for each team this spring?
There's also a dive into what Michigan taking running backs coach Tony Alford from Ohio State means for the Wolverines, and views on left tackle Kadyn Proctor leaving Iowa after just a few months.
Plus, Doug and Bill start building out the menu for their Kings of the North Bar and Grille.
Thanks for joining this episode of KOTN.

NCAA Basketball/Football Winners: Best Northern combo schools from Iowa State to Northwestern Mar 18, 2024

From Iowa to Michigan, from Iowa State to Oregon, from Utah to Northwestern, what Northern schools have the best combination of winning among their men's basketball, women's basketball and football programs?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises dives into the numbers and ranks his Top-10 Northern combo programs.
Which Northern schools made both the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments? Only four.
Which Northern schools won a football bowl game and made the NCAA men's tournament? Only two.
It's difficult to be good at all the major sports, but these Northern programs, including Ohio State, Notre Dame and Nebraska, do it best.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell on North vs. South, Winning in Year 2 and Facing Alabama Mar 14, 2024

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell, entering his second season in Madison as the Badgers open spring practice on March 22, is the guest on this episode of Kings of the North.
Fickell and Doug Lesmerises discuss:
• The differences between the North and South in college football
• Wisconsin’s huge game hosting Alabama on Sept. 14
• Expectations in Year 2
• The Badgers” offensive line
• Hiring the right staff
• How much Mike Vrabel will be in Madison this season
• His worries about college football’s future
• Fickell’s favorite workout songs
• And more
Thanks for joining this episode of Kings of the North.

Big 12, Big Ten, ACC darkhorses, plus J.J. McCarthy NFL Draft prospect Mar 12, 2024

Michigan, Penn State or USC in the Big Ten?
Utah, Kansas and Kansas State, or the field in the Big 12?
Syracuse, Pitt or Boston College in the ACC?
Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nix as NFL Draft prospects?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are playing a new game called Hire, Fire, Portal. They're tackling football discussions about the best teams in the North, and looking at possible changes around the College Football Playoff and recruiting, and deciding what they really like (Hire), what they don't like (Fire) and what they're unsure about (Portal).
It's new, it's pretty fun and it's all about Northern college football -- with a little USC Big Ten discussion thrown in this week.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Spring Football Preview: Notre Dame, Ohio State, Iowa and 10 more Northern teams Mar 07, 2024

Spring football has started and from Oregon to Boston College, Kings of the North is previewing all 26 teams in the North.
From what teams have back to their biggest questions of the spring, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis on this episode worked through 13 Northern teams. The next 13 will follow on a show in a couple weeks -- closer to when their spring practices begin.
On this show, Doug and Bill discussed:
• BYU
• Cincinnati
• Pitt
• Ohio State
• Northwestern
• Notre Dame
• Boston College
• Penn State
• Utah
• Oregon
• Purdue
• Michigan State
• Iowa
And you won't want to miss that Iowa discussion.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Travis Hunter, Dillon Gabriel, TreVeyon Henderson: Drafting Heisman Trophy candidates Mar 05, 2024

From Colorado's Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders to Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to veteran quarterbacks on several potential College Football Playoff teams, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis draft the top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates for the 2024 college football season from the North.
According to the betting odds, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard and Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard are the leading contenders from the North. Do Doug and Bill agree?
And which two running backs who backed up Northern superstars a year ago could jump up as legit candidates this season?
All that on the latest Kings of the North. Thanks for joining the show.

Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon national titles & other future college football Leap Day predictions Feb 29, 2024

What could happen in college football between Leap Day 2024 and Leap Day 2028?
From Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles to Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, from the North winning three of the next four national titles to Notre Dame joining the Big Ten, from coaches like Oregon's Dan Lanning, Penn State's James Franklin and Washington's Jedd Fisch moving on to Indiana football making history.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis make some bold predictions for the next four years of Northern college football on this Kings of the North.
Seem crazy? Not when you look back to where college football was on Leap Day 2020. Doug and Bill run through the Northern coaching changes since then and ask if you would have predicted Nick Saban's retirement, Michigan winning a national title and Cincinnati making the playoff before Leap Day 2024? Probably not. So these predictions might sound crazy now, but a lot can change in four years.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Alex Orji, Jordan Seaton, Jeremiah Smith and 10 Northern players to watch this spring Feb 27, 2024

From Michigan's quarterback to Colorado's left tackle, from receivers at Washington and Ohio State to pass rushers at Iowa and Northwestern, from transfers at Penn State, Utah and Syracuse to the next running back up at Notre Dame, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis give you 10 major Northern players to watch in spring football on this episode of Kings of the North.
Some Northern teams, including BYU and Boston College, open spring practice this week, while many more will kick off practice next week. Kings of the North will give you two more major spring previews covering all 26 of our teams, but for now, prepare to hear about these 10 potential breakout stars this March and April.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College Football Playoff expansion debate, Paterno Field, and Northern CFB news Feb 22, 2024

Is the 12-team College Football Playoff really going to expand to 14 teams in two years? Why are some people complaining about that idea? How does the college football postseason compare to other sports? How much are the Big Ten and SEC running the future of the sport? Should ESPN televise the entire playoff or should multiple networks be involved? Should conference title games be eliminated?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into all those playoff topics.
Then they discuss Iowa State losing its offensive coordinator, Northwestern looking for new football homes for the next two seasons, Penn State floating the idea of naming its stadium for Joe Paterno, and how much teams should focus on hiring alumni as assistants.
Thanks for joining this episode of Kings of the North.

EA Sports College Football Video Game returns: Insider details on stadiums, songs and more Feb 20, 2024

How will schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa and more be featured in the returning EA Sports College Football video game that will be back in 2024 after a decade away? Who should be on the new cover? Why does this matter for college football?
On this Kings of the North episode, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Matt Brown of Extra Points, the No. 1 expert in the country on the return of this college football video game.
Doug and Matt cover:
• How much players will be paid
• What schools sent in to be included in the game
• The history of players on the cover
• Suggestions for this year's cover
• Why schools want this game to return
• How this agreement previews paying college players directly
There's no one better than Matt to cover this particular part of the college football world, so thanks for joining us on Kings of the North.

College Football Win Totals: Nebraska over, Michigan under and other Northern picks Feb 15, 2024

Will the Nebraska Cornhuskers win 8 games or more? Will the Michigan Wolverines win 10 games or fewer? Why do Ohio State and Oregon have the highest Northern college football win totals, and why are BYU, Minnesota, Purdue and Boston College at the bottom?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis each pick their five best bets on Northern win totals, hitting on schools like West Virginia, Michigan State, Minnesota and Maryland, as well as the Cornhuskers and Wolverines.
And then they each pick a Southern under, as the win totals in the SEC are sky-high and Doug and Bill wonder if Alabama and LSU will be as good as expected.
Thanks for joining another episode of Kings of the North.

College Football Coaching Carousel, from Bill O'Brien to Steve Belichick to Wink Martindale Feb 13, 2024

From Bill O'Brien at Boston College to Sherrone Moore at Michigan as head coaches, from Chip Kelly at Ohio State to Mike Denbrock at Notre Dame as offensive coordinators, from Elijah Robinson at Syracuse to Steve Belichick at Washington as defensive coordinators, there are 30 new coaches in major roles in Northern college football.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all these changes among head coaches and coordinators.
That includes:
- 6 head coaches like Jedd Fisch at Washington and Curt Cignetti at Indiana
- 13 offensive coordinators like Andy Kotelnicki at Penn State and Kade Bell at Pitt
- 11 defensive coordinators like Tyson Veidt at Cincinnati and Wink Martindale at Michigan
03:30 - Head coaches
33:30 - Offensive coordinators
1:06:00 - Defensive coordinators
Thanks for joining this episode of Kings of the North.

Super Bowl LVIII tales of Northern stars, from George Kittle to Isiah Pacheco Feb 08, 2024

The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs feature Northern college football stars all over their rosters for Super Bowl 58, and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises goes to the experts to talk about how these players went from Northern colleges to football's biggest stage.
First, Doug and Bill Landis discuss how many Northern players contribute for the Chiefs and 49ers, and from Penn State to Wyoming, West Virginia to Iowa State, Michigan to Western Michigan, there are more than you think.
Then it's a run through all the quarterbacks from Northern schools (hello Tom Brady and Joe Montana) who have won Super Bowls, as San Francisco's Brock Purdy has a chance to join them.
Then guests pop in for in-depth discussions:
- Iowa/49ers tight end George Kittle with Chad Leistikow of HawkCentral.com (11:58)
- Rutgers/Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco with Steve Politi of NJ.com (28:35)
- Notre Dame/Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill with Eric Hansen of InsideNDSports.com (40:56)
- Ohio State/49ers defensive ends Nick Bosa and Chase Young with Doug and Bill (56:01)
Know which Super Bowl players are from the North before you sit down on Sunday, and get their inside stories to share with your friends.
Thanks for being part of Kings of the North.

Michigan-Ohio State, Penn State-WVU, BYU-Utah: Ultimate Northern College Football Schedule Feb 06, 2024

From Wisconsin hosting Alabama, to Pitt hosting Syracuse, to Washington hosting Michigan, come along as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis plan the Ultimate Northern College Football Schedule for 2024 on this episode of Kings of the North.
Over 15 games in 14 weeks, Doug and Bill highlight the best Northern games of the coming 2024 season, picking 15 different stadiums they'd like to visit and covering 19 Northern teams.
From the Penn State at West Virginia opener to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry in Week 14, to games like Nebraska-Indiana and Minnesota-Iowa in-between, the guys get you prepared and excited for the season to come.
They're ready to drive more than 11,000 miles to see these great games -- and they actually will plan to be at a few of them.
Get prepped for a college football fall in the North on the latest Kings of the North.

College football's NIL mess and 6 real solutions Feb 01, 2024

Jeff Hafley gave up his job as Boston College's head football coach to become an NFL defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Does this signal the end of college football as we know it?
Heck no -- some people are making too big of a deal about this.
But college football clearly needs to change, and on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises offers six changes around six topics that you can talk about with your friends without it feeling like homework.
- Number of CFB players compared to pro sports
- Player Freedom
- Competitive Balance
- Moving NIL Inside College Football
- Contracts
- Donors as Owners
Then Doug is joined by Matt Brown, the creator of the Extra Points newsletter that digs into the financial side of college sports, to talk about how current NIL collectives work, whether it's sustainable, and whether the NCAA should be going after NIL cases or not.
It's a money and rules show that should matter to the average fan.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North,

Dan Lanning, Ryan Day, Kalen DeBoer and the 20 best college football coaches Jan 30, 2024

With Jim Harbaugh off to the NFL and Nick Saban retiring, the list of the best coaches in college football is changing.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis address that with a draft of the 20 best coaches in college football.
But they do that with another point in mind -- identifying how many of those coaches come from the North.
Guess what? It's a lot. And guess what -- Northern coaches have won 60 percent of the last 25 national titles as well.
From the New Jersey roots of Syracuse coach Fran Brown and Washington coach Jedd Fisch, to the Iowa educations of Kansas State's Chris Kleiman and Kentucky's Mark Stoops, to the New England backgrounds of LSU's Brian Kelly and Ohio State's Ryan Day, many top coaches were born and raised in the North and went to college there.
Doug and Bill dive into all of that, and then identify some coaches they'd like to see running programs in the North someday.
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers, Michigan-Ohio State rivalry reset Jan 25, 2024

Michigan has three straight wins over Ohio State. The Buckeyes have momentum this offseason. What does that mean for the 2024 Ohio State-Michigan game and the rivalry as a whole?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into the North's biggest rivalry, looking at the state of the national champions and the team chasing them.
How much talent are the Wolverines and Buckeyes losing from 2023?
What do their schedules look like in 2024, and could we see a third straight 11-0 vs. 11-0 showdown?
How much is Michigan's success tied to Jim Harbaugh, or could the Wolverines keep winning without him?
Thanks for joining the discussion on Kings of the North.

Notre Dame's Riley Leonard, West Virginia's Garrett Greene, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders & 26 best QBs Jan 23, 2024

From Ohio State transfer Will Howard to quarterback uncertainty at Michigan and Washington, from Kyle McCord's move to Syracuse to Cade McNamara's return from injury at Iowa, plenty of Northern college football quarterback situations are new for the 2024 season, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here to rate them all on Kings of the North.
Doug and Bill rank their 26 Northern teams by their quarterbacks, from returning starters like Shedeur Sanders at Colorado, Garrett Greene at West Virginia and Rocco Becht at Iowa State to new starters like Dillon Gabriel at Oregon, MJ Morris at Maryland and Brendan Sorsby at Cincinnati.
What leaps might Drew Allar at Penn State, Aidan Chiles at Michigan State and Thomas Castellanos at Boston College be ready to make?
Is there room for growth from veterans like Purdue's Hudson Card, Illinois' Luke Altmyer and Wisconsin's Tyler Van Dyke? And what should we expect from Nebraska true freshman Dylan Raiola in 2024?
You won't find Northern QB rankings like these anywhere else, so thanks for diving in on Kings of the North.
00:00 - Intro and the North taking Alabama's talent
13:08 - Northern QB rankings 26 - 11
1:10:52 - Northern QB rankings 10 - 1

Notre Dame, Oregon, Ohio State and 2024 college football playoff picks Jan 18, 2024

The 12-team playoff is here, and Northern college football teams like Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame and going to be all over it ... and Washington, West Virginia, Nebraska, Wisconsin and others should make pushes some years as well.
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are ready for an exercise they'll undertake multiple times between now and the start of the college football season.
It's time to pick a 12-team bracket.
The guys pick their 12 playoff teams, and the North is well represented. To start the show they also talk about the coaching moves both leaving and joining Washington, and what it means that Alabama football is copying old Indiana football.
00:00 - Intro and coaching moves for Washington and Alabama
21:01 - 12-team playoff projections
Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

Can Ohio State 2024 follow the title plan of Michigan 2023? Jan 16, 2024

Do Northern college football teams have a new formula for winning national titles as laid out by the Michigan Wolverines this season?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by old friend Ari Wasserman of The Athletic to look at the winning paths for teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Nebraska and Wisconsin and what level of recruiting is required.
Topics covered:
- Has the importance of high school recruiting changed?
- Has the top of college football been flattened?
- What Northern teams can compete for titles?
- How much might the 2024 Buckeyes be like the 2023 Wolverines?
- Then the guys wrap up with Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking, focusing on baby pizzas, Fargo, Barbie, jerk culture, unread emails and weather sensationalism.
Thanks for being part of Kings of the North.
00:00 - Intro
2:55 - Changing views of recruiting
39:10 - NIL and transfer portal opening doors
56:30 - Will the North win more titles?
1:08:20 - Can 2024 Ohio State be 2023 Michigan?
1:19:55 - Whatcha watching, eating, and thinking

Kalen DeBoer, Michigan's defense, Nebraska's future and the best of Northern college football Jan 12, 2024

From Michael Penix Jr. and Blake Corum, from West Virginia to Colorado, from Marvin Harrison Jr. to Cooper DeJean, the best Northern college football teams, games and players are honored on this season wrap-up show on Kings of the North.
But first, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into the diabolical scheduling genius of Nick Saban, and the games vs. Northern teams that Alabama is scheduled to play without him.
Then it's onto Northern superlatives:
- Best Offense
- Best Defense
- Program on the Rise
- Most Improved
- Biggest Disappointment
- Best Win over the South
- Best Game
- Craziest Game
- Biggest Upset
Following that is the KOTN All-North Offensive and Defensive teams, with 26 players picked.
Then it's the Coach of the North and the King of the North (best player), with a look at who might have been Kings of the North over the last 50 years.
Thanks for joining the show.
00:00 - Intro and Nick Saban scheduling genius
18:21 - Northern superlative awards
52:19 - All-North Offensive team
1:00:22 - All-North Defensive team
1:10:17 - Coach of the North
1:30:20 - King of the North

Nick Saban retires from Alabama, and the South takes a hit Jan 10, 2024

Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday, and Doug Lesmerises jumped in with instant reaction about this Son of the North leaving a hole in the college football landscape.

How much will Alabama fall off?
How much does this close the gap for all Northern teams?
Who's the next King of the South, and who's the next Alabama coach?
Doug's Saban stories about recruiting and visiting the North

Thanks for joining this bonus edition of Kings of the North.

Michigan beats Washington for College Football National Championship: Postgame Reaction Jan 09, 2024

The Michigan Wolverines beat the Washington Huskies 34-13 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship, finishing off a 15-0 season that is almost certainly the greatest season in 144 years of Michigan football.
On this postgame show on Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break down everything from a Northern football perspective:

The North winning just its third national title in the last 25 years
Michigan's offensive execution and plan of offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore
Michigan's defense keeping Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. off-balance
The history of Northern champs and what this says to other teams in the North
Michigan's roster building and excellent depth
Washington's successful season and what's next for the Huskies
The legacy and future of Jim Harbaugh, and how this season will be viewed inside and outside of Michigan after sign-stealing suspensions in a championship season

Thanks for joining Kings of the North, and we'll see you as the Northern football discussion continues into the offseason.

Michigan-Washington National Championship Preview: Picks for Wolverines vs. Huskies Jan 05, 2024

Who will win the Northern College Football National Championship showdown between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington on Monday night?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis make their picks for the title game in Houston.
But first, Doug runs through the matchups on all sides of the ball:
02:15 - Michigan and Washington ratings comparison
05:40 - Washington passing vs. Michigan pass defense
19:10 - Washington rushing vs. Michigan rush defense
28:40 - Michigan passing vs. Washington pass defense
33:52 - Michigan rushing vs. Washington rush defense
42:30 - Jim Harbaugh vs. Kalen DeBoer, plus special teams
Doug has three special areas of the game that he thinks could flip a close matchup. But when it comes to the full 60 minutes, there are two sides of the ball that will decide things.
Join the Kings of the North for this Northern breakdown!

Michigan-Washington National Championship Preview: How Wolverines, Huskies built their rosters Jan 03, 2024

Michigan and Washington will meet in the National Championship in Houston on Jan. 8. How did the Wolverines and Huskies build teams to get there?
On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dig into the roster building of Michigan and Washington and investigate how sustainable it is and how possible it is for other Northern programs.
They do that by focusing on 4 areas:
- High school recruiting ratings
- Experience
- Recruiting geography
- Using the transfer portal
1:04:30 - Then the guys draft the 10 most important people for the national title game, picking from Washington and Michigan players and coaches.
Thanks for joining the Kings of the North, and come back Friday for a full matchup breakdown and title game picks from Doug and Bill.

Washington beats Texas 37-31: Sugar Bowl postgame reaction Jan 02, 2024

Washington beat Texas in a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Sugar Bowl, but the Huskies almost lost their lead and had to hold on in the final seconds ... as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis talked and followed along for a game they thought was over.
Washington's aggression won out in the end, as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. put up over 400 passing yards in a brilliant performance. Both Bill and Doug predicted that would happen, and they talked about how the Huskies stayed undefeated, setting up a Northern showdown.
Washington vs. Michigan in the National Championship Game -- KOTN will preview that matchup multiple times in the week ahead.
For a discussion of the Wolverines, check out the Rose Bowl postgame show.
And listen here for how the Huskies stayed undefeated and on track for a title by besting the Longhorns.

Michigan beats Alabama 27-20: Rose Bowl postgame reaction Jan 02, 2024

Michigan beat Alabama in overtime in the Rose Bowl, and Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are here with instant reaction minutes after the huge win for the Wolverines.
Michigan showed there was nothing Alabama did that it couldn't match, and the Wolverines will now take their shot at a national title. A great defensive effort and clutch late drives from the offense pushed Jim Harbaugh and his team to its first playoff win.
Tell the world that Northern football can handle anything Southern football brings, and Doug and Bill get that point across on this postgame show after this College Football Playoff semifinal.

How Washington can beat Texas in the Sugar Bowl Dec 29, 2023

No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas meet in a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Sugar Bowl, and for some reason, the Longhorns are favored.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis find that curious on this Kings of the North, while anticipating that the Huskies passing attack led by Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan will have its way against Texas.
Can the Longhorns and quarterback Quinn Ewers keep up if it's a high-scoring game? Why is the perception of this game leaning toward the Longhorns then? The show starts there before getting into:
Washington pass game vs. Texas pass defense
Washington run game vs. Texas run defense
Texas pass game vs. Washington run defense
Texas run game vs. Washington run defense
Washington coach Kalen DeBoer vs. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian
Will the underdog Huskies stay undefeated? Doug and Bill make their picks for the Sugar Bowl to wrap up this Kings of the North.
00:00 - Intro and why is Texas the favorite
17:50 - Washington offense vs Texas Defense
40:11 - Texas passing offense vs Washington Defense
51:08 - Texas rushing offense vs Washington Defense, Sugar Bowl picks
Find the Kings of the North Podcast on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5VmFlOr...
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

How Michigan can beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl Dec 28, 2023

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama in a College Football Playoff semifinal in the Rose Bowl is a tossup -- the Wolverines are favored by 1.5 points.
As Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into a preview on Kings of the North, the game should come down to one player -- Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
The full breakdown hits every aspect of the game, though:
Alabama pass game vs. Michigan pass defense
Alabama run game vs. Michigan run defense
Michigan pass game vs. Alabama run defense
Michigan run game vs. Alabama run defense
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh vs. Alabama coach Nick Saban
What could prevent Michigan from winning this game and allowing the Wolverines to chase their first national title since 1997?
Find out on Kings of the North, as Doug and Bill wrap up by making their picks for the Rose Bowl.
00:00 - Intro
5:30 - Alabama Offense vs Michigan Defense
36:05 - Michigan Offense vs Alabama Defense
1:01:18 - Nick Saban vs Jim Harbaugh, Rose Bowl Picks
Find the Kings of the North Podcast on:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5VmFlOrpiOx9WtHy6TzVgl?si=a6dd114c523345ae
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kings-of-the-north/id1722674802

Dylan Raiola Nebraska impact; Oregon rising recruiting power; QB updates at Notre Dame, Michigan State Dec 22, 2023

From Dylan Raiola at Nebraska to Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore at Oregon to Aidan Chiles at Michigan State, multiple Northern college football teams made major quarterback moves in the last few weeks. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis draft the 10 biggest QB improvements in the North, adding in schools like Notre Dame, Syracuse, Indiana, Washington and Ohio State as well. Then it's on to the biggest impact recruiting classes in the North, including Oregon and Nebraska, and the move by Penn State to hire former Indiana head coach Tom Allen.
Sorry for the long break and thanks for joining Kings of the North.

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