Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Don't Get Mad at JMU for Making the College Football Playoff Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to Split Zone Duo’s College Football Playoff Preview, presented by Modelo. We’re running short previews to get you acquainted with all 12 teams in the field, and we’re starting this series with the JMU Dukes. How did these guys get good? What is Bob Chesney’s deal? And can they win a game?

Thanks to Modelo, the Official Beer Sponsor of the College Football Playoff. Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

How CFB's Calendar Got Like This and How We'd Fix It Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Richard and Alex start this episode with a discussion of this week’s mostly one-sided war of words between Notre Dame and the ACC after the Irish were left out of the College Football Playoff. Then, Rodger Sherman joins for a much longer talk about the infamous CFB calendar, which has been under particular fire in light of Lane Kiffin’s messy exit from Ole Miss. Finally, a truncated Tasting Menu of this weekend, featuring Army-Navy, the Celebration Bowl, and some highlights from the FCS, DII, and DIII playoffs. Timestamps:

* 0:00: Notre Dame vs. the ACC

* 17:55: The college football calendar

* 1:10:07: The Week 16 Tasting Menu

Produced by Anthony Vito. Let us know your own calendar ideas!

This episode is free, but lots of our shows are just for paid subscribers.

You can get a lot more of our shows by becoming a paid subscriber. Subscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks. Also, thanks to our partners:

Shop at Homefield

Thanks to Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

Thanks to Nokian Tyres: https://www.nokiantyres.com/szd

Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Coach Carousel Cleanup: The Penn State Aftermath Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com

SUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Godfrey joins Richard and Alex for a discussion of the major coaching moves that went down on Conference Championship Weekend, led by Penn State’s hire of Matt Campbell and all of the associated fallout:

* Penn State’s coaching search got VERY messy. It ended with a solid hire. Was this bad process, and if so, how much does that matter going forward?

* A digression about Kalani Sitake sticking with BYU

* Iowa State backfills with Jimmy Rogers, leaving Wazzu high and dry

* The interesting experiment that will be Tosh Lupoi at Cal

* Why Mark Stoops gave Kentucky a hand with his buyout timing

* The winding journey of Oregon State hire JaMarcus Shephard

* Jason Candle’s departure for UConn is another blow for the MAC

* The backfilling of a bunch of great G5 jobs, including some head-scratchers

* Man, nobody wanted the UAB job

* Brent Pry, Zach Arnett, and the objectively weird situation of fired head coaches joining up as coordinators at the schools that canned them

Produced by Anthony Vito.

Subscribe to hear the full episode

Our coach carousel episodes, including this one, go behind the $10 monthly paywall for subscribers. If you’re looking for a mix of reporting and longer-form discussions about the coach movements that shape the sport, we’d love to have you. Everyone can listen to a free preview of this episode, of course.

The 2025 CFP Bracket Reaction Show: The Alabama Disagreement Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

The College Football Playoff bracket is out. Richard Johnson doesn’t think it’s a big crime that Alabama was included. Alex Kirshner does. The hosts hash out their disagreement and then pull on some other threads from the big reveal:

* Why Richard was able to see so much of this coming

* Why Alex really hates Bama’s inclusion

* Why Richard doesn’t

* How Duke’s loss in the ACC Championship did or didn’t affect Miami’s case

* Notre Dame’s decision not to play in a bowl game

* The increasing anti-Group of 5 backlash that has already started to bubble up after two non-power teams made the field

* No, this is not going to make Notre Dame give up independence

* Early reactions to the rest of the bracket

* The teams Richard thinks could actually win this thing

Produced by Anthony Vito.

This episode is free, but lots of our shows are just for paid subscribers.

Shop at Homefield

Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

Thanks to Nokian Tyres for a great weekend in NYC: www.nokiantyres.com/szd

Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Miami or Alabama? Dec 07, 2025

Show notes

Here’s a quick solo episode from Alex, taking you through the big debate on the Playoff selection committee’s hands before Selection Sunday: Alabama or Miami? Plus, one political consideration you should keep in mind, and a quick aside about how safe Notre Dame should feel.

This episode is free, but you can get a lot more of our shows by becoming a paid subscriber. Subscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts. Now, during the coach carousel, is a great time to join. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks.

Shop at Homefield

Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

Thanks to Nokian Tyres for a great weekend in NYC: www.nokiantyres.com/szd

Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The 2025 CFB Championship Weekend Tasting Menu Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Championship Weekend! Alex and Richard break down the FBS conference title games, with notes on a few lower-level playoff games as well. Starting with Kennesaw State-Jacksonville State and going through Ohio State-Indiana, they cover the most interesting angles for each championship game. Then, in THE MAIN COURSE presented by Modelo, it’s time to discuss the possibility of five-loss Duke winning the ACC and creating an unprecedented playoff bracket.

Producer: Anthony Vito

Thanks to our subscribers and partners

Subscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts during the season. Now, during the coach carousel, is a great time to join. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks!

Shop at Homefield

Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

Thanks to Nokian Tyres. RSVP for our CFB watch party on December 6 at Mason Jar in NYC here. (Entry is free!)

Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

The I-Formation: How to Read a Coaching Search (Mailbag) Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com

SUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Richard got hundreds of questions about this season of coach movement. In this solo episode, he distills a bunch of them and tells you about how to read a coaching search (and how to spot a bad search), Penn State’s doomed pursuit of Kalani Sitake, the difference between Jon Sumrall and Billy Napier, how Auburn’s search went from quiet to chaotic in a hurry, why Arkansas is indeed an upgrade from Memphis, a bit more on Lane Kiffin and the Playoff, and a big list of additional questions. Producer: Anthony Vito

Also, yes, Richard takes these questions from the car. Busy week!

Subscribe to hear the full episode

Black Sunday Blow-by-Blow: Lane Kiffin and the Coach Carousel in Real Time Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com

SUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Richard spent Sunday on his phone, gathering information on the day’s many college football coach hirings and firings. This episode takes you through Richard’s day of reporting. Alex joins him to discuss a bunch of moves:

* Lane Kiffin heads to LSU, and Ole Miss replaces him swiftly with the internal succession option we talked about a few weeks ago: Pete Golding

* The argument between Kiffin and Ole Miss at the end, Kiffin’s efforts to own the narrative, and how much of this is his doing vs. the calendar’s

* Florida hires Jon Sumrall, who’s technically a consolation prize but brings a lot more to the table than many Florida fans realize

* Auburn, after weeks of pursuing Sumrall, winds up not with DJ Durkin but with Alex Golesh. But did Durkin play a role in how it shook out?

* Arkansas gets Ryan Silverfield, angering Hogs fans but not Memphis fans

* Michigan State fires Jonathan Smith and moves quickly to replace him with Pat Fitzgerald, in a sequence that looks like a set piece

* Recapping some hires at Oklahoma State, Stanford, Colorado State, and Oregon State, while other jobs wait to be filled

* Penn State’s search is quieter than a whisper, but it’s getting down to two options: Hire a coordinator, or take a big swing on a mystery man. If there’s a mystery man, is he coaching a conference championship game?

It’s a great time to subscribe to Split Zone Duo

Further listening from us

* Alex’s solo episode about DJ Durkin’s time at Maryland. For a limited time, we’ve pulled this 2024 episode out from behind the paywall. If you’ve ever wondered why this podcast talks about Durkin in a certain way, and what his story has to do with CFB media, this will be the episode for you.

* The Week 14 Sunday Hurry-Up, presented by Dad Water.

Week 14 CFB Hurry-Up: Iron Sharpens Alabama Nov 30, 2025

Show notes

Alex and Richard recap dozens of Rivalry Weekend college football games, taking you through the most interesting events from Week 14:

Texas asserts itself as the big brother

An absolutely box-office Iron Bowl

Ohio State flips The Game back in its favor

Ole Miss fights through “distractions”

Duke makes the ACC Championship with FIVE losses

Vanderbilt finishes an incredible season in style

Georgia and Oklahoma grit their way into the postseason, but man, it was not pretty

NC State sends UNC into the offseason on an appropriately sour note

Texas Tech and BYU take care of business

North Texas and Tulane do the same in the American

A fresh path to the Playoff for the JMU Dukes

Yale’s massive comeback in the FCS playoffs

And much more on the Sunday Hurry-Up, presented by Dad Water. Produced by Anthony Vito.

Want much more? Become a paid subscriber

Subscribers get bonus episodes each week, usually multiple during the season. We’d love to have you as we continue into one of our busiest times of the year.

Join at www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Thanks to our partners and subscribers

20% off Dad Water: https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

Join us at 12 p.m. on 12/6 in NYC, along with Nokian Tyres! RSVP for our championship watch party at Mason Jar at https://www.nokiantyres.com/szd

Shop Homefield at https://www.homefieldapparel.com/ and use code HOMEFIELD30 at checkout to get 30% off

This episode is produced by Anthony Vito.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

Week 14 CFB Tasting Menu: The Rivalry Feast Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner guide you through the coming Rivalry Week in college football, going through dozens of games with 1) playoff stakes, 2) conference championship stakes, and 3) none of those stakes at all, because many of these week’s games don’t need them to be fascinating. Among the many, many games that we discuss on this episode:

* The Egg Bowl: “Distractions” shouldn’t matter here. Right?

* Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: Why we’re not discounting the Yellow Jackets, despite their defense falling off a cliff lately

* Texas A&M at Texas: At least half of this podcast thinks the Longhorns are about to pull the upset at home. Why?

* Miami at Pitt: A bad matchup for the Panthers, but could Carson Beck gift them a chance at an upset?

* Clemson at South Carolina: Which fanbase would be more despondent?

* Kentucky at Louisville: Have the trajectories here flipped?

* WKU at Jacksonville State: Will the Gamecocks prove harder for WKU’s defense to stop than LSU’s offense was?

* Vanderbilt at Tennessee: Why are we a little nervous about the Dores?

* The Iron Bowl: Again, why does at least half of this podcast think the home team is going to pull the upset?

* And finally, in THE MAIN COURSE presented by Modelo, we’ve got Bill Landis of “Bill and Doug on Ohio State Football” in the house. Bill gets us up to speed on this Ohio State season and talks about the Buckeyes’ path to ending their four-year drought against Michigan.

And much, much more. Producer: Anthony Vito

Thanks to our subscribers and partners

Shop Black Friday a week early at Homefield, using the code HOMEFIELD30 at checkout.

Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

Thanks to Nokian Tyres. RSVP for our CFB watch party on December 6 at Mason Jar in NYC here. (Entry is free!)

Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe