Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Eyes List: Post-Napier State of Play Nov 08, 2024

Show notes

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

In this episode for paid subscriber: Florida isn’t firing Billy Napier. Godfrey made several phone calls Thursday night and opens up his notebook here with notes on the Gators, Auburn, Purdue, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech, ECU, Central Michigan, UAB, and more.

Host: Steven Godfrey

Producer: Anthony Vito

The Dawn of the 12-Team Playoff Rankings Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

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

The College Football Playoff selection committee ranked teams for the first time in the era of an expanded field. We discuss:

* The possibility of a Big 12 doomsday scenario

* Whether the Group of 5 might have an actual breakthrough this year

* How the committee’s philosophy appears to have shifted (and not shifted) now that it’s gone from ranking for a four-team field to a 12-team field

* The weirdest outcomes that remain on the table

Hosts: Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, Steven GodfreyProducer: Anthony Vito

Week 11 Tasting Menu: Saturday Night in Death Valley Nov 06, 2024

Show notes

Our Week 11 college football preview arrives, including:

* The keys to Alabama-LSU

* Florida’s chances at a Texas upset

* Colorado’s road to the Big 12 goes through Lubbock

* Army and Boise continue marching

* An injury-laden Clemson-Virginia Tech meeting

* The Big 12 middle class sorting itself out

* The Holy War gets a twist

And a lot more!

* 20% off sitewide at homefieldapparel.com through November 9

* Enter your pick for the Nokian Tyres Road Trip of the Week and be automatically entered in a monthly drawing to win tires at www.nokiantyres.com/szd

Hosts: Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, Steven GodfreyProducer: 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 10 Hurry-Up: Static State Nov 03, 2024

Show notes

An information-packed rundown of Week 10 in college football, including:

* Ohio State-Penn State goes how it always goes

* Indiana is still Indiana (that’s a compliment now)

* South Carolina shows up big against A&M

* SMU has its biggest night in 40 years

* Army stays on course, but Navy doesn’t

* Memphis falls apart in a key spot

* Virginia Tech can’t win close games

* The Big 12 contenders converge on each other

* Tahj Brooks, Ashton Jeanty, and more great running

* Baylor might be back

* A Florida recruiting fight gets testy

* The Libs get owned against Jacksonville State

And a lot more!

* Get 20% off your first order at Homefield using code SZD20 at homefieldapparel.com

* Enter your pick for the Nokian Tyres Road Trip of the Week and be automatically entered in a monthly drawing to win tires at www.nokiantyres.com/szd

Hosts: Alex Kirshner, Richard JohnsonProducer: 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

UAB's Dilfer Disaster and The Worst Coach Hires of the Past 15 Years Oct 31, 2024

Show notes

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

Since UAB hired Trent Dilfer before the 2023 season, a once-solid program has become one of college football’s worst teams. Rodger Sherman, who wrote an excellent feature about the flawed ideology behind the hire, joins Richard, Godfrey, and Alex to discuss how UAB set itself up to fail with a hire that made no strategic or cultural sense. Then, Rodger and the SZD hosts hold a three-round draft of the worst coaching hires of the past 15 years. It’s a walk down memory lane not just of hires who didn’t win, but of hires that were unwise at the time they were made. Let’s see what lessons we can learn.

Read Rodger's Dilfer story and more at Read Rodge: https://rodgersherman.substack.com/p/the-dilfer-debacle-or-a-case-study

Producer: Anthony Vito

The Single Wing: Playoff Chaos Math Isn't Hard To Find Oct 30, 2024

Show notes

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

Listen to the Week 10 Tasting Menu and pair it with Godfrey’s Q&A for subscribers. He’s on one this week. We start our journey with a repeat format of Question Randomization, but this time around we end up smack dab in the middle of a big mess with the coming 12-team bracket weekly rankings and a series of inconvenient results clogging the at-large field. Could all of this magically work itself out? Maybe, but that hasn't been the vibe in this sport the last few years.

Host: Steven GodfreyProducer: Anthony Vito

Week 10 Tasting Menu: Penn State's Latest Prove-It Spot Oct 30, 2024

Show notes

A preview of the Week 10 college football season, including:

* Penn State’s latest chance to level up in the sport, this one against Ohio State in Happy Valley in what should be one of 2024’s best games

* Marquee QB matchups have been duds. Why?

* Army’s latest offensive evolution, and why this season has been such a bleak one for Air Force

* What kind of Florida-Georgia will this one be?

* Indiana keeps chugging and may get its QB back

* A&M and the potential for a two-QB system

* A marquee matchup (that’s right) between Pitt and SMU

* Late life in the TCU-Baylor Revivalry

And more.

HOMEFIELD’S SWEATER PROJECT: A 48-hour reservation window for a one-of-a-kind product, the Indiana Football 1979 Tri-Stripe Crewneck. Use code SZD20 for 20 percent off your first order at www.homefieldapparel.com

NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: This week, it’s State College, PA. Enter your pick and be automatically entered in a monthly drawing to win tires, and congrats to listener Noble on winning this month’s drawing. Enter at www.nokiantyres.com/szd

Hosts: Alex Kirshner, Richard JohnsonProducer: 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 9 Hurry-Up: The Gig'em Economy Oct 27, 2024

Show notes

Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner recap Week 9 in college football, including:

* Texas A&M beats LSU, and Mike Elko makes a point

* Texas survives an odd game against Vanderbilt

* Miami gets a breakthrough, and FSU flirts with history

* BYU, Pitt, and Indiana all remain unbeaten

* Kansas still can’t beat Kansas State

* A classic MSU-UM game

* UNLV misses an opportunity

* The MAC and Sun Belt races are WIDE open

* UTSA’s nightmare year

* How to lose a game with a 6-0 turnover margin

And much more.

Hosts: Richard Johnson, Alex KirshnerProducer: 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

Single Wing: FSU in '25, Cal's Life After Twitter, and the Ironic Roll Tide Oct 25, 2024

Show notes

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

A Week 9 subscriber Q&A with Steven Godfrey. He takes questions about James Madison, Florida State, BYU, Cincinnati, Georgia and a buncha other schools and things in the fun and never-sane world of CFB. Also, yes, the smoker is assembled. Finally.

Host: Steven GodfreyProducer: Anthony Vito

The Eyes List: A Soft Launch Oct 23, 2024

Show notes

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

Welcome back to another year of "The Eyes List,” where Split Zone Duo discusses coaching situations that we’ve got our eyes on. Richard, Godfrey, and Alex discuss the first two in-season head coach firings of 2024: ECU’s Mike Houston and Southern Miss’ Will Hall. Plus, Oklahoma fires Seth Littrell and puts the first blue-blood coordinator opening on the board.

In this episode for paid subscribers, SZD discusses:

* The specific challenges faced by ECU and Southern Miss

* Why it’s not really time yet for candidate lists, and why the firing cycle has not heated up in earnest as November approaches

* Why one hot ECU name seems like a long shot

* How ECU is still cleaning up an AD’s mess from 10 years ago

* Whether Southern Miss is a better situation than it was in 2021

* The critical nature of Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator search after firing Seth Littrell

Producer: Anthony VitoHosts: Richard Johnson, Steven Godfrey, Alex Kirshner