COACH IS JOINED BY Dennis Dodd and Tony Barnhart to discuss the increasingly chaotic off-field landscape of college football, even as the on-field product remains as highly entertaining as ever. The trio dives into the current lack of formal employment and collective bargaining for athletes, noting that players are effectively playing for pay through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) endorsements. Dodd warns that any attempts to cap or cut this compensation could spark player strikes, pointing to past athlete protests at schools like Missouri, Michigan, and Penn State as definitive proof of their leverage. The group also breaks down the proposed Protect College Sports Act, describing the legislation as potentially hostile to the powerhouses in the SEC and Big Ten, while highlighting the heavy political pushback and scheduling hurdles it currently faces in Congress.

The conversation then pivots to the College Football Hall of Fame and the controversial exclusion of the late Mike Leach. Dodd criticizes the Hall's rigid requirement of a .600 career winning percentage—a strict rule allegedly championed by former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner—which Leach narrowly missed with a .594, despite his undeniable and transformative impact on the game. The guests argue that this mandate arbitrarily blocks profoundly influential figures from receiving their proper recognition. The segment concludes on a humorous and candid note when Barnhart formally recuses himself from the Mike Leach debate, revealing his active role on the committee that handles Hall of Fame decisions, before cheerfully signing off from the broadcast.

COACH IS JOINED BY Dennis Dodd and Tony Barnhart to discuss the increasingly chaotic off-field landscape of college football, even as the on-field product remains as highly entertaining as ever. The trio dives into the current lack of formal employment and collective bargaining for athletes, noting that players are effectively playing for pay through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) endorsements. Dodd warns that any attempts to cap or cut this compensation could spark player strikes, pointing to past athlete protests at schools like Missouri, Michigan, and Penn State as definitive proof of their leverage. The group also breaks down the proposed Protect College Sports Act, describing the legislation as potentially hostile to the powerhouses in the SEC and Big Ten, while highlighting the heavy political pushback and scheduling hurdles it currently faces in Congress.
The conversation then pivots to the College Football Hall of Fame and the controversial exclusion of the late Mike Leach. Dodd criticizes the Hall's rigid requirement of a .600 career winning percentage&mdash;a strict rule allegedly championed by former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner&mdash;which Leach narrowly missed with a .594, despite his undeniable and transformative impact on the game. The guests argue that this mandate arbitrarily blocks profoundly influential figures from receiving their proper recognition. The segment concludes on a humorous and candid note when Barnhart formally recuses himself from the Mike Leach debate, revealing his active role on the committee that handles Hall of Fame decisions, before cheerfully signing off from the broadcast.

Not many analysts in the midsouth have as much football expertise as Doug Mathews brings to the microphone every Saturday morning. It’s Forklift System’s Football Saturday on 104-5 The Zone.

Mathews, best known for his 10 seasons as Running Backs Coach and Defensive Coordinator for the University of Tennessee, tells it like it is and lets you take show where you want to go every weekend.

Forklift Systems Football Saturday covers all the big games across the nation, including all the action within the Southeastern Conference. It’s the perfect preview before you catch your favorite team play Saturday afternoon. Featuring long-time college football writer Tony Barnhart and NFL analyst Charles Davis.