Ty and Dan welcome back ESPN's Bill Connelly to unpack his recent piece on the state of analytics in college football. How are trends changing around fourth downs and two point conversions? How will the rise of player tracking impact coaching decisions? What's so special about passing on first down, and why might we see more of it? Plus, an indulgent postscript chat about the World Cup draw and what it portends for the United States Men's National Team. And a breakdown of the Final Four of Fast Food taking place at Verballers.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ty and Dan welcome back ESPN's Bill Connelly to unpack his recent piece on the state of analytics in college football. How are trends changing around fourth downs and two point conversions? How will the rise of player tracking impact coaching decisions? What's so special about passing on first down, and why might we see more of it? Plus, an indulgent postscript chat about the World Cup draw and what it portends for the United States Men's National Team. And a breakdown of the Final Four of Fast Food taking place at Verballers.com.See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

College football in all its glory. Ditch the mainstream and break the huddle with The Solid Verbal. Since 2008, Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein have been shaking up the college football podcasting scene with their fun and unique blend of commentary. Whether you're a diehard or a casual observer, the show taps into your fandom with spirited debates, fresh perspectives, and segments you won't hear anywhere else. Recognized as trailblazers in the podcasting world, The Solid Verbal isn't just another college football show—it's America's College Football Podcast. Become a Verballer today and join thousands of others who don't just love college football, they live it!

Follow The Solid Verbal College Football podcast on your favorite app today and download everything you need to know this offseason.

College football in all its glory. Ditch the mainstream and break the huddle with The Solid Verbal. Since 2008, Ty Hildenbrandt and Dan Rubenstein have been shaking up the college football podcasting scene with their fun and unique blend of commentary. Whether you're a diehard or a casual observer, the show taps into your fandom with spirited debates, fresh perspectives, and segments you won't hear anywhere else. Recognized as trailblazers in the podcasting world, The Solid Verbal isn't just another college football show—it's America's College Football Podcast. Become a Verballer today and join thousands of others who don't just love college football, they live it!Follow The Solid Verbal College Football podcast on your favorite app today and download everything you need to know this offseason.

The Solid Verbal College Football Show

The State of College Football Analytics with Bill Connelly

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d1b430aa-3ba2-4bcc-9f4e-b30d0168c5ed/transcript

With most of Week 1 in the books, we go back through the games that deserved a longer look after Saturday night’s live reaction show. LSU’s demolition of Clemson is at the center of the conversation. How much of the result was about LSU looking immediately dangerous under Lane Kiffin, and how much should Clemson fans worry about a team that was physically overwhelmed?

We also dig deeper into the fireworks between Ole Miss and Louisville, one of the most entertaining games of the weekend, and spend time on Notre Dame’s 41-13 win over Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. What should we make of the Irish offense after a sluggish start, how much can we learn from Wisconsin’s first half?

From there, we go rapid-fire through some of the other Week 1 performances that caught our attention, including Washington’s Apple Cup win and encouraging starts from Indiana, Florida, UCLA and Mississippi State. We also start looking ahead to a loaded Week 2, with Michigan-Oklahoma, Ohio State-Texas and several other matchups that should tell us much more about what these teams actually are in 2026.

Support the show at Verballers.com.

With most of Week 1 in the books, we go back through the games that deserved a longer look after Saturday night&rsquo;s live reaction show. LSU&rsquo;s demolition of Clemson is at the center of the conversation. How much of the result was about LSU looking immediately dangerous under Lane Kiffin, and how much should Clemson fans worry about a team that was physically overwhelmed?
We also dig deeper into the fireworks between Ole Miss and Louisville, one of the most entertaining games of the weekend, and spend time on Notre Dame&rsquo;s 41-13 win over Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. What should we make of the Irish offense after a sluggish start, how much can we learn from Wisconsin&rsquo;s first half?
From there, we go rapid-fire through some of the other Week 1 performances that caught our attention, including Washington&rsquo;s Apple Cup win and encouraging starts from Indiana, Florida, UCLA and Mississippi State. We also start looking ahead to a loaded Week 2, with Michigan-Oklahoma, Ohio State-Texas and several other matchups that should tell us much more about what these teams actually are in 2026.
Support the show at <a href="https://www.verballers.com/join">Verballers.com</a>.

LSU Looks Dangerous, Ole Miss-Louisville Fireworks & College Football Week 1 Takeaways

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2c178ccd-3357-455d-a8fe-b4be01276c61/transcript

College football Week 1 started quietly and then completely lost its mind. Michigan needed a last-second miracle to survive Western Michigan, Oregon got pushed deep into the fourth quarter by Boise State, and Auburn escaped Baylor by a single point after stopping a late two-point conversion.

We break down the biggest games, then zoom out to the teams and players that impressed us most, including huge performances from Miami, Alabama, Tennessee, USC, Pitt, Penn State and more. We also ask which fan bases should already be freaking out, react to your Week 1 Reverbs, hand out Dude Alerts and start sorting through who should move up or down on our AP Top 25 ballot after the first real data points of the 2026 season.

College football Week 1 started quietly and then completely lost its mind. Michigan needed a last-second miracle to survive Western Michigan, Oregon got pushed deep into the fourth quarter by Boise State, and Auburn escaped Baylor by a single point after stopping a late two-point conversion.
We break down the biggest games, then zoom out to the teams and players that impressed us most, including huge performances from Miami, Alabama, Tennessee, USC, Pitt, Penn State and more. We also ask which fan bases should already be freaking out, react to your Week 1 Reverbs, hand out Dude Alerts and start sorting through who should move up or down on our AP Top 25 ballot after the first real data points of the 2026 season.

Michigan’s Miracle, Oregon’s Scare & Who Impressed Us in College Football Week 1

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c9fb2f54-ca5f-4b0e-b5ea-b4bd005f5b1f/transcript

Clemson vs LSU

Baylor vs Auburn

Boise State vs Oregon

UCLA vs Cal

Louisville vs Ole Miss

Wisconsin vs Notre Dame

SMU vs Florida State

Colorado vs Georgia Tech

Fresno State vs USC

Miami vs Stanford

Under The Radar Games

Window of Opportunity

Quick Recap

Patriot League Lightning Round

College football’s first full weekend is finally here, and Week 1 is throwing a whole lot of unknowns directly into the fire. We make our picks for the biggest games on the schedule and try to figure out which teams are actually ready for the moment across five days of games from Thursday night through Labor Day.

How quickly can new quarterbacks and new coaches settle in? Can Clemson’s offense find enough answers in Death Valley? What should we expect from Auburn and Baylor in Atlanta, Louisville and Ole Miss in Nashville, and Wisconsin and Notre Dame at Lambeau Field? We also dig into SMU-Florida State, UCLA-Cal, Boise State-Oregon and several other games where one matchup could tell us much more about these teams than the final score.

Then we go hunting for the games hiding beneath the radar, identify our Window of Opportunity, make our locks and upset picks, and prepare to leap into the great unknown of our 19th season of college football podcasting.

Listen to the full episode, rate and subscribe wherever you get the show, and join us at Verballers.com to play Run The Board, where this week’s winner takes home a $500 Visa gift card.

College football&rsquo;s first full weekend is finally here, and Week 1 is throwing a whole lot of unknowns directly into the fire. We make our picks for the biggest games on the schedule and try to figure out which teams are actually ready for the moment across five days of games from Thursday night through Labor Day.
How quickly can new quarterbacks and new coaches settle in? Can Clemson&rsquo;s offense find enough answers in Death Valley? What should we expect from Auburn and Baylor in Atlanta, Louisville and Ole Miss in Nashville, and Wisconsin and Notre Dame at Lambeau Field? We also dig into SMU-Florida State, UCLA-Cal, Boise State-Oregon and several other games where one matchup could tell us much more about these teams than the final score.
Then we go hunting for the games hiding beneath the radar, identify our Window of Opportunity, make our locks and upset picks, and prepare to leap into the great unknown of our 19th season of college football podcasting.
Listen to the full episode, rate and subscribe wherever you get the show, and join us at <a href="https://Verballers.com" data-link-auto="">Verballers.com</a> to play Run The Board, where this week&rsquo;s winner takes home a $500 Visa gift card.

College Football Week 1: Picks, Sneaky Games & Parachuting into 2026

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6561cc7d-750b-49ab-8687-b4b901458441/transcript

The State of College Football Analytics with Bill Connelly

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