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

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 Dan on vacation and the regular season officially in the books, Ty invited ESPN's Bill Connelly back to the pod to help us put the 2025 campaign in perspective. In this episode, we discuss the biggest risers, most head-scratching fallers, and how Indiana and Texas Tech are the best stories of the year. Plus, a conversation about how the Group of Five should fit into the CFP discussion, what to watch for in non-playoff bowls, what it felt like for Bill to be part of the Mountain West's tiebreaker, and how Bill's new book, Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football, can be instructive as college football forges ahead into uncertain territory.

With Dan on vacation and the regular season officially in the books, Ty invited ESPN's Bill Connelly back to the pod to help us put the 2025 campaign in perspective. In this episode, we discuss the biggest risers, most head-scratching fallers, and how Indiana and Texas Tech are the best stories of the year. Plus, a conversation about how the Group of Five should fit into the CFP discussion, what to watch for in non-playoff bowls, what it felt like for Bill to be part of the Mountain West's tiebreaker, and how Bill's new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forward-Progress-Definitive-College-Football/dp/1637278705/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FVDVVG3MUUR&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sVJpETSlEQX-2WiW31C3tQuco5fKJvWGdY7HTmWvTGfGuVHvNAEdF4Mi1fnEfnAsyjOqX8eNe5cZH3gkT_8x8ui0E8TD6-iJ2rF_zfDdEC_iwiChdYKMOtCVnGzk2KaQrhOn2LtvAjDkaz24VRjRPnxujJNYWaQx2F2ZTxWz6ztuG7If72_L5q5-SdWD0M2akP-eT-geGG0sRxloAAmf2YxP-W7mO1OtziCYAFzljzE.7PeWv21c4sMm9wHRIpRbjfog7FsS2smXlY1mOE2vS40&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=bill+connelly&amp;qid=1766431168&amp;sprefix=bill+connelly%2Caps%2C100&amp;sr=8-1">Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football</a>, can be instructive as college football forges ahead into uncertain territory.

The 2025 Post-Mortem with ESPN's Bill Connelly | College Football

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0b0209cb-2071-4c87-aac2-b3bc000e7812/transcript

Alabama defeats Oklahoma

Miami beats Texas A&M

Ole Miss & Oregon Roll

The Great G5 Playoff Debate

The first round of the College Football Playoff is officially in the books. In this episode, we recap the highlights, lowlights and big storylines from an eventful slate of games, as Alabama erased a 17-0 deficit to beat Oklahoma, Miami outlasted Texas A&M (and the wind) for a 10-3 victory, and Oregon and Ole Miss dominated G5 opponents in their home stadiums. Plus, some thoughts on the Group of Five's place in the College Football Playoff.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
2:56 - Alabama defeats Oklahoma
19:37 - Miami beats Texas A&M
34:10 - Oregon & Ole Miss roll
48:20 - The Great G5 Playoff Debate

The first round of the College Football Playoff is officially in the books. In this episode, we recap the highlights, lowlights and big storylines from an eventful slate of games, as Alabama erased a 17-0 deficit to beat Oklahoma, Miami outlasted Texas A&amp;M (and the wind) for a 10-3 victory, and Oregon and Ole Miss dominated G5 opponents in their home stadiums. Plus, some thoughts on the Group of Five's place in the College Football Playoff.
Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:56 - Alabama defeats Oklahoma 19:37 - Miami beats Texas A&amp;M 34:10 - Oregon &amp; Ole Miss roll 48:20 - The Great G5 Playoff Debate

CFP FIRST ROUND REACTIONS: Alabama Storms Back, Miami Wins Slugfest + Oregon & Ole Miss Roll

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5e9e7845-f9d1-42ae-8d10-b3ba0065c68c/transcript

Intro

Interview with Brandon Huffman

Closing Thoughts

With the Early Signing Period in the rearview mirror, we touch base with our good friend Brandon Huffman of 247sports.com to recap the biggest storylines in the wake of college football's first milestone of the current recruiting cycle. In this episode, we talk through the challenging aspects of the college football calendar, the role of agents in the process, and the death of the National Letter of Intent (NLI). We also take a look at how recruiting philosophies have changed in the era of NIL and revenue sharing, whether the transfer portal has created more parity, Brandon's favorite players in the 2026 recruiting class, and the state of talent acquisition in the Power Four and Group of Six, and much more.

Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
3:33 - Interview with Brandon Huffman
1:20:08 - Closing Thoughts

With the Early Signing Period in the rearview mirror, we touch base with our good friend Brandon Huffman of&nbsp;<a href="https://247sports.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://247sports.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1766089330781000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3oNXOGTDG_HCRxFDVIq1fk">247sports.com</a>&nbsp;to recap the biggest storylines in the wake of college football's first milestone of the current recruiting cycle. In this episode, we talk through the challenging aspects of the college football calendar, the role of agents in the process, and the death of the National Letter of Intent (NLI). We also take a look at how recruiting philosophies have changed in the era of NIL and revenue sharing, whether the transfer portal has created more parity, Brandon's favorite players in the 2026 recruiting class, and the state of talent acquisition in the Power Four and Group of Six, and much more.
Timecodes: 0:00 - Intro 3:33 - Interview with Brandon Huffman 1:20:08 - Closing Thoughts

Early Signing Day Recap with Brandon Huffman | College Football

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5a211370-5947-4d0c-ac16-b3b6014f52b0/transcript

The State of College Football Analytics with Bill Connelly

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