Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Richard and Alex preview Conference USA, as the league adds Delaware and Missouri State. In this episode:* Liberty remains the favorite, even with a downgrade at QB* Sam Houston is primed for regression after 10 wins and a coaching change* WKU goes back to a strategy that has worked time and again: portaling an entire offense from a lower-level program* UTEP might have a bit of juice under Scotty Walden* Jacksonville State slams the reset button after winning the league and seeing Rich Rodriguez return to West Virginia* FIU has … reason for optimism?* Missouri State is making an ambitious play by jumping to FBS, and we aren’t sure it will work out well—at least not in the win column* Delaware looks poised for a smoother transition* Kennesaw State will be much more interesting, but still not good* Middle Tennessee is hunting for reasons for optimism* Louisiana Tech’s coach looks to forestall what might be inevitable* New Mexico State makes changes after a turbulent offseasonProducer: 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comDan Casey, coach and founder of the Play Caller’s Club, joins Richard to discuss the Xs and Os trends that are percolating across college football ahead of the 2025 season. Weird alignments, formations into the boundary, running backs out of the backfield, and the use of two-QB systems so that teams don’t have to leave NIL dollars sitting on the bench. Plus, a defensive response led by the Michigan-Ravens tree and a comeback of a Tampa Buccaneers classic.This episode is for paid subscribers, with a free preview available to all. This is a great time to become a paid subscriber.Producer: Anthony Vito

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comListen to Alex’s extended-cut interview with Miami University play-by-play announcer Steve Baker, for Split Zone Duo subscribers. Listen to the full “Dead Letters” episode about Miami and the Cradle of Coaches here.

Miami University went on an unprecedented run of hiring coaches: Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, and many more: . By 2003, with Ben Roethlisberger behind center, the RedHawks were the best program outside the power conference. Then trouble hit, both for Miami and the MAC. Split Zone Duo’s paid subscribers can listen to an extended cut of our interview with Steve Baker, the longtime voice of the RedHawks. Subscribe now.Listen to all 10 episodes of Dead Letters There’s now a standalone podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, and the other major podcasting apps. It’s got a handful of free episodes, and subscribers can set up their personal feeds in their publication settings. It’s very easy from here. Set up your premium episode feed the same way you set up your regular SZD feed: Dead Letters is a Split Zone Duo series about when bad things happen to great college football programs. In the series’ first 10 episodes, we’ve covered the rise and fall of teams like Tulane, Nebraska, Florida A&M, Ole Miss, and the entire Southern Conference. These episodes are all in the Split Zone Duo podcast feed, and we have made a handful of them (including this one) free. To listen to the full catalog of Dead Letters, become a paid subscriber. Want all of the Dead Letters episodes in one tidy podcast feed on your preferred listening app? Good news: You can now do that on all major podcasting apps. Welcome to Split Zone Duo RELAUNCH WEEKWe’ll have new episodes every single day this week. Relaunch Week is our unofficial season kickoff, and it’s an excellent time to become a paid subscriber and roughly double the number of podcasts you’ll get from us during the season.Paid subscribers can listen to the extended-cut interview I did with Miami play-by-play announcer Steve Baker about the history of the RedHawks. More college football history 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThe House settlement was supposed to create a clear line between “legitimate” NIL deals and so-called “pay for play” from NIL collectives. It took three weeks for the NCAA to make a major concession. Front Office Sports reporter Amanda Christovich joins Alex for a quick subscriber episode explaining how the House settlement lawyers and the NCAA are already changing the way college football’s new economy will work. The big winner? Collectives, who may have prevented their own obsolescence. And the big question: How much different is the outside NIL world now than it was a few months ago? Producer: Anthony Vito

Shehan Jeyarajah, college football writer for CBS Sports, returns to the show to join Alex and Richard for a meaty preview of the Big 12. You may enjoy Shehan’s recent report on the details behind Texas Tech’s NIL boom. In this preview:* Arizona State loses Cam Skattebo but still has so much returning from a team that nearly made the playoff semifinals* Iowa State has questions … and probably answers* Cincinnati likely has its best team under Scott Satterfield, which isn’t saying a ton but could still be fun* Colorado probably (famous last words) will be less of a media circus* Baylor has huge upside with a full year of Sawyer Robertson at QB* Kansas State needs a less sloppy season from Avery Johnson* BYU’s linebackers rock, but the QB situation does not* Oklahoma State asks: Does Mike Gundy have one last job in him?* UCF reunites with Scott Frost but may find that the world has changed* Texas Tech spent millions of dollars on the No. 2 transfer portal class. Shehan explains the nuts and bolts of how the Red Raiders are trying to get a bang for their buck, and the group talks about reasonable expectations* WVU has Richard deeply intrigued as Rich Rodriguez comes home* TCU can’t waste a quarterback like Josh Hoover* Kansas has Jalon Daniels back, a solid defense, and medical questions* Houston brings on Conner Weigman, who’s hoping for a better second act* Arizona might no longer be the offense-first dynamo we thought they were* Utah should be much better … but how much better?We then award Big 12 preseason awards such as the Split Zone Duo Dude of the Year, the Low-Key Cool Game of the Year, and the Coach Who’s Most Likely Not to Return. Thanks to Shehan for joining us and to you for listening.Tell us why you love college footballLeave us a voicemail, and we may include it in an upcoming show. You can leave us this voicemail in one of two ways:* Calling our Google Voice number: +1 201-429-5147* Submitting via this link: https://voicecast.app/szdLet us know your favorite team if you’ve got one, and leave your name or don’t. We just want to hear why you enjoy the sport.Cool stuff from Split Zone Duo’s partners* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires.Producer: 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comLeave us a voicemail telling us why you love college football. Details are at www.splitzoneduo.com. In this show, Alex and Richard take a bunch of subscriber questions in the run-up to the season, with an early focus on realignment matters:* The Athletic reported that despite a desperate financial offer, Memphis has not gotten traction in its effort to join the Big 12. Why not?* Why was Louisiana Tech, which isn’t very good, a good backfilling candidate for the Sun Belt after Texas State joined the Pac-12?* What do we make of conferences (the American and Big 12 so far) doing away with preseason media polls?* What do we make of Tulane’s addition of former BYU QB Jake Retzlaff?* Do we have any Week 1 game travel plans? (Richard does.)* Should Maryland fans be worried about the prospect of their school getting left out in future realignment? (This question could apply to lots of Big Ten and SEC schools.)* Why did a story about Catapult video footage access go so quiet?* Which is the deepest P4 conference for QB depth in 2025?* How are our video game dynasty builds going?Producer: Anthony Vito

Conference previews continue with the MAC. Alex and Richard break down every team in the league, including new entrant UMass:* Toledo still has the best hand* Miami is poised to contend (again) after getting portal-raided (again)* Buffalo is in a great place after the first year of Pete Lembo* Ohio defends its first MAC championship in decades and enters the season with one of the most fun QBs in college football, Parker Navarro* NIU loses pretty much everything ahead of its last year in the conference* Eastern Michigan has a great returning receiver, and what else?* Bowling Green brings on Eddie George in one of most interesting coach moves of the year* UMass returns to the MAC after a decade away … and we find ourselves more optimistic about the Minutemen than we’ve ever been* Western Michigan might have this year’s Harold Fannin Jr.* Central Michigan is doing something different with new coach Matt Drinkall, and that’s all you can ask* Same for Ball State under new hire Mike Uremovich* Akron appears to be a bleak situation* Kent State undoubtedly isPlus, preseason superlatives for the Mid-American.Catch up on all of our conference previewsSo far, we’ve done these:* Pac-12 and FBS independents* Sun BeltCool stuff from Split Zone Duo’s partners* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires.Producer: 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

Split Zone Duo’s conference previews for 2025 keep rolling along with a two-parter: the Pac-12 and the FBS independents, whose ranks have thinned.* Oregon State might finally (finally!) be poised for stability and growth* Washington State faces a similar crisis to the one OSU faced last year, although the Cougs have a few reasons for optimism as they prepare to take a big chunk of the best program in FCS and import it to FBS* Jim Mora has the UConn Huskies in just about the best place possible* Why this one feels like a “win the national title or bust” year for Notre Dame—or at least get back to the semifinalsCool stuff from Split Zone Duo’s partners* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires. 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comGodfrey joins Alex and Richard for the third installment in our offseason series, “Why You’re Always Bad.” This episode is about ULM, formerly known as Northeast Louisiana State. The Warhawks are perhaps the most consistently bad team in the top division of college football, which raises the question of why they’re at that level in the first place. It turns out there’s an answer. In this episode, the Split Zone Duo crew discusses:* ULM’s struggle to define its identity, literally* The program’s rise from junior colleague to I-AA to the big time* The fatal error in ULM’s move to FBS, and how a series of predictable (and some unpredictable) events made things worse* The rare good times and why ULM hasn’t been able to capitalize on them* The lesson for others in the Warhawks’ strugglesSCROLL DOWN IN YOUR PODCAST FEED to find our similar subscriber episodes in this series on Rice (published May 12) and Kent State (published February 26).This episode of Split Zone Duo is for our paid subscribers, without whom the podcast wouldn’t exist. We thank you! And if you’re interested in becoming a paid subscriber, now’s a great time. It costs $10 a month and we are currently offering free trials, as well as a free preview snippet of this episode. You can join us at www.splitzoneduo.com