Ty and Dan slide into offseason mode by talking about the decisions and indecisions of Gunner Kiel, Darron Thomas, Tosh Lupoi, Doug Nussmeier, and the oddsmakers who installed Notre Dame as 18-1 darkhorses for the 2013 BCS Championship.  Plus, Verballer e-mails.

Ty and Dan settle into postseason mode by discussing the latest news, running through an early 2012 top five, reading a compelling argument for the BCS, outlining the brilliance of the Paul Finebaum Show, and doing their best to win back a longtime Verballer.

Ty and Dan recap Alabama’s victory, Jordan Jefferson’s shuffle pass, Brad Smelley’s key role, their favorite bowl moments, and West Coast Kevin’s taco triumph.

Ty and Dan talk with Chris Brown from Grantland.com and SmartFootball.com about the evolution of Michigan’s offense, the foundation of a Nick Saban defense, Clemson’s balanced attack, and whether Tim Tebow will change the professional game.  Plus, more bowl previews.

Ty and Dan talk with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt about the BCS rematch between LSU and Alabama, questionable coaching hires, conference realignment, Maryland’s uniforms, Tyrann Mathieu’s silver suit, and blocking kicks in NCAA ’12.

Ty and Dan run through all the action from Conference Championship Week, break down the looming rematch between LSU and Alabama, take a quick glance at their favorite bowl match-ups, and debate another rousing rendition of the Dr. Pepper halftime throwing contest.  Plus, your Week 14 Reverbs.

Ty and Dan talk with Dan Wetzel from Yahoo! Sports about BCS doomsday scenarios, Fiesta Bowl debauchery, Bill Hancock, Andrew Luck, and the Fake Dan Beebe.

Ty and Dan plow through overflowing voicemail and e-mail inboxes and discuss fines for the Fiesta Bowl, penalties for Jim Tressel, alternative postseasons for college football, and more awkward robot scenarios.

Ty and Dan are joined by John Ourand from Sports Business Journal to discuss monster television deals in college football, increasing demand for live sports programming, the profitability of bowl games, and the strategy behind going/staying Independent.  Plus, Verballer voice messages, e-mails, and much more.

With Dan feeling under the weather, Ty talks with Uncle Joe Colarusso about the BCS, Cam Newton and NFL combines, and then plows through the inbox with East Coast Elliott, who introduces a strange name game, disses Charlie Weis, and seals his deal for a trip to hell with talk of his Dead League.

Ty and Dan are joined by West Coast Kevin and preview the BCS Championship while hunkered down in a secluded corner of the media hotel in Arizona.

Ty and Dan go to Media Day at the BCS Championship in Arizona and tell tales of Bill Hancock, Erin Andrews, and old jeans. Plus, Jim Harbaugh’s jump to the NFL, Andrew Luck’s decision to stay in college, and BCS Bowl recaps.

Ty and Dan are joined by Spencer Hall to discuss Urban Meyer’s latest retirement, the Cam Newton saga, and the lessons he’s learned traveling the United States of America.  Plus, cheap jokes about Pitt chasing Chris Petersen and Bo Pelini using Miami for a bigger payday at Nebraska.

Ty and Dan talk with Jerry Palm from CollegeBCS.com and CBSSports.com about the latest round of BCS rankings, the chances of a non-AQ school making the title game, and the possibility of a one-loss team sneaking its way into the big game.  Plus, more Cam Newton news!

Today’s Chorus is brought to you by Arizona State attendee Jimmy Kimmel. It hasn’t happened yet, but if his show ever overwhelms him while on the air, expect the Sun Devil in him to take over, as he’ll flop around faking an injury in hopes that a mercy commercial break will be cut to. Go Sun Devils!

*****

• #1 Oregon beat #463 UCLA last night. Soundly.

ESPN’s Ted Miller was there and evaluated the goings-on.

Statistics were compiled and published. Just like Florida‘s offense but with more digits everywhere.

The Ducks used giant placards with hieroglyphics to call plays. Some of those placards had pictures of ESPN personalities on them, much to the amusement of ESPN personalities.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was not amused by any of the above.

• The Pac-Twen division and championship game details have been set. Now let’s see if people will be able to watch the games on their newfangled picture boxes.

• Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd is questionable for tomorrow’s Navy game. Somebody has to say it — hamstrings are giant a-holes.

• If you’re a fan of Bruce Hornsby‘s piano playing, original lyrics railing against the BCS, and slow motion clips of college football games from the past decade, I may just have a link for you.

• Maryland OT Pete DeSouza hurt himself riding a scooter. Unfortunately, I read this article while riding on my scooter and am now myself injured. Meta-scooting is a bitch.

• The Big Tenelve is changing its championship tiebreaker rules, presumably after Texas was left out of the conference championship game in 2008. I’d love to be on board with this, but it’s become increasingly difficult to feel bad for Texas after they let whatever it was that Oregon beat last night run them up and down the field.

• Oklahoma WR Dejuan Miller will miss the remainder of the season after he tore meniscus in his right knee. The recovery time is about five months, but Miller should be back on the sideline in no time to see the Sooners start losing to inferior teams*.

* ©Bob Stoops.

• A National Guardsman (and Michigan fan) got onto the field with two unloaded M16 assault rifles. It really is a blow to Michigan’s sterling reputation as a state not having crazy backwoods militia types who care too much about college football. Oh. Wait.

• Auburn QB Cameron Newton admits that, despite his success and happiness at Auburn, his heart is still at Florida. This shouldn’t be taken the wrong way — he wanted to finish what he started in Gainesville with the friends he made during his time there. Well, there if Dan Mullen were still there. Let’s not go crazy.

• Two Arizona State football players stole laptops, an XBox, and some XBox games from a dorm room. It’s now officially the most national video exposure the ASU football program has received all season. Pac-10 TV deal!!

• SI.com’s Austin Murphy profiles Auburn QB Cam Newton. As you’d expect from an SI magazine feature writer, the words read good. Doi.

The site also has a midseason report predicting various end of the season outcomes. Apparently, they all still believe in rainbows, unicorns, and Boise State securing a national title berth. And SVBFF George Schroeder loves teams from the state of Oklahoma. Oowee.

• USC may run the some form of the spread offense next year. It’s October 22 and USC is talking about overhauling next year’s offense. Still, some brahs are stoked.

• Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett has been cleared to play against Ole Miss tomorrow after suffering a concussion during last week’s Auburn game. This understandably came as a relief to Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, who couldn’t offer a quote, as he was running to catch a flight. Wait, did he say where he was going? Oh no … not again!!!!

*****

Today’s Video of the Day honors the simultaneous existence of Skittles and bowling college.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjEnVfFmFtA

Enjoy your Friday + College Football Saturday.

Today’s Chorus is brought to you by proud Minnesota resident, Prince. There’s no indication that he pays any attention to the Golden Gophers and their recent dismissal of Tim Brewster, but perhaps the Gophers can turn their disappointing season around by purifying themselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

*****

• Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LaGrand was paralyzed during the Scarlet Knights’ game against Rutgers. It’s an unimaginable horror, so if you’re so inclined, do send him your well wishes.

• Minnesota coach Tim Brewster was relieved of his duties (heh, duties) after the Gophers’ loss to Purdue. But not before receiving another extensions. Gopher up!

• Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett suffered a concussion during Saturday’s loss to Auburn. Even though his “symptoms are improving,” Arkansas fans are still using the Freedom of Information Act to get the doctor’s license plate number and Facebook password. Just because.

• BCS standings are out. Unless you host a terrible sports radio show and need to fill 4-5 hours, this probably doesn’t affect your life.

Ok, it affects Dr. Jerry Palm’s life and we like Dr. Jerry Palm.

• ABC’s Brent Musberger kinda/sorta mentioned Spencer Hall’s blog on the air. We of course would welcome “The Verbally Solid” casually referenced at any point, but only on BYU-TV — wouldn’t want our site flooded or anything.

• A Texas fan documented his trip to Lincoln, NE for the Nebraska game, but only used MS Paint to do so. I love this so much.

Warning: There are cartoon penises.

Related: Taylor Martinez is still the starter at Nebraska, at least for this week.

• ESPN’s team of CFB bloggers take a look at the conference races and issue their weekly power rankings. Once done with those, the group stepped aside and let Big 12 specialist David Ubben take the stage and rock an acoustic Earth, Wind, and Fire cover. Groove it.

• ESPN has some bowl projections. Should both teams win enough, I’m excited to see how Alabama/TCU gets avoided.

• Cal fan and Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz wasn’t too optimistic before Saturday’s USC game. See, you can never let white guy dreads fool you, some of those guys pay attention to, you know, stuff.

• The new UGa loves some giant bags of ice.

• SI.com’s Stewart Mandel chimes in with his College Football Overtime.

Solid Verbal Behind the Scenes: Stew was a welcome guest into the world of Saturday’s Verbacon celebration in Lincoln. He enthusiastically chatted up Husker fans with us, dropping some knowledge bombs, and withstood a personal space assault from large, well-meaning Husker fan who couldn’t recommend Armen Katayen’s book enough.

Here are some SI.com pictures of Saturday’s action.

• Kentucky Everything Randall Cobb isn’t a fan of the fans.

• A referee during the Florida/Mississippi State game ruled a field goal good and then didn’t. That about covers it.

*****

Today’s Video of the Day is a first person view of what it’s like to parachute into Michigan Stadium. This is probably cool if you enjoy heights. In my case, let’s just say my feet are sweatier than they were before I started watching this.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJX2FiW-ik

Enjoy your Monday.

Ty and Dan make their picks for all the Week Four action and discuss Vegas as a possible location for a Pac-12 title game, suspicious BCS finances, and a host of Verballer messages.

Ty and Dan discuss the latest happenings at Michigan, the BCS love letter to Congress, fantasy recruiting infractions, and everything going on in the Verballersphere.

Ty and Dan dig deep into the currently unsponsored inbox to discuss (more) conference expansion possibilities, the chances of Alabama losing a game and bizarre coaching superpowers.  Plus, a hodgepodge of headlines from the last week in college football.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: http://www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan switch roles on a freaky Friday and attack overflowing voicemail and e-mail inboxes.  Will we see a shift away from the spread offense?  Which coaches rock the visor on gameday?  And what is the next frontier for players wanting to display area codes or biblical verses?

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: http://www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan take a closer look at the stories to watch this spring in the Big Ten.  Plus, a spirited round of messages, a hater, and sidebars about Kirk Herbstreit’s tan and Lane Kiffin’s shirt size.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: http://www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan welcome ESPN’s Bruce Feldman back to the program to discuss recruiting hostesses, Big Ten expansion and bad Pac-10 TV deals, and, later, unveil the first annual Verbie Award nominees.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan recap the weekend’s action and comb through the controversy as yet another slate of BCS bowls is revealed. Plus, ranting voice messages, information about the Solid Verbal Bowl Contest and a special announcement for next week’s episode.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan delve into the warped world of duck fat with Spencer Hall from EDSBS.com and discuss Saturday’s huge SEC championship game, the problem with NFL scouts and the coaching search at Notre Dame.  Plus, Week 14 picks, e-mails, and yes, Dan Rubenstein hecklers on Nebraska radio.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan dissect TCU’s big win from a number of angles, evaluate Cincinnati’s BCS ceiling, bow down to Toby Gerhart, and batten the hatches for another Notre Dame coaching search. Plus, commentary from Jerry Palm and East Bay Greg, as well as voice messages and results from pick ‘em and fantasy football.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan talk with Matt Sanderson from the Playoff PAC (found at PlayoffPAC.com), a political action committee lobbying Congress to reform the way college football crowns a national champion.  Should government be involved in these types of decisions?  What’s being done?  Most importantly, can it actually work?  All that, plus a quick review of the week that was in the world of college football, as well as an update on the Solid Verbal pick’em pools and fantasy league.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: www.solidverbal.com

Ty and Dan talk with Jerry Palm from CollegeBCS.com about the first week of BCS rankings, the deficiencies of the system, the variables that make it tick, and the ultimate doomsday scenario.  Plus, your messages, another Solid Verbal Host City and week eight picks!

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail: solidverbal@gmail.com
Voicemail: 206-338-1784
Website: www.solidverbal.com

Throughout August, we will be counting down the top 25 teams (as listed here) going into the 2009 season.  Today, we take a stroll up College Avenue, stop by for a cone of Peachy Paterno, visit with the crazies at Paternoville, and close out the night with some ponies at the Rathskellar.

That’s right, boys and girls… WE ARE… PENN STATE!

First Impressions

It’s 8:00 AM on a football Saturday.  You need only listen to the hustle and bustle of downtown State College to understand the electricity surrounding Penn State football.  Close your eyes and listen; the sounds of the crowd tell the story.  The pitter-patter of thousands of shoes wandering down College Avenue is purer than raindrops on a tin roof.  The trumpets emanating from the Student Bookstore are crisper than the cool, autumn air of central Pennsylvania.  The chants of students echo throughout Beaver Canyon like a megaphone in a bandshell.

It’s four hours before game time, and this is Penn State.  WE are Penn State.

I proudly say “we”, because it wasn’t all that long ago that I was a student.  I know that football means a lot to this place, because it built this place — it transformed the area from a small farming school in 1855 to the tier-one university it is in 2009.  It’s an institution that built an institution.  Its profits are the bricks for the state-of-the-art buildings that dot campus.  Its coach’s impact has been, both literally and figuratively, monumental.

And so it is, again, with Joe Paterno‘s humble attitude that the Nittany Lions take the field this season — for the 44th time, to be exact — in hopes of getting over the humps and bumps of yesteryear and returning back to the glory of 1986, their last championship year.  A BCS championship was oh-so-close last season, but with veteran leadership returning this year Penn State lies in the weeds, lurking as a darkhorse contender, ready to pounce on an opportunity that has eluded the program for 23 years.

Last Year

Plain and simple, Penn State was one game away from playing for a BCS title.  A letdown 24-23 loss at Iowa only two weeks after beating Ohio State was all it took to knock the Lions from national championship contention.  Though a Rose Bowl matchup against USC was a respectable consolation prize, it was painful to be that close to the BCS Championship and come away empty-handed, especially for a exciting contingent of senior receivers named Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood.

You could argue that Penn State played a weak schedule — and it did — but outside that disappointing Iowa game, it outplayed every single opponent, including an Oregon State team that beat USC and an Ohio State squad that almost upended Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.  In a season as crazy as 2008, that feat was absolutely something of which to be proud.

The Lions used a “Spread HD” attack crafted by the much-maligned Jay Paterno to fuel its offense.  Led by veteran Daryll Clark, a breakout season by RB Evan Royster, and the aforementioned contingent of WRs, Penn State averaged 206 yards per game on the ground, and nearly 250 yards per game through the air.  Likewise, the Lions’ defense was just as successful, holding opponents to a mere 2.8 yards per rush and less than 200 passing yards per game.

People

This season will be known as the year of Daryll Clark, Evan Royster, Navorro Bowman, and Sean Lee.  Clark, who seems like he’s in his 85th year of eligibility, will need to improve his passing game in order to excel with a less-experienced group of receivers including Graham Zug, Brett Brackett and Chaz Powell.  However, Evan Royster — fresh off a 1,200-yard campaign in 2008 — should help alleviate some of that pressure, running behind an offensive line that is less-experienced than last year, but still fairly solid.

Defensively, the return of Lee from an ACL injury will make the Lions’ defense that much tougher.  Lee, who most definitely would’ve been a top NFL pick if not for his injury, will join up this season with Navorro Bowman, who led all Penn Staters last year with 106 tackles, 12.5 of which were for losses.

This Year

Penn State’s conference schedule is slightly more difficult than last season, meaning that another potential run at a Big Ten / BCS Title is a distinct possibility, but arguably harder.  Look for the Lions to roll through September with big wins over Akron, Syracuse, Temple, and an Iowa team that ruined its season in ’08.  But as the calendar turns to October, Penn State will face its first true test on the road against an Illinois team picked by many to be a Big Ten contender.  Three weeks later, the Lions hit the road again and travel to Michigan, for what should be a closer game than last year’s 46-17 massacre.  November poses two challenges: Ohio State in State College and Michigan State in East Lansing.

Conclusion

Penn State should be considered a favorite to win the Big Ten championship and be selected to a BCS bowl game.  However, there is no escaping the fact that the Lions lost a considerable chunk of their offense when their receivers graduated, and I just cannot see this team going undefeated, not with potential losses looming in the form of Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan State.  Consider the matchup with Illinois to be a bellwether for the remainder of the 2009 season — the Lions are 3-6 since 2000 in Big Ten road openers.

That said, there are at least 10 wins on this schedule.  No question about it.  The question, though, is can the Lions get back to 11 wins like they did in 2008.  The Big Ten will be better in ’09, and quite honestly, I’m just not comfortable saying they will.

Prediction

10-2

Highlights Set To Sweet Music From Varsity Blues and Aerosmith

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXJv_32KC4M

--Ty

Ty and Dan talk with Spencer Hall from Every Day Should Be Saturday about a myriad of topics, including Mike Leach’s thoughts on the NFL Draft, the best Twitter feeds among college coaches, the disaster of SEC regional sports networks, and the glory of West Virginia.

E-mail the show: solidverbal@gmail.com
Subscribe to show: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
Follow us on the Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/solidverbal

Ty and Dan are joined by Will Leitch from New York Magazine and Deadspin to talk about the overly-intense Ron Zook, the ballad of Lucious Pusey, college athletics in Illinois, and the Internet’s role in college football.  Plus, e-mails from listeners and the chance to meet Ty and say something ridiculous for potential airing on next week’s show.

E-mail the show: solidverbal@gmail.com
Subscribe to the show: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
Follow our Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/solidverbal

Ty and Dan talk with Matt Hinton from the Yahoo! Sports “Dr. Saturday” blog about their favorite offseason storylines, the evil BCS, recruiting, and of course, the quotable Lane Kiffin.

Subscribe to the show: http://feeds.feedburner.com/solidverbal
E-mail the show: solidverbal@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/solidverbal

Ty and Dan talk about Lane Kiffin’s disproportionately hot wife, the tailgaiting scene in Corvallis, OR and the next event in the Solid Verbal Combine.  Plus:

• The SEC Championship game and why Florida will win
• Why the guys are rooting for chaos in the BCS
• The coaching carousel and the pure amusement of Mike Leach potentially going to Auburn
• A strange penalty for USC and a DUI for the Penn State Nittany Lion
• Another bizarre email from Mike in Milwaukee
• Dan sings!
• More inaccurate game predictions

Send a message to one of the fastest growing podcasts on iTunes:  solidverbal@gmail.com.  We’re so hot right now.

Ty and Dan read an e-mail from their second (confirmed) female listener, as well as another masterpiece by Mike in Milwaukee.  Plus:

• Dan’s upcoming trip to Corvallis
• Embarrassing losses by Texas Tech and Notre Dame
• The end of the Bob Stoops BCS Campaign
• Dan’s singing of the Washington State fight song
• The hosts give their “solid verbals”
• Picks of the week

E-mail the show at solidverbal@gmail.com

Ty and Dan hop in bed with iTunes as a featured podcast(?!?!) and release the first Solid Verbal Combine video on YouTube showing Dan’s upset victory in the 40-yard dash.  Plus, the tandem talks about:

• The pillow fight that was Penn State vs. Ohio State and the wonders of the spread offense
• Ty Willingham’s much-awaited resignation / firing from the University of Washington
• Why, according to regulations, Maverick’s role in Top Gun was not possible
• Colt McCoy’s spectacular girlfriend
• Texas Tech’s walk-on, contest-winning kicker
• Patrick Edwards’ gruesome injury
• The next leg of the Solid Verbal podcast
• The games of the week

E-mail the show at solidverbal@gmail.com or leave a voice message at 206-426-3252.  Also, check out the Solid Verbal YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSolidVerbal