Ty and Dan talk about Texas A&M’s move to the SEC, Mark Richt’s hot seat, poor sportsmanship, and all the important action ahead in the second week of the season.

Ty and Dan discuss the bombshell report putting Miami under the microscope, conference expansion rumors, key injuries around college football, and plow through overflowing voicemail and e-mail inboxes.

Ty talks with Bryan Fischer from CBSSports.com about the possibility of Texas A&M leaving for the SEC, potential moves for Missouri and Virginia Tech, and the impact that conference realignment could have on the college football landscape.

Ty and Dan preview the Big 12 with David Ubben from ESPN.com and talk about the injury to Oklahoma’s Travis Lewis, new coaches at Texas, confidence in Mike Sherman, his alma mater, Missouri, and much much more.

Ty and Dan talk with Chip Brown from OrangeBloods.com about the controversy surrounding the Longhorn Network, the future of the Big 12 conference, expectations for Texas A&M, and the Texas QB derby.  Plus, Verballer messages and the Mount Rushmore of 1990s female television characters.

Ty and Dan take a look around the national college football scene with SI.com’s Stewart Mandel.  What will come of the federal inquiry into the BCS?  What happens to Jim Tressel in the wake of turmoil in Columbus?  Who is the better pick in the Mountain West, Boise State or TCU?  All that and much more, plus Verballer voice messages, and an awkward conversation about Michael Bay making, well, a different kind of movie.

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.

Ty and Dan are joined by Jake Trotter from The Oklahoman to discuss Oklahoma as the preseason No. 1 team, the future of the Big 12, and annual Bob Stoops coaching rumors.  Plus, Verballer e-mails.

Ty and Dan talk with Kirk Bohls from the Austin American-Statesman about Mack Brown’s struggles in 2010, the overhaul of the Texas coaching staff, and the impact of losing a BCS Championship game.

Ty and Dan review a handful of conference championship games and dissect a bunch of projected bowl pairings.

Ty and Dan take a look at the NCAA’s ruling on Cam Newton, TCU’s move to the Big East, E. Gordon Gee’s stupid comments, and the Miami coaching vacancy.  Plus, Verballer voice messages, e-mails and locks of the week.

Ty and Dan break down a wild weekend that saw a monster upset by Nevada, a triumphant victory for Auburn, and a defining loss for Rich Rodriguez against Ohio State.  Plus, wackiness in the Big 12, closure in the ACC, and a host of listener Reverbs.

Ty and Dan deliver a super-sized episode, chock full of analysis for all the week’s biggest rivalries, listener e-mails and voice messages.

Ty and Dan talk about LSU’s close call, Nebraska’s dud, a potential Wisconsin-Stanford Rose Bowl, and the ongoing Dillon Baxter Experiment at USC.

Ty & Dan discuss the latest in the Cam Newton pay-for-play situation and the need to renovate Husky Stadium, and break down all the Week 12 action.

Today’s Chorus is brought to you by Dr. Ken Jeong (The Hangover, Community, Kaiser Permanente), who received his medical degree from North Carolina. On now-infamous agent Gary Wichard’s dime. Ok there’s no proof of that. Or is there? No there isn’t.

*****

• Yahoo Sports saddled up, did their best Lester Freamon, followed some North Carolina money and now UNC appears to be, as the cast of Laguna Beach: The Real O.C. would say, “dunzo.” Settle down, Tar Heels, you were always a women’s soccer school, anyway.

Yahooooooooo! also provides copies of documents and an easy guide to the cast of characters involved.

• ESPN’s CFB bloggers went on a group vacation and shot a cool compilation video of their adventures on the nation’s water slides. Orrrrrr they tell you what to watch and predict what will happen during Saturday’s action. Only one of these stories is true.

• Boise State’s Winston Venable was suspended for a half for a hit on Oregon State’s James Rodgers that was deemed helmet to helmet. Or as it’s called in Boise, “fundamentals.”

• SI.com has a triumvirate of college football links: Andy Staples profiles new Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, Stewart Mandel ruffles through the mail, and Jon Wertheim (normally a tennis guy) profiles a Nebraska assistant that has more money than you or me. Unless Mark Zuckerberg is reading this. If so, what up Mark?

• Touted freshman Miami OT Seantrel Henderson may start for the Hurricanes this Saturday. In three dimensions!

• After benching incumbent Dave Shinskie, Boston College will start true freshman QB Chase Rettig against Notre Dame. Suddenly, with all of the different storylines taking shape, this could be one of the more interesting pillowfights of the weekend.

• Everybody’s going to play everybody in the Big 12 next year. For those of you craving yearly Iowa State-Baylor action, your time has come.

• Injured Michigan DB Troy Woolfolk used Google Images to prove his identity after being pulled over and forgetting his driver’s license. Because I’m thorough with my research, you should also know that when you look up “Troy Woolfolk” in Google Images, a first person shot of boobs in a bikini shows up. Just a disgusting act.

Today’s Video of the Day is, possibly for the first time, a football video. It’s Division III football!!!!!!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-tXkV1_8fk

Enjoy your Thursday.

Ty and Dan replay all the Week Four action, including impressive wins by SEC teams, letdown showings by the Big 12, and the dawning of a special new Big Ten tradition.

Today’s Chorus is brought to you by Ole Miss, the school that maybe (kind of) gave The Solid Verbal’s favorite rebel a shot to be their mascot. Even though things aren’t looking so good (right now) for the admiral, remember, it could always just be a trap.

*****

• Boise State beat Virginia Tech in DC. Which apparently, in college football logic, is reason enough to focus on why they’re not good and not deserving of anything substantial. **Yawn**

• Say what you will, but I liked the uniforms last night, most notable, Virginia Tech‘s helmets. The matte black was filthy. In a good way.

• Reggie Bush will be stripped of his Heisman. Whatever, that Impala was totally worth it – did you see those rims? SICK!

• Maryland beat Navy 17-14 in Baltimore yesterday, with the play of the game being Maryland LB Adrian Moten’s leaping over the offensive line to cause a Ricky Dobbs fumble. It was done in a way that’s been called, “Something average atheletes would never even think about doing themselves ever.”

• Cincinnati WR and former USC transfer Vidal “VH7″ Hazelton tore his ACL during the Bearcats’ game at Fresno State. Fortunately, given the horrible injury, he will be able to apply for a medical redshirt since it happened so early in the season. Also, I have opposite starting WR Armon Binns in the Solid Verbal fantasy league, so I’m sure he’s at least pumped about that.

• As mentioned above, Admiral Ackbar, for all intents and purposes, has been put to rest as an Ole Miss mascot possibility via an excellent ESPN commercial.

• Alabama and DE Marcel Dareus will not appeal the NCAA’s two-game suspension ruling. Don’t worry, Robert Bolden, it’ll just be some other future ineligible defensive lineman who turns your ribcage into Cream of Nittany.

• CNBC’s Darren Rovell reports on the replica jerseys being printed by schools, and which active players happen to have the same numbers as the ones that happen to be for sale. Also, Florida is still printing Tim Tebow, er #15 jerseys, though there is no longer a #15 on the team.

• ESPN’s Erin Andrews is thrilled to be hosting the first hour of College Football Gameday (Saturdays, ESPNU, 9 AM ET), or as it’s called on the west coast, ZZZZZZZZZZZZ/Pillow Drool/Stagger to Pee time. I’m sure she does a fine job with the SEC/Big 10/Big 12 news and features, it just doesn’t seem fair that, out here, we get this guy.

Today’s Video of the Day is of comedian (and reportedly new SNL cast member) Jay Pharoah doing a dead-on Denzel Washington and Will Smith. I can’t imagine that these two impressions will make SNL funny, but it’s certainly more entertaining than the status quo.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

Ty and Dan mix it up on the final Thursday before the start of the 2010 season by talking about NBC’s Notre Dame coverage, the increasing turmoil in Chapel Hill and the stigma of team logo tattoos.  Plus, your voice messages, emails, and info on how to order the t-shirt!

Ty and Dan welcome Chip Brown from OrangeBloods.com back to the show to discuss Dan Beebe’s mysterious money source, the threat of Baylor, the ballad of Dan Hawkins, the Garrett Gilbert era, and a Cover-3 far more formidable than any defense.

Ty and Dan talk with Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune about his frenetic week of expansion reporting, the Big Ten’s ultimate decision to add Nebraska, the future divisions of the conference, and the timeless “stine” vs. “steen” debate.

Ty and Dan dive into an overflowing inbox and discuss 7-on-7 football, why Mitch Mustain should transfer, and the approximate number of 15-year olds a grown man could simultaneously defeat before being overwhelmed and crushed.

Ty and Dan sift through a massive amount of listener feedback, delving into Tommy Tuberville’s comments on the Big 12, team affiliations, fantasy college football, and, of course, Russian spies.  Plus, with only two months until college football kicks off… it’s officially the preseason!

Ty and Dan grasp for college football news with feverish conference expansion talk seemingly in the past.  E-mails, voice messages and piling on Lane Kiffin.

Ty and Dan mull over Utah’s move to the Pac-12, Boise’s jump to the Mountain West, and the real winners and losers of conference realignment.  Plus, e-mails, voice messages and another round of “Where in the World is Dan Beebe’s Money?”

Ty and Dan talk with Spencer Hall about the Big 12′s slow death, Dan Beebe’s pyramid scheme, Texas A&M’s culture, Larry Scott’s clever maneuvering, and why Univision should broadcast everything, including college football.

Ty and Dan mull over the latest rumors of the Pac-10 eating the Big 12 and dive into overflowing voice and e-mail inboxes.

Ty and Dan welcome back Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel to discuss the post-Tebow SEC, the crazy ACC Coastal Division, the quarterbacks of the Big East, the Lost finale, and the next step for The Mandel Initiative.

Ty and Dan laugh off the notion of “vacating” USC’s wins, answer more questions about expansion, discuss the value of game film and rehash the glory days of graphing calculators.

Ty and Dan plow through a lively inbox filled with questions about the Nebraska Cornhuskers, sports alternatives to offseason monotony, and podcast sponsorships.

Ty and Dan get SI.com’s Andy Staples to explain all the angles of potential conference expansion, including Notre Dame’s chances of joining the Big Ten, the possible counter-moves by the SEC and Pac-10, and the reasons why the Big 12 and Big East should be fearful.  Plus, a breaking news update on God’s Power Offor.

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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.

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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?

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Ty and Dan take a closer look at the Big 12 conference and talk about Texas A&M as a potential sleeper, Oklahoma as an offensive juggernaut, Nebraska as a legitimate contender, and much much more.  Plus, news of a Friday special edition episode for your listening pleasure.

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Ty and Dan talk with Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads about momentous victories, the Big 12 conference, recruiting to a smaller program and YouTube stardom.

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Ty and Dan briefly discuss Oregon’s last turmoil and Admiral Ackbar before delving into a wide array of listener voice messages and e-mails.

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Ty and Dan welcome in Brandon Vogel from the Big Red Network to discuss Nebraska’s resurgence under Bo Pelini, the rumors of potential interest in the Big Ten, and a long overdue apology.  Or not.

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Ty and Dan are joined by Josh McCuistion from SoonerScoop.com to discuss Sam Bradford’s visit to Dr. James Andrews, the reputation of the Big 12, and the possibility of non-BCS team playing for the BCS Championship.  Plus, voice messages, e-mails, and the beginning of the open competition for The Solid Verbal’s host city in 2010.

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Throughout August we will be counting down the top 25 teams (as listed here) going into the 2009 season. Today, in my return from the Canadian wilderness, I make the proverbial trip to Stillwater to examine why it is that an orange cowboy with a giant head shoots off an annoyingly loud rifle every 19 seconds. I’m told this signifies something good happening, but if you’ve ever seen or heard this, you, like me, have your doubts.

First Impression

Unless the thought new money in college football bothers you, there’s very little not to like about Oklahoma State. They run a fairly wide open offensive system with exciting, likable skill players, and just to keep games interesting, they don’t tackle very many people when they play decent teams. On a certain level, you’ve gotta admire that sort of dedication to giving fans as many shootouts as possible. Respek.

I suppose one of the reasons why Oklahoma State seems so likable to me is that they’re basically a slightly less polished/physical version of Oregon. The tradition isn’t necessarily there, money flows throughout everything OSU, but the difference is that the Cowboys have a local recruiting base, which means Okie State probably has a higher ceiling than the Ducks, no matter what happened in last year’s Holiday Bowl. It should be interesting to see what the Cowboys can do in a brutal conference now that they’re approaching an even financial playing field.

Last Year

Look at that! 7-0! A win over Mizzou in Columbia! Bring it Big 12 South! Ok .. slow down just a little, please.

There’s little doubt that OSU was a top 20 school after the 2008 season, but there’s still the pesky reality of a team needing to beat somebody to be a somebody. The Cowboys played five teams that finished in the Top 25, and went 1-4. Not acceptable.

The games against Texas and Oregon were both particularly winnable, while the ones against Texas Tech and Oklahoma were, well, not. Really, though, of all the Cowboys’  games against ranked teams, they had only Oklahoma in Stillwater, which should be noted.

People

Well, I’m assuming by now that people are familiar with the Cowboys’ big three of QB Zac Robinson, WR Dez Bryant, and RB Kendall Hunter. All are in the top tier at their positions in the conference, if not nationally. You could argue about a dropoff between Robinson and Bradford/McCoy in the Big 12, but going into the season, I see them in the same group.

Beyond the star skill players, OT Russell Okung returns to lock down the left side of the line, and two senior LBs, Andre Sexton and Patrick Levine are solid, but unspectacular. The big loss on offense, other than a starting guard, is losing TE Brandon Pettigrew, who was by far OSU’s second best receiving option. The combination of Dez Bryant’s ability to stretch the field and Pettigrew’s consistent performance underneath was lethal.

The big weakness last season was a major lack of defensive consistency, which in no small part can be traced to the Cowboys inability to pressure the QB. It appears that new defensive coordinator Bill Young sees this as job one, so stay tuned. If OSU can get stops, they’re on equal footing with Texas and Oklahoma. Plain and simple.

This Year

Thanks to teams a la Texas Tech, Big 12 scheduling can sometimes take justified hits. Well, Oklahoma State shall take no such hit as they open against Georgia in Stillwater. They dropped the game in Athens two years ago, but both teams were in very different places. Nationally speaking, it’s make or break for both teams right out of the chute.

The rest of the non-conference is pretty respectable. Houston and Rice (both bowl winners) should both be decent wins in Stillwater and Grambling State should be a walkover. That said, I’m never a fan of teams just nesting and spending September at home. Not so ballsy, Cowboys.

On that same note, the Fightin’ Gundys stay in Stillwater for every meaningful Big 12 game before they go to Norman on November 28th. This isn’t to say, though, that Texas A&M or Baylor can’t sneak up on the Cowboys -- anything’s possible when your defense can’t get consistent stops.

It appears that a worst case scenario going into the Texas game on Halloween would have the Cowboys at 6-1 or 5-2. Because they gave the ‘Horns all they could handle in Austin last season, there’s at least some reason to believe that OSU can make the leap this season if they’re firing on all cylinders.

Until Oklahoma, the schedule is dotted with ideal matchups (Texas Tech and Colorado at home), with the only road game @Iowa State.

Far be it for me to pick against Oklahoma in Norman, so I won’t. Despite what should be another Sooner win, ten wins isn’t wholly unreasonable, especially given the schedule.

Conclusion

In a conference dominated by offense, any contender needs to have a passable defense to even dream about a BCS berth. The skill players are great, the line is really good, the defense needs to make a big leap. Once again, you need to stop somebody. Anybody.

Oklahoma State is at their crossroads. Are they more than big numbers and star skill players? Are they Texas Tech North (all offense, occasional forays into conference contention)?

Most good teams have leap years, I see this as being that year for OSU. They’ve tweaked their D with a new coordinator and they should be able to hang with everyone offensively. Even more importantly, Mike Gundy will finish the year as more than just That Press Conference Guy. Huge.

Prediction

10-2. Oklahoma and a team TBD beats the Cowboys. I’ll go with Colorado in one of those tricky November Thursday night games.

Dez Bryant Highlights Set to Music About Hos

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ5uPJGwscU

-Dan

Throughout August, we will be counting down the 25 teams (as listed here) going into the 2009 season. With today’s team being Nebraska, we’re inundated with blackshirts, corn, and the nicest fans in college football. The state is also known for Bright Eyes, serving as an “undisclosed location” for George W. Bush, and its state bird, the Western Meadowlark. That’s right, suck it, Eastern Meadowlark. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Impressions

When people think of the sleeping giants of college football, oftentimes the attention is turned to Notre Dame, Miami, or UCLA, but Nebraska fits just as easily as any of the above schools. 

Bill Callahan seemed like a disaster from day one but even his awful tenure didn’t affect the expectations of Big Red. 

As for their current situation, the Cornhuskers sit in the Big 12 North, a division that’s begging to be dominated by someone … anyone? If Bo (and while we’re at it, Carl) Pelini can add to what was a pretty great first season, the upper division is all but locked up.

The things that still come to mind, even if we’re not in a Husker heyday, is fast, quick-hitting defense, and a pounding, if not schematically different, offense. You can only keep these things down for so long. Hear that, Iowa State?

Last Year

After opening the season with three straight relatively painless wins, the Huskers hit a wall and lost three brutal games. Two of which were back and forth and lost late (Va. Tech and Texas Tech) and third was a good ol’ fashioned drubbing (Missouri). 

From October 18 on, though, the Huskers finished strong and went 6-1 while averaging 37.4 a game. This includes a solid 26-21 win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl -- Bo Pelini’s first bowl win in as many years as a head coach in Lincoln. 

Simply put, Nebraska was better than everyone they played during this stretch (short of Oklahoma) and (hark!) they beat them. It’s a simple thought, but it’s always easier said than done, especially against some moderately talented teams (Kansas, Clemson, and … ok, that’s it, but still). 

If you’re a Husker fan, I’m assuming 9-4 and a win over an ACC team in a New Years Day bowl in Florida is more than encouraging. 

People

The biggest loss going into the fall is QB Joe Ganz, who closed out his senior season by putting up big numbers and winning. Good enough for me. Nebraska will miss the consistency of WRs Nate Swift and Todd Peterson, but have enough returning talent outside to give new QB Zac Lee a chance to succeed. 

I’m always all for thunder/lightning situations and the speed of Roy Helu Jr. and power Quentin Castille appropriately satisfy my need to equate ground games to weather systems. Castille scares me. In a good way. 

I’m always wary of complete sides of an offensive line needing to be “rebuilt,” so I’ll proceed with caution there. 

On the other side of the ball, the D-line is scary. Once again, in a good way. I like the way the name  ”Ndamukong Suh” sounds way too much. It’s a bonus that he enjoys eating interior offensive linemen between meals. 

The secondary returns three above average players, while the linebackers return only one, but let’s be honest, the D-line will probably cover up for a lot of the inexperience behind the line. Ndamukong!

This Year

Wow, this is a really great schedule. Unbelievably so. Well, not if you like watching competitive football, but if you’re a fan of Nebraska wins, you should be satisfied. 

There’s no way they start anything less than 3-1, with their only actual game coming at Virginia Tech September 19. The tough road games the rest of the way are, well, I guess there’s only one -- @Kansas November 14. 

The home games aren’t gimmes, but at least Texas Tech and Oklahoma come to the sea of red this year. I’m sure plenty of Husker fans won’t mind at all if Texas is extra physical with the Sooners three weeks before they come up north. 

Mm, KSU and Colorado to end the season? Yes please. 

Conclusion

There’s no reason to be particularly excited when a QB with virtually no experience steps into the starting role. Luckily, the chips aren’t particularly stacked against him, and the Huskers have a couple of games to get situated. I like a slight improvement over last season for Nebraska. Thanks, Big 12 North!!

The Prediction

9-3. Don’t even try to contain the Brothers Pelini (unless you’re on a team that storms the field behind a covered wagon). 

Highlights Set to Unfortunate Music

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ZRBvT6cRs

-Dan

Ty and Dan welcome Chip Brown from OrangeBloods.com to the show to discuss Texas and the Big 12.  Plus, some special announcements about this week’s 50th show extravaganza, as well as your listener voice messages.

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Ty and Dan recap the BCS title game, the college football season, and wonder if they’d rather be anyone other than Tim Tebow at this exact moment.

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