The Solid Verbal College Football

In this episode, we welcome Chris Fallica of Fox Sports, Big Noon Kickoff and Bear Bets to talk through college football from the perspective of a researcher, bettor, traveler and longtime media fixture. We get into how he studies the sport this time of year, what numbers actually matter, how the transfer portal has changed preseason projections, and why college football remains so difficult to evaluate in an era of super conferences, roster churn and wildly uneven schedules.
We also dig into the art of finding weird stats, the value of schedule spots, the eternal appeal of the letdown lookahead sandwich, and whether elevation deserves a bigger place in how we talk about home-field advantage. Plus, Chris shares a few early thoughts on teams he trusts and teams he is more skeptical of heading into 2026, with Indiana, Miami, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Florida State and Arkansas all coming up along the way.
Before the interview, we also react to the latest twist in the Brendan Sorsby saga after the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
4:13 - Brendan Sorsby denied NFL Supplemental Draft
8:29 - Chris Fallica joins
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
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In this college football podcast episode, we react to the latest and likely final twist in the Brendan Sorsby saga, as the now-former Texas Tech quarterback backs off his NCAA lawsuit and turns his attention toward the NFL Supplemental Draft. After weeks of legal maneuvering, Big 12 pushback, public statements and fan frustration, we try to make sense of how the situation became untenable, what it means for Texas Tech, and where the Red Raiders go from here with Will Hammond now back in the spotlight.
Then, with preview season still a few weeks away, we open the window into the weirdest corners of college football fandom with help from the Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) social feed. We dig through offseason fan brain at Texas Tech, Florida State, LSU, Washington, Oregon and beyond, touching on conference realignment fantasies, private investigator hypotheticals, Lane Kiffin’s housing situation, recruiting angst, national title expectations and one Auburn thread that probably should not have made it onto a college football podcast.
Plus: a new logo is on the way, Ty’s voice is still recovering, Dan pitches an “immersive college football experience,” and things end with an unfortunate discussion of fermented Japanese green plums.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
2:05 - Brendan Sorsby to enter NFL Supplemental Draft
27:22 - Message Board Gems
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we examine the most interesting college football teams hovering around the bowl eligibility line in 2026. With win totals sitting at 5.5 or 6.5, these are the teams that could just as easily surge to 8-4 as stumble into 5-7, and we try to figure out which direction they’re headed before preview season officially begins.
We start with Florida and the Jon Sumrall reboot, then dig into Arizona State’s questions, Kentucky’s brutal SEC schedule, Minnesota’s surprisingly low win total, and Virginia Tech’s fascinating reset under James Franklin. Plus, we debate whether TCU has enough runway and whether Wisconsin is finally ready to clear the bar under Luke Fickell.
Also: Dan searches for a new lease, Ty searches for a Seattle soccer ticket, third-quarter sing-along traditions, the dangers of too many stadium sound effects, and how fuzzy June math led us directly to the today's concept.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
7:25 - Explaining Teeter Teams
9:32 - Florida Gators
16:47 - Arizona State Sun Devils
23:29 - Kentucky Wildcats
30:10 - Minnesota Golden Gophers
37:52 - Virginia Tech Hokies
44:18 - TCU Horned Frogs
49:59 - Wisconsin Badgers
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we return to the board room for Sark Tank 3.0, our annual exercise in college football emotional investing. Ty brings the pitches, while Dan and special guest Andy Staples play the investors, and decide which 2026 storylines are worth buying and selling. On the board: Brendan Sorsby's prospects at Texas Tech, the SEC's return to glory, the return of Gary Patterson, and a new Group of Six team crashing the playoff party.
Plus, the Sarks debate whether anyone other than Miami is worth backing in the ACC, whether Notre Dame is being set up as the sport’s most polished strength-of-schedule mirage, and which long-shot ideas still deserve emotional capital before the season begins.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro to Sark Tank 3.0
4:55 - Brendan Sorsby & Texas Tech
14:13 - The SEC's Return To Glory
22:24 - Gary Patterson's Return
29:26 - New G6 Playoff Teams
38:34 - Miami vs. The ACC Field
46:02 - Notre Dame
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we welcome back our friend Richard Johnson from CBS Sports and Split Zone Duo for a conversation about the college football topics we talk about too much, and the ones we probably do not talk about enough. As preview season creeps closer, we zoom out on the sport’s offseason discourse and ask which arguments are useful, which ones are exhausted, and where the weird, fun, meaningful parts of college football might be hiding.
We dig into College Football Playoff format fatigue, the role of TV money and conference power, the constant hope that Congress can somehow “fix” college sports, the growing presence of gambling in broadcasts, and whether the Arch Manning conversation has swung too far in the other direction. Plus, we get into teams and coaches who deserve more attention, including Florida, UCLA, Michigan, and the broader world outside the SEC and Big Ten.
We also wander into West Coast scheduling thoughts, the need for more strange bowl game energy, Sacramento sports sadness, college football media golf rankings, and the inevitability of major news breaking whenever Richard goes to Europe.
And, right in the middle of our recording, news broke of Brendan Sorsby's reinstatement. (We react as best we can!)
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
4:29 - Richard Johnson joins the show
7:30 - CFP format
12:31 - TV network influence
19:22 - The government and CFB
22:18 - Arch Manning
28:48 - Brendan Sorsby news
33:05 - Gambling as part of studio shows
40:25 - ACC Thursdays
44:10 - West Coast scheduling
45:53 - Jon Sumrall
50:22 - Big Ten & SEC vs. the World
56:54 - Kyle Whittingham
1:03:35 - Rapid Fire
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.