Chris Vannini, senior writer for The Athletic, tells McElroy & Cubelic which G5 teams are in line to make noise this year & how much traction a G5 only playoff is getting
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As we continue talking some college football, Chris Vanini set to join us. Talk group of five teams. It's one of the areas, GMAC, that I think is probably most difficult to really pinpoint, and that is who will that representative be? Who will that team be this year? It feels like there's a couple different directions it could go, but normally we would have one, two teams and say, yeah, that's going to be the best group of five teams.

I don't know how confident I am that I feel really good about who the best group of five teams are going to be this year. I don't at all. I mean, look at Boise State, for example. Boise State would, based on what they achieved last year, they'd probably be near the top based on how they finished last year.

But there's some turnover there. I mean, new quarterback. And granted, I know the new quarterback's five-star and all those other things. But there's some question marks there. You look at a team like Memphis. Memphis is certainly going to be in the mix this year. Tulane lost their head coach, lost a couple of key contributors like Michael Pratt, their quarterback. I mean, some of the usual suspects...

SMU's no longer in the G5. Some of the usual suspects are... There's some question marks. And I think with how Liberty got run on the gym last year, man, it's hard for me to feel confident about them being competitive if they make it. So I hope that the committee puts a little more stock into...

how a team looks and performs against quality competition as opposed to what their overall record looks like as it relates to the G5. And I know it's been over a year now, but Houston's a team we normally would have had a discussion about. UCF for a long time was a team we would have had a discussion about, and they're just not going to be in that mix this year, which I think makes it a little bit more difficult to just say, well, yeah, I think that's going to be the team.

that we throw into that mix. And there could be a team that sneaks up like Jacksonville State. I don't think any of us thought that Rich Rod making the jump that first year was going to be able to have the success they did last year. Could they be maybe in the mix and put together that kind of a season? Western Kentucky, we know, is going to have a good offense. Could they be a team? They've been picked apart by the portal the last couple of years. Chris Finini now, The Athletic, joining us on the Buyer's Right Hotline to discuss it. Chris, I want to start before we go into teams that maybe could compete for playoff spots with

Utah State and Blake Anderson, a situation that just right now feels odd. They have essentially informed him their intent to fire him. It sounds like his legal team is stepping up saying, no, we're not going to go for that. That's not going to happen, as well as other representatives of the school or former representatives of the school. What's the latest that you can give us with this situation?

Yeah, both Blake Anderson and the deputy AD, Jerry Bovee, have put out pretty strong statements refuting what has –

Sort of what's been alleged by Utah State. Utah State seemed to imply that they didn't properly handle some sort of Title IX sexual misconduct allegations. Tom Mars, the lawyer for Blake Anderson, has said this doesn't have to do with sexual misconduct. Jerry Bovee's representative said that they did report what the incident was.

Utah State has not said anymore. They said they can't say anymore until the 14 days. Blake's contract, Blake Anderson's contract, you know, there has to be a two-week notice, so that's what that is. And essentially, Tom Mars is saying, look, you can fire Blake Anderson for any reason if you want, but you are firing him for a cause, and he is owed his buyout if you do that. And so Utah State seems to be potentially wanting to fire him without cause,

Therefore, they don't have to pay him. So that is what the pushback is coming from here. Yeah, it's pretty wild. I don't seem to...

I don't really understand what's going on, to be honest with you, but it's obviously a difficult situation for Utah State. A couple years ago, won the Mountain West for the very first time. So tough circumstances for sure at this point. As we look at the G5 this year, it's about as wide open as it's ever been. You look at Boise and how they finished. You look at Memphis. Two lanes won it or been in the mix for it the last couple years. They are replacing some key pieces, including their head coach. When you look at the G5 right now,

Who right now, going into the season, should be the top dog? I think either Liberty, because they did it last year and they bring a lot of their key pieces back. Obviously, Jamie Chadwell, Caden Salter, and the schedule is very easy, once again, for Liberty. And I think Memphis is another one that really stands out. This is a veteran team.

in an American conference, it's probably going to be down compared to what it has been in recent years. This feels like the year for Memphis to make that jump back up again. They made the Cotton Bowl back in 2019. I think Appalachian State is

is probably your favorite in the Sun Belt. Again, a team that really came on in the second half of last year, brings a lot back, brings their quarterback back. A key thing here with the group of five and who's going to win it, so to speak, every year is going to be

Did you bring your quarterback back or did you lose him to the portal? And that's kind of just like a year in and year out thing now for the group of five. But I think those three teams, I think Boise State, as long as they get good quarterback play, I think they're really good everywhere else. So I think those four teams jump out to me when I first look at this.

Who has benefited the most from the portal with some of those teams that you mentioned, or maybe just at the G5 level? We're used to hearing about those teams that have been picked apart, and I don't think we see enough of players that aren't having a lot of success in the Power Five go down to a Group of Five team to be able to get those reps. But who has maybe gotten the most, bolstered their roster the most of some of those teams in the Group of Five that could be competing for a playoff spot this year?

Well, I used to say SMU here in every spot. They've been really good in the portal for years, but they're not a group of five team anymore. They're up to the ACC. So I think App State's been pretty solid. They've done a good job holding on to a lot of people. In terms of where the guys go, it's really a lot of the –

group of five schools either in big cities. You know, again, Houston used to be one of those, but they're not there anymore. It's the ones where you have a lot of guys who want to come home. So places that are like a Texas State now, a UPSA a little bit. They've lost some guys as well. Those are the ones that kind of do a better job when you get those power five guys who aren't playing and they want to return home. Southern Miss has added a ton of guys from Mississippi and Mississippi State.

although they struggled last year. So I guess it kind of goes both ways on that front.

How would you assess SMU? I know this is getting away from the G5 for a moment, but how would you assess their ability to be competitive year one in the ACC? A lot of people think they're just going to step right in and be fine. I look at what happened with Utah. I look at what happened with TCU. I look at what happened last year with the four teams that joined the Big 12, and it was not smooth sailing in year number one. But for whatever reason, people think SMU can handle it. Why is that?

Well, I mean, you look, you're right. All those teams that moved up struggled. All the four new Big 12 teams last year, only UCF made a bowl game, and all of them really struggled down the stretch. And that's where you always get hurt is the depth. You can start off the season pretty well, but do you have enough guys behind those starters to keep it going when a couple of guys go down? SMU, it's going to be tough. It's funny talking to the SMU people because they love

They like to talk big. They like to talk about, you know, we're going to compete like we used to and do all these things and the sky's the limit because they've got unlimited resources. And it's true. But then they're also like, well, those first couple of years is going to be an adjustment. We know it's going to be a bit, but I tell you what, I covered the SMU Oklahoma game last year early in the season and

And that SMU team held up with Oklahoma in the trenches, the offensive line, the defensive line. That is where the biggest adjustment comes. And talking to the people in the SMU program, they feel good about what they've got there. They like their skilled players. They really like quarterback Preston Stone. Their defense has improved. They like the guys that they have in the trenches. They've added a lot of guys since the ACC move. But

But it's still going to be an adjustment. It's still going to be something week in and week out that they haven't had to deal with before. Can they not fade down the stretch like a lot of the teams that move up are? And like SMU had for a number of years until the last. Under Sonny Dyches, they always struggled in November. So that's kind of the big thing is can they get to November and keep it going? That's always the biggest adjustment.

And I really wonder whether or not they will. Not that I don't think they won't have talent and top-tier talent. They obviously have tremendous support from a resource standpoint. But, man, I think the ACC is better than people realize. So I'm looking at these people who are like, take SMU at 40-1 or 30-1 or 20-1 to win the ACC. I'm like, eh, no.

That one's a tough call to swallow. Remember, they only had a year to get ready for this. It's not like the move was announced three years in advance and they can pitch all these guys that are coming to the ACC for the next three years. It happened very quickly. So there's still an American Athletic Conference roster, and that is certainly part of that.

Chris Finini joining us on the Buyer's Ride Hotline, talking group of five teams. I brought up Jacksonville State when you first came in. And I bring them up only because I feel like they far exceeded any expectations that I had for them last year. They picked apart by the portal as well. But Rich Rod, year two in Division I, what would your expectations be for him in Conference USA? Yeah.

Well, look, I mean, the guy just wins. Like, everywhere he's gone as a head coach, except for Michigan, he has won. And when you looked at the two new teams who came to Conference USA last year, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston, I had my eye on Sam Houston. Sam Houston had redshirted a bunch of players in their final FCS year, preparing for the FBS move. Jacksonville State was just

coming with what they had. And so I had my eye on Sam Houston. Instead, it's Jacksonville State that has a really good record and has a good quarterback and reaches a full game and does all that stuff. So I think, you know, Conference USA is –

it's not a great league, obviously it's not a deep league. And I think it's going to take a step back in, in, in certain aspects, New Mexico state won't be as good. Liberty probably won't be as good. Western Kentucky probably won't be as good. So I think, I think making a bowl game, uh,

should be the expectation there now based on what they've done. And depending if things break the right way, maybe you get into that conference race because there's not a lot of teams in the conference. There's not a lot of teams you have to beat out to get into the conference championship game. So, yeah, I think bowl game is certainly what you're looking at. Lastly, for me, Memphis is trying to position themselves.

with the contributions from Fred Smith, $25 million over five to NIL, however they want to distribute it, whether it's football, basketball, what have you. They clearly have deep pockets to be able to go into, and that's pretty dang impressive, in the event in which there's another round of realignment and the Big 12 continues to expand, which I think Brett Yormark clearly realizes that there's some strength in numbers. How attractive would a Tulane and a Memphis and some of those teams be in the event in which realignment happens again?

Well, I think the first place you're looking at realignment is the ACC. What do Florida State and Clemson do? And if they announce they're going to try to get out of the league or announce that they are leaving the league at an undetermined date, what happens to the ACC? Do the rest of them stay together, and does the ACC –

add a couple of schools here and there, Tulane would fit in a lot of ways. It would fit the profile. It's a lot like SMU. It's a high academic private school in a big city. And so does the ACC backfill with a Memphis, with a Tulane, with anybody like that? Or does it start to fall apart and does the Big 12 come in and grab some of those ACC schools? And then what domino effect does that have? I think the new Memphis AD said just that

A couple of weeks ago, I think at his introduction, I think that he'd love to join the ACC or talk to the ACC or something like that. I don't remember exactly what the quote was. So I think the focus, if you're a group of five school, is on the ACC. And if you're in the Big 12, your focus is, hey, if the ACC falls apart, can we grab some of these schools like we did with the Pac-12s?

Chris, we heard months ago that Derek Dooley was kind of out in front of a group that was trying to find a way for the group of five to come up with their own playoff. And what would the future look like? Is there any more news behind any movement with that whatsoever?

I've reached out to Derek about that. He hasn't wanted to talk about it to this point. I think it's really kind of a larger picture of if you're the group of five, do you want to hang on to the current system as long as you can and wait till you get kicked out of it? Or

Or do you want to try to be proactive and jump out in front and do your own thing? And I talked to various athletic directors who have been on those calls with Derek's pitch and all that. It's very mixed because all presidents are very mixed on private equity and what that means. How much of an audience...

is there really for a group of five? That bill comes due if you get involved in private equity. I know the idea that, hey, maybe the group of five has like a 14 playoff and the winner goes to the CFP. That's never going to happen. It's never going to happen because the CFP is not going to wait around to see who gets that spot. Just like they're not waiting an extra week to see who wins Army-Navy. That's not going to happen. It's basically, do we decide to break off and go do our own thing?

and prepare for that, or do we stick with what we have and hope that the Big Ten and the SEC don't one day kick us out? So that's kind of the discussions being had. Chris Veniti with The Athletic covers the group of five. We always appreciate the time, always appreciate the insight. Look forward to doing it again soon.

Thanks for having me. Thank you. Follow him on Twitter at Chris Venini. Find his work at The Athletic. It's going to be interesting, Greg. You think about just some of the group of five schools. We've got Dale McGee taking over at Georgia State. Brian Vincent replaces Terry Bowden at Louisiana Monroe. Gerard Parker obviously now going to be the head coach at Troy. You discussed Houston, Tulane. New head coach is there with John Summerall, Willie Fritz.

Just a lot of movement, first and foremost, from a coaching perspective. James Madison, you've got Kurt Cignetti who's moving on to Indiana. There's a lot of movement at the Group of Five level where some of that stability had been key with what those teams had put together. Kane Womack's gone from South Alabama. Just a lot. The Group of Five, to me, and it's just so eye-opening also at the same time to see great players

I don't know, great situations, if you will, in the G5. And coaches leaving those situations in favor of whether it's position coach jobs or coordinator jobs. That's so eye-opening to me. That the stability that we once knew in the G5 is over. That thing is a thing of the past. And I could envision at some point being a little bit like Power 5 jobs are right now to the NFL.

Like guys are willing to take a pay cut and go to the NFL in favor of quality of life, as opposed to being a power five head coach right now. And I think the G five could be the same. They're willing to take a pay cut. Well, in some cases they won't take a pay cut, but the quality of life as a position coach at the power five level is better than that as a head coach of the G five. And that's,

A pretty eye-opening revelation when you think about it. You just think how different, too, a conference like the Sun Belt is, App State –

Since they joined the Sunbelt in 2014, they've won 95 games. That's more than any other G5 program over that span. Coastal Carolina, Jamie Chadwell leaves. He's now over at Liberty. Georgia Southern, obviously they have now that high-octane offense and are running a different style offense. It looks like they're going to be competitive. Georgia State, I just mentioned Del McGee, James Madison, new head coach, and

You've got Raging Cajuns, kind of year two, trying to see what they can do in Louisiana. Kane Womack's out at South Texas State, in the mix last year. Now, a little bit different situation there. Troy has a new head coach. Monroe has a new head coach. Just in that conference in general, which I feel like has been one of the best G5 conferences the last four or five years, it's just going to be so different top to bottom from a leadership and a coaching perspective. We'll see how that goes.

how it all plays out. More conversations about maybe who ends up in the playoffs and how next on McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. Catch up with all things McElroy and Kubelik in the morning by subscribing to the podcast. Mythically, he's grown. He's almost like a little bit bigger than a player, right? Like the myth of Bo Jackson. Like, rate, and download the show from the Jock Gap or wherever you get your podcasts. At your job, do you ever have to deal with a nose roller? How about a snub pulley?

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