7-11-24 McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning Hour 1: Coach Prime & Shedeur at Big 12 Media Days; Kelley Ford talks biggest CFB games; Cole vs. Golf
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Got a good show for you today. A lot of college football media days slash day slash cocktail hour in full swing. You see the pictures from the Pac-12 media event, Greg? I did.

Like we said yesterday, listen, you're going to be a laughingstock no matter what. There's no way that you're going to be able to avoid the jokes. But what else were you supposed to do? I mean, I guess you do it in Vegas. You do it around the other media days, which makes it a little bit easier on some of the folks that cover all these teams. Yeah. They're able to get over there. But, I mean, it's hard not to look at some of the photos and think, oh, man.

Yeah, I mean, it's super disappointing. It's super awkward. People have said it's embarrassing. I don't believe it to be embarrassing. I mean, they still have to do the things that they've done in the past, albeit with just a smaller crowd. An open bar and things like that are a somewhat creative way of handling it. I mean, I actually thought that there was a few more...

Media members there than I anticipated. Now, part of that might have to do with the fact that there were... They just finished up at Big 12 and they came right over and they were there to get ready for Mountain West. And as you mentioned, open bar because some media members are cheap. Some. If you're going to give them a free drink, might as well. Some. Correct. All. Most. I was being nice. All right. Fine. All of us. I was about to say, I don't know a media member that's going to run away from a free drink and or free anything. I don't care how much money you're making. If it's free, it's for me.

But I can't understand why everyone's giving them such a hard time. What do they want them to do? Honestly, not have anything? Not promote their players? Not promote their teams, coaches? What do you want them to do? There is no winning this situation. It's really not. And it's certainly not Washington State, and it's not Oregon State's fault. It's George Klyovkov's fault. And the presidents that are so stubborn and dumb in the Pac-12, some were able to

Save face by aligning with a different league, but it was very lucky for the teams that actually found a different destination. All right. So that took place yesterday. Obviously, Washington State, Oregon State, both mascots were on stage for that event. But Big 12 media days continued yesterday. And as you would imagine, the Colorado brass made a lot of noise yesterday.

Deion Sanders, first and foremost, just on whether or not he's judged differently, given how his career has gone.

Yes, yes. I'm judged on a different scale. My wins are totally different than your wins. Your wins, you're just judging football. That's why I have to start out and give you education and academics and so forth. I have to give you those things so you understand there's a greater scope. I can't win nine games and our GPA suffers. Our GPA can't be high, but we lose another eight games.

We can't not go and grab high school players and you got a bunch of guys in the portal, out of the portal that's getting incarcerated. My wins are different. We have to win in every area. That's the way we're judged. I'm cool with that because we come a little different. I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea what I just heard. I really don't understand. How is he judged differently than any other coach? You take guys out of the portal that have past transgressions. They're going to be judged just as much as Colorado would. I don't feel like

He's under the microscope because he created the microscope. Like everything that he did. He has a live reality TV show, or not a live one, but a reality TV show that centers around him and the program. No one's judging him different out of just straight merit or anything. They're judging him different because he has welcomed the attention. Is that not accurate? No, and honestly, when you see the headline of judged differently given his career, you feel like he's going to say...

Because of how good he was in the NFL, how good he was in college, because he played Major League Baseball and professional football at the same time. Which, to be fair, the reporter that asked that question kind of led him into that. So it was kind of seeming like, OK, that's where we're going to go. And no. And that's where I thought he was going to go. And then we got that. And I just don't that just felt like rambling. Any coach who has kids that have a great GPA but win four games is not going to be given extra credit for the GPA. Yeah.

He's not going to not be criticized for only winning four games. It's just the reality of it. And underperforming against teams that could have been beaten. I don't think he's held to a different standard, personally. I really don't. I think when you win four, you win four. When you win three, you win three. I do think that he's a polarizing figure because of the amount of attention he creates. He creates a lot of attention, whether it's the gold –

Even something as small as the gold headset that he wears on the sideline. Wearing the word prime all the time. Prime, prime, prime. Being in athletic commercials. You think Nick Saban didn't get more attention than most? Yeah, he did. Because one, he won a ton of games. But two, he was pretty dang visible. So I don't know. I don't feel bad for him.

He's making a really good living and walked into the coaching profession saying, no, we're going to do things differently. We're going to do things my way and kind of went scorched earth by throwing a bunch of kids out and welcoming in a bunch of new kids and saying he's bringing his own luggage and all this other stuff. I don't necessarily feel bad for the attention he receives. I don't think he gets criticized any more than any other coach. Do you think he does?

I think a lot of the attention that's there, whether it's criticism or praise, is like you said before, brought on himself and by the folks around him. It's welcomed. But then in a moment like that, it feels like it's not welcomed. And that's why it becomes a little bit confusing for me.

He also had this back and forth with Pete Dammel yesterday on ESPN. You've been very blunt today, Dion. You plan to win this year. Do you want me to be different? Of course not. Who don't plan on winning? Is any coach that came here don't plan on winning? You said it like it was a newsflash. You're joking.

Well, Chador's good. We saw that all last year. You've been very overt. You think he's the best quarterback in college football. What could we see out of him if there is a run game? What kind of leap can he make if there's some more balance? See, it's not about him throwing for 4,000 or 5,000 yards. We don't care. Everybody in the nation, this is one of the teams, the biggest, every pro team knows that he can spin it.

We want to win. What are the NFL ceilings for Shador and Travis? You mentioned they could be top five picks. They could be one and two, based on need and desire from the league. They could be one and two. I don't see many flaws. If there's any flaws in their games, they don't give a darn about that, though. What they want to do is win. They want to win, and they want to go out winners. I'm not going to say that I don't think he doesn't want to win. Do you believe it's to that extent? That he wants to win? No.

But the other things that were mentioned as not really mattering don't really matter. Oh, they matter. I mean, you wouldn't have your kids driving around in a Rolls Royce if it didn't matter. The image matters. It's a Cybertruck now. Cybertruck now? Yeah. Oh, whatever it is. Image matters, I think, to an extent, to Prime. Yeah.

He's a master marketer. He cares about things outside of the arena. No question about it. He cares about perception, and he should. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But part of why people have gravitated towards him is how he markets himself. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

But there's definitely more than just winning and losing for sure, I think, with him. And I also don't think that it's very realistic that they'll go one and two either. I think that's another example of marketing. Like nowadays, if you tell people how great you are, people will believe you. It's amazing. I've never seen anything like it. The louder you are, the better people think you are. And I don't know why that is, but people can't think independently, I don't think, in some cases. And they'll believe what people tell them.

It's kind of crazy, but we see it all the time. Hey, I'm the best corner in the league. We got cooked three times last week for two touchdowns and about 110. But, you know, I'm still the best. Doesn't matter.

People believe that stuff. So it started probably like six, seven years ago. I don't know why that is, but people tell you they're the best and they'll believe you. I do think that lasts a shorter period of time, though. I do think because you put yourself on display a little bit more, if it's not real, if it's not the truth –

The lifespan of that is a little bit more brief than if somebody is legitimately the best. We know that train is the best. Not Alabama. Heat and humidity can be brutal. Don't let it affect your home and family. Keep them comfortable with an affordable train cooling system. Train is our official partner here at jocks, and they've been recognized as America's most trusted brand. Ten consecutive years. Find a comfort specialist near you at train dot com. What about when it comes to winning against Colorado?

Quarterback Shadur Sanders had this to say about how folks perform or at least want to perform against him and his teammates.

It's been that since day one. I remember first media day when I was in HBCU, I said, well, we won't lose a game. I'm undefeated in the SWAC, so I already know what the expectation comes with. I know where everybody's Super Bowls, so I'm really just, I always stay level-headed, stay grounded because I just, I would never want to be that guy, look back, and not being able to take advantage of the moment that we have right now.

Everybody's Super Bowl, Greg. I know it's easy to kind of laugh at that, but it's not totally untrue. You don't think people were excited about embarrassing Colorado last year? I'm not going to tell you that I don't think that there's a little extra. I think that's very real. A lot of media hype going into the game? No doubt. There's a lot. A lot of people want to shut them up. And it's not just players. Listen, Oregon made a movie about it after the fact. It's not just players.

The coaches really want to shut them up. So he's not wrong, I don't think, there. I think if you lose to Colorado, that is like the worst thing that can happen. You know what I mean? In like a lot of guys' eyes. Like, oh man, we're going to get posterized on their reality show. They're going to tweet about us. They're going to talk noise in the postgame. But you're telling me that Oregon, SC...

Oregon State, Washington State, Utah, Stanford, Arizona, Nebraska, TCU. That was their Super Bowl last year. No, I'm not saying that. You can't deny that that's an elevated game. It's not the equivalent of playing Washington State or Arizona or Cal or SC. It's an elevated game for sure. SC is SC. When they walk on the field and they have those uniforms and you hear the fight song and you see...

Traveler the Horse or whatever his name is. What is the horse's name? There's no bejeweled stick on the line in this game. Maybe not. No. Yep. Unfortunate. I don't know if Colorado State has one when they play. Missed opportunity. But either way, it's a big, I mean, beating them is a big deal. And beating them bad, embarrassing them is what people are aiming to do.

So you can't deny the coaches put a little extra into that one for sure. I won't deny that. I won't pretend like that's not real. The Super Bowl comment's a bit much for me. Sorry, it just is. It's not. I don't think USC views that game that way. I don't think Oregon views that game that way. I don't think even Oregon State, Washington State, Arizona, Arizona State view that game that way. I don't think Nebraska views that game that way. I just don't. Sorry, I don't.

Now, if you had a game that you could provide me last year that a championship was on the line, then I think we could probably have that conversation. It might be the Super Bowl. North Dakota State's Super Bowl, maybe. No, I think they probably know they're going to be in the playoffs and be able to make a deep playoff run. That's true, yeah. They'll get their own. I mean, it's not big, but I bet it was big when they played, was it Arizona a couple years ago? Yeah. All right, another gate? I'm out.

But people want to beat Colorado. So I don't agree necessarily with the terminology. Prime just said a few seconds ago, every coach wants to win every game. I agree with that. But people want to beat them bad. I believe you. I agree with you. But it's like beating up the loudest bully on the block. Like if somebody's chirping and talking a lot and loud and unnecessarily getting a ton of attention.

Like, you don't think NBA players want to beat up Ronnie James right now? You don't think there's, you know, when the opportunity presents itself, you don't think there's college football players that aren't going to want to hit Arch Manning really hard? We spent how long talking about all the undue attention Kaitlyn Clark got when she joined the WNBA? Yeah, well, I mean, you don't think that... She got clothes on. Yeah, exactly. Look how Kaitlyn Clark was dealt with when she got to the league. Yeah.

That's a real thing. The more attention you get unnecessarily, the more athletes want to put you in your place. That's just the way we are. I mean, it's... I don't disagree with it. It's the Super Bowl part of that conversation that I'm having trouble with. Okay, well, it's a big game. If you take it literally, I agree with you. But I don't necessarily take it literally. I take it more like it's an elevated game. It's a big game for the team on the other side. And it is.

I don't totally disagree with them, but I understand what you're saying, too. Washington State was 56-14. Oregon was 42-6. Nebraska, I don't know what kind of effort they got in that one. It didn't feel like it took a Super Bowl effort for some teams when they played to knock them off. Put it this way, they're not taking their foot off the pedal if they get a lead. Fair. They're keeping that sucker pressed, even though Oregon kind of did.

In the second half, disappointingly so. But, yeah, I mean, they don't have any friends. Like, Colorado has no friends in the college football world. They really don't. They've alienated everybody. Do they want them? No, I don't think they want them. I don't think they care. I don't think, you know, Deion came in, you know, going guns a-blazing and saying this is how things are going to be. We're going to reinvent how things are done. We're going to do this. We're going to do that. And, you know, I think that there was progress made last year for sure. Yeah.

But to win four games with a first-round quarterback is not good. So hopefully it'll be a little better next year.

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all at the corner of I-65 and Highway 31 of Estavia. Online, royalautomotive.net. Make Royal your first and last stop when car shopping. All offers valid through the end of July. Certain restrictions do apply. Remember, for every ride, there's Royal. All right, when we come back, we're going to take a little bit of an analytical approach with Kelly Ford on this upcoming college football season. Also, ask you this question. What are the most watchable games? He's got a list.

There's one that's not on there that may surprise you. We'll discuss it next on Mac and Cube in the morning. Catch up with all things McElroy and Kubrick 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 Tap or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, welcome back in. McElroy and Kubrick in the morning. It was kind of a day of cancellations yesterday.

Georgia and UCLA canceled their series in 25 and 26. Florida and Cal canceled their series in 26 and 27. Auburn and UCLA canceled their series in 27 and 28. Remember, Ole Miss and SC had already canceled theirs in 25 and 26. So previous Pac-12 SEC teams just kind of saying, no, we're good. We'll move on and do something else. Georgia will face Marshall in 2025. Buffalo...

Buffalo and Jacksonville State agree to a home-and-home, 28 in New York, 2031 right here in Alabama. So we'll continue with a lot of the conversation on College Football Media Days.

Pac-12 last night, Big 12 wraps up yesterday, Mountain West gets going today, of course, SEC next week. So we've got a lot to get to to discuss a lot of those, but I want to take a little bit of a different approach to this upcoming college football season and bring Kelly Ford on to discuss it. One of the things that intrigued me, Kelly, that I've seen you do recently is your list of most watchable college football games this upcoming season. Before we actually get into it,

Give us a little bit of a description of how you came up with this list. What's the criteria for generating this list? Absolutely. Well, I appreciate you having me on, Cole. And so all of my content, including my watchability scores, stems from my proprietary K-4 ratings. It's a power rating model. So similar to Bill Connolly's SP Plus or ESPN's SPI, I'm trying to power rate college football teams and say who would be favored against whom on a neutral field if the teams played tomorrow. So using that

kind of as the engine, what I do is I look at two factors, projected quality of the game, so the average K-4 rating of the two teams involved, and then the projected competitiveness of the game, so what's the K-4 spread of the two teams involved. And then using a weighted average of those two components, I'm able to generate a score, what I call a watchability score, on a scale of 0 to 10 to try to outline what are the most highly anticipated or what should be the most fun games to watch from a

quality and competitiveness standpoint. Those are the only two inputs that I do. And that gets every single game that involves an SBS team a score, and that's what I published the other day. Much to the delight of a lot of fans in the SEC country and much to the chagrin of many in the Big 12. Well, looking at some of these Big 12 games,

I guess, matchups that you've highlighted, see a lot of Utah, which kind of leads me to believe that you feel pretty good about the Utah Utes and their place at the table in their first year in the league. So how should we kind of assess this watchability score, if you will, when taking into account how often you might see a certain team?

Yeah, so there's no – it's a good question, Greg. There's no penalty or bonus awarded to appearing multiple times on any of these lists. And I did put out my top 20 Big 12 games or games involving two Big 12 teams because somebody requested that since no Big 12 team made it into the top 40 national games. And the reason for that, as I tried to explain, somewhat succinctly,

probably not very because people were already upset at the list um but the big 12 has a lot of really good teams i mean i think there are 10 teams in the big 12 that potentially have an opportunity or a path to make it to arlington i think that conference race is probably going to be more exciting of the power four than any of the others but what the big 12 has in depth and competitiveness they lack in elite level teams at least from a power rating standpoint at sing stand and that can change as the

season goes, of course. But as things stand right now, the Big 12 doesn't have incredibly highly power-rated teams from a national standpoint. So, Greg, you talked about Utah. Yes, they are one of the two teams that I'm projecting right now as the most likely to make it to Arlington, the other one being Kansas State. Those two are my favorites in the Big 12 as it stands right now. But like I said, you could realistically, in my opinion, make a case for upwards of 10 teams to make it to Arlington this year out of that conference. Yeah, there's a bunch. There's no doubt about it. It feels like

I do my top 25 about this time every year, and the highest-ranked Big 12 team I have is at 16. And that's because I'm bullish on Oklahoma State and with what they return. So looking at Oklahoma State and kind of what...

I'm trying to figure out why people have kind of fallen out of love with them. You obviously do a lot of statistical analysis, but I have a difficult time understanding why people are kind of down on them, especially knowing that last year they made the Big 12 title game, figured out who they were after week three, and kind of got hot as things went along. So how do you see the Pokes heading into this year, and what's the likelihood they could punch a ticket to the playoff?

Yeah, I've got Oklahoma State as the number 24 power-rated team in my model right now. And, Greg, like you, my highest Big 12 power-rated team is right in that area. I've got Utah at 18, Kansas State at 19, and then it's Oklahoma State that comes in next at number 24, Arizona, Kansas, and TCU all in the top 30 as well. But for Oklahoma State, as I look at their page here, their team breakdown, this, by my numbers, is potentially going to be the best Oklahoma State team since 2021. It's going to be the best offense.

that Oklahoma State has had maybe since 2018. I've got this as a top 20 offense right now. Of course, Ollie Gordon, a large part of that, and we all know what's going on there, but he's going to play from the get-go, it sounds like. The defense, they're going to be improved from the last two years, and that's really, I think, what held this team back from reaching a higher ceiling the last couple years is the defense. I've got them top 40 this year. If I go down their schedule, there's only a couple games right now that my numbers would make Oklahoma State

State a projected underdog. In week five, they've got to go to Kansas State. That's going to be a tough one. I've got a 32% chance for Oklahoma State to win that one, so about one in three. And then in week 11, they take a road trip to TCU, and it's a 45% chance to win that one. So only two games this year that my numbers right now have Oklahoma State as an underdog, but when you add together the cumulative effect of my win the expectancies for each game, eight and four is the most likely record for Oklahoma State, and I'm projecting

being a 6-2 possibly in the Big 12. And as you said, Greg, what's their chance to make it to the playoff? My opinion, as things stand right now, is all the Big 12 teams are really in the same boat. Your chance to make the playoff is what's your chance to win the conference title? Because I am not sure, at least as things stand now, that there is an at-large bid out there for the Big 12. We could be surprised. We could get a couple teams that run through the season and have very small numbers in the loss

column, but as things stand right now, I think to feel good, you better win that conference if you want a guarantee you're going to be in the playoffs. Kelly Ford, kfordratings.com, where you can go find all of his statistical analysis of this college football season, not only now in the preseason, but through the entire year, at kfordratings. You can follow him on Twitter. I did want to go back to your watchability scores and ratings as far as games are concerned, because you explained it a little bit further.

because one of the things that caught me was through your list, I agreed with most of it, but I'm like, where's the iron ball on here? Like, how is that not one of the most watchable games or Ohio state, Michigan? How is that not one of the most watchable games? It comes down. I believe I understand this correctly to how competitive you think these games are going to be as well as just how good the two teams are going to be. Correct.

Yeah, that's exactly right, Cole, and that's something that I was trying to convey to more people on Twitter on X as I was posting this because I absolutely agree with those people that said Alabama and Auburn and the Iron Bowl, that's a hugely watchable game. It's going to score great ratings. I completely agree. Same thing with Ohio State and Michigan. I completely agree. Trust me, I'm going to be tuned into those games on Rivalry Week. There is no doubt about it. But from a watchability score standpoint, as I outlined earlier, and you're right,

It's the competitiveness factor, which I weight less than the quality. So both those games are getting good scores and quality because those are two really high-quality teams from a power rating standpoint. But from the competitiveness standpoint, it's hurting those games that the game is taking place at the higher power-rated team. Alabama more highly power-rated than Auburn, and they're getting the home field advantage. Ohio State, in my model right now, even though we know what the last three years have been in this game, Ohio State's more highly power-rated.

and that game's in Columbus. So there's already a differential there. It's being exacerbated by the fact that the home field's getting put in, and so you're getting, you know, a double-digit spread. That's going to hurt your competitiveness component, and it's going to drop it down my watchability score list. Still great games. I don't have to tell anybody that.

Everyone's going to be tuned in 100%. And upsets happen. That's why we love this sport so much. But from my model standpoint, when those are the only two factors we're considering, that's why those two games in particular did not crack the top 40. But I'm very excited about those games, as I'm sure everybody is, you two in particular.

Kelly Ford joining us on the Biosphere Hotline. KFordRatings.com, you can find his work, statistical analysis on college football. So this is an interesting team after what you just laid out there. Greg and I have gone back and forth on this a couple of times this season. We're on a little bit different sides, but not completely. I'm fairly down on Michigan this year. I find it difficult to see them being a great football team again. That defense I think they can lean on and be pretty good. But it sounds like you may have Michigan a little lower than a lot of other people do heading into this season as well.

So Michigan for me right now, and they're such an interesting team, and any time you have turnover on the coaching staff and with the roster, and hey, turnover is a relative term now because you're getting a lot more of it on a year-in, year-out basis in this new era of college football with the increased usage of the transfer portal and all the things that go into how you build a roster. But any time you have that level of turnover, that increases your level of uncertainty in the models.

which of course I don't like from a data science standpoint, but also just from a field standpoint, it makes it more difficult. Michigan right now for me is number 12 in my power ratings. They are the number four favorite in the Big Ten. I've got Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State all with more projected conference wins. But if I look at Michigan's schedule on their team page,

The week two game at home against Texas, 34% chance to win, so about one in three. Week 10, they're at home against Oregon, 33% chance to win that one. Again, one in three. So both those games being at home will help Michigan. And then finally, to end the year, week 14, rivalry week at Ohio State, I got just a 17% chance to win that game. If there are any Michigan fans listening, they'll be quick to point out, yeah, but Kelly, each of the last three years, and that's not true because last year it changed late in the year, but

Two of the previous three years, you had Ohio State favored against Michigan, and we know how that went. They're absolutely right. The model is not perfect. I never claim it to be. It's a starting point for us to have a conversation about teams. That's kind of how I view it. But my model right now does like Ohio State significantly over Michigan. I think the offense is going to take a huge step back. They were number nine last year. I've got them number 28 right now. The defense, I think, is still going to be pretty good. I know they lost some pieces. I know we had turnover. I still have them as a top five unit.

right now, but you put it all together and I've got Michigan number 12 as the reigning national champs.

It's pretty wild. I have them 11, so we're on the same page there. Hard to kind of get on board just not knowing at all what their quarterback situation is going to be like. I just can't trust them at this point. The offensive line just have a tough time thinking they're going to be as strong as they've been the last two years. Lastly, the ACC race to me is fascinating. I think there's three teams that I would have ranked in the top 15, but I'm curious the order.

for you, how would you assess Clemson, Florida State, and Miami? Those are three of my top four right now. They are the three highest power-rated teams for me, Greg, and I'll give you the answer right off the bat before the explanation. Florida State, number 10 in my power ratings. Clemson, number 14. Miami, number 17. Those teams are not actually 1, 2, 3 in my projected ACC standings, though. I've got Florida State and Clemson both at 6.0 projected conference wins. Actually, Louisville

sneaks in there at 5.6 before Miami at 5.4. And the reason Louisville is going to sneak in there is, by my numbers, Louisville has one of the easier conference schedules in the ACC. So if you strip away the non-conference, how difficult, they're just conference-only schedule. Louisville, among the easier in the ACC,

and their overall schedule difficulty is relatively easy as well for contender standards. So I'd stack them up with Florida State and Clemson being the favorites right now in the ACC, followed by Louisville because of that schedule, and then Miami, better power rated than Louisville, but a little bit more difficult of a schedule, might make it tougher to get to Charlotte, much like the Big 12 that we talked about earlier.

I think the ACC, as things stand right now, to feel good about making the playoffs, I think you've got to win that game in Charlotte at the end of the year. It's possible there's an at-large out there for a team from the ACC. You know, if two of these three or four teams we're talking about have great regular seasons and lose just one or maybe two games before winning the conference championship, they might have an at-large. But, man, I just don't see it. I think the at-large bids right now, as things stand, are going to be eaten up by the SEC.

So these races and the ACC and the Big 12, they're hugely important because we care about conference championships, absolutely. But also, if you have aspirations to make the playoff and you're in one of those conferences, you know that's your only guarantee. So it's going to be a lot of fun. I agree with you. And right now, my numbers would lean towards Florida State. And I feel happy about that, just personally, numbers aside, after what happened to them last year.

Kelly, really good stuff. We appreciate the time. We'll obviously have you back during the season, kind of see how some of these things change, maybe where things are looking like they're going to head towards the end of the season. But appreciate your time today.

Absolutely, guys. I really appreciate it. Hope you have a good one. Absolutely. Kelly Ford there of Kelly Ford Ratings at KFordRatings on Twitter. KFordRatings.com is where you can find him online. Go check out Watchability. His preseason ratings that he has. He talked about his power ratings. You heard him. If you're interested in kind of what that is, Georgia at a 30.9. Don't

Don't know the exact scale on that, so not really sure how to help you there. But Ohio State would come in next as a 26.6, which is a pretty big margin considering Oregon would be next 25.5, Texas 25.1, Bama 23.2. Not a lot of big gaps there. A little bit of Texas and Bama and then a little bit of a gap between Alabama and Penn State next at 6 at 21.3. Then he goes Notre Dame, Oklahoma at 8.

Ole Miss at 9, Florida State 10, LSU 11, Michigan, Tennessee 13, Clemson, Mizzou at 15, A&M 16, Miami, Utah, Kansas State, USC. Auburn would be at 23, Florida would be at 22. Some other teams of note, Kentucky 31 in Kelly Ford's ratings heading into the season. Nebraska at 40.

40, Greg. Pretty good. Really? That's good? I mean, that's pretty good. I mean, where would you have him? Would you have him higher than that or lower than that? I haven't gotten to in the 30s yet on my preseason rankings. I'll work on that this weekend. Wow. I mean, does it matter once you get past 15? Not really. 18? 61 for Mississippi State? 84 for Vanderbilt?

I'm not saying these are massive surprises, but it's just teams of note as far as where they are. Memphis, the team you and I have talked a lot about having a chance to crash the playoff this year, has got to be 50. You know how many people, if Memphis is viewed as the 50th best team in the nation and they make the playoff, how mad some folks are going to be? Well, get ready. This is what you wanted. Wait until Oklahoma State has a home game. Or a bye. Speaking of that, speaking of playoff home games,

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This is an interesting discussion on this new playoff schedule and home games and hows and whys. You'll hear it next on McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. The capital of the sports talk nation. This is Jux 94.5 and Jux FM.com. Hurry and... Welcome back. McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. I'm bringing it back because Cole is in the midst of applying some... a lidocaine patch. So, he must... He must have a big...

I thought that was done in the bathroom. Must have a big racquetball game. Must have a big pickleball game tonight down at CityWalk. So don't park down there because I learned on WBRC yesterday you can get a $90 ticket if you park down there. You probably can park... There you go. We got action. You probably can park a golf cart. I don't know for sure, so don't try it, but

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So I told you, seven-year-old, first round of golf over the weekend. And, I mean, just a couple half swings. Like I got the wedge out a couple times, putted a few times. I'm still paying for it. It shows you how bad a shape the back is in. I mean, that's a big lidocaine patch. That's two. We're going both sides, one on each side. Oh, I was going to say. I've never seen one that big. Two. Double up. Lidocaine patch, so...

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It stinks. Worst thing ever is a little bit of a stretch. It's not as bad as... That's lie protection? Right. Yeah, I mean, it's not like a bad diagnosis or anything. But as far as physical things that are annoying, tennis elbow is one of the most annoying things that you can have. You have it for like six months, and there's nothing you can do about it, and it's just terrible. So...

Lydic Game Pass, big fan. I'm glad that you're on it. Look at you. I'm not glad that I need it, though. That's the problem. That's beside the point. We've already punted on our athletic prowess. Okay, so... How was the golf swing?

Mine? I've played with you before. You probably still have a better swing than Bug. On a scale from Barkley to Tiger, where are we? My swing was never terrible. I'm just not able to even pretend like I'm going to give you a full swing anymore. So I chipped a couple decent balls. Short game guy? It's off and on. Wow.

But not a 60 yards out. Not too bad. But not a paid you as a short game guy. But now I'm trying to figure out where I am with sort of this half swing. I'm not going to do it again. I'm going to take him to play more because he wants to and he's into it. But I'm not. I can't get out there and swing anymore. This thing's too fragile. It's just it's not bad a shape.

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There's some comments that you probably needed to hear as it pertained to this year's playoff and where games will be played and why. We will let you hear those right after this on Mac and Cube in the morning. Catch up with all things McElroy and Kubrick 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 Tap or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, welcome back in.

McElroy and Kubelik in the morning. Going to play you some audio from college football playoff executive director Rich Clark on the selection committee picking the first round home teams. Now, John, do you have the question? I want folks to hear the question here. This is yesterday at Big 12 Media Days. And Rich Clark, who's the new executive director, obviously taking over for Bill Hancock, discussing just sort of

How and why? Well, you hear the question and you take the context for yourself. Making sure you help campuses get ready to host these four games. Outside of the quick turnaround, two weeks that you know you're hosting, what does a campus need to host a playoff game that they wouldn't have for an October conference game? Yeah, that's a great question, Barry. So there's a lot of factors that are going to go into this. One,

Weather is going to be a factor that they're going to have to consider because this game is going to be later in the year, in the winter than they normally were. Hotels are a factor. Do they have the level of hotel that would be expected for a playoff game? And do they have the availability when we need it?

practice space those are the kinds of things that people need to keep in mind but also I mean everything from ticket sales to managing how we distribute the the tickets all those kinds of things have to come into play it's not a game that they had been planning on for for six or eight months okay now there are a lot of folks because the original individual who shared this was Colin Wilson

And his tweet read, the new at CFB playoff executive director, Rich Clark, on the selection committee picking the first round home teams. Quote, weather, hotel availability, ticket sales. Okay, I can understand where some people may feel like he led you astray and down a different path that wasn't exactly accurate. But I'm going to say this, Greg, that doesn't mean I like what I just heard. Are you suggesting that you think...

They could pull home sites from people in the event in which they don't have the infrastructure to accommodate a playoff site? That's what I just heard. I'm not suggesting that. That's what I just heard. You may have heard something different, but that's what I just heard. I also just heard that if Minnesota goes 11-1 this year and deserves a home playoff game, but the forecast is mountains of snow, they ain't going to play at home.

And that's not the way it's supposed to go. If Nebraska has an unbelievable season and they're due a home game based on where we feel like the rankings are, yet we're getting the abominable snowman camping out for a couple weeks, they ain't going to get a home game. That's what I just heard. Did you hear something different? No. I can understand why you would read between the tea leaves, and that's the conclusion you would come to. And let me just throw it before you – I want to hear your thoughts on it. Ticket sales is even brought up here?

It's a playoff game. Who may you be sending a home playoff game to that you have to say to yourself, now hold on a second here. Dude, UCLA could make the playoff. Hold on. Are we going to sell? Are we sure they're going to sell this out? You know what? No. Uh-uh. Send them to Tuscaloosa. No. Who is that? And why are we letting them play college football if we're worried about them not selling tickets to a home playoff game?

Sorry. Why are you yelling at me? Because you. It's my fault. Because I'm from Los Angeles originally, and there are teams in Los Angeles that might not sell out a playoff game. Is that why you're yelling at me?

They have the quarter system there. I don't know. Maybe the students won't be on campus at UCLA. I don't know. Don't yell at me. I don't have anything to do with this. I'll be impressed if UCLA wins six games this year. Under. Lock. In all seriousness, though, this playoff system...

Albeit not perfect. We have 134 teams playing FBS football. This playoff system is supposed to, in the best possible way, reward merit. And...

That's why we wanted this playoff system. It's more inclusive. More people have access to it. It's not going to be the same old teams in the first round. Now, it might be the same teams in the third round, in the semis, in the championship. It might be the same teams every year that are competing for that. But...

That would be a complete 180 off of what this playoff system is really truly about. It's about rewarding your success in conference, in some cases, or rewarding your success having played against top non-conference foes and having earned a home playoff game. Let me just tell you this. You know what I just heard? They ain't going to have any G5 teams with home games. If you're a G5 team and you have dreams of...

The Michigan Wolverines running out onto the Smurf turf. You can go ahead and punt on that. It ain't happening. Now, Boise is probably one of the few places that could accommodate a playoff game just based on infrastructure, hotel rooms. It's a wonderful place. It's a nice-sized city. But there aren't many like that, Cole. No. I think if you are a fan of Toledo and you anticipate – let's actually make it a little different. Let's say Mount Pleasant. Let's say you're at central Michigan.

and you want badly for the Florida Gators to come play at your house because Jim McElwain wants to get revenge against his former team, you can just put away those illusions of grandeur. It's not happening.

T5 will be on the road. John, did you hear this in a similar fashion that I did? Concerning? Yes, because I think that's going to affect the integrity of the game in that no matter what team they have at five, they should have the home game and whoever's at 12 should come to them. Not because, oh, well, I don't know if

It may be a bad look if they have to travel out there or if it's going to be cold. I don't know if you have to deal with that. Or if a rodeo is in town, oh, man, I have hotels. That shouldn't matter. Rodeo. Rodeo. I have been in the same town as a rodeo before, and it can be a hassle, no doubt. Top three coming at you next on Mac and Cube in the morning. This is McElroy and Cubelik in the morning.

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