This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Godfrey's dipping a bit into coach gossip, mainly because Florida State is winless and Florida's even worse. But let's poke around on a few other places, including Arkansas, of course, before stress-testing the narrative on bowl sites for playoff rounds and extolling…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Oregon State and Washington State lopped off the top of the Mountain West to create the beginnings of a new conference. The move has marginal benefits, but we’re skeptical it will change much about the pecking order outside the power conferences. Meanwhile, the Mount…

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex preview Week 4. Meet some freshman running backs at Baylor and South Alabama. Prepare for the return of Josh Heupel to Oklahoma. Consider USC beating Michigan by multiple scores. Marvel at how ridiculous a Friday night Stanford-Syracuse conference game is. And try to figure out a big question: What happened to Oklahoma St…

Richard and Alex give you a loaded but brief recap of everything interesting in college football’s Week 3. West Virginia blows another road Backyard Brawl, Washington State delivers some justice, FSU’s misery continues, LSU and South Carolina play a wild (and long) one, South Alabama scores 87 points, and notes from dozens more games over the weeke…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Godfrey's talking about Hugh Freeze because YOU made him, and we'll check in on messy situations at Kentucky, Cincinnati and elsewhere. Also, what's the ACC Network worth, really? And why are so many good games on weeknights this week? This episode is for paid subscr…

Week 3 is light on blockbusters but heavy on rivalry games, including the newly relocated Apple Cup, the game formerly known as the Civil War, and the Backyard Brawl. The weeknight slate has a couple of great games, starting with Arizona State’s visit to Texas State. In this show, Alex, Richard, and Steven take you through dozens of games they thin…

Alex and Richard take you through Week 2 of the college football season. NIU wrecks a promising Notre Dame season, Texas State crushes rival UTSA, Iowa State deals a major blow to Iowa, and much, much more. Production: Anthony Vito. THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pick for th…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Godfrey's going rapid fire over y'all's week one reactions, most of which need to simmer and absorb some more info. We talk about Miami, Clemson, Nevada, Georgia Southern, Boise, Memphis, Virginia Tech, UNLV, A&M and a bunch more. Producer: Anthony Vito.…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com The modern Week 1 schedule means that one Sunday night game and one Monday night game get the whole sport’s attention. That also means they’re liable to produce overreactions. What did we really learn about USC, LSU, Florida State, and Boston College? What are the gr…

Godfrey, Richard, and Alex preview Week 2 of the 2024 college football season (14:10) after discussing one of Week 1’s hot topics: the state of College GameDay and Kirk Herbstreit’s dog in the broadcast booth. In Week 2: Texas and Michigan play a blockbuster that may not live up to it on the field, K-State and Tulane might have the game of the day,…

The Split Zone Duo Sunday Hurry-Up returns! Alex and Richard take you on a 30-ish-minute jaunt through everything that was interesting in the first week of the 2024 college football season. Miami demoralized Florida, Notre Dame’s offensive line came through when Texas A&M’s QB did not, Georgia reiterated that it’s in a different class than Clemson,…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com In this show, Godfrey answers questions from SplitZoneDuo.com subscribers. Godfrey is neither 1) good at predicting things nor 2) claiming to be, but the results are decent-ish, at least when it comes to K-State. Maybe Florida? Let's talk about how to better hate you…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Auburn lists 37 defensive starters. Georgia won’t release a depth chart, so Clemson won’t. Several teams with obvious starting quarterbacks will not acknowledge reality. CFB lineup secrecy has gotten ridiculous, but there’s a more troubling piece of it in 2024: the l…

Alex, Richard, and Godfrey take a long, detailed trip through the Week 1 schedule, from NDSU-Colorado to Clemson-UGA to JMU-Charlotte to USC-LSU and beyond. Congrats on making it through the offseason. Let’s talk ball. Producer: Anthony Vito THE NOKIAN TYRES ROAD TRIP OF THE WEEK: Every week all season, head to NokianTyres.com/SZD and enter your pi…

Richard links up with the godfather of CFB podcasters, Ty Hildenbrandt of The Solid Verbal. Ty has just about seen it all in CFB podcasting, so let’s ask him: How has the game changed behind the mic? After that, considering the interesting nexus of Ty’s fandoms, we talk Notre Dame/Penn State, and considering where we both live, we have RUTGERS TAKE…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com After previewing all 134 FBS teams for the 2024 season, it’s predictions time. Split Zone Duo picks Heisman Trophy finalists, players and games of the year, coaches to be fired and hired, conference champions, and the 12 teams in the expanded College Football Playoff…

Oregon State and Washington State face unprecedented situations, but not exactly the same one on the field in 2024. Richard, Godfrey, and Alex break down the Pac-12 that’s now a Pac-2. Oregon State is rebuilding almost from scratch, while Washington State has a little bit more left in the tank from the old world. In a brutal moment for both of them…

The ranks of the FBS independent schools are down to three (and still getting smaller). Richard, Godfrey, and Alex talk about UConn and UMass to start, and then Jessica Smetana (18:44) joins for a state of the union talk about Notre Dame: What’s the belief level right now in Marcus Freeman? Has Notre Dame secured its independence forever? How is th…

Join our FCS Upset Draft at www.splitzoneduo.com, and try to pick the correct FCS wins over FBS teams. Craig Haley is the FCS senior editor for Stats Perform. He’s one of the longest tenured and most respected reporters covering FCS football, and he joins Alex to provide an overview of the 2024 season. Who’s a serious national title contender? Wher…

The return of the MAC on Split Zone Duo! We preview the 2024 season, as Miami tries to defend its title and establish itself as something like what Toledo has been. Bowling Green tries to remain solid, NIU aims to run over you while playing good defense, Ohio wants to at least tote the rock well, and EMU becomes one of Godfrey’s favorite teams. You…

SZD previews the Sun Belt: Appalachian State is the favorite in the East, but Coastal Carolina had a more promising first year under Tim Beck than you realized. James Madison resets, Georgia Southern really needs to start winning, Marshall is in the danger zone, ODU is the site of a scandal, and Georgia State is worth checking back in on in a few m…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Godfrey sits down with longtime Big Ten and Ohio State writer Doug Lesmerises of "Kings of the North" in a traditional north/south idealogical spar that's anything but. We talk about the origins of Doug trying to redefine the northern and midwestern identities of col…

Liberty is a heavy favorite after dominating Conference USA in its first season in the league. So let’s start at the bottom of CUSA and work our way up. Will Kennesaw State (4:06) be glad it moved to FBS? Sam Houston (9:56) had a miserable first year and looks to build something in its sophomore FBS season. UTEP and New Mexico State (13:18) have ra…

Richard, Alex, and Godfrey break down the American Athletic Conference ahead of the 2024 season. Memphis (3:00) looks like it’s primed for a run, but UTSA and Tulane (10:12) are strong in their own ways. USF (19:21) was a minor breakout team in 2023. Is another step forward in store? Which bad to mediocre team from the ECU, Rice, UAB, and North Tex…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com The NCAA and Michigan have moved to the “leak wars” portion of their fight over sign-stealing. Godfrey, Richard, and Alex discuss the art of NCAA investigation crisis comms, why elevating Sherrone Moore was a good hiring decision that would inevitably hasten this con…

It’s a Mountain West preview from Richard Johnson, Steven Godfrey, and Alex Kirshner. To start, let’s talk about Utah State firing Blake Anderson right before the season (3:02) and Fresno State also needing a preseason coach replacement for Jeff Tedford (13:16). Is Boise State as overwhelming a favorite over Fresno and UNLV as media voters seem to …

The 18-team Big Ten gets the SZD preseason preview treatment. What are reasonable expectations for last year’s title game teams, Michigan and Washington? (5:59) Is there any way things could go very badly for Ohio State and Oregon? (21:24) Will Penn State figure out a way to move the ball through the air? (34:54) Do we see a dark horse between the …

Doomberg runs the biggest financial newsletter on Substack, explaining money and markets to a quarter-million subscribers every week. Alex Kirshner, a skeptic of private equity money in college sports, asks Doomberg a bunch of questions about why institutional money is poised to come to college football, what it will mean, and who it will benefit. …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Godfrey opens the notebook for an all-coaching carousel mailbag to set the agenda for 2024. Two Mountain West jobs are already open, and there's a healthy retirement watch list before we even get to the Hot Seat Proper. Let's figure out who's gettin' that sweet buyou…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com There’s always lots happening in college football in South Florida. Richard interviews a pair of experts on the state of the FBS teams in the region: Kevin Fielder of Rivals breaks down FAU and FIU, who are perpetually jockeying for South Florida G5 supremacy. And th…

Oil and water. The Capulets and the Montagues. Michigan fans and Steven Godfrey. After years of often contentious relations, Godfrey threw down the gauntlet for Michigan fans to donate a bunch of money to charity, and they smashed giving goals like always. So here it is: Godfrey—egged on by Michigan diehard and New York Times writer Jane Coaston—ac…

The 2024 SEC season preview from Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, and Steven Godfrey. How could the party be ruined for Georgia, Texas, and Alabama? Is Ole Miss or Mizzou better set up for a dream season? Which first-year starting QB at Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma is best set up for a breakout? Do Mark Stoops, Billy Napier, or Shane Beamer have any…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com After a long week of playing the EA Sports College Football 25 video game, our verdict is in. Alex and Richard review the game, discuss whe…By Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner

It’s the 2024 Big 12 season preview from Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey. Utah enters the league as the favorite, but the gap to Kansas State and Oklahoma State looks small (5:03). It’s been a long time since any of Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, or West Virginia won a conference, but they all have riser (and some decline) potentia…

Ben Haumiller is EA Sports’ principal game designer for college football. He’s here with Godfrey to discuss the long road back for a previously defunct CFB gaming franchise, and to answer questions from Godfrey and our subscribers about how College Football 25 will play and feel. Plus, Godfrey has details on his involvement with the game. Productio…

It’s the 2024 ACC season preview from Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey. Following a discussion of the start of TALKIN’ SEASON (0:43), the group starts the ACC rundown with FSU and Clemson (20:06) and then goes through the entire Atlantic (and now, uh, Pacific) Coast Conference. How big a step back is reasonable at FSU? Does Dabo S…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com The Tampa Bay Times' Matt Baker joins Richard to talk all things Florida, Florida State, UCF, and USF ahead of the 2024 season. Now that the Bulls have been left behind in realignment, what’s next? The offense is gonna be good, but you'll never guess who their DC is.…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com It’s a big year for Ryan Day. He might have the preseason No. 1 team, and the pressure couldn’t be higher given three straight losses to Michigan, the Wolverines’ potential step-back year, and a 12-team Playoff format that all but ensures Ohio State will compete for …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com In this solo show, Steven Godfrey’s got two hours’ worth of football and life to keep you occupied as you sojourn in this hot valley of news for college football. Let’s talk about Lane Kiffin’s altar-dodging with Auburn, Marshall’s ceiling in the Sun Belt, Jimbo Fish…

Alex and Richard take subscriber questions heading into a holiday week. Which Florida school does Billy Napier least want to let beat him? Did UCLA set up DeShaun Foster to fail? Who can be 2024’s quiet “hang in the Playoff race right to the end” decent team? Is the Big 12 really due for an era of parity, or are media making that up? Who will suffe…

Weeks before the Big 12 expands to 16 teams, Godfrey and Alex dive into the unique place the conference currently occupies. It’s not rich like the Big Ten and SEC, but it’s not teetering like the ACC or dead like the old Pac-12. Things are more precarious than they were four years ago but way better than they were three years ago. Commissioner Bret…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com A college football playoff with more than four teams? What will they think of next? Alex, Richard, and Steven talk through what we can learn about the upcoming Playoff expansion by looking back at decades of the FCS (and Division II and III) postseason. What really d…

The rumor mill demands that several coaches be on the hot seat at all times. But what about when the seat gets so hot that a new description—”pre-fired”—becomes appropriate? With Billy Napier and Sam Pittman headlining the 2024 class of pre-firing candidates, Richard, Steven, and Alex go down memory lane. Sometimes a pre-fired coach goes the way of…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Shehan Jeyarajah is national reporter for CBS Sports, host of the College Football Survivor Show, and knower of the Texas college football scene. He chats with Alex about every FBS program in the state and a big handful of FCS teams, too. The conversation covers ever…

Richard Johnson, Alex Kirshner, and Steven Godfrey start to look ahead to the 2024 college football season. The episode opens with some consideration of New York Knicks fans (it just happened) and then moves (15:45) into a discussion of nine players we’re paying close attention to for 2024. Some are just really good, and some are pivotal to program…

Welcome to a new episode of Scheme School. Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice returns to the show to have a completely on-field-focused (we promise) conversation about Colorado's already-polarizing QB1. What does he struggle with? And what does he excel at? What was the Buffs’ offense last year, what will it be this year, and what should it be to maximize San…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com College football is about to get a lot different. Alex and Richard talk through how changes to player compensation come 2025 will reshape the sport. We think it’s ultimately a winner for both players and fans, but there are big questions left to answer: What will bec…

Godfrey's insisting that everyone pick a Sun Belt team to ride and/or die with in '24. Plus, did the NFL kill USC's L.A. vibes? And let's set an expectation for every single FBS team changing conferences this season. The Big 12 is a Las Vegas buffet, and it's 3 a.m., baby. Production by Anthony Vito. Throughout May, The Single Wing is free for ever…

For more episodes like The Single Wing, subscribe at splitzoneduo.com. Godfrey's circling back on TV scheduling tactics for Week 1, explaining San Jose State’s triple-free offense, answering a desperately sad question about Group of 5 feeder programs, waxing emotional about EA NCAA, and teaching you why stupid ass-ideas like the G5 playoff get floa…

College football (including its TV partners) usually gets out of the NFL’s way. But when the 12-team Playoff arrives this December, the two levels of the sport will be head-to-head in a way they almost never are, especially since college’s powers that be made a tactical retreat from Thursday night. Is it surprising that the Playoff and ESPN would c…