A

And we are back. It is Texas Live. We are presented by David Gardner's Jewelers Rollo Insurance Studio. Our number two of the program and our SEC Media days coverage is brought to you by Paragon Financial Advisors agione independent fee only fiduciary serving families and business owners nationwide. Visit paragon-adv.com Our guest here on the program, Tony Barnhart, Mr. College Football, who is actually a board member on the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year foundation. And he's here to chit chat about that and all things college football. Tony's been minute, sir. How are you?

B

It's been good. It's good. It's hard to believe. We are getting ready to get things cranked up. This is a lot of going to be a lot of fun.

A

Talk to us about the Bobby Dodd Award and how you got involved and what it supports.

B

Well, as you might imagine, I get asked to do a lot of put my name to a lot of different things, but this is by far the one that means the most to me that the Bobby Dodd Trophy, the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year, is different than other Coach of the Year awards in that it's not only winning and losing that's important, but winning and losing is secondary community service, how you do academically and things of that nature. The thing that makes it neat is when the Dodd trophy is voted on by board of directors. I'm a member of the board of directors and we present the award on campus. We moved there and two years ago we were at Notre Dame when Marcus Freeman won it and had a great reception there with Coach Freeman. He was super. And it's just a very, very. The pillars of the award are scholarship, leadership and integrity. And I'm proud to have my name associated with it.

A

Ton I would assume that the cast of characters that are up for the award every year probably is very similar. Right, because it's a culture thing when you, you know, you preach academics, you preach community service, you try to win on the field, like all those things. I know you guys pop in, obviously, but I think there's probably like, when you have a guy like Marcus Freeman, he's probably been a candidate a couple times.

B

No question. No question. You know, and he'll be a camp a candidate this year. Yeah, no, no, no question. And they have a Dodd watch

A

that

B

they'll print it out from time to time. So yeah, you're right. It'll be the same usual set of circles because the pool of coaches that can win this award is smaller than the pool of Coaches that can win the other national coach of the year awards.

A

So how's this last year been for you? Because last time we did this show, I mean, you've done the show before, but at SEC media days, you were transitioning to a different part of your career.

B

Yeah, well, I announced my retirement, but what I have to do is. I am technically retired, but what I wanted to do is make one last tour around the conference. I didn't get to every school, but I'll share this with you, Texas ags. I had a wonderful, wonderful visit at Texas A and M and something that's been on my bucket list for 40 years, and that's the midnight yell.

A

You did it.

B

And I did it at my buddy, Alan Cannon. I called A.C. i said, A.C. i got to knock this. I want to do this. He says, don't worry, Tony. I will take care of you. And he ushered me around and showed me everything, and I had a blast. I went to go to R.C. slocum's house to see what he's done. All these awards there. So I had a great, great visit

A

at Texas A and M. My understanding is that you have a book coming out soon.

B

I do have a book coming out, and that's in the Midnight Yale practices is in the book. And it's. The title is Mr. College Football 50 Years of SEC Memories. And 1618 chapters. 16, one on each conference team and where I go. And it's not just great players, great coaches and all that. It's really about memories and the fact that I could get the Night Yale Checked off my bucket list. Went to see Barry Sputter in Oklahoma, spent some time with him. That was a great, great visit. Coach Spurrier. Coach Steve Spurrier's wife Jerry and my wife Maria are best buddies, and they held a reception for us in Gainesville, Florid, oddly enough, at Spurrier's Gridiron Grill. And that was an incredible, incredible night we had. You know, Danny Wurfle showed up. Danny Wurfle showed up, and a bunch of his former players and a bunch of my media buddies down in Florida showed up. So it was. It's been a lot of fun, but, yeah, Chapter A chapter on each of the 16 teams and my favorite memories of that team.

A

All right, so let's go on a time machine. All right, let's go to the beginning of the. Of the century, 2000. If Mr. College football from 2 to 20, 26. Excuse me. What would he think about the current state of the sec? What would he think about the current state of College football. The expansion we've seen in the conference, the expansion we've seen in the playoffs. Not only the expansion. Excuse me, back then, we were voting for a national champion. So what would he think?

B

Well, first thing he would think is that the game. It's. What's ironic about all this is that the game itself, the game is played on the field that we watch on Saturdays is better than it's ever been. It's a great, great game that always delivers. Now, the fact that they didn't do a very good job to keep, you know, keep some guardrails on this thing and turn it into the wild, wild west, and we're going to get there. It's just going to take. It's going to take time. But they did. Did not do a good job of seeing this coming down the road. And no, nobody did anything to stop the runaway train. So right now we're. We've got Congress involved, of all things.

A

Yeah.

B

And. But it could be that con the only way out by giving the school some antitrust exemption. So, Yeah, I think Mr. College Football of 2020 would be disappointed that we ever let it get out of hand. But they'll figure it out.

A

Well, do you think, like, I feel like the Protect College Sports act, while I love it in theory, there's still too many naysayers and against it. I want it like this. I want to like that Sankey has said his thing. The Big Ten said their thing. The smaller schools have said their thing. Do you think we can all get on the same page?

B

Yeah, because we're going to have, you know, we don't have to do it until we'll have to do it when the TV contracts come up and everybody's got to decide where they're going to stick things out. But, yeah, we will. We'll get it figured out. We, we always do.

A

Anything about Texas A and M in particular this year heading into this, you know, after a really nice first year or, excuse me, second year of Coach Elko but making the playoffs, what do you expect for them in year three?

B

They're my dark horse, I think. I think that's a team. Mike Elko is a really good coach. He really is. If you sit there and watch the guy having Marcel Reed, I think he's going to have a big year. I just think it's. It's a good situation. I think they're going to have a big year. That. Now, who do they beat that they're not supposed to beat?

C

I don't know.

B

But that's going to be the difference.

A

Yeah, I can certainly see that Marcel has some weapons around him. The sec, their schedules loaded. Let's talk about some of the teams are going to face that are on the podium today. Tennessee, obviously, quarterback is going to be a big question for them. What do you expect from Tennessee this year?

B

I think Tennessee, they're not in that first tier of teams. They're not in the Georgia, lsu, Texas, Oklahoma, set of Texas A and M set of teams. But they're going to. They're going to get there because we've seen what Josh Hyple can do once he's got to settle on his quarterback and once he does that, he'll be fine.

A

Well, when you talk about these tiers, do you have A and M in that top tier or do you have it broken into? A lot of people have Texas, Georgia in this, like sub tier 1 or

B

sub A. I think it's Texas and Georgia and LSU and Texas A and M and Ole Miss in Oklahoma.

A

Okay.

B

I think. I think all of those teams are the same, and that's a good thing. All those, all those teams are the same. I've said this. This will be the third straight year, I will say this. SEC maybe the fourth straight year. SEC has a lot of really good teams. I'm not sure there's a great team there. Texas might be a great team. If Georgia can figure out some things offensively, particularly the wide receiver position, they could be a great team. I think LSU's got too many players. They could be a great team, but we'll see. And it's all about, oh, by the way, did we mention that you're playing nine conference games this year, which is going to make it more difficult to get there. And the other thing I tell people, this is going to be the year somebody who's 9 and 3 is going to make the College Football Playoff, and it's going to be this year because of that ninth conference game.

A

Game. I'm glad you brought up the ninth conference game because I have two parts. The way I look at it, the fan of me is like, oh, another hard game. The spectator. I mean, the other fan to me is like, this is great. Let's go.

B

Let's go. Well, the coaches were not fond of it, but they, they said, okay, look, if you'll. If you'll expand the playoff field, then you can go to nine conference games. And that was the deal.

A

Yeah.

B

And now the coaches is wondering, you know, is the committee and I. And there's going to be a lot of pressure on the committee. Is the committee going to understand. And this is. This is the arrogant SEC guy talking here, but that a 9 and 3 SEC team is not. Is better than a 10 and 2 Big 12 team? I'm sorry, that's just a fact, in my opinion.

A

Well, going back to last season, I know Texas Tech had a really nice year, but when A and M lost one regular season game and they dropped out of that top four spot, and I don't know if they were worthy of four or five, but had they had that loss to Texas earlier in the year, they would have absolutely been the top four seed.

B

That's exactly right. Well, this. This lobbying effort on the committee's part, it's. It's really up to them. And they've got to understand the. The strength of schedule component, not just give lip service to it. And that, to me, that is. That is the line. Okay? 10 and 2 Texas A, Texas 9 and 3, whoever, right? And that SEC team should get in.

A

So let me ask you about that sec. They haven't won the national championship in three years. They haven't been to the national championship game in a couple years.

C

Horrible.

A

But there's still the sec. Brother, I just.

B

I said I have it on good authority the SEC will indeed field football this year. Oh, but good. I mean, good.

C

Good for the Big Ten.

B

Yeah, good for the Big Ten. I mean, they, they, they. They've done a good job, but it's. It's all cyclical. It's all going to come back around. So.

A

But to me, and I think this year, the Big Ten is a little better throughout the conference than they were the last couple years. But the SEC, you have 10, 11 teams that can compete for it.

B

That's exactly right. You have 10 or 11 teams on the SEC roster that could be almost any team in the Big Ten roster. And again, that's a fact. And nobody. Nobody likes to hear that. This. Well, you get arrogant SEC guys. You know, you just. You're just in love with your league. And I can. I'm sitting there watching them play.

A

Yeah, they're.

B

They're better.

A

Before I let you go, Coach Elko, just give me some thoughts on what he's building. I know we talked about the program, but just the way he goes about his business. Kind of reminiscent to the gentleman you went to go visit RC Slocum a few weeks back.

B

You know, I sit there and when you go to Texas A and M, I mean, you look at. Look at all the renovations that, what, $450 million they did at Kyle Field. Somebody told me, said, boys, ain't it, Ain't life nice when oil is $90 a barrel? Yeah. All the. You, when you ask about it, are all the elements there for Texas A and M to win a national championship. Absolutely. Are you kidding me? Absolutely. But you got to figure out a way to win the close games.

A

Yeah.

B

You know, some. In all these 50, 50 games, the SEC has more 50, 50 games than any conference in the country. And how do you come out of those 50, 50 games?

A

Yeah, you're exactly right. So again, let's close it up with the Bobby Dodd Trophy or the Coach of the Year award. Who are some guys we should be looking out for?

B

Well, they, it's the usual suspect. It'll be the Marcus Freeman's, it'll be the Kirby Smart. I think Kirby Smart has done a tremendous job. And, and it's, it's a small pool, but it's a good pool.

A

Tony, appreciate your time as always.

B

As always, my friend. Good to see you.

A

Great seeing you, Mr. College Football. Tony Barnhart here on Tech Sachs Live. All right, a couple of things before we hit a break. We'll get to some, some messages and whatnot, but to, to kind of wrap up a little bit of what Tony was talking about is the, the fact that I still, I have a hard time personally have a hard time talking about the SEC being the better conference when they're not winning the game that matters. That being said, you can't deny the fact that the better teams overall, the harder schedules were all in the Southeastern Conference, but you can't use that as a talking point to defend yourself. Talking about, yeah, but we had this when you're not winning the big game. As for Tony, and I believe he had a little bit more optimistic view that they're all going to get on the same page when it comes to the future of college football. That is certainly possible. We might actually see that. I hope we do see that. But you can't cap teams at 19 to expand conferences. You cannot do that. You cannot, you know, limit the amount of money a conference makes. You can't do all that. So that's going to be something that I think in the next couple of weeks you're going to have to iron out. But again, with the, the recess coming in August, if they don't get this figured out here in the next couple days, it ain't going to happen. Which means it ain't going to happen, at least at this point. All right, so here's the deal. We're going to hit a break here in a moment. When we come back on Texags Live, I believe we're going to have Trey Wallace of out kick the coverage. Well, he'll be here with us after that. Kano Aguero. I know we're going to go get some insiders from some of these programs talking. I see Jacob Hester walking by again. We'll try to get him as well. And if Congress doesn't fix college football, how long the Sankey Weight? Those are all storylines we're going to get into here on Tex Ags Live. Alright. But right now we're talking Rollo Insurance. The difference is real. They're an independent insurance company built around educating you on exactly what you're paying for, doing the shopping for you so that you can accomplish all of your insurance goals. This Mobile, Texas Live studio is brought to you by Rollo Insurance. And they're involved in so many different ways in the, in the community, but they're the very best. Right? They're going to take care of you from your home insurance, your ranch insurance, your business insurance, you name it. You'll see them all around town. I've got Morgan taking care of my account but they've got a whole team there. Jason Jackson, Keith Morgan, everybody at Rollo Insurance. The website is rollinsurance.com texact that is rollinsurance.com texAct or call them up. 8844 Rollo Nicomalsville. 8844 Rollo. He'd probably need some insurance. Is Rollo Insurance. The Houston Astros. The Houston Astros play on the play on the zone. Thanks to Kelly Bird Dozer. I'm Riley Flarkey with your Aggie Sports

D

minute on the we're back here at

A

SEC Media Days brought to you by Paragon Financial Advisors, Texas live in Tampa, Florida and our friend Trey Wallace of Outkick and Fox Sports joining us. What's up brother?

C

Man, I'm here. Everything's kicked off. We're good to go. You know there's, there's, there's Capitol Hill lobbyists running around here along getting in, in, in the flux of everything. It's exciting to get to, to football season. Best way to put it.

A

The hardest part about doing a morning show during SEC media days is I miss everything that's happening in there. Right. Sankey spoke and then you broke the news to me that the Michigan report came out.

C

Yeah. No, fascinating timing. Michigan. And look, the big Ten and the SEC don't mess around. They, they, they still kind of get at each Other Michigan release, literally, Sankey said two words. And then Michigan announced that Ward Manual will be out at the end of the calendar year. Catch that? So they're going to let him stay on, right, for the next, what, six months and then he'll be gone. They released the findings too, of their investigation. Yeah, shocker. Yeah. Of course, not much is in there.

A

No, no, no.

C

We're not going to take down the whole athletic department just to fire Ward. And that's essentially what they did. I mean, they fire War Manual, he'll get a nice buyout, he'll sign a big old NBA to not say much, and then it's moving on. So, yeah, Michigan does. At the same time, Sankey takes the stage and God bless college football.

A

So I've seen tweets, but I don't really know everything that Sankey said. So what was your big takeaway from what Greg Sankey said today?

C

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is it's not, it's not a farce, it's not a leverage play that they are discussing self enforcement. And I agree with that in talk.

A

Plan B.

C

Plan B. Talking with multiple people's and people in Washington, D.C. about this. They know the SEC in the Big Ten are looking at that part and

A

looking at it together. We're looking at it, looking at it

C

together, but looking at it how they can establish it in their own conference.

A

Okay.

C

You know, not, you know, not Tony and Greg trying to run everything per se through that, but looking at, you know, take the SEC for instance, where the SEC would set up their own rule structure, who would govern that, which would be fascinating the first time a school sues the sec, you know, in a Birmingham courtroom. Can't wait for that. But that's something that they are looking at. And to be honest with you, you have to. Each conference has to, because if you don't pass this legislation and whatnot, which it's going to be tough, you have to figure out a way that you're going to say, okay, ncaa, we're going to put break away here and we're going to do things our own way because we don't trust you anymore. So it, that part to me is a little fascinating. I think that him saying that it's not a leverage ploy was very brash. Like, I give him credit for saying that because that is something they're talking about. So that one to me stood out. I think that the College Football Playoff, him saying that. I'm paraphrasing here, but essentially there's nothing that's been proven in the media yet. You know, from what we can see, media rights and whatnot, that says 24 is the best thing to do when we have 12. I would, would agree with that. Right now. I think that, you know, unless there is another billion sitting around, what are we adding 12 more teams for? So, and I've been a proponent for stay away from 24 teams. It's too much.

A

Right.

C

There's not 24 teams in the country worthy to win a national championship. There are 24 teams that are worthy, putting up some television ratings.

A

Sure.

C

That's what they're worried about, financials. So I think there are a number of people in the SEC that are like, how can we come up with more money? All 24 teams. But when you really break it down and get to it, I just, I don't like that idea. I think that we're fine where we're at. If they were to go to 16, I could say, okay, cool, like, whatever, I can deal with that. I think 24 is just too much.

A

What is this that they're trying to cap? How many teams can join? The number was 19. Explain that to me.

C

So it's 20.

A

Oh, it's 20 now.

C

Okay, whatever. Not, not that far off.

A

But 19 seemed ridiculous.

C

19.

B

So you.

C

Yes. So essentially what, what's going on here is you have representatives of Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz, both senators, trying to find a middle ground. So they're saying, okay, what would make this work? Okay, you can't add in this case over 20 teams to your conference. And if you do, and then the other kicker is too, whatever team leaves for another conference has to have a five year window where they're an independent school. So let's say Texas Tech.

A

Yep.

C

Were to leave, make 12 for the SEC for five years though they'd have to be independent before they join the sec. None of that makes sense.

A

It's not going to happen.

C

No, it's not going to happen. This, this is another leveraging ploy that I think some folks, and this is, I don't, I don't mean that in a mean way towards the folks in Washington. I honest think they're trying to find a compromise with the SEC in the Big Ten. But this is another one of those things. It's what can we do to make this work? And that's not going to make it work. Like you can't, you can't tell me that having a school set out. But also you can't tell me the conferences are going to want to cap at 19 teams. You know what? The SEC that's adding three more. The Big Ten that's adding one more.

A

It feels to me, Trey, that they're just wasting time, okay? Because you've got to sometime in August where. And then there's the recess and then six, August 6th and then there's big business that they got to take care of. That's not college football.

C

Right.

A

So what are we really doing here? I think the, the faster thing that can happen is the self governance, which is why plan B is actually maybe not plan A, but we better work on this as it evolves to plan A. Yeah.

C

I think that you can get, not knowing the full outline of it, but I think that you can get to plan B a lot quicker than A. And I think that self governance, you can think and look, the SEC is already self governing themselves in a lot of different manners, you know, So I think that would it be a stretch if something crazy were to happen and the SEC breaks away and whatnot? I mean, I could see that down the road anyways, if the ncw, you know, if the SEC wanted to make the most out of what they had when it comes to financial standpoints is okay, football, you break away. You're your own nature entity. You negotiate with the players on your own, not with the ncaa. And you keep basketball, baseball and all the other sports underneath that NCAA umbrella. I think that where we're at right now with a lot of this is. You're right. A lot of it's just talk.

A

Yeah.

C

And I think that it's been that

A

way for five years, brother.

C

They got three weeks. Like, let's have an honest conversation. They have three weeks to pass this on the Senate floor. And if they don't, guess what, they're going to take a break for a month. They're going to come back and they're going to go stump and it's going to be midterms. They're not going to care about college athletics because you know what the average everyday citizen does? Not worried about the Protect College Sports Act. I'm not trying to be rude when I say that to the legislators, but man, I got, you know, fix my gas prices and my milk and then we'll discuss other things. So that's what the average everyday person is thinking of.

A

Let me ask you this about if they were to break away, okay. They, they break away in football, right? What does that mean? Like. Yeah, does that mean they're not playing Big Ten teams? Does that mean like. Or does that mean we're just breaking away from a moral standpoint, but we'll still play the game. And like, I don't even know what that could look like.

C

You would have to find a negotiating way to still play Big Ten, acc, group of four, group of six, I'm sorry, teams that, that could happen. Breaking away is essentially doing what you're doing now from a self governance of handing. You know, if a player gets a hard personal foul in a basketball game, the league can suspend him for a game or two.

A

Right.

C

That's what we're talking about now. It's more heavy than that. Self governance would be nil, it would be transfers, it would be eligibility. But to get back, kind of to your question of what that would look like, I think that you would see other conferences start doing the same. So again, at the same time, you're still going to play these other schools. You just have to figure out to put your own rules, you know, in place. So that, that is the tricky part because nobody's. I'm sorry, I, I don't want to watch sec versus SEC postseason. You know, I can do.

A

That's the SEC championship game, right?

C

Right, exactly. I can do it the regular season. That's great. So I don't, I don't know. It wouldn't get that far. I think, you know, in talk, talking to multiple people about this from the outside, I think that you're looking at something where you're just trying to find rules that work. And once you can do that, you know, we'll see. But I would say keep an eye on the next three weeks and if they don't get anything passed legislation wise, then is what it is, we move on and whatever. It's football season anyways.

A

I already think it is what it is. But let me ask you one other business of small question. Let's just say the conference is agreed. All right, fine. We're not going to. Or we'll keep it at whatever the number is.

C

Right.

A

Are they scrambling to do that asap? All right, we got to call Florida State. If you're the sec. We got to call Clemson, we got to call North Carolina. Do you think that's happening or is it such a far fetched thing? It doesn't matter, David.

C

I think the conversations are already not happening with like Florida State. Clemson. But I'm saying who can we go out and get if we wanted to make a call tomorrow? By the way, you know this better than anybody. Yeah, this conversation, you're easy to have. Hey man, if we hit you up Next week, like you're down.

D

Yeah.

C

But, yeah, I think that that's what makes it kind of tricky is how fast does, how fast would the Big Ten move if it was something like that and they could only add, let's just say, one, two more teams, whatever. It's not going to be like that, but let's just tackle it, though. Okay. They're going to call Miami real quick, say, hey, Miami ready to go, you know, Clemson ready to go, you know, and then, you know, in each conference, I think, has an outline of who they would go after and who they would want. I think we've all heard it in the past and reported on it. You know, Virginia would be one of those schools. So, yeah, I, I don't know how fast it would move in terms of that in the lining, but I think it would set up a fun few years of who the SEC is going to add next to the equation. And they're going to be very smart about it, too.

A

I lied. Two other questions. One quick question is on do you think the SEC that wants to keep it regional? They've always maintained that they do, like keep it Southeastern ish. Right. Right. Yeah. So to answer that part, I don't

C

think SEC is going out and adding Washington State, you know. Yeah. Not doing it.

A

Does it make sense?

C

No, it doesn't make sense. And I, I agree with the, the regional part of what the SEC does. I, I 100%, like there was, in my personal opinion, there was no reason for the Big Ten to add some of the schools that they added to the equation. I, I know it makes sense financially, but logically it just doesn't. I think that when we look at what the SEC is going to try to do here moving forward, you know, a lot of it's good. Again, it's going to depend on what happens here in Washington. But at the same time, you know, these athletic directors and presidents and everyone from the sec, they're meeting every week.

A

Right.

C

Like, so when you see a breaking report, you know, all the SEC president met.

A

Yeah.

C

Okay. Well, they met the day prior to. Yeah. In a normal meeting.

A

And the week before that too.

C

Right. It's a weekly thing that they're doing right now. So I think that again, the next three weeks are going to be pedal to the metal, but I think at the same time that, that I think in some form of fashion we're bringing this in for a landing.

A

Last thing for you.

C

Yeah.

A

It sure feels like there's not a dominant force in the SEC like we once had. I mean, obviously, three straight national championships, you other way. Yeah, but is there a team that could be that dominant force in the SEC this year, or are they all really, really good top tier teams?

C

I think they're really, really good top tier teams. But I'll, I'll say this, to say this, If Steve Sarkeesian does not get it done this year at Texas, and I'm not saying you have to win a national championship, winning national championship is tough.

A

Right.

C

If Steve Sarkeesian and Texas are not in the semifinals this year, they have a problem in Austin. Because that lineup, the amount of money they spend in the Portal and what they have coming back, telling you, if it, if it's three losses, something along those lines, there's a big old problem. And I don't know how long. I'm trying to preface this the right way here. Texas would then have to make a decision. It's like, man, if we went all in here and we couldn't get anything done in terms of a title, all. You know. And again, I'm not saying you have to win a national championship, but be in contention for that.

A

Yep.

C

That doesn't happen with this squad. When's it ever going to happen for Steve Sarkeesian? So I look at Texas is kind of one of those teams where you got to go prove it now. Like last year, I was one of the steadfast ones out there, said, give Arch Manning grace.

A

Right.

C

Like, give him six games, then we can talk about it. So again, he got better, I think, think. I think Texas A, man, I could put Texas A M, like, right underneath Texas. And I think that, you know, these games this season, especially the opening couple weeks, brother, I mean, it's going to be bonkers. I'm excited about it. The lineups that we're getting. I do think, though, there is a, you know, a two or three team hierarchy. Sure. And then we get down to the rest and like, you like lsu, like, yeah, they have the talent and whatnot, but let's go see them do it on the field. It's a. It's a hard time to say, hey, some of these teams are going to win immediately. But I do think going back to, like, even though they and M, I think what Mike Elko has continued to build what he did in the Portal. I love them defensively. I love me some Marcel Reed. Like, Texas A and M should be a team that we're having a conversation in November as, okay, this squad might make a run here in the cfp.

A

Thank you, brother.

C

Absolutely.

A

Always Great seeing you.

C

Be fun week.

A

Yes, sir. Jay Wallace of Outkick here on Tech Sax Live. We'll hit a break. Our friend Connor o' Garo will join us with chit chat with Khan about all the great things happening here at SEC Media Days. Right now, a moment for Caldwell Country Chevrolet Highway 21, Caldwell online at caldwellcountrychevrolet.com if you're in the market and you're looking for a new vehicle, Caldwell Country Chevrolet is the place to take care of you. They've got great customer service, pricing, great people, and when you put that all together, you're going to drive away with an awesome experience and an awesome vehicle. They're locally owned. They have an Aggie alumni team that's ready to rol out the red carpet for all their customers. And remember, every new vehicle purchase comes with that free oil change for life as long as you own that vehicle. From Caldwell Country Chevrolet, it's about a 15 minute drive the edge of Bryant to the beginnings of Caldwell. Short conversation away. But you'll see the difference when you step on the lot and do business with the good people at Caldwell country Chevrolet Highway 21 in Caldwell online at Caldwell country chevrolet.com Give it to me.

B

Give it to me.

A

Louis Bellina show. It's awesome entertainment that sounds fun and not creepy. Listen in weekdays levitate two on the Zone from wtaw. I'm Will Welch with a news update

B

on the Zone, a bicyclist.

A

We are back here at SEC Media Days on Tech Sags Live presented by David Gardner's Jewelers Rollo Insurance mobile studio. And this presentation is brought to you by Paragon Financial Advisers. Our good friend contributor to Texax, Connor Ogara here with us next round live. And remind me the name of the podcast show.

D

The OG Kickoff.

A

The OG Kickoff.

D

Yeah. I've had people that have shortened it already and that have just said vog, which I'm fine if, if anyone ever wants to do that on air, like that's perfectly fine. The reason we didn't stop there and why we added kickoff was because there are podcasts that are, that are called the OGs. Like I think it's Udonis Hasm has one that, that's already called the OGs. But if you want to just shorten it, that's perfectly fine too. OG's, OG kickoff. Whatever floats your boat.

A

Oh, and I, and I see the play on the letters too. OG Ogara. What?

D

So, okay, so it goes double. And the reason why we did this is like, all right, so my, my nickname. My, my life has been og, even though I'm very much not cool enough for that nickname at all. And when I found out what it meant when I was in like middle school, I was like, oh, that's pretty cool. My co host, Will Ogburn, we always make the joke. His last name is spelled O, G, B, U. Yeah, we would have sat next to each other in school if it was alphabetical order. So he is an OG as well and I am an OG. So we are the OGs.

A

You are the OGs. What was your big takeaway from Sankey today?

D

Sankey did not flex in the way that I thought he was going to and I'm kind of glad that he didn't now. He still said, look, we had this unsatisfactory conversation with the College Football Playoff about strike strength of schedule and the things that went into that. He seemed to still be hung up on that. Talked about adding the nine game conference schedule, knowing that they still require these teams in the SEC to have that power conference game and non conference play. And the thing that, that he seemed to, to want to harp on was like, look, the SEC kind of exists in its own world and they have regulated the league in the way that others have not. That's a source of free frustration for Greg Sanke. He talked about breaking away. Could the SEC eventually just do its own thing and say, ah, you know what, everybody else in power conference football, you guys do your thing, we're going to do ours. We feel like we can sell a media package to it. I don't think that'll ever happen. He said it's not leverage, but he's still very much frustrated with the way that things currently are in college sports. He's probably not alone.

A

So I had a long conversation with Trey earlier. Trey Wallace from Outkick and Buddy. I feel like this, this is all just, we're wasting time. I don't feel like there's any real progress happening, at least when it comes to the Protect College Sports act and everybody getting on the same page. I feel like we're just chatting to chat. Like we're doing a talk show just to do a talk show.

D

I don't care about the Protect College Sports act anymore. Am I allowed to say that?

A

Yeah, you can say it.

D

Okay. There's, there are a lot of things I care about in college football that I am so excited to get into and when someone starts discussing that, I, I just tune out. Like I, I naturally am. I'm at that place. Just, just tell me what's going to happen, when it's going to happen. Until then, the speculation of oh, this person is going after this agenda and this person tells you that this is going to happen. I don't care. I just do not care. I would so much rather talk about whether or not a 9 and 3 team from the SEC is worthy of being in the College Football Playoff. What who has the the softest schedule in this conference? Which quarterback could rise above expectations? It's Mario Taylor. What are the things that actually are worth talking about when we're sitting here in October and yeah, protect college sports. I understand it's really important for the future of what we do. Until there's something that's actually said and it's not just talking, I just can't, I can't really care as much as maybe others do.

A

I don't watch C SPAN in my real life and I don't want it in my college stuff, sports or any athletics.

D

Gosh. Who seriously, like in what world is that the most pressing topic of conversation? Like I, I, I'm not a C SPAN guy either. I, you know, not to go down the political road but like there are just very few things that, that can actually get me to care and that's just certainly not one of them.

A

All right, so let's go to that question. You said a 9 and 3 sec team worthy of the college football playoffs. Now under the right circumstances. Absolutely. What do you think those circumstances has to look like?

D

Those circumstances I think are going to be really interesting for teams like Oklahoma, maybe Texas A and M this year because I look at Oklahoma's schedule and I wonder, is that the most difficult in all college football? I'd probably still give Ohio State a slight edge in that department, but we saw last year with Texas a 9 and 3 team who, I'm not sure if you guys heard this at all. They were, were pretty upset that they got left out of the College Football Playoff despite the fact that they had these top 10 wins. And let's not pay attention to what happened at the Swamp to a Florida team that fired its head coach, won four games. Let's not pay attention to that at all. But that's, that can't be part of your, your resume. That can't be part of your resume if you're nine and three. And so if you are going to be that first nine and three team to make the College Football Playoff in the 12 team era, that's what we're talking about here. That, that would indeed be a breakthrough. I would tend to think you can't have one of those dud losses because that's the game that everybody says, nope, see, your floor is too low. You have to have quality losses, which is an overused thing as it relates to the college football playoff. But if we're talking about nine and three teams, close losses to legitimate contenders or teams that are going to be in the field and maybe even one of those situations where your third loss is kind of a raw deal.

A

Yeah.

D

And maybe it's a bad call that costs you one of those big time games. So I think that's kind of what we have to look at. And I always knew that with the 12 team playoff era, like 10 is the number that you're going to want to get to. Where I was wrong is that there have been 10 win teams that have been left out of the field. I think there's been six power conference teams who have won 10 games in the regular season and have been left out of the playoff field. So it's not as much of a. Of a, you know, an end all be all as much as I thought it was going to be. But yeah, for those nine and three teams that have really difficult schedules as we sit here and talk about them in July, I think that's going to be a really big sticking point. And you can see Greg Sanke kind of opening up that floor now with the nine game conference schedule.

A

Out of curiosity, the nine and three Texas team last year or the ten and two Vandy team last year, Texas beat Vandy. If you had to pick one of those two teams to have gotten that extra spot between those two, who would you have picked under that scenario?

D

Well, I would have picked Texas. I would have because, look, Texas beat Vandy. I thought Texas had the ability to play at that level. And, and I remember being there in the swamp and seeing what that team looked like when it was in shambles.

A

Yeah.

D

So I do think that matters. Whereas, you know, if you want to get into like Vandy's losses, they lose that game to Bama, what. Which was closer than what the final score indicated. And then they lose the game to Texas, which was probably not as close as the final score indicated because they really fought back down the stretch there. But yeah, Manny's wins aged horribly. Texas's wins aged a lot better. So I would have given Texas the bump in that scenario. Would I have wanted to see Diego Pavia in a college football playoff game? Yes. Sign me up for that every day of the week. But you know, yeah, look, those are the types of discussions that we need to have and we haven't necessarily seen that that really play out in the way that many kind of hope that that they would and still feels like there is a default to number of losses more so than strength of schedule.

A

I want to go to your 10 story lines Orgara's watching at SEC Media Days 2026 and from these, the, the one that I think is going to be discussed over and over and over again is LSU at Ole Miss. I want you to kind of paint a picture of what you think that's going to look like on this show. We talked about the baseball version of that this past year when Schloss came to Olson Field, and that was crazy. Lane's already been down that road before with in Knoxville. So what do you think it's going to look like at Ole Miss?

D

Pure cinema. I can't wait. September 19th. My God. This is the type of game that I. I realize because of when it's being played in September. September 19th. For those who don't already have it on the calendars already, you should. I realize this is the type of game that we could look back on two months after the fact and go, that game didn't mean as much as we thought. I don't care because I kind of like when we get these September headliners that we get to talk about for eight months. I think it is the biggest SEC game since part two, Johnny Manziel against Alabama. Yeah. And I really think that the buildup for that game, this is what we're talking about in a much different context, of course, because of the link given breakup. And I do think that it's the type of game that if you're not a fan of this sport, you will tune in to watch because that atmosphere is going to be off the charts good in Oxford. And I can't wait to see what that reception is like. I can't wait to see how Ole Miss talks about this with we don't get LSU until later in the week, the last day here at SEC media days, which maybe that's a little bit calculated, but I love the fact that we're getting something like that. We need storylines in this sport. Link if and like him or hate him, man, he's provided some content over the course of the last six, seven months. And I think the fact that we're getting those two teams who both feel like they have real legitimate playoff aspirations playing on that stage, it's the game that I'm looking forward to more than any other on the college football calendar in 2026.

A

Connor, as always, amazing stuff, my friend. I appreciate you coming in and it's good to do it in person every once in a while.

D

You know, we need to do it in person. Zoom is great. In person's way better. Love contributing to Texas, by the way. It's, it's been an absolute blast so far and seeing the response that your audience gets. Your audience is so, so strong and so it means a lot. So thank you very much everybody who is, who has followed along and looking forward to getting to do this during the regular season.

A

Man, people don't know this, but I think we've talked about it once on the air. But when I started at Texacts, I reached out to Connor on Instagram, of all places, because I read one of his articles. I'm like, hey, buddy, we got to meet up at SEC media days in Hoover. So always great work, brother. Thank you.

D

Thank you, man.

A

Conor o'. Garrett. We'll hit a break open segment Followed by the 10:00 clock hour with Billy Lucci. Right now, Milliken Reserve Time Farm the table community in College Station. Thank you. Got homes, they got trails, they got farms, they got wide open spaces. And they have a mission to build a healthy community around nature. They have 2,600 acres of open space. They've got farms, they got 30 miles of trails and they've got beautiful homes. When you go to Millikan Reserve, that extensive and awesome network of trail throughout a wooded landscape is beautiful. It's a place for families to cherish generation after generation. You're going to love it. Your family's going to love it. Get a conservancy membership. I think you're going to really enjoy that. And the awesome neighborhoods there. They've got the creek, the hollow, the mountain. Medals. Check it out@millikenreserve.com that is Milliken Reserve. Punto.

C

Com.

A

Because life is so much more than just sports. Pickles. Pickles.

D

I like pickles.

A

John Chia powered evenings four to six on the zone. All right, we are back here at CC Media Days, brought to you by Paragon Financial advisors on Tex Ags Live. Shout out out to our YouTube audience. Shout out to our friends at the CW KBTX. Shout out to who else? Oh, the Zone. 1150. There are goods.comtech sacks.com Shout out to them. Twitter, X City, Home Network. But Space City. This segment's not gonna make it. This segment won't make it. So even by himself. No, I think I'm Going to adopt a kind of o' Gara mentality when it comes to this stupid fake care anymore? No, I, I only care if they're gonna fix it right when we're talking about college sports. I only care if it's, like, gonna get somewhere. Don't get me wrong. We got 15 hours to fill. Like, I'm gonna bring it up when it's a storyline, when there's new news to it, but he's exactly right. And I've been thinking this for years. Like, it's just fake. You ever, like, I'm trying to give an example. Fake hustle guy on the court now, Nick might say, that's you, David. No, mine's real hustle. Yeah. It doesn't. Very real. That doesn't equate to anything. I'm talking about that one guy who does that fake dive for the loose ball on the court that we all know. He has no chance, but he wants to make it look like he had a chance to get there. Or the guy who dives on top of the pile on a tackle, on a gang tackle that everybody's like, oh, yeah, he was there. He was almost there. No, it's fake, okay? And I'm done with fake. I'm done with fake people. I'm done with fake college football. Regulate, like, just. I am not smart enough to figure out college sports. But I do know if you got 50 of the most influential people in college football together, you could figure this stuff out, if you will, at a dinner at 1775. I think you can figure out.

C

Out.

A

Yeah. Like, I, I. All right, guys, we're going to try. We're going to do five years, and this is the, and just.

C

Okay.

A

And then in four years, we'll see what we liked, what we didn't like. Okay, here it is. Everybody sign. Boom. Our founding for Our founding fathers were able to figure it out. Yeah, they did it.

D

Okay.

A

They didn't have the Internet. They had wigs. They were all gray wigs. Chad, GPT do that. Yeah. Like, all. So if they could figure it out, if freaking Christopher Columbus or whoever, whatever person who came on the, the, the Pinta, the whatever it's called. If they were able to navigate the deep waters, all right, from Spain to the Americas, then I think we should figure it out. That's what you call wasting a segment. We'll be back.