The Solid Verbal College Football

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

In this episode, we examine the most interesting college football teams hovering around the bowl eligibility line in 2026. With win totals sitting at 5.5 or 6.5, these are the teams that could just as easily surge to 8-4 as stumble into 5-7, and we try to figure out which direction they’re headed before preview season officially begins.
We start with Florida and the Jon Sumrall reboot, then dig into Arizona State’s questions, Kentucky’s brutal SEC schedule, Minnesota’s surprisingly low win total, and Virginia Tech’s fascinating reset under James Franklin. Plus, we debate whether TCU has enough runway and whether Wisconsin is finally ready to clear the bar under Luke Fickell.
Also: Dan searches for a new lease, Ty searches for a Seattle soccer ticket, third-quarter sing-along traditions, the dangers of too many stadium sound effects, and how fuzzy June math led us directly to the today's concept.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
7:25 - Explaining Teeter Teams
9:32 - Florida Gators
16:47 - Arizona State Sun Devils
23:29 - Kentucky Wildcats
30:10 - Minnesota Golden Gophers
37:52 - Virginia Tech Hokies
44:18 - TCU Horned Frogs
49:59 - Wisconsin Badgers
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
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In this episode, we return to the board room for Sark Tank 3.0, our annual exercise in college football emotional investing. Ty brings the pitches, while Dan and special guest Andy Staples play the investors, and decide which 2026 storylines are worth buying and selling. On the board: Brendan Sorsby's prospects at Texas Tech, the SEC's return to glory, the return of Gary Patterson, and a new Group of Six team crashing the playoff party.
Plus, the Sarks debate whether anyone other than Miami is worth backing in the ACC, whether Notre Dame is being set up as the sport’s most polished strength-of-schedule mirage, and which long-shot ideas still deserve emotional capital before the season begins.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro to Sark Tank 3.0
4:55 - Brendan Sorsby & Texas Tech
14:13 - The SEC's Return To Glory
22:24 - Gary Patterson's Return
29:26 - New G6 Playoff Teams
38:34 - Miami vs. The ACC Field
46:02 - Notre Dame
Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.