College Football Enquirer

There is an important meeting this week about the future of college football. Sorry, there are actually two meetings this week. The one you may be thinking of is the highly publicized one that is scheduled for Friday at the White House. The far more important one was a secret. It happened in Dallas with powerful people from college football in attendance. This meeting was with Smash Sports, an extension of the investment group Smash Capital. It focused on the pitch to consolidate all of college football's media rights. Ross Dellenger reports what is going on behind the scenes with this meeting. Andy Staples and Steven Godfrey join the conversation to discuss the impact of this meeting, the impact of consolidation and what the chances are something like that could happen. 

Then, Andy, Ross and Godfrey continue the conversation discussing how a situation like this would play out and who else would need to be involved for it to work. They talk about what kind of impact Paramount buying Warner Brothers could have on this type of deal, and the college football world in general, and the share how they think a resolution will ultimately be determined.

Later, the guys discuss Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel coming out in support of a 24-team playoff. This is in direct contrast to the model that the SEC is supporting. The guys discuss the impact of a coach in the SEC taking this stance and how the playoff discussion will continue to evolve. All of this and more on today's College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 - College football's secret meeting in Dallas

9:53 - The other meeting at the White House

11:39 - Impact of private equity's involvement in CFB media rights

21:54 - Impact of consolidating media rights

28:43 - Could Paramount buying Warner Brothers affect college football?

34:45 - Which side will win the media rights battle?

42:33 - Josh Heupel supports 24-team CFP

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The NFL Combine isn't the only thing happening in Indianapolis this week. Ross Dellenger has been there for the NCAA meetings that have also been going on and he reports some notable changes coming out of Indy. Ross shares the latest rule changes in college football. The first change is in regard to targeting. The NCAA is eliminating a targeting ejection being carried over into s player's subsequent game. The second rule change concerns the transfer portal. The plan is to impose heavy penalties on any school that signs an athlete outside of the transfer portal window. Ross and Andy Staples discuss these rule changes and their potential effect. They also discuss Cincinnati suing former quarterback Brendan Sorsby for his $1 million buyout that he has not yet paid. 

Then, Ross gets into some more news from the NCAA meetings. This news is regarding potential schedule changes to the college football calendar. Ross and Andy discuss the transfer portal window, a potential change to spring ball practices and teams being able to move their first game up to Week 0 in 2027. They also chat about what other changes could happen in the near future.

Later, Steven Godfrey joins the show. In a recent episode, Godfrey was tasked with making a minor league type model for college football. Godfrey ended up taking a page out of the European soccer book as he discusses the methods of sending players to various teams. He and Andy discuss this model and how, or if, it could work in college football.

All of this and more on today's College Football Enquirer. 

0:00:00 - Rule changes in college football

1:46 - Changes to targeting

3:52 - New transfer rules and punishment

12:17 - Cincinnati sues former QB Brendan Sorsby

20:34 - Changes to the college football calendar

21:13 - Transfer portal dates

21:47 - Changes to Spring Ball

22:34 - 2027 schedule changes for Week 0

29:44 - Other changes the committee wants

37:18 - Creating a college football minor league

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The Tennessee Volunteers will have a new quarterback for the 2026 season. Joey Aguilar lost his case for another year of eligibility, so now the focus shifts to the highly touted recruits. The battle will be between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and incoming freshman Faizon Brandon. Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey discuss what the quarterback position may look like for the Vols in 2026. They also dive into the evolution of quarterback development in college football. What was once a recruit and develop process has seemingly shifted into just grabbing a quarterback from the transfer portal, but how long can that trend be successful? Are teams starting to shift back to focusing on recruiting young talent?

Then, the guys dive into some news that has the potential to cause a big shift in the college football calendar. Army head coach Jeff Monken has said they could be open to moving the Army-Navy game to Thanksgiving weekend. This is a big piece of the puzzle that people have tried to navigate when looking at how the college football calendar could be rearranged. Andy, Ross and Godfrey discuss the impact of this suggestion, how it could work and what it would do for college football.

Later, the crew discusses how a recent college football awards banquet turned into a comedy club. Mario Cristobal and Kirby Smart took the stage at the Steve Spurrier Awards dinner the other night. A dinner that honors various coaches and players turned into something more like a roast when Kirby Smart and Mario Cristobal started poking fun at each other while on stage. This led to a debate among Andy, Ross and Godfrey about who the funniest coaches are in college football. 

All of this and more on College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 - Who will be Tennessee's new QB?

11:46 - The evolution of development for college quarterbacks

23:59 - NCAA tampering

28:01 - Army-Navy game open to moving date

45:57 - Mario Cristobal vs. Kirby Smart roast

55:50 - Who are the funniest coaches in college football?

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The NCAA has issued a threat to schools among the recent rise of court cases arguing for additional eligibility. The threat is to impose the Rule of Restitution. This was created in 1975 to allow the NCAA to punish a school or athlete if the preliminary injunction, which that athlete competed under, was overturned. Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey discuss the NCAA issuing this threat and what may be the fallout. They also dive into the discussion that the SEC had about the conferences self-governing rather than the NCAA being the governing body. Is the NCAA's power dwindling enough for it to not be necessary anymore?

Then, after the recent discussion about former Nebraska AD, Bill Moos, saying he wanted to move Nebraska back to the Big 12, Andy got to thinking about who were the winners and losers from all of the realignment in the 2010s. This led to him ranking what teams made the best move during that era of realignment. The crew discusses the list and what were some of the issues and casualties that came with it.

Later, the guys revisit a conversation from the beginning of the show. When discussing court cases, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, and his case was discussed. This led to the point that many Tennessee fans want one of the two five-star quarterbacks on the roster to be the Vols' QB this year instead. The guys discuss how Tennessee should go about deciding this and what the future of player development looks like. Is there a way that a "minor league" could be created out of schools in the Group of Six?

All of this and more on today's College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 - NCAA threatens the Rule of Restitution

14:44 - Is the NCAA needed in college sports anymore?

31:38 - Ranking conference realignment of the 2010s

52:51 - Should Tennessee move on from Joey Aguilar?

58:47 - Creating a "minor leagues" in college football

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The college football landscape never stops moving, shifting and changing. The latest change is yet another drastic move of conference realignment. Sacramento State is leaving the FCS to join the FBS as they will now become a part of the MAC. Yes, the team in California is joining the Mid-American Conference. Ross Dellenger explains why Sac State is making this move and what other avenues they pursued. Andy Staples and Steven Godfrey join the conversation and react to this decision. The conversation evolves to the broader landscape of conference realignment. The guys discuss why so many of these drastic shifts are being made and what type of change to the college football landscape they see coming in the future.
Then, the guys dive into a couple of notable eligibility court cases. Trinidad Chambliss will be a Rebel for one more season after a judge in the Mississippi state court granted an injunction to give Chambliss one more season of eligibility. The guys compare the Chambliss situation to other court cases of the past and they contrast it with the Joey Aguilar case in Tennessee. At the time of this recording, we have yet to get a ruling on Aguilar. Plus, the crew shares some of the very unique events that happened at the courthouse during the Chambliss ruling.
Later, Andy, Ross and Godfrey revisit a topic from the previous episode. Recently, a fan of Mr. Beast proposed the idea of Mr. Beast donating $100 million to East Carolina University to try to win them a National Championship. Andy was convinced that wouldn't do much, but Godfrey said he does not feel the same way. The crew discusses the feasibility of this, how small schools could make a big jump with a large cash infusion and what additional power ECU would have by having Mr. Beast behind them.
All of this and more on today's College Football Enquirer.
0:00:00 - Sac State to the MAC
14:31 - Where does conference realignment go from here?
24:44 - Trinidad Chambliss & Joey Aguilar eligibility cases
42:32 - Would a $100 million from Mr. Beast get ECU to the CFP?

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