Kings of the North College Football

An Indiana lineman who gets told he looks like a plumber, a Maryland linebacker who wants to take our jobs, and a deep discussion about Michigan’s future are part of this Kings of the North from Day 3 of Big Ten Media Days. Doug Lesmerises starts things off with a rant about Paul Finebaum’s comments on Penn State coach James Franklin. And then Doug and Bill Landis interview: • Indiana lineman Mike...

New Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork came from Texas A&M, so he knows both sides of North-South college football.  In this Kings of the North, Bjork joins Doug Lesmerises to discuss life in the Big Ten compared to life in the SEC. Is the Big Ten as aggressive as the SEC? Bjork also talks about the future of college football and funding other sports. He has an idea — the NFL could pay colleg...

Big Ten Media Days Day 2 brought another round of college football talk, including a focus on how much Penn State fans would embrace a spot in the 12-team playoff, or whether they'd only be frustrated if that bid wasn't followed by a win. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis welcome several guests: • Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins on maybe being the Big Ten's best defender and...

Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers head coaches sit down with Kings of the North on this episode, as players from Wisconsin and Illinois also stop by at Day 1 of Big Ten Media Day in Indianapolis. Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis kick off the show with a discussion of how much juice the Big Ten brought to the Tuesday proceedings (not enough). Then it's off to interviews with: • Ohio State head coach Ry...

Ohio State was picked to beat Oregon for the Big Ten title, and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson were named the Big Ten preseason players of the year in a poll conducted by Kings of the North. On this episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis reveal the choices of 33 voters from across the conference, and discuss their own picks for: • The full predicted Big Te...

Alabama's Nick Saban leaves a hole in his sport as large as any sporting figure since Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls. With so much changing in college football, it's possible everyone is underestimating how big the Saban void will be. On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises is joined by guest Dan Wetzel of The College Football Enquirer to dig into Saban's legacy and examine whet...

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart addressed reporters at SEC Media Days on Tuesday -- but why wasn't he asked about the repeated driving issues of Georgia players while the cameras were on him? On this episode of Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis discuss the way Georgia football should be viewed for now -- as a rogue program. The guys cover what Smart did say to reporters about...

At Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, on Day 2 Doug Lesmerises talked to West Virginia coach Neal Brown and quarterback Garrett Greene about the “reckless” quarterback play that could put the Mountaineers over the top this season. The Colorado punter stopped by to talk punting for Coach Prime; and the conference chief marketing officer explained how Big 12 branding (hello Nelly and wrestling!) can he...

The Big 12 Media Days kicked off in Las Vegas on Tuesday and Kings of the North was on the scene to talk Northern college football. On this show, Doug Lesmerises brings you interviews from three Northern teams. In order, get ready for: • Cincinnati punter Mason Fletcher (06:21) • Iowa State receiver Jaylin Noel (15:36) • Utah defensive tackle Junior Tafuna (21:45) • Cincinnati running back Corey K...

It's a final farewell to the Big Ten West and a look into a future with no college football divisions on this Kings of the North. Scott Dochterman of The Athletic joins Doug Lesmerises to take a final look at the 10-year run of the Big Ten West: Why it was formed, why it went 0-10 in the Big Ten title game, and why its perception was even worse than its reality. Without it, will teams like Iowa, W...

College football win total overs and unders are the topic of the day as Doug Lesmerises is joined by old friend and betting insider Tyler Shoemaker to discuss 10 college football bets for this season. Doug also wraps up with news on quarterback recruiting, coaching rules and Blue-Chip Ratio. But thinking about the college football season through a gambling lens is the heart of the show. That doesn...

Which single college football player -- from Deshaun Watson to Manti Te'o to Aidan Hutchinson -- defined the tenures of their head coaches? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at 16 coaches from across college football -- 12 North and 4 South, 7 at their current school and 9 who moved on -- and pick one player for each of them that the coach couldn't live without. Whic...

Which college football teams are truly thinking about a national title in 2024? Which are aiming to make the playoff? Which could be playoff dark horses? Which are rebuilding, or happy to hope for a bowl? From Georgia to Notre Dame, from Texas to Ohio State, from Ole Miss to Iowa State, on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break all 68 Power Conference teams into six tiers f...

College football takes are on the menu, from Michigan taking another Ohio State staffer, to Illinois getting a major transfer, to the politics of college football and what comes next.  Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into six different issues on these Takes of the North, starting with cold, reasonable takes that they then must warm up. A couple times, they set the kitchen on fire. In order, t...

The 1994 Colorado-Michigan college football matchup is remembered as The Miracle at Michigan, and on this inaugural edition of The North Remembers from Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis tell you why. Reliving great northern college football games of the past, Doug and Bill cover stars like Kordell Stewart, Rashaan Salaam and Michael Westbrook from Colorado and Ty Law, Tim Biakaba...

What Southern college football teams are most like Northern schools such as Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Syracuse, Oregon, Boston College, Michigan State, Washington, Penn State and Nebraska? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis pair up 13 Northern football teams with Southern counterparts based on success, history, geography, coaching mistakes and more. And then they a...

It's another round of College Football Playoff Picks on this Kings of the North.  Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis made their first picks in February, and they are back for Round 2 after taking in spring football. First, they look at all the contenders from the South. Is Texas or Georgia a bigger monster? Is Missouri or Ole Miss a more interesting upstart? Which young QB at Tennessee or Oklahoma is...

Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien joins Doug Lesmerises on this Kings of the North for a dive into his career and why Boston College is the place for him. The new head coach of the Eagles discusses: • His grandfather's legacy in semi-pro Boston football a century ago • The starting QB plans for the Eagles • The depth of skill talent at Boston College • The secret to Boston College's greatest...

What are some major college recruiting battles in the Class of 2025 for Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Boston College, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Iowa and more Northern teams? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises is joined by recruiting insider Jeremy Birmingham to dive into 10 major recruitments involving North vs. South and North vs. North, and...

Which way are the 26 Northern college football teams that are part of Kings of the North headed?  On this episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all the Northern schools and designate each as Trending Up, Trending Down or Staying the Same. • 12 teams are Trending Up • 5 teams are Trending Down • 2 teams are Staying the Same • And 7 teams found Doug and Bill disagreeing on their statu...

How good are the skill players at Iowa State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Syracuse and other Northern schools, including ... Rutgers? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis draft the Top 10 Big 4's of their 26 Northern teams. The Big 4 parameters -- it's a QB and three skill players from any combination of running backs, receivers and tight ends. You might be s...

Is college football getting better or worse? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined by two special guests to discuss that. Adam Rittenberg of ESPN and Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports give their views as KOTN examines the past, present and future of college football. Doug, Bill and Adam discuss: • Whether the regular season is better or worse (01:30) • Whet...

Are the Ohio State Buckeyes in National Championship or Bust mode for the 2024 college football season? Is that what the Michigan Wolverines were, and lived up to, in 2023? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises investigates the recent history of Natty or Bust teams and figures out whether Ohio State fits the bill. He checks into: • The 6 teams with the most NFL Draft picks in a year, who all...

What college football games in the North will draw the most TV viewers this year? TV is controlling and reshaping college football, so on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis try to think like TV execs (like it or not) while drafting the Top 20 Northern college football TV games for this season. First, they dig into seven Northern CFB topics, including a huge recruit visit for...

Northern college football is in a bridge year for the 2024 season when it comes to quarterback play.  Of the 26 Northern teams discussed on Kings of the North, 14 have projected starting QBs in their last years of eligibility. Here's the good news -- a ton of Northern teams have young backup quarterbacks ready to take over in 2025. On this episode, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all t...