Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

This episode is an example of the bonus episodes we regularly publish on our Patreon, which you can subscribe to at splitzoneduo.com . Patrons will see another episode going up on their feeds just as they see this one. Maybe you know someone who's spent a weekend at a gameday home –– a property they or a friend bought exclusively for use on college football game weekends. This episode is about the...

Mr. Emmert went to Washington and came back with a big fat L. Amateurism isn’t dead, but it is most certainly in poor health after a unanimous decision put a chink in the NCAA’s largest amateurism armor. Banner Society’s Steven Godfrey joins the show to discuss what exactly it means for players being paid, and takes your questions via #ASKSZD. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

Steven Godfrey, Richard Johnson, and Alex Kirshner discuss the story surrounding sexual abuse at Michigan and how Bo Schembechler factors into the conversation. (Content warning: The opening segment of the show includes discussion of sexual abuse and its handling by college administrators and sports fans. It ends at the 31:14 mark of the show.) Much of that segment is about how we, as a college sp...

Old friend and 247Sports expert Bud Elliott joins Richard and Alex for a discussion of how the pandemic interrupted recruiting (hint: severely), what it will mean for the sport over the next few years, and how things are operating now that the longest dead period in recruiting history has ended. Plus, answers to audience questions on dormant rivalries, run blocking, "the Baylor offense," the Memph...

Alex and guest Steven Godfrey go into detail on why a permanent spring FCS season is a bad idea. Then, Godfrey shares anonymous coach gossip on a bunch of unnamed Power 5 schools, and Alex attempts to match the gossip to a school based on the description. Then, answers to questions on how college football treats LGBTQ people, whether Colorado regrets leaving the Big 12 for the Pac-12, how the indu...

Steven Godfrey joins the program this week for detailed discussions of three topics: 1) Week 1’s suite of big TV games, 2) the challenges facing new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, and 3) the almost literally unbelievable story, featuring previously unreported info, of the downfall of the University of South Carolina’s president.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

May is the most boring month on the college football calendar. Why is it so quiet, and what's happening during this period of relative calm? Steven Godfrey joins the program to explain. Additionally, Alex and Godfrey talk about Presbyterian's hire of famed "never punt/always onside kick" high school coach Kevin Kelley, what it suggests about where the sport is moving, and whether the industry will...

Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson, and Steven Godfrey discuss the 2020 census and how certain population shifts might affect college football in the long run, as has happened several times before. Plus a segment about Kansas' pick of Lance Leipold over Jeff Monken, why it happened, and what Buffalo should do next. Then answers to audience questions on TV deals, Maryland, Scot Loeffler, and what happe...

Our friend Charles McDonald of USA TODAY and For The Win joins the show this week. If you haven’t followed the NFL Draft news cycle closely, or if you have, we hope you’ll like a college-oriented look at the players making up this year’s class. Plus answers to questions on the future of the draft, what Josh Allen’s pro success says about player evaluation, and how NFL facilities differ from colleg...

Richard and Alex explain how the same undercurrents that fueled a few European soccer clubs’ breakaway gambit might show up in college football realignment in the next few years. (There are a lot of similarities, and we’re not just speculating.) The FCS playoffs are starting, and for a change, North Dakota State is probably going to lose. Plus answers to audience questions on Kirk Ferentz, Georgia...

Alex and Banner Society’s Steven Godfrey talk in detail about Mike Norvell’s project at Florida State, how the Noles are currently perceived in the coaching industry, and what needs to change for the program to get back to its mid-2010s stature. Then, a game where we match up vulnerable P5 teams against punchy G5 teams and pick some Week 1 results way ahead of time. Then: some of your questions, a...

Banner Society’s Steven Godfrey joins Alex and Richard for a chat about the career of retiring Wisconsin AD (and former coach) Barry Alvarez: His impact on Wisconsin and why there won’t be many more administrators or coaches like him. Then, the group assesses how much #sources are willing to forgive about the 2020 seasons of Baylor, USF, Michigan State, New Mexico, Wazzu, Penn State, LSU, Houston,...

This is a special episode to mark the launch of our Patreon page ( splitzoneduo.com ) where we'll place bonus episodes at least twice a month, as well as offer other perks related to the show. HBCU Gameday founder and reporter Steven Gaither joins Richard for a talk about Deion Sanders, Jackson State, and the Black college football landscape more broadly. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr...

Listeners of the Shutdown Fullcast and Split Zone Duo raised more than $15,000 for Texas mutual aid organizations charities during February's ice storms. To celebrate, here's a crossover episode in which a Texas expert of great repute quizzes the two shows' hosts and featured guests on important Texan facts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://a...

Banner Society reporter Steven Godfrey joins Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner for in-depth check-ins on the Kansas AD and coach searches (they're different things), Vanderbilt's new administration under Clark Lea, Fresno State's chances at a big jump in 2021, and how the transfer market and conversations about "experience" will look different going forward.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

The Nebraska-Oklahoma kerfuffle is the perfect offseason CFB story, but does it also say anything about how business is done in the sport today? Plus, Nebraska, USC, Miami, Mississippi State, Maryland, and Syracuse all make scheduling mistakes. And to finish, an extended discussion of Mike Aresco’s comments about the Group of 5 and what *really* has to happen for the AAC to get a fair shake in the...

Alex, Richard, and Banner Society's Steven Godfrey talk about the disgraceful mismanagement of Les Miles at two universities, LSU and Kansas. Then, a discussion of what Kansas does next and Texas's mental gymnastics in hanging onto "The Eyes of Texas."  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . This is a public...

Wait until you find out which extremely dislikable coach has to play North Dakota State one week after the Bison lost their 39-game winning streak. Plus, an extended conversation about Longhorns boosters' racist backing of "The Eyes of Texas," how long it might take UT to get out of this self-made mess, and some answers to listener questions.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

Richard, Alex, and Banner Society’s Steven Godfrey talk through UCF’s hire of Gus Malzahn: Why UCF might’ve done it, how the fit looks, and why 2021 might be a reset year. Then, a big-picture preview of the FCS season. What’s good, what’s weird, and what won’t matter about the spring season? And by how many points will North Dakota State win the national title game? Then we answer some questions. ...

Banner Society’s Steven Godfrey joins the show to talk recruiting nuts and bolts, from McDonald’s bags to poker chips. Why the transition away from signing high school recruits toward taking more transfers? How do players actually get paid? Plus other detailed discussions on coaches hopping between the NFL and CFB, what makes a “good recruiter,” and which Texan FCS school could win an FBS conferen...

Yes, college football video games are coming back. Here’s how it’ll work, what still needs to happen, and what an eventual EA Sports College Football game might look like. Plus, we answer a bunch of your #AskSZD questions with guest Steven Godfrey. Topics include: the best job in college football, impending FBS/FCS realignment, why the Saints hate LSU, what a Kirby Smart hot seat looks like, and w...

Alex and Richard are joined by Banner Society's Steven Godfrey to talk about the Vols hiring a coach. While Josh Heupel got the gig, it's not for lack of trying on Danny White's part to get other guys. Also, we finish conference reviews including: the Big 12's soft center, and what the hell the Sun Belt can do to overtake the AAC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priv...

Richard and Alex go in depth on Tennessee’s expedient dismissal of Jeremy Pruitt, which feels like a deeply cynical move. Then, season reviews for five FBS conferences: the ACC, Conference USA, the Pac-12, the Mountain West, and the MAC.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . This is a public episode. If you...

A dive into how Bama took Ohio State to the woodshed, a discussion of the 2020 Tide’s place in history, how the program’s 2017 recruiting class helped change college football, and how Nick Saban has set himself even further apart. (Sorry, Bear.)  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . This is a public episode...

Alex, Richard, and Banner Society’s Steven Godfrey preview the Playoff National Championship between Ohio State and Alabama, and plot out what Ohio State needs to do to pull an upset. Then: What is Marshall doing? (It’s incredibly West Virginia.) Dan Mullen to the Jets? Bad idea. Urban Meyer to the Jaguars. Also a bad idea. Plus, let’s read some anonymous DMs from coaches.  See Privacy Policy at h...