Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth

The NFL Combine is underway with players arriving and the on-field workouts beginning Thursday, and as always, the spotlight is on the quarterbacks. While Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders won’t be throwing, he’s still expected to be the talk of the week in Indianapolis. This week on Y-Option fueled by our founding partner 76, ESPN and SiriusXM broadcaster Roddy Jones joined me to break down the quarterb...

I met Mark Sanchez in the fall of 2005. It was my first season at USC and our team was regarded as the best in the history of the game. Mark was a rising star in Southern California as a freshman quarterback with a rocket arm and an infectious personality. I was a 22-year-old transplant from Pennsylvania who fell in love with the Pacific, the USC football vibe and everything LA had to offer. As a...

Years ago, I was on the Elite 11 quarterback camp tour and kept hearing coaches talking about QBs having the “It Factor.” It was as though everywhere I turned that phrase was being thrown around. As time would pass, it felt as though that became the most overused and undefinable phrase in football. So in the summer of 2016, a few of us set out to truly understand what it meant to have the It Facto...

Fly Eagles Fly! The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs to win this year's Super Bowl. As a Pennsylvania native, I’ve seen the passion from Philly fans since I was a child. Watching them dominate this past Sunday, I had Randall Cunningham memories flooding my mind. For former Eagle and Oregon Ducks’ Hall of Famer Kenjon Barner, he too was going down memory lane this weekend. A mem...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.y-option.com The butterfly effect was popularized by a meteorologist in the 1960s while studying weather patterns. His discovery proved that a tiny change in the weather could lead to a variety of different outcomes. The same could be said for the coaching profession. Last year, Nick Saban’s retirement impacted coaches in Tuscaloosa...

I can recall the moment like it was yesterday. USC vs Texas. The Rose Bowl. Burnt orange filling up one half of the iconic stadium and cardinal and gold filling up the other. A sunset for the ages. Keith Jackson. Pete Carroll. Mack Brown. Matt Leinart. Reggie Bush. And of course, Vince Young. I’ve yet to watch that game back, as it was the finale of my first year on the USC staff, but since that d...

Fresh off of an epic football season, Arizona State Athletics Director Graham Rossini joins the Y-Option podcast for the 2nd time, thanks to our founding partners at 76. I can recall my first year coaching at USC and our game at ASU. It was an epic back-and-forth showdown and while the Trojans were able to win it late, I left ASU with the feeling that many others have always felt, “ASU is a sleepi...

In the afterglow of the CFP National Championship Game, former Ohio State Buckeye Ben Hartsock joins Y-Option to share his joy, insight and analysis on the best team in the 2024-25 season, as well as answer the question of “What wins?” when it comes to building a team in college football. As the season concluded, both Jim Thornby and I reflect back on Monday night’s game, the longest season in the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.y-option.com Dear Y-Option Community, We’re excited to bring you the first bonus podcast of the season. In this insightful conversation for paid subscribers only, we dive into the recently proposed changes surrounding the transfer portal and the college football calendar —topics that are sure to impact the future of the sport. In th...

The CFP National Championship Game is a few days away and Big Ten expert Anthony Herron joins Y-Option, thanks to our founding partner 76, to dive into the key matchups in the Notre Dame vs. Ohio State game. A long-time friend, Anthony has such a unique lens on the game, covering high school all-star games, college football and the NFL for his hometown Chicago Bears. Fortunately, I’ve been able to...

There are many experts offering insight into the National Championship game with Notre Dame facing Ohio State on Monday, January 20th. Among them all, one person stands out. Meet Gerry DiNardo, a former Notre Dame All-American & 1973 National Champion, now a long-time analyst at the Big Ten Network. I call him “Coach” as his vibe, presence and commentary continues to reflect the role he had as the...

The CFP semifinals are upon us! Thanks to our founding partner 76, Elite 11 President and close friend Brian Stumpf joins the show to take a deep dive into the quarterback position among the four teams remaining in the College Football Playoff. His recall into what Quinn Ewers, Will Howard, Riley Leonard and Drew Allar were in high school is fascinating, as each of their journeys are incredibly un...

LIVE from Rose Bowl Media Day, Ashley Adamson of the Big Ten Network joins the show to offer her insight into the all-Big Ten Quarterfinal matchup of Ohio State and Oregon. Thanks to our founding partner 76 - fresh off of the BTN set, Ashley and I offer our immediate takeaways, what we read between the lines during our interviews and our biggest takeaway in advance of the rematch of what I think a...

The first round of the inaugural expanded College Football Playoff has come and gone. There are countless opinions, but I think we can all agree that this new format was a massive win for the sport we all love. Another thing in sports that we love is taking the helmet off of players and getting to know them. I’ve been around Dillon Gabriel since June at the Elite 11 Finals and as I’ve said many ti...

With the inaugural 12-team CFP set to kickoff Friday night in South Bend, Indiana, we welcome Notre Dame alum and the voice of the L.A. Rams, J.B. Long, to the show with thanks to our founding partner 76. J.B. called games this fall in the Pac-12, Mountain West and the NFL. His lens on the new look playoff, the current reality of college football and his insights on Washington State have tremendou...

Travis Hunter wins the Heisman Trophy and we have an Immediate Reaction podcast from New York City plus hear from each of the other 3 Heisman finalists in advance of the big event. Join myself and Jim Thornby as we break down the Heisman from all angles, including: * My experience at the actual event for the first time. * The resurgence of West Coast players on the grandest stage in back to back y...

What is going on in recruiting right now?! This year the portal is seeing big name players who I would have never imagined entering and now exploring new homes in college football. Before creating our own opinions here at Y-Option we had to talk to the expert of all things recruiting, Brandon Huffman, who joined the podcast thanks to our founding partner 76. Brandon is the National Recruiting Edit...

The CFP bracket is set. Some are thrilled, some are frustrated and a few are still politicking. Those of us on the West Coast are pretty happy, and rightfully so with Oregon, ASU and Boise State all receiving first round byes. The Heisman finalists are also set and prior to departing for NYC, we had 1997 Heisman Trophy finalist Ryan Leaf join Y-Option, thanks to our founding partner 76. We dove in...

Championship week is upon us, Early Signing Period is underway and Heisman voters have their ballots. Welcome back to Y-Option, where we bring you college football content through the lens of the West Coast! Today, Jim Thornby and I break down the state of the most recent College Football Playoff rankings and how the dominos could impact the West Coast in college football. Fresh off my trip to Eug...

Championship Week is upon us, as is Early Signing Day, as is the coaching carousel, as is the offseason for some. Not here at Y-Option. We are going for it! And when it’s 77 degrees out West, we are doing it with board shorts on. Thanks to our founding partner 76, today we welcome in Doug Lesmerises , creator and host of Kings of the North , the lead podcast covering college football through the l...

Happy Thanksgiving Week! It’s a week full of rivalry games, College Football Playoff implications and most importantly Turkey Bowl games in your backyard. Anyone else already claim “all-time QB”? With that said, we bring you a special Thanksgiving episode of Y-Option, thanks to our founding partner 76, with a unique guest in Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill. Commissioner Wistrcill is in his 5th...

It’s Rivalry Week out West and we have you covered at Y-Option. USC visits the Rose Bowl for an iconic game in Los Angeles against the Bruins with stakes locally, and the postseason for both teams is on the line. Stanford heads across the Bay to visit Cal in The Big Game in what should be a packed house at Memorial Stadium as the Bears hope to clinch a bowl berth. Oregon State hosts Washington Sta...

Every week from the West Coast we hope to bring you thoughtful conversations, insight and analysis in college football. Thanks to our founding partner 76, today we welcome a repeat guest in Oregon State head coach Trent Bray. In a season full of injuries and adversity, the Beavers head coach continues to lead his program with an optimistic and determined approach. With so many young players, I thi...

Week 12 is upon us and while it may be hard to predict who will make the inaugural College Football Playoff, one thing that is relatively certain is that UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger will find his way to another double digit tackle game. The former walk-on is leading the Big Ten Conference in tackles per game and is leading the Bruins on a resurgence in DeShaun Foster’s first season. Thanks...

4 teams remain unbeaten and none reside in the south. So this week, Y-Option went down south to talk to an expert in all things college football, Andy Staples.  Andy is the host of Andy & Ari On3 , a daily college football podcast covering every major story. He joined us to dive into the CFP, how many teams should make the expanded playoff from the SEC and B1G, as well as his thoughts on the Heism...