Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth

Preseason polls mean absolute squat. Ok, that may be a bit harsh but today’s guest on Y-Option, thanks to our founding partner 76, is Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham. His Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the new look Big 12 in the preseason and as we enter November, his squad is in the thick of the Big 12 race. This week, they welcome Central Florida to Tempe and the Valley will...

I feel like the luckiest broadcaster in college football.  Every Saturday I get to stand at the 50-yard line and celebrate the greatest game on earth and attempt to coach the viewer. Those two thoughts have been at the core of my career. But to have any success at anything one must be taught, guided and mentored. Thankfully for me the men I’ve stood next to every weekend have done just that. But n...

Every quarterback dreams of leading their team to the College Football Playoff, but only few get the opportunity. As we enter November in college football, just over 20 teams are still in the mix for the expanded CFP and John Mateer of Washington State is currently the quarterback of one of them. This WSU signal caller joined the Y-Option podcast, fueled by our founding partner 76, for the first t...

“The games they remember are in November.” With Week 9 in the rearview mirror, I'm reminded of a quote from good friend Rick Neuheisel and with the nation's top team, Oregon, heading to The Big House to face defending National Champion Michigan this weekend that is easily true. Today’s Y-Option podcast, fueled by our founding partner 76, features a man who knows the Maize & Blue well. Former Michi...

Week 9 arrives as does ESPN’s College GameDay into Bloomington, Indiana. Last week it was Big Noon Kickoff at IU and this Saturday comes another party, as undefeated #13 Indiana hosts Washington on the Big Ten Network. I’ll be on the call alongside Guy Haberman, Rhett Lewis and our incredible crew.  In today’s episode we welcome Washington head coach Jedd Fisch back to the podcast thanks to our fo...

Week 8 has come and gone and college football is delivering in every imaginable and unimaginable way. 2024 has delivered epic wins, a new number one team in the land, wild finishes and sadly, now some coaching changes. Today’s podcast highlights the Y-Option Go Go Go award winners from this past weekend, a deep dive into the Oregon Ducks, Utah Utes, Colorado Buffaloes and the USC Trojans. We also...

Week 8 has arrived and Y-Option has you covered with college football through the lens of the West Coast along with special guest Max Browne. To kick things off, we think Saturday has the best individual matchup of the season with Travis Hunter of Colorado facing Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona. Last year, I was able to call that game and it came down to the final snap and this year, all 32 NFL teams...

Week 7 is in the books and it was one we will be talking about for the rest of the season. As the CFP conversation begins to heat up, this past Friday and Saturday’s games will serve as a weekend full of data that will be re-visited time and time again in the first year of the 12-team playoff system. The Ducks took down Ohio State in an instant classic, Penn State and Tyler Warren came from behind...

It’s finally here, Ohio State at Oregon.  The game we have all been talking about and with both teams ranked #2 and #3 respectively in the AP Poll, its the first ever AP Top 5 matchup at Autzen Stadium. ESPN College GameDay is en route to Eugene ( a 2nd straight week on the West Coast! ) for 2 teams that mirror one another AND with Chip Kelly returning it’s safe to say this game will have everyone...

It’s a week of firsts! ESPN College GameDay is coming to Berkeley for the first time ever. I’m off to call a game at Minnesota for the first time ever. And Cal Head Coach Justin Wilcox was a guest on a podcast for the first time EVER! Thankfully it was here at Y-Option. I’ve known Coach Wilcox for almost 20 years and while he is gifted as a coach, talented as a leader, and thoughtful as a friend,...

Week 6 is here and Bruce Feldman joined Y-Option to break it all down. Bruce was a student reporter at “The U”, as in Miami, and the West Coast is abuzz as College GameDay heads to Berkeley for the first time EVER! He offers insight and analysis into Mario Cristobal’s team, which Bruce thinks is their most talented team in 20 years. Having played on the same field as that team 22 years ago, I’d ha...

Week 5 has arrived and in some ways things have changed in college football and in other respects, it has stayed the same. Arizona heads to Utah on Friday night in a Big 12 clash and while the starting QB for the Utes is not solidified, we do know that the depth, talent and coaching acumen at Utah remains elite. And I highly doubt they have forgotten the last :37 ticks of last year’s game vs the W...

I never got into House of Cards on Netflix. Was late to the party and there were so many episodes that it seemed a little intimidating, as I never felt I’d finish the entire series. But after living through realignment over the past few years, I wonder if that series would have benefitted me in some way. Regardless, here we sit with news out of the AAC and pending news from the Pac-12 Conference a...

The Pac-12 has owned the airwaves this week. It began by adding 4 new schools last Thursday morning and continued with Washington State’s epic win in the Apple Cup on a 4th down stop that will be talked about for decades. While Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould did not call a play last Saturday in college football, she did create the playbook that added San Diego State, Fresno State, Boise State an...

Late last week news broke that the Pac-12 was taking its next step toward rebuilding by adding four new schools: Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Colorado State. As we spoke to a variety of people involved in the expansion, as well as coaches around college football, one thing was clear – there was excitement about the historic conference's move. In addition, there was curiosity abou...

While late November of 2021 may seem like decades ago for Jake Dickert, it was one of the most transformational moments in his coaching life and he can recall every moment. Then the interim head coach at Washington State, he led the Cougars into Seattle to face the Washington Huskies in the Apple Cup which the Cougs won 40-13 . That next day, he would lose the interim tag and be formally introduce...

It’s Rivalry Week! No, that is not a typo and yes, it’s Rivalry Week in the Pacific Northwest and in the Pac-12 Conference. For the first time ever, these 2 games will be played in September. The Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks in the 128th meeting of the game formerly known as the Civil War. This is the 7th most played match-up in college football history and tied for 2nd at the FBS le...

It's Week 2! There are so many games of note that will impact the landscape of college football, the power struggle at the top, and factor into teams’ College Football Playoff arguments.  We were able to talk to Colorado beat writer Brian Howell, from Buffzone and the Daily Camera, who knows the Buffaloes better than anyone in the nation. The Buffs, in their first year back in the Big-12, visit fo...

Week 1 was here and it delivered in a brilliant way. The USC Trojans met the moment, beating ranked LSU behind a Miller Moss performance that had the college football community buzzing, tweeting & reshuffling their Top 25. The Ducks final score wasn't what most predicted, but the talent in Eugene remains and as expected, America’s Teams won both of their openers.  We also released Y-Option’s first...

Bill Walton would often state that he was the luckiest man in the world. Every time he would say that with his infectious energy I’d smile, and I bet you would too. He looked at life through an incredible lens and one that was optimistic and oftentimes inspiring. Heading into my 16th year of putting a headset on as a broadcaster, I too feel like Bill often did. Over the course of time, I’ve stood...

Pete Carroll changed my life. I can vividly recall calling a few of my teammates at Pitt during my first week on the job as a member of the USC Football staff in the winter of 2005.  “Guys, I wish you could have been coached by Pete Carroll and this staff. It’s incredible!” My former teammates would often ask why and while I couldn't nail the answer, I could compete to explain the energy, optimism...

There is an on-going conversation around being a multi-sport athlete versus being singularly focused. Being the parent of a 9-year-old, I see these things becoming more and more of a discussion. Sport specific, playing one sport year round, paying thousands of dollars on private coaches or club teams and more. It’s a hard lane to navigate as a parent and even harder as an athlete.  This is a topic...

Football can change your life. I’ve shared this story a few times but it’s worth repeating. Years ago, I was in Northern California visiting San Jose State and Stanford. I was expected to fly home after practice on a Wednesday but was convinced by both Brent Brennan and Mike Bloomgren to stay in NorCal for one more night.  I obliged and had a blast. The next day I walked onto a Delta flight and me...

“Patiently impatient.” That’s my new favorite phrase when it comes to being a backup QB, or really anything where you may not be in the position you desire. This past summer I sat down with former college and NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Myself and Elite 11 head coach Jake Heaps had a conversation with the former UConn star around the QB position which centered around the concept of Chasing What...

There is something special about coming home. For the recently hired Arizona State Athletics Director, Graham Rossini, home has always been the ASU community.  Last training camp I found myself at Camp Tontozona, or as Sun Devil fans called it Camp T. On the sideline was a tall, sharply dressed man in an ASU polo. I’d always known of Graham, but had yet to spend real time with him. Before practice...