Indiana’s Curt Cignetti BLASTS the SEC: “We don’t run a hype machine up here in the midwest"

Thu, Jul 30, 2026

As Big Ten Media Days are set to conclude today, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti was one of the last head coaches to take the podium from the Hilton in Chicago. As the reigning national championship head coach, Cignetti had some words as he left the podium that was a jab towards the SEC: "We don't run a hype machine up here in the Midwest. We believe everything is earned, not given. And when we fall short, we say, 'We fell short.' We don't cry a river, whine, and complain. That's why we're the best." Are these comments warranted and true? Andy & Ari dive in0:00 On Today's Episode0:48 Presenting Sponsor1:56 Intro: Cignetti's comments towards SEC4:57 Cignetti's Demeanor11:22 Rivalry: SEC vs Big Ten14:09 Pendulum Swinging in CFB19:10 Ari's CFP Bracket25:22 No Wink from Cignetti?26:33 Who Am I?38:51 Matt Rhule at the podium43:28 Nebraska QB Room54:30 Building Nebraska1:00:45 Thanks for watching!After the Curt Cignetti discussion, Andy & Ari take a crack at this week's edition of 'Who Am I?' How many guesses did it take you to guess this electric college football player?Next up, Matt Rhule took the stage today at Big Ten Media Days to discuss the Huskers football program. Entering his 4th season in Lincoln, will Nebraska be able to really contend this year? Watch here as Andy & Ari break it all down here.Thanks for watching!Send your questions to:andystapleson3@gmail.comari.wasserman@on3.comOur show is also presented by BetMGM!If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code CFB and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM! Here's how it works: 1. Download the BetMGM app and sign-up using bonus code CFB.2. Deposit at least $10 and place your first wager on any game.3. You will receive up to $1500 in bonus bets if your bet loses! Just make sureyou use bonus code CFB when you sign up!Make this college football season one for the history books. Make it legendary.See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. This promotional offer is not available in DC, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET (Available in the US) . 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and HotelHosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey

Video Transcript

On today's ending, Ariana 3 presented by Bet MGM, Indiana's Kurt Signati takes a massive shot at the SEC further deepening what has become a very fun rivalry between the SEC and the big 10.

Also another addition of the game that is sweeping the nation, that's who am I?

Are he's asking the questions?

I am hopefully providing the answer.

So Nebraska Coach Matt Rules says we didn't come to link in the go 7 and 6.

Does that mean they will win more than 7 this year?

And if so, how many more?

We'll break it down today on an Ariana 3 presented by Bet MGM.

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Welcome to Annie and Ari on three presented by Bet MGM and Ari.

Let us just get right to it.

Let's cut to the chase football season.

The last day of big 10 meeting days in Chicago, the last coach on the stage is defending national champ Kurt singing any of Indiana.

The final question asked to him.

Can you tell us if the grind of the big 10 season prepares you for the playoff?

His answer.

A shots to the south.

Here it is.

I think your job as a head coach and the assistance is to equip your roster.

Make it as strong as possible with adequate depth at every position throughout the team.

You know, when you play that many games, you're going to get some guys dinged and injured.

Things happen next man up mentality.

The big 10 is the best league in football and a lot of really good football teams.

It's hard to win on the road.

Very physical football teams very well coached.

It definitely prepares you for the playoffs.

There's no doubt about it.

The numbers speak for themselves.

I mean, we don't run a height machine up here in the Midwest.

We believe everything's earned not given.

When we fall short, we say we fell short.

We don't cry river wine and complain.

All right.

And that's why we're the best coach.

And thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Do we have to say anything like I don't know shows over.

I will say this Andy we have been doing this long enough to know that when Kurt Sagnetti is going to be talking in a public setting to delay the recording of the show until that's over with.

I think we made the right decision here, but I do think that there are multiple tentacles to this one, which is the SEC in the big 10 rivalry as a whole is preserving something that I think is sacred in college football that we've lost a little the past few years, which is the, you know, he said here in the Midwest, it's the regionality of it, you know, the southern, the south first, the north type of deal.

And we don't have it as much now that you have Stanford in the ACC in the pack 12 no longer exists, but I think that this is an organ in USC or in the big 10.

Yeah.

I think that at least preserves some level of geographical, you know, affiliation or at least conference affiliation in a way that, you know, you care about it because you have people who will be retweeting this who are Penn State fans and other types of fans.

And it's becoming, you know, more tribalistic in the north than it was ever before I think, where, you know, we used to talk about when I was covering Ohio State that the SEC chance, the SEC and no one really cares about their own team once they're eliminated.

And it's like it was a very bizarre thing.

I think the big 10 is starting to get to a place where there is confidence pride.

And I think that's important.

Second of all, I think that the thought process here about temperament of coach and how you would approach that and whether the SEC has a whining problem is an interesting discussion.

And you brought something up before the show that I think is an interesting thing that you should talk about now because I see.

Kirk's in Eddie.

And I don't blame him for this because he was not in the big 10 until 2024.

So he doesn't know his history.

Actually, Kirk's in Eddie was a, well, he hadn't even become an assistant Alabama yet.

Yeah, there's an Alabama assistant during the time where the SEC was kicking the crap out of the fence.

It was taken over.

But he at the point when this happened, he hadn't even come in Alabama assistant yet.

But the, the first game where the SEC's run of dominance started when Florida beat Ohio State in the national title game.

The commissioner of the big 10 after that game.

Put out an open letter that said the SEC players are faster because they're dumber.

Like no, the big 10 cried a river for a long time.

And the SEC fans pointed and laughed.

And you know, the SEC people are crying.

And they are crying oceans.

And the big 10 people are pointing and laughing.

That's good for the sport.

That's all good.

Yes.

I, you helped me.

I wrote a column this morning that was your idea and you helped edit it and stuff.

And I don't know if I can repay you, but I think that you should write that.

I think that would do tremendously well because a headline that says something like big 10 basking in SEC tears while forgetting the tears they used to shed.

I think is a fascinating.

Here's the thing.

The tears they used to shed are in the past.

They're gone.

Just like when the big 10 people would wine in 2017 and 2018 and 2018, I guess Clemson won.

But in 2011 and 2012 and all those years when the SEC teams were kicking their asses, they're all they had to do was just win the damn game.

All they had to do was beat beat the SEC team and it mattered and they didn't.

Well, guess what?

Indiana played an SEC team in the playoff last year.

Indiana beat that team 3823.

Alabama kicked one sad feel goal.

They have scoreboard.

They can say whatever the hell they want.

So whatever brings me to the next thing I wanted to ask you because I do think that this is interesting.

We are now at the tail end here of media day season and then we're going into the dog days of the first few weeks of August, which are typically slow.

But I think that what I have noticed is the SEC media days in general was more entertaining from start to finish.

And I don't know if you prescribed that to SEC having more dynamic personalities or if SEC has more predominantly displayed teams and expected win a championship or whatever the case may be.

But do you think the temperament of a head coach could be the temperament of somebody who comes to the podium in complaints?

And if not, is Kurt Signetti the ideal temperament have her and the blueprint.

And I'm not saying that it's easy to say I would want to hire somebody like Kurt Signetti after he just got done doing one of the most remarkable turn arounds in college football history.

But somebody who's more of a no nonsense type of guy who doesn't want to engage in scheduling debates doesn't want to talk about the number of games you play in a conference and is focused solely on doing what is best for his team.

They know that's old school kind of way or does it just seem more or a stricken because he's just won the title.

Like I think it's the second part.

There's a lot of different ways to do it.

Nick Saban, who we acknowledge as the best whoever did it, would come to SEC Media Days usually with an agenda in hand where he would talk about all the things he would like to see different in the sport or the things he'd like to see change.

And that's fine.

He also considered winning place too though.

Right.

Well, and he considered that his job as one of the best coaches in the country to be a steward of the game to say here's what I think should happen.

Now, most of the stuff he said should happen would have benefited Alabama at the time.

So crazy how that works.

But that's also his job.

Davos Wee, not shy about complaining in front of a microphone, but one two national titles.

Kirby smart.

Never complaints.

What's my favorite Kirby smart quote?

No crying from the eye.

Yeah.

Doesn't complain one two national title.

I think there's a lot of different ways you can do it.

I just have never heard and maybe I just don't listen to everything that's come out of Kirby smarts mouth.

But like I've never heard Kirby smart go on a scheduling tie rate.

He said a few things.

He basically said, you know, he'd prefer the SEC to break away on its own.

I mean, like he said some strong things.

That rarely does he say, like you don't hear him say, this is a mess and everything's falling apart.

And, you know, this we can't we couldn't get this done because of because of excuses.

That's the thing.

That doesn't make excuses.

Yeah.

I think there's a distinction because I do think that's important.

And Kurtzignetti too has has said some things too.

So I'm not pretending like he's the infallible non complainer.

That's never been negative about anything.

The thing that I would not want is we didn't achieve X because of why.

Right.

It has been very interesting watching the shoe be on the other foot with the SEC because the SEC was dominant for so long.

Did win those big games when it mattered.

And they had every right to say everything they said.

And big 10 people in 2015 said the SEC is immediate construct.

That was coping.

That was taking obsessive amounts of copium.

I still can't believe that was that that was amongst some of the most ridiculous shit I've ever seen.

Of course.

Even when I was in the middle of it, I was covering a big 10 team.

A team that you covered the big 10 team that acted like an SEC team of no, no, I know, but there are people Ohio state fans were very bought in during the time of the ESPN as the arm of the, I mean, this still kind of goes on now when it comes to like CFP selection and stuff.

But like there was a stop process that the SEC was only better because ESPN was.

Right.

Now only.

No, they were better because they won the big games when they matter.

They kept it's like, and I just feel like that for whatever reason was like lost in the conversation.

It's like, well, okay.

And if you think that the SEC is a proper or the ESPN is an SEC propaganda spuing machine, they lost the games they played.

So like, you know, they won the games.

I'm saying you lost the games.

They were up.

Yeah.

The SEC won the big 10 lost.

And now it's on the other foot.

And the SEC is complaining.

You get coaches in the SEC complaining that it's because the big 10 doesn't require you to play a power conference, seem the non conference.

Okay.

Indiana didn't do that last year.

That's not why Indiana beat Alabama 383.

Indiana beat Alabama 383 is Indian was a lot better than Alabama when I was a kid.

I went to visit my cousin and he had an Xbox and I had a PS2.

And we were playing NCAA football on his console or my con I can't remember.

And I was beating the crap out of them in the game.

And he goes, well, this doesn't happen on Xbox.

And it was insane because it was the same game.

It literally is the same programming.

And until this day, now we're pushing 40 years old.

I still say, well, that doesn't happen on Xbox.

But that's what I think about every time I hear anything like the SEC didn't advance in the playoff because their schedule was too tough or all these different things that you have heard over the course of the past few years.

This doesn't happen on Xbox is what I hear.

And I just like, I feel like part of it is just like, is there anybody just going to say, hey, the big 10 has done X Y and Z to advance itself.

We have fallen behind in X Y and Z or we say that they say that privately.

Yeah, they all say that privately.

Say it, say it publicly.

I would not going to say it publicly.

You're going to wave the flag and be like, but we're the best, but ignore those results.

We're the best.

Just like the big 10 did the same thing.

Yeah.

That's just human nature.

Well, the good thing though, and this is something that you taught me very early on in my podcasting career.

That is things in college football are a pendulum, right?

They swing left and right back forth.

And I at times, especially during the height of the recruiting era, where I didn't see the sport changing and I didn't see the NIL world in 2013 coming.

But I don't know how you could ever build a program that's not Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson or whatever.

I learned that nothing stays the same forever and you are somebody who taught me that.

And I think that it is incredibly healthy for the sport of college football, for the pendulum to be back up north.

Now, I think it's possible that the pendulum will swing right back as soon as this year.

I just released my bracket and I have an SEC team winning the championship this year.

But it's great for us.

It's great for the fans and it's like the bitching and complaining and the use suck and we're better.

And this is why all that stuff is what makes this great.

And I'm thankful for Kurt Signetti, his personality, his accomplishments, what Indiana is.

You know, Indiana, I think is a gift, Andy.

Indiana is a gift for a lot of different reasons.

One, I think Indiana is a gift to the entire country who roots.

If you've ever needed a reason to buy back into your middle to your program and believe that something great could happen, Indiana gave you that.

It's injected hope into so many programs.

So as much as we like to say that Kurt Signetti has completely ruined every other coach in the world because we don't want to evaluate him anymore, he's also given the gift of possibility to people who were living for decades without any hope at all.

And second of all, I'm so grateful that it's not just a great coach who's boring.

This is a dynamic lightning rod personality that has brought more fun to the game.

It's not just the story or what he did.

It's how he did it and how he acts after doing it.

Like he is the gift.

I think that college football in general has a lot of to be thankful for as a result of Indiana's rise and who helped them do it.

I think you're right because there were a lot of programs who felt like it'll never happen for us.

But Indiana stunk forever.

They just went undefeated in one of the national titles.

If it didn't happen for them, it could happen for a lot of you.

I saw Barry Odom, this was a Ben ESPN story.

I think Adam Rittenberg wrote it with an interview with Barry Odom.

That's Purdue's head coach.

I'm sure you guys mostly know that.

Talking about how Indiana doing what it did.

Also a Missouri head coach.

So it's been in the SEC as well.

But talking about how you have to look in the mirror and really self evaluate what you're doing when the team that was in the similar position as you three years ago, who's a few hours up the road, I think it's even closer than that did what this did.

So it is, I think a gift and I'm going to write this down.

Hold on.

You're right.

This is your column, buddy.

You write this.

This is good.

I just want to write it down just so I have it because I've been struggling the last few days, figuring out what to write.

So Indiana is college football's gift.

And you're right.

And the thing is to take this back to the SEC.

This is how you should feel if you're a South Carolina fan, if you're a Kentucky fan, if you're an Arkansas fan, if you're a Missouri fan, like that means you guys can do this too.

Yeah.

Anywhere not.

You are not prohibited.

There is not a systemic prohibition on you.

You know what I hope?

I think I genuinely, I like genuinely hope this.

I know that Kurt Signetti will be a legend forever for what he did.

I know the Kurt Signetti's story will be told for decades to come.

If you and I are still doing this in 25 years, we will refer reference things then that happened yesterday in last year and today.

But I hope that with further context in college football that what Kurt Signetti did wasn't just a single individual act of brilliance and greatness.

I hope it was a blueprint or a guide for other coaches to attempt to duplicate it.

Like I hope that Will Stein is awesome at Kentucky.

I hope that what Vanderbilt did last year is a 80% version of what Indiana did.

Yeah.

I hope Illinois is really good.

Yeah, maybe that.

Belima does this with Illinois.

Yes.

Yeah.

I hope that it's geographically diverse and I hope it comes from all different directions.

I think it would be cool if Arizona State won the national title.

I think it would be cool if Kentucky did.

But Toshlepoi did it at Cal.

Like, and I think that as we enter the season, Andy, there are a lot of teams on the, you know, I did, I didn't mention this yesterday, but we did talk about my on three bracket, right?

The one that I did.

I think the number one thing that I aired with and Bud Elliott actually was texting me.

And we were talking about it off air is I didn't take any chances.

And I assumed in my bracket, if you look at it right now that River just displayed with Georgia in Texas and OU and LSU in it and Ole Miss that Florida is going to go under their wind total.

Auburn's going to go under their wind total.

Kentucky's going to go under their wind total and L and and one other team will Auburn.

Auburn.

That's the one I'm forgetting.

And that's probably a massive mistake because there's not what I was going to do that.

And there's no wild card.

I'll go from one to 12.

We got Ohio State, Notre Dame, you know, Texas, Oregon, Miami, UNLV is the G5 Ole Miss, LSU, Indiana, and Oklahoma, Texas Tech.

Like there's no weird wild card.

And I understand the reason you didn't do it because it's hard to pick that team and you're probably going to be wrong and people are going to lap at you for being wrong.

In that way, it will be somebody else though.

Like maybe it's South Carolina.

Maybe it's, you know, maybe it's Illinois, maybe it's Minnesota.

I didn't do it.

Who knows?

Not in the fear that I would be wrong.

I did it because I didn't know how to pick it.

I didn't know.

Would it be UCLA?

Would it be Kentucky?

Would it be South Carolina?

Would it be ASU again?

There are so many different places right now that have hope in a way that they would never have had hope before.

If you're a UCLA fan and you watch Bob Chesney at Big Ten Media Day, like, are you not fired up?

Are you not fired up by hearing Will Stein say because of me?

There are so many places that have an opportunity to win.

And like that is the gift.

And I'm happy that the person who gave us the gift of both hope and entertainment won a title and is able to, to, you know, put it all out there in front of everybody the way he did today.

And my hope too is that Indiana's comments and his signetees comments about not crying manifests in a charged up SEC that allows the pendulum to keep swinging back and forth because I got to be honest as much fun as College Football was from 2020 to 2000, that 20 year period.

Like it would have been pretty cool if they didn't win 18 of the 20.

Like, you know, you won all.

It would have been fun if it hadn't just been that one Ohio State title in 2014.

And if it had been, you know, now obviously four state and Clemson did win.

But that's it.

We can name the ones that broke it up.

Like, yeah.

But if Michigan had been in there, if USC had been in there, if Oregon had won one, like that's, that's what would make it really interesting.

But the new era of College Football has also shortened the length of the revolution of the pendulum, I think.

I think that we don't know.

I mean, it's, hey, this may last forever, Ari, except we know it won't.

No, no, yeah.

I think that the way that the sport was set up from 2000 and before to 2020 was a clear advantage for the SEC given the way that traditional recruiting worked and where the best players tend to live.

And of course, the passion of the places that are in the SEC, they cared more about football without question than the big 10 did during that period of time.

But now that you have UCLA over here and Kentucky over here and Arizona stayed down there and all these in Texas, tech and Lubbock and all these different places, I find it really hard to believe that the pendulum will swing the left and stay there for 20 years the way it did.

I think it's going to swing.

I think it's going to swing back and forth maybe more radically than ever before.

And that's what makes all the shit talking so much fun because Indiana might be talking shit today.

But can you imagine how Steve Sarkisian's going to be if they win the national title in January?

He's going in the year.

I know, can you imagine like the crap that he's talking right now if they win a championship that frickin walk he's going to have like that limp.

That like gangster limp.

It's going to be it's going to be fun.

No matter what happens, it is going to be fun.

And it's not a better time in the world to have a podcast, honestly.

Yeah.

The fact that they're at each other's throats constantly, even better, even better.

Sometimes on this show, it's hard.

And May and June where it's like, okay, let's rank this like if you don't feel the love of this game in our voices right now, like I have like goosebumps.

Like I am so fired up to be able to do this for a living, but to go into this era of just it's not predictable.

Who wants to go to a movie when you know how that's why romcom suck, right?

I mean, they're actually break up your favorite romcom.

I'm not going to spoil it.

But yeah, well, it doesn't in the way they all do.

Yeah.

I enjoy watching romcoms around Christmas time with my wife.

I don't know if you guys have any like weird, but like it also kind of stinks because when you're watching the movie, you know how it ends.

And I know all of the, you know, all of the beats and unfortunately, most years during that period of SEC dominance, you knew the beats of the season.

Yeah, we got great Titan versus Titan matchups at the end of the year, but the Titans were always the same and you know who the Titans were in July.

I don't know if the Titans are this year.

I think I've got an idea that, you know, Georgia and Oregon and Ohio State and these teams are going to be good.

But what if Kentucky is awesome?

Like like dare to dream and I can keep coming back to Kentucky, but what if A&M wins?

We're going to be in the last year, Ari.

I think about this.

Indiana went undefeated one, the national title and Vanderbilt won 110 games in the same year to quote Kevin Garnett.

Anything is possible back in the day when we used to do like preseason brackets on the 14 era and it was just Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and someone else and like no one was ever wrong because it was clear.

And like now people like talk at you, oh, this is the worst bracket I've ever seen.

I know it's going to be wrong.

Like I know it's going to be wrong.

And in the past, you could pick five teams and win the national title.

Now it's like this is this good.

I could go, I could legitimately go four for 12 and correctness on this.

And it wouldn't be that big of a surprise.

And I would love it because it would mean it was a more fun season.

Yeah.

I mean, I think that's what I think about the game.

I think that's what I think about the game.

Now I may be wrong on the years they played football, college football, uh oh, did this person spend time in the miners?

Oh god.

Okay.

All right.

I need another clue.

Number four, after a successful college football career, I was later taken in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NFL draft.

Okay.

2008 draft.

So they did play a little baseball.

They didn't go straight to college based on age.

Actually, no, they had been 23.

So maybe they did go straight to the pretzel.

I know.

Also, I'm assuming this is a quarterback.

And that doesn't mean this person played quarterback in college.

They played quarterback in high school.

Oh boy.

Okay.

Oh man.

Okay.

Another clue.

Number five.

I'm a two time Super Bowl champion.

Okay.

That's not Troy Paula Mallow because he's older than this.

Also, doesn't necessarily mean he won one with the Steelers, but the timing works works out for that.

That they won one with Steelers is obviously not a quarterback because it's not Rothless burger.

Oh man.

I mean, his.

I don't know where he's from, but I don't think he's from California.

So you've got nothing to lose by guessing.

Ben Rothless burger.

It's not.

I think Ben Rothless burgers from the Midwest believe he is.

Yes.

He went.

He went to Miami of Ohio.

Yeah.

Number six.

I ultimately played for five NFL franchises during my professional career.

Though the final four teams were practice squad only.

Oh wow.

Okay.

So they had their career was largely with one team.

I'm assuming the Steelers.

I'm sorry, Steelers fans.

You're probably yelling.

You've been yelling for three, three clues.

You know, just because somebody's a Super Bowl champion and somebody played in the league doesn't mean that they were a starter either.

That's true.

And they were good baseball player growing up and played quarterback in high school.

Yeah.

I thought it was a good game.

Yeah.

So I'm going to start getting into some more clues if you need them that will probably.

I need another one.

I was the pack 12 offensive player of the year in 2007.

Seven.

See what this is killing me because I keep wanting it to be a quarterback.

But it might be a quarterback.

Yeah, who said it wasn't one.

Oh, I'm not going to say that.

I'm not going to say that.

The Joey Harrington.

It's not.

Oh, no, Joey Harrington's older than that.

Shoot.

Yeah.

He was in the NFL already by that point.

Yeah.

Okay.

Keep going.

Before the 2007 season, and after my junior year at Oregon, I was again selected in the MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves.

I hit 176 and 74 at bats for two Atlanta Braves rookie teams before returning to the ducks for my senior season.

I know who the -- I know who the -- Oh, this is -- It is a quarterback.

And it was one of the saddest situations ever because he was probably -- I mean, it was going to be him or T-boat to win the Highs and Trophy in 2007, but he got hurt on a Thursday night game's Dennis Dixon.

Dennis Dixon.

Correct.

Guy, Dennis Dixon was freaking awesome at Oregon.

Let me give you the final two clues for the video.

Okay.

Number nine, I led Oregon to the number two overall ranking in the 2007 season after guiding the ducks to win over USC and Arizona State.

But during the ASU game, I left with an e-entry.

Number ten.

Two weeks later, I returned against Arizona and two signed with the National Championship aspirations on the line.

My knee buckled in the first quarter of the Arizona game and it was later revealed that I aggravated the Torney C.L.

that I suffered against Arizona State.

That loss ultimately caused Oregon to shot at the National Championship.

And bonus, I was standing -- Ari Wasserman was standing 20 feet away from him when that happened.

Oh.

That was so sad.

Because I was covering Florida as a beat ride at the time.

So obviously, by that point, everybody knew it was either going to be T-Board Dixon.

And it was a really fabulous race and competition between the two of them.

And you know, this is the first -- that was the first year of Chip Kelly as Oregon's OC.

Like, remember, they went to Michigan and just crushed them after Michigan and had lost to Appalachian State.

And people just had no idea what to do with that offense.

Yeah.

And it was just like -- it was like one of the -- This was happening in the same general time as like the West Virginia offenses.

I think it was a few years after, I believe.

Yeah.

Chip studied Rich Rodriguez's West Virginia offense.

Well, actually, study Rich Rodriguez when he was at Clemson.

So, like, Chip had borrowed a lot of concepts from Rich and then built upon them.

And they were trying to run like a play every 10 seconds or something.

Yeah, that was before the clock rules changed.

The clock rules changed the following year and they really took off because then they could really go fast.

Yeah.

But yeah, they practiced differently.

Like, everything -- and it was -- and it was bloody still had coach at this point.

But you -- like, Chip Kelly's influence as the OC has taken over the whole team.

Yeah.

One of the most fun players to watch, I just remember him getting hurt.

I was at the game.

Yeah.

But we got -- that was so sad because he was having an unbelievable -- I did not realize he was that good baseball player.

Yeah.

I didn't realize that.

I didn't realize that either.

But I tried to, you know, move it around a little bit.

Well, and that's what -- I got you last week with the I played tight end in high school to try to throw you off that it was an offensive lineman.

And I was assuming you were throwing me off with the high school quarterback who became a receiver, who became a safety.

Yeah.

And, you know, sometimes too, the -- just the threat of misdirection.

Also, I had no idea about Dennis Dixon's pro career.

Yeah.

He went to the Steelers and then was there for a few years.

And I think he won his second Super Bowl ring on the practice squad with the Ravens.

So that was a little bit more tricky, too, because he wasn't a player that played much.

He only started three games in his pro career, which I am -- Wow.

Another crew.

I didn't know anything about that.

So that is it.

That was a great one, because Dennis Dixon is one of those -- if you love college football, you loved watching this guy play so much.

And, by the way, it was so much fun.

Just a hot take aside.

A moment for these Oregon uniforms.

And I know that everybody talks about Oregon uniforms.

I'm not a fan of these, are you?

I love these.

And these are the ones that they -- I don't know what do you call the Steel pattern?

What's I -- yeah, I don't know what those are called.

It looks like the toolbox you have in the Battle of the Truck.

It's like on Steel Steps or something like it's the Steel pattern.

I don't know.

I loved the black accents in the green.

I love those uniforms.

And it was just like kind of like the era of college football.

The photo in the graphic we have, like almost doesn't even look like an Oregon uniform, but that isn't an Oregon uniform.

Yeah, it looks like an Oregon uniform that you would buy on Team Blue.

It's Oregon, but isn't really -- The one he's wearing in the little -- what we call a lower third, the green one looks, you know.

That's what I think -- when I think of the Oregon uniforms of that era, that's what I think of.

Yeah, that's the one that Harrington was wearing.

I think I'm the cover of the NCAA football game.

So -- But also, I'm trying my best to at least tie it into some of the things we talk.

We had a long Oregon discussion yesterday.

We did.

And when you alluded to, you know, who am I on yesterday's episode, I knew immediately.

I sent River attacks at St.Denistixin.

So, yeah.

And congratulations to you, Tam, for one of the best careers and most exciting careers ever.

I know it didn't work out from in the pros, but I think he's a core memory for a lot of people my age.

So this is -- I know I say this a lot when we do this segment.

Like, if you're a younger viewer, younger listener, and you've heard of DENISTixin, but don't really know what we're talking about, when you're done with this episode, just look at this highlights on YouTube.

You're going to have fun.

You're going to love it.

Yeah.

And it is crazy because I think a lot of times in college football too, Andy, like players come out and have transcendence seasons like you did in '07.

But when you get injured or you don't have a huge pro career, like a lot of times your memory can get lost in translation because there's so many players doing amazing things.

And the thing I like about who am I the most is that we're going back and we're talking about players that deserve to have their memory preserved.

Yeah.

Well, that should have instantaneously -- Oh, you know what?

I know who next week's is going to be now.

Oh, boy.

I've already figured it out.

Oh, boy.

You're going to get it.

You won't get stumped.

This is someone I know you'll get, but it's enough -- It is in this vein.

Like, great college football player, legendary, in certain circles.

But didn't have a huge pro career.

So I like it.

Yeah, I love it.

Love it.

Yeah, and just as long as it's like not just some random offensive lineman, hopefully I'll be better off.

But you're still -- Joel!

Not a random offensive lineman.

No, I know.

But everybody's a random person in this game.

I just mean like offensive lineman are usually not where my head -- like, are my heads at.

I'm only going to choose really famous offensive lineman.

I promise.

Yeah.

Well, you've already hit me with two because I got pene stool pretty early.

So like you're -- I hit you with three -- Oh, no, you hit me with Jason Kelsey.

That's what it was.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think you were -- I think Jason Kelsey was first.

But this is a fun game.

I'm excited to do it next week.

And you have gotten the better of me.

You've also nailed it on Clue 1.

And you have not gone to Clue 10 yet.

I have -- But I got to say, as far as we are in the game to not have been stumped so far, I feel pretty good about it.

I do feel pretty good.

And, you know, I want to write the question so that the listener and the viewer are going to get them.

Yeah, I want you to get stumped.

Yeah.

But -- All right, are we -- When we come back more from Big 10 Many Days, Matt Rule takes the podium.

Coming in to a big, important year at Nebraska.

He just got a big extension last year when Penn State opened.

So I think he's safe pretty much no matter what happens.

But with some strong words, Producer River, please play the clip about the record.

We have the best facilities.

We have the best fan base.

And we have some of the best players in the country.

So I'm grateful to have them here.

It was a hard decision who to bring.

But this is a special group to me.

And I can't wait to take the feel with them this fall.

And just like them, that's kind of what our team is.

I stood up here a few years ago and said before we can talk about doing great things.

Now, we've got to earn back the respect.

And these guys, they kind of erased the narratives.

Nebraska can't win a close game.

They've erased that.

Nebraska, there's a bull drought.

They've erased that.

They went to back-to-back bowl games last year.

But we know that's not enough.

We didn't come to Nebraska to go seven and six.

We came to compete for this.

And being here today with teams who have won the national championship, it's inspiring it.

Speaks to this conference.

It speaks to the people that run it.

The coaches and the players that are in it.

And we understand that we have to take a step this year.

We're excited to do that.

But I hope you can hear in my voice.

I believe we will because of the young men in our program and what they've done.

Thank you.

We didn't come to Nebraska to go seven and six.

That's right.

Seven and six.

Yeah.

Very interesting cross section of tenure here.

Andy, right?

You know, things were really, really amped up last off season.

There was a lot of Nebraska topics, a lot of debate.

Some style of power.

Five star quarterback.

All these different things.

And things didn't go the way that a lot of people who root for that program would have hoped they would have gone a year ago at this time.

Now that quarterback has gone.

He's an organ, Dylan Riello, who I'm speaking about.

Anthony Calandria is in.

What we, we got into a huge argument earlier than the off season about what they should come to expect or what a success there.

But you know, does what he said just now change anything to you or like.

I think it means you were right now is wrong.

I don't know what to say that.

I never happened before.

This is weird.

This is weird territory for me.

I don't know.

I think I undersold it.

No, because he's the one setting this.

He's the one saying seven wins is not good enough.

And I think I said eight would be fine because it would represent progress.

But does that not sound to you like a man who thinks they're better.

Significantly better than seven wins.

It sounds to me like a man who literally said they need to take a step forward, but I think that's still my qualify with what you said.

Like it's eight wins a step forward.

Or does he mean a big step forward.

But my whole thought process too is just what as an Nebraska fan are you hoping for at this juncture in his tenure.

Like what makes you satisfied?

They have gone to back to back bowl games.

They have as he pointed out, squash some of the narrative of losing close games in hilarious fashion and not being able to qualify for a bowl of those things.

But now that they've tasted that, you know, and job well done for forgetting to that point.

But I think that everybody knows that Nebraska's not.

You know, those were always supposed to be stepping stones.

That was never the destination.

So at what point in his tenure with what other coaches have accomplished around him at programs that have fewer resources is acceptable there.

And I still stand by ten wins this year.

Now, I don't know if that's possible.

I don't know if they have the team to do it.

He sounds like he's pretty positive that they do.

And we've been wrong before it's harder to analyze and discuss and decide who a team is going to be at this time of year because certain portal entries can be much more profoundly important than you give him credit for in June in July.

But I'm looking at the incoming transfers.

And I don't know.

Maybe I don't see it.

But then also what if Anthony Calandria is just better than real for their office.

That's the question.

So shout out to the student from the University of Illinois who's covering big ten media days who's asked some these coaches some really good questions this week.

And he asked Matt Rol a question about Dylan Riala that turned into a commentary on the quarterbacks they have now.

That's a really interesting point to consider.

So here's that question.

I'm Mary Martin University of Illinois Big Ten student you you had Riala leave in the portal but you also land a quarterback out of the portal and you also have trade Taylor coming in next year did Riala's entrance into the transfer portal catch you by surprise and can you speak to your quarterback room now in this future.

I think our quarterback room is I don't know how many teams in the country can say they have three guys in their quarterback room who started.

FBS game last year you know Danny Kaylin was a kid that I got to Nebraska immediately offered he came in transferred to Virginia I think he had played you know one or two stars left your play really well comes back home I Danny's a true Husker and he wants to be at Nebraska.

TJ Latief is an unbelievable quarterback came in as a true freshman one on the road B UCLA you know went out to Iowa pulled his hamstring couldn't even run and was out there just just playing as you know given everything he has and I see him now he's bigger he's stronger he's going to be a force.

And then Anthony you know we we late in the process in recruiting you know things happen in the portal and you asked me a question about surprises nothing surprises me.

I wake up every day and I say what's going to happen today like you know just embrace it but you know we lost a quarterback we thought we're going to get we said who's available there are three great quarterbacks out there we said hey let's bring them all in on the same day and we got to move.

And I learned from a great coach Steve Odazio a guy that I love and respect and he was at Florida and he always said you know talked about T. I don't care about you know anything else about a quarterback other than if they have it and like you can't tell people what it is but you can feel it and I said guys one of the first five minutes to meet these guys.

Who are quarterback is and I'm a brand to he got out of the car watching him shake everybody's hands and the way he carried himself and the way he did things and I was like that's our guy and he's a great end of my and you know I'm old school you know be tough incremental is get better day by day and he's got some swagger and some juice that is great to offset me and I think.

I can't wait to watch and play but I think any of those three guys could start for that quarterback for us and can win for us and so I'm I'm really excited about that room.

So this is Erie Martin by the way is the name of the student reporter from Illinois who may be a blue chipper in our field.

Yeah watch out for you know we're listening to questions guys yeah yeah because he's he he's he's loving soft balls these guys this is pretty good.

Yeah Matt that point my career I was afraid to ask questions on the big stage yeah.

And now at this point of my career I think asking the big questions on the big stage is less useful than asking them in other settings but you know still right good for you.

But I'm glad I'm glad he's doing it because it's getting some good answers and this was a good answer this was an interesting answer because.

Did it sound to you like Matt rule.

Without saying it because I don't think Matt rule would ever say it publicly but did it sound to you like Matt rule saying we think we might be better at quarterback with Anthony Calandria then we were with Dylan Ryle.

Well the other thing too when it comes to it is.

Is there a person that's a better fit for your system as well and how you want to play offense that doesn't mean that he's a better quarterback than Dylan Ryle maybe he is.

The way that he plays I think probably is a more exciting brand of football maybe a more painful one of times depending on whether he can turn the ball over.

Yeah he is the nature I think that and we are in as you point out an entertainment field and product so.

It will be very interesting to see but like Nebraska last year I thought was pretty solid team you know I had a lot of high hopes for them and you know sometimes things don't go your way you know you do have an injury and things happen but like is 10 wins completely out of the question and if they win eight.

Do you go back to the drawing board and go hey man rules doing the right the good stuff like I don't know like how their fans are even.

I think he has he has plenty of leeway because of the extension last year like he would have to utter disaster for them to ever think about anything but let's look at that schedule because.

Is 10 wins possible okay five and oh is absolutely possible.

They've got a fairly easy opener that remember they're not playing.

They're not playing any power conference opponents Matt rule got asked about that he said the requirement should be a Tony Petiti question then he said something about all the conferences should play the same number of games I don't know if anybody just in telling that yes he's played nine conference games now but they got Ohio you bowling green and North Dakota to start out so they should win those games at Michigan state and then Maryland.

Presumably Nebraska should win those two then it gets spicy and it gets really interesting Indiana comes to Lincoln on October 10th both teams should be undefeated at that point that's going to be super hyped.

We're going to be you know this this will be the time when Nebraska can say hey we want to be part of this like like Matt rule said when when he said we didn't come to Nebraska 0 7 and 6 we came to compete for these things.

What he was referring to were you couldn't see him because they were to his to his right three national championship trophies the last three.

Yeah and you know we spent so much time in the off season two like going down the games and coming up with records and stuff it's like you want to be competitive in that Indiana game right like you don't want to go eight and four.

With 36 point losses to the best teams on your schedule you're your opportunity to tell us who you are if you're Nebraska is that two week stretch where Indiana comes to you on October 10th and you go to Eugene to play Oregon on October 17th that's where you can kind of tell us who you are look the schedule is still hard.

The rest of the way because you get after Oregon you get a by week then they're at the they get Washington at home at Illinois at Rutgers Ohio State at home at Iowa to finish so.

Like if you can't be competitive against Indiana and Oregon the rest of the way is going to be tough for you to.

Yeah and like if they lose by 30 to Indiana that might set up a regression in record so you know I don't know the thing I really don't know Andy and I would love to hear from Nebraska fans because this was our debate earlier in the season and I still don't really quite have a clear understanding of it.

I haven't heard from Nebraska fans any year and I think it's been a pleasant you know year because they hate me but I would be very curious to know what their border or what their baseline expectation is for Matt rule in 2026.

Like what do you have to see from this team in order to feel satisfied going into next off season.

I don't know.

Hit us up.

Andy Staples on three at gmail.com.

Ari Dot Wasserman on three dot com.

We got a new already.

Already.

Already tomorrow like I love to hear from some Nebraska fans.

What legitimately what do you think would be a successful year to you like in your mind what is it eight wins nine wins ten.

What is it what's the baseline threshold for I feel good about that.

I mean if they were to get to eight wins that means that they have to beat some pretty good teams.

Yes they start the you find five and oh you might be able to get ten.

Yeah I mean here here's six Ohio bowling green North Dakota Michigan State Maryland Rutgers.

So in order to get to eight that means they'd have to beat one of Iowa or two of Iowa Ohio State Illinois Washington Oregon and Indiana.

That means eight wins would be a pretty I'm starting to swing towards your direction now or eight wins is successful because that means they will have beaten somebody very good.

But already I don't need to be Mr Sunshine blower here but look.

Yeah.

If you can win eight.

That also means you can probably win nine.

Yeah and then we're having a very different conversation about where Nebraska is in the in the grand scheme of things.

Yeah because I actually think if they go nine and three and beat everybody else but lose the Indiana Oregon and Ohio State that's acceptable.

That's funny.

Like I don't think that's like they have to win one of those games in order to prove they're on the right track.

But I do also have this prevailing thought whenever coaches are talking about incremental steps and stuff.

You made this point on yesterday's show and I can't stop thinking about it was such a good point where we traditionally in the past.

When you were recruiting high school players they were developing and you were retaining and it was a slower process.

You wanted to see incremental builds year over year over year.

And then we're talking about Nebraska in this linear way where it's like well they won eight games last year or seven games last year so if they can win eight it's better.

And it's like that's not how this works anymore.

Your teams are completely different your schedules are far more variable given the size of the conferences.

And you know how much do you think year over year marginal improvement is actually an indication of being where you want to be.

When you've seen people and I know Kurt signety broke the college football expectations fear.

But like I don't know if winning eight games instead of seven because you only won seven last year is really all that indicative of anything anymore.

But I also and this is where I'm coming from when I say if you can win eight you might be able to win 10.

If if if Kalandry is suddenly the magic match at quarterback that they've been looking for and look.

I'm going to be perfectly honest.

We know he wasn't the first choice like can he meant she was the first choice.

But it doesn't matter like the coach what are the coaches always say my I wasn't my wife's first choice either like my first job I was the seventh choice.

I'd like to think I would have done better than everybody else but they didn't think so.

So yeah like that's how this works but what if what if Kalandria is that guy what if what if Asmat rule says he has that it factor.

You can jump from seven to 10 that way that's how it works now.

Yeah and also the teams that we view on the schedule now it's a little bit less variable when it comes like Ohio State Oregon and now Indiana.

But you know how good is Illinois this year I don't know what looks like a tough game how good is Iowa that looks like a pretty tough game especially it being Iowa maybe beaten down beyond believe their schedule so freaking hard.

Yeah they're they're schedule is so hard but we don't know maybe Washington will be an 11 win team this year and that'll be a brutal stretch.

You know like it's just it's harder to tell right now but I think the overlying question is at this point in his tenure is chalking up all the games against the best teams in the conference as automatic losses.

What you take away from this or do you take away the linear improvement year over year.

Yeah you got you got to change the answer to the first one you have to change the the image that you are a team that is going to get steamrolled when you play a good team.

That's got to end.

That's where that's where you buy but do you buy the notion that you have to be able to show you can win close games before you do that like do you think there's a. I feel like we're still talking about building college football programs the same way that you build a house where you need to get the level land and then you've got to get the foundation and then you got to for the concrete then it's.

No, no, no, no, no, it's not like that anymore it's not building a house it is a it is an HGTV House flipping episode you better be able to flip it in 30 minutes so I don't know how much going to back to back bowl games really you know it's better there's no question it's better but I don't know if it's an indication especially when your roster is completely different of 10 wins I don't think that last year means anything for anyone.

Anymore yeah so yeah it's like the the steady increases in the steady improvements are fun for fans to see but it's not like when you get a something on Amazon it you know this happens all the time I got to buy something that my daughter needs and it has assembly required and you follow the instruction step by step and as you're building the dollhouse the dollhouse gets like closer and closer to looking like it does on the box it's like that's not it used to be how you build.

But it's not anymore and my question really now is not just for Matt rule for everyone is like how many years do you get before you don't get the benefit of the doubt of well we're getting better incrementally.

Yeah.

He had one other answer that I found very interesting today and and someone has asked about the success of other sports in Nebraska and Matt rule brought up Fred Hoyberg who's their men's basketball coach who had had some kind of mass seasons until breaking out this past season and they became one of the best teams in the big 10 one of the best teams in the country.

And that was you know as an interesting way to look at it but then he turned into explaining what they have to do.

And I think he's exactly right about where this changes if it changes here's Matt rule again coach Jake Bartek he news channel Nebraska good to see again since you guys have taken the the field the end of the season great seasons for obviously men's basketball baseball volleyball volleyball was outstanding again what do you guys need to do internally or on the field or both to kind of find that same level of success.

Well I think that success you know that the Fred has had that Amy's had that Ron has had that so many of our sports have had it's just what Nebraska's about.

I mean we like I said earlier we have the best facilities in college sports by commitment to nutrition unlike any other commitment to the strength program that goes back obviously goes back to coach Eppley but all the way through now and so you're seeing the things that Troy's implemented since he's been the athletic director start to take fruit on the field and I look at Fred with tremendous respect inspiration.

Before he went to the sweet 16 last year you know it wasn't the year he wanted and it ended in the way he wanted to do but but Fred just kept coming to work and his players kept working and so for us we have to be better in November you know we've gotten off to good starts but you know champions are made in those winning moments in the cold on the road late in the season those are championship moments and for us we have to excel in those so it's me it's our staff I love our coaches and it's our players.

And it's our players and you know you have to have players that that want to be in those moments that that want that you know they want to have on their head when it matters and I think we have those guys and you know some people can snap their fingers and it happens overnight you know we're builders we've had to build and we love doing it and that's why talk about these these guys like it's not me who's the builder it's Luke it's Justin Evans it's Cam Lenhart it's all these guys on our team that whether the storm stayed here throughout and we understand the history of the game.

And we understand the expectation so I became a Nebraska.

And I do think it's important that they have guys that have been there like the guys he mentioned so Justin Evans their center is one of the centers in the country.

He's time Scott Frost like he's he's been through it with them so they do have people with institutional memory there but the November thing really stood out to me are you.

But let's see that schedule again we can start on Halloween was started Halloween where Washington comes to Lincoln and it's not November yet it's one day away but Washington Illinois Rutgers like if you can go three and oh and that stretch.

You're in a pretty good spot I think like those are the game like don't drop one of those you know realize the Washington game they like Washington or Illinois they might not be favorite and they might be dogs in both of those games so.

Yeah it just depends on how things go but but those are the games you now have to be able to wait like you want to be the top half of the conference you've got to win those games.

Yeah 1000% but I think that too there's a feel to it they might be exciting I mean listen Andy.

They almost beat Ohio State at home or on the road like two years ago so like they've been in close games against really good teams to so you know it's not completely out of the question if they'll play one of the premier teams on their schedule to a close game and maybe ultimately win one sports weird it happens but you know I think it's a feel of it you'll be you'll know if you're watching Nebraska if they feel different like you know I think that's really important and I don't know what that's going to mean ultimately when it comes to their final record.

But you know I do think that the fans here are probably more juiced up and more expecting of a 8 9 10 win season then maybe we gave a credit for earlier in the year well you you guys let us know because I'm curious but that we didn't come here to go seven and six statement is a strong statement.

I don't think he makes that lightly yeah but I think it also mirrors a lot of the things that he said before though like I think he he's he's never really not alluded to that right yeah but I don't know I I feel like this this might be a little bit different.

Whether it whether it appears in the results is the question that's all it really matters yeah.

Get those responses to us about what you think Nebraska can can be next year what what what what represents success to you and he staples on 3gmail.com already out was from an ad on 3.com also send us all your other college football questions because we will do our best answer them tomorrow on dear Andy and derri we gotta.

Lot to process from big 10 media days I thought you were really interested in call about look fickle and Wisconsin we might have to delve into that a little bit i already know we're going to answer really interesting us see question.

So we got a lot to discuss it's been a lot of fun this week and.

It's only get more fun as we get closer to actual football we will talk to you on Friday.

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