PLAYOFF CHAOS: How Penn State could win It all and their biggest challenge
JR and Zach kick off with intros, promoting the channel and upcoming content like power rankings. They banter about music and dancing before diving into reevaluating their Top 25 rankings post-spring. Zach shares his list, emphasizing teams like Penn State, Ohio State, Texas, and Clemson as top-tier due to depth and talent, while expressing uncertainty about Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Oregon. He highlights parity in college football and questions around many teams.
JR agrees on parity, shares his adjusted Top 25 with Ohio State at #1, Penn State #2, Texas #3, Clemson #4, and others like Notre Dame, Oregon, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, and Illinois in the mix. He moves Illinois down slightly due to talent vs. experience debates but praises their potential. Both discuss biases, like JR's skepticism of Texas hype and Steve Sarkisian comparisons to James Franklin.
They critique coaching rankings, schedules (e.g., Texas's tough slate), and teams like Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Indiana, and USC. Zach notes Clemson's underrated QB Cade Klubnik and receiving corps. They agree Penn State has fewer holes but flag concerns like linebacker depth.
Shifting to playoff predictions, JR seeds Ohio State #1 (Big Ten champ), Clemson #2 (ACC), Oregon #3 (at-large), Notre Dame #4 (at-large), with others like Penn State #5, Miami #6, Alabama #7, Illinois #8, Boise State #9, Utah #10, Texas #11, Liberty #12. His bracket: Ohio State beats Alabama, Penn State tops Miami, Oregon defeats Notre Dame, Clemson over Texas. Semis: Penn State beats Oregon, Clemson edges Ohio State. Clemson wins title over Penn State.
Zach's seeds: Penn State #1 (Big Ten), Clemson #2 (ACC), Notre Dame #3 (at-large), Texas #4 (SEC), Ohio State #5, Georgia #6, Alabama #7, Oregon #8, Boise State #9, Nebraska #10, Illinois #11, Arizona State #12. Bracket: Ohio State crushes Boise, Arizona State upsets Georgia, Alabama beats Nebraska, Oregon over Illinois. Quarters: Ohio State tops Texas, Clemson beats Arizona State, Notre Dame defeats Alabama, Penn State over Oregon. Semis: Ohio State avenges Clemson losses, Penn State beats Notre Dame. Final: Penn State wins over Ohio State for James Franklin's first title.
They discuss pushback on Illinois, experience vs. talent, potential 9-3 teams sneaking in, and chaos from schedules/parity. No SEC in either final four sparks SEC-bashing fun. Episode ends with excitement for week zero games and future updates.
Additional The Big Ten Huddle Channels:
@TheBigTenHuddleBasketball
@TheOhioStateHuddle
More from JR:
Personal Twitter: https://x.com/jrs_rankings
Big Ten Twitter: https://x.com/TheBigTenHuddle
Read JR's Ohio State coverage: https://scarletandgame.com/author/jrhoades1
Read JR's Illinois coverage: https://writingillini.com/author/jrhoades1
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Catch The Big Ten Huddle Football Episodes 3 times a week. Here is when to catch our live or premiere episodes that are about an hour long (eastern time):
- Sunday at 9 PM w/ Zack
- Tuesday at 9 PM w/ Zack
- Thursday at 9 PM w/ Jeff
You can also expect videos by JR throughout the week covering news and interesting topics.
*All times are Eastern time
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The Big Ten Huddle is a podcast dedicated to providing honest, humorous, and insightful analysis of Big Ten football and basketball. With a focus on challenging the national bias, especially against the SEC, hosts JR and Zack offer unfiltered discussions that engage fans of all Big Ten teams. Though critical at times, they always aim to defend the conference and give credit where it’s due, bringing humor and deep analysis together for a unique listening experience.
Rooted in values of integrity, passion, and community, The Big Ten Huddle strives to become the go-to voice for Big Ten sports fans.
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