It is the JR Sport Reef Show here with you coast to coast on the Infiniti Sports Network. Man, we're getting closer and closer. I'm going to blink, and college football will be underway. And we got anticipation to see guys like Arch Manning. We got championship teams like, well, the champions, like Ohio State.
How do they bounce back with everybody who has gone ahead and moved on? And then we even learned about their foe, Michigan, and their punishment that they received today.
So many questions, and hopefully, we get so many good answers. Joining us right now is someone who covers all things college football for sporting news. This sporting news: it's Bill Bender. Bill, how are you? How are you?
Thanks for having me on. Absolutely. Thank you for the time.
Well, we learned about Michigan and its punishment today, mostly financial, fines of about twenty to thirty million dollars, depending on revenue. We know Jim Harbaugh is not around to be punished. What are your thoughts? Did did Michigan get off easy?
Well, you and I have a better chance of coaching college football than Connor Stallions and Jim Harbaugh anytime soon. I mean, that's one. You and I do all right. Um Yeah, I The fine I think this is a Better punishment than it appears because you know the money does matter. 20 million, that's you could say that's nothing, but it's still a lot.
And then I think the uh. Is it recruits? Big one to me, even in the portal era.
So, and just the The way I would put it, and I live in central Ohio, I think it's just that stain will always be there on that title run. Because Of the sein stealing scandal.
Now, to what degree we can debate all night, but um. That's always going to be there.
So maybe the wins didn't get vacated. Maybe the national title is still there. But it's still a punishment.
Well, I know, like you said, me and you got a better chance of coaching in college football than Harbar and Stallions.
So we don't have to worry about that. We cannot go back in time. You mentioned Ohio State. What's going on with the quarterback situation? Mm.
I don't think it's lip service when we say it's a battle. Lincoln Keenholtz, Julian Saiyan, both super talented guys, and it's close. And they've got to find the right guy to go out there because you're not playing. Ohio University, that's my alma mater, or Grambling to go. You're playing Texas.
You're playing number one, and you're playing a Texas team that went up to Michigan last year and beat them pretty soundly.
So, It's a tough decision. You know, whoever starts, yeah, the receivers are amazing. Jeremiah Smith, how do you cover him? No idea. But the pressure of playing Ohio State, um I kind of said this for a few years.
I think that's the most pressure-packed position in all of college football because of the guys that came before you: Will Howard, CJ Stroud, Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins. Joe Burrow didn't start there and went to LSU. It's a tough job to be the Ohio State quarterback. you know, the number one priority is you got to go out and play well in the big games. Man, Will Howard after the Michigan game, he played amazing through that playoff run.
Yeah, we're waiting to see. We know it's a lot of pressure, even for Ryan Day, coming off of a championship. People are like, hey, man, go out there and be. Michigan.
So we'll see what happens with Ohio State in their quarterback position. We're being joined by Bill Bender from the Sporting News. We know one place there is no quarterback battle, and that's down in Texas, which you mentioned with Arch Manning. We know Quinn Uers is trying to stick to the back of the Miami Dolphins right now, and Arch Manning has a full goal down in Texas. What are you expecting from him this year?
And we heard from his grandpa, Archie. That he's not going to enter into the draft next year. Do you think that's a little bit of lip service, or what are your thoughts on that? I believe it. I'll start there.
I believe it because Peyton played four years. Eli played five. You like played behind a guy, remember Romero Miller at Ole Miss. I mean, that's a dated reference. I get it.
But I mean, those guys stayed and made sure they got enough time that they were ready to be number one picks in the NFL. And a stat I keep throwing out, I'm throwing it out, and I'll probably do it for another year, is. Since 1998, when Peyton was drafted number one, only two quarterbacks. played one year as a starter. Kim Newton, Tyler Murray, both amazing, right?
They had this amazing.
So it would take to me that kind of amazing Heisman trophy type year. first manning to go to the NFL. And I really believe, you know, They've been patient with them. He didn't transfer. We're going to get the best out of him.
And something Peyton Manning, I had an interview with him earlier this summer, that he pointed out, he's had the same coordinator, same coach the whole time. And that matters. Remember, Peyton had the same offensive coordinator, Tom Moore. I don't have the years in front of me, but it was well over a decade. Wow.
Well, we're looking forward. Man, I've been wanting to see Arch. From last year, now we finally get a chance. To see what he can do, there's so many quarterbacks that are going to get even more of a chance. Carson Beck is now on a new team.
Kate Klubnick, let's see what he does at Clemson. Garrett Nussmeyer, another year at LSU. But then you run into a guy like Drew Aller, who's moving into another year. There are big expectations on him. Do you think Penn State will take the next step?
Because we don't need to see Drew Aller, you know, throwing the ball away at a pivotal moment at the end of a game anymore. They got the running backs. They got the talent. I've got all the beasts in place. You know, they're starting number two in the pools.
A lot of expectations. I still think it kind of brings a little bit of what we're talking about here. They got to beat Ohio State, in my opinion. You know, that's the game I circle. Can you go out and beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 2016?
If they do that, then we'll start to believe, hey, this team can actually. He'll win a Big Ten title. He'll win a national title. I thought in the back of my mind last year. is that Notre Dame game was going on.
man, if they beat Notre Dame, there's their shot. Go beat the Buckeyes. And um It just didn't happen that way. But I think James Franklin's done a great job there. He comes under a lot of fire.
But they've got to go out and win the big ones this year. This is the, you know, Michigan did it. Ohio State did it. Kind of reminds me when I was in high school in the 90s. It's this is the year where, in theory, it's Penn State's turn.
Bill Bender here with us from the Sporting News. You you talk about a coach just being looked upon as, hey man, it's it's time to get it together. Is is Brian Kelly on any type of hot seat with L S U? He started off as a joke, turned things around a little bit, but people are expecting more. Yeah, I mean, that Clemson game's huge.
They haven't won a season opener in five years. The big games are there. Most programs would take 10 wins, 10 wins, 9 wins, but most programs aren't LSU. And Brian Kelly's been winning 10 games for a long time.
So. And when you started talking about a coach that needs to get it together, I knew you were going to say BK.
So. from a perception standpoint, that first game's huge. If they beat Clemson, We're going to be like, man, Garrett and Usmeier's for real. All those transfers worked. This team can win the SEC.
But they've got to go out and do it. And I know, I, you know, we talk about fit all the time in college football. Does he fit at LSU? That's always a question in the back of my mind. I mean, Certain coaches, it doesn't matter.
Nick Saban fit in Alabama because he won six titles. you can make yourself fit, but I think BK the pressure is to go out and do it. Bill Bender here with us on the JR Sport Brief Show. I feel like we've entered into a new era, and we know from the finances and what have you, the transfer portal, NIL. The parody in college football.
Do you think it's here to stay? I think the excitement of the playoff era is where we got to go. Let's perfect the playoff. Let's seat it properly. They're doing that.
If we want to make it 16, that's fine. It did both for me last year, other than being too long. You get the national championship teams where they should be, but you also get to tell other stories like Indiana, Boise State, Arizona State. We wouldn't have known who Kim Scatabu was if not for that run that they made last year. And I think that's the good thing.
We get to tell more stories. I don't know if it's parody.
So much as opportunity and access. And that's important in the playoff. If the old days are gone, I can talk about the 90s all I want. But those days are gone. You know, the split titles are gone.
We want to make the playoff as compelling as possible. And if college football can do that, November will be amazing because teens are trying to get in, and that playoff will be amazing.
Now, the only thing I'll say. Can't go head to head against the NFL that deep. You've got to shorten it just a bit because No, the title game was one day after Buffalo and Baltimore last year. I don't know if that's a risky strategy to me. Yeah, well, we we know they're in it for the cash.
It's like, hey, it comes a point in time where even though you got too fat of a pig, you're not going to get the job done. John, I got to ask you this. This story came and went rather quickly this week. John Matier's old Venmo messages. Is that now something that's gone, swept under the rug?
Is that actually going to be looked at? What's going on there?
Now they're going to look at it because we know what happened with the Iowa and Iowa State players. And you know, you just got to be careful. You know, I have a teenage son, I tell him, be careful what you send at all times, you know, and I do the same.
So, you know, I think John Matier. Hopefully, he gets to play. I'm hoping that he wasn't actually gambling while he was a student athlete, and I think that's the case. Man, what a talented quarterback he is. And I want to see what he does with that Oklahoma offense this year.
You want to talk about a coach that needs to get it together, Rand Venables and the Sooners. And guess what? Kind of brings this full circle. Michigan's going there in week two to price underwood. I love matchups like that.
I want to see more of them, and I hope the playoff era allows for it. And if John Matthier's kind of a Heisman dark horse, isn't he? I mean, if he has a monster year, he can do it. He can throw the ball, he can run the rock, and then he can gamble on it too.
So we'll see. Yeah, I mean, that's that's a combination. But, you know, I do think they are an interesting team. The SEC has 10 teams in the pool. any one of them from three through 10 that can change any given weekend and guess what about Eight A's.
We got week zero. We got Iowa State, Kansas State, Dublin. Nothing's more college football than that. Yeah, you you got that right. Looking forward to it.
Hey, Bill, thank you so much for the time. Hey, please tell everybody where they can follow you and all of your writings and work with the Sporting News. Yeah, I'm at Bill Bender92 at SportingNews.com. And, you know, I know we'll be visiting quite a bit during the season. I'm looking forward to it.
I really appreciate you having me on. No, no doubt about it. Appreciate it from you as well. Hey, enjoy what is left of summer, okay, Bill? I will.
Thanks so much.
