Chris Doering, ESPN College Football Analyst

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Discover Bank, member FDIC. Alrighty, football Friday right here. Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio. Let's go out to the guest line right now and welcome in the former UF wide receiver. Now does a great job as an SEC network analyst and that of course is Chris Doran, kind enough to join us to preview a big weekend of college football. Chris, always appreciate the time.

Thanks for it. How you been? Hey, I'm good man. Good to be back with you brother. Well thanks so much for coming on. Let's start you off with the rivalry you know well.

The world's largest outdoor cocktail party. I'll start you off on the Georgia side of it. Like all year we've said, alright Georgia's a little vulnerable but they're still undefeated. The schedule isn't great. How do you kind of view the Bulldogs heading into this one this weekend? Yeah, I think I view the Bulldogs a lot like I view Michigan. Two teams that we know based upon the eye test are really good teams. The way they're built, the fact that they haven't played really any true competition yet leaves you a little bit skeptical about who they are this season. As it relates to Georgia, I do think there's a little drop-off from where they were last year and the year before. A lot of that has to do with the defense that's now playing in the NFL and largely for the Philadelphia Eagles but I do think there are some vulnerabilities that exist that may not have existed there before as it related to being able to run the football a little bit more on them and to be able to take advantage of the quarterback. Carson Beck, a young player still in a starting career going back to his hometown in Jacksonville.

You know how sometimes you go back in front of the friends and family and you want to press a little harder. So I do think Austin Armstrong has the ability to kind of disrupt him and force him into some errors. The good thing for Georgia, the running game seems to be getting back on track. Kendall Milton and Dejean Edwards are both more healthy now than they've been and that offensive line certainly is one of the best in the conference.

They're always going to miss Brock Bowers but is this a week where they really miss Brock Bowers or to come back to bite them? Yeah I mean I never want to kind of disparage Brock Bowers by saying it doesn't matter but I think there's a ton of really good players that they've recruited on the offensive side. The receivers are a much more talented deep group of players than they have been in years past so I think that helps to compensate and a lot of people say yeah Oscar Delp and Lucky the freshman those two guys can pick up some of the slack which is true but I instead of playing more too tight in formations like they typically have I think they maybe spread it out a little bit more and utilize now that Ladd McConkie's back fully healthy you know have him as the focal point of the passing game.

I think Rosemary Jackson has done a great job this year as well so they've got some really good homegrown talent as well as what they brought into the transfer portal with Rah Rah Thomas and Dominic Lovett. Talking to Chris Doering right now this Florida team in a big game up against Kentucky didn't show up and they got run right through like a hot knife through butter a few weeks ago right they were able to beat Tennessee that's a solid win even though Tennessee is not as great of a program as they were a year ago. What is this Florida team as now they get ready for their biggest game of the season their biggest test against number one Georgia? Yeah I think that's a big question and Florida certainly has had its ups and downs this year they have not handled success very well as you mentioned winning against Tennessee and then going on the road and getting blown out of by Kentucky.

I think it'll be important to see how they handled the success from two weeks ago in Columbia. This is a game that, excuse me, a team that we're celebrating as Florida fans as being maybe turning the corner but in reality it was a last-minute comeback you're down by ten in the final five minutes against a two-win football team in South Carolina so how much credibility can we really give that win? The thing I liked about it was the offensive explosion throwing the football down the field a little more vertical passing threat and certainly the energy the energy from the opening kickoff on the sideline it looked like the team had a greater sense of urgency more fight in it so I do think in the days to come as we look back on this year I think that that win at South Carolina can look as a maybe the turning point for where this team got it together and started hitting the upward trajectory. And you know that Florida used to be this dominant program and they're trying to get back to those days and everyone kind of asked those questions whether it's with Texas or Miami you know how far away is Florida from being back on a scale of one to ten one being no confidence ten being all the confidence in the roof through the roof where's your confidence with this head football coach and Billy Napier? Yeah my confidence is high I'd say it's an eight right now certainly the win in Columbia was they took off a little bit of the pressure after losing to Utah in the opener after losing to like in Kentucky and Lexington the struggles on the road were very well noted I think he was one in eight or one in seven in the previous road game so getting that win was huge but I think part of the optimism comes in at looking at the the signing class for 2024 they're in the top three nationally right now Billy Napier has done a great job of creating relationships and some excitement amongst the high school recruits and I think that's what people really the season you know seeing them play more competitively seeing them win some games is important but I think the most important thing is is continuing to build the foundation which they've done well through the transfer portal and the signing class last year I think like 45 new players on the roster this year and then that group coming in next year led by DJ Lagway who's one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Chris Doring I thought Alabama was done last week going into halftime and they came out with the bang to start the third quarter. When you look at the Crimson Tide even after that early season loss to Texas what are they starting to shape it up to be for Nick Saban and company? Yeah I'm with you man I thought Alabama was dead multiple times and every time I'm throwing dirt on their grave they come back like the Undertaker here so I think you know heading into the season I had them going nine and three I was worried about their offensive line I was worried about the receivers who haven't really stepped up the quarterback position was a huge question mark after that Texas game and they got exposed a little bit and the struggles in the following week against South Florida I think these guys will be lucky to get the nine wins and all of a sudden here we are what are they six seven and one whatever it is right now I think Nick Saban is deserved of being in the coach of the year conversation in the SEC and we usually don't include him in that but looking how this team has developed throughout the season where they came from with all those questions before the season when they came from after that loss to Texas I think he's done a great job they're one of the best defenses in the SEC that front seven is filled with really talented young players you look at what they've done at the quarterback position Jalen Milrose still gives you some mistakes here and there but the downfield passing has been tremendous and it's running ability is unquestioned and then Jermaine Burton seems to have started stepping up along with Isaiah Bond and some of those other receivers so I do feel like the team is making some strides and and next week and at home against LSU has a chance to be a huge football game that could very well put them back in Atlanta for another SEC Championship game. Wrapping up with Chris Doering when I get to BYU in Texas this weekend we know Quinn Ewers is out Malik Murphy is going to start for the Longhorns but everyone's wondering are we gonna see Arch Manning well Arch Manning get into the game of Murphy's struggles how do you think Sark's gonna continue to handle that at Texas where there's gonna be a lot of public pressure to play Arch Manning if things don't go well with Malik Murphy? Yeah he doesn't seem to be affected by public pressure I don't think Sark really cares much about that and he's one of the best offensive minds in college football right now I you know I give him a lot of credit for what he's had to come back from the way that he proved himself at Tuscaloosa with Alabama and that coaching staff there I I trust what his evaluation is of quarterbacks and how he puts those guys in positions to be successful I think Malik Murphy it's gonna be a stressful game when you make your your first start like that it certainly creates some anxiety but I think this coaching staff understands there's gonna be some growing pains and we just have to be patient with them clearly you know you and I don't get to see all of the practices and the hours put forth behind the scenes and there's a reason why Arch Manning isn't in that number two spot you know heading into the season I think you know the best thing you can do for a guy that has the Manning last name is not put more pressure on him by throwing him in there before he's ready and I think this actually does him a great service in terms of allowing him to continue to get better until it's his opportunity Oregon and Utah another big game this weekend maybe the biggest game this weekend depending on who you ask I heard urban Meyer earlier in the week say Kyle Whittingham is the best coach in the country do you agree with that and if not how many coaches do you put in front of Kyle Whittingham well I don't think he's better than Nick Saban but I think Kyle Whittingham is certainly up there amongst the top three or four in the country and the thing that I love about him a couple different things the dude never has any excuses hadn't had his starting quarterback or starting tight end all year long doesn't make that be something that even focuses on two he's done I like the contrarian point of view he's coaching out there in the Pac-12 instead of trying to build the team like everybody else has he built it really strong and physically on the off offensive defensive lines and that's why you go back and look at the way they've owned USC the last couple years that that physicality is a difference maker and you see Dan landing kind of doing the same thing at Oregon the way he's kind of built that that team after where he was in Athens at Georgia so really impressed with Kyle Whittingham I think he's one of the guys you know you you you're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse that that's the guy you want the out of there he looks like he's tough hardcore and unfazed by any sort of adversity I like landing a lot and I say this in a kind way he's kind of got a little psycho to him in those pregame speeches where he's like talk with your helmet talk with your helmet I love that stuff from a college football coach yeah he's got a lot of Kirby smart in him right I mean you listen to Dan landing it sounds exactly like something you'd hear from the Georgia locker room too so I love it as well I don't think he's long for the Pac-12 you know that the next big job that opens up in the SEC I plan to see Dan landing coaching that I could be wrong about that but his style obviously his background what he loves in terms of physical football being a defensive coordinator in this past I think fits perfectly here and letting the SEC does that move to the Big Ten it'll change that just wondering like is the Big Ten big enough for him where even with what you're saying about the SEC he'll go okay I'll pass up on an SEC job I mean maybe you're right maybe you know wanting to test the waters there maybe the opportunity to build some more depth outside of just Oregon excuse me out of Ohio State and Michigan in that conference but I do think still even though the the pre-conference schedule was not favorable for the SEC I think everybody wants to test their wares in the conference and see just how they're able to compete the highest level last thing I'll ask you Chris Doran before we let you run everyone's had a reaction to it what is your perspective of everything going on with Michigan right now in this sign stealing scheme scandal well you know I think there's different levels of sign stealing I've never been pissed off at a guy on second base for stealing the catcher signs because it's right in its plain view I do have a problem with the Astros videoing it from the outfield that hitting trash cans to pass that information along to to the batter and I think that's kind of the same thing we're dealing with here if you're in the middle of a game everybody's stealing signs everybody's trying to get a look at what the the signalers from the sideline are putting in that's part of the game but when you're going through such a well-thought-out plan to buy tickets sit across from the crowd or the team you're looking at and using phones and other reporting devices that to me has gone too far and I do think there needs to be further look into figuring out exactly what happened and then some appropriate punishment being levied he is Chris Doran Chris appreciate the time as always thanks so much for doing this yeah thanks for having me back man