Saturday Blitz Podcast

John and Zach remember former Miami, Louisville, Oklahoma, and FAU head coach Howard Schnellenberger after his recent passing in the opening segment of this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast. Also covered this week is Barry Alvarez's possible ride into the sunset after more than three decades at Wisconsin, what a ruling in favor of players in the upcoming Alston v. NCAA Supreme Court ruling could mean for college football, and Lincoln Riley's recent comments on intraconference transfers.

John and Zach are back after a hiatus to discuss some of the bigger stories in college football over the past month. This week's podcast includes a discussion of Les Miles and his demise at Kansas in the opening segment. After the first break, we look at a rare North Dakota State loss before diving into the overemphasis on prototypical body types among NFL Draft prospects.

With John about to move to a new state, we discuss the current state of the transfer portal and the unique challenges of switching schools in a pandemic. After the break, the discussion picks up with a look at Jackson State's 53-0 shutout of NAIA Edward Waters and what it means for Deion Sanders and the start of his coaching career. Support for this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast is brought to you by MANSCAPED™, the best in men's below-the-belt grooming. Take advantage of the promo code Fansided20 at manscaped.com for 20% off and free shipping today!

John and Zach return this week to break down Gus Malzahn's new post in Orlando and the mutual benefits for both coach and school in the hire. After a short break, we return to discuss concerns and storylines for the FCS spring season that kicks off this week Support for this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast is brought to you by MANSCAPED™, the best in men's below-the-belt grooming. Take advantage of the promo code Fansided20 at manscaped.com for 20% off and free shipping today!

John and Zach are back this week to go over all the big stories from National Signing Day. Which teams cleaned up, and which teams left something to be desired? After the break, the podcast returns to offer thoughts on the biggest recent story for college football fans -- the announcement by EA Sports that the company would relaunch their college football video game franchise soon. We break down what EA Sports should and should not do with the new release when it finally hits the market. Support for this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast is brought to you by MANSCAPED™, the best in men's below-the-belt grooming. Take advantage of the promo code Fansided20 at manscaped.com for 20% off and free shipping today!

John and Zach return after a few weeks off after the end of the 2020 season for the first Saturday Blitz Podcast of the offseason. The first segment focuses in on stories from the Senior Bowl before turning to discuss realignment gossip after the break. In the final two segments, we turn our attention to the best and worst coaching hires so far this offseason.

John and Zach offer some instant reactions to Alabama's defeat of Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship. This episode was recorded immediately after the conclusion of the 52-24 Crimson Tide victory. Included in the discussion are takes on where this Alabama team stands among Nick Saban's six national titles in Tuscaloosa and where Mac Jones fits among all-time Crimson Tide quarterbacks.

John and Zach return for the first episode of 2021 with a look back at the College Football Playoff semifinals and a look ahead to the championship game between Alabama and Ohio State.

John and Zach discuss all things College Football Playoff this week, beginning with an overview of what the selection committee got right and what they got wrong with the final Top 25 of the season. In the second segment the discussion turns to the cancellation of the Rose Bowl and what it means for the shape of future postseasons. In the third spot John introduces a discussion about the Coaches Poll and where Group of Five coaches voted for Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina. The final two segments break down the New Year's Six games and the two College Football Playoff semifinals.

John and Zach are both back this week with a fully loaded episode. The opening segment begins with a broad overview of the 2020 bowl season. After the first break the discussion turns to a debate about the merits of Ohio State, USC, and the Big Ten and Pac-12 in a year where both leagues played fewer games. The third segment digs into the flagging hopes of Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina to make noise in the national discussion and what Group of Five teams must do. The last segment offers a three-part look at every conference championship game against the spread.

After technical difficulties sidelined the Saturday Blitz Podcast over the past few weeks, the show returns for a discussion about national championship narratives. With John still out of commission, Zach highlights the national championship selectors besides the College Football Playoff in the opening segment. After the first break, Zach welcomes new Saturday Blitz co-expert Chris Peterson to the show for an interview. In the final segment, Zach returns to break down the latest batch of College Football Playoff rankings released on December 8.

In this week's episode, John and Zach open off with a look back at the Bowl Championship Series. Thinking first about why it was so reviled at the time of its existence and how perspectives have changed over the six-plus years since the last BCS championship game, the conversation then shifts to what a BCS-style ranking might look like in 2020. After the break, the podcast returns with our weekly look at five key games against the spread from the Week 11 slate.

John and Zach return this week to discuss the return of Pac-12 football, going over sleepers, overrated teams, and whether anyone can emerge as a College Football Playoff contender out of the league. After the break, the Tailgater crew returns to offer up picks against the spread for five big Week 10 games.

This week John and Zach sit down to discuss surprises from the opening weekend of Big Ten football, and expand into a discussion about Graham Mertz's positive COVID-19 test and what Big Ten protocols might mean for the Badgers as well as the long-term ability to get in a full season. After the break, the discussion continues with takes on Halloween candy and a look at the top games against the spread on the Week 9 slate.

John and Zach return this week to discuss the long-awaited return of Big Ten football to the fall slate, breaking down the biggest games in the league in Week 8 along with a broader look at how the league might fare in the College Football Playoff race. After the first break, the conversation shifts to a broader look at whether anyone can emerge undefeated after a weekend where several perfect records fell. In the final segment, we look at the five biggest games of the week and make our picks against the spread.

This week, John and Zach open with a critical discussion about what is going on in the Big 12 this season. After Oklahoma's back-to-back losses and a home loss by Texas, does anyone stand a chance of coming out of the Big 12 and playing in the College Football Playoff this season? After tackling that question, the crew turns its attention to the shifting situation in the Group of Five as the Mountain West returns and key contenders stumbled in Week 5. The final segment dives into tailgater food and drink choices before picking five key games against the spread for Week 6.

John and Zach return this week to discuss the chaotic AP Top 25 as several top-10 teams fell and the poll welcomed back Big Ten and Pac-12 teams. After going over how AP voters felt this week, the conversation shifts to a deeper discussion of the SEC's return. In the final segment, John and Zach offer up their food and drink suggestions along with some picks against the spread for key Week 5 games.

John returns with Zach this week to discuss his Hurricane Sally experience on the Gulf coast before the crew dives in to talk about the Big Ten's return, the Sun Belt's rise, Miami's resurgence, and the postponements and cancellations already piling up around the country.

Zach flies solo for this week's Saturday Blitz Podcast to discuss the opening of the 2020 college football season. The first segment highlights the big stories from Labor Day weekend for FBS teams, before shifting to discuss season openers for Power Five programs in the ACC and Big 12. In the final segment, Zach dives in to discuss the impact of the season start on the millions of fans whose teams are not playing this fall.

After briefly looking at the FCS Kickoff, John and Zach wrap up the final episode of the 2020 conference preview series with a look at the SEC. Included in the discussion is a team-by-team breakdown along with a look at each division race, a discussion about the impact of players opting out, and whether the champion will wear an asterisk in the history books.