Today we've got long time friend of the program Russ Mitchell from College Football News on the show to talk about some serious bowl action. Today we have a mega breakdown from the SEC's bowl match ups as the league is set to have eight games of note in the next week plus, including the BCS Championship. The SEC will be making up half of the match up in the Music City, Liberty, Chick-fil-A, Outback, Capital One, Gator and Cotton Bowls this season and 100% of the BCS Championship.

As we're inclined to do Russ and I get into them from the top to the bottom starting with Mississippi State taking on Wake Forest in a game where the Bulldogs look to take out their SEC West frustrations on the Demon Deacons by slapping them around and running the ball. In the Liberty Bowl Vandy takes on Cinci in a game where we find out how good the Big East Co-Champs really are, one third of them has already lost to NC State. CFA game has an Auburn team in disarray about to get a Virginia team that wants to power through them running the ball.

Three straight Big Ten-SEC match ups as Georgia takes on Michigan State, South Carolina squares off with Nebraska and Ohio State goes up against Florida. We hit these pretty hard as we look at who is actually good, who is a paper tiger and how these three match ups for bragging rights will shake out.

Oh, and there's a little BCS title game that we get into really, really heavy. We disagree, we agree, we debate and we go back and forth around this game from a myriad of angles. One of the most fun discussions of the title game that we've had to date.



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We've got a great podcast to speed you into the New Year as one of our favorites joins us on the show, former Dawgs defensive end David Pollack. Pollack is currently an ESPN analyst and co-host of the Palmer and Pollack show on ESPNU. He's been great to hear on Gameday and spots on The Experts talking ball because, as is always the case, hearing dudes talk defense instead of how great offense is and lame storylines is a win for me.

David and I start off talking about the Dawgs and how Todd Grantham has brought a bit of the attitude they require to the party and how they program as a whole has benefited from his addition. We get into how good Michigan State is and wrap up the Outback Bowl chat by getting into my favorite Dawg; Orson Charles.

Then we get into the Fiesta Bowl, a game that for those of you who love points, should be mighty interesting. Pollack and I talk about Stanford benefiting more from the extra prep time and how dynamic their use of three tight end sets is throughout the game. With no discernable coaching edge, we'll be looking at which quarterback is able to score that extra touchdown his team needs to win.

Last we get to the BCS Championship game and all the glory that two defensive happy guys can have talking about Bama and LSU. That's what this is, talking about the differences, the brilliance behind each scheme and what makes them work. Just a really fun conversation that I'm glad you all get to enjoy.

Oh and we also talk about the stupid spread punt formation. It sucks.


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We've got Bill Connelly on the podcast talking some bowl action so this is a must listen folks. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bill he can be found doing football writings over at SB Nation, giving you all the Mizzou info for Rock M Nation and being all over the stats at Football Outsiders. All three are great and I definitely recommend checking them out.

Instead of hitting all of the bowl we get to talk about some of the more intriguing match ups out there on the Non-BCS Bowl front, starting with the TicketCity Bowl between Houston and Penn State. Attitude is a big thing for this game and we'll see what each of these teams gives us when they take the field. The discussion of departed coaches and a lack of enthusiasm brings up a general talk about how a coach who is fired or takes a new job handles coaching in the bowl game.

Bill and I also talk a little Alamo Bowl as the Robert Griffin III to the NFL train has really taken off recently. How much should a bowl game play into the "go pro" decision from an NFL and a player's standpoint? With the Champs Sports bowl we hit on FSU-Notre Dame in a game where both teams have a lot to be optimistic about. In the Outback Bowl you've got a Georgia team that's much improved and a Michigan State team that is damn good; but the 49-7 Alabama beat down of Sparty is still fresh in our minds and they have some proving to do.

Then we get to the Independence Bowl where Bill's Mizzou Tigers are taking on my North Carolina Tar Heels. We get a quick run down on both squads for those not familiar with one or both teams then we talk about what folks should expect in this game.


To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

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On today's podcast we go all big time for you guys with ESPN analyst Chris Spielman on the show. Spielman, a former Ohio State Buckeye linebacker, lends us a little of his time to talk about a couple of different things in regards to the college football world. Just as he does during games Spielman gives us some great insight into all of these topics. Talk kicks off with the discussion of the Rose Bowl, one of this bowl season's most intriguing match ups. The Badgers come in with a defense only giving up 17 points a game but proven to be vulnerable against speed going sideline to sideline.

How Wisconsin handles Oregon is as big a question as how the Ducks stop Montee Ball and the Badgers' power rushing attack. Then, as we like to do here at ITB, we talk a little ALL RUSSELL WILSON EVERYTHING and the impact Russell Wilson has had in Madison. As Spielman says this game should be quite a good one come January.

Talk then turns to the big game, the BCS Championship game where Alabama is going to try and topple LSU in New Orleans. The highlight of this discussion is simple, Spielman expounds on the idea I've been talking about all season; what a quarterback run threat does to your defense. He breaks it down well for you folks.

We wrap up by talking some Ohio State and college football miscellany, starting with Urban Meyer and the newest Buckeye coach, Everett Withers. Spielman speaks mighty highly of Withers and then talks about expectations from Urban Meyer and the Ohio State program. To wrap up Chris Spielman makes this guy smile when he mentions while the bowl games might not mean much to YOU, they mean a hell of a lot to teams and coaches and players.



To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

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Early in the morning I got a chance to jump on one of my favorite radio shows, The Insiders with Mark Thomas and Mike Maniscalco on 620 The Buzz and ESPN Triangle. Unlike last chat Mark Thomas and I are aligned in this discussion while Mike Maniscalco falls on the other side when we get into the discussion of how good Boise State will be when they move to the Big East in 2013. Losing Kellen Moore and stepping up competition makes their move a bit of a mystery for a guy like me.

Then we get into talk about the Larry Fedora move to North Carolina as the Southern Miss head coach is poised to step in at Chapel Hill. Fedora brings an exciting offense to Carolina and a young, aggressive attitude to the fanbase. Mark, Mike and I kick around thoughts as we await the press conference to formally introduce the Tar Heels new coach.

To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

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or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

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With yesterday's coaching article coming up this quick radio spot I did on ESPN Triangle and 620 The Buzz fits right into the mix as we discuss a topic that has been bounced back and forth in my neck of the woods and on twitter since the firing of Houston Nutt; is Ole Miss a better job than North Carolina? Mark Thomas, co-host and former NC State tight end, believes that since Ole Miss is in the SEC it is instantly a better job than North Carolina. Mike Maniscalco and myself sit on the other side with the idea that UNC, even with the basketball first culture, is still a better job than Ole Miss. The three of us dance around the subject, kicking out our points and then even after admitting it is easier to set yourself up for your next big job at UNC, Mark says he'd take the Ole Miss gig. Hate is real with him.

After the debate we get into the UNC job itself. Hit on what the university needs, what Bubba Cunningham seems focused on getting and then the names themselves start to get discussed. Of the names bandied about I am a James Franklin guy and we get into why. I also hit on the travesty that is UNC not actively getting after Kirby Smart, how dumb I think "winning the presser" is as a principal and all that jazz from yesterday's write up on coach hunting. By the way check out another spot I did yesterday on the Triad Sports Daily where we get a little more in depth on the whole coaching conundrum at UNC.

To wrap up, after Mark sat there with a straight face and said he'd take Ole Miss as a job over UNC, I reach across the aisle to say congrats to NC State on their bowl bid and their win against Maryland. All jokes aside anytime I see kids get out there and sell out on effort I'm going to root for it, I don't care what color jerseys they are wearing.

To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner , but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

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The Big XII is now just ten teams and that means they don't have the Big XII title game that we've grown accustomed to but we do get a pretty intense show down this weekend in Stillwater. Not quite the "national semifinal" we thought we'd see earlier in the season when both teams were undefeated. Not even the Oklahoma State "for the undefeated season" game we were expecting after the Sooners lost to Texas Tech. But, this is still a 3 vs 13 match up that will help decide the BCS Bowls picture and could, maybe, possibly, perhaps have some national title implications if things that "just" right.

To break it all down with us we've got Eddie Maisonet on the show. Ed is the co-founder and editor in chief of The Sports Fan Journal, he's an editor for SB Nation and a contributor to SLAM! Online. He's an OU guy and we finally get him on the show to chop it up about the Sooners, the Cowboys, Bob Stoops and the entire BCS picture going forward.

We hit on the game, starting off with a brief recap of the Sooners season, including discussing the many woes that afflict this 2011 Oklahoma squad. Ed and I also talk about the Cowboys and how good this Okie State team actually is this year. We hit on the pluses and minuses of each team, get intohow the game will play out and decide whether it is wise to just roll OU out as winners again based upon the fact that "that's what always happens."

As a bonus Ed stays on to talk about the BCS rematch business. We hit on Everett Withers job at North Carolina, talk Big XII's new make up and discuss the addition of Pitt and Syracuse to the ACC as we meander about the college realm to wrap up the show.


To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner , but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

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So we've got more a little more to discuss out of the Penn State affair as Jerry Sandusky did his big interview on NBC with Bob Costas and then CBS did the less than stellar porch ambush of Mike McQueary by Armen Keteyian. There's some new developments as the case is starting to take shape so we'll jump into those as well.

As we hit November it is also coach shopping season folks! Ohio State and Penn State headline the list but UNC, Ole Miss, Arizona, Tulane and others will be joining the party. Let's get a head start on who should be considered where and how the coaches names being bandied about fit at the jobs people are looking for. In this same vein we'll hit on a spot I did yesterday on Chuck Oliver's show down in Atlanta talking Butch Davis, his odd re-appearance and where UNC goes from here.




<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=e4165462d3" >Coaching Vacancies, BCS Outlook & Predictions</a>

We'll also get into the BCS picture as it seems there are nine spots already occupied of the ten available. Let's hit on scenarios, discuss who gets left out in the cold and the possible chances teams like the ACC Championship Game loser, a second Big Ten team and the Boise State Broncoes have to get into the BCS party.



Of course we'll also get into predictions as we do every show, running down the Slate of Eight in an opportunity for people to basically just steal my picks. Hit me up on the twitter and be sure to get into the chat folks. 6:30 eastern time we're kicking it off.

So we've got the Slate of Eight this week folks and with three Big Ten games on the docket we've gone ahead and grabbed one of our favorite B1G guys to tackle the Slate, Adam Jacobi. Adam is a Senior College Football Blogger for CBS Sports, part of that great team the eye has working to cover down the college football world. You also may know him from his long time work for the Iowa site Black Heart, Gold Pants; and if you haven't heard my awesome Pretty Little Liars breakdown on their podcast I recommend you give it a listen. We've got a lot to talk about and a special bonus here as we outline the BCS picture and the five bowls for you in addition to the games.

Here's this week's lineup:

Cincinnati-Rutgers
Kansas State-Texas
Wisconsin-Illinois
SMU-Houston
Nebraska-Michigan
Oklahoma-Baylor
Penn State-Ohio State
USC-Oregon

For starters we've got another edition of the Big East soap opera that is the push for the BCS bid. Adam and I get into Kansas State and how good Collin Klein has been this season. We ask why anyone should believe Illinois can actually beat Wisconsin and then we talk about Houston, an offensive juggernaut with a path to the BCS. Nebraska takes on Michigan as we discuss the "pack" of Big Ten teams clustered from 15 to 21 in the current BCS standings. Oklahoma looks to dismantle Baylor while RGIII and Kendall Wright fight for the upset. 

Then the show gets into Penn State and Ohio State as it seems a race to 17 should decide this game, I roll with Braxton Miller as he continues to get more comfortable with this offense. Out west we hit up Eugene as the Ducks take on the Trojans in a Pac-12 showdown. Should be an exciting game, even as Adam shoots down my theory that De'Anthony Thomas may be the Ducks best player.

Wrapping it up with BCS talk is always fun as we actually alert folks to the fact that Boise State is likely out of the running for an at-large bid.

To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner , but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!

After a couple weeks off there is no better time for the Non-BCS Breakdown to return to the schedule than now. I'm tired, I'm mentally exhausted, I'm disgusted at so much of the ugliness I've seen the last few days that I needed something good to cheer me up and make the podcast fun today. Enter Adam Nettina for the Non-BCS Breakdown folks! I am absolutely, genuinely excited to talk about the "little" guys. As always make sure you check out Go Mids! and The Birddog to keep yourself up to date with the Naval Academy, a team that finally got off their slide with a win this past weekend.

We've got games to chat about folks as Eastern Michigan tries to get one step closer to bowl eligible by beating a Buffalo team that is just plain bad. We hit on the best turnaround of the season, Louisiana-Lafayette, as they battle Arkansas State for a piece of the Sun Belt lead. We've got LaTech taking on an Ole Miss team that's in disarray and then we talk some service academies as Air Force has to get a win over a Wyoming team in the same boat. Brett Smith of Wyoming could be the key to that game as he shares "player to watch" status with Adam Kennedy the Utah State quarterback who is replacing Chuckie Keaton.

In the BCS Busters rank we've got the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss, Houston and the fighting Case Keenums and of course everyone's darlings; Boise State. Adam and I disagree on the Boise State Broncos both as to how good they are and their game this weekend against the TCU Horned Frogs. All in all this was the type of fun, debate filled show that the kid needed after a week that's really weighed heavy on the heart and mind. Thoughts and prayers to those victims and their families.


To listen to the show click here or subscribe to one of the methods listed below.

If you want the podcast you must subscribe to the Feedburner, but if you want to subscribe to the blog please use the RSS Feed. This is for iTunes to be able to archive the shows. You can also search for "In The Bleachers"on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast that way.

Blackberry users like your fearless leader can paste this link into the "Add Podcast Channel" option when you download the Blackberry Podcast App.

Got a question? Email it in to InTheBleachers @ GMAIL (dot) COM

Yes, we're on the Google+ so find "+Michael Felder" on there and we'll get you in the ITB Circle!

Hit us up on Twitter @InTheBleachers!