Dabo Swinney goes nuclear, Duke earns a handsome ransom, Rutgers is in the red, and Fernando Mendoza is everywhere…It’s Tailgators on two…hut! hut!
The Opening Drive:
First Down: Nuclear Option: Clemson’s Dabo Swinney calls out Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding over alleged tampering with Luke Ferrelli. The NCAA is now investigating.
Second Down: Duke’s Ransom: Duke came to a settlement with quarterback Darian Mensah, releasing him early from his 2-year contract, which will allow him to sign with the Miami Hurricanes.
Third Down: Trouble at Rutgers: The school’s athletic department is reporting losses of $70 million last year, and as much as $500 million since joining the Big Ten 12 years ago. Is this the future of college athletics?
Fourth Down: Fernando Mania: Mendoza appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon; I think he was on Good Morning America. My wife’s co-worker’s daughter’s roommate saw him at the airport.
Watch Tailgators Setup Podcast on Substack:
The Portal John
In our newest segment1, our resident-college-football-expert, John Crimella, evaluates the moves schools have made with the transfer portal.
Penn State
Florida
Schedule Release: The Big Ten released its 2026 conference schedule on Tuesday, January 27th. We discuss what stood out to us, including key games.
Congratulations: Kudos to former Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders on being named to the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl following his rookie season.
Draft Updates:
Diego Pavia is NOT 6’0”
Should the Raiders take Fernando or trade the No. 1 pick for more picks?
Be Sure to Check Out The Following College Football Substacks:
A special shout-out to Griffin Olah and Lane Fobbs, who was “the top ball-knower” in SID Sports preseason prognostications. You can check out both of their Substacks here:
And be sure to SUBSCRIBE to Tailgators Setup as well:
Why did it take so long to come up with this name for all the transfer portal talk?
