The Tailgators Setup Podcast: Week

This Week’s Top 5 (2023 Record in Parenthesis):

John swaps Penn State for USC, thanks to another prolific Nittany Lions’ offensive performance, while USC escaped from Boulder against Deion and crew. Gary and Brian’s Top 5 remain the same, with Georgia still at the top.

John’s Game of the Week: (We might have co-Games of the Week!)

CATS & DOGS: Reigning, defending national champs, the Georgia Bulldogs, host the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats in John’s game of the week. / Source: NBC Sports

20 Kentucky at 1 Georgia 7 p.m. on ESPN: The No. 1 team in the country faces an undefeated SEC squad that might be the real deal.

12 Oklahoma at 3 Texas 12 p.m. on ABC: The Red River Rivalry. The Cotton Bowl. 

Other Games to Watch:

LIL BRO: Tualia Tagovailoa, younger brother of Dolphins quarterback Tua, leads the undefeated Terps into the Horseshoe for a showdown with the Buckeyes this Saturday. / Source: FOX Sports

Maryland (5-0) at 4 Ohio St.: From Brian: Remember, I’m looking to buy tickets to go see Penn State at Maryland in November. I need at least one of the teams to lose before then so I can afford to go! Could this also be John’s Underdog of the Week?! How is Maryland still unranked?

10 Notre Dame vs 25 Louisville: How much emotion does Notre Dame have left in the tank against a good Louisville team on the road? And USC is the following week.

23 LSU at 21 Missouri: Can the Bayou Bengals bounce back and prove they should still be ranked? Or are the Tigers of Mizzou for real?

No. 11 Alabama at Texas A&M 3:30 p.m. on CBS: Don’t look now…. But Bama is getting better. Can they go on the road and continue to improve against a solid Texas A&M defense and a mediocre Jimbo offense?

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Underdog of the Week:

STOOPS, THERE HE IS: Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has the Wildcats playing some of the best football in the SEC this year. They face a big test this week against No. 1 Georgia. / Source: NKyTribune

No. 20 Kentucky: From John: Kentucky ran all over my hapless Gators last week. And Georgia couldn’t stop the run against Auburn, who still doesn’t have someone who can really throw the ball. But Devon Leary can! Is this the week the Bulldogs finally get tripped up?

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Hot Topics of the Week: Let’s talk briefly about…

PREVENT: Duke’s move to a prevent defense in Saturday’s game against Notre Dame led to their defeat. / Source: WITN

Prevent Defense: We allow John to get on his soapbox to discuss how the only thing prevent defenses are good for is preventing you from winning. Case in point from this past week: Duke losing to Notre Dame.

No. 7 Penn State’s Offense: The team has now scored 30+ points in 12 straight games, the longest streak in the nation. 

No. 1 Georgia continues to struggle: Georgia struggled and scored late in the fourth quarter to beat Auburn. But Auburn rushed for more than 200 yards, the first time against Georgia since 2018. The offense doesn’t look great. Auburn the previous week against Texas A&M never had a trip to the red zone. Something’s wrong with the Dawgs.

Top teams struggled: Everywhere people struggled this week. USC had to hold on vs Colorado. Washington was just ho-hum. Oregon had a slow start. Georgia struggled. Texas and Oklahoma looked poor in the first half (looking ahead?). At this point, is there really a #1 team?

Heisman Trophy Watch:

STRIKE A POSE: Kentucky running back Ray Davis’s performance this season is helping him make a case for the Heisman Trophy. / Source: The Courier-Journal

We discuss current front-runners and players who are making a case for the award with their play on the field.

Caleb Williams (QB, USC), Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU), Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas), Jordan Travis (QB, FSU), Shadeur Sanders (QB, COL), Michael Penix Jr. (QB, Washington), Bo Nix (QB, OR), Ray Davis (RB, KY) 594 yards on 76 rushes and 8 TDs, Brock Bowers (TE, Georgia)

“131 teams. Only 1 will survive.”