As the great 20th Century philospher John Cameron Fogerty once said,
“Now, when I was just a little boy
Standin’ to my daddy’s knee
My papa said, “Son, don’t let the man get you
And do what he done to me
‘Cause he’ll get you”
- “Born on the Bayou”
This week, Brian Kelly found out how prescient those words are. The coaching carousel continues. QBs go down. And we bet the NCAA has a gambling issue soon. It’s Tailgators on two…hut! hut!
The Opening Drive:
1st Down: Geaux Bye: Brian Kelly was fired on Sunday by LSU, creating the third open coaching seat in the SEC. Why did Kelly fail at LSU? Will he ever coach again? And who will replace him?
2nd Down: HR Wants 2 C U: The guys discuss the current head coach openings and “hire” who they think will get the job.
3rd Down: QB Down: Beau Pribula and Arch Manning are both knocked out. What are the implications these injuries have on the CFP?
4th Down: Gambling: The NCAA was scheduled to relax the rules about athletes being able to bet on sports. Then the FBI arrested an NBA player and head coach.
This week, SID Sports and friend of the podcast, Griffin Olah, asked the question, “When is enough enough?” when it comes to sports gambling. You can read his piece here:
Watch Tailgators Setup Podcast on Substack:
John’s Game of the Week:
Game of the Week: Penn State at Ohio State, TBD (YUGE game for James Franklin); Georgia at Florida, 3:30 p.m. ABC (Florida’s schedule is brutal, again) The college football gods laugh at us!!!
No. 17 Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) at No. 24 Utah (6-2, 3-2) 10:15 p.m. ESPN: John’s ready to give the Big XII some love! The Bearcats are on a seven-game win streak, while the Utes are in a must-win situation the rest of season to stay in the Big 12 race.
Other ‘sexy’ match-ups
No. 9 Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1 SEC) at No. 20 Texas (6-2, 3-1) 12 p.m. ABC: The status of Texas QB Arch Manning is unknown after he left last week’s game with a concussion. The Longhorns win against Mississippi State kept their slim playoff hopes alive. Vandy looks to continue their best season ever.
No. 18 Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2 SEC) at No. 14 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2), 7:30 p.m. ABC: The Sooners’ defense looked pedestrian against Mississippi last week. Now they go on the road to face one of the most explosive offenses in the country. With two losses each, this is essentially a defacto CFP elimination game for Oklahoma and Tennessee.
The (#notsponsored) Hooters Pick’em Challenge:
Gary squeeks out a 1-point victory over John and Brian, capping off a great week by all three. Meanwhile, John’s season total shrinks to one game ahead of Gary.
Last Week: Gary 19-2; John 18-3; Brian 18-3.
Season Totals: John 150-49; Gary 149-50; Brian 141-58.
Here’s this week’s picks:
Gary’s Cocktail of the Week/The Stadium Series:
This week Gary packs the covered wagon and heads West to Rice–Eccles Stadium, an outdoor college football stadium located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the home field of the Utah Utes of the Big 12 Conference.
Rice-Eccles, the Salt Lake City Treat
1.5 oz Gin
2 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Club Soda
Grapefruit wedge
Use lime or grapefruit wedge to rim the glass, then dip into salt, fill glass with ice and pour in the gin, pink grapefruit juice and club soda and stir gently, garnish with grapefruit wedge.
Epic Brewing Big Bad Baptist Old Fashioned
11.8% ABV Imperial Stout
Aged in Whiskey Barrels
Location: 825 S State StSalt Lake City, Utah
The Heisman Watch:
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana: Indiana’s signal caller is a lock for New York City come December. He’s also garnering “first quarterback drafted” by NFL scouts.
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama: Keeps winning and looking impressive while doing so. Another likely first round NFL draft pick.
Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt: It wasn’t pretty, but he managed to tough out the win against Missouri last week. Another showdown this week in Texas against pre-season Heisman favorite Arch Manning, who may not play. Pavia will find a chip on his shoulder regardless.
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State: Nearly 2,000 yards passing, and 19 touchdowns. Look for him to go off against Penn State to make a statement.
Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech: Leads the undefeated Yellow Jackets with 1,480 yards passing and 651 yards rushing, with a combined 19 touchdowns.
