[Music] you're listening to the hog Sports Network daily podcast now here's your host Matt [Music] Jones happy Friday to you Arkansas and Oklahoma State game day just a day away we'll talk today about the Razer backs and the Cowboys with Taylor McGregor who's going to be on the sideline for the game on ABC tomorrow we'll also talk with Ben pornoy about the house versus NCAA settlement and what went down Thursday and why that settlement might might be in danger now Ethan Westerman will also be on desk with me as we look forward to Arkansas and Oklahoma State but first as I mentioned we'll have Taylor McGregor Taylor uh it's always great to talk to you for those who do not know Taylor is a University of Arkansas graduate and uh you're a pro Taylor but is there ever is there something extra when you get to the callar Razer back game it's special for sure I think the thing for me is just the amount of reflection I get to do leading up to a game you know I was on my phone today looking at old photos of when I was a Junior and senior in college running cable for ESPN and with a dream of wanting to be a reporter one day and so sometimes I just have these Pinch Me moments and especially when I cover an Arkansas game like oh my gosh I can't believe I actually got to this point um and I'm just so thankful for my time at the University of Arkansas because it afforded me so many amazing opportunities to get involved to meet people and to learn and grow while I was still a student so it's it's certainly special for sure just to reflect on the journey Taylor will be in still water with Dave Pas play-by-play and Dusty dorek the analyst Taylor I feel like you've been somewhat of a good luck charm to Sam Pitman I I'm tell me if I'm wrong but I think they're undefeated when you've been on the sideline you know they're two and 0 and two overtime games so I don't know if uh Pitman considers me luck because I was around for the Liberty bull when Kansas made that dramatic comeback um and it it almost did not go in the hog's favor but you listen I always say like in my role we're we're neutral but I cheer for good games and so if if my luck is overtime games I'm I'm all for it and of course you were there for Florida last year Arkansas's only SEC win U so as we record this interview it's Friday morning U I know that you typically will talk to the coaches the day before the game have you had those conversations yet those are coming up uh tonight so Friday Friday night but we've talked to several of the players so gotten a little bit of insight I'm excited to talk to coach Pitman and of course uh patrino and then Travis Williams as well what he did with the defense last year the leap they took was incredible and he's one of my favorite guys in this sport to talk to just the energy that he brings so that'll be tonight and I'm really looking forward to it what kind of sense have you gotten from the players about this game I think the players are in such a good mindset of this is an entirely new team and and I've been asked a lot about maybe some of the pessimism that comes with being a Razorback fan and when you talk to the players they're like there are 55 new new guys on this squad we're completely different than we were a year ago and I think they really believe they have the skill set to go out and beat anybody and certainly when you're coming off a 70 to nothing Victory your confidence should be High um so that they want to go out and prove that that was not a fluke that was not just the opponent that they can really have success against good football teams and Oklahoma state is just that they're a really good team you know a lot of people think that they have a chance to potentially win the Big 12 sneaking into the college football playoffs so this is a big test for them early coming to Still Water look boonpan stadium is a tough place to play the fans are right on top of you it's going to be really loud and it certainly is going to be a test but as I mentioned I think the players are excited for that test what about for a sideline reporter because you're typically about 10 feet away from the stands and and and everything is packed in there real tight yeah look I uh love coming to Still Water I love Oklahoma State fans and and the way they've received us but it's really hard to work at boom picket Stadium just because it's so tight down there and uh yeah you're kind of crammed in there but we'll make it work and and I'll still try to do the job to the best of my ability but yeah it is certainly one of those stadiums that is really really challenging to work in what's a game weekend look like for you and your production crew so we get our assignments on the Sunday before the upcoming Saturday so six days before and usually Sunday um I start doing research reaching out to the SIDS and saying hey I'm on your game this week when do you have a chance to chat and and really Sunday for me is like big picture storylines like what do I need to know about what happened last week with these teams if I didn't watch the game oftentimes I'll go back and try to watch the game either Sunday or Monday and then I just try to get my hands on as much information as I possibly can whether reading articles diving into stats of course talking to the players and coaches is most important um but just trying to become experts on the two teams that you're covering that weekend is really what the week is filled with and then Thursday I usually fly in um and then Friday mornings we have our meetings coaches we're about to head over to uh the stadium in just a little bit to to do interviews with Mike gundian company and um and then we'll do the visiting team at later usually in the evening the Hogs are not staying in Still Water they're staying in Tulsa so that'll be via Zoom but um usually it's in person and then I kind of put my final notes together Saturday night and uh you wake up or Friday night and then wake up Saturday morning and it's go time so you're in Still Water now what's the the feeling like around town yeah I just took a yoga class this morning and uh it was I love i l being back in college towns when they you know they're saying go pokes during the warm up and workout and that's so fun I was in Alabama last week and I did some I love to exercise and so I always find local places to get a workout class in and last week it was Roll Tide you know let's go kill in deor and then this week um some gopoke so people are excited I think about the return of football certainly they had this last week they they played at home last week but this feels different with an SEC opponent and I think one of the things I was talking to a young girl who goes to school here and she was saying how a lot of her high school friends went to Arkansas so there's a lot of crossover between the two student bodies um kids that went to high school together knew each other played against each other in different sports what have you so I think it's it's fun because these schools don't play very often in football they havve played since 1980 but there is a lot of crossover so in some ways it's already this like mini rivalry just because of the nature of how close these two schools are and you know this by by being here uh you know we both went to school here you go to the UFA you're bound to meet somebody from Tulsa you're bound to meet somebody from Oklahoma City and it seems like over the last 1015 years that's even accelerated some it it's surprising that it's been so long since these two teams have played yeah and I've had a lot of people this week ask me do you think this will continue and we'll see but like I one of the things that I point out I'm like I want OU and OSU to play every year the fact that now U's in the SEC and they won't be playing every year that's sad to me you know that's that's a great rivalry in college football so I would love to see that continue um but certainly the proximity of how close Arkansas and Oklahoma State are I would love to see them play more anything special planned production wise on ABC tomorrow you know I just think we're gonna try to tell stories because I told when we were talking to TN this week I told him in in a large part we're introducing you to the National audience um so I'm excited about diving more into his story um really excited about telling a little bit more about the recruiting process between him and Bobby patrino and those types of conversations and just hopefully giving fans a behind the scenes look of what it's been like in the program and helping you know make these these athletes human beings to fans at home that's always what I look forward to but I think uh first and foremost I'm just looking forward to a good game I think this really could this one could really come down to the wire which is always what makes it fun and that's what the viewers I think everybody wants that what's been your most memorable sideline uh experience and I'm talking about college football because I do want to talk about what you did with baseball here for a minute was it the mayonnaise game I'm glad you brought that up that actually was that at the top of my head that was really fun um That season I was with anro and Mike gock Jr and that was my first year on a full package so when I say full package it means you get a game every week you're with the same crew and so when you're with the same crew every week you build relationships with these people because you're seeing them more than you see your family and the three of us became really really good friends um as well as some of the guys on our production crew and I think we're all kind of goofy and we were willing to push the envelope a little bit so we came up with those ideas to to do that it was a social media hit at way more than I expected to be honest uh so that was certainly memorable and for me it was just a culmination of a really awesome season with those guys um I would you know just because maybe I'm talking to you I really do think getting to cover Arkansas has been really really special again just from the perspective of it allows me to reflect and see how far I've come on my own Journey because I don't know if you're like me but sometimes you don't appreciate where you are until you sit back and reflect and I'm not very good at reflecting um but covering an Arkansas game it forces me to do that so um I think covering the Hogs has been fun I think any game that comes down to the wire I did the Florida Florida State game a couple years ago which was Prime Time Abc and it was Anthony Richardson's last game at Florida and I don't know if you remember but that week leading up to the game he said to the media like we're gonna win this game and when we win X Y and Z and so of course it was Bolton board material for Florida State and um so there was like a lot of drama already in that rivalry but then that kind of added field to the fire and being a part of that rivalry was amazing um and of course you know Florida state has not had the season they would have dreamt of to begin this year but back in 22 that was you know they were on the up and up and of course last year 23 they went undefeated but um that one was really really memorable just because it was a huge audience there were a ton of people watching and you could just feel the magnitude of that game in the stadium it was that dope Campbell sold out crowd so that's probably one that's up there for me as well I'm glad you talked about reflection CU I did want to talk about your career a little bit uh and I'm not just saying this cuz I have you on the show i' I've told other people this U I think you're a rising star in this business I I see what you do with the the Cubs broadcast I see what you do with uh the the football broadcast and I can tell you that everybody who's been in the basement at kle Hall is is real proud of you I talked to Larry Foley yesterday who's a mentor of mine and of yours and I know this and he said that when and you can imagine Foley saying this he said when I tell you that Taylor McGregor started in the smallest Market in America she started in the smallest Market in America Casper Wyoming tell me about going from Casper Wyoming to getting to where you are now yeah I think it was what I needed to do I needed to get reps um look I God loved Larry Foley and they probably were like how did this girl end up where she is because I was not the most gifted in my class by any means and I mean there were people who I felt like were way better more talented than me and so I recognized pretty early in college like I got to work really hard at this to be able to grow and get better and speaking of hard work anybody who's worked in a small Market knows it's just that it is hard work and so I went to Wyoming and what it did for me is it gave me everyday reps and it allowed me to hone my craft as they say and and really for me it was like getting good at writing of course the element of being live on television and calming those nerves um building relationships with coaches and players that's such an underrated part of what we do that I don't think gets talked about enough how challenging it is and how important it is um to be able to build those um and so kind of just gave me a space to mess up and you know hone my craft in the process and so I'm so thankful for my couple of years spent there um when I graduated I didn't want to go there but looking back I mean it was the best thing that ever happened to me I have lifelong friends I really really enjoyed my time there and when I left I was sad I mean I knew it was the next it was right for for me professionally that I needed to take the next step and move on but I really really enjoyed my time there and um I'm so thankful for the ways it grew me both personally and professionally did you cover any Rodeo I did so the um the college National Finals Rodeo was in Casper so I mean wake up and welcome to the rodeo world I had no idea what any of it entailed and I had to learn quick but that was really fun learning about Rodeo I mean there were throughout the summer there that was really what we covered um so because it's a huge deal there so I learned a ton I got to do some really cool features on it as well I never got on a bowl but I got pretty close um and just you know doing fun things and then in the winter um dog sled racing was big I went out to Jackson Hole and covered you know a big race out there so certainly covered Sports I barely knew even existed um or knew nothing about but um it was it was uh challenging but also what was best for me and like I said I'm I'm very thankful for my time in Wyoming in addition to her work on ABC Taylor does some studio work with MLB Network also a field reporter for Mary and and their broadcast of cubs games I want to ask you about being at the Cubs no hitter earlier this week a combined no hitter shoda imanaga started that I think he went seven Innings had you ever been in a no hitter before so I've never been at a no hitter but in 2020 we were broadcasting games remotely so I was on the call for one but it happened in Milwaukee and we weren't there so Alec Mills threw one with the Cubs but they were in Milwaukee we were in Chicago because it was uh Co in 2020 so yes and no that was my first one being present which was which was super cool and um I think my favorite part about all of that was if if you're familiar at all with imanaga I mean he's just been an amazing story for the Cubs this year coming over from Japan and having instant success um and he's a character too he's really embraced Chicago culture he's embraced American culture and uh he came out after seven didn't even know he had a no hitter going and then he told his story postgame he said Craig Council the Cubs manager comes up to him looking worried and he was like oh no like what did I do wrong and then Craig told him you know we're gonna take you out and told him that he had a no hitter going and and so it's kind of funny how how that all worked out but that was really cool and I think one of the special parts for me covering baseball is you just never know what could happen every day you show up to the ballpark so uh Wednesday was one of those special days I was on a mission trip to Boston in 2008 and it was supposed to be a Tuesday to Tuesday trip and somehow it got changed to Monday to Monday but we were supposed to go to a Red Sox game at finway on Monday night and uh so we didn't end up going uh it was the night that John Lester threw a no hitter so that was going to be my first finway experience and I missed it uh yeah pretty cool though to be there I I I would think although I haven't experienced one in person hey let's get you no it was really cool yeah let's get you out of here on this uh what major league teams do you think are worth watching down the stretch who do you think's in the best position as we got about month ago before the playoffs I've always said the Phillies from from day one that's been my pick um they've not been as good as of late I still think they're built for October um and they've proven that the last several years um they winning got Carlos Estes at the deadline from Anaheim you know hopefully he can continue to lock things down at the back end of the bullpen um so I'm going to stick with the Phillies again they haven't been as good as of late I'm interested to see what happens with the Milwaukee Brewers and it's it's an odd pick because coming into the season people didn't even pick them to finish in the top three of the National League Central and here they are with the biggest division lead in baseball and it's amazing the way that they've won games this year I mean the amount of starting pitchers they've used and they have I think the third best team erra in baseball this season after by the way they traded away Corbin Burns and Brandon Woodruff is on the injured list so they're two horses from a year ago are not pitching with the team this year and they've been able to pitch they've been able to score runs which has been the problem with Milwaukee the last several years is uh they just have not been able to score runs and they've been able to do that consistently um so like I think people look at their roster and say no way but I'm like they've proven all season long they can do it and at some point over the course of 162 we have to believe them so I don't think they're the most Talent ented roster but they've certainly showed really impressive things all year long and so like that's kind of my sleeper pick if if you want a team to watch in the National League um in the American League I'm in Stillwater right now the home of the holidays um which if you're not familiar with the holiday family Matt holiday played in the major leagues for aot long time Josh holiday is the head baseball coach at Oklahoma State uh Matt's son Jackson plays for the Orioles so I've seen a lot of orol uh gear around town here and I think they're an interesting interesting team they dealt with some injuries that's been tough but I would say them and the yanies for me are the teams to watch in the American League James mccan and hon Kad a couple of former Razorbacks on that Oriol team too yes I actually so we played the Orioles this year and Drew Smiley plays for the Cubs who former Razer back as well and so I went up to um mccan and asked him some stories about Smiley because they threw a no hitter together James is Catch um so had some fun reminiscing about that and then introduced myself to H and uh you know I didn't call the Hogs but I was close to calling the Hogs it's always fun to make those connections it used to be a lot of fun I'd go over to bomb in the offseason you'd have you know James mccan and Drew Smiley you know they're they're throwing to each other Brandon Nemo who lived in town at that time he was in there swinging a bat had a lot of big Leaguers there at the Ballpark always kind of fun to hang around there in faille Taylor is great talking to you and hopefully we'll see you over in still water and and good luck on your call tomorrow yes thank you so much and uh give Professor Foley a hug for me you're probably going to see him before me but I don't think he'll like my hugs you don't think what I don't I don't think he's gonna want a hug for me I'll shake his hand how about that okay perfect shake his hand for me thanks so much for having me on it was awesome chatting with you all right appreciate it Taylor we'll see you tomorrow all right Taylor McGregor who's going to be on the call of ABC tomorrow when we come back Ben pornoy from the sports Business Journal will join us to talk about this versus in of blaz settlement and the developments yesterday in federal court in California we'll be back after this LPGA week in Northwest Arkansas returns September 23rd through the 29th for the 18th consecutive year watch former Razer backs in 2024 Olympians Maria FY and Gabby Lopez compete against the world's best female golfers at the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship presented by PNG at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers the NWA Championship is so much more than a golf tournament with something for everyone to enjoy in activities for fans of all ages daily tickets are only $10 and kids 17 and under get in free with a ticket at adult get your tickets today at NWA championship. at Kindle King we're proud of over four Decades of design we're continuing the legacy of great Creative Design by combining our brands of Kindle King soapbox and Shop cart together these Brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas through our design expertise supported by a team of talented professionals we showcase our best we are Kindle King we are soapbox we are shop cart we are [Music] design Andy welcome back we appreciate you being with us uh if you have watched our show at all you know that we have got a great deal of interest in this house versus NCAA case uh potential settlement and and the word potential there is really important because it hasn't been approved yet and if the uh if what happened yesterday in a hearing between the sides in the Northern District of California in Oakland is any indication this deal may be on the verge of of falling apart and I want to bring in Ben portway from the sports Business Journal uh to talk about this because Ben this is huge I I have said many times that I think that if this settlement is approved by the judge in the case Claudia wilin that if right there with Oklahoma versus NCAA you know and in the Supreme Court case in 84 that deregulated television rights it's right there with Title 9 this is one of the really big pieces of uh you know legislation or judicial decision that's going to impact college sports for a long time tell us what happened Thursday and where you think we stand in this settlement yeah so I think to your point right like this is a huge huge deal and I get it you know legal stuff is not the most fun it's not the most exciting it's not like Saturday in the fall right but I but I do think there's a huge huge thing to be discussed here and that's that basically the two sides got together on Thursday and said you know hey we're going to get together we're going to talk to the judge we're going to see some of the things that she sees in this settlement um that she either agrees with doesn't agree with and can point us in the right direction to kind of get our wording right now that happened for about the first hour and a half of the hearing of this three-hour hearing and then we got to the point where you know one of the stip ations in this this settlement and this discussion is around how the NCAA can limit basically the involvement of boosters and nil collectives and the short version is the NCAA has basically said hey any deal over $600 this sort of this this arbitrary number that has been picked uh will be vetted by a third party uh Clearing House and that those deals will need to be vetted to make sure that they are quote unquote true n and not just basically pay for play um now judge wilin basically said okay if that's the case part of this settlement is that you're going to share revenues from each University with student athletes why is that not pay for play but a booster paying you is pay for play and I think this delineation is is part of the gymnastics that the NCA has played for a long time and and has tried to draw this line and uh you know as as the nca's lawy La kind of tried to explain this and walk through this um there were definitely a lot of shoulder strug and eye rolls from from Judge wilin so that's kind of what happened and that's the big piece that came out last night it seems like anytime of mirror is held up to the ncaa's rules and regulations they have a really hard time defending their position on this yeah I mean look I think that this is the like this has been the the argument around college sports forever right is that if you take it's twofold right you take the idea of saying hey we're gonna have this entity um and I think this comes into the case of Revenue sharing and a lot of discussion around this settlement of like how money is going to be divvied up so like let's say the University of Arkansas decides they're going to pay $20 million to their athletes right and they say hey $15 million is going to go toward the football team and5 million dollar would go toward everyone else well like the market would tell you those are the programs that are making money that's that's that's where they're going to drive send their revenues right you know obviously Title 9 is a factor in that and all of that but it's again it's sort of taking this context taking this out of a college sports context and putting it in a business context it's kind of the same thing of like you're going to run a business where all these people are going to do work for you quote unquote which in this case is athletes playing and competing uh but you're not going to pay them and the only people that are going to make money are the higher ups and it just doesn't make any sense and I think that like obviously this idea of amateurism is is super ingrained in college athletics and has been for aund and however many years but I think that you know when you take what what it is at face value and put it in the context of literally any other Brit business in America it doesn't make any sense and it doesn't hold up and I think that's basically what judge wilin said last night there is a group of female athletes who also uh was was heard from or at least their their attorneys were heard from during this ruling uh basically the judge uh told them and and their complaint is that hey if football's going to get a high percentage of the the revenue share and men's basketball's going to get a high percentage does that not constitute a title 9 violation and basically what the judge told them was that this is an Anti-Trust case and and therefore the sexual discrimination uh complaints that they have don't really apply to antitrust exactly and so you know I had a long conversation with Jeffrey Kessler the plist attorney about this exact thing and you know I'm paraphrasing but the super short version is listen like we are not in this settlement telling schools how they're going to divvy up their money like it in so many words do whatever the hell you want like you guys pay whoever you want to pay and that's fine but what we're telling you is here's how much you can give you guys divvy that up however you desire and so that basically to to that point is you know if you create a title 99 issue for yourself that's the schools doing it to themselves not this settlement stipulating hey 75% of the revenue that you share has to go to the football team or the men's basketball team or whatever that might be so I think that you know that definitely got brought up last night and I think the attorneys made it pretty clear like that is not part of this settlement now that said um you know with this settlement as with everything it's sort of like you pull it one string and six more strings fall out and I think that you know this title n piece is really interesting and really I think is a big thing that a lot of athletic departments are watching um and keeping tabs on because I think to my example earlier right like a lot of people privately and administrators I've spoken with say you know hey if my football team is driving 75% of my Revenue why then of the revenue that we're sharing with with athletes would they not qualify for 75% of that now on paper that obviously creates a Title Nine issue but I think that realistically like what's probably going to happen here is you're going to have some schools that go out pay it based on sort of the the market value or you know what sort of percentage the football team or the men's basketball team is making off of of that athletic Department's budget um and then someone's probably going to get sued and we're going to be in this discussion again but I I think that that's that's kind of where we're at right now on that front talking about Ben Porton away from the sports Business Journal I think Ben be it this uh hearing yesterday or just some conversations that frankly I've had this week nil is not going away and I I think that maybe the NCAA had hoped that they could rein in the collectives through this settlement if anything nil may become bigger as you know a supplemental type income to to players who are getting money through Revenue share or maybe it it goes to some players who aren't getting as much through the revenue share as we've discussed here nil seems and and you kind of alluded to this it seems like it's the main sticking point right now in in the uh in what's going on between the sides and the judge and what I find very interesting is that the NCAA is coming into Claudia Wilkins courtroom where the oanon case was initially heard and you know she made the ruling that really kind of helped pave the way for nil uh it just seems kind of um ironic I guess that that they're they're trying to reign in nil in the in the same court where it was kind of born yeah I mean look I think that again to your point like nil is a big sticking point here um and I think that you know the reality is okay so for you know obviously we're in the Weeds on this but the the short version is right if a school can share and the settlement stipulates hey you can share up to we'll use a round number $20 million in Revenue every year most college football teams in the highest echelons of college football are operating on budgets between 10 15 15 to 20 you know call it $18 million a year like I say that to say that if the only money that is going to go to your football program through rev share is whatever $10 million $12 million guys are going to be taking pay cuts so the point is is that nil and as it exists and and collectives and all of these sort of buzzwords that we throw out around this like those are still going to have to exist in some capacity because listen football players aren't going to be thrilled if their checks aren't clearing in the same way or they're not getting the same same payment that they were so I say that to say of like you know there's going to be Revenue share and that might take you know that basically says hey okay if I'm paying my football team you know across the board $15 million that $10 million of that is taken care of by the university by the athletic department through rev share or or even $12 million or 15 whatever the number becomes there's still going to be guys that are going to want money on top of that and I think that that is where schools in the power for particularly the Big 10 in the SEC and schools with bigger budgets that sort of play in those worlds uh are going to need collectives and I think it was last night that um you know one of the attorneys I believe it was Jeffrey Kessler who's one of the plaintiff's attorneys basically said like this is not going to stop nil and that you know I think that the idea from the NCAA is that this would curb some of that activity but the reality is is like what the market pressures are and what the market value is for running for a football team right now like nil is going to exist because people are going to want to pay above that cap and I think that's where you still see uh collectives and nil deals and things like that still factor in bottom line do you think the settlement falls apart I think it depends what the NCA wants to do right like I think that basically last night this align in the sand was drawn right and the NCA has said and judge wilin has basically said hey this ruling that or excuse me this wording that you've put around uh boosters and their involvement and thirdparty nil which is basically nil collectives uh isn't kosher like I I don't like the language here I think you need to figure it out and she basic she said you know quote unquote like I need you guys to go back to the drawing board and figure this out and I think that the nca's lawyer kind of said the quiet part out loud where you know he said you know look like this is a fundamental piece of the settlement and if that's not part of it like I'm not sure we have a settlement and obviously that's a lawyer doing their job and and representing the the parties that they represent but I think that's a really really really major point to discuss and and that you know the NCA is this the point is like this is basically in the nca's court like they're either going to go with this or they're not and if it if they don't the settlement could fall apart and if it doesn't then going to have to be some kind of Middle Ground reach but I mean the planus attorneys basically said last night like Hey listen like we're good with this we can take this out we'll go to trial otherwise if that's the case um but obviously the NCAA um you know again like the ball's kind of in their Court they have to decide whether they want to write around this this piece of it or or eliminate this Clearing House idea or or we'll see and and maybe there's a court date in play here in the next couple months and just to to follow up on something you said just to make sure everyone knows this is a settlement for three different antitrust trust cases that are uh that were in litigation against the NCAA those have basically put on hold while they try to get this uh settlement approved if the settlement falls apart then the incident goes back to court to you know hear all of these different cases uh let's get you out of here on this they meet again in three weeks confidence is not very high I think that you know everything's going to be fine and dandy when they get back together but let's just say it is based on what I've read at that point would still take 150 more days so five months for the judge to reach a final approval on this that's March we've got administrators and coaches and you know here they're waiting to see what happens because the application of this would be next summer July August whenever these new rules would kick in uh how frantic do you think things are behind the scenes as ads and coaches and you conference Commissioners and everybody who's affected by this as they try to prepare for one thing but in reality next year may look totally different yeah well I would say this like I think most administrators that that I talked to have done some level of preparation for this right like they have an idea but the problem is is that they're kind of running off of mock budgets and mock ideas is you know you can kind of only project these things out so much until you know what's in the fine print and I think that that's the hard part right now there's going to have to be an adjustment regardless of what happens right um if the settlement goes through there's probably going to be some changes as far as some of the the minute details and how things get paid out and and things like that and that's going to have to happen on the fly but you know I think people see this and say Hey Okay a year out like that seems like not that long of a time but you're basically talking about taking an entity college sports and changing the entire way the business is operated I mean like it's hard to overstate how different a system this is relative to what it was and I think that the infrastructure is not in place just about anywhere uh you know you you're probably going to have to rearrange how your staff is organized you're going to have to rearrange who's on your staff um there's a lot of moving pieces here and I think that that means that you know this is going to be a a really quick turnaround if a settlement's reached and if it's not then this is probably going to carry out into 2025 and then you're looking really more likely at 2026 of things kicking in and and appeals and everything else so um you know if there's not a settlement we're looking at another what year and a half two years of this maybe uh if a settlement is reached it's going to be fast and furious and quick for for people to try and figure this out of course every different organization works on different fiscal years you know some go on calendar some start in the the summer I have to believe that there are going to be a lot of schools that have two different you know budgets that that they're preparing basically a contingency based on if this is passed uh or if this is not passed it's amazing we got a full weekend of college football games and some of the biggest stories that we're talking about right now are federal court cases and Direct TV against Disney uh Ben we appreciate you being on Ben poro from the sports Business Journal thanks Matt I appreciate youall having me all right appreciate you and when we come back we're going to have Ethan Westerman on the desk we'll talk more about Arkansas and Oklahoma State this weekend but first another word more sponsors taste sip sample and discover the very best restaurants and chefs Northwest Arkansas has to offer at the bite experience at the LPGA a unique culinary experience on site at the Northwest Arkansas Championship tickets are available Friday September 27th through Sunday September 29th offering access to the best golf viewing and food and beverage samples from over 30 local restaurants you don't want to miss this tickets are available for $45 a day get yours before they sell out at B nwa.com at Kindle King we're proud of over four Decades of design we're continuing the legacy of great Creative Design by combining our brands of Kindle King soapbox and Shop cart together these Brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas through our design expertise supported by a team of talented professionals we showcase our best we are Kindle King we are soapbox we are shop cart we are [Music] design and welcome back final segment before the weekend want to tell you about our friends at Bentonville glass serving their Community since 1971 they're committed professional and versatile if you're looking for a quality leader in Northwest Arkansas saw looking for skilled craftsmanship look no further than Bentonville glass for all your glass Market needs with the highest quality products you can come by and see them right now at 507 South Main in Bentonville or you can find them online at Bentonville glass.com all right we got Ethan Westerman with us on the desk now and uh Ethan uh slide that paper over here for a minute we're going to talk about Arkansas and Oklahoma State this weekend it it you know as we I feel like it it it doesn't really feel real that this game tomorrow you know you talk about it you talk about it you talk about it and then boom there it is and part of it I guess is kind of how we do this podcast we used to do our football preview podcast two or three days in advance and yeah you know now here we are doing it the day before but hey that's that's how the real world works you wrote at hhog sports.com this week uh your keys to the game I just kind of want to go through those here for just a minute uh it feels to me like the number one key to this game is the Run game and it's not just the Oklahoma state run game with olly Gordon although that is a huge component to this it's how well does ton green get out and and and make plays with his legs how well can they block for jnd and Jackson is Rashad deignan available and If he's not how did the the running backs like you know Reed and and Russell and the others behind them you know how do they play in this game so I think there's a lot of you know layers to this and then obviously we've talked about Arkansas's defensive line being a strength for the Razer backs Oklahoma State's offensive line being a strength on the other side you know how does Arkansas's offensive line go up against Oklahoma State's defensive front another you know key to this game but the Run game it just feels like it goes back to I've heard coaches say this many times before winning is about running the ball and stopping the Run can you run it can you stop it and who does that best overall offensively and defensively this week is is probably going to be the team that wins the game yeah I mean as Oly Gordon goes so too goes Oklahoma State in my opinion I mean uh their quarterback uh Alan Bowman he's not going to just wow you with his arm he's he gets his plays in the in the air kind of predicated on how well they're running the ball with olly Gordon I think it's one of those games that you you can look at the rushing stats at the end of the game and probably know what team won I just think that it's going to be I know Sam Pitman said slobber knocker earlier this week it's it's going to be the type of game I think that it's going to be one in the trenches I think that um it all starts though with with olly Gordon if if he has a big game I don't see Arkansas having a great shot in this one I think we've got this queued up we had Taylor Macar on the show yesterday and he had some thoughts on ton green it was kind of interesting to hear from him because he had covered ton when he was at boy estate yeah well first thing I got to see tayen green a couple times the last few years because a lot of my work is with CBS and and we've done a lot of Mountain West and uh that's a really exciting player and I think the uh former staff at Boise State I thought they were doing him a disservice and I'm excited for him just as a player to have this opportunity because I think Arkansas will get more out of him than the former regime at Boise State did um they were not using him appropriately in my opinion towards the end of his time there so that was Taylor mcar who called Oklahoma State's game against South Dakota State last week on ESPN plus talking about ton green the QB play in this game is is very interesting because you have two quarterbacks who you know last year was pretty similar for him I mean you know they were they had okay years but they also struggled with interceptions which quarterback is going to limit the mistakes which quarterback's going to make the big plays that feels like a huge key yeah for sure and I was going to say I I heard that yesterday and I was I was going to mention I I think that he's right I think ton green is in the system right now that he's probably feeling a lot more confident in himself with uh I I think this is the first big test though of can he kind of overcome some of those issues that plagued him at Boise State where it's honestly like you said it's a similar situation which quarterback is going to avoid just the the trying to make something out of nothing and making a big mistake and turning the ball over I think that uh Oklahoma State felt actually really good about Alan Bowman in his in the first game this year his ability to kind of get in those scramble situations and just kind of check down in the flat um they said that uh it kind of stood out his decision making against South Dakota State I think same thing can be said for uh ton green he's got to be good at that this game bat Jones said that he thinks it comes down to Oklahoma State speed against Arkansas's uh Brute Force Mike Gundy said he wasn't happy with how the the Cowboys played last week he also noted that he's got high expectations for the team so even though they won 44 to 20 uh you know that kind of goes into it he said you know that coaches are going to nitpick right I mean you win they're they're still going to find something to complain about Sam Pitman came off the sidelines going into halftime last week against uapb they're winning 49 to nothing and he's complaining about the penalties so that's just how a coach's mind works it feels to me like which defense can limit the big plays is going to be the key to this Arkansas did against a totally overmatch team from Pine Bluff Oklahoma State didn't really do that against South Dakota State the jack rabbits had some big plays some big chunk plays in that game yeah I think if your Arkansas you feel like an area you can exploit is the the Oklahoma State secondary doesn't just look like that great in my opinion Arkansas on the flip side you know the uapb game the quarterback stepped out of bounds if not Arkansas would have given up a big play of the UAP be that deep almost touchdown it's it's it's one of those games it's like secondary play I think is also going to be like just something like a the game within the game as far as like if Arkansas's having some success you know in the Run game and can get the pass going as well I don't think uh Oklahoma state has the secondary really to to compete like or to at least limit Arkansas I think Arkansas could have a big game is what I'm trying to say if uh if the Oklahoma State secondary uh you know if if if they're having to be concerned with the run early and stopping the the Run that's whenever you know you open things up for your Isaiah satania your Tyrone Broden we don't know if Andrew Armstrong will play but he could be big if he's in this one let's get predictions now we've got a not a lot of big games this weekend there's only a couple of top 25 versus top 25 teams uh Arkansas Oklahoma state is one of the bigger games of the weekend just given the fact that Oklahoma State's uh ranked and Arkansas is from a power conference we'll get to that one last let's start off with a Friday night game Ethan BYU goes to SMU in Dallas this is a power four game now by the way BYU SMU this used to I mean it's kind of crazy you know just to see how alignment has changed everything SMU coached by Rhett Lashley the former Razer back an 11 and a half Point favorite at home yeah I know and I I know the line's 11 and a half but I'm going to pick BYU I think I like BYU early in the season they've been in the Big 12 for a year now and I think that they last year coming to Arkansas they impressed me just with like their physicality I felt like early in the year I think that this might be the type of game that SMU didn't impress me in their opener against Nevada SMU looks like they're going to have problems on the line in the ACC and BYU we've seen them they got those big old boys you know up front it just screams to me a BYU win I don't know why it does I'm I'm going to go ahead and go with SMU though at home I I think maybe they got some they got they got scared a couple of weeks ago at Nevada maybe that helps them figure some things out I'm going to take them at home wouldn't be surprised to see wins that game that line is way too high though in my opinion Cal goes to Auburn the tigers are a 13-point favorite uh Auburn I like him to I think H freeze love him or hate him as a person he's a great coach and I don't think that they're going to lay an egg in this one Auburn won a close one last year in Berkeley I'll take Auburn too just being at home uh CBS do we have the CBS theme queued up uh I know you love hearing the CBS theme over big 10 games Iowa State goes to number 21 Iowa they play for the shawk trophy I like Ohio State um I just think that they're very very talented okay I'm leave it to that okay how about how I'm I'm going to go with Iowa at home in kenck stadium with the CBS theme playing I mean more power to you with that pick but I I'm not going to go on that L Ethan he said Iowa State not Ohio State oh cut that out no no we're rolling I heard Ohio State you caught me off guard cuz I was literally thinking I was like I feel like I would have heard this matchup a lot more this this goes back to when we don't listen to each other I didn't hear you say Ohio I guess Ohio State and Iowa State they kind of sound the same well I'm picking Iowa with these two teams my grandpa always said Ohio yeah I heard I heard I literally started looking at my I don't know if you you can see it I started looking at my computer like what the heck iow I'll pick Iowa okay so you think Iowa beats Iowa State yes you thought Iowa played Ohio State for the shawk trophy I was wondering what was happening here I heard you say Ohio State and I was thrown off Kansas goes to Illinois another uh Big 10 home game Brett beum a hosting the Jayhawks this week Kansas rank number 19 a 4 and a half Point favorite give me Kansas I like Lance cold I think Illinois they they had a decent game last week right a pretty good opener um I think they did Kansas has got the the quarterback if Jaden Daniels is good he's good you know what I mean uh I'll take Kansas on the road too but I wouldn't be surprised to see belma and his guys pull off an upset first SEC Game of the Year South Carolina goes to Kentucky the Wildcats or an eight and a half Point favorite at home uh Kentucky by a lot I watched South Carolina play last week was not impressed with them at all I watched Kentucky play a little bit of their game against Southern Miss too before it was rained out in the third quarter you know Kentucky I feel like to think about Kentucky that always gets overlooked is that they've got real good line play Under Mark stops and I didn't think South Carolina looked real good up front I I I'll take Kentucky as well mentioned a couple of top 25 matchups the big one is Saturday morning the big noon kickoff game on Fox number three Texas goes to number 10 Michigan trying to end the Wolverines long wind streak after they won the national championship last year the Longhorns are a seven-point favorite in the big house yeah and I think they'll win by more I this isn't the same Michigan team from last year Texas returns a lot of guys they're really talented got a lot of good transfers I think Texas wins Big I don't I don't know that Texas is as good as it was last season um I also uh you know I'm I'm weary of the fact that Texas has had some injuries in the running back room but if if if I'm just basing this on what I saw last week I didn't think Michigan was real impressive beating Fresno State I think Texas goes there and and probably wins uh because again I'm not real I wasn't real impressed with Michigan last week but I don't know that Texas is the third best team in the country either you know obviously that'll they'll shake out here over the next few weeks another uh top 25 matchup a neutral sight matchup in Charlotte on the Panthers home field 14th ranked Tennessee and 24th ranked North Carolina State the balls are a 10-point favorite this is in North Carolina but I have a feeling in Charlotte it'll be maybe more of a Tennessee home game yeah I like Tennessee to win this one um North Carolina State didn't really impress me last week with against Western Carolina they actually I felt like um they kind of got beat at the line a lot which if you're doing that against an FCS team I think that an sc uh SEC team could really uh exploit that yeah so we I'll take Tennessee too 10p Point yeah I think they could probably cover that wouldn't be surprised by that at all that's the Mayo was it the Mayo the Dukes Mayo classic by the way you think Josh Hy will get DST in mayo if he wins this game because you know they do it for the bowl game but I don't know if they do it for the uh early season game who played in this one last year I'm trying to I think this was the uh South Carolina UNC game at the beginning of the year Arkansas it was the night of the Arkansas West Carolina game yeah and yeah I I don't know if they'll if they do Mayo for just a regular season game but I think Josh hyp would be a good Ambassador they save Mayo for the big ones I think he'd be a great uh candidate and then finally uh our game that we've been talking about all week Arkansas goes to Oklahoma State the Cowboys are a 7 and a half Point favorite this will be an 11 a.m. kickoff on ABC hopefully you get to see it if you have Direct TV we think you will if you have a satellite don't know if you will if you have a direct TV stream or maybe these guys could come together and get something settled before then who would that' be a novel concept Cowboys are a seven and a half Point favorite Ethan who you got The more I've like looked at this game the more I felt like Arkansas has a like just across the board Arkansas is just as talented in my opinion like if you go back and look at their recruiting rankings and everything I think Arkansas's can stack up with them at just across the board pretty much every position it's except you know they have a the do Walker Award winning running back um the offensive line that's experienced but they didn't impress me against uh South Dakota state that much all that to say I think Arkansas has a legitimate chance to win but I can't just pick him they got to prove that they can win to me I'm going to pick Oklahoma State at home you're trying to let us down easy I say I don't I don't want to come off asn't just like hating Arkansas's team right now it's just you got to prove it I'm going with Arkansas I think the Razer backs go over there and win I I I think Arkansas has got the athletes to hang with Oklahoma State I think it's going to come down to line play is Arkansas as physical as they hope they are this year uh they've got to be physical in this game if they can't beat Oklahoma State on the offensive line and the defensive line then they're going to have trouble beating the SEC teams that they're going to see down the road I think that they've got to go over there they've got to prove their physicality like I said I think they've got the athletes to play with them I like this ton green Bobby patrino uh combination and I'll tell you one other thing I don't think Arkansas had to show nearly as many cards in week one as Oklahoma state did because Arkansas knew they could go out there and play a little bit with their hands tight behind their back going with more vanilla typee plays and and play uapb whereas I think Oklahoma state had to put a little bit more into beating South Dakota State I think that's a key I think it's a key that Arkansas got a couple of extra days of preparation and Oklahoma State they have been known even though they're a good program they've been known to lay an egg or two every year including on their home field they' laid some eggs on their home field I got Arkansas I think Arkansas goes and beats them and it's a I think last year they got blasted at you uh U UCF I almost said UFC at UCF they got and they got blasted at home by South Alabama in this week it's just you they're very unpredictable they're a weird team in my opinion they have been and that UCF team had a dual threat quarterback like T and green gundy's teams remind me of Houston nuts teams typically competitive but every now and then there's a game that just makes you go what on Earth did I just watch yeah and you know I think if you look at their winning percentages very similar Gundy at Oklahoma State to what we saw with Houston nut here at Arkansas hope you go to hhog sports.com this weekend you'll see all all of our coverage from Still Water will be there and we'll be back Monday with another podcast to recap what we saw between the Razorbacks and the Cowboys uh we'll see you next week hope you have a great weekend everyone