[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to the Whole Hog Sports podcast.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: And now, here's your host, Matt Jones.
[00:00:07] Speaker A: On today's show, Parker Coyle, the Razorback baseball pitcher, joins us to talk about why he turned down the Milwaukee brewers and decided to come back for the 2026 season at Arkansas. Ethan Westerman will also join me here in studio, and we'll look at the games around college football this weekend. But first, a word from Kendall King.
[00:00:24] Speaker C: At Kendall King, we're proud of over four decades of design.
We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of KE King, Soapbox and Shopcart. 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 Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart. We are Design.
[00:00:50] Speaker A: And we're joined now by Parker Coyle. Parker, a senior for the Arkansas baseball team, turned down the draft over the summer. Milwaukee drafted him in the 16th round. Parker, just kind of take us through what happened there. Like. Like, what was the negotiation like? And ultimately, why did you turn down Milwaukee?
[00:01:08] Speaker D: Yeah, it was kind of a crazy process for me.
You know, leading into the draft, you know, I was talking to a few teams, kind of kind of knew where I was going, but, you know, didn't have a great idea. You know, just heading into it was kind of just waiting to see, you know, what was going to happen, and, you know, got into talks with some teams in that, you know, 10th through 12th round and, you know, was kind of shooting down some offers, you know, was communicating back and forth with the coaches here at Arkansas and with my agents and really just came down to talking about money and what the contract was and all of that. And so it was. It was a very chaotic time, and, you know, there was a lot happening and there was a lot of moving parts, but ultimately, I kind of made that decision in. In the middle of the draft, you know, calling Coach Hobbs and telling him, you know, I'm coming back to school.
You know, we had come to that agreement, and. And, you know, my heart was pretty set on that. And, you know, it just kind of felt like it was something that. That I needed to do. And. And it just kind of felt like that's where, you know, God, and.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: And.
[00:02:19] Speaker D: And my heart was pulling me. And so, yeah, so that happened. And then, you know, I was upstairs, and I actually was on a call with my brother, you know, kind of telling him everything that just happened and. And giving him the details about it and hung up the phone. And then, like, I think 20 seconds later, I was getting a call from Riley Bandalow from the. From Milwaukee, and he was like, hey, Parker, we just grabbed you in the. The 16th round.
You know, we'll be in. In. In contact with you. And, you know, I was pretty shocked at first and, you know, didn't really even know what to say. I was just kind of like, I think he called and told me that, and I said, really kind of as a question, I just couldn't really believe it. And, you know, kind of all the motions were setting in and, you know, I had to call coach Hobbs and the coaches up here and kind of. Kind of tell them what was going on. But, you know, my. My agents described it to me as kind of like a flyer pick is. You know, they take a. Take a group of guys in the later rounds and then, you know, they try and sort out the money and everything kind of as.
As the deadline approaches. But yeah, there was.
It was really. It was really going to be hard for me to leave here in the first place. I just felt like I had a lot more that I. That I wanted to do here and to accomplish and.
And I just felt like I could step into kind of a bigger role here as a Razorback. So I think that's ultimately what brought me back here.
[00:03:41] Speaker A: The finances are so much different after the 10th round. If you get drafted, say, by the end of the 10th round. Are we having a different discussion right now?
[00:03:49] Speaker D: Possibly. It, you know, it. And that. That was a big factor and kind of stuff that. That really was coming into play. But, you know, you never say never. I don't. I don't really know what could have happened, but it definitely. It definitely could have been a. Could have been a factor if all.
[00:04:05] Speaker A: Things were equal going into the draft. Were you wanting to come back to Arkansas?
[00:04:10] Speaker D: A Very, very.
Was very dependent.
But yes, I was. You know, as. As I was talking to my. To my agents and. And my dad and, you know, kind of the coaches here. It was like, just something kept telling me. I was like, man, like, I don't. I don't know if I really want to leave here. Like, I just. I just kind of felt something was telling me, you know, like, you're just. You're not. You're not done here yet. And so that's kind of what ultimately it just kept coming back to. And I was like, man, like, if this is still on the table and. And, you know, the cards are right, I feel like this is something that, that I need to do and really take advantage of.
[00:04:42] Speaker A: Describe the back injury that you had this past season and just what you were trying to fight through to get back on the field.
[00:04:49] Speaker D: Yeah, so it was a pars fracture in my L3 lumbar, part of my spine. It's kind of like the, the lower.
It was the left. Well, I believe it was the right side of my back that actually had the pars fracture, but where it was hurting it was all on my left side. It was just the lower left side of my back and, and it was really on just like it was like rotating into my throwing side or into my left side. And so that was something that you know, obviously really sucked and just trying to overcome some adversity there because really just in the middle of the season, it's just never what you want. Just want to be on the field playing ball and being healthy. So just really had to take a lot of time rehabbing. Did a lot of core work and just a lot of strengthening exercises on my glutes and that whole, the whole backside with our, with our strength coach coaching with our physical tray or trainer Corey. He did a great job and, and he got me a good plan and like kind of get me in place to. You know, we were shooting for a timeline of about six weeks and you know, I think I was probably about ready about a week before that and we kind of kept it right at that six week line and, and you know, I was ready to go and I've never had any issues with it since. But yeah, it is what it is.
[00:06:04] Speaker A: I think you heard it throwing warm up pitches at Vanderbilt, right?
[00:06:07] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, it was, but, but it.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: Was something that you'd been dealing with I think for a few weeks leading up to that.
[00:06:13] Speaker D: Yeah, it was, it was something, you know, you, you kind of work on it for a little bit, get it loosened up and you know, I'd feel good, feel ready to go and, and you know, in that bullpen I was, I was throwing some pitches and there's two that didn't really feel good. And then you know, I went to go throw that, that last one. I think that's, that's ultimately when, when everything just kind of went downhill because it just didn't from that point on it did not feel very good.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: You came back and you were in a high leverage situation right out of the gate. You know, you kind of wonder how they're going to use a pitcher when they come back after they've been off for so long. And I think you threw six pitches for six strikes to close out a win there in Baton Rouge over, obviously, a great team.
What was that feeling like that day?
[00:06:54] Speaker D: I was good, man. There was a lot of emotions that day. I have a lot of my family's from Louisiana. Both my parents actually graduated from there, but my. My. My dad's side and that whole part of my family is huge, huge Razorback fans, but we're kind of a house divided, if you will. But it was. It was very cool.
It was just really exciting. I think I said it in one of my interviews after the game, like, just to be able to play baseball again. It was just. It was a very cool moment. And, you know, especially being in an environment like that. I think every. Everybody dreams of that.
You know, you really need to. You need to take a series, and you need to. You need to really get a win. And. And, you know, you're. You're. You're really fighting for that, and you're fighting for your season at that point. And so I think, you know, really just trying to help us stay on track and, you know, bring it back to Fayetteville, you know, on a high note. And so that was big for me, and I really. Just. To get into that game and to be able to come into a spot like that and, you know, kind of kind of show everybody like, hey, like, I'm back. And, you know, I'm like, I'm here. I'm here to pitch. And there's no, like, just, like, easing back into it. Like, I was ready to go. So that was pretty cool. And it was pretty cool to see the coaches put a lot of trust and faith into me for that.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: If it wasn't for the immaculate inning, that'd probably be your best.
The most memorable performance that you had this year. That immaculate inning, though, nine pitches, nine strikes in that game against Charlotte. It's been, what, about six months now since that happened.
Have you reflected on that and just how unique and cool of an experience that was?
[00:08:28] Speaker D: A little bit. Yeah. I've. I've watched that video a few more times since then and. And just kind of. Kind of trying to. To soak it all in. But it was just. It's kind of cool to see, you know, you know, everything that. That happens behind the scenes and. And everything that happens leading up to that point. And so, you know, just to see all of your hard work and. And to see all the hours that you put in throwing bullpens and. And shaping pitches and. And working on your mechanics and. And getting stronger and everything that just leads into it and, you know, just for that to happen and for just a special moment like that, and it was just really cool. And it's. And it's something that I, you know, I really pride myself on being able to throw strikes and really being able to compete in the zone. And so, you know, to have an immaculate inning and to be able to do something like that, it's. It's pretty cool. And it's. It's really, really awesome to me.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: You just think about all the things that have to go right. Like, I think an immaculate inning, it may even be harder than a no hitter because, you know, you got to have the right umpire, you got to have the catcher, and you've got to do everything right for such a short amount of time.
It's amazing when you just think about the percentages, it's so low to be able to have something like that happen.
[00:09:42] Speaker D: It's very niche and it's very kind of like you said, like, there's just a lot, maybe some luck, maybe. Maybe something else involved, but there's a lot that you need to happen for that. To get.
For that to go on or to go down.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: How's the back feel now?
[00:09:59] Speaker D: Oh, it feels amazing.
I've been. We've been working really hard in the weight room, doing squats, deadlifts, rdl, and we've been doing all that.
I've had no issues with it since. Since it flared up and since I. I did all that rehab on it. And I still do all the bridges and. And the core stuff just to make sure that, you know, I don't really ever have that problem again.
[00:10:23] Speaker A: You lost so many players from last year's team, but there's also still a pretty good core of players that are back.
Obviously, the season ended so disappointing for you guys up in Omaha.
What's been the feeling among the players who are coming back about getting back on the field here in the next week or so and getting fall ball going?
[00:10:43] Speaker D: Yeah, I think everyone's just really excited.
Obviously, it didn't end the way that we wanted it to up in Omaha, but I think that, you know, after taking this summer, you know, being able to reflect a little bit, you know, being able to. To kind of recover, get. Get all the bodies back right, and really get after it again, I think that, you know, everyone's really excited and, you know that, you know, you can't really. You can. You can look in the past and obviously it was a great season and, you know, it didn't End how we wanted it to, but, you know, obviously, that's the goal again, and we want to get back there, and, you know, we know what it takes to get back there, and, you know, ultimately I think that we're one to do there and, you know, not come home with that. That sour feeling in our mouth.
[00:11:25] Speaker A: Practice starts next week. Team practice does. What's going on right now in the building after you guys have reported back to campus?
[00:11:32] Speaker D: Yeah, we've just been doing a lot of building up. We're getting ready. The pitchers are getting ready to. We've been throwing bullpens the past few weeks, getting ready to move into scrimmages and all that on the weekend. The hitters have been doing a lot of infield work, a lot of BP stuff like that. Just. Just really getting. Getting ready to. To kind of showcase what everybody can do these next few weeks over our scrimmages.
[00:12:00] Speaker A: Are you able to see right now and what you're doing from the new players, anything that stood out from them and maybe who some of those players are?
[00:12:10] Speaker D: Yeah, man.
I mean, everybody. The coaching staff every year, I mean, they just do an incredible job of bringing just talented people in here that. That love to work and.
And that are really, like, good people. And I think that that's really important, you know, to have. Have good characters and to have people that are fun to be around on your team.
And, yeah, there's a lot of guys that have stood out. I mean, I could go on and on down the list, to be honest with you, from, obviously, I see a lot more on the pitching side, and, you know, there's a lot of freshman arms that, you know, that. That get you really excited. And in all the. Even all the transfers, I mean, they all get you excited. You know, you're down there watching them throw, and, you know, you're like, man, this guy's got some electric stuff. And, like, it just. It really just gets you excited because you kind of start seeing, like, how the team is going to shape up and what. Maybe who will be into what role. But, like, I mean, obviously it's very early for all of that, but it's just nice to be able to see, you know, what everybody can do and showcase and just kind of get a sense of how that's going to fit in on the team.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: You know, talking about fitting in on the team. That's a good transition to something I want to ask you about. I feel, you know, Arkansas is not unlike a lot of other teams where you've just got a Lot of turnover on your roster from year to year and new players coming in from, and a lot of times older players who can kind of be set in their ways. What do you think it has been about your clubhouse the last few years where that hasn't really affected the team? Like, you guys seem to really like each other and want to play with each other. And I know this time of year is really important in building that, you know, or team building, camaraderie, whatever you want to call it. What do you think it's been about Arkansas the last few years, where it maybe hasn't had an effect here, like maybe it has somewhere else?
[00:13:59] Speaker D: Yeah, I would really just say it's a testament to the culture that the coaching staff and honestly that coach, Coach Bell, our strength coach, is kind of instilling here.
You know, it's, it's.
It's just a really strong culture of, of being together. It's a lot of competitiveness, but, but of being together, like being a band of brothers and, and, you know, really, you know, wanting to fight and, and being in hard situations, maybe with, with your brother. We do a lot of competitions, you know, just like inner squad stuff against each other and you know, and it brings out, you know, obviously the competitive side of you. But, but when you lose, like, obviously we have some, some punishments or punishments. We say that it's, it's really just brings everybody closer together and I think that, that it's really just a culture thing and, and kind of what Coach Hobbs, Coach Van Horn, Coach Thompson and, and really Coach Bell, I think that they've really been instilling in everybody that. That comes through this place and, and a lot of it starts in the weight room, in my opinion, and, and all of that. And coach, Coach Bell is a very, he's a very passionate, very, very fiery person. And I think he just does an amazing job of, of getting our team really, that culture of being a band of brothers and everybody and really pushing everybody to, to want to fight for that guy next to you. And I think that. I think a lot of that starts with him, so. So yeah, I'd put a lot of that to our culture personally.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: What are you hoping to work on this fall?
[00:15:30] Speaker D: I've really been. I've been hammered down a change up.
I've been. I've been really trying to, to work on that, and I think that we've been starting to figure it out, so it's been pretty good.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: As far as team. What do you hope to see?
[00:15:45] Speaker D: Yeah, that's a tough Question. I just want to see, I just really want to see a lot of guys compete. I just want to see, you know, kind of going back to what you, what you were saying earlier. Maybe, maybe not a lot of guys that, that are stuck in their way or, you know, that, that want to do it their way, but just a lot of guys who are open, you know, to getting better. And you know, obviously we, we have the best coaches in the nation. And so I think, you know, that they, they kind of know where that you need to be and the direction that you need to be heading. And so, yeah, I would just, I'd just like to see everybody just get to work and that's what they've been doing. So it's been really, it's been really cool.
[00:16:20] Speaker A: I want to ask you about working with Matt Hobbs. I was talking to a recruit about a week ago, a player who's just recently committed to Arkansas. And I said, what were the other teams that, that were recruiting you? He said, well, I talked to Vanderbilt and Georgia, Tennessee, lsu, Texas and Auburn. And I'm sitting there and I'm thinking, well, that's, that's Scott Brown and that's Butch Thompson and that's Wes Johnson and that's Max Weiner and Frank Anderson and Nate Yeske. These are all big time pitching coaches. And he said that, you know, Matt's professionalism as a pitching coach really stood out to him. I wonder, as you work with him on a day to day basis, what's that interaction like and what are your thoughts on him as a developer of you all in the pitching staff?
[00:17:04] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean it's, it's really second to none. I mean, I don't, I don't think you're going to get it really anywhere else in the nation. I mean, when you're working with Coach Hobbs, it's, it's, it's always, he's never going to sugarcoat anything with you. And I think that's really what you want with the coach like you, you want him to be very straightforward and honest with you and you want him to tell you how it is. And I think that that's huge for development and getting better and, and really like, because it's a tough love in an asp.
Like he just wants to see you succeed and, and it's really cool to be able to work with him because he just, he knows so much about the game and, and he's been around it for so long and, and this, the way that he attacks it like he's one of the best motivators that I have ever been around. Like, and, and he gives like, we call. It's kind of a joke on the team, but. But some of the guys call him Optimus prime just because, like, some of some of the pregame speeches that we get from him is, is. Are second to none. But it's just really cool to be able to work with him because he, he's just like that he's going to give it to you straight and, and he really knows what he's talking about. And so I just really respect that from him and really appreciate that.
[00:18:12] Speaker A: Maybe without going into details, can you characterize what a pregame speech is like?
[00:18:18] Speaker D: It's just. It's a lot of, of. Of really searching within yourself and, and band and banding with the other. Other guys around you, and it's just a lot of motivation. I don't. Look up an Optimus prime speech and.
[00:18:30] Speaker A: You'Ll get a. Yeah, well, Parker, you've been great with your time, and we're looking forward to seeing you back on the mound here. Let me ask you before you get out of here. Dave Van Horn said something about a month ago. He said that, you know, they think they'll look at you as a starter. Is that something you aspire to be and maybe as you. As you self assess your skill set, what makes you different as a starter versus someone who comes out of the bullpen?
[00:18:56] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. It's definitely something I aspire. I think ultimately everybody's goal is to be a start at some point, but yeah, I think just really adding that, that change up this fall to be able to give me just a different look, just a better mix with my pitches, kind of really reshaping the arsenal a little bit and you know, not, not completely changing like how you throw like from a starter compared to a bullpen, but definitely, you know, having a better plan of attack and, and you know, just, just trying to mix more ultimately as you're going to be facing lineups whole hopefully you know, two, three, four times a game. So, you know, that's going to be crucial and I think adding, adding that fourth pitch is, is going to be able to help with that in that mix. But yeah, it's definitely something I aspire to be and you know, ultimately I just want to help the team win in whatever capacity or way that may be. But yeah, absolutely.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: Parker, we appreciate it. Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend and we'll see you at the ballpark next week.
[00:19:53] Speaker D: Yes, sir. Thank you for having me on here. I really appreciate it.
[00:19:55] Speaker A: All right. Thank you. Parker Coyle with Arkansas Baseball. When we come back, Ethan Westerman will join me here in studio. But first, a word from Kendall King.
[00:20:02] Speaker C: At Kendall King, we're proud of over four decades of design.
We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of Kendall King, Soapbox and Shopcart. 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 Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart. We are designed.
[00:20:29] Speaker A: Hey, welcome back. Want to tell you about our friends at Bentonville Glass. They've been serving their community since 1971. Committed, professional, versatile. If you're looking for a quality leader in northwest Arkansas or looking for skilled craftsmanship, look no further than Bentonville Glass for all your glass market needs but the highest quality products. You can come by and see them now at 507 South Main in Bentonville or online at bentonvilleglass.com want to take you €200 checks coming to the Hogs Illustrated Sports Club. That's going to be next Thursday, September 4th at noon at home. Two suites in Springdale. You can still reserve your seats at Ozarks. Tix.com O Z A R K S T-I X.com for Hunter EuroCheck at the Hogs Illustrated Sports Club. Ethan Westerman's here. And on Friday, we look forward to the weekend. Always. Kind of one of my favorite segments during football season when we do our predictions. Ethan here looks like Biff Tannen from Back to the Future. He's got all of his football guides out. You know, in Back to the Future he's got like the, you know, the almanac that's tucked into his back pocket.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I've got the all three of them, so I guess I'm out doing him.
[00:21:34] Speaker A: What's he say? I bet you a million bucks UCLA wins 19 to 17.
Who do they play this weekend? Because I think in the movie it was Washington, wasn't it?
[00:21:44] Speaker B: I don't, I don't know.
[00:21:45] Speaker A: But have you seen Back to the Future?
[00:21:47] Speaker B: I have, but I'm not like, super.
I'm not as good at, like, remembering details of things like you are. I'm like, I can watch a movie and it's just like I, two hours later, I forgot everything I just watched.
[00:22:00] Speaker A: You know what's funny is in Back to the Future, when they go 30 years into the future, that's now 10 years ago, we're now 40 years into the future from where everyone Back to the Future was filmed.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: So that's fun.
[00:22:12] Speaker A: Yeah, just kind of, it's fun to go back and watch those movies and like what the, what their idea of 2015 was going to look like versus what it actually did.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: Did they have 2015 being the last time Arkansas had a winning season in the sec?
[00:22:27] Speaker A: I don't believe, I don't know. I didn't see the almanac.
[00:22:29] Speaker B: Okay, well, it's a mystery.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Let's see here. Games last night. What would you watch?
[00:22:35] Speaker B: What didn't I watch? I feel like I watched all of them, even the like, lower ones. I mean I was in the trenches watching UT Martin, Oklahoma State for a little bit, watched uca Mizzou, watched, oh my goodness, South Florida blasted Boise. That was interesting. I watched bits and pieces of Nebraska, Cincinnati. But I mean I was, I was watching it all. Watch Minnesota play.
I, I was a sicko yesterday.
[00:23:02] Speaker A: I got into this habit during the summer because I wasn't working a whole lot of going to bed at like 9 o'. Clock. You know, this, you know, send you a text at 8:30. Hey, I'm, I'm headed to bed.
I stayed up for Nebraska, Cincinnati last night and I feel so sluggish today because I cannot tell you the last time that I was up till 11:40 at night.
[00:23:22] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I'm, I'm always up that late so it wasn't any different for me. But I, I mean I really enjoy just getting back to where I can flip from game to game. Like it's just such a good feeling that we're back.
And I also just really enjoyed yesterday, even though a lot of teams like, you know, Missouri's playing uca, Oklahoma State' playing these FCS teams. Like I feel like you still can watch these games and see like it was 61 6, I think was Mizzou, UCA, but you could still see like problems for teams. And I like that aspect of week one to where like if an FCS team is running it up the gut over and over, you have questions. So I like that these early season games, even if they're lopsided, you can usually detect maybe a few things to be watching for when the games do get a little tougher the next week.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: Got to see a couple of local kids too last night. Drake Lindsay from Minnesota threw a couple of touchdowns in his first career start. And then Chaz Nimrod from Bentonville. I think he had close to 100 receiving yards and that went over Boise for South Florida.
[00:24:22] Speaker B: Yeah, he might have gone over the top of it. He was and he was. It's not like they were like scattered across like kind of, you know, your 10 yard gain here, your seven yard gain here. He was making big catches like third and long. He had a long touchdown catch. I think if. No, it wasn't a touchdown catch. It got him down to where they could run it in the next play. But he was getting them like they were big catches to get them touchdowns. So those two played really well last night. I mean Drake, it was a close game there for a little bit with Minnesota, Buffalo and I mean the final score still wasn't like super convincing. But he was instrumental in getting them kind of that separation they needed. So it was interesting watching them play.
[00:25:02] Speaker A: You get the latest breaking news on all razorback
[email protected] most in depth source for all Razorback sports. We have analysis, latest in recruiting, unique stories on all your favorite teams. Subscribe today@whole hogsports.com Lots of content there. Looking forward to Arkansas, Alabama A&M tomorrow at 3:15. We're not going to spend a whole lot of time talking about this game. We think it's going to be a blowout.
Usually on Fridays we'll dissect the upcoming game a little bit more. But you know, two things. Number one, we don't expect it to be a real competitive game. And number two, we just don't know a whole lot about these two teams yet, you know. So we'll have a lot more to work with next week before the Arkansas, Arkansas State game down in Little Rock. Let's talk about this week's games we've got starting out tonight. An SEC game. I think it's the most interesting game today. Auburn goes to Baylor. Auburn A1 1 1 point favorite.
[00:25:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm. We're picking these right now, right?
[00:25:59] Speaker A: Yeah, go ahead.
[00:26:00] Speaker B: All right. Yeah, I'm going to pick Baylor. I think they return a lot on offense. They had a pretty good year last year. I think they were like an eight win team if I'm not mistaken. They won their bowl, I think.
And so I just think that Auburn still has a lot of question marks. And this is the thing, this is the state where Auburn's in right now is they can get as many wins on paper as they want in recruiting and the portal and but that fan base, they need something concrete to get them to have belief in the team and they just have too many questions for me right now. I think that that's a program that it's going through it right now. And so I'm gonna pick Baylor. It's the Walker White battle, too, I think. Yeah, he was at, you know, the quarterback from Little Rock Christian Academy. He went to Auburn, started his career and he transferred to Baylor this past year. I think he's the Baylor backup, though.
[00:26:49] Speaker A: So, you know, Baylor two, three years ago, they won the Big 12 and Dave Aranda was kind of the flavor of the month. A lot of people thought, you know, hey, does he, does he skip town and get to a bigger job?
They've been down a little bit the last couple of years, but I say don't forget about them. I'm going to take Baylor, too. They're in Waco.
I just think that they win. Question is, can they get more people in the stadium than they had there last week when they had the turnpike troubadours on the field? That was a big deal in Waco a week ago. That's a 7 o' clock game on Fox. We won't pick these two, but a couple other games just to keep in mind. Tonight, Georgia Tech goes to Colorado. That's in Boulder, 7 o' clock kickoff. And these are central times on ESPN. And then how about this game? I'll be keeping an eye on this. Appalachian State goes or they play Charlotte. This is the Dukes Mayo Classic in Charlotte. It's going to be at the Panthers stadium, I believe. 6 o' clock kickoff on ESPNU. This is Dal Loggins head coaching debut. Dal Logan's the former Razorback and a.
[00:27:44] Speaker B: Lot of former Razorbacks who wanted probably bigger roles kind of their debuts, too.
[00:27:51] Speaker A: Because a lot of them ended up there.
[00:27:53] Speaker B: A lot of them did. And also some of them that got a lot of playing time, like Rashad Dabinyan, the running back. I'd expect him to be their starter and get a lot of yards. So we'll see. That'll be fun to watch.
[00:28:03] Speaker A: I think. Ryan Jurecheck is on staff there and Brooks Yurichek has gone there to play for Appalachian State. So there's a lot of ties to the Razorbacks. Those are not the only ones. Moving forward to Saturday, the game of the day, it's going to be the big Noon kickoff game, 11am Central on Fox. It's number one Texas at number three, Ohio State. Ohio State, obviously the defending national champion Texas has got got the number one ranking this year. They've got the preseason favorite to win the Heisman and Arch Manning. Ohio State is a one and a half point favorite in Horseshoe.
[00:28:35] Speaker B: Yeah, this One's so tough to pick because, I mean, both teams, it's hard to find a ton of deficiencies, but they do have quarterbacks that aren't proven yet. I mean, there can be all the Arch Manning hype you want, but until he goes, you know, on the road and wins a game like this one Saturday, I mean, it's all just hype.
And I'm going to pick Ohio State. I think playing at home helps them. I do think that Texas has a few questions on their offensive line, too. Not that they don't like, have talent there. It's just a new line.
I think they lost four of their starters from last year's team on the line. And so that along with the new quarterback, I just have a tough time picking him to go into, you know, into the horseshoe and get a win.
[00:29:17] Speaker A: Ohio State lost both of his coordinators from last year. Chip Kelly left for the NFL. Jim Knowles went to Penn State.
I want to pick Texas. Like, I want to say I think they're going to win because of the inexperience, you know, factor at least in terms of a game for Ohio State. But I just think Ohio State played at home.
I picked them to win this game. That's a toss up. I could see that going either way. But it's going to be a good early season and there's going to be a lot of these games this weekend where it's like, okay, are they as good as we think they are? Can't make too many big takeaways from week one. But you can get a little bit of a feel for teams, especially if you see some deficiencies like on the line.
[00:29:54] Speaker B: And I like that Texas does this. I mean, last year they went to Michigan and obviously early in the season it wasn't. It didn't being like as big of a game as it could have been because Michigan was down at the start.
So, you know, that can always happen in a game like this where we go into week one and they have these big numbers by their name and give it four weeks and you're like, well, that wasn't as big of a game as we thought.
But I like that Texas does this and schedules big road games against, you know, powerhouses and other conferences.230 on Saturday.
[00:30:24] Speaker A: Alabama ranked number eight in the preseason, a 14 and a half point favorite at Florida State. Florida State, they have. And I think we're going to see this in college football more. They've actually taken seats away from their stadium in order to put more premium areas in there. I Think they've reduced capacity by about 13, 14,000.
[00:30:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'd assume that logo coming into your stadium, Alabama, they're going to however many seats they have, it should be packed.
I'm. I'm picking Alabama. I just think Florida State, it's hard to pick them in a game like this after the year they had last year. I think Alabama's got a lot to prove this year.
I just. I just don't think it's that close, to be honest.
[00:31:01] Speaker A: Florida State's got a lot to prove after what happened last year.
Gus Malzon as their offensive coordinator. They've totally overhauled that coaching staff. I'm sure they've overhauled the roster. It'll be interesting to see how this works out.
[00:31:13] Speaker B: Yeah, they've got a lot of proof too. But I just think Alabama, like they should win.
And this is the. I just think this one gets ugly early because I think that Alabama's kind of going into this season maybe. It sounds weird to say. I feel like people might be sleeping on Alabama a little bit, which. Imagine saying that a decade ago.
[00:31:32] Speaker A: I'm still influenced by the Knicks Sabaniers. I don't pick against Alabama unless I absolutely have to. I think they win this on Saturday.
Lsu, ranked number nine, goes to number four, Clemson. I think the easy way to say this is that the Tigers are going to win at Death Valley.
[00:31:46] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good point.
You know, there's so much intrigue around Texas, Ohio State because it's the highest ranked game. But I think that this, this is the. Personally the one I have me too circled the biggest because I think that there's just more at stake for the loser. I think out of all the week one games, this is the one with the most to gain for the winner. The most to lose for the loser. Because I mean, if you drop that week one game like LSU has several years in a row now, three years, that is bad vibes happening down there. And I think it's going to happen. I think Clemson's got a really good team. I think LSU does too. And Garrett Nussmeier, I'd say is the best quarterback in the sec. Most proven entering the season. Skill all up and down the roster. But I think there is something about these, like, can't get over the hump type of games. And they keep playing them too, like they're still opening with which I mean, shout out to them for still making sure week one's an exciting game for their fan base. But man, they can't get over it they always find a way to lose.
[00:32:42] Speaker A: Clemson, I think has got the best defensive line in the country. I think they're really, really good on the defensive line. I like Cade Klubnick. I like Clemson to win the game. They're a four and a half point favorite. This could be at 6:30 on ABC Saturday night. I'll say this too. You mentioned about the team that loses, especially if LSU loses, it's going to hurt their playoff chances. Clemson, they still get to play in the ACC and work their way through there. And if they can win the conference, LSU I think is going to have a lot harder time winning the SEC than Clemson might winning the acc.
Sunday afternoon, Virginia Tech is going to play South Carolina. GameCocks ranked number 13 in Atlanta. South Carolina is a seven and a half point favorite. This is going to be a 2 o' clock kickoff Sunday afternoon on ESPN.
[00:33:26] Speaker B: Yeah, I like South Carolina.
I'm not sold on them for this season, but I mean just comparing them head to head with Virginia Tech, I think that they have the better team. You return your quarterback, Lenore Sellers, who has plenty of hype around him this year. I just favor him in an early season game over Virginia Tech.
[00:33:42] Speaker A: Beamer bowl, you got Frank Beamer, Shane Beamer combination here. Of course, you know Shane Beamer. Ton of ton of respect and ties for Virginia Tech.
I'm going to take South Carolina, but I want to say this. I think South Carolina is a little bit overrated this year. I think I don't see it from Lenore Sellers like other people do. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he ends up having a great year.
I just don't see him being as good as a lot of people have. Also Sunday night you've got, can we say Catholics versus convicts? Well, look what we just did. Number six, Notre Dame. At number 10, Miami, 2.5 point favorite, the fighting Irish. Obviously a lot of Razorback fans are going to be watching this to see what Notre Dame looks like a few weeks from coming to Fayetteville.
[00:34:22] Speaker B: Yeah, after watching last night's game and seeing a team come into South Florida, I'm like, is there something about playing down there early in the year that makes me want to pick Miami? But I'm not going to. I'm going to pick Notre Dame. I think they've just got, I mean, I don't know how else to say it. I think they have the better team and I think they should win.
[00:34:41] Speaker A: Miami's got Carson Beck. I think he's going to be driving to the game in a Lamborghini or something. Doesn't he have like a bunch of $300,000 cars?
[00:34:48] Speaker B: Or.
[00:34:48] Speaker A: I think I've read something like he's got his. He's got like this luxury sports car something going on there. I think Notre Dame wins. I'm. And it's hard and it's wrong to look back at last year and compare it to this year. I was not impressed by Notre Dame in that first game last year against Texas A and M anyway, whatsoever. And it feels like they're kind of. And it's funny because Kelly used to. Brian Kelly used to coach at Notre Dame. It feels kind of like their LSU and that they're really sluggish starting off the year. Week two, last year they had that loss to Northern Illinois. I think Notre Dame. I'm going to pick them.
But I wouldn't be surprised at all if Miami won this, especially with Beck, if he. If he can play to the level that he played two years ago.
[00:35:28] Speaker B: And this is another like winner of this is clearly in playoff. You know, driver's seat to you control your destiny type of game.
[00:35:35] Speaker A: Mario Crystal ball needs to win. He needs a big win, I think, to just kind of show that he's got Miami going in the right direction. Upset watch. What do you got this week?
[00:35:45] Speaker B: Toledo gonna beat Kentucky in Lexington. Yes. I'm not sold on Kentucky at all. And then Toledo is the best team in their conference, in my opinion. In the Mac. I think that it spoke to me last year when they went down to Mississippi State, albeit a bad Mississippi State team. But they absolutely handed it to Mississippi State last year. I think the score might have ended up being. I don't remember what the score was. It might have looked closer than the game was, which is sad. But I don't think they're going to be intimidated going into this. I think Toledo walks out of Kroger Field with a win.
[00:36:19] Speaker A: Kroger Field at Commonwealth Stadium. It's a nine and a half point favorite. Kentucky is. But that's a morning game so that, you know, there could be some of that. Some sleepy going on. I've got South Dakota at Iowa State.
Iowa State beat K State last week. I didn't think they looked great in that game. They had the long flight back from Ireland. May have had a few too many Guinnesses celebrating the game before they got out of town. South Dakota, you know how, you know how I am about the fcs. If you're in Dakota, the Dakotas, Montana or Idaho. I like you. I think you've got a Good team. South Dakota was an FCS playoff team last year. They went to the semifinals. They were 11 and 3. They've got their quarterback back and they've had a week to not only look at Iowa State, but again, you've got Iowa State potentially sluggish.
Iowa State's a 16 and a half point favorite. I would not be surprised if South Dakota won that. And then I'll just mention too, North Dakota goes to Kansas State.
North Dakota usually a pretty good program too. K State, they've got some of those same things working against them.
[00:37:20] Speaker B: These Dakota teams were foaming at the mouth seeing that their week two opponents were playing in Dublin and had an emotional back and forth game. And not to mention like both teams, like I think you said, didn't look great. I mean they were fumbling, turning it over, just sloppy games. I think these Dakota teams, man, they're ready.
[00:37:38] Speaker A: South Dakota gave Wisconsin a battle last year. Iowa State had a little bit of a tough time with North Dakota. Just saying. I think, I think South Dakota could maybe go into Ames and steal one. I think that 16 and a half point line for that game is a little bit high. Okay, speaking of betting lines, we're not going to pick Arkansas, Alabama A and M because we both think that they're going to win. The question is, can they cover the 46.5-point spread?
[00:38:00] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:38:01] Speaker A: Will they?
[00:38:02] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:38:03] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:38:03] Speaker B: I think that Bobby Petrino loves to score touchdowns when he can.
I mean week one last year was an example. I think that Arkansas is going to try and you know, work out whatever they're still trying to figure out on offense and they're going to be playing, I think that. And you saw this last year with the backups.
I think there was some talk about why is Arkansas still like running the score up on uapb? I mean these are a lot of these second and third team, the only reps they're going to get all season and you want to see what they can do. I don't think Petrino's, he's, if they're on the field, he's calling plays to go score a touchdown. And I just, I just think it's going to be ugly. I think Alabama A and M will get on the board unlike UAPB did. But I wouldn't expect them to score over maybe a touchdown and a field goal or something. I don't know.
[00:38:49] Speaker A: Again, these are much different teams than last year. But Arkansas won its opener last year by 70. Alabama A&M lost to Auburn by 70 in the first game last year. I don't know what that means. I'm going to say Arkansas does not cover because 46 and a half is a big, big, big number. I think it, regardless of the competition, I think Arkansas wins this game really handily.
I also wonder if maybe there's something to let's, let's withhold some stuff so that you can maybe, you know, bring it out in phases against Arkansas State, Ole Miss. I'm sure that that's, that's the conversations that are going on there. I just, I wonder if they, with as many of the offensive pieces that they, they know, you know, like Taylor Green and some of the people on the line, I wonder if the starting offense stays in the game for as long and that can certainly affect the scoring.
[00:39:37] Speaker B: Yeah, last year I won't forget Mike Gundy after they beat Arkansas and he's on or actually, no, this is before they put Arkansas. That is a little weekly radio show that we laugh about because it's in a nursing home. It's awesome. But that's what he mentioned. He said they were so much better than UAPB he sent. Bobby just went as vanilla as he could and they still could score and it shocked him. He said on his radio show after the fact that after they beat Arkansas that Petrino pulled out way more Lamar Jackson type offense than they were anticipating. So Bobby will have something up his sleeve for the games that, you know, it ratchets up a little bit more. They should be able to run their basic stuff tomorrow and win soundly.
[00:40:20] Speaker A: 46 and a half, that's a big number. If they cover it, good for them. I just, I'd be hesitant to go that high and it makes me wonder if maybe the line falls a little bit between now and kickoff. Okay. We hope we see you this weekend at our website, wholehogsports.com we'll have a ton of coverage from this game between the Razorbacks and Alabama A and M on Saturday. We're not going to be back with another podcast until Tuesday of next week, Monday, obviously, Labor Day. So we're going to take that.
We won't be off, but we're going to take that day off from the podcast. We'll still have plenty of content on our site that day, but we'll see you back here Tuesday. Appreciate you being with us. Have a great delivery day weekend, everybody.
