With SEC Media Days capturing the mind and hearts of college football fans last week, it’s easy for some fans to forget that yes, others play football outside of Mike Slive’s pigskin kingdom. One of those conferences is the ACC, a league which held its media days last week as well.

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And for the second straight year, Kevin McGuire was in North Carolina, covering ACC Media Days for Examiner.com. On Wednesday, he stopped by the podcast to discuss all the proceedings, trends and themes that encompass the conference. *** One note: This podcast was taped before Butch Davis was fired at North Carolina on Wednesday evening.

Amongst the topics that he and I talked about, included:

- How is the ACC’s perception of itself, amongst conference members?

- Why the third weekend of the season, could “make or break,” the entire season for a number of schools, and possibly, the league itself.

- Why some Virginia Tech players weren’t particularly happy that Florida State was selected to win the conference by the coaches.

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Over the course of this college football off-season, I’ve been blessed to talk to a lot of great writers all over the country. From Florida to California, Pennsylvania to Alabama, and everything in between, I’ve done my best to cover the entire landscape of the sport.

But never, had I had the chance to interview an FBS Head Coach. Until now...

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Joining my on Tuesday afternoon, was Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo. Coach Niumatalolo has been at the Naval Academy for over a decade now, in two separate stints, both as a head coach and an assistant. No one knows the ups and downs and ins and outs of coaching at a service academy quite like he does

In our face-paced interview, we covered a lot of ground, as coach discussed the following:

- What is “Plebe Summer,” and why it’s so different than anything that a recruit at a normal school would go through.

- How he and his staff go about evaluating high school players, and determining which are right for Navy. Beyond that, why he knows right away that some recruits just aren’t a right fit for the school.

- The reality of dealing with expectations at the Naval Academy, and how they’ve increased as the Midshipmen have gone to bowl games in eight straight years.

- Looking ahead to this season, what do we need to know about new quarterback Kriss Proctor? How is he different than the man he’s replacing, Ricky Dobbs? no comments

With SEC media days consuming all the talk in the college football world Wednesday, a smaller, but equally important news story made waves as well. That, of the Longhorn Network.

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On Tuesday it was announced that the new television station, which will partner with ESPN and show Texas Longhorns athletics competitions, had agreed to also broadcast high school football. Not only within the state’s borders, but also outside of them, with many of the games featuring high-ranking players that the University of Texas is recruiting. Eventually it was announced that for the time being, the Longhorn Network wouldn’t broadcast high school games, but it still didn’t stop a firestorm within the Big XII and beyond, as Texas’ biggest rivals were calling for an unfair advantage. Some even threatened to leave the conference.

Well on Wednesday night, Allen Kenney, Oklahoma fan, and writer at BlatantHomerism.com stopped by the podcast to discuss the situation.

Allen wrote a phenomenal column on the subject, and he and I expanded on the content, by discussing the following:

- When the Longhorn Network was first pitched over a year ago, did anyone know they’d partner with ESPN?

- Why, although it’s not explicit cheating, the idea that Texas will broadcast high school recruits’ games just feels dirty.

- Is Oklahoma and Texas A&M to the SEC a real threat, or a thinly veiled ploy by the school’s to get Texas to back down on some of their Longhorn Network proposals.

- Why would the SEC want just Texas A&M? Is it really better for Oklahoma to go to the SEC than stay in their current situation?

 

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As we get closer to college football season, it’s no secret that the coverage and discussion will only ramp up here at Aaron Torres Sports and on the podcast. However, with all the discussion about the SEC, Pac-12, Longhorn Network and beyond, it’s easy to forget about some little old independent named Notre Dame.

Not anymore.

After some clamoring from Irish nation for more coverage of the school, I obliged, by having on one of the most well-known Notre Dame fans out on the internet, when I welcomed Ty Hildenbrant, co-host of the very popular “Solid Verbal,” podcast onto the show.

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Ty has been hosting the show with friend Dan Rubenstein for close to four years now, and covers the sport as well as anyone, mixing in interviews with coaches, writers and broadcasters, as well as e-mails and voicemails from fans. It really is a must-listen for anyone who loves college football.

But on Tuesday, Ty was the podcast guest, as he and I broke down all things past and present with Notre Dame.

Amongst the topics we discussed, including the following:

- How Ty and Dan became involved, and ultimately started the Solid Verbal podcast.

- How the show has grown over the years to the point now, where they are continually bringing on high-quality guests.

- Moving over to the football side of things, how Brian Kelly is different from Charlie Weis, including both on and off the field, as well as recruiting and as a “public figure.”

- What Weis did wrong at Notre Dame, and why his own arrogance did him.

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On Tuesday’s episode of the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast, Brian Murphy of the Idaho Statesman was nice enough to stop by and break down all things Boise State football, in the lead-up to their big, opening week showdown with Georgia. Well it only seemed fair then, I follow up with someone from Athens to give the Bulldogs point of view, right?

Well today I’m doing just that, as I welcome Seth Emerson, who covers Georgia for the Macon Telegraph and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer to the podcast.

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Seth has been on the Georgia beat for over a year now, and knows this program inside and out, as Mark Richt enters the biggest season of his career. Amongst the topics Seth and I discussed included the following:

- Why he doesn’t believe that this is necessarily a “make or break,” year for Richt. At the same time, why even if he survives, Richt could still be in trouble for 2012.

- The arrest of Caleb King. Does it make Isaiah Crowell the most important freshman in the country? Why King’s departure from the program is significantly different from Washaun Ealey’s and others.

- Why are so many players leaving the program? Is it something Mark Richt is doing wrong? Is it simply house keeping?

- What to expect in year two of Todd Grantham’s reign as defensive coordinator? Why depth is much less an issue on that side of the ball, than it is on offense.

- In a year where the SEC East is down, why Seth doesn’t necessarily believe that it’s Georgia’s to take.

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It’s another Tuesday, and time for another College Football Podcast! After discussing schools such as USC, Florida, Florida State and Auburn earlier in the summer, it’s now time to take a look at the most polarizing non-AQ school in college football, the Boise State Broncos.

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On Monday I was lucky enough to be by Brian Murphy, a columnist and reporter for the Idaho Statesman, the biggest newspaper in Idaho. Brian has covered the Broncos for a number of years now, and brought his vast knowledge of the program and the team to the podcast, sharing the following information:

- Why many believe that the sentiment of Boise as a “feel good story” changed nationally last year, as Boise came closer than ever to playing for a National Championship.

- How an official move to the Mountain West has both its benefits and drawbacks. Yes the competition is better, but what about the conference’s TV deal?

- How Boise’s offense will look different this year without Titus Young and Austin Pettis. Could the Broncos go back their style of play from 5-6 years ago?

- What kind of leader and person is Kellen Moore? And despite Moore’s accolades, could Doug Martin end up being the star of the show this year?

- Why the Georgia opener looms large, and how if Boise can get through, another undefeated season is feasible.

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After spending the entire summer talking with experts from around the country about all the on the field issues in college football, this week’s Aaron Torres Sports Podcast comes at things from a different angle; that of the gambler.

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Joining me to discuss everything, is the Adam Kramer, of the very popular college football blog Kegs N’ Eggs, as well as a newly formed (and yet to be named) College Football Gambling Podcast.

Adam has been following the college football lines basically since last year's college football season ended, and he brings his expertise discussing the following subjects:

- How college football’s ‘summer of scandal,’ has effected gambling on schools like Ohio State and Oregon. Why haven’t their numbers moved much in some places, and yet taken drastic turns in others?

- Is there any value in betting the two preseason favorites Oklahoma and Alabama?

- What about Florida State? Some people think they’re a legit title contender, and others think the momentum has swung too far the other way? Where does Adam stand?

- Why Adam believes that given their value, Oklahoma State and South Carolina are solid bets to take home the title. Why both Adam and I agree that Boise State has awful value.

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It's another week, meaning it's time for the summer podcast series to roll on. And after having discussed USC, Florida, Florida State, as well as all the major conferences, it is finally now time to discuss the defending National Champion Auburn Tigers!

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Joining me this week is the man who the website WarBlogle.com, a popular one-stop shop for all things Auburn football.

Amongst the topics that he and I discussed, included the following:

- Why the Arkansas game was the turning point of Auburn's 2010 season, and why once the Tigers got by that, he believed they could win the National Championship.

- What it was like to travel to Arizona to take in the team's National Championship Game win

- If there's any merit to a recent Sports By Brooks report, or any concern over the HBO Real Sports piece that aired in February

- Would Russell Wilson have been the right fit on the Plains and without him, who the War Blogler expects to be under center in the first game

- Is the running game strong enough to overcome key personnel losses along the offensive line?

- What are realistic expectations for the defense?

 

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 It's Tuesday, which means it's time for another episode of the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast to hit the airwaves. This week, I was joined by one of my good buddies in the business, Michael Felder of InTheBleachers.net.

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In The Bleachers covers the whole college football landscape, but being an ex-North Carolina Tar Heel himself, Michael’s biggest area of interest in the ACC. We talked extensively about all the comings and goings in the conference, discussing the following things:

- Is Florida State finally ready to be the ACC’s flagship program, and could they compete for a National Title as early as this year?

- Why E.J. Manuel is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the game, and why- because of the talent around him- he can be more of a game-manager than a game-changer, and the Seminoles will still be successful.

- What to expect in Year One of the Al Golden era at Miami, and why Canes fans may need to temper their expectations going forward.

- Although they’re consistently a 10-win team, has Virginia Tech hit their ceiling as a program? Is it time for them to start taking more risks on the recruiting trail?

- Why Michael thinks North Carolina may be better than some expect, and Georgia Tech worse.

- Why Michael is curious to see what Randy Edsall will do at Maryland, and why my concerns are more off the field with the Terrapins.

 

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Despite the NBA Finals wrapping up Sunday night, there are still plenty of related thoughts on everyone's mind. Which is why on Wednesday, I welcomed Marc Ryan, host of "The Morning Drive," on 100.3 FM down in Florida onto the podcast to discuss the NBA Finals.

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Living on the gulf coast of Florida, Marc got a first-hand look at the Heat-hysteria all season long, starting with their preseason camp, right down the road from his house, and ending Sunday night in Miami.

Amongst the topics that he and I discussed included:

- How Marc's life in the radio business got much easier the second LeBron spoke the words, "I'm taking my talents to South Beach."

- Why everyone- even non-basketball fans- came out of the woodwork with their opinions all season long.

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