Episode
Too Much CFP, Not Enough Weirdness with Richard Johnson | College Football
- Published
- Jun 9, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4628
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Summary
In this episode, we welcome back our friend Richard Johnson from CBS Sports and Split Zone Duo for a conversation about the college football topics we talk about too much, and the ones we probably do not talk about enough. As preview season creeps closer, we zoom out on the sport’s offseason discourse and ask which arguments are useful, which ones are exhausted, and where the weird, fun, meaningful parts of college football might be hiding. We dig into College Football Playoff format fatigue, the role of TV money and conference power, the constant hope that Congress can somehow “fix” college sports, the growing presence of gambling in broadcasts, and whether the Arch Manning conversation has swung too far in the other direction. Plus, we get into teams and coaches who deserve more attention, including Florida, UCLA, Michigan, and the broader world outside the SEC and Big Ten. We also wander into West Coast scheduling thoughts, the need for more strange bowl game energy, Sacramento sports sadness, college football media golf rankings, and the inevitability of major news breaking whenever Richard goes to Europe. And, right in the middle of our recording, news broke of Brendan Sorsby's reinstatement. (We react as best we can!) Timecodes: 0:00 - Intro 4:29 - Richard Johnson joins the show 7:30 - CFP format 12:31 - TV network influence 19:22 - The government and CFB 22:18 - Arch Manning 28:48 - Brendan Sorsby news 33:05 - Gambling as part of studio shows 40:25 - ACC Thursdays 44:10 - West Coast scheduling 45:53 - Jon Sumrall 50:22 - Big Ten & SEC vs. the World 56:54 - Kyle Whittingham 1:03:35 - Rapid Fire Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbal See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.