JR and Zack's Top 25s and CFP Predictions: How many Big Ten teams should be ranked?

JR and Zach kick off with a national perspective on college football, sharing their top 25 rankings ahead of the first in-season AP poll. Zach defends Ohio State at #1, praising their defense and win over Texas, while ranking LSU #2 for their road victory over Clemson but cautioning against overhyping it. He places Penn State #3, Texas #4, Miami #5, and continues down to Nebraska and Indiana at #24-25, snubbing Alabama and Tennessee. JR agrees on Ohio State #1 and Texas #2, with LSU #3, Penn State #4, and similar picks but differences like Georgia higher and Alabama included. They rant about media biases, SEC hype, and metrics favoring Ohio State. The duo debates team performances: Ohio State's conservative offense and elite defense, LSU's matchup edges, Texas's talent despite the loss, Miami's defensive line, Oregon's potential, and concerns for Clemson, Alabama (effort issues), and Florida State. They highlight Big Ten standouts like Illinois, Michigan, USC, and Minnesota, while noting Indiana's roster upgrades but yellow flags. Shifting to CFP predictions, Zach's bracket has Ohio State as #1 seed (Big Ten champ), LSU #2 (SEC), Penn State #3 (at-large), Miami #4 (ACC), Utah #5 (Big 12), Notre Dame #6, Texas #7, Georgia #8, Oregon #9, Clemson #10, Tulane #11 (Group of 5), and Illinois #12. JR's is similar: Ohio State #1, LSU #2, Penn State #3, Miami #4, Utah #5, Notre Dame #6, Texas #7, Georgia #8, Oregon #9, Florida State #10, Clemson #11, Tulane #12. They discuss odds, Alabama's tough schedule (35% playoff chance), USC as a dark horse, and Big Ten/SEC bid limits. They touch on betting odds (e.g., Ohio State -650 to make playoffs), potential upsets, and sleepers like Kansas. The episode ends with scheduling teases for future shows and appreciation for subscribers. Additional The Big Ten Huddle Channels: @TheBigTenHuddleBasketball @TheOhioStateHuddle More from JR: Personal Twitter: https://x.com/jrs_rankings Big Ten Twitter: https://x.com/TheBigTenHuddle Read JR's Ohio State coverage: https://scarletandgame.com/author/jrhoades1 Read JR's Illinois coverage: https://writingillini.com/author/jrhoades1 SPONSORS Bleav - https://bleav.com/ Fanduel Catch The Big Ten Huddle Football Episodes 3 times a week. Here is when to catch our live or premiere episodes that are about an hour long (eastern time): Sunday at 9 PM w/ Zack Tuesday at 9 PM w/ Zack Thursday at 9 PM w/ Jeff You can also expect videos by JR throughout the week covering news and interesting topics. *All times are Eastern time AUDIO ONLY PLATFORMS The Big Ten Huddle is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon. LISTEN: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/TheBigTenHuddle LEAVE a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-college-huddle-podcast/id1703305789 STREAM on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tMaraKvafFzjUrXGq2c4w The Big Ten Huddle is a podcast dedicated to providing honest, humorous, and insightful analysis of Big Ten football and basketball. With a focus on challenging the national bias, especially against the SEC, hosts JR and Zack offer unfiltered discussions that engage fans of all Big Ten teams. Though critical at times, they always aim to defend the conference and give credit where it’s due, bringing humor and deep analysis together for a unique listening experience. Rooted in values of integrity, passion, and community, The Big Ten Huddle strives to become the go-to voice for Big Ten sports fans. There is no show out there like The Big Ten Huddle! 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5102755454124032 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.