Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast

Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner
  • 4.8 (15)
  • Football
  • Updated Weekly

An independent college football podcast that covers the whole sport, led by Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner. Free episodes each week (twice per week in season), plus frequent subscriber episodes. Featuring co-host emeritus Steven Godfrey and friends. www.splitzoneduo.com

  1. 1 hr ago

    What Can World Cup Expansion Tell Us About the CFP?

    Mike Goodman, cohost of soccer podcast The Double Pivot, joins Richard and Alex to talk about a subject that’s been on our minds a lot lately: tournament expansion. The World Cup expanded from 32 teams to 48, and we’ve already seen some of the benefits (and perhaps some of the drawbacks) of that move. What can the recent experiences of the world’s biggest sporting event tell us about college football’s potential playoff expansion to 16 or 24 teams? * 0:17: Should the World Cup’s expansion prompt a rethink of the CFP’s? * 3:21: Mike Goodman joins and explains FIFA’s weird (read: corrupt) politics * 27:39: Why this has worked fairly well in soccer but probably isn’t translatable to college football * 45:21: What college football could learn from FIFA’s situation Producer: Anthony Vito This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

    58 min

  2. 2d ago

    Can These Doomed CFB Coaches Turn It Around?

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Alex, Richard, and host emeritus Steven Godfrey identify 10-ish head coaches whose tenures are not going well heading into 2026. Is it possible to find hope in any of these situations? On this show, we’re trying to figure out what a turnaround might look like. In this subscriber episode: 0:01: Michigan’s hoops coach goes to the Mavericks, and it’s time for another news cycle about college coaching lifestyles 9:22: Explaining the assignment for this episode 12:23: Mike Norvell and Florida State 19:35: Mike Locksley and Maryland 26:25: Luke Fickell and Wisconsin 34:16: Dave Doeren and NC State 42:02: Dave Aranda and Baylor 47:21: Dabo Swinney and Clemson 57:36: Speed round: Shane Beamer, Scott Satterfield, and Pat Narduzzi 1:01:31: Sure, let’s talk about Bill Belichick and Deion Sanders Producer: Anthony Vito

    20 min

  3. Jun 17

    Hopefully the last show we do about Brendan Sorsby

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com This episode is for paid subscribers, but everyone can hear a free preview. Want to get all of our podcasts? Join us here. Richard takes a solo show journey to wrap up the Brendan Sorsby saga now that the Texas Tech quarterback has announced his intention to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft and effectively end a sports betting saga that included dueling lawsuits, seething administrators/coaches, and state politicians getting into a tit-for-tat. -What does the whole affair tell us about the status of Cody Campbell’s team ownership? -Did Tech author its own demise? -How Brett Yormark comes out looking the best out of every admin. -What’s the recourse if you’re just over following lawsuits? -Also … Sorsby’s gonna get taken by a team, right? Producer: Anthony Vito

    7 min
  4. What worries you the most about your CFB team in 2026?

    Jun 16

    What worries you the most about your CFB team in 2026?

    As the season gets closer and closer, the hypotheticals start to inch closer to reality. Will the good vibes that your favorite team captured this offseason actually pan out, or will it only lead to disappointment? Is the current situation with your coaching staff or roster getting any better? This internal monologuing can snowball into the dreaded sports anxiety. So we asked you the listener, to spell out your anxieties about your favorite team so that we can analyze whether they’re substantiated or whether you’re just mostly being a impatient for the season to come. In this episode we cover: * 07:56 Boston College * 11:28 Cal * 14:00 Duke * 16:01 Georgia Tech * 18:09 Louisville * 22:32 North Carolina * 23:30 Pitt * 25:00 Stanford * 27:01 Virginia Tech * 33:02 Arizona * 35:23 Iowa State * 37:37 BYU * 43:41 Texas Tech * 52:16 Michigan State * 58:48 Penn State Producer: Anthony Vito If you like this episode, you’ll love a paid subscription. For $10 a month (or you can get a free month with an annual subscription), subscribers get about twice as many Split Zone Duo podcasts, as well as our coach carousel reporting, deep dives on college football history, Q&A opportunities, and many more goodies as we think of them. You also help keep this show independent and ensure we’re making a podcast that puts our listeners, not anyone else, first. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

    1h 33m
  5. Our 26 Most Interesting Transfers of 2026

    Jun 10

    Our 26 Most Interesting Transfers of 2026

    Transfer portal season is over. The actual college football season is almost here. With the dust (probably) settled on everyone’s roster, Richard and Alex pick through dozens of portal classes and highlight 26 players who are sliding into situations worth tracking in 2026. This episode is NOT just a recitation of the highest-ranked transfers, but a deeper examination of who’s being relied on to fill major holes, who’s propping up a hot-seated coach, and who’s just going to be plain old fun to watch. We cover new players going to: * 11:55: Texas * 13:50: Nebraska * 16:51: Miami * 19:49: Clemson * 22:27: Oregon * 24:12: James Madison * 27:01: Ohio State * 29:56: Washington * 36:06: LSU * 42:31: Oklahoma * 47:55: Texas Tech * 51:43: Florida State * 54:34: Cal * 56:59: Baylor * 58:49: Miami University * 1:02:22: Michigan * 1:03:04: Wisconsin Producer: Anthony Vito If you like this episode, you’ll love a paid subscription. For $10 a month (or you can get a free month with an annual subscription), subscribers get about twice as many Split Zone Duo podcasts, as well as our coach carousel reporting, deep dives on college football history, Q&A opportunities, and many more goodies as we think of them. You also help keep this show independent and ensure we’re making a podcast that puts our listeners, not anyone else, first. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

    1h 6m

  6. Jun 9

    Did Brendan Sorsby Just Win? Here's an Expert

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Brendan Sorsby has his temporary injunction, and the field is open for Texas Tech’s QB to play in 2026. Yes, Alex is as shocked as you are. What now, though? To answer that question and a few more, let’s welcome Sam Ehrlich, an assistant professor of legal studies at Boise State and operator of the College Sports Litigation Tracker. In this episode: * 0:17: Alex’s monologue on why Sorsby’s triumph is so absurd, even for people used to watching the NCAA lose in court, like all of us. * 8:14: Welcoming Sam Ehrlich, asking what he thinks of the ruling, and why the judge’s order left so much unsaid. * 11:57: What the NCAA’s appeal changes, and why the clock may now work in Sorsby’s favor instead of against him. * 14:59: Whether one Texas injunction really changes the NCAA’s ability to enforce gambling rules elsewhere. (Be careful about this one.) * 18:23: Why collectively bargained rules or a federal college sports bill would probably have prevented this situation. * 23:43: Venue shopping, “home cooking” complaints, broader sports-integrity fallout, and what angry Big 12 schools can actually do about it. Producer: Anthony Vito

    16 min

  7. Jun 5

    Congress *Might* Actually Reform College Football

    Subscribe to our new YouTube channel just for episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@collegefootballpodcast Alex, Richard, and Matt Brown get back together for the Split Zone Duo/Extra Points Sports Business Hour with the most serious congressional attempt yet to reorganize college sports on the table. The Protect College Sports Act of 2026 would touch NIL enforcement, athlete movement, the House settlement’s cap structure, media-rights pooling, conference realignment, and even the timing of coach moves via a Lane Kiffin Rule that Alex thinks is a little silly. The group talks through why this bill deserves your attention than the usual Capitol Hill noise, why it still has obvious ways to fail, and how its politics run through everyone from the Big Ten and SEC to Cody Campbell and Texas Tech. In this episode: * 4:14: Why the Protect College Sports Act is more serious than past college-sports bills, and what it would do to NIL disclosures, transfer limits, athlete compensation, and the College Sports Commission. * 25:08: How media-rights pooling became one of the bill’s biggest fights, why the Big Ten and SEC hate it, and how Cody Campbell’s fingerprints are all over the politics. * 36:52: The so-called Lane Kiffin rule, and whether Congress can actually stop coaches from arranging new jobs during the season. * 41:19: Utah’s private equity experiment, the layoff headline, the missing public details, and why fan revolt in American college sports tends to be so muted. * 51:24: Why the planned NC State-Virginia game in Brazil fell apart, and what it says about trying to export college football internationally. * 1:06:36: Why Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility fight feels so ridiculous. If you like this episode, you’ll love a paid subscription. For $10 a month (or you can get a free month with an annual subscription), subscribers get about twice as many Split Zone Duo podcasts, as well as our coach carousel reporting, deep dives on college football history, Q&A opportunities, and many more goodies as we think of them. You also help keep this show independent and ensure we’re making a podcast that puts our listeners, not anyone else, first. Producer: Anthony Vito This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

    1h 16m

  8. Jun 2

    2026's Year 2 Coach Vibe Check: Who's Already Heading for Trouble?

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.com Is your head coach going to succeed? Most of the time, you’ll know by Year 2. Welcome to the latest installment of SZD’s checkup on head coaches about to start their second season on the job. The class of 2025 was famously light on Power 4 hires but offers more G6 hope than you might think. In this episode, we’ll tier out this crop of second-year coaches as follows: * 0:16: Why Year 2 remains such a revealing checkpoint for college football coaches, even after the portal changed the roster-building calendar. * 8:03: The guys who are trending up, like Zach Kittley at FAU, Mark Carney at Kent State, Matt Drinkall at Central Michigan, Willie Simmons at FIU, Jerry Mack at Kennesaw State, Dan Mullen at UNLV, Jason Eck at New Mexico, and Matt Entz at Fresno State. * 24:28: The guys who have us in wait-and-see mode, including the hard AAC jobs, Phil Longo at Sam Houston, Mike Uremovich at Ball State, Eddie George at Bowling Green, Dowell Loggains at App State, Tony Gibson at Marshall, Barry Odom at Purdue, and Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. * 39:22: The guys who are already trending the wrong way and need a turnaround, like Scott Frost at UCF and, well … * 46:01: Bill Belichick’s lousy first year at North Carolina and how much hope there is that things could improve Producer: Anthony Vito Everyone can hear a free preview of this episode. To get the whole thing, become a paid subscriber today. For $10 a month (or you can get a free month with an annual subscription), subscribers get about twice as many Split Zone Duo podcasts, as well as our coach carousel reporting, deep dives on college football history, Q&A opportunities, and many more goodies as we think of them. You also help keep this show independent and ensure we’re making a podcast that puts our listeners, not anyone else, first.

    18 min
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4.8
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

An independent college football podcast that covers the whole sport, led by Richard Johnson and Alex Kirshner. Free episodes each week (twice per week in season), plus frequent subscriber episodes. Featuring co-host emeritus Steven Godfrey and friends. www.splitzoneduo.com

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