Forklift Systems Football Saturday

104.5 The Zone
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Football
  • Updated Weekly

Not many analysts in the midsouth have as much football expertise as Doug Mathews brings to the microphone every Saturday morning. It’s Forklift System’s Football Saturday on 104-5 The Zone. Mathews, best known for his 10 seasons as Running Backs Coach and Defensive Coordinator for the University of Tennessee, tells it like it is and lets you take show where you want to go every weekend. Forklift Systems Football Saturday covers all the big games across the nation, including all the action within the Southeastern Conference. It’s the perfect preview before you catch your favorite team play Saturday afternoon. Featuring long-time college football writer Tony Barnhart and NFL analyst Charles Davis.

  1. 3d ago

    FSFS-DENNIS DODD

    COACH IS JOINED BY Dennis Dodd to dissect the latest controversies and legal battles shaking up college football, starting with the NCAA's recent denial of Brendan Sorsby's eligibility appeal. The duo dives into the bitter scheduling feud between Texas Tech and Texas, highlighting how Texas Tech is willing to forfeit a game rather than back down from the dispute. Their conversation naturally broadens to the financial realities of modern college athletics, acknowledging that while educational degrees matter, market value and compensation are the true driving forces for today's athletes. Furthermore, they evaluate the Protect College Sports Act and how legislative efforts are attempting to navigate player pay in an era dominated by the transfer portal and unprecedented roster turnover. The discussion then transitions to the immense expectations placed on high-profile programs and individual players, specifically the unmatched hype surrounding Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Dodd and Coach unpack Paul Finebaum's recent, highly critical takes on programs like Indiana and Michigan, using his commentary to pivot toward an analysis of Florida State's ongoing struggles under Mike Norvell despite massive stadium and financial investments. Finally, the segment concludes with a look at the Missouri Tigers' future outlook; they agree that while Eli Drinkwitz has built a consistent contender, navigating the newly expanded SEC and maintaining a top-tier roster will demand relentless offensive output and significant financial backing See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    27 min

  2. 3d ago

    Forklift Systems Football Saturday 6-6-26

    This episode features an in-depth discussion on college football's landscape, including legislative efforts, SEC conference changes, and team strategies for the upcoming 2026 season. Experts Tony Barnard and Dennis Todd analyze the impact of recent developments and future outlooks. This episode features an in-depth discussion on the current state of college football, off-field chaos, legal issues, and the future of the sport, with insights from Dennis Dodd And Tony Barnhart See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 60m

  3. 3d ago

    FSFS- TONY BARNHART

    COACH IS JOINED BY Tony, and later Dennis, to break down the administrative battles currently dominating college football, with a heavy focus on the recent SEC meetings and the legislative stall of the Protect College Sports Act in Congress. The hosts highlight the growing frustration from university leadership—specifically Mississippi State President Mark Keenum and Georgia President Jere Morehead—over the lack of national, enforceable regulations for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. They emphasize that without immediate congressional intervention to establish a clear, nationwide framework, conference commissioners are preparing to explore dramatic self-governance measures to prevent the complete destabilization of the sport. The conversation then transitions to the immediate on-field consequences of this evolving landscape, particularly the contentious debate surrounding the SEC’s push for a nine-game conference schedule and the resulting threat to marquee non-conference matchups. Tony and Coach evaluate how the volatile transfer portal disproportionately impacts rebuilding programs like Arkansas, which has struggled to retain talent against Texas-based schools, while praising Vanderbilt for its positive momentum fueled by significant facility upgrades and unified administrative alignment under Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. The segment wraps up by acknowledging that adapting to these shifting rosters is the new baseline for coaching survival, capped off with a brief nod to the physical intensity of the ongoing NBA playoffs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    47 min

  4. 3d ago

    FSFS - DENNIS DODD TONY BARNHART

    COACH IS JOINED BY Dennis Dodd and Tony Barnhart to discuss the increasingly chaotic off-field landscape of college football, even as the on-field product remains as highly entertaining as ever. The trio dives into the current lack of formal employment and collective bargaining for athletes, noting that players are effectively playing for pay through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) endorsements. Dodd warns that any attempts to cap or cut this compensation could spark player strikes, pointing to past athlete protests at schools like Missouri, Michigan, and Penn State as definitive proof of their leverage. The group also breaks down the proposed Protect College Sports Act, describing the legislation as potentially hostile to the powerhouses in the SEC and Big Ten, while highlighting the heavy political pushback and scheduling hurdles it currently faces in Congress. The conversation then pivots to the College Football Hall of Fame and the controversial exclusion of the late Mike Leach. Dodd criticizes the Hall's rigid requirement of a .600 career winning percentage—a strict rule allegedly championed by former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner—which Leach narrowly missed with a .594, despite his undeniable and transformative impact on the game. The guests argue that this mandate arbitrarily blocks profoundly influential figures from receiving their proper recognition. The segment concludes on a humorous and candid note when Barnhart formally recuses himself from the Mike Leach debate, revealing his active role on the committee that handles Hall of Fame decisions, before cheerfully signing off from the broadcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    19 min

  5. May 30

    Forklift Systems Football Saturday 5-30-26

    On this episode of Forklift Systems Football Saturday , Coach dives deep into the major takeaways from the recent SEC and Big Ten Spring Meetings. Joined by "Mr. College Football" Tony Barnhart, the two unpack the ongoing debate between SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti regarding the potential expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams, as well as the push for more conference self-governance. In the second hour, college football experts Dennis Dodd and Charles Davis jump in to analyze the sweeping implications of the bipartisan Cruz-Cantwell bill—also known as the Protect College Sports Act—which attempts to address NIL, antitrust exemptions, transfer rules, and the looming reality of athlete employment. Additionally, Tennessee Education Lottery CEO Rebecca Paul drops by to share a positive fiscal update, projecting up to $455 million transferred for state educational programs this year See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 59m

  6. May 30

    FSFS- Dennis Dodd

    Coach is joined by Dennis Dodd to analyze the rapidly evolving and increasingly divided landscape of college athletics, specifically focusing on the financial dominance of the Big Ten and SEC. Dodd explains how recent proposals, like a 24-team playoff, have exposed deep fractures between conferences, with the Big 12 and ACC pushing for the expansion while the SEC and Big Ten resist it. The discussion also covers the severe undervaluation of college sports media rights, noting that keeping broadcasts restricted to individual conference silos drastically diminishes their potential market value compared to pooling them. This growing instability has led prominent figures like Texas Tech's Cody Campbell to heavily lobby for federal intervention to save and regulate college athletics. A major focal point of the conversation is the bipartisan Cruz-Cantwell bill, which attempts to stabilize the industry by granting the NCAA a narrow antitrust exemption, capping compensation, and strictly regulating player transfers. Despite its ambitious goals, Dodd expresses strong skepticism about the bill's viability, suggesting it is highly unlikely to pass in its current form due to upcoming Congressional recesses and widespread reluctance to intervene. To conclude, Dodd outlines five possible paths forward for the future of the sport: federal legislative codification, self-governance led by the powerhouse conferences, corporate spin-offs where schools form separate LLCs for athletics, formal collective bargaining for players, or simply maintaining a status quo defined by endless litigation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 min

  7. May 30

    FSFS - CHARLES DAVIS & DENNIS DODD

    Coach is joined by Charles Davis and Dennis Dodd, The conversation begins with a discussion regarding the spring meetings of the Big Ten conference, which recently took place at a resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Charles notes that the conference is feeling very positive about itself, highlighted by the prominent display of recent national championship trophies at the meeting's registration. A significant shift at this year's meeting was the inclusion of the media, which had historically been discouraged from attending. This allowed Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti to publicly reaffirm his commitment to a 24-team playoff format, which emerged as the dominant topic of the meetings despite other minor issues being raised. The participants then delve into the concept of "self-governance" within collegiate athletics, particularly concerning how the major conferences might establish their own rules independently of traditional oversight. Dennis outlines that self-governance would not mean conferences breaking away entirely, but rather choosing how to manage internal affairs such as collective bargaining, player compensation, enforcement of rules, and transfer eligibility while still competing against other schools. They express skepticism about current enforcement methods, recalling past failures when conferences attempted self-policing, which often led to internal friction and instability. Finally, the discussion touches upon the potential conflict between state laws and a unified national standard for college athletics. The speakers contemplate a scenario where individual states, like Texas, might pass independent laws governing athletic programs, which could create a chaotic patchwork of regulations across the country unless a federal law is established to create a single national standard. Charles suggests that if the major conferences do not find a way to effectively govern themselves, they may eventually be forced to adopt a professionalized model similar to the NFL or NBA, complete with a dedicated commissioner and a board of governors to manage the sport's future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 min

  8. May 30

    FSFS- Tony Barnhart

    Coach is joined by college football analyst Tony Barnhart to discuss the current landscape of college sports, specifically focusing on the recent SEC and Big 10 spring meetings. They highlight the unprecedented success of the SEC across various sports, including football, basketball, and baseball, attributing this long-standing excellence to the philosophy implemented by former commissioner Roy Kramer. The conversation touches upon the evolution of conference expansion and the active involvement of university presidents and chancellors in shaping the future of college athletics, noting a shift towards more vocal and decisive leadership from these officials compared to past years. The discussion also delves into potential format changes for the college football playoff in 2027, highlighting the contrasting viewpoints between Big 10 Commissioner Petitti and SEC Commissioner Sankey regarding a 12-team versus a 24-team format. They analyze the financial implications of these decisions, particularly concerning the revenue generated by conference championship games. Furthermore, they address key issues such as limiting player transfers, the concept of a "five-for-five" eligibility rule, and the increased emphasis on gambling education within the conference following recent high-profile incidents. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    46 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Not many analysts in the midsouth have as much football expertise as Doug Mathews brings to the microphone every Saturday morning. It’s Forklift System’s Football Saturday on 104-5 The Zone. Mathews, best known for his 10 seasons as Running Backs Coach and Defensive Coordinator for the University of Tennessee, tells it like it is and lets you take show where you want to go every weekend. Forklift Systems Football Saturday covers all the big games across the nation, including all the action within the Southeastern Conference. It’s the perfect preview before you catch your favorite team play Saturday afternoon. Featuring long-time college football writer Tony Barnhart and NFL analyst Charles Davis.

Information

  • Creator
    104.5 The Zone
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 104.5 The Zone

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