The Audible With Stew & Bruce

CFP commissioners are meeting in Dallas, and Ralph gives a 50/50 chance that college football has a 24-team playoff by 2028. Stew isn’t happy. What’s really at stake here? We have presumed or official QB1s at Florida State, Stanford, and Georgia Tech. It’s not all pretty. Plus, mailbag questions on UNC vs. Colorado, and whether players still go to class. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stew visited Indiana's spring practice and came away impressed. Cignetti's defense is loaded, and Josh Hoover is the only real question mark on a team that should easily make the playoff. Bruce drops the latest NFL draft intel: this QB class falls off a cliff after Mendoza, the DT class is historically bad (blame the portal), and Jeremiyah Love is a can't-miss. Then, Ralph reports that CFP commissioners are quietly looking to trim the maligned Tuesday night rankings show, but ESPN's contract makes a clean exit complicated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bruce and Ralph pick between buzzy teams against sneaky-good alternatives for 2026. Michigan's stability under Whittingham, or Matt Campbell's Iowa State imports at Penn State? Oklahoma's defensive upside or Kiffin–less Ole Miss? Houston's momentum or TCU's depth in the Big 12? UCLA's Chesney era or Washington's returning talent? Plus, mailbag on “wins above bubble,” which past coaches would look different in a 12-team playoff, and whether UNC's Michael Malone hire echoes the Belichick experiment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do spring games belong on TV, or are they just empty calories? Bruce reports from Miami, where Darian Mensah is flashing and the Hurricanes are rebuilding their trenches after losing most of last year's title game roster. Alabama's quarterback competition between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack heats up, but can DeBoer's offense finally run the ball? The NCAA is fast-tracking a five-for-five eligibility rule that could eliminate this whole waiver mess. And Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh's departure to the Big Ten office puts more pressure on Luke Fickell's make-or-break season in Madison. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Ten swept national championships in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball this year. Coaching hires and the transfer portal matter more than raw spending, but is that a trend or a coincidence? TCU extends Sunny Dykes after back-to-back nine-win seasons, and Virginia locks in Tony Elliott after one breakout year. Plus, mailbag tackles Brian Kelly's disappearing act, Nebraska's looming NIL arbitration case, coaching records against ranked teams, and some bonus music documentary talk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump's second executive order on college sports aims to nudge Congress, but will it actually move the needle? Cody Campbell and Brett Yormark get into a dustup over a Friday night Texas Tech–Houston game, reigniting the debate over high school football's sacred turf vs. TV eyeballs. Meanwhile, Alabama AD Greg Byrne calls for nuking SEC Championship games. Then, Bruce and Ralph each pick three intriguing non-playoff, non-new-coach teams for 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bruce breaks down his mock draft process and why coaches he surveyed think this is a weak class, with only one QB going in the first round. Pete Golding finally responds to Dabo Swinney’s tampering accusations, but does he actually deny anything? Meanwhile, the Big Ten wants the NCAA to stop enforcing tampering rules altogether. Then, it’s mailbag on the double standard between coaches and players, where the hosts would send a hypothetical four-star QB son, and favorite non-football college venues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lane Kiffin tries to temper expectations at LSU despite a reported $40 million roster. Bruce isn't buying it. Rising roster costs across college football trigger a transparency debate, and the Nebraska NIL arbitration case could set the rules for everyone. Ralph caught March Madness history in person, Irish rugby player Neff Giwa is heading to South Carolina, and could Tommy Tuberville's transfer and eligibility bill actually work? Plus, Ralph psychoanalyzes his cohosts.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Cameron Teague Robinson previews Ohio State’s season: who steps up after losing four likely first-round picks on defense, what Arthur Smith brings to a loaded offense, and why Ryan Day keeps hiring NFL coaches. Then, in mailbag: which pre-portal era players would have benefited most from transferring? Would a 24-team playoff water down the regular season? And have college football schemes really lost their variety?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FOIA details behind Kyle Whittingham's Utah exit are out, and both sides look bad. Bruce introduces Neff Giwa, a 6'8" rugby player from Ireland who's never played a down of football but has coaches in a bidding war after a three-second video. President Trump's executive order on the Army-Navy game sparks a surprisingly lively debate about where and when the rivalry should be played. And Tom Brady, Joe Burrow, and other NFL stars got schooled by pro flag football players in LA. What does it mean for the Olympics? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manny Navarro joins Bruce and Stew to break down his Power 4 portal grades. Why did Alabama get a C, Florida State D, and Miami an A? Plus, how the 2023 recruiting class is holding up heading into draft season and the five-star QB hit rate. Then it’s a debate over the magic of 2007, which coaches Bruce and Stew would hire for the next 10 years, and a tip of the cap to David Cutcliffe on his retirement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Curt Cignetti secured for himself a whole bunch of massive achievements during the 2025 season. Is he also now the top coach in the country? Bruce Feldman, Stewart Mandel and Ralph Russo run through Bruce's and Stew's respective top-25 lists on this episode of The Audible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The College Sports Commission is already overwhelmed, and Nebraska is the first school to challenge rejected NIL deals in arbitration. What’s it mean for enforcement, and can the system survive? Then, Bruce and Antonio Morales surveyed nearly 30 coaches anonymously on the latest coaching hires. Will Lane Kiffin win a title at LSU? Kyle Whittingham is the most respected hire, and Alex Golesh raised eyebrows at Auburn. Then, mailbag on West Coast schools in the Big Ten, which Power 4 coach will last longest, and coaching conviction scores. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports (and formerly of The Athletic) joins Bruce and Stew to break down the White House roundtable on saving college sports and whether the SCORE Act has any path forward. She shares stories from covering cross-country skiing and ski jumping at the Winter Olympics in Italy and why improv classes were a great career move.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Luck opens up about life as Stanford's GM, hiring former teammate Tavita Pritchard, how quarterbacks today develop like golfers, and why he'll never come out of retirement. Ralph breaks down the “secret” Smash Sports meeting in Dallas pushing to pool college football's TV rights — and why the SEC and Big Ten aren't on board. Plus, Mississippi's NIL tax carve-out, and your mailbag questions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ralph Russo took on the impossible: predicting every Power Four head coach in 2030.  The guys unpack the logic (and chaos) behind the projections. Could Lane Kiffin actually stay put? And what does it say about today’s pressure cooker that even blue bloods feel unstable five years out? And the guys open with a lively discussion about President Trump’s planned “Save College Sports” roundtable, including who is — and isn’t —on the guest list.Check out Ralph's story in The Athletic here: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7067868/2026/02/27/college-football-power-4-coach-predictions-2030/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The NCAA proposes harsh penalties for schools that welcome transfers outside the portal: half-season coaching suspensions, massive fines, and lost roster spots. Cincinnati sues quarterback Brendan Sorsby, and Chandler Morris wants a seventh year of eligibility with a familiar legal playbook. Then, Stew defends his annual coaching hire grades while Ralph pushes back on fit questions at UCLA, Oklahoma State, and more. Finally, mailbag tackles SEC scheduling hypocrisy, the timing of eligibility hearings, and the biggest realignment disappointments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joey Aguilar's bid for an eighth college year is denied by a Tennessee judge — a rare NCAA court win. Curt Cignetti becomes college football's highest-paid coach at $13.2 million per year. UCLA weighs leaving the Rose Bowl for SoFi Stadium amid financial pressures. Then, The Athletic's Chris Vannini joins to discuss the NCAA rules committee's targeting proposals, the short shorts epidemic, and lessons from a record-breaking coaching carousel — including the Cignetti Effect, and why massive buyouts are here to stay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler joins to preview combine week: why the event matters more than people think, Fernando Mendoza's rise to projected No. 1 pick, Indiana's loaded draft class, Diego Pavia's limited NFL ceiling, and the historically thin QB and RB classes. Also, Dane's table-pounding pick and next year's quarterback outlook. Plus the coaching carousel strikes again as Northern Illinois's Thomas Hammock leaves for the Seahawks, highlighting the growing G6-to-NFL pipeline. And do fans who taunt players during court stormings deserve what's coming? Ralph thinks so.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Mississippi judge grants Trinidad Chambliss a preliminary injunction, clearing the way for a sixth season to be played at Ole Miss — but is this another dangerous chip away at eligibility rules? And how will the next couple quarterback draft classes look?. Plus, the guys aren’t sold on the Big Ten's 24-team playoff proposal, Sacramento State buys its way into the MAC, and a key BYU offensive weapon is expelled following serious allegations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.