The Carla and Crappy Show

It's a whole new year — happy 2024, kids — but the weirdness of the 2023 college football season may not be letting up any time soon, going all the way through Monday's national championship game.   But before Carla and Crappy get to Washington and the Wolverines, they take a look back at more bowl games — Can we get them all to be sponsored by food products? It makes the postgame that much more awesome — and, specifically, the Bowlapalooza games. It came down to two people and one game; we won't reveal who won or how, but we will say that Crappy now knows who Tom Gorzelanny is.   The not as fun part? That would be the part where Carla and Crappy recap the bowl games of Penn State and Ohio State, respectively. The Lions' defense struggled against Ole Miss in a game that was tighter than it appeared, Carla said. And although he is not volunteering, Crappy thinks Ryan Day needs an offensive coordinator, to make the play calling less … offensive.   Carla and Crappy then turn their attention to Monday night's game for the natty, and they're in agreement on nearly everything: Michigan has better DBs than Texas, the Wolverines will run the ball to death, Michael Penix Jr. won't have much time or many open guys, Michigan is the better team all the way around — but someone thinks the Huskies will win anyway.   And following a brief nod to the FCS title game on Saturday, that's the 12th season of the Carla and Crappy Show. As always, we are incredibly grateful, for AJ, for our Bowlapalooza guests, and especially for you, the viewers, readers and listeners who have continued to support this little show over the years.   The #CnCShow forecast for the summer of 2024? Sunny with an excellent chance of a summer Carla and Crappy Show. Cheers, friends, and we'll see you then.

It's still the most wonderful time of the year, and as bowl season continues along its merry way, Carla and Crappy are more than happy to revel in its glory. And boy, has this season been the gift that just keeps on giving. We've seen Western Kentucky erase a 28-point deficit to win the Famous Toastery Bowl … and then make “toast angels” on the field. We enjoyed watching Appalachian State beat Miami of Ohio in the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl in a literal monsoon, and Jacksonville State steal a win over Louisiana in a much-deserved bowl appearance in the New Orleans Bowl. Crappy especially enjoyed Ohio's offensive effort in its win in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. And we've enjoyed watching the Big Ten's successes, of course, including Northwestern's incredible win over Utah (yes, that's a real thing that actually happened) and Minnesota's win in the Quick Lane Bowl. In fact, as we recorded this show, we were watching bowl games. And there's still so much more to come … including the highly anticipated (for the most part) New Year's Six bowl games including the College Football Playoff semifinals, which are the focus of our attention in this show.  Ready for the big ones? Here we go. Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State (8 ET Friday, ESPN): Missouri is arguably one of the biggest surprises of the 2023 season. Ohio State has lots of questions entering this game, but Crappy isn't too worried about them. Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State (Noon ET Saturday, ESPN): Ole Miss has a prolific offense, but Penn State actually scores more points per game. Carla's hoping to see some pressure from the Nits' defense and a steady dose of the ground game. Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State (4 ET Saturday, ESPN): Serious question: Do either of these teams really want to be playing in this game? We desperately want this game to be good, but … we're not holding our breath. Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon (1 ET Monday, ESPN): Enjoy your trip out west, Liberty. Good luck with that Oregon defense.  CFP Semifinal: Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan (5 ET Monday, ESPN): Can we say that Michigan is still untested? Because, well, other than Ohio State … they kind of are. Bama is well tested, but also has a tendency of beating itself. CFP Semifinal: Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Washington (8:45 ET Monday, ESPN): This game should be just delightful, with two fantastic offenses and one defense that may not be as good as it appears on paper. Is Washington still the team of destiny this season? Our advice to you? Watch as much college football as you can, because the season is winding down quickly. There are still a ton of excellent bowl games on the schedule between now and January 1. So settle in with a glass of your favorite beverage and just soak it all in. We'll be back one final time next week to talk about the national championship game. Cheers, yinz.

We love us some brown sugar-cinnamon Pop-Tarts. And we love us some Bowlapalooza. Together? You get nearly two hours of college football podcasting fun. The bowl game season begins Saturday at 11 a.m. (#OUOhYeah), continuing through the next few weeks. And as we do here at the Carla and Crappy Show, we gathered up a few friends – and an avocado – to pick some of the games we thought will be interesting.  It's our 10.5th year of doing Bowlapalooza (COVID year counts as the half), and our cast will sound familiar to folks who have been here before; in addition to A.J. joining us live, we have Gabby Biltz, Braden Gall, Aiden and Kelly Krieg and Jake Rose. Professional obligations kept Braden from joining us for the whole show – hence the Bradenpalooza show within the show – but we all got our say, and then some, with a list of seven bowl games. And more importantly, we discussed mascot eating (and mascot dumping) as we considered the finest Pop-Tart flavors of all time. Ready? Even if you're not, here are the games:   Saturday, December 16 11 a.m., ESPN, Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio vs. Georgia Southern Nearly all of OU's offensive production is in the transfer portal, but there may be a few points left – if the Bobcats' defense plays as it should.   3:30 p.m., ABC, Avocados From Mexico Cure Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Appalachian State Crappy has strong feelings about Miami, OU's rival in the MAC; nearly everyone else is feeling happy about Appy.   Saturday, December 23 3:30, ABC, Lockheed Martin Armed Services Bowl: James Madison vs. Air Force Who in their right minds would pick against a former commander in chief in the Armed Services Bowl? Only a couple of us, as it turns out.   10:30 p.m., ESPN, Easy Post Hawaii Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State Avocados are firmly behind Coastal. Everyone else likes Sparty Junior.   Wednesday, December 27 5:50 p.m., ESPN, Duke's Mayo Bowl:  North Carolina vs. West Virginia The picks were mixed for this game, but everyone wants to see Mack Brown get a tub of Duke's Mayo dumped on his head.   Thursday, December 28 5:45 p.m., ESPN, PopTarts Bowl: NC State vs. Kansas State The PowerCats are looking good. Strawberry Pop-Tarts? Not so much.   9:15 p.m., ESPN Valero Alamo Bowl: Arizona vs. Oklahoma Arizona continues its run as the team no one wants to play. Except for the one of us who has a friend who was an athlete at Oklahoma.   Friday, December 29 2 p.m., CBS, Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Oregon State The transfer portal will have a GRRRRREEEAAAAAT impact on this game (Get it? Yeah, sorry…), as both quarterbacks are moving on. Does ND run the ball into the ground, or will OSU complete its run in the PAC 12 with a final win? After a stomach bug waylaid Carla (she's feeling better now, thanks), a brief discussion about national championship contenders – we'll use those picks as tie-breakers, if necessary – and probably one too many beers for Crappy, we were pleased to wrap up what is perhaps the most chaotic Bowlapalooza ever. Can we top it? We'll give it a try with the 11.5th edition next year. In the meantime, enjoy bowl season, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here prior to the NY6 games.

And somehow … we're at Championship Week. Erm, ahem. Excuse us. That's Champinchip Week. To celebrate, the gang's all here as AJ – the nation's foremost expert in Group of Five football – joins Carla and Crappy live to break down all 10 conference title games happening this weekend. But before we get into the fun, we discuss some not-so-fun stuff, as Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill, a guest this past summer on this very podcast, was relieved of his duties after 18 years at the helm several hours before this recording. Yes, we know that coaching firings happen all the time, but this one feels a bit more personal. Best wishes to you, coach. (Speaking of which, it is worth noting that as we recorded on Monday night, all of our rankings are way off. We're very aware of this. Carry on.) We also take some time to bask in what was an exceptional Rivalry Week last weekend. Carla may have scared her family during 4th and 31 (although her reaction wasn't nearly as funny as Herbstreit's and Fowler's). AJ had his weekend bookended by two exceptional games – Nebraska/Iowa on Friday afternoon and Colorado State/Hawaii early Sunday morning. And Crappy? Well, he has thoughts about The Game, and they involve John Cooper. (Hint: That's not a good thing.) Next up? Our Heisman picks. We all have three QBs in our finalists lists … but beyond that, some interesting opinions are offered. And then … finally … the 10 games that matter this weekend. And we discuss ALL of them. Buckle up. Conference USA: New Mexico State at No. 25 Liberty (7 ET Friday, CBSSN): One of these teams is undefeated. The other beat Auburn in Jordan Hare. Spoiler alert: We're all rooting for the Aggies. Pac-12: No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 4 Washington (8 ET Friday, ABC): It's the final (at least for now) Pac-12 title game, and it likely will be the best game of the weekend. Heck, it's a de facto CFP play-in game. Big 12: No. 20 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas (Noon ET, ABC): Oh, hey. Remember Texas? If the Horns win, they might just make the playoff.  MAC: Miami vs. Toledo (Noon ET, ESPN): The Rockets are good-good … and would love to close out a spectacular season with another title. Mountain West: Boise State vs. UNLV (3 ET, FOX): AJ saw into the future for this matchup. We all think the Rebs are the team to beat. American: SMU at No. 23 Tulane (4 ET, ABC): Tulane's only loss is to Ole Miss. SMU will be missing its QB. Sun Belt: Appalachian State at Troy (4 ET, ESPN): Troy is the pick here … but it's Appy State. So who knows? SEC: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama (4 ET, CBS): Bama has improved this season. Enough to beat the top Dawgs? We'll see. ACC: No. 10 Louisville vs. No. 5 Florida State (8 ET, ABC): Let's call this the Noles Conundrum: If Florida State wins, are they CFP material? Or can the Cards win this game and put all speculation to bed? B1G: No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 17 Iowa (8 ET, FOX): Crappy proposes an interesting outcome in this snoozefest.  And although the game isn't this weekend, we also make our annual Army vs. Navy (3 ET Dec. 9, CBS) picks. We conclude our conversation with each of our College Football Playoff selections, and AJ offers us a chaos scenario (with, yes, you guessed it, a spreadsheet!) that likely will never happen … but boy, would we have some fun if it did. And with that … that's a wrap on another regular season. We'll be off next week, but be on the lookout in mid-December for our 10th* annual Bowlapalooza, featuring a cast of characters … and an edible mascot? How's that for a tease? Enjoy the title games, yinz! * Technically, Bowlapalooza began on the CnCShow in 2013, making this the 11th annual show. But the 2020 edition didn't feature a cast of characters due to well, you know, everything, so we're celebrating this year like it's the 10th anniversary. Just because. Either way, you're not going to want to miss it.

When we reach the point of the season where we refer to weeks by names and not numbers, that's when things are getting good. And with that, it's Wivalwy Week. Carla and Crappy both got to watch a ton of feetball last weekend; Carla was impressed with Washington holding off a late charge by Oregon State in a heavy rainstorm, and Crappy was happy that Luke Fickell won the Wisconsin-Nebraska eligibowl (thank you, Sickos Committee). Cornell had a rough outing in the Empire State Bowl, the Big Red Bears' annual rivalry game against Cornell, losing 29-14 (UPDATE: The school fired 11-year head coach David Archer the day after the loss). Drew Powell, Cornell's starting running back and Crappy's nephew, didn't have a great day on the ground, but racked up a whole bunch yards in the air to wind up his college career. After AJ delivers his G5AD manifesto, Carla and Crappy turn their attention to a mess of rivalry games, some of which you should definitely watch, and some of which — the Iron Bowl, the Egg Bowl, the Heroes Trophy game and the Land Grant Trophy game — you should also definitely watch because things get weird when you're playing for ugly trophies. And then, the games:  No. 11 Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon (8:30 ET Friday, FOX) Oregon State almost managed to beat Washington at home last week, but the Civil War seems like an even heavier lift for the Beavers. And take note, Oregons: Do what Washington State and Washington did this week and extend your rivalry past the demise of the Pac-12. It's the right thing to do. Washington State at No. 5 Washington (4 ET, FOX) Wazzu was legitimately dangerous at the outset of the season, but since then, it's the Huskies that have been playing like they're the team on a mission. And this week, the mission is winning the Apple Cup. No. 4 Florida State at Florida (7 ET, ESPN) This is suddenly is a very different Florida State team without Jordan Travis. Tate Rodemaker is the Noles' new starter, and he's been the backup for the past four seasons. Florida, likewise, will likely start its backup QB after Graham Mertz suffered a collarbone injury. That backup is redshirt freshman Max Brown. And yes, we have no idea. No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan (The Biggest Nude, FOX) Crappy's referring to this as the Karma Bowl — and it's coming for you, Jim Harbaugh — but we all know that this year's version of the The Game will be the toughest, and most intense, in years. Carla wishes our Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders a successful completion to their season, and you already know what Crappy's only possible final thought is. Settle in for three days of wivalwy games, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here for Champinship Week. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

It's Week 12 of the college football season … and my goodness, how thankful are we for West Coast football this week?  Because if you've taken a look at the slate, there are a lot of cupcakes. Except for the West Coast, that is. Dang it all, we're going to miss you, Pac-12. Before we get into this week's offerings, though, Carla and Crappy dive into actual college football news, including a slew of firings – one of which was really, really, really expensive – and the scandal surrounding The Team Up North. (UPDATE: As of Thursday afternoon, it's being reported that the parties have settled. The court hearing scheduled for Friday has been canceled, and Michigan will abide by the terms of the suspension issued by the conference.) As for the games, we had our eyes on Washington's win (and really dumb play), Penn State's woeful offense and questionable game management decisions, Oklahoma State's major letdown, and Missouri's thumping of Tennessee (shout out to you, Cody Schrader), among many others. Crappy gives our last full Big Red Bears Report, including the fun fact that our favorite RB Drew Powell was credited with throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass last week. Cornell finishes its season – and Drew wraps up his college football career – at home on Saturday against Columbia (1 ET, ESPN+). Congrats, Drew. Go score a touchdown this weekend! Then … AJ joins us for his #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report, and he's just a wee bit excited. As he should be. Because absolutely all of the fun stuff is happening out West and in the Group of Five this week.  We join in his excitement with our main game slate. No. 22 Utah at No. 17 Arizona (2:30 ET, PACN): Sort out your VPN situation now. Arizona is still the team no one wants to play, and Utah is reeling but still very good. This game should be fantastic. No. 1 Georgia at No. 18 Tennessee (3:30 ET, CBS): Not even playing in Neyland can help the Vols this week. Georgia's hitting beast mode at just the right time, unless you're a Tennessee fan. No. 21 Kansas State at No. 25 Kansas (7 ET, FS1): Two ranked teams in the Sunflower Showdown? Yes, really. We love you, Kansas, and we're thrilled you're bowl eligible. But the Powercats are surging right now. No. 5 Washington at No. 11 Oregon State (7:30 ET, ABC): You have absolutely no excuse not to watch this game. It's in the primetime window on national television. The Beavs are playing with a chip on their shoulder at home … and they're actually favored to win this game. Is Washington a team of destiny? We'll find out. Carla gives honorable mentions to UTEP at MTSU (2 ET, ESPN+) as Middle closes out its home schedule and UCLA at USC (3:30 ET, ABC) simply because it's going to be a stupid fun rivalry game in the Coliseum. Crappy, meanwhile, offers his condolences to our Williams alums for their loss last weekend in the Biggest Little Game in America, and then gives us a history lesson on the Ten Year War. Do we have rivalries on our mind already? Yep. But let's not get ahead of ourselves too quickly. It's going to be a fun weekend. Enjoy the football, yinz. Cheers.

Oh, hi there, boys and girls. It's Week 11 of the college football season. Carla's voice is just about gone and Crappy is distracted (for the first time this year) by midweek MACtion and his Ohio Bobcats. So, yeah … just your normal week around these parts. Before we get into some interesting stuff coming up this weekend, we look back at some fun results from last week. Clemson had an improbable win. Texas and Ohio State won … but not prettily. Arizona (now CFP ranked) continues to be the team that absolutely no one in the Pac-12 wants to play. LSU really needs a healthy Jayden Daniels. And Bedlam actually was bedlam. Unfortunately, it wasn't a great weekend for our Cornell Big Red Bears, but they have a chance to rebound this Saturday at Dartmouth (1:30 ET, ESPN+).  AJ fills us in on all of the goodness that is late-season #GroupOfFiveAfterDark (and yes, there are some really good matchups on that slate this week), and then we get into this weekend's intrigue, including a massive game that even has Crappy seeing blue (and white). No. 18 Utah at No. 5 Washington (3:30 ET, FOX): That Utah defense is spectacular against the run. Unfortunately, Michael Penix Jr. likes to throw the football. A lot. No. 13 Tennessee at No. 14 Missouri (3:30 ET, CBS): Too close to call? Kinda. Mizzou's been oh-so-close a couple of times this year. Is this the game they get over the hump? No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 2 Georgia (7 ET, ESPN): This might be Georgia's biggest test of the season … before facing Bama in the conference title game, that is.  No. 3 Michigan at No. 10 Penn State (Huge Nude, FOX): Yep. Doing this game out of sequential order because it's that important. Carla's hyper-focused on the Penn State secondary, while Crappy is hoping he doesn't have to figure out the math on a three-way tiebreaker atop the B1G East. Carla gives an honorable mention to West Virginia at No. 17 Oklahoma (7 ET, FOX) because the Sooners are reeling, while USC at No. 6 Oregon (10:30 ET, FOX) should be silly fun if you can stay awake. Also, FIU at MTSU (3:30 ET, ESPN+) is worth noting because our beloved Blue Raiders need a win. Crappy is obviously paying attention to Michigan State at No. 1 Ohio State (7:30 ET, NBC), but mostly because of the Bucks' sweet gray unis.  We close the show with an ode to the Biggest Little Game in America, the DIII rivalry between the Amherst Mammoths and the Williams Ephs that's been played since 1884. Former Draft Day Suit (the original home for this show) editor Kim Daboo is an alum of Williams, and our former colleague Chuck Curti, now of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, had a great article this week about two Pittsburgh-area brothers playing in the game. It's just one of the many reasons we love college football. (Also, go Ephs!) And with that … Carla's going to rest her voice and Crappy's going to root his Bobcats to (spoiler alert!) a win. We'll be back here next week for more as we start nearing the end of the 2023 season. (Can you believe it?) Cheers, yinz.

Hi there, boys and girls. It's Week 10 of the college football season, Carla and Crappy are both in some semblance of Halloween attire … and Brian Ferentz no longer has a job. But before we get into that, we take an almost-live look at the first College Football Playoff rankings — hint: They don't mean much yet — before reviewing how absolutely wrong we were about just about everything last Saturday, particularly the dud that was that 3:30 window. But hey, congrats to Kansas for the most Kansas-y upset win possible! Crappy was also disappointed by Cornell's loss (even though starting RB Drew Powell had a great individual performance), yet our Big Red Bears still find themselves in a five-way tie in the hunt for a potential Ivy League title. Cornell travels to Penn this weekend (1 ET, ESPN+).  AJ, meanwhile, has lots of interesting games on his #GroupOfFiveAfterDark slate this weekend, and tells us all about them. Then … back to the Ferentz thing. In honor of one of the most futile offenses that has ever taken the field — the AJ Fun Index for Iowa at Northwestern (3:30 ET, Peacock) is 30.5 points — Carla and Crappy offer up a bunch of games with big scoring potential this weekend, including what might possibly be the highest Fun Index we've ever had on the show. Ready to watch long games with lots of points? Here we go. No. 23 Kansas State at No. 7 Texas (Big Nude, FOX): Be careful, Texas. Be very, very careful. The Powercats are back and hitting their stride just at the right time. No. 9 Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (3:30 ET, ABC): Emotions will be high in this final Bedlam … as will the points machine. Because the Pokes don't play defense. At all.  No. 12 Missouri at No. 2 Georgia (3:30 ET, CBS): OK, this one might not have the offensive firepower as some of the others on this list, but we will find out if Mizzou is for real. No. 5 Washington at No. 20 USC (7:30 ET, ABC): Peep that Fun Index, friends. Yep. 76! And we're still tempted to take the over. Settle in for this one. It's going to be a long game. No. 14 LSU at No. 8 Alabama (7:45 ET, CBS): Can Bama lose two games at Bryant Denny this year? It's certainly possible here. No. 19 UCLA at Arizona (10:30 ET, FS1): Yep, we have to stay up late again this week. Because Arizona is the spoiler team of the Pac-12 this season.  Carla offers honorable mentions to Jacksonville State at South Carolina (Noon ET, ESPNU) in the Battle of the Gamecocks and MTSU at New Mexico St. (6 ET, ESPN+) as her beloved Blue Raiders must win out to go bowling. Crappy's solely focused this week on No. 1 Ohio State at Rutgers (Noon ET, CBS) as his Ohio Bobcats are on a bye. So, there you have it. If you like offense, you're going to like this weekend … unless you're Brian Ferentz, that is. Enjoy the football and the points, yinz. We'll see you back here again next week.

It's Week 9 of the college football season and Carla and Crappy are both wearing black. One of us likes black jerseys; the other one is in mourning. (We're willing to bet that you can guess who is who here.) Carla, though, is more than happy to talk about the chaos that was the ACC last weekend. She absolutely, definitely, under no circumstances however wants to talk about that other little football game … but somehow manages to talk about it pretty extensively anyway. Crappy, meanwhile, doesn't gloat too much about his Buckeyes, but is more than happy to gloat about his USC prediction. (Also, Iowa? You totally got screwed. We're sorry.) He's also thrilled to boast about the Cornell Big Red Bears and their huge win last week. After all of that, it's time to focus on what lies ahead. And we're on board with AJ's assessment of the #GroupOfFiveAfterDark games this week. There are some absolutely great games late in the day. So here's our advice: Sleep in. The 3:30 window is absolutely berserkers, and we have an amazing game to stay up way late for. Hit that snooze button Saturday morning and caffeinate accordingly. Let's go. No. 6 Oklahoma at Kansas (Big Nude, FOX): Can the Jayhawks actually do this? We give it a solid maybe. But they absolutely can put a scare in the Sooners. (See: UCF.) No. 1 Georgia vs. Florida (3:30 ET, CBS): No Brock Bowers for Georgia means the Dawgs are most definitely mortable here. Can the Gators … pounce? (Do Gators pounce? Is that a thing?) No. 8 Oregon at No. 13 Utah (3:30 ET, FOX): Two really great defenses on display in this one. This should be an absolutely fantastic game. Put it on the biggest screen possible. No. 20 Duke at No. 18 Louisville (3:30 ET, ESPN): The status of Riley Leonard has a huge impact on this game … as well as our predictions. See what we mean about that 3:30 window? Bonkers. But we're not done yet, because we add two more in our honorable mentions: BYU at No. 7 Texas (3:30 ET, ABC) and the Battle of the Bricks, Miami (OH) at Ohio (3:30 ET, CBSSN). Crappy's pumped for that latter one, for obvious reasons.   Carla also offers a recommendation for Colorado at No. 23 UCLA (7:30 ET, ABC) because after that loaded mid-afternoon of football, we're all going to need something stupid to watch. And finally, don't miss the reason why we're all staying up late: As AJ would say, UNLV at Fresno State (10:30 ET, FS1) should be an absolute banger.  So, there you have it. Get your sleep early and hang out with us starting at 3:30 on Saturday. Also, enjoy the last week of CUSAction – MACtion is back next week! We'll check in with yinz then. Cheers!

It's Week 8 of the college football season, and yes, Ellie, “yay, feetball” indeed. It's here. The weekend that Carla and Crappy have been anticipating since … oh, the end of last season.  Penn State. Ohio State. Drew Allar. Kyle McCord. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. And … Daequan Hardy? (Who?) But before we get completely lost in that game, there are other matters at hand. Carla gleefully explains the Stanford Postulate (it lives!) and recaps an Oregon/Washington game that absolutely lived up to the hype. Crappy, meanwhile, offers his thoughts on USC/Notre Dame and takes some time to recap his (chilly and soggy) trip to Ithaca to watch Cornell (and, more importantly, starting RB Drew Powell) last weekend. The Big Red Bears host Brown this Saturday (Noon ET, ESPN+). Then, AJ joins us with an absolutely loaded #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report that begins on Thursday and continues nearly non-stop through late Saturday night, including an after-dark FCS game that's absolutely worth caffeinating for. (Shout out, Big Sky!)  And then … to the games at hand. But not that one. We'll save that one for last. No. 17 Tennessee at No. 11 Alabama (3:30 ET, CBS): Bama is absolutely mortable this year … but the Vols haven't been great on the road. No. 16 Duke at No. 4 Florida State (7:30 ET, ABC): If this game was in Durham, we might have different opinions. Also, the line is real silly here. No. 14 Utah at No. 18 USC (8 ET, FOX): They have a fantastic defense, but without Cam Rising, the Utes just aren't quite the same team. USC might be done nationally, but not this week. Finally …  No. 7 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State (The Biggest of Nude Saturdays, FOX): It goes without saying that Carla and Crappy have lots of thoughts about this one. Carla's pleased with her Nits' confidence entering the Shoe, while Crappy boasts about his Bucks' play last weekend against Purdue. The Fun Index on this game is silly low … but it might be on point. All we know for sure? One of us is going to be quite unhappy next week. To wrap things up, Carla offers a reason to be interested in No. 2 Michigan at Michigan State (7:30 ET, ABC). Crappy's too amped to have a final thought. Yep, really. That's how big this game is.  So, here we go. Enjoy the “feetball” this weekend … and come back next week to see whether or not we're speaking to each other. (Ha!) Cheers, yinz!

It's Week 7 – the midway point of the college football season (if you can believe that already). Which means only one thing: It's time for midterms. In true academic fashion, Carla grades her performance after last week's parity-filled picks. (She passed, but barely.) Crappy, on the other hand, doles out failing grades to the USC defense as well as the Miami coaching staff. (Take a knee! Like, for real!) In the Big Red Bears Report, while Cornell didn't have a great time at Harvard, our favorite starting running back Drew Powell had a solid game, and Crappy previews the family's upcoming trip to what will likely be a damp and chilly Ithaca this weekend as Cornell hosts Bucknell (1 ET, ESPN+). Then AJ joins the conversation, with a laundry list of really good #GroupOfFiveAfterDark games, beginning on Friday the 13th. Nope. Nothing ominous about that. And then it's time for our next test: Can we all stay up late this week? Because the night slate is so good, we have to. AJ is even offering extra credit for watching San Diego State at Hawaii (11 ET, CBSSN). Ready? Caffeinate appropriately, friends. Let's do this. No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington (3:30 ET, ABC): This game should rank right up there in the top games so far this season. The difference here might be Oregon's defense. (Yes, we just said that.) Texas A&M at No. 19 Tennessee (3:30 ET, CBS): The Aggies had Bama on the ropes last week. Is Tennessee good? We're not sure … but the Vols do tend to play better in the comfy confines of Neyland. No. 10 USC at No. 21 Notre Dame (7:30 ET, NBC): So, yeah. About that USC defense. That should be a factor in this game as the Irish look to bounce back. No. 25 Miami at No. 12 North Carolina (7:30 ET, ABC): Carolina is legit good. The Canes are coming in after an inexplicable loss despite a really, really good rush defense. Can the Heels remain unbeaten? No. 18 UCLA at No. 15 Oregon State (8 ET, FOX): Congrats, UCLA. Your reward for last week's big win? A night game at Corvallis against DJ U and the Beavs offense. Carla gives honorable mention to Missouri at No. 24 Kentucky (7:30 ET, SECN), as if you didn't have enough already to pay attention to in the late window. Crappy, meanwhile, explains why road games at Purdue give him heartburn. So, there you have it. Stay up late. Get an afternoon coffee or tea or energy drink. Let's finish midterms strong, friends! We'll see you back here next week for … the game of the year. You won't want to miss it.

It's Week 6 of the college football season, and Carla and Crappy decide to attempt a fun exercise: Name the best five teams right now in college football. It proved to be a much more challenging task than it originally seemed. We're not sure Carla ever actually settled on five teams – it was more like six or seven – and Crappy had similar struggles. Looking back at last weekend's action alone, Carla questions Georgia and Notre Dame and their need for late-game heroics, while Crappy goes after USC's lack of defense.  There really aren't any really clear frontrunners at this point. Parity is a real thing in 2023. Does anyone want to be No. 1? What we do know for sure is that you can watch the Big Red Bears on national television on Friday night, as Cornell travels to Harvard (7 ET Friday, ESPNU). And AJ, as per usual, has an incredible menu of #GroupOfFiveAfterDark games for you to choose from all weekend long. But when it comes time for our picks, for the first time in a really long time on this little prognostication podcast, Carla and Crappy have differing opinions in all but a couple of games. It's a good slate, particularly in the first window.  No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas (Noon ET, ABC): The Sooners have been quietly flying under the national radar … which means that this could spell trouble for Texas in the Elmer Fudd Invitational. Maryland at No. 4 Ohio State (Big Nude, FOX): The Terps have high hopes in this one, but we agree (a rare thing!) that Ohio State should hold the upper hand in the Shoe.  No. 23 LSU at No. 21 Missouri (Noon ET, ESPN): One of these Tiger teams is unbeaten … and it's not LSU.  No. 11 Alabama at Texas A&M (3:30 ET, CBS): Has Bama righted the ship? Or can the Aggie defense prevail at home? No. 20 Kentucky at No. 1 Georgia (7 ET, ESPN): Hoo boy, do we both wish this game was in Lexington. But it's not. Georgia isn't mortable … yet. No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 25 Louisville (7:30 ET, ABC): The brutal stretch for Notre Dame continues. As long as this isn't a look-ahead game, we like the Irish on the road. No. 24 Fresno State at Wyoming (8 ET, FOX): Laramie in primetime on national television? This is a must watch game. Seriously. Watch it. Carla gives honorable mention nods to two Top 25 teams that need to be on alert: No. 13 Washington State at UCLA (3 ET, Pac-12) and Syracuse at No. 14 North Carolina (3:30 ET, ESPN). Crappy, meanwhile, is still boasting about that Ohio Bobcats defense. So, will we get some answers to our parity issue this weekend? Perhaps. But we'll definitely get an incredible weekend of college football. Enjoy the games, yinz. Cheers.

Kentucky. Kansas. Duke. Wait … did this become a college basketball podcast? Nope. These are schools looking to shed their basketball-school reputations in some big time football games this weekend. But before we get to the Week 5 action, Carla and Crappy recap the spectacularity (if that's not a word, it should be) that was Week 4. Carla questions whether Florida State is as good as we initially thought, while Crappy gives us the details of his fantastic weekend in South Bend. Oh, and we throw in some shoutouts to Penn State and Robert Morris in there, too. Then, Crappy gives us our weekly Big Red Bears report and we turn things over to AJ, who highlights all of the wonder that is the #GroupOfFiveAfterDark this weekend. Now, back to those basketball schools … and some other really good games, too. No. 10 Utah at No. 19 Oregon State (9 ET Friday, FS1): The Utes have been relying on their defense all season, while the favored Beavs are looking for some Pac-2 magic at home. No. 22 Florida at Kentucky (Noon ET, ESPN): Are the Cats for real this season? Which Florida team will we get in this game? No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas (3:30 ET, ABC): Does Kansas have a chance in Austin? Maybe?  No. 13 LSU at No. 20 Ole Miss (6 ET, ESPN): Are the Tigers the best team in the SEC West? We'll get a good look this weekend. Meanwhile, Ole Miss looks to rebound. No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 17 Duke (7:30 ET, ABC): The Irish look to bounce back on the road at Durham in what is absolutely not a “breather” game. Duke can win this one.  Carla offers honorable mention to her MTSU Blue Raiders who travel to Western Kentucky (7:30 ET Thursday, CBSSN) for their annual rivalry game – this year on the Network of Champions! Also, the Friday night slate is really good this week. Don't lose track of Louisville at NC State (7 ET Friday, ESPN) or Cincinnati at BYU (10:15 ET Friday, ESPN). To close things out, Crappy offers a final reflection on the early season success of his Ohio Bobcats. With that, we have another fun weekend of college hoops, erm, football ahead of us. Enjoy all of the action. Cheers, yinz.

It's Week 4 of the college football season … and if you've taken a peek at the slate for this weekend, your head may be spinning as much as ours are. So. Many. Big. Games. But we don't want to jump ahead of ourselves. True to form, last weekend's schedule was lackluster on paper but ended up full of crazy, causing Carla to question whether this is the most parity we've seen in college football in years. Meanwhile, Crappy takes the opportunity to bask in the MAC's success against Big 12 opponents. Fly that flag! We also get our second Big Red Bears Report, featuring Cornell starting running back Drew Powell. Then, AJ takes over to give us just a taste of what awaits us in his #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report, including a true crosstown rivalry and trophy game and West Coast football in the middle of the afternoon. (Yes, AJ says we all can go to bed early again this week — unless you're staying up for New Mexico State-Hawaii). And then … it's full speed ahead. Warning: You're going to want to have multiple screens at the ready. No. 4 Florida State at Clemson (Noon ET, ABC): This is the game the Noles absolutely need to have. But which version of FSU will we get here? And is Clemson still a national contender? No. 19 Colorado at No. 10 Oregon (3:30 ET, ABC): Let's find out what the Buffs are made of. The Ducks have a spectacular offense … and an almost equally spectacular defense. No. 22 UCLA at No. 11 Utah (3:30 ET, FOX): Can the Utes defense get it done at home again? Are the Bruins for real? No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 13 Alabama (3:30 ET, CBS): Here's a question we weren't expecting to ask this year: Can Bama lose two straight at home? If Lane Kiffin has anything to say about it, yes. No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame (7:30 ET, NBC): This game has blockbuster written all over it. Crappy, who will be in attendance, has lots of thoughts. No. 24 Iowa at No. 7 Penn State (7:30 ET, CBS): Drew Allar and the Nits offense didn't look sharp last week. But this is the Whiteout game. That should remedy things. Carla gives honorable mention nods to BYU at Kansas (3:30 ET, ESPN) in a battle of Big 12 unbeatens, No. 14 Oregon State at No. 21 Washington State (7 ET, FOX) as what's left of the Pac-12 goes head-to-head on the Palouse, and Colorado State at MTSU (7 ET, ESPN+) because it's homecoming for Middle. (Go Blue!) Crappy is (not surprisingly) interested in Ohio at Bowling Green (3:30 ET, ESPN+) to see how his Bobcats fare in their first conference game of the year. So, find as many screens as possible and enjoy the incredible weekend of college football that awaits us. Cheers, yinz.

Hi friends! It's Week 3 of the college football season and, well, let's just say the schedule isn't quite as enticing as the past two weekends have been. So much so that AJ has declared this weekend “Be A Family Person Weekend,” and given himself the week off. Crappy and Carla are … kind of in agreement. So instead of a normal show this week, we shift into “Games We Care About” mode and get a little personal. Before that, Carla recaps what was a fairly chaotic Week 2, thanks to a bunch of weather delays (Did Notre Dame/NC State ever end?) and a pretty impressive slate of evening games. Crappy, meanwhile, offers Carla a pop quiz.  We also get our first Big Red Bears Report of the year as Cornell (and Crappy's nephew, Drew Powell) kicks off its season this weekend. Hooray for the return of Ivy League football! Here are the games that Crappy and Carla care about this weekend:  No. 7 Penn State at Illinois (Big Nude, FOX): The Nits offense has been spectacular. This is a game to check the defensive side of the ball. Iowa State at Ohio (Noon ET, ESPNU): A Power 5 school travels to Athens to face what has become a stellar Ohio defense. Raise that flag, Bobcats! Cornell at Lehigh (Noon ET, ESPN+): Seriously, you want to watch Jameson Wang play football. He's super fun. Go Bears! Western Kentucky at No. 6 Ohio State (4 ET, FOX): A weird start time for this one, but the Bucks should get some good reps before a big game next weekend. Murray State at MTSU (7 ET, ESPN+): Middle just couldn't quite finish off Mizzou last week. They should handle Murray in their home opener. (Also, listen to Jake Rose call a football game!) We're also both always excited about the return of the Backyard Brawl – Pitt at West Virginia (7:30 ET, ABC). This game's at night in Morgantown. Weird things are going to happen. Other games that have Carla's attention are No. 14 LSU at Mississippi State (Noon ET, ESPN),  No. 15 Kansas State at Missouri (Noon ET, SECN), and Minnesota at No. 20 North Carolina (3:30 ET, ESPN), as we'll start to see which of these teams are for real this season. Also, just for fun, Wyoming at No. 4 Texas (8 ET, Longhorn), because this might be the last chance you have to watch a game on the Longhorn Network. Crappy, meanwhile, is maybe a bit too interested in Central Michigan at No. 9 Notre Dame (2:30 ET, Peacock), as he starts to look ahead to a huge game in South Bend next weekend. So, yeah, the schedule's a bit lighter. But you should still watch college football. As we all know, it's weeks like this when weird stuff happens. We'll be back to our normal programming next week. Cheers, yinz!

We did it, everyone. We survived the mini-bowl week that the opening weekend of the college football season has become. And boy, was it a fun one.  Carla had so many thoughts about Week 1 — including an undefeated uprising on the west coast — that she had to write about them. Crappy, meanwhile, was underwhelmed by — but not overly concerned about — Ohio State's line play. But, here's the thing. There's no rest for the weary. There are big games on the slate this weekend … and big questions to be answered. Was [insert team here's] Week 1 performance a fluke? Is [insert team here] for real? After noting the 13-0 start by the PAC 12, AJ runs us through his weekly slate of Group of Five and After Dark games, and then we take a look at this weekend's intrigue. Let's go. Nebraska at No. 22 Colorado (Big Nude, FOX): This feels like two teams moving in opposite directions. Can the Buffs keep up their winning ways? Can Nebraska shake the yips? No. 10 Notre Dame at NC State (Noon ET, ABC): The Irish get their first true test of the season, although NC State's leading rusher last week was its QB. (Ooph.) No. 20 Ole Miss at No. 24 Tulane (3:30 ET, ESPN2): Can Tulane beat its second-consecutive Power Five opponent? Spoiler alert: Carla and Crappy agree on this one. Don't miss this game. Really. No. 23 Texas A&M at Miami (3:30 ET, ABC): The Aggies appear to have fixed their offensive struggles. Can Miami keep up? Iowa at Iowa State (3:30 ET, FOX): This game will be painfully stupid … but we'll talk about it anyway. First team to 10 points wins? No. 11 Texas at No. 3 Alabama (7 ET, ESPN): Last year, Texas put Bama on the ropes … until Quinn Ewers got hurt. The Horns looked good last week, as did new Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (much to Carla's chagrin). Is Bama mortable this year?  No. 19 Wisconsin at Washington State (7:30 ET, ABC): The Cougs won this matchup last year in Madison. At home, in the comfy confines of Pullman, against an all-new Badgers offense? This game should be lots of fun. Expect the unexpected. (And technically, it's not After Dark. Watch this game!) Carla gives honorable mention this week to No. 13 Oregon at Texas Tech (7 ET, FOX), because the line on the game makes absolutely no sense. Also, a quick shoutout to MTSU at Missouri (7 ET, ESPN+), because this SEC opponent feels like it might be conquerable (as opposed to last weekend's monumental task against Bama). Crappy, meanwhile, expresses his displeasure with Ohio State's opponent this weekend. (Stop playing FCS teams!) So, there you have it. We're on to Week 2. Enjoy the games, yinz. We'll see you back here again next week.

Uncle Crappy 3:54 PM (1 minute ago)     to Michael This is the week of a lot of exciting beginnings. Five straight days of college football. Teams and conferences on new television channels. (The 3:30 CBS song is ours now, thank you very much.) We get to see new offensive schemes. New quarterbacks. Heck, Colorado is going to show us a whole new roster. Fun times. And to say we're excited is probably an understatement. So, we waste no time getting into it. We take a quick look back at the handful of games in Week 0, including impressive wins by Jacksonville State and … UMass? Also, Sam Hartman might be good, while USC's defense … eh, might not be. Then AJ gets us ready for all of the #GroupOfFiveAfterDark action with an absolutely loaded report (be sure to tune in every week, Boise State fans). You should have absolutely no reason to be bored this weekend. None. And then … let's go.  Florida at No. 14 Utah (8 ET Thursday, ESPN): Lots of questions this year for the Gators. Traveling to Salt Lake to face a stealthy Utes defense? That's a big ask.  Nebraska at Minnesota (8 ET Thursday, FOX): B1G football lovers? This one's for you. Matt Rhule gets a heck of a first game as the Huskers head coach. Meanwhile, Minnesota is rowing (see what we did there?) out a whole new offense.  Miami (OH) at Miami (7 ET Friday, ACCN): This one's fun to talk about. (Ha!) We like the Canes … but wouldn't be shocked to see the RedHawks hang around to make this interesting. The line is real dumb. Colorado at No. 17 TCU (Big Nude Saturday, FOX): Coach Prime gets the prime TV treatment … but the Horny Toads have the upper hand. West Virginia at No. 7 Penn St. (7:30 ET Saturday, NBC): Our first look at the new Penn State offense as the Drew Allar show begins in Happy Valley. Carla's pumped. Crappy? Not so much. Meanwhile, WVU likes to run the ball. A lot.  No. 21 North Carolina vs. South Carolina in Charlotte (7:30 ET Saturday, ABC): Lots of intrigue here in what should be a stellar QB matchup between Drake Maye and Spencer Rattler. Take the over. No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida St. in Orlando (7:30 ET Sunday, ABC): On paper, this is the best matchup of the weekend. This game last year was an instant classic. We expect more of the same this year. No. 9 Clemson at Duke (8 ET Monday, ESPN): Oh hey. Duke's actually pretty good at football now. Is this a Clemsoning opportunity? Perhaps. If that's not enough for you, Carla gives honorable mention (of course) to MTSU at No. 4 Alabama (7:30 ET Saturday, SECN), while Crappy is (obviously) focused on No. 3 Ohio State at Indiana (3:30 ET Saturday, CBS) and his mild concern about the Bucks potentially having two quarterbacks. (That would not be a good development.) So, there you have it. An absolutely packed weekend of college football. Enjoy the games … and maybe even some bad movie theater popcorn. Cheers, yinz.

Howdy, boys and girls. It's time. There are Actual. College. Football. Games. on the schedule for this weekend. And that means the gang's all here to make Season 12 of the Carla & Crappy Show officially official. But first, we have some housekeeping to take care of, including a quick update on the Pac-4 and conference realignment situation … which, of course, changed shortly after we recorded this show. (Typical.) On Wednesday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the possible move of Cal, Stanford, and SMU to the ACC was back on the table. (Surprise!) So after attempting to predict the future of conference realignment – and failing almost immediately – as is tradition, we each take a shot at prognosticating this year's College Football Playoff participants. While we agree with AJ's assessment that this year might be the most unpredictable playoff that we've had in recent years – and as such, our final four selections vary quite a bit – we are in consensus on this year's top Group of Five team. And then, after all of that … there are seven games on the schedule this weekend. We're so amped, we talk about all of them. Navy vs. No. 13 Notre Dame (2:30 ET, NBC): We agree that this year's Dublin game makes way more sense than last year's Northwestern/Nebraska tilt. Enjoy the spectacle … and an Irish win. UTEP at Jacksonville State (5:30 ET, CBSSN): The first game of the season on the Network of Champions welcomes Jacksonville State (and HC Rich Rodriguez) to FBS football.  UMass at New Mexico State (7 ET, ESPN): The Minutemen went 1-11 last season … and open this year's campaign on the road on ESPN proper. Ah, welcome back, college football. Ohio at San Diego State (7 ET, FS1): Crappy's especially amped for this game. SDSU is looking for an offensive spark. The Bobcats have one on their side and his name is Kurtis Rourke. Fly that flag. Hawaii at Vanderbilt (7:30 ET, SECN): Vandy won this game handily last year on the islands in a tiny stadium. The Beloved Rainbow Warriors should make the rematch closer … in a partial stadium in Nashville.  San Jose State at No. 6 USC (8 ET, P12N): It seems somewhat appropriate that Caleb Williams begins his repeat Heisman campaign … in a game no one will see, because, you know, that whole media rights Pac-12 Network thing. FIU at Louisiana Tech (9 ET, CBSSN): A CUSA (no hyphen) doubleheader in Week 0? Yes, please! FIU's rebuilding (yet again). Give us the Bulldogs at home. So … there you have it. Use this week as your warmup. Find your channels. Figure out your setup. Locate all of your remotes. Because Week 1 starts in full force on Thursday night. And then … it's on. Welcome back, college football … and yinz guys. We missed you. Cheers.

For the third year running, college football has blown up with some big news as the season approaches — and even though we'd already done a summer show, the demolition of a century-old storied conference nudged AJ, Carla and Crappy to get back together and assess the new lay of the conference land.    The migration of Oregon and Washington to the B1G and Utah, Arizona and Arizona State to the Big 12 apparently came together with blinding speed, but its roots, as AJ points out, were planted by the PAC-12 a decade ago.    We then take a spin around the country, assessing what the latest change means for conferences around the country; the group also considers the recent outburst from Tallahassee … and the crickets we're hearing — and will continue to hear — from South Bend.   How do we save the soul of college football? How do we address the role of TV money while preserving regionalism, traditions and rivalries? AJ has an idea, and it involves going back to the future with the NCAA.   Look, we're not happy about the path that college football is apparently taking — it threatens everything that makes Sautrday football better than the Sunday version. And the changes all have been done without any real consideration for the student-athletes — and not just football players — who will have to cope with the changes. What's ahead? It's hard to see what the long-term impacts will be, but for 2023, we have one more glorious season of PAC-12 After Dark as we know it — so fire up your coffee maker and and join us for one more season of fun.

The Fourth of July weekend is still in our rear-view mirror, so it's the height of summertime — which makes it perfect for the Summer 2023 edition of the Carla and Crappy Show. And what a show it is. Prompted by a prediction that Crappy's Bobcats will play the show's beloved Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the pinnacle of postseason destinations – that would be the Bahamas Bowl – Carla got in touch with Middle's sports information director … and that's how we landed an interview with Middle head coach Rick Stockstill. You'll want to listen to this, because Coach Stockstill isn't just talking Xs and Os. In the 20-minute interview, we cover the challenges of weeknight games, the fun of playing college football's big boys and the time he torched Ohio State (and then-DB assistant coach Nick Saban) for 300 yards passing in Columbus. What else? The Pac-Soon-To-Be-10 doesn't yet have a new TV deal, an issue that could – or could not – be influenced by where San Diego State goes when it departs – or doesn't depart – the Mountain West. The Big Ten's schedules for 2024 and 2025 made sure that Penn State is truly unrivaled, much to the chagrin of Carla and Crappy, who think their two adopted schools need to play every year. And are we buying or selling? Sorry, Coach Prime, but at the very least, you and Colorado are on layaway for a couple years. And with a stern warning for Ryan Day about losing streaks, that's the Carla and Crappy Show for this summer. But fear not, boys and girls – Week Zero is just six weeks away. Enjoy the rest of your summer, yinz guys, and we'll see you then.  

A thing we say every January: We can't believe it's over. There's just one more college football game on the schedule (unless you're counting the FCS title game and the all-star game, which you should absolutely do). While we're always sad to see a season come to its end, this year feels especially painful due to just how spectacular the final week of bowl games has been. The CFP semifinals were the best we've ever seen (except for Crrappy's College Kicker Situation). Tulane's comeback was remarkable. Carla is (still) basking in the glory of a Penn State Rose Bowl win (and Sean Clifford's attempt at rose petal stealthiness). Crappy's thrilled with Ohio's win (which he didn't watch). Other than our beloved Kansas State (sigh), it was a great week. Before we discuss the final game of the year, Crappy reveals the winner of the 2nd Annual Bowlapalooza Bonanza, which (spoiler alert!) was neither Carla nor Crappy. You'll have to watch or listen to find out the winner — and howsabout those trophies? OK, folks — it's showtime. College Football National Championship: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 1 Georgia (7:30 ET Monday, ESPN): We've said it approximately 2,316 times this season: The Horny Toads just know how to win. They did it again against Michigan, and they find themselves as underdogs once more in this matchup. Georgia looked mortable against Ohio State, especially in the secondary. While we're both hoping for a spectacular finish to the season, this might surprise you: Carla and Crappy are on opposite sides in their picks. We close Season 11 of the #CnCShow with a look ahead to 2023. Carla's excited about the offensive prospects in Happy Valley and intrigued by both the Big Ten West (yes, really) and the wealth of quarterbacks in the Pac-12. Crappy's also interested in quarterbacks, specifically the ones at Ohio State, and (surprise!) Michigan's coaching and program situation. And that, as they say, is a wrap. As always, we are incredibly grateful, for AJ, for our Bowlapalooza guests, and especially for you, our viewers and listeners, who have continued to support this little show over the years. Are we going to kick off Season 12 with a summertime show? Chances are excellent. Cheers, friends, and we'll see you then.

Bowlapalooza season is still underway -- and it's been a good one so far. Carla was quite pleased with Middle Tennessee's big win in Hawaii, while Crappy was impressed by Fresno's complete domination of Washington State.  But now it's time to turn our attention to the big-time bowl games. While the schedule is a bit strange this year thanks to New Year's Day falling on a Sunday, we expect all of the New Year's Six bowl games to be spectacular.  Let's dive right in, shall we? Capital One "Orangiest" Bowl: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Clemson (8 ET Friday, ESPN): We've got all the orange we can handle in this game, featuring two new QBs and a bunch of question marks. Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 9 Kansas State (Noon ET Saturday, ESPN): Carla and Crappy have similar thoughts on this game. The Powercats will be super motivated to play in a big bowl game; what's Bama's motivation level here? Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 16 Tulane vs. No. 10 USC (1 ET Monday, ESPN): The Trojans haven't done well when they play defensively solid teams this year. (Oh, hi there, Tulane.) Does USC have enough speed for that to matter? Rose Bowl Game Presented By Prudential: No. 11 Penn State vs. No.8 Utah (5 ET Monday, ESPN): The Granddaddy of Them All features two teams that play like B1G teams. Carla hopes that means good things for her Nittany Lions. CFP Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 2 Michigan (4 ET Saturday, ESPN): It pains Crappy to say it, but Michigan's defense is good. The Horny Toads have found ways to win all season, though. CFP Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Georgia (8 ET Saturday, ESPN): The Bucks need to make some big-time defensive adjustments. Georgia has found death star mode multiple times this season. Crappy, however, is motivated by what happened the last time Ohio State was a No. 4 in the CFP.  So, soak up all of the college football this week, yinz, because the season is nearly over. We'll be back next week to wrap things up with a preview of the national title game. Cheers!

It's the most wonderful time of the year, kids. A whole mess of meaningless college football on your television nearly every day of the week. And that can only mean one thing: Welcome to Bowlapalooza 2022. In addition to the full crew of Carla, Crappy, and AJ, we're thrilled to be joined by a cast of thousands (or, OK, maybe three others who love this time of year as much as we do) – defending Bowlapalooza champion Gabby Biltz, diehard Penn State fan Kelly Krieg, and the television voice of the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, Jake Rose. After debating whether or not the College Football Playoff committee got the Top Four correct (spoiler alert: there wasn't much to argue with there), we dive into the goodness that is bowl season. While games begin on December 16 and continue all the way through January 2, we narrowed our discussion to our six favorites. (But please, watch them all!) Grab a giant bowl of Cheez-Its and settle in. Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Louisville (11 a.m. ET, Dec. 17, ESPN): Jake's selection is a rebirth of the Keg of Nails rivalry, which has so many storylines, you might need a second box of Cheez-Its, and we're only two days into bowl season. Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel: Washington State vs. Fresno State (3:30 ET, Dec. 17, ABC): Yep, this game has AJ written all over it. Our only knock on this one? It's being played too early in the day. EasyPost Hawaii Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. San Diego State (8 ET, Dec. 24, ESPN): Carla, of course, takes this game … which happens to be the only bowl game on Christmas Eve this year. (Thanks, NFL.) TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: No. 21 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 South Carolina (3:30 ET, Dec. 30, ESPN): Gabby jumps on an opportunity to wax poetically about her alma mater and Marcus Freeman. But is South Carolina the hottest team in the country right now? Yep, another box of Cheez-Its is in order for this one. Arizona Bowl: Ohio vs. Wyoming (4:30 ET, Dec. 30, Drinking Establishment Furniture Website): Crappy gets to talk about his alma mater, too … but we don't endorse watching this game. Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: No. 17 LSU vs. Purdue (1 ET, Jan. 2, ABC): Kelly takes this one, and not just because citrus Cheez-Its sound disgusting. The intrigue factor is high here. Other bowls that we're interested in watching: Myrtle Beach Bowl (Marshall vs. UConn, 2:30 ET, Dec. 19, ESPN), AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Kansas vs. Arkansas, 5:30 ET, Dec. 28, ESPN), Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl (Pitt vs. No. 18 UCLA, 2 ET, Dec. 30, CBS), and the TransPerfect Music City Bowl (Iowa vs. Kentucky, Noon ET, Dec. 31, ABC). As for the bigger games? We're keeping our eyes on the Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and the Orangest Bowl (it happened!). And one of the Penn State fans on the show is actually going to the Rose Bowl. (Hint: It's not Carla. But she's really jealous.) The lesson here? You're going to need a lot of Cheez-Its for the next several weeks. Carla and Crappy will be back the week of Dec. 26 to discuss the NY6 and Playoff games. Until then, enjoy the craziness of bowl season, friends. Cheers!

It's Champinchip Week in college football, and Carla, Crappy and AJ are pumped for a massive slate of games spanning Friday and Staturday. Well, Carla and AJ are pumped — after last weekend, Crappy might be happier discussing the World Cup. Outside of Columbus, Rivalry Week was as good as advertised — ask AJ, who watched 39 straight hours of football, through the end of the Apple Cup in Pullman. And after an early assessment of the coaching carousel chugging to life for it's 2022 ride, we get to the games. And it's going to be glorious, boys and girls. 7:30 Friday, CBSSN CUSA Championship, The Alamodome North Texas vs. UTSA Meep isn't the hype monster it's been in recent years, but it's still very, very good. 8 Friday,Fox PAC 12 Championship,The Black Hole in Vegas, 4 USC vs 12 Utah If there is a PAC 12 team that can derail USC's meteoric rise, it is Dem Youths. Saturday Noon Saturday, ABC Big 12 Champinship, AKA the Purple Bowl, Jerryworld, 10 Kansas State vs 3 TCU One of most colorful games on the schedule, and also one of the best. And also also Crappy's best shot to jam Ohio State back into the playoff conversation. Noon Saturday, ESPN #MACtion championship, Ford Field, OU vs. Toledo Folks, meet CJ Harris, the understudy to OU QB Kurtis Rourke; he's going to deliver the first MAC title for the Bobcats since Crappy was but a wee child. 3:30 Saturday, ESPN Fun Belt, Vets Memorial Stadium, Troy, Alabama Coastal vs. Troy Without Grayson McCall, this is a tall order for the Beach Chickens. 4 Saturday, Mercedes Benzo, Atlanta SEC chamionship 14 LSU vs 1 Georgia Sorry Tigahs — the Star Wars Imperial March you're hearing means the Bulldogs are gearing up for one of *those* performances 4 Saturday, ABC AAC Championship, Yulman Stadium, New Orleans 22 UCF vs. 18 Tulane The regular season matchup went to UCF, but the Green Wavers have figured out how to play defense in the meantime. 4 Saturday, Fox Mountain West championship, Albertsons Stadium, Boise Fresno State vs. Boise State There is magic in the blue turf, but Fresno has had a magical season. 8 Saturday, Fox Big Ten championship, Lucas Oil in Indy Purdue vs. 2 Michigan Crappy has no comment. 8 Saturday, ABC ACC, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte 9 Climpson vs. 23 North Carolina Has there ever been a Power Five conference championship game that means less? With some closing thoughts and bonus picks for #GoArmyBeatNavy (can you tell who wrote the show notes this week?), Carla, Crappy and AJ are clearing their schedules and firing up multiple screens … and you should be doing the same. Enjoy Champinchip Week, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here soon for … wait for it … Bowlapalooza.

It's Week 13 of the college football season, and Carla and Crappy have a guest sit in for the initial discussions of Wivalwy Week — Cornell running back Drew Powell. Cornell's season wrapped last weekend and the Big Red finished at 5-5; Drew wrapped up his season injury-free (mostly, anyway) and on a high note, with the most offensive contributions he's made all season.   Drew hung out for our look back at the bonkeriest of bonkers weekends and as a guest prognosticator for the rankings that come out on Tuesday. And as Drew signed off to finish a school assignment (as it turns out, attending an Ivy League school is difficult — who knew?), AJ sets the table for the week's insane G5 slate.   And then? Picks. A bunch of them. Because it is, after all, Wivalwy Week.   Tuesday, Bowling Green at OU, 7 p.m., ESPNU Will OU QB Kurtis Rourke play for the Bobcats? It may not matter.   Thursday Egg Bowl Mississippi State at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN Neither team has exactly been setting the world on fire — but one team has more cowbell.   Friday NC State at UNC, 3:30, ABC North Carolina offense wasn't humming last week, but NC State would have to win with backups to the backups.   Nebraska at Iowa, 4 p.m., BTN If Iowa is going to win by 10.5 points, doesn't that mean they'll have to score 10.5 points?   Saturday THE GAME Team Up North at Ohio State, BIG NUDE Saturday, Fox Depth + motivation = B1G East title for the Buckeyes.   South Carolina at Clemson, Noon, ABC SC is finishing the season in the hottest way possible. Could that translate to a win in not so Deathly Valley?   Iron Bowl Auburn at Alabama, 3:30 p.m., CBS It seems odd to say this, but the 2022 Iron Bowl doesn't matter a whole lot. And that makes it tougher on the team that didn't live up to expectations this season.   The Civil War Oregon at Oregon State, 3:30 p.m., ABC Is there a home field advantage in Corvalis? We're about to find out.   Land Grant Trophy Sparty at Penn State, 4 p.m., FS1 Is Penn State the best team in the conference at this moment? Unfortunately for Team Up North State, it probably is.   Notre Dame at USC, 7:30 p.m., ABC Marcus Freeman has overcome a rough start and has the Irish humming. But USC has its eyes on a playoff spot.   The Sunflower Showdown Kansas at Kansas State, 8 p.m., Fox The most awesome thing about this game is that it matters this year.   The Apple Cup Washington at Washington State, 10:30 p.m, ESPN Let's get weird on the West Coast.   And finally, Carla's got her Blue Raiders into a bowl game and Crappy … well, you know what he has on his mind this week. Enjoy the massive Wivalwy Week slate, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here next week.

It's Week 12 of the college football season, and we should all keep Carla in our thoughts — because #MACtion continues to test Uncle Crappy's attention span, and because the game with the round orange ball kept her up waaaay past her bedtime. But once the hoopage FINALLY ended, we got our rankings, we got through a discussion of last weekend's craziness on the West Coast and we learned that Kurtis Rourke, OU's quarterback, wouldn't return after being injured in the first half at Ball State. Williams College running back Joel Nichols didn't let anything get in his way in last weekend's Biggest Little Game, and injuries didn't stop Cornell running back and Crappy nephew Drew Powell from a reception in the win over Dartmouth. And as we already know, pretty much nothing can keep AJ from his weekly slate of college football silliness. Except, perhaps, for this — the incredible mess that is the Big Ten West. Disasters are hard to look away from, so Carla and Crappy decided to lean in, devoting an entire block of picks on the Wild Wild West before moving through the rest of the schedule. Illinois at No. 3 Team Up North, Noon, ABC There is a new word for what Illinois has done over the last two weeks: They's berted, in a very big way. Unfortunately, The Big Hole is not the place you want to try to get unberted. Wisconsin at Nebraska, Noon, ESPN Two midseason head coach dismissals. Two interims. One teams comes in losing four straight. The other is a more respectable 3-2 in the last month. Sorry, Huskers. Northwestern at Purdue, Noon, FS1 With the surprise win over Illinois last week, Purdue finds itself with games against Northwestern and Indiana to close out the season. We like those odds, especially this weekend. Iowa @ Minnesota, 4 p.m., Fox As of Tuesday night, the AJ Fun Index for this monstrosity is 32.5. And we're still thinking the under is a good bet. Also: FLOYD OF ROSEDALE. And then, there were some other games… No. 4 TCU at Baylor, BIG NUDE We found out a week ago that the Horny Toads can also play defense. Which just gives them another tool to close out the Big 12 title in a couple weeks. 3:30 CBS No. 1 Georgia at Kentucky, 3:30, CBS It's the Peanut Butter Bowl. And Kentucky has no chance of winning. No. 2 Ohio State at Maryland, 3:30, ABC NO MORE INJURED RUNNING BACKS, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. USC @ UCLA, 8 p.m., Fox Oregon just berted all over itself a week ago, which means this old rivalry game means more, especially for the Trojans, than it has for years. Utah @ Oregon. 10:30 ESPN The hottest team in the PAC 12 right now? That might be Utah, which comes in to Eugene having won four straight. Not good news for the reeling Ducks. Carla wraps by saying Middle is a win away from bowl eligibility and that 2022 is the year that Bedlam isn't. Crappy engages in some Bobcat-related premature jocularity (THANKS, BOWLING GREEN) before turning his attention to the game that he's been waiting for allllllll season. Enjoy this week's games, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here next week.

It's Week 11 of the college football season, and we have a problem. We're well **TOUCHDOWN** into November and #MACtion is in full swing — meaning that there are potentially important games being played **WOOOOO** as we tape on Tuesday nights.   How important? How's about the annual rivalry game between Crappy's OU **THAT'S NOT HOLDING** Bobcats and the cake-eaters at Miami — it's THAT important. So this week, Crappy does his best to maintain focus **FIRST DOWN** on the show while watching the game — with modest success.   Last weekend was remarkable, from the weather in the Midwest (Jeez, Chicago…) to the **IT WAS A CATCH** upsets in South Bend and Baton Rouge that likely eliminated two of the sport's biggest brands from the CFP. Those **TOUCHDOWN** upsets were reflected in the new CFP rankings, which were much more to the liking of Carla and Crappy than the initial effort.   Cornell acquitted itself well in a loss to Penn, AJ comes close to using the words “Tulane” and “game of the week” in the **TERRIBLE CALL** same sentence … and then Carla and Crappy set out to pick this week's contests.   Missouri at No. 5 Tennessee, Noon Saturday, CBS Mizzou is better than their record would indicate, but the Tigers picked a rough weekend to visit Knoxville. Purdue at No. 21 Illinois, Noon, ESPN2 A great offense against a great defense? That can honestly go either way. A pretty good offense against the nation's No. 1 defense in scoring and yards allowed? Oof. No. 9 Alabama at No. 11 Ole Miss, 3:30, CBS The potential for Saban-Kiffin drama is far more interesting than anything that might happen football-wise.   Maryland at No. 14 Penn State, 3:30, Fox Good offenses can't score if they don't have the ball. Maryland? Meet Penn State tailbacks Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. You'll be seeing a lot of them on Saturday. No. 25 Washington at No. 6 Oregon, 7, Fox Two of the best QBs in the country. An AJ Fun Index of 72.5. Guys. Just watch this one.   No. 4 TCU at No. 18 Texas, 7:30, ABC Longhorn Kryptonite: Playing teams ranked in the Top 5. Oh, hey, look — TCU is ranked 4th.   No. 15 North Carolina at Wake Forest, 7:30, ESPN 2 Wake was still reeling last weekend, and beating Carolina isn't going to be any easier. It should be, however, interesting to watch — with an AJ Fun Index of SEVENTY-SEVEN AND ONE HALF POINTS.   We wrap with Carla updating us on Middle, Crappy congratulating Kansas on bowl eligibility and the conclusion of the aforementioned Battle of the Bricks. If you want to hear Crappy's reaction, you'll have to listen until the end. Enjoy this week's games, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here next week.

It's Week 10 of the college football season, when some players inevitably have to play hurt — and that's the case with Uncle Crappy, who has been living in the Nissan COVID House all week. As such, Carla steps up again to lead this week's ambitious show — and by “ambitious,” we mostly mean “long.”   After recapping last weekend's events — including an insane finish on the West Coast, the results of the annual Carla vs. Crappy grudge match and the return of #Maction — the team turns its attention to this year's first College Football Playoff rankings. Carla and Crappy don't think Clemson belongs in the Top Four, but the ever-analytical AJ reminds them to simmer down, because there's a lot of football still to be played.   And after a quick look at Cornell's brutal two-week stretch — injury update: Drew Powell is expected to play in a limited capacity against Penn — the team tries to pick about 37 of this weekend's contests. Ready? Neither were we.    (Side note: Bonus points will be awarded to any viewers/listeners who correctly note when COVID Brain Fog catches up with Crappy, who offers astute analysis of a team that isn't playing in the game we were discussing. Whoops.) UMass at UConn, 7:30 ET Friday, CBSSN Part one of this weekend's Bowl Eligibility Watch. Go Huskies! No. 23 Oregon State at Washington, 10:30 ET Friday, ESPN2 All offense, not much defense. This will be worth staying up for. Air Force at Army, Noon ET, CBS Crappy's all about ARMY TRAINING SIR, but the smart pick here is for Air Force to clinch the Commander In Chief's Trohpy. Big Nude, FOX Texas Tech at No. 7 TCU, Big Nude Saturday, Fox Things haven't gone well for Tech since it upset Texas at home. Things for the Horny Toads, however, are looking good. Maryland at Wisconsin, Noon ET, BTN November: The month that the Terrapins inevitably remember that they're a basketball school. Baylor at Oklahoma, 3 ET, ESPN+ Honestly, the story behind why this game is on ESPN+ is probably more interesting than the game itself. No. 1 Tennessee at No. 3 Georgia, 3:30 ET, CBS If you're wound up about the initial CFP rankings, this is the first of several games this month that'll help clear up that picture. No. 18 Oklahoma State at Kansas, 3:30 ET, FS1 Bowl Eligibility Watch Part Two is probably the best game of the weekend that no one is going to watch (see above). Rock Chalk! No. 6 Alabama at No. 10 LSU7 ET, ESPN We have no idea if LSU is for real. But we're about to find out. No. 24 Texas at No. 13 Kansas State, 7 ET, FS1 Can the Powercats keep things rolling after their massacre of OK ST last weekend? No. 4 Clemson at Notre Dame, 7:30 ET, NBC AJ doesn't believe in leprechauns. But there is the potential for some Notre Damey stuff to happen in South Bend Saturday night. 8 ET, ACCN No. 21 Wake Forest at No. 22 NC State, 8 ET, ACCN Last weekend's horrendous performance by the Deacons is probably an aberration. And even if it wasn't, Wake should have enough to beat a depleted Wolfpack team on the road. Because the crew didn't pick enough games already, AJ set up a fun game for blind reaction picks of a few more. And with an admonition to watch next week's full #Maction schedule — especially Tuesday's Battle of the Bricks — we wrap. Enjoy this weekend's games, yinz guys.

It's Week 9 of the college football season, but be very careful: There are traps ahead. Multiple teams this week face the dreaded “trap game” situation, which seems exceptionally dubious on the weekend before Halloween. But before we carefully tip-toe around this week's schedule (because, you know, traps), we take a look back at last weekend, including Syracuse looking the part, UCLA/Oregon not living up to the hype, and Iowa's defense. (You can probably guess which one of us was interested in that last thing.) We get a mixed update on our beloved Big Red Bears, and we hear from AJ, who returns to his #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report just in time for some really intriguing stuff. And then we dive in. Cautiously. (Except for our last game.) No. 7 TCU at WVU (Noon ET, ESPN): The Horny Toads control their own destiny in the Big 12, but a visit to Morgantown on Halloween Eve Eve has Crappy intrigued. No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Kansas State (3:30 ET, FOX): After disappointing losses last week, which team rebounds? No. 10 Wake Forest at Louisville (3:30 ET, ACCN): The Cards have been playing well the last two weeks, while Wake is preparing for three-straight ranked opponents. No. 19 Kentucky at No. 3 Tennessee (7 ET, ESPN): The Cats defense is good. Can they catch the Vols looking ahead? Coastal Carolina at Marshall (7 ET, NFL Network): Again, it's West Virginia on Halloween Eve Eve … and the Herd can run the football. That's not good for the Beach Chickens. Michigan State at No. 4 Michigan (7:30 ET, ABC): Strange things can happen in rivalry games. Yeah, that's all we've got for this one. No. 15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M (7:30 ET, SECN): Honestly, we're just here to see whether the Aggies have a coach on Sunday. And finally … No. 2 Ohio State at No. 13 Penn State (Big Nude, FOX): OK. There's no tip-toeing here. We're both amped for this one. Carla hopes her Lions look more like the team that trounced Minnesota, not the one that got crushed by Michigan. Crappy has his eye on how the Bucks handle the Penn State offense. One thing is guaranteed: One of us will be very happy on Saturday afternoon. To wrap things up, Carla gives honorable mention to four (yes, four!) games, including Notre Dame at No. 16 Syracuse (Noon ET, ABC), Robert Morris at Appalachian State (3:30 ET, ESPN+), the Florida/Georgia Cocktail Party (3:30 ET, CBS), and MTSU at UTEP (9 ET, ESPN+). Crappy, meanwhile, fills us in on why he was out last week. So, there you have it. One heck of a football weekend awaits us, traps and all. Enjoy, boys and girls. Cheers!

It's Week 8 of the college football season, and we're breaking new ground. For the first time ever in the 11-year history of this little podcast, Crappy's not here, Carla's playing the role of host, and AJ recommends that we all go to bed early this week. Wait. What? Yep, Carla and AJ are holding down the fort this week, looking back at last week's incredible games (other than the ones Carla had rooting interests in), singing a little song about the Big Red Bears, and getting excited about points. Also, Tree! (The Stanford Postulate lives for another year!) And yes, it's true, AJ says that this weekend, it's OK to go to bed early as the late night slate is … not spectacular. That being said, there are a lot of good games early in the day, so prepare yourself accordingly. No. 14 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson (Noon ET, ABC): Is Syracuse good? We're still not sure. But we do know that Clemson is on a roll. Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State (Big Nude, FOX): OK, so we really just left this game on the agenda in honor of Crappy. Bucks. Next? Memphis at No. 25 Tulane (3:30 ET, ESPN2): AJ's got his eye on this one, because Memphis is confusing and Tulane is … kind of OK? No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (3:30 ET, FOX): This is the must-watch game of the day. Big offenses. Not much defense. A Fun Index of almost 70. And Chip Kelly returns to Autzen. Pass the popcorn, please. No. 20 Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma St. (3:30 ET ABC): Quinn Ewers seems to be the real deal. How do the Pokes respond after last weekend's meltdown? Boise State at Air Force (7 ET, CBSSN): AJ's intrigued by this one. Carla's just laughing that Air Force doesn't have a passing game. No. 24 Mississippi St. at No. 6 Alabama (7 ET, ESPN): Bama is definitely mortable … which means this might not end well for the Bulldogs. Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State (7:30 ET, ABC): Carla's real nervous about this one, but the annual whiteout helps. No. 17 Kansas State at No. 8 TCU (8 ET, FS1): This game's for first place in the Big 12. Let that sink in. Then, go locate FS1 on your channel guide. While AJ bemoans the lack of a late-night slate, Carla gives an honorable mention to Kansas at Baylor (Noon ET, ESPN2), because maybe this is the week Rock Chalk gets a bowl game? Maybe? Either way, enjoy all of the football this weekend kids … and enjoy that extra bit of sleep. After this season, we all need it. Cheers, yinz.

Do you have questions about college football? This weekend's college football has answers. Week 7 of the season has what we need to finally figure out a whole bunch of teams. Ranked on ranked games? Got those. Matchups of undefeateds? Got those too. This is when we're going to eff around and find out. Carla was not super impressed with the endings of the last two games she watched Saturday (Jimbo? Really?) And because he's not so good at following rules, Crappy managed to turn his look back into a look ahead (It's like it was his birthday or something). The Big Red Bears played well in their nationally televised game against Harvard, as did Crappy's nephew Drew Powell. And AJ's #G5AD slate is overflowing, from watching Kansas at noon to the Rainbow Warriors (the Official Non-Affiliated College Football Programs of the Carla and Crappy Show) kicking off at Midnight eastern. Games? Eh, there are a couple. No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan (BIG NUDE, Fox) Carla knows what Penn State has to do to beat Michigan on the road. Crappy does too — but he's really wishing this game was in State College. Noon, ESPN 2 No. 19 Kansas at Oklahoma (Noon, EPSN2) Why? WHY? Why is Oklahoma favored by 8.5 points? WHYYYYYY? Minnesota at No. 24 Illinois (Noon, BTN) The return of Minnesota tailback Mohamed Ibrahim American football player to the Gophers' roster might be enough to propel them to a tough road win. No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee (3:30, CBS) Carla sees a tight game here. Crappy thinks the disrespect card that Nick Saban has undoubtedly been waving around all week is going to mean bad things for the Vols. No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU (3:30, ABC) On paper these teams are dead even. Even the QBs, Spencer Sanders and Max Duggan, look to be statistical twins – but only one of them has been one of the hottest QBs in the country recently. No. 15 NC State at No. 18 Syracuse (3:30, ACC Network) Carla's got ‘cuse the Carrier Dome. Crappy is confused. LSU at Florida (7, ESPN) Which team is buying in to the new coach's program? It feels like that's LSU. No. 4 Clemson at Florida State (7:30, ABC) Crappy's fascination with the Seminoles could come to a stop here, unless they're able to beat Climpson at home. Unlikely. No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky (7:30, SEC Network) These two teams appear to be headed in different directions recently – will the trajectories continue? 8 USC at 20 Utah (8, Fox) Can USC handle a physical matchup? We'll find out in Salt Lake City Saturday night. And with a couple final notes — Carla and Middle's rivalry game this weekend, while Crappy is still babbling about baseball — and a surprise birthday greeting (listen to the end, boys and girls), A.J., Carla and Crappy are ready to enjoy about 15 hours of college football on Saturday. And they hope you can do the same. Thanks and enjoy, yinz guys.

Crappy is enamored with the ACC. Carla's watching the Big 12. What in the name of college football is going on? You know this answer: We have no idea. What we do know, however, is that it's Week 6 of the 2022 season, and we're having so much fun following all of the intriguing storylines that we've decided to do yet another speed round. After recapping last weekend, including Crappy's recent obsession with Clemson and Florida State (huh?) and Carla's analysis of Meep at Middle (womp, womp), we check in with the Big Red Bears (yay, Drew!). AJ offers his analysis of the games we all should be watching this weekend in his #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report, and then we get down to it. No. 8 Tennessee at No. 25 LSU (Noon ET, ESPN): It's a strength-on-strength matchup between LSU's defense and the Vols' offense. We take opposing sides here. No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas (Noon ET, FS1): While we both are wishing for a 6-0 Kansas team, the TCU offense might be too much. Texas vs. Oklahoma (Noon ET, ABC): It's the Red River Rivalry. It's always stupid fun. And this year, it might become a shootout. No. 11 Utah at No. 18 UCLA (3:30 ET, FOX): The Bruins are … good? The Utes feel right at home at the Rose Bowl, though. (Ask Crappy about that.) No. 16 BYU vs. Notre Dame (7:30 ET, NBC): The Mormons and the Catholics play a football game in Vegas. No, there's no punchline. That's actually what's happening. Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama (8 ET, CBS): Honestly, we're just here for the coaching drama. Florida State at No. 14 NC State (8 ET, ACC Network): Both of these teams are coming off disappointing losses. How will they respond? Carla gives an honorable mention nod to Washington State at No. 6 USC (7:30 ET, FOX), while Crappy ponders why Sparty still gives him that nervous feeling as his No. 3 Buckeyes head to East Lansing (4 ET, ABC). So, yeah. We still have no idea. But we're loving it all, and that's why we love college football. Enjoy the games this weekend, yinz. Cheers.

Meep = University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners. Middle = Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. Mortable = A combination of the words “mortal” and “beatable,” coined totally intentionally by Uncle Crappy in this week's show. And with that, it's Week Five of the college football season, and boys and girls, the fun is only just getting started. Carla and Crappy had more fun than most last weekend, as Carla's MTSU Blue Raiders turned their South Beach vacation into a South Beach beatdown over The U; Crappy should probably be more concerned that OU needed to score 59 to beat an FCS school – but that was waaaaay too much fun to be worrying. We might be worried, however, about the Big Red Bears, who were handled by Yale at home on Saturday. BREAKING NEWS SINCE THIS WEEK'S SHOW WAS RECORDED: Crappy's nephew Drew Powell has been cleared to play this weekend at Colgate, so Cornell's fortunes are sure to take a turn for the better. After AJ takes us through the G5/Pac-12/Various late-night games, Carla and Crappy find themselves with enough games on their plate that they're going no-huddle once again. Friday: UTSA at Middle Tennessee (7:30 p.m., CBSSN) Neither Crappy nor Carla, who will attend this game in person, are expecting a letdown for Middle. Saturday: No. 4 Michigan at Iowa (Big Nude, Fox) Maryland made Michigan look totally mortable last week – and Iowa's defense could do the same. No. 7 Kentucky at No. 14 Ole Miss (Noon, ESPN) Kentucky is contending, and John Calipari is nowhere to be found. Texas Tech at No. 25 Kansas State (Noon, ESPN Plus) Big wins for both of these teams last weekend, but K-State is built for the long haul. No. 2 Alabama at Arkansas (3:30, CBS) Bama's looked mortable at times this year as well, but will Hoo Pig be the team to knock them off? No. 9 OK State at No. 16 Baylor (3:30, Fox) Strength on strength here: ‘Pokes' Spencer Sanders – and his dozen years of experience – versus the Bears' tough defense. No. 22 Wake Forest at No. 23 Florida State (3:30, ABC) Are the 2022 Seminoles for real? We're about to find out. No. 10 NC State at No. 5 Clemson (7:30, ABC) DJU still doesn't look like the guy Dabo probably thought he was getting, and even though he'll be playing at home, he's going to get a test from the Pack's defense. Enjoy this weekend's Meeps, Middles, mortables and – we hope – many carries for Drew, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here next week. Cheers, yinz.

Are you for real? Carla and Crappy are, we assure you. But we're not as certain about a whole mess of college football teams — so we're going to take a look at a bunch of them, speed-round style, in this week's show. But before we dig into this weekend's packed slate, we look back at the fun from last weekend. Carla's still reveling in her Nittany Lions' beat down at Jordan-Hare, while Crappy attempts to explain exactly what happened to Sparty out on the West Coast. (Hint: His name is Michael Penix Jr., and he used to play for Indiana.) As for the Big Red Bears? Drew Powell isn't back yet, but they looked really, really good against VMI anyway. AJ wastes no time at all digging into his always entertaining #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report, and then Carla and Crappy are off to the races: No. 5 Clemson at No. 21 Wake Forest (Noon ET, ABC): This is the first of several “We Have No Idea” games of the week. Is Clemson ready to be a national contender again? No. 20 Florida at No. 11 Tennessee (3:30 ET, CBS): The expectations for the Vols in this game are exceedingly high. Carla thinks that could bode well for Florida. No. 22 Texas at Texas Tech (3:30 ET, ESPN): Is Texas back? Yes, we're still asking that question. Minnesota at Michigan State (3:30 ET, BTN): Are the Gophers as good as they seem? Is Sparty as bad as it looked last week? No. 15 Oregon at Washington State (4 ET, FOX): This game has our attention. Don't forget: Wazzu beat Wisconsin in Madison already this season. No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 23 Texas A&M (7 ET, ESPN): Hey, Arkansas? You won't be able to sleepwalk through the beginning of this one. Wisconsin at No. 3 Ohio State (7:30 ET, ABC): Will Wisconsin fail its second test of the season? Crappy's excited about the blackout. No. 7 USC at Oregon State (9:30 ET, Pac 12 Network): The Beavs are undefeated with two legit wins. The Trojans shouldn't take this game lightly (but should win). In addition to all of that, Carla gives an honorable mention nod to her MTSU Blue Raiders who get a lovely beach vacation at No. 25 Miami (3:30 ET, ACCN), while Crappy's relieved that his Bobcats are playing some guy named Fordham. So, get ready for what looks to be another spectacular weekend of college football. And, happy first birthday, Ellie! Cheers, yinz.

t's Week 3 of the college football season. AJ's singing a Sunny little tune, Crappy's writing haikus, and Carla's looking for more coffee. Yep. That sounds about right. The 2022 season is the gift that just keeps on giving, as the Sun Belt grabbed the national spotlight last Saturday in one of the most wild weekends in college football that we can remember. After recapping the craziness, AJ takes his well-deserved victory lap on this week's #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report, and Crappy gives us a brief Big Red Bear update before we dive into … ahem … eight games (yes, really!) that we're super intrigued by this weekend. No. 6 Oklahoma at Nebraska (Big Nude Saturday, FOX): How do the Huskers respond after Scott Frost's firing? Last season's rivalry renewal was a closer game than expected. No. 22 Penn State at Auburn (3:30 ET, CBS): Penn State finally located its run game, and Auburn has two QBs. (You know how we feel about this.) Troy at Appalachian St. (3:30 ET, ESPN+): The Mountaineers get a bunch of national attention, but not a national broadcast. Crappy wrote a haiku about it. No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon (3:30 ET, FOX): BYU is fearless. After persevering to an OT win over ranked Baylor last week, can the Cougs do it again in Eugene? No. 11 Michigan St. at Washington (7:30 ET, ABC): This is this week's We Have No Idea game. Are these teams for real? UTSA at No. 21 Texas (8 ET, Longhorn Network): Could Texas almost beat Alabama, then lose at home to UTSA in consecutive weeks? Meep? No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M (9 ET, ESPN): Sure feels like the Aggies are floundering after last weekend's embarrassment. Miami could run to a win here. San Diego St. at No. 14 Utah (10 ET, ESPN2): This is a must-win for the Utes in a meeting between the most Midwestern-y teams out West. Finally, Carla gives honorable mention nods to Cal at Notre Dame (2:30 ET, NBC) and Tulane at Kansas State (3 ET, ESPN+), while Crappy has a theory about the QB situation for the Team Up North. So, buckle up, kids. This weekend has the potential to be really fun too. Warm up those vocal cords, practice your prose, grab another cup of coffee … and, of course, enjoy the football. Cheers!

It's Week 2 of the college football season, and we're still recovering from what was an insanely good long weekend of games. We mean it. It was nuts, from start to finish. From an incredible opening Thursday night slate of games to chaos in the Carolinas … Georgia looking scary good, Florida looking surprisingly good … and special teams mattering a whole heck of a lot in the Superdome. And those are just the games we remember. (No, really. Carla has a game she labeled as “the weekend was so bonkers I don't even remember what happened.”) Crappy, of course, has lots of thoughts on the big game in the Shoe. But that was last weekend, and we've got more games to talk about as we look ahead to Week 2. As is tradition, AJ goes first with his list of #GroupOf5AfterDark selections. Then, we get into the rest of the schedule. You may notice a theme. No. 24 Tennessee at No. 17 Pitt (3:30 ET, ABC): The Vols beat a cupcake last week while everyone else was watching the Brawl. Can the Panthers pull off this win in consecutive seasons? No. 25 Houston at Texas Tech (4 ET, FS1): If you like offense, this is the game for you. The Cougars escaped UTSA (meep, meep) and now face an even more high-powered offense in Lubbock. Iowa State at Iowa (4 ET, BTN): Uhh, yeah. Iowa State actually has an offense. So, we like the Cyclones here. (We're terrible.) Take the under. No. 9 Baylor at No. 21 BYU (10:15 ET, ESPN): It's a super late kickoff (caffeinate accordingly!) but this could be the best game of the weekend. Ohio at Penn State (Noon ET, ABC): Carla has concerns about the Penn State offense. Ohio needs some help in the secondary, but Crappy likes his alma mater. (Go Cats!) Honorable mentions: No. 20 Kentucky at 12 Florida (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) became a ranked-on-ranked matchup after we selected our games, so Carla has her eyes on that one … as well as No. 10 USC at Stanford (7:30 ET, ABC) to see if the Stanford Postulate holds up in 2022. Crappy, meanwhile, is looking forward to watching Hawaii perform the pre-game haka in Ann Arbor against No. 4 Michigan (8 ET, BTN). There's no rest for the weary, yinz. Get ready for what should be another excellent weekend of college football. Cheers!

Boys and girls, it's time. Week 0 was fun and all, but this weekend gives us the gift of *counts on fingers* five consecutive days of college football. Whee! Before we dive into all the goodness that this weekend holds, Carla and Crappy take a look back at Week 0, including Nebraska's second half meltdown and Vandy's offensive prowess. (No, we can't believe we wrote that sentence, either.) And, of course, we hear from AJ, who is very excited about this weekend's #GroupOfFiveAfterDark options. But enough looking back. Let's get down to business, shall we? West Virginia at No. 17 Pitt (7 ET Thursday, ESPN): We're both pretty stoked about the return of the Backyard Brawl, although we kind of wish this game was being played in Morgantown. Penn State at Purdue (8 ET Thursday, FOX): Nothing quite like a conference nailbiter to start the regular season, eh, Carla? West Lafayette is a tough place to play at night. No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 3 Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (3:30 ET Saturday, ABC): Ask Crappy about what Oregon is capable of in a season opener where no one is giving them a chance. (Heh.) Georgia's defending a national title ... and seems to have reloaded. This should be a dandy. No. 23 Cincinnati at No. 19 Arkansas (3:30 ET Saturday, ESPN): Luke Fickell has a different coaching job ahead of him this year, while the Hogs really want some national attention. That's tough in the SEC West. No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Ohio State (7:30 ET Saturday, ABC): Hitting the road with a new head coach and new QB is a lot to ask out of Notre Dame in Week 1, but we'll see how the Irish stack up against arguably the best offense in the nation in Columbus. Florida State vs. LSU at Caesars Superdome (7:30 ET Sunday, ABC): The mysteries surrounding both of these teams have us very intrigued about this game. So get ready to settle in for five straight days of college football. Enjoy the games, yinz. Cheers!

Boys and girls, it's finally here. Welcome to Week 0 of the college football season, and welcome to the official start of the 11th season here at the Carla and Crappy Show. As is tradition, the whole gang is here as Carla, Crappy, and AJ dive into the Big Ten's big media rights deal and make preseason picks for the College Football Playoff. Here's a hint: We all agree on three playoff teams. That fourth team though? Your guess is as good as ours. So we make it a literal guessing game. Play along with us at home! Then, yes, there is actual college football being played on Saturday. Here we go. Nebraska vs. Northwestern (12:30 ET, Fox): This game's being played in Dublin, Ireland, because ... why? The Huskers are bringing a bunch of transfers with them across the pond, while Northwestern ... might need some of that Irish luck. Wyoming at Illinois (4 ET, Big Ten Network): Neither of these teams played offense well last year. Bert hired UTSA's (meep, meep) OC in the offseason to help and is low-key building something in Champaign. Duquesne at Florida State (5 ET, ACC Network): The Dukes knocked off Ohio last year, and the Noles lost to Jacksonville State. So, you're saying Duquesne has a chance? Maybe. Briefly. In the first quarter. But don't overreact to this win, Noles fans. Really. Vanderbilt at Hawaii (10:30 ET, CBS Sports Network): AJ is just a wee bit excited to begin the season with a true #AfterDark game featuring his beloved Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii's in a literal rebuild this year. Vandy's not spectacular, but the Dores should be able to fly home winners. So, this is your warning. Go find your streaming passwords. Reset your favorite channels in your guide. Use Saturday as a practice round. Because Thursday? We get five straight days of college football. Cheers, yinz!

Howdy, boys and girls ... we're back! In what has now apparently become an annual tradition, we're opening Season 11 (gulp!) of the #CnCShow with a special episode to discuss — you guessed it — conference realignment and the blockbuster moves of USC and UCLA to our beloved Big Ten. As such, the whole gang's here. And not surprisingly, Crappy, Carla, and AJ have lots of thoughts on the matter. So many, in fact, that we actually had a Google Doc to keep them all in one place. (Yes, really.) It's a wide-ranging conversation that tackles some big questions. How did this all go down? Who's really pulling the strings here? Will the Pac-12 survive? What about the Big 12 and the ACC? Are we done with teams switching conferences? What are some of the broader implications of all of this? Will Notre Dame finally join a conference? And maybe most importantly, will Minnesota add beach volleyball? So, grab your favorite beverage and maybe a snack or a sandwich and settle in as we dive deep into the new Big Ten ... and welcome you to our new reality: #B1GAfterDark. (AJ is quite excited about this; Crappy, less so. But you probably knew that already, too.) We'll be back in a few weeks to officially get Season 11 underway ... unless something happens and there's more to talk about. Because, yep, we still have no idea. Stay tuned.

We're down to the official end of the 2021 college football season – that would be Monday's national championship game between Alabama and Georgia – which also means we're wrapping up the 10th season of the Carla and Crappy Show. And in spite of a few late glitches because of omicron, we were able to enjoy an entertaining bowl season –- although Crappy probably wouldn't use the word “entertaining” to describe the first half of the Rose Bowl. It has been our practice over the years to not dwell much on the outcomes of our weekly picks – and that's probably a good thing. But our young friend Aidan was curious to see how we all did with our Bowlapalooza picks from a couple shows ago, so Crappy went back through that episode to tally the results. Two things to be aware of: First, that show was bit chaotic, and in the middle of the craziness Crappy actually forgot to pick three or four of the games, so he's not included in the standings. Also, we've tossed out the Sun Bowl, which brought in a new team after COVID forced a cancellation. You'll need to listen or watch to find out the results. BUT – if you're ever involved with something like this and one contestant keeps saying that they don't really know college football all that well, it's pretty much a given that that's the person who's going to come out on top. But there is one more guest picker to appear on the show this season, and she's got her sights set on the title game. We are, of course, talking about the one person who has pretty much been in charge of the #CnCShow all year – Miss Ellie makes her first live appearance and has a definite idea about who winning on Monday night. Carla and Crappy both have a pretty solid notion about Monday's winner as well, even though neither is especially excited about it. But they'll both be watching ESPN at 8 p.m. Monday when the game kicks off from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy. And that's the season, boys and girls. Huge thanks to everyone who filled in for Carla at some point during the year. Extra special thanks go to AJ, who more than earned his brand new title: Interim co-host emeritus. And extra super special thanks to you guys, who keep on listening year after year. Will there be an 11th season of the #CnCShow? Guys – Ohio State opens with Notre Dame, and Crappy's ready for that game right. Freaking. Now. Enjoy your off season and we'll see you back here in the fall.

We're getting down to the end of the 2021 college football season, and Carla and Crappy are ready to discuss the New Year's Six bowl games – including the two semifinal games featuring Cincy vs. Bama and Georgia vs. the, uh, Big Ten representative – but first, we've gotta throw it back.   How far back? All the way back to last season, when COVID decimated college football schedules from coast to coast. The 2021 season was largely free of similar COVID hassles, until omicron showed up and started ripping through teams, college campuses and, inevitably, the bowl schedule. As of Thursday, Dec. 30 – the day the NY6 games are scheduled to begin – none of the big boy bowls have been overtaken by omicron. But we wouldn't be surprised if it happens.   Actual football. Let's go. The undercard: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30, ESPN Peach Bowl, Atlanta No. 12 Pitt vs. No. 10 Michigan State Two Kens are sitting this one out, but one Ken – a Kenny, specifically, is harder to replace than the other. And that's not good news for Pitt.   1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, ESPN Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Arizona No. 9 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame It could be that the biggest variable in this game isn't a player – it's a coach. ND's players were clearly stoked about the selection of Marcus Freeman as the replacement for that dude who moved to Baton Rouge. And we suspect they're going to play their butts off for him.   5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, ESPN Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California No. 11 Utah vs. No. 6 Ohio State Utah is playing in its first Rose Bowl, and it brings in a blueprint very similar to the one the Team Up North used to beat the Buckeyes. And that's got Crappy feeling really uncomfortable.   8:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, ESPN Sugar Bowl, New Orleans No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Ole Miss Defense wins championships. Baylor is hoping that it also wins Sugar Bowls.   And the Final Four:   3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec, 31, ESPN Cotton Bowl, Jerryworld No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati This is the time of year when Nick Saban almost never loses. And that doesn't bode well for the Bearcats.   7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, ESPN Orange Bowl, Miami No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 football team Carla thinks the Bulldogs can win if they force the other team to rely on its passing “attack.” Crappy just seems to be really bitter about something … we're not sure what.   With a brief nod – it was more of a cringe, actually – to the Browns and Stillers on MNF, C and C wrap things up with just one show – the natty edition – still to come. Do your best of overdose on college football while you can, boys and girls, because it's almost done until next fall. Enjoy the games, yinz.

It's college football bowl season, and around these parts, that means one thing: It's Bowlapalooza time!   Not familiar with the drill? It's pretty simple. A few years back, Carla and Crappy thought it would be fun to dedicate a show to the bowl games that don't get the same kind of attention as the New Year's Six games or BCS/CFP games. And that's a shame, because that's where most of season's fun resides. So we grab some friends and pick the games that catch our attention for whatever reason, no NY6 or CFP games allowed (C&C will get to those in subsequent shows).   This was the season of the guest host, and we invited them all back to participate. Besides Carla, Crappy and A.J., this year's lineup included the following college football luminaries: Nubyjas Wilborn, Gabby Biltz, Kelly and Aidan Krieg and Jake Rose.   The games? There are many, many games:   Noon Friday, Dec. 17, the Bahamas, ESPN Bahamas Bowl, Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo Are there really any losers in the Bahamas Bowl?   2:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20, Conway, SC, ESPN Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by Tax Act, Old Dominion vs. Tulsa Don't sleep on the Monarchs, people.   8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22, Fort Worth, Texas, ESPN Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Army vs. Missouri Could Army beat an SEC team? In this case, yes.   3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, Frisco, Texas, ESPN Frisco Football Classic, North Texas vs. Miami (Ohio) Did you know there are two games in Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas? Crappy didn't until we got to this one. The other one – and the one that A.J. actually wanted to talk about – is below.   7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21, Frisco, Texas, ESPN Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl, UTSA vs. No. 24 San Diego State Meep meep, boys and girls.   5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, Orlando, ESPN Cheez-It Bowl, No. 19 Clemson vs. Iowa State Dabo's found some coordinators, but the Clemson schadenfreude is STILL off the charts for this game.   11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 30, Charlotte, ESPN Duke's Mayo Bowl, North Carolina vs. South Carolina Does Duke's go with Tar Heels?   Noon Friday, Dec. 31, El Paso, CBS Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, Washington State vs Miami It's grrrrrreat! Unless you're talking about the 2008 Sun Bowl.   Noon Saturday, Jan. 1, ESPN 2 Outback Bowl, Penn State vs. 21 Arkansas Do we finally get to see a healthy Penn State?   9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, ESPN Tax Act Texas Bowl, LSU vs. Kansas State Mumble mumble go tigahs mumble mumble wildcats mumble open the pool mumble mumble lotta purple mumble mumble.   Your assignment for the next two and a half weeks: Watch ‘em all. Because it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy your bowl season, boys and girls, and check back as we get closer to the end of the year, when Carla and Crappy dig into this year's version of the College Football Playoff.

It's Week 14 of the college football season, and Carla, Crappy and AJ are ready to dissect all 10 conference championship games coming up this weekend -- well, actually, Carla and AJ are ready; Crappy seems to be in a bad mood, perhaps because he's still stewing over Ohio State's loss to TTUN last Saturday. But there's no crying in college football, and all three dive into the insane coaching carousel of the week, from which school has made the best move so far and who is -- or should be -- in line for shiny new head coaching jobs at Oklahoma and Notre Dame. AJ takes us through one final After Dark report, and it's a total throwback to the OG #Pac12AfterDark days: USC at Cal at 11 p.m. Saturday. Champinchip games? Oh yes, we have champinchip games: Conference USA: Western Kentucky at UTSA (7 p.m. Friday, CBSSN) We're starting the slate with the season's G5 Cinderella against Bailey Zappe, the season's most prolific quarterback? Yes, please. Pac 12: No. 10 Oregon vs. No. 17 Utah in Las Vegas (8 p.m. Friday, ABC) Duck season. And not in the good way. Big 12: No. 9 Baylor vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas (noon Saturday, ABC) Do Cowboys always win in Jerryworld? The Bears might have something to say about that. Mid-American: Kent State vs. Northern Illinois in Detroit (noon Saturday, ESPN) In terms of playoff consequences, the Big 12 game is probably where you should be at this hour. But if you're looking for fun -- and an AJ Fun Index of 73.5 -- #MACtion is what you crave. Mountain West: Utah State vs. No. 19 San Diego State in Los Angeles (3 p.m. Saturday, Fox) For a Mountain West matchup, this game will have a distinctly Midwestern feel, thanks to Brady Hoke and his defense. Sun Belt: Appalachian State at No. 24 Louisiana (3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN) Billy Napier will coach this final game for the Ragin' Cajuns before departing for his new gig in Gainesville. SEC: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 Alabama in Atlanta (4 p.m. Saturday, CBS) This is easily the best test for the Bulldogs' defense this year. But does Bama really have enough to make this interesting? AAC: No. 21 Houston at No. 4 Cincinnati (4 p.m. Saturday, ABC) Carla, Crappy and AJ agree(ish): If the Bearcats win, they're in. And with Notre Dame apparently not hiring anyone named Luke Fickell, that should be the outcome here. Big Ten: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 13 Iowa in Indianapolis (8 p.m. Saturday, Fox) Crappy doesn't want to even talk about this game. And AJ certainly doesn't want to watch it. ACC: No. 15 Pitt vs. No. 16 Wake Forest in Charlotte (8 p.m., ABC) Here's a game we can be excited about. Instead of the annual Clemson coronation, we get two of the better offenses in the country trying to outscore the other. What's not to like? And with our annual Champinchip Week show behind us, we can start getting ready for the funnest show of the year. Bowlapalooza is just around the corner, boys and girls; be sure to watch our socials for updates on when it's coming. Enjoy all of the title games this weekend, yinz (except for the B1G game -- it will be, in a word, gross), and we'll see you back here for Bowlapalooza in a couple weeks.

It's Week 13 of the college football season, and that's significant for a whole bunch of reasons. The most important one? We're getting the band back together -- that's right, Carla returns live for the first time since Miss Ellie showed up earlier in the fall, and we're hoping we get to keep her for the rest of the season. Carla, we mean. Well, Ellie too. The other reasons? Wivalwies. A ton of them. Because it's Wivalwy Week. We'll get to those in a sec. But first, AJ, Crappy and Carla discuss the things we loved seeing last weekend -- spoiler alert: one of them has to do with soccer and another #CnCShow kid -- and, because they taped on Sunday evening, take their best cracks at predicting what the CFP committee will do this week. Get pumped, Bearcats fans. And then, the games. So, so many games. The gluttony of Thanksgiving weekend begins on Thursday, and this week's college football is no different. (Note: No rankings because of the early taping this week.) Fresno State at San Jose State, (3:30 Thursday, FS1) Can Fresno find its form from the beginning of the season while playing in half of a football stadium? Egg Bowl Ole Miss at Miss State (7:30 Thursday, ESPN) There are differing opinions about who's going to win this game, but all three of us agree -- if the number stays around 60, take the over. Boise State at San Diego State (Noon Friday, CBS) We're here for the punts. The Game Ohio State at Michigan (Big Nude, Fox) Crappy is more excited for this game than Gus. He'll probably yell more too. UTSA at North Texas (2 Saturday, ESPN+) Meep meep, %(*$$&)$)*@ers. Iron Bowl Alabama at Auburn (3:30 Saturday, CBS) Bama should win. Just like Bama should have won the Kick Six game years ago. The Civil War Oregon State at Oregon (3:30 Saturday, ESPN) Oregon State has something to play for. Do the Ducks? Western Kentucky at Marshall (3:30 Saturday, CBSSN) A true hate game with the best AJ Fun Index (74.5) of the weekend. Bedlam Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (7:30 Saturday, ABC) Can Mike Gundy break out of his John Cooper-esque streak of near total futility against the Sooners? And your bonus game: UMass at New Mexico State (3 Saturday, maybe you can find a stream on the internet somewhere?) Both teams come in at 1-10 -- and this is AJ's ultimate chance to break down the reverse college football playoff. Folks, an already awesome season has been made awesomer by the 1) the return of Carla and 2) the incredible list of fans and pros who sat in for her while she figured out the whole motherhood thing. Indulge your college football fandom this weekend and be sure to come back next week, when we'll break down each and every conference title game. Happy Thanksgiving weekend, yinz guys.

It's Week 12 of the college football season, and most programs have just two weeks remaining in their regular season -- and, in many cases, one more game before Wivalwy Week (brought to you by Elmer Fudd). So that's why we're not winding down at #CnCShow Central -- we're getting ready for the real fun to begin.   AJ returns to discuss the things that made him happy last weekend, the things that made him unhappy -- let's get a better truck for the Pac-12, ESPN -- and, for the first time ever, delivers a live After Dark report.    For his part, Crappy continues to narrow his focus on the entire State Up North as his Buckeyes prepare to plunder Sparty this weekend. He was also impressed by Dartmouth; the Big Green handled Cornell's Big Red last weekend on the way to a possible Ivy League championship. Cornell? Go beat rival Columbia -- it'll make the offseason a lot better.   This Saturday's games? It's going to be fun, boys and girls.   No. 7 Michigan State at No. 4 Ohio State (noon Saturday, ABC) Did you know that Ohio State's defense is statistically better than Michigan State's? Crappy didn't either, and that's helping his annual CFB anxiety.   No. 10 Wake Forest at Clemson (noon Saturday, ESPN) Dabo's actually feeling the disrespect this year, and for good reason: His Tigers can't score. Know who can score? Wake.   Iowa State at No. 13 Oklahoma (Big Nude Saturday, Fox) Are the swooning Sooners in danger of losing their last two regular season games? Probably not, but the pesky Cyclones aren't the team you want to see while you're trying to get well.   Virginia at No. 18 Pitt (3:30 Saturday, ESPN 2) Let's be up front here: Crappy and AJ would both watch the crap out of a Pitt-Wake ACC title game. Let's make it happen, people.   SMU at No. 5 Cincinnati (3:30 Saturday, ESPN) This would have been THE pivotal AAC game this year, until SMU lost a couple it shouldn't have. Still, the Ponies prolific offense will present a challenge -- or an opportunity -- for the Bearcat defense.   No. 3 Oregon at No. 23 Utah (7:30 Saturday, ABC) Crappy just wants someone to beat Oregon. And this Utah team will likely get two cracks at the Ducks.   The next time you see us, it'll be Wivalwy Week. Crappy will already be pumped for the return of the greatest rivalry in all of sport, AJ will be pumped for a dozen different games … and it's possible that we might have some extra help with the show. Enjoy the games this week, boys and girls, and we'll see you back here next week.

It's Week 11 of the college football season, and the games are getting bigger and bigger -- even the littlest of them. To help us navigate one of the best little rivalries, we welcome back Kim Daboo, a #CnCShow veteran who holds a degree from Oregon but was nice enough not to hold that over Crappy's head. But Kim did manage to set off Crappy's college football anxieties almost immediately by bringing up Ohio State's Week 11 opponent: the Purdue Spoilermakers. Commence flashbacks to 2018 in West Lafayette.   AJ takes us through what is a defacto #BakedGoods weekend in the G5 and delivers a fun fact about Boise State and oddly covered football fields. Crappy is still basking the glow of a Cornell win at Penn and he's hoping against hope for another when the Big Red travels to Dartmouth.   And then? The main events: No. 8 Oklahoma at No. 13 Baylor (Big Nude Saturday, Fox) As they considered this year's schedule back in August, the Sooners probably considered this to be a tune-up game on the way to Bedlam. Funny thing, though -- Baylor turned out to be really good.   No. 6 Michigan at Penn State (Noon Saturday, ABC) James Franklin doesn't have as many baffling coaching tendencies as Jimmy Harbaugh, but he does have his moments. If he keeps his headscratchers off the field on Saturday -- and if Penn State gets the home field support it generally does -- this could be a Penn State win.   No. 16 NC State at No. 12 Wake Forest (7:30 p.m. Saturday, ACCN) Looking for defense? Look elsewhere. With an AJ Fun Index of 66.5, this game will be all about entertainment -- oh, and for a seat at the top of the ACC Atlantic.   Williams at Amherst, (Noon Saturday, find a stream at the Williams Athletics site) Finally, we turn to the Biggest Little Game in America. Kim, a proud Williams alum, takes us through the rivalry, its origins and its traditions. And Crappy speaks from experience when he says there is little better than beating your rival to clinch a championship -- and that's what we're expecting from the 8-0 Ephs (please don't pronounce that the way Crappy did, OK?)   We wrap the show by going back to the days before #CnCShow existed, when we -- Carla, Crappy and Kim -- were contributors to the late, great Draft Day Suit sports blog. This show began as an offshoot of the occasional grainy, buggy Google + Hangouts to predict NFL games, and Kim was there from the beginning, along with DDS founders/leaders Sarah Bockneck Braesch and Laurie White. We'll forever be grateful that we had a platform at Draft Day Suit to get this endeavor started, with the full support of Sarah and Laurie. And Crappy will never, ever tire of reminding Sarah of the time he told her that a rookie named Russell Wilson would be a better NFL quarterback than RGIII. So thanks to Sarah, Laurie, Kim and all of the other DDS staffers -- and thanks to you guys once again. Enjoy the games this weekend.

It's Week 10 of the college football season, and we have the season's initial College Football Playoff rankings. And even though we taped the day before they came out, guest host Braden Gall is ready to dive in, with a discussion about the state of Ohio State and the rest of the B1G East, why Cincinnati wouldn't be in the initial Final Four and who will be a huge CFP wild card as the season progresses (Hint: They quack). And we're happy to point out that Braden's assessments were dead on the money when the rankings were released Tuesday night. AJ is stoked for a daylight Power Five matchup that comes with an off-the-charts AJ Fun Index. And this week's Big Red Report yielded predictions of a win at Penn and the highlight of the week: Crappy and Braden regale #CnCShow listeners with stories of their personal football glory. With a note that we've officially switched from using AP rankings to the CFP rankings for the rest of the season, here are this week's games: No. 10 Wake at North Carolina (Noon Saturday, ABC) Oddly, this is a non-conference game for these two ACC foes -- but that doesn't make this game and its 76.5 AJ Fun Index any less interesting. Tulane at No. 6 Cincinnati (3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2) Tulane gave Ohio State all it could handle back in September. Can the Green Wave do the same to the Bearcats on Saturday? Tennessee at No. 18 Kentucky (7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2) Braden, himself a Volunteer, notes that Kentucky is one of the most physical teams in the SEC -- will that be enough to handle Tennessee in this border battle? Finally, we wrap with further news of the #CnCShow junior varsity you guys met last week: Braden got to meet Miss Ellie Fox in person, and Aidan Krieg dominated both his mother and Crappy last week, correctly picking all three games. Have a great college football weekend, boys and girls, and may your picks be as good as Aiden's.

It's Week Nine of the college football season, and one of our favorite weeks of the year for Carla and Crappy -- the week we get to preview Penn State-Ohio State. But wait -- no Carla, right? No worries -- this week's guest host is more than qualified to sit in as the designated Penn State fan. Kelly Krieg is not only the biggest Penn State fan we know, but she is the reason that Crappy has seen two white-outs in the past few years. After an accounting of the best things we saw last weekend, Kelly and Crappy turn their attention to the Nittany Lions, their game against Illinois, the future of James Franklin in Happy Valley … and the dumb that is the new college football overtime rules. After AJ emphatically tells us to not watch this weekend's Big B1G games and this week's Big Red Report, Kelly and Crappy go through … wait for it … a slate of Big Ten games. And this is also when Crappy decides to totally blow off W.C. Fields' warnings about working with children or animals -- because this week, we have both. Charlie makes one of his fairly routine appearances, and Kelly's dogs Tasha and Phee jump in on the action; we also get bonus picks from Aidan Krieg, Kelly's younger son and fan of the show, and the first-every video appearance from Ellie Fox, mostly because Carla couldn't let this week go by without a brief appearance on her show. The games: No. 6 Michigan at No. 8 Michigan State (BIG NUDE, aka Noon Saturday, Fox) On paper, the schools up north are remarkably similar. But in Spartyland, Mel Tucker is years ahead of schedule, while in Ann Arbor, Jimmy Harbaugh is struggling to win rivalry games. The pressure is all on Jimmy, and since he returned to Michigan, that's not a good thing for the Wolverines. No. 9 Iowa at Wisconsin (Noon Saturday, ESPN) A chilly day in Madison. Two teams populated by hulking farm boys playing solid team defense. An AJ Fun Index of 36.5. We pick the game differently, but we agree that AJ might be right about this one -- because it's going to be brutal. No. 20 Penn State at No. 5 Ohio State (7:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC) We're picking with our hearts as we do on this show, in spite of not knowing if Sean Clifford will be able to walk on Saturday, much less play as well as he needs to to keep up with an Ohio State offense that's averaging 50 points a game. Is Crappy outnumbered? If you count Ellie, the answer is yes. We wrap up the show with a little hockey talk (Kelly's dark secret is that she's a bigger hockey fan than she is a football fan) and then start to get ready for the show's annual Biggest Show of the Year. Massive thanks to Kelly for her help this week -- she was as good as Crappy thought she would be. And to the #CnCShow's Junior Varsity: Aidan, Ellie, Charlie, Tasha and Phee, we hope to see you guys back on the show soon. Hey, AJ -- think we could get George or Reba lined up for guest picks?

It's Week Eight of the college football season, and we've had a remarkable stroke of timing, as far as this week's guest host is concerned: Crappy's former colleague Tyler Batiste, now the managing editor for The Athletic's NBA team, is a proud graduate of THE Louisiana State University -- so naturally, we start with the news that Ed Orgeron will be done in Baton Rouge at the end of the current season. Both sportswriter Tyler and grad/fan Tyler said it was time for LSU to make that move, even though Eddie O is just two years removed from winning a national title with one of the better teams in CFB history. TRIGGER WARNING for our Penn State friends: When Crappy asks Tyler who he wants to lead LSU next season, you guys might want to cover your ears. The good part about last weekend? Tyler at least got to enjoy the shootout between the Tigers and Florida, while Crappy was totally happy with his alma mater's performance at Buffalo -- for one half, at least. The smaller schools get their usual attention, via AJ's After Dark report (Note from Crappy: I'm going to up anyway, because Ohio State-Indiana is a night game) and Crappy's look at last weekend's Cornell game, which resulted not only in a win for the Big Red but the first two carries for Crappy's nephew. Bonus: A shoutout for Tyler's hometown team, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, who happened to massacre Crappy's Bobcats in the season opener. And while there are no ranked-on-ranked matchups this weekend, there are still a few -- four, specifically -- that warrant an extra look: LSU at No. 12 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS) This is the AJ Fun Index Game of the Week (75.5 o/u), and in spite of the drama at LSU this week, this is a game that the Tigers totally can win. Leave your golf balls at home, folks. Clemson at No. 23 Pitt (3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN) There is so much weird involved with this game, but the weirdest is this conclusion: Pitt. Should. Win. No. 5 Ohio State at Indiana (7:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC) Now that Crappy has Purdue to worry about, this is no longer the angstiest game on the schedule. And even if Michael Penix plays, the Hoosiers won't outscore the Buckeyes. USC at No. 13 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC) This game is a test of the new theory posed by AJ over the past few weeks. It's the USC Postulate, which holds that the Trojans win on the road but struggle at home. If AJ is correct, this will be a win for SC; Tyler and Crappy are … skeptical. One final thing? Tyler wants to know one thing: When will Joe Burrow get a room in the Heisman House? And for Crappy? Look, we have the managing editor for The Athletic's NBA coverage on the show -- of course we're going to ask him a couple questions about the brand-new season. Huge thanks to Tyler for joining the show on a pretty busy week, and thanks to you guys for watching and listening as always. Enjoy the games, everyone, and we'll see you back here next week.

It's Week Seven of the college football season, and our very own AJ is back as guest host, this time for his favorite show of the season: The All After-Dark (Even If It's Not Actually Dark Yet) Edition; that's when AJ has free reign to talk about his beloved Group of Five games as much as he wants, not that he doesn't do that as a matter of course anyway. So following a brief look back -- AJ loved the noon slot and the primetime games and the finishes they all seemed to have, while Crappy is feeling guardedly better about his Buckeyes after seeing his second game of the year -- we forge ahead with Small Ball. Cornell's Big Red played Harvard tough on the road, but a late score by the Crimson put the game out of reach -- so close, but Cornell returned to Ithaca at 0-4. The good part? Crappy's nephew got his first play from scrimmage, as a blocking back. Up next for the Big Red is a night tilt at home against a tube of toothpaste. Rather than his standard #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report, AJ took a stab at naming three unranked G5 teams that we should be paying attention to. Hints: He totally cheated on one, and hit up Texas for the other two. *meepmeep* Games? We got games. No. 24 San Diego State at San Jose State (10:30 p.m., CBSSN) In his second stint at San Diego State, Brady Hoke has built a team that's not especially West Coast-y -- but it would make most Midwestern football coaches envious. The Aztecs run the ball, play killer defense and win, to the tune of a 5-0 start. Who else is envious? We're wondering about Jimmy Harbaugh. UCF at No. 3 Cincinnati (Noon, ABC) A few years back, this was THE marquee game on the G5 calendar, but with Knights struggling, this will amount to another chance for the Bearcats to amass the style points they'll likely need to make the playoff. And they're 21-point favorites in Nippert, so, uh, yeah. Hawaii at Nevada (10:30 p.m., CBSSN) This is literally the last game on the weekend schedule, and between the late-night kick and the 61-point o/u, it's the kind of game AJ lives for. Hawaii struggles on the continent, but they did just beat Fresno State. Nevada pretty much doesn't run the football ever. Crappy's prediction? He'll be cheering for the over. Thanks again to AJ for his above-and-beyond contributions over the last two weeks. Enjoy the games this weekend, everyone, and we'll see you -- and a brand new guest host -- back here next week.

It's Week Six of the college football season, and our guest host rotation -- Hi, Ellie! Let Carla get a little sleep, OK? -- continues this week and next with the Ken Jennings of the Carla and Crappy Show: Our very own A.J. Kuftic. (How did we get so fortunate to get A.J. as a guest host for two weeks in a row? It has to do with Crappy not knowing how to work a calendar.) After a quick look back at last week -- we see you, Bo Nix -- and a discussion about Cincinnati's win in South Bend, Crappy and A.J. turn to, uh, A.J. for this week's CFB After Dark report. Crappy also wraps up Cornell's disappointing trip to Bucknell and its pending road trip to undefeated Harvard on Saturday. Next up? This week's featured games: No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 21 Texas in Dallas (noon, ABC): Yes, the Wed Wiver Wivalwy is the epitome of big-time college football, but it also consistently has the silliness that makes A.J. happy (example: Last year's 4 OT 53-45 win for the Sooners). We're expecting more of the same this year -- but that's pretty much all we're certain about. One of these programs is a complete puzzle, while the other seems to be heading in the right direction. And we think that's what will make the difference. No. 13 Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss (noon, ESPN): After last week's losses by these guys, we're calling this the Not Quite Bowl. We know the Fighting Kiffins are going to score. Can Hoo Pig Sooey put up enough of a speed bump to keep Arkansas in the game? It's the 3-2-6 to the rescue. No. 4 Penn State at No. 3 Iowa (4 p.m., Fox): This might be the game of the year in the Big Ten, which means it'll be the kind of game Crappy loves … and A.J. won't watch. Iowa doesn't pass the ball much, and that's OK. Penn State doesn't run the ball much, and it would be much better for Sean Clifford if they did. The offensive flaws will be exacerbated by two of the best defenses in the country, which means this game's over/under number of 41 seems awfully generous. Huge thanks to A.J. for stepping in on very short notice. Enjoy the games this weekend, everyone, and we'll see you -- and A.J. -- back here next week.