Send us a text

A coaching carousel this wild doesn’t just reshuffle jobs—it rewrites the map. We open with James Franklin landing at Virginia Tech and why that fit screams culture, patience, and regional recruiting leverage, then ask the uncomfortable Penn State questions: expectations, NIL alignment, and how timing without a plan can backfire. From there, the conversation sharpens around Pat Fitzgerald to Michigan State—a stylistic reset for a program that craves toughness—and the most polarizing move of the week: Lane Kiffin leaving an 11–1 Ole Miss for LSU. If coaches can chase the better opportunity mid-run, why are players scolded for doing the same?

We go program by program, cutting through spin. Nebraska’s stuck in neutral under Matt Rhule despite a softer Big Ten. Clemson looks dated: conservative offense, shaky QB development, and an uneasy relationship with the portal and NIL. Texas wrestles with the optics of brave scheduling when November exposes thin margins. Then we zoom in on Ohio State, where Ryan Day’s poise, Matt Patricia’s deceptive defense, and a revived run game set a different tone. Julian Sayin’s command jumps off the screen, but the next test is a tight game under fire. Brian Hartline’s move to USF stings on the trail, yet underscores how strong the Buckeye coordinator pipeline remains.

Finally, we set the board for title week. Tulane’s edges in the AAC, Texas Tech’s muscle up front in the Big 12, a split room on Alabama–Georgia with injuries and QB variance tilting the scale, and a confident lean to Ohio State against an Indiana team with the season’s best road win but trench questions. The ACC’s tangled tiebreaker gives Duke a window and the league a headache. Big picture, the sport needs a calendar fix—portal windows and early signing day shouldn’t kneecap championship football. Until then, ambition and chaos will keep colliding. Enjoy the ride, drop your picks, and if this breakdown hit, follow, share with a friend, and leave a quick review so more college football diehards can find us.

Support the show

🎙️ Thanks for tuning in to The Rock Pile!

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe so you never miss an episode of your favorite Rock Pile shows — including:

• Inside Utica University Football 🏈
• Chalk Talk with Coach Little C 🎓
• The Weekly Huddle 💬
• Beyond the Game Podcast 💼
• The Mohawk Valley Sportswatch 📰

📺 Subscribe on YouTube:
👉 youtube.com/@TheRockPilePodcast

📲 Follow Coach Little C & The Rock Pile on social media:

• Facebook: facebook.com/rocky.corigliano
  
  
• X (Twitter): twitter.com/TheRockPileShow
  
  
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-rock-pile-podcast