Championship Weekend! Alex and Richard break down the FBS conference title games, with notes on a few lower-level playoff games as well. Starting with Kennesaw State-Jacksonville State and going through Ohio State-Indiana, they cover the most interesting angles for each championship game. Then, in THE MAIN COURSE presented by Modelo, it’s time to discuss the possibility of five-loss Duke winning the ACC and creating an unprecedented playoff bracket.

Producer: Anthony Vito

Thanks to our subscribers and partners

Subscribers get about twice as many SZD podcasts during the season. Now, during the coach carousel, is a great time to join. Thanks to everyone who’s decided to become a subscriber over the past few weeks!

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Thanks Dad Water. Code SZD for 20% off, or just click https://drinkdadwater.com/discount/SZD

Thanks to Nokian Tyres. RSVP for our CFB watch party on December 6 at Mason Jar in NYC here. (Entry is free!)

Modelo: Drink responsibly. Beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, IL

SUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Richard got hundreds of questions about this season of coach movement. In this solo episode, he distills a bunch of them and tells you about how to read a coaching search (and how to spot a bad search), Penn State’s doomed pursuit of Kalani Sitake, the difference between Jon Sumrall and Billy Napier, how Auburn’s search went from quiet to chaotic in a hurry, why Arkansas is indeed an upgrade from Memphis, a bit more on Lane Kiffin and the Playoff, and a big list of additional questions. Producer: Anthony Vito

Also, yes, Richard takes these questions from the car. Busy week!

Subscribe to hear the full episode

Our coach carousel episodes, including this one, go behind the $10 monthly paywall for subscribers. If you’re looking for a mix of reporting and longer-form discussions about the coach movements that shape the sport, we’d love to have you. Everyone can listen to a free preview of this episode, of course

SUBSCRIBER EPISODE: Richard spent Sunday on his phone, gathering information on the day’s many college football coach hirings and firings. This episode takes you through Richard’s day of reporting. Alex joins him to discuss a bunch of moves:

* Lane Kiffin heads to LSU, and Ole Miss replaces him swiftly with the internal succession option we talked about a few weeks ago: Pete Golding

* The argument between Kiffin and Ole Miss at the end, Kiffin’s efforts to own the narrative, and how much of this is his doing vs. the calendar’s

* Florida hires Jon Sumrall, who’s technically a consolation prize but brings a lot more to the table than many Florida fans realize

* Auburn, after weeks of pursuing Sumrall, winds up not with DJ Durkin but with Alex Golesh. But did Durkin play a role in how it shook out?

* Arkansas gets Ryan Silverfield, angering Hogs fans but not Memphis fans

* Michigan State fires Jonathan Smith and moves quickly to replace him with Pat Fitzgerald, in a sequence that looks like a set piece

* Recapping some hires at Oklahoma State, Stanford, Colorado State, and Oregon State, while other jobs wait to be filled

* Penn State’s search is quieter than a whisper, but it’s getting down to two options: Hire a coordinator, or take a big swing on a mystery man. If there’s a mystery man, is he coaching a conference championship game?

It’s a great time to subscribe to Split Zone Duo

Our coach carousel episodes, including this one, go behind the $10 monthly paywall for subscribers. If you’re looking for a mix of reporting and longer-form discussions about the coach movements that shape the sport, we’d love to have you. Everyone can listen to a free preview of this episode, of course.

Further listening from us

* Alex’s solo episode about DJ Durkin’s time at Maryland. For a limited time, we’ve pulled this 2024 episode out from behind the paywall. If you’ve ever wondered why this podcast talks about Durkin in a certain way, and what his story has to do with CFB media, this will be the episode for you.

* The Week 14 Sunday Hurry-Up, presented by Dad Water.