Race for the Case Week 14: Conference championship weekend, Bobby Petrino returns to Arkansas & more QBs hit the portal

Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde give their picks against the spread for college football’s conference championship weekend and react to the return of Bobby Petrino in Arkansas.

Last week’s Michigan vs. Ohio State game peaked at 19.7 million TV viewers, so the guys discuss the continued rise in popularity of college football and how it is able to succeed despite so much internal dysfunction within the sport. College football’s scandals and high amount of change in recent years may have fueled the boom, along with Texas coming back to relevance and the addition of Coach Prime at a Power Five school.

Bobby Petrino has returned to the Arkansas Razorbacks football program after being fired from the team after alleged indiscretions with a staff member. The crew revels in the fact that both Petrino and Arkansas were able to agree to terms, but warn that head coach Sam Pittman must be sharp next year as Petrino has been known to aim for the big job.

5-star defensive lineman Justin Scott has decided to flip from Ohio State to the University of Miami. While commit flips aren’t rare, the reality of money openly being used to lure away commits is increasing in the new landscape of college athletics.

Ross provides information on the future of college football conference championship games and whether or not they will continue in the future. The issue has become more divisive lately as more commissioners are leaning towards abandoning them, while others see the importance of the games when paired with a 12-team playoff.

Sports Illustrated named Deion Sanders their Sportsman of the Year, so the podcast reflects on Coach Prime’s first season with Colorado. Sanders was able to take the nation by storm with his unorthodox recruiting tactics, along with his bright personality. However, the Buffs also closed out the year 4-8 leaving, a sour taste in the mouths of the Colorado faithful.

More quarterbacks have entered the transfer portal, most notably, Duke’s Riley Leonard & Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall. Leonard has already been projected as the next Notre Dame quarterback, but the guys are staying patient with their assessments, as the wild west of the transfer portal is just getting started.

This year’s College Football Playoff race is as tight as ever, so Dan floats the question whether or not the committee will select the four best teams. Will there be pushback against the inclusion of Florida State if they remain undefeated, considering their résumé?

To close out the podcast, the guys give their picks against the spread for the #5 ranked Oregon Ducks versus the #3 ranked Washington Huskies, the #18 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys taking on the #7 ranked Texas Longhorns, the #1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs against the #8 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, the #2 ranked Michigan Wolverines versus the #16 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, the #14 ranked Louisville Cardinals against the #4 ranked Florida State Seminoles and as always, Dan, Ross & Pat give their locks of the week.

1:00 - Introduction

4:25 - 19.7 million viewers tuned into the Michigan-Ohio State game

12:55 - Bobby Petrino hired as the new Arkansas OC

27:13 - Justin Scott flipped from Ohio State to Miami

32:05 - Will we see the end of conference championships soon?

41:26 - Deion Sanders named SI’s Sportsman of the year

51:17 - More QBs are entering the transfer portal

59:27 - Will the best 4 teams be in the CFP?

1:10:52 - #5 Oregon vs. #3 Washington

1:14:44 - #18 Oklahoma State vs. #7 Texas

1:17:06 - #1 Georgia vs. #8 Alabama

1:19:28 - #2 Michigan vs. #16 Iowa

1:23:12 - #14 Louisville vs. #4 Florida State

1:26:02 - Locks of the Week

Follow Dan @DanWetzel

Follow Pat @ByPatForde

Follow Ross @RossDellenger

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