Episode #212
Ep 212 - College Football Is Back! 2026 Season Preview with Jason Ganz & Laurence Kessler
College football is back—and so are Jason Ganz and Laurence Kessler for our annual Sports ‘N Torts season preview. We kick off Season 6 by trying to make sense of the current state of college football: NIL, the transfer portal, revenue sharing, eligibility lawsuits, NFL players trying to return to college, and the increasingly legitimate question of whether anyone is actually in charge. From there, we turn our attention to Georgia and break down Gunner Stockton, the running backs, questions at wide receiver, a loaded tight end room, an offensive line we think could be the best in the country, and a defense loaded with future NFL talent. Then we take the full tour around college football: Is Texas overrated again? Is Alabama still Alabama? What does Ole Miss look like without Lane Kiffin? Can Kiffin turn LSU into an immediate contender? Is Penn State actually going to prove Jason and Laurence right for once? Is Notre Dame getting special treatment? And has the Big Ten officially caught—or passed—the SEC? Finally, we put the predictions in the vault: 12-team playoff fields, national championship picks, Heisman candidates and a few takes we're almost certain to regret. Somehow, after five years and 15 opportunities to pick a national champion, all three of us are once again riding with the Georgia Bulldogs. College football is back. We are so back. SHOW NOTES In this episode: The State of College Football — NIL, revenue sharing, the portal, eligibility lawsuits and why college football may finally need a commissioner NFL players returning to college?! — somehow, this is now a real conversation Has the chaos created parity? — Indiana's national championship and whether the Wild West has actually been good for the sport Georgia 2026 Preview — Gunner Stockton's next step, QB depth, Nate Frazier and the running backs Georgia's biggest offensive question — who emerges at wide receiver? Loaded at TE and OL — why we think Georgia could have the best offensive line in college football Georgia's defense — KJ Bolden, Ellis Robinson, Chris Cole, Elijah Griffin, Gabe Harris and a potentially nasty front seven SEC Preview — Texas/Arch Manning, Alabama, Ole Miss/Trinidad Chambliss, Oklahoma, Florida, Vanderbilt, LSU/Lane Kiffin and Auburn Around the Country — Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Penn State, Miami, Notre Dame and the perpetually drunk Big 12 Notre Dame gets special treatment? — Jason has thoughts. Lots of them. Playoff Picks — we each build our 12-team field National Championship Picks — spoiler: we're Georgia homers and make no apologies for it Heisman Picks — Dante Moore, Jeremiah Smith, Trinidad Chambliss, Gunner Stockton, Arch Manning and more Sucker Bet returns — Laurence gives his Week 0 and Week 1 plays Where are they now? — Jimbo Fisher and Jermaine Burton Plus: Hunker Vodka, Jason's outstanding Texas boating ticket, Hugh “Freezus,” Joey Freshwater, the Penn State pledge story, “the Big 12 is still drunk,” and plenty more. As always, this podcast is powered by the J. Stein Law Firm - a personal injury law firm in Atlanta, GA - www.jsteinlawfirm.com.
