Inside The Pylon: A Midwest College Football Podcast

Inside The Pylon: A Midwest College Football Podcast

di Ryan Satkowiak
Football americano

Week Nine Recap and Reactions: Time to Rank Washington (and Possibly Iowa?)

Week nine lacked a marque matchup in the Big Ten, but we learned plenty and a secondary contender tier has established itself. In Seattle, Washington bottled up Luke Altmyer and Illinois's offense en route to a 42-25 victory. Demond Williams, Jr. was once again excellent, as was star WR Denzel Boston, while the Washington defense stepped up well in the second half. Now at 6-2, the Huskies have a trio of winnable games prior to a season-ending showdown with Oregon. Is it time to talk about playoff sleeper Washington? In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes jumped all over Minnesota early and coasted to a monster 41-3 victory. The Hawkeyes held Drake Lindsey and Minnesota to 133 total yards, and they scored TDs on offense, defense and special teams. Their 5-2 is a step behind Washington, but with shots against Oregon, Nebraska and USC looming, do we also need to consider Iowa's darkhorse status? Speaking of Nebraska, the Huskers survived a scare from Northwestern with a 28-21 victory. Emmett Johnson was excellent, and the Huskers defense forced two interceptions to support a sub-par game from Dylan Raiola. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Rutgers defeated Purdue in one of the most painful ways possible, and were bolstered by a near-historic day from WR KJ Duff. Indiana knocked the UCLA train off its tracks. Oregon actually allowed Wisconsin to score, and Michigan handled Michigan State in East Lansing. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
26 ott 2025
1:02:10

Week Nine Preview and Picks: Who Can Separate from the Pack?

Week nine in the Big Ten may lack a marque big-game matchup, but it does offer an opportunity to see if teams can separate themselves into a secondary contender tier. Six of the seven teams tied for third in the league at 3-1 are in action, with varying degrees of difficulty to those matchups. Perhaps, however, the most intriguing matchup of the weekend features two of the three 2-2 teams in league play. Illinois heads west to take on Washington in a contest between 5-2 teams, with the winner keeping its chances for a playoff at-large playoff berth alive. Will Washington's drastic home/road splits continue to come into play? Or can Luke Altmyer and the Illini snag a signature win for their season? In America's heartland, Minnesota is fresh off an upset of Nebraska and has a chance to secure bowl eligibility at an Iowa team who continues to struggle throwing the back, but has been adept at most everything else. Can the Gophers score a second consecutive upset and insert themselves into a potential playoff discussion? In the noon windown, UCLA puts its three-game win streak on the line on the road against the Indiana juggernaut. Rutgers heads to West Lafayette still without a defense, though Purdue may be without its QB. And Northwestern also looks to achieve bowl eligibility against a Nebraska team fresh off a loss. In the evening slot, Wisconsin heads to Eugene, looking to avoid being shut out for the third consecutive game. And Michigan and Michigan State renew rivalry unpleasantries. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
24 ott 2025
52:18

Hot Seats, Heisman, and Poll Beef

More than half of the college football season has passed us by, and storylines are abound both on the field and off of it. Conference title races are taking shape, but so is the coaching silly season, with numerous sitting head coaches already given their pink slip this season. Who else might be working their way onto the hot seat? Who might be working their way off of it? And who might find themselves in the crosshairs of a currently open head coaching position? The guys also talk the Heisman race, and discuss the AP Top 25 poll. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
21 ott 2025
1:03:10

Week Eight Recap and Reactions: The Pack Tightens

Week eight is in the books, and more dominos continue to fall across the CFB landscape. Conference races are starting to take shape and contenders are firmly starting to establish their placehold. And on the other side of the standings, seats continue to get hotter. In South Bend, in what could be the last annual rendition of the Notre Dame/USC rivalry, the Irish brow beat USC on the ground en route to a 34-24 victory. The win keeps playoff hope for the Irish alive. For USC, while hope remains, they once again show that they have not outgrown poor performances on the road against teams decidedly more physical than them. On Friday night in Minneapolis, Minnesota delivered a blow to Nebraska's playoff hopes with a 24-6 victory. The Huskers could not protect QB Dylan Raiola, nor could they shut down Gophers RB Darius Taylor. Now at 5-2, could Minnesota begin to make some noise in the Big Ten playoff hunt? Back to Saturday, big favorites Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State handled business, which Michigan rebounded from last week's loss. UCLA continued its roll, Northwestern took a step toward bowl eligibility, and Iowa furthered Penn State's suffering. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
20 ott 2025
1:08:54

Week Eight Preview and Picks: Jeweled Shillelagh and More Timezone Fun

Week eight of the CFB season is upon us and not only are conference races beginning to heat up, but the playoff contenders are beginning to come into focus during a weekend when we will learn more about who is for real and who will be on the outside looking in. Notre Dame has defeated USC six consecutive games in South Bend, including in a 48-20 shellacking of then a 6-0 and top-5 Trojans team in 2023. In a game featuring two of the most prolific offenses in college football, can either defense manufacture enough stops to gain an advantage? The game serves a playoff eliminator with a loss for ND, but what about for the Trojans? Elsewhere, Washington, Oregon and Maryland all cross multiple time zones for road conference games. Ohio State and Indiana could both potentially further hasten the demise of their opponent's head coach. Nebraska looks to maintain its contender status in a rivalry game. And Penn State finds itself as a road underdog at Kinnick. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
17 ott 2025
56:54

Penn State HC Hot Board and the Greatest Intersectional Rivalry in College Sports

Ryan and Clinton reconvene to build off of Sunday's conversation, discussing the Penn State head coaching opening. Who are the early names to know? Is AD Pat Kraft's alleged swinging for the fences going to yield an unexpected name? Can the Lions lure another Big Ten coach away? Later in the show, the guys discuss what could be the last annual rendition of the storied Notre Dame/USC rivalry. What are keys to the game? What's on the line for each team? Clinton also reveals his Rollin' Player of the Week. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
15 ott 2025
48:04

Week Seven Recap and Reactions: Franklin Out and the New State of Football

Another monster week and another slate of games that more than lived up to the hype. Halfway through the college football season, and we are beginning to see teams separate themselves into different tiers. Despite the massive slate of games, the major story of the weekend was once again Penn State -- both for what happened during the day Saturday and what has come since. The Nittany Lions lost as 20+ point favorites for the second consecutive weekend, this time to Northwestern, to fall to 3-3 on the season. They are still winless in Big Ten play. And this latest failure was the straw the broke the camel's back, as the school announced Sunday morning that they have fired head coach James Franklin. Lost in the game was also starting QB Drew Allar -- who sustained a lower leg injury late in the game, and whom Franklin announced post-game would miss the rest of the season. How did we get here and where to the Lions go next? On the field, after a season of beating bad teams and getting beat badly by good ones, Indiana took pot shots throughout the offseason yet gave it back 10-fold with a massive statement win, 30-20, at Oregon. The Hoosiers dominated both lines of scrimmage, and their defense kept Dante Moore in check almost the entire game. They are for real, but can the Hoosiers challenge Ohio State -- who handily dispatched Illinois, 34-16 -- for the Big Ten title? Also out west, USC made its own statement with a throttling of Michigan. Was this a flash in the pan, or can the Trojans parlay this style into next weekend in South Bend, against an improving Notre Dame team that handled NC State, 36-7? Elsewhere in the league, Nebraska engineered another come-from-behind victory, this time against Maryland. UCLA might be a wagon. and Luke Fickell and Jonathan Smith appear to be in a competition to see whose seat can get the hottest. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
13 ott 2025
1:13:37

Week Seven Preview and Picks: Big Ten Gut Check

The weeks keep passing and the stakes keep rising. After a sleepy weekend saw one contender have its playoff hopes crushed, week 7 offers a juicy slate with plenty on the line. In Eugene, Oregon takes on an Indiana squad dying to prove it can do more than just beat up on overmatched teams. The Ducks' signature win lost some shine a week ago, can they add another to their resume, or will the Hoosiers earn their most notable win of the Curt Cignetti era? In LA, Michigan and USC are both alive for a Big Ten title but need a win this weekend to keep it that way, and to keep playoff hopes alive. Will the Trojans' defense find a remedy for the potent Michigan rushing attack? Or will the Wolverines continue their march to Thanksgiving weekend unabated? In Champaign, Illinois hosts Ohio State needing to wash away the odor of their most recent top-10 beatdown. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes look like the best team in the nation. Will the title defense continue without a loss, or will Illinois announce its arrival on the national stage? Elsewhere, Rutgers (Washington), UCLA (MSU), and Nebraska (Maryland) all engage in long road trips. Penn State looks to put back together the pieces of its season against Northwestern. Notre Dame looks to avoid a trap hosting NC State, Iowa faces what is left of Wisconsin, and Purdue and Minnesota appear primed for a shootout. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
10 ott 2025
1:01:02

(Updated) Big Ten Power Rankings

It's week 7 and we are nearly at the halfway point (gag) of the college football season. With much shifting and jockeying already occurring in the college football landscape, this feels like a great opportunity to dust off and update our preseason power rankings amongst Big Ten teams. Through six weeks of the season, many questions have been answered, yet some still remain. Yet a clear contender tier has emerged in this conference, while some programs have already signaled that they will not be meeting preseason expectations. Where does your favorite team fall in our updated ranks? Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
7 ott 2025
1:00:18

Week Six Recap and Reactions: Blue'd Out

What is it that they say about the quiet ones? A weekend that was lacking for marquee matchups featured chaos and unpredictability throughout the country. And the Midwest was not spared. After a week of takes on "James Franklin wins what he should but cannot win the big game" ,,, the Penn State head coach decided to pull a "hold my beer." Penn State was shocked by previously winless and hapless UCLA in a 42-37 defeat. Less than two weeks after firing their head coach and DC, and four days after firing their OC, the Bruins moved the ball up and down the field on a lethargic Lions defense, and the Penn State offense took too long to get in the game. At 3-2, and starting down needing to win out to keep it's all-in season alive, is this the beginning of the end for James Franklin in State College? Our game of the week lived up to the hype for three quarters, but Nebraska was able to clamp down in the fourth and pull away from Michigan State in a 38-27 victory. After an opening drive TD and a blocked punt TD made it 14-0, the Huskers' offense was stuck in first gear until late in the third quarter. But their defense held Michigan State to 242 yards of total offense. Did this game cement their status as a contender in the Big Ten? A week after getting stifled by Ohio State, Washington was mired in another sloggy road trip, trailing Maryland 20-0 late in the third quarter. But three fourth-quarter TD drives later, the Huskies escaped College Park with a 24-20 win. What is the team capable of now that it has proven it can win on the road? And after a September to remember, can Maryland buck past October/November stumbles and find two more wins to reach bowl eligiblity? In West Lafayette, Purdue and Illinois traded touchdowns but the Illini pulled ahead late in a 43-27 win. Further north on Lake Michigan, Northwestern exploded on offense and shut down UL-Monroe's potent rush attack in a 42-7 win. At Big Noon, Wisconsin started strong early, sputtered otherwise, and Luke Fickell appeared to wave the white flag late in a 24-10 Michigan victory. Notre Dame took another step forward on defense, intercepting Maddux Madsen 3 times in a 28-7 win. And Ohio State cruising against Minnesota, 42-3, and further establishes itself as the team to beat nationally. In the MAC, Ball State stunned defending champ Ohio, while Akron shocked Central Michigan. Miami's defense continued its excellence in a win against NIU, while Western Michigan outlasted UMass, and Buffalo survived an upset-minded Eastern Michigan in OT. Join us on our Youtube channel live Saturday/Monday/Thursday for shows, with the episode dropping in your podcast feed the following morning. Live time for Monday/Thursday shows will remain 9 pm, while we will go live for instant reactions Saturday night following the games. Follow us on Twitter to get notified when we are going live and to interact with the show. LINKS: Twitter: https://x.com/ITPCFB Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ITPCFB/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-the-pylon-a-midwest-college-football-podcast/id1729819040 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0duY5MWU52VLBGm8sO7eaI Battle Bets league: https://www.battlebets.app/itp
6 ott 2025
1:05:01
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