After five weeks of the college football season, we find ourselves firmly unified around one question: What in the name of Mike Gundy is going on?

Thus, friends, we begin the Mystery Grab Bag edition of the Carla and Crappy Show. Welcome to the chaos.

AJ is back and joins Carla and Crappy live as we recap last week and discuss the latest breaking news, including the aforementioned Gundy.

• How did it all go wrong at Oklahoma State?

• Is Dabo safe at Clemson?

• How will John Mateer’s absence impact Oklahoma? (We weep over Red River.)

• Is Indiana that good again? And can Illinois recover?

Also, AJ has feelings about Hawaii football again … and Vandy put a 70-spot on Georgia State. (Oh, hey. Vandy goes to Alabama next week. You might want to go ahead and just put that on your calendar now.)

Then … this week’s #GroupOfDarkAfterFive report, which is actually very light on the darkness. (Yes, that’s wrong. We’re well aware. But … you get to go to bed early this week, so win!) AJ walks us through these games that you definitely shouldn’t sleep on:

• Georgia Southern at James Madison (1:30 ET, ESPN+)

• Arkansas State at Louisiana Monroe (3 ET, ESPN+)

• Cal at Boston College (3:30 ET, ACCN)

• Rice at Navy (3:30 ET, CBSSN)

• Hawaii at Air Force (4:10 ET, FS1)

• App State at Boise State (7:30 ET, FS1)

• No. 25 BYU at Colorado (10:15 ET, ESPN)

And then … we get back to asking big questions.

No. 24 TCU at Arizona State (9 ET Friday, FOX): Let’s see if the Big 12 buffet is fully open for business this year. We have no consensus on this one.

No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois (Big Nude, FOX): Bert Ball fell very, very flat last week. USC looks like it might actually be re-entering the national conversation.

No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas (Noon ET, ABC): Like, what even is this game? Crappy’s so disillusioned, he starts rambling about food.

No. 1 Ohio State at Washington (3:30 ET, CBS): The Huskies have an offense, but can they stop the Bucks? We’re not so sure about that.

No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss (3:30 ET, ABC): We’re all pretty mad that this game isn’t at night. But we may get to see various shades of Brian Kelly anyway.

Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M (3:30 ET, ESPN): This should be an Aggie win, but this episode is called the Mystery Grab Bag edition for a reason.

Arizona at No. 14 Iowa State (7 ET, ESPN): Arizona’s playing some legit defense. Iowa State is … fine. Again, Grab Bag … you get the idea.

No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia (7:30 ET, ABC): What even is Alabama? We have no idea. Georgia at home? Sure.

No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State (7:30 ET, NBC): It’s whiteout time in Happy Valley. Carla is very relieved by this fact. Because this has the potential of being a very uncomfortable Saturday night.

Our honorable mentions go to Bowling Green at Ohio (Noon ET, CBSSN), Utah State at No. 18 Vanderbilt (12:45 ET, SECN), No. 11 Indiana at Iowa (3:30 ET, Peacock), Tulane at Tulsa (4 ET, ESPNU), New Mexico St. at New Mexico (4 ET, TheMW.com), No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State (4:15 ET, SECN), and MTSU at Kennesaw State (6 ET, ESPN+).

Will we get some of our questions answered this week? Will the college football landscape look different after this weekend? Will we quit this podcast so that we can become full-time food bloggers? You’ll have to come back next week to find out. Enjoy the games, friends. Cheers!

Last week, we all needed channel guides, streaming passwords, multiple devices, and apps for a weekend of college football watching. This week? Just grab a dictionary.

Welcome to Week 4, friends, where Carla and Crappy have decided it’s time to start defining some key terms.

College Kickers: The most unpredictable aspect of college football. Just ask Tennessee and Notre Dame.

Cool Under Fire: The Georgia Tech offense and special teams unit, executing a game-winning field goal to perfection. See also: college kickers.

Arkansas: A state currently with two of the more annoying teams in the sport.

Nerds: Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt are both ranked in the Top 25. In football. No, this isn’t an autocorrect error. (Editor’s note: We’re all thrilled about this.)

Mistake-Prone: Florida. Again.

Rivalry: The Backyard Brawl, in its purest form. RichRod actually got emotional after the win. And, as AJ notes, we get two more classic rivalries this week.

The Stanford Postulate: When Tree wins a game that it’s not supposed to. See: Saturday’s win over Boston College.

Transparency: What the ACC is doing with their video reviews and it’s fantastic.

Got all that? Also, in our effort to live up to the ACC’s standard of transparency, Clemson’s walk-off loss does not meet the definition of Clemsoning. Sorry to disappoint you.

What won’t disappoint you is this week’s #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report. While AJ wasn’t able to join the show live, he does offer a buffet of options, including two long-time traditional rivalry games, a big game in Oxford, and a late-night slate that may necessitate additional caffeination. (Sorry about that. But it’s a fantastic slate.)

After that, Carla and Crappy dig into some games that should offer us some more early-season defining moments.

Iowa at Rutgers (8 ET Friday, FOX): If you want to meet the definition of a true B1G football fan, you’ll have your eyes on this one Friday night. It’s gonna be a rock fight.

No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah (Big Nude, FOX): Which of these teams will meet the definition of Big 12 contender? We should find out more in this game. And it should be a good one. Put your eyes here at kickoff. But not a moment before.

No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma (3:30 ET, ABC): We’ve known for a while that the definition of John Mateer is big-time offense. Is Auburn up to the task?

No. 21 Michigan at Nebraska (3:30 ET, CBS): Matt Rhule needs a defining win. Nebraska, we offer you Michigan. Can the Huskers finally take that next step?

South Carolina at No. 23 Missouri (7 ET, ESPN): Lots of questions here. Will LaNorris Sellers be able to go? Can Beau Pribula and the Mizzou run game get things going?

No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana (7:30 ET, NBC): We’re already very familiar with the definition of Annoying Bert. But are the Hoosiers as good as they were last year?

Our honorable mentions this week go to:

• Berry at Carnegie Mellon (Noon ET, athletics.cmu.edu): The Tartans look to bounce back at home.

• Dayton at Robert Morris (2 ET, ESPN+): An old-school rivalry renewed.

• Gardner-Webb at Ohio (3:30 ET, ESPN+): Are the Bobcats making a run to playoff contention?

• Marshall at MTSU (7 ET, ESPN+): It’s homecoming for the Blue Raiders. Jake Rose is on the TV call. (Also: Go, Regan!)

• Georgia State at No. 20 Vanderbilt (7:30 ET, ESPNU): Can the Dores get revenge for last year’s inexplicable loss?

And finally, one last definition for you:

4-year-old: Our “Yay feetball!” #CnCShow outro star. Happy birthday, Ellie!

Enjoy the festivities this weekend, friends. We’ll be back for more next week. Cheers!

It’s Week 3 of the college football season, which means it’s time to start answering some important questions. Is USF for real, like really? Can Florida recover? Is Notre Dame a national contender? What about LSU?

But the most important question for this week might actually be this: That game’s on what channel?

Yes, friends, this week brings us more restored rivalries, obscure broadcast locations, and scheduling drama. (Oh my.)

The gang’s all here (even if one of us is in Texas) to recap what was a delightful Week 2, unless you’re Florida, that is. We recap the week that was … and then AJ brings us up to speed on the #GroupOfFiveAfterDark, which brings us several intriguing (at least to some!) matchups: No. 13 Oklahoma at Temple (Noon ET, ESPN2), Minnesota at Cal (10:30 ET, ESPN), and Boston College at Stanford (10:30 ET, ACCN). Also, find a way to put App State at Southern Miss (7 ET, ESPN+) in a quad box somehow, because that’s going to be fun.

And then, get ready for some additional deep dives in your channel guide for these ones, friends.

No. 12 Clemson at Georgia Tech (Noon ET, ESPN): We’ve had our eyes set on this game for a couple of weeks now. Can the Wreck wreck Clemson’s conference title hopes? And if they do, would it be considered Clemsoning?

Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama (Noon ET, ABC): Bama’s the pick here, but will the losing coach find the temperature on his hot seat turned up a notch?

No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee (3:30 ET, ABC): This game is being played too early. We know nothing (really) about either of these two teams. Our opinions are divided.

Pitt at West Virginia (3:30 ET, ESPN): Other than the fact that this game is not at night, we’re delighted that this storied rivalry is on the schedule again. Get your eyes on this game. And yeah, hide your couch.

No. 18 South Florida at No. 5 Miami (4:30 ET, CW): It’s early-season Cinderella versus legit national contender on … the CW? Yeppers. Can the magic continue for the Bulls? (Spoiler: At least one of us thinks so!)

Florida at No. 3 LSU (7:30 ET, ABC): We’re not sure how Florida recovers from last week’s embarrassment. What we do know is that Death Valley at night is a tough environment, but the Tigers may not be quite as good as some may think.

No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame (7:30 ET, NBC): This should be a dandy. The Irish need this win for schedule purposes, but the Aggies should be a formidable foe.

Vanderbilt at No. 11 South Carolina (7:45 ET, SECN): Can Diego and the Dores strike again? (Editor’s Note: That’s a great band name.) Perhaps? But they’re looking at near mirror images of themselves on the opposing sideline.

We give lots of honorable mention nods this week (including a game that we totally missed):

• Villanova at No. 2 Penn State (3:30 ET, FS1)

• Oregon State at No. 21 Texas Tech (3:30 ET, FOX)

• MTSU at Nevada (5 ET, TheMW.com)

• Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss (7 ET, ESPN)

• Ohio at No. 1 Ohio State (7 ET, Peacock)

• No. 20 Utah at Wyoming (8 ET, CBSSN)

And Crappy gives a shoutout to our DIII friends in Pittsburgh: No. 9 Wisconsin-LaCrosse at No. 17 Carnegie Mellon (Noon ET), which you can actually watch live at CentennialConference.tv.

So, yeah, become familiar with your channel guide and maybe your laptop and mobile device (if you’re a Hawaii fan like AJ) and get ready for another great weekend of college football. We’ll see you back here next week. Cheers, yinz.

Well, friends, we survived Week 1 … unless you’re North Carolina, that is. And what a weekend it was. Florida State put a giant exclamation point on the scoreboard over Alabama. Boise seemingly collapsed under the weight of … USF? And we’re not entirely sure, but Tennessee and Syracuse may still be playing.

And despite all of that … and how really wrong we really were on a lot of things … Carla, Crappy, and AJ are all back for more.

After recapping last weekend and a couple of quick games just for funsies — Who is the best team in the G5 now? And, thanks to our friends at Shutdown Fullcast, which QB scenario are you? — AJ leads us through his #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report, the live version, which poses the wildest question of all: Why the heck are tickets for Lindenwood at App State so expensive? (And, a follow-up: Who the heck is Lindenwood?)

No. 11 Illinois at Duke (Noon ET, ESPN): Former Tulane QB Darian Mensah is a slinger for Duke. Is Annoying Bert back? We think he may be. Sigh.

Baylor at No. 17 SMU (Noon ET, The CW): Or, as AJ put it, which version of shiplap are you? Defense was not Baylor’s strong suit against Auburn in Week 1. The Show Ponies look to capitalize with a big win at home.

Iowa at No. 16 Iowa State (Big Nude, FOX): Yes, friends, it’s Cy-Hawk time. Iowa has a legit good QB this year in South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski, yet he netted fewer than 50 yards passing in Week 1. The Cyclones have looked good thus far. But strange things happen both in this game and in Ames. Hammer the under.

No. 20 Ole Miss at Kentucky (3:30 ET, ABC): 695 yards of offense. That’s what Ole Miss put up last week against Georgia State. Kentucky, meanwhile, was dead last in the SEC in offensive production and struggled against perennial MAC-contender Toledo.

South Florida at No. 13 Florida (4:15 ET, SECN): Is USF good? We may get a better sense of that in this game. The Gators need to be careful not to look ahead to their gauntlet of a schedule.

No. 12 Arizona State at Mississippi State (7:30 ET, ESPN2): One thing we know for sure: This game will be loud. (Clanga.) Oh, and we miss you Cam Skattebo.

No. 14 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma (7:30 ET, ABC): At least in Week 1, the John Mateer experiment is working for the Sooners. Michigan looks to have returned to a typical Wolverine-style offense. How does that play out under the lights in Norman?

Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech (7:30 ET, ACCN): This is a tough ask on the road for Diego and company, especially after the Hokies' valiant effort for three quarters against South Carolina. We’ll see if the Dores' magic can surpass the mystique of the Sandman.

Honorable mention nods go to:

• FIU at No. 2 Penn State (Noon ET, BTN): Nits again favored by more than 40: we’re watching for the band.

• Carnegie Mellon at Chicago (1 ET, YouTube): The Tartans kick off their DIII season in a new conference.

• Oklahoma State at No. 6 Oregon (3:30 ET, CBS): This one’s intriguing. Has Oklahoma State fixed its defense?

• Kansas at Missouri (3:30 ET, ESPN2): For the first time since 2011, the Border War is back!

• Grambling at No. 1 Ohio State (3:30 ET, BTN): Just because, well, you know.

• West Virginia at Ohio (4 ET, ESPNU): Crappy’s pulling for a big Bobcat win at home.

• MTSU at Wisconsin (4 ET, FS1): Those stinkin’ Badgers are favored by 28.5. Yikes, Middle.

With that … we hope that our prognostications this week are better than last weekend. Oh, and always blame the defensive back. Enjoy the football, friends. Cheers.

The sounds of snare drums and whistles echoing across college campuses can only mean one thing: It’s time, friends. The best sport in the entire world … and our moment of joy … is back.

Welcome to the 14th season of the Carla and Crappy Show.

The gang’s all here for our extended season preview episode. Carla, Crappy and AJ begin by recapping our offseasons and answering questions about Mannings and the Big Ten. (Any surprises there?) And then AJ takes us through what is now becoming an annual tradition – a lively and entertaining game of “Where Are They Now?”

Up next? Our initial guesses … erm, predictions … on the College Football Playoff bracket, complete with color-coded visual aids. And while we each think we’re going to see one really important matchup played three times this season (ahem), we also each pick a different national champion. Because of course we do.

No. 22 Iowa State vs. No. 17 Kansas State (Noon ET, ESPN): It’s Farmageddon in Ireland … and two nationally ranked teams. Can you think of a better way to start the season? We certainly can’t.

Idaho State vs. UNLV (4 ET, TheMW.com): You may have to get creative to watch this game as it’s streaming-only, but we anticipate an opening win for Dan Mullen with his new team. (We’re really gonna miss you on College Football Final, though.)

Fresno State at Kansas (6:30 ET, FOX): After spending the entirety of the 2024 season on the road, Rock Chalk returns to a newly renovated home stadium to play host to a Fresno State team in full-on rebuilding mode.

Sam Houston at Western Kentucky (7 ET, CBSSN): How about another conference game in Week 0? Why not? The Toppers are predicted to be in the mix for a CUSA title this year, even with a basically fully-portaled FCS roster.

Stanford at Hawaii (7:30 ET, CBS): OK. We lied. THIS might be the best way to start a new season, at least for this here little show. Two of our all-time favorites, going head-to-head on the island, on national broadcast television … and not after dark? You have no excuses, friends. Everyone can (and should!) pass this Hawaii test.

Also, we give a much-deserved honorable mention to the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff game, this year featuring NC Central vs. Southern (7:30 ET, ABC). What we know for sure? Don’t miss Southern’s Human Jukebox at halftime. For reals.

With that, the 2025 college football season is underway. And you’re definitely going to want to come back next week because Week 1? It’s a doozy. We can’t wait. Cheers, boys and girls.

Well, friends, here we are again. There’s just one final game remaining in the college football season, which means that this is the final show of the 13th season of this here little pod.

One of us is still feeling the agony of defeat in the semifinals. One of us is feeling anxious over the chance of winning a national title. And one of us is in a hotel room already excited about Week 0 next season. Yep. That seems about right.

We begin, per usual, with an extensive look back at the Orange and Cotton bowls. Discussion points include Drew Allar’s fixation with Tyler Warren, Andy Kotelnicki’s end-of-game plan, Sark’s inexplicable goal-line playcalling and Jack Sawyer’s monster play that has already gone down in Buckeye lore.

And then … the game at hand.

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (7:30 ET Monday, ESPN): We’ll be honest – we underestimated Notre Dame this postseason. (Remember how we all picked them to lose to Indiana? Yeah. That.) But after pulling out a win against Penn State, the Irish have proven to be a formidable foe. They’ll likely be able to give the Ohio State ground game fits. But do they have the horses to keep up with the Buckeye receiving corps? We’re not so sure. And thus, we’re predicting a win for Crappy’s beloved … with a whole bunch of complicated feelings for that one pesky loss.

We wrap up our 2024-25 season by announcing our Bowlapalooza champion (and revealing the epic bobblehead trophy, which may or may not require burritos). We are grateful to our Bowlapalooza participants — Steve Cavendish, Dan Eschenfelder, Braden Gall and Jake Rose — for participating in the most ridiculous bowl preview show on the internet, and to Andrew Maraniss for joining us earlier this season after Vandy’s epic win. (Also of note, Diego Pavia will be back next season, and Auburn’s coming to Nashville. Anchor down!)

But most of all, we’re grateful to you — our listeners, readers, and viewers — who continue to tolerate us rambling on about college football for more than an hour each week. This show, quite frankly, wouldn’t exist without you. So, thank you.

And so … on to Season 14? We sure think so. Carla, Crappy and AJ will be back sometime in August (if not before!) to start the rollercoaster all over again. Cheers, friends.

A new year is upon us, and as this new era of college football continues, there are many important questions still to be answered.

How rich can the lore and canon of the Pop-Tarts Bowl truly become? What happened to Alabama? How good is the Big Ten? (We’re looking you squarely in the eyes, SEC.) And, most importantly, is it a valid marriage if a Cheez-It officiates the wedding?

Yes, we’re being just a bit ridiculous here, but that’s the nature of both bowl season and The Carla and Crappy Show. (You knew that already.)

The four College Football Playoff quarterfinal games were not ridiculous, however, unless you’re referencing Cam Skattebo’s MVP effort in the Peach Bowl. The New Year’s Four bowls certainly did not disappoint, and they’ve caused us to set our sights on something somewhat unthinkable at the beginning of it all: An all-Big Ten national title game. But before we get ahead of ourselves (OK, who are we kidding? We’re definitely getting ahead of ourselves.), there are two semifinal games to sort out which teams will be the final two standing.

Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (7:30 ET Thursday, ESPN): The Penn State ground game stood out in the Fiesta Bowl, although Ashton Jeanty still got his 100-yard game. The creativity on offense (minus a couple of dumb decisions) must continue in the semis. (Also, yes, keep hitting that Tyler Warren button.) While Notre Dame’s offense was not spectacular against Georgia, its defense held Travis Etienne to 30 yards rushing. That’s … not a lot. Combine that with the Irish’s return game, and the Nits will have their hands full.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State (7:30 ET Friday, ESPN): Ohio State has looked like a team possessed in the playoff. They’ve steamrolled Tennessee and Oregon and now take on a Texas team that nearly (and maybe should have) lost to Arizona State. It’s essentially a home game for the Horns, but do they have what it takes to slow down that Bucks offensive right now? Texas has not played a complete game yet this season.

We conclude with a reminder of the other national title games happening this week, including the DIII Stagg Bowl: Mount Union vs. North Central (8 ET Sunday, ESPN) and the FCS national title game between No. 2 North Dakota State and No. 1 Montana State (7 ET Monday, ESPN).

And so, yes, if the all-Big Ten national championship becomes a thing, you can expect to hear AJ as the host of our final playoff show next week … because Carla and Crappy may not be speaking to each other. (We kid. Kind of.) Enjoy all of the college football you can, boys and girls. The season is coming to an end. Cheers.