The Carousel Spins Again: Mailbag Part 2
The Carousel Spins Again: Mailbag Part 2  
Podcast: Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast
Published On: Thu Feb 19 2026
Description: This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.splitzoneduo.comThis is a subscriber episode of Split Zone Duo, but everyone can listen to a free preview. Become a subscriber today by clicking on this link. In the second leg of our big offseason-opening mailbag, Richard and Alex take a big list of subscriber questions. (But first, yet another MAC head coach leaves his job and restarts the coach carousel in the process.) Among the questions answered in this episode: 7:54: Which new Sun Belt head coach is the best bet to succeed this year?* 11:05: How excited should we be about Buster Faulkner as Florida’s new offensive coordinator?* 16:41: Who’s having the hardest time coping with Curt Cignetti’s success at Indiana? (Alex says it’s Purdue fans; Richard disagrees.) * 21:50: How durable is the House settlement-generated age of parity? * 23:17: What will it take for college football players to finally be declared university employees?* 28:17: Will college football adopt transfer fees like European soccer?* 30:09: Are schools stuck in mutually assured destruction when it comes to recruiting rule enforcement?* 32:04: What happened with the major running back transfers that fizzled out this year?* 33:14: Can mid-tier power conference programs like Pitt still have breakthrough seasons in this era?* 36:05: Why can’t Nebraska take the next step in NIL and rev share spending?* 39:08: How can resource-deprived programs like West Virginia compete at the highest level right now?* 43:22: Will the single transfer portal window eventually move from winter to post-spring ball?* 46:50: Will more five-star recruits pick smaller schools over Blue Bloods, and are we entering the era of the strategic redshirt?* 50:31: Does the expanded playoff put even more emphasis on having veteran starters on your roster?* 52:15: Is the Pac-12 media deal ever actually going to happen, and what’s going on with the Mountain West lawsuit?* 53:19: Does the new Pac-12 have the horses to keep up with the American, and will the playoff committee treat it as a premier G6 league?* 54:00: Can the Pac-12 and Mountain West coexist, or is one conference going to have to absorb the other?* 59:19: What happens to conference championships if they get rid of conference championship games?* 1:04:07: Is the Big Ten pushing for a 24-team playoff because Fox wants to renegotiate media rights?* 1:07:57: Would you rather have the Lou Groza Award winner or the Ray Guy Award winner on your team?* 1:09:11: What will it take for spring football to succeed, and do people even want it?Then, in the FUN ROUND: * 1:10:46: Why are the swear words bleeped in the SZD podcast intro?* 1:12:24: Who’s been the main character of SZD throughout its existence?* 1:14:15: For Richard: What’s more likely, Dabo embracing the transfer portal or Spurs winning the Champions League?* 1:15:51: Alex, have you ever done a trail run, and do you have any advice for someone training for a trail half and a 50K?* 1:17:45: Alex, what’s on your race calendar these days? \Produced by Anthony Vito.