The Audible with Stew, Bruce & Ralph: A show about college football

The dust on the Brendan Sorsby gambling scandal isn't going to settle any time soon, even if Texas Tech realistically needs to start planning for a 2026 season without it's greatest get in the transfer portal. On this episode of The Audible, senior writer Justin Williams joins Bruce Feldman and Ralph Russo to bring us up-to-the-minute on where things stand with Sorsby. Then, Bruce and Ralph consider how Sorsby and Texas Tech might turn the page. After that, the guys discuss the latest on the 5-in-5 proposal and open up the mailbag.

Texas Tech's quarterback situation just went from promising to potentially devastating. Brendan Sorsby's gambling admission, which includes alleged bets on Indiana games while he was there, could end his college career entirely. Then: what the NFL Draft reveals about college football. Clemson had nine players picked, but struggled to get over .500. Miami had six players taken in the first 98 selections. Indiana set a program record for players taken. And Diego Pavia's Heisman run couldn't buy him a draft slot. Plus, Kalen DeBoer gets a big new seven-year deal.

CFP commissioners are meeting in Dallas, and Ralph gives a 50/50 chance that college football has a 24-team playoff by 2028. Stew isn’t happy. What’s really at stake here? We have presumed or official QB1s at Florida State, Stanford, and Georgia Tech. It’s not all pretty. Plus, mailbag questions on UNC vs. Colorado, and whether players still go to class.

Stew visited Indiana's spring practice and came away impressed. Cignetti's defense is loaded, and Josh Hoover is the only real question mark on a team that should easily make the playoff. Bruce drops the latest NFL draft intel: this QB class falls off a cliff after Mendoza, the DT class is historically bad (blame the portal), and Jeremiyah Love is a can't-miss. Then, Ralph reports that CFP commissioners are quietly looking to trim the maligned Tuesday night rankings show, but ESPN's contract makes a clean exit complicated.

Bruce and Ralph pick between buzzy teams against sneaky-good alternatives for 2026. Michigan's stability under Whittingham, or Matt Campbell's Iowa State imports at Penn State? Oklahoma's defensive upside or Kiffin–less Ole Miss? Houston's momentum or TCU's depth in the Big 12? UCLA's Chesney era or Washington's returning talent? Plus, mailbag on “wins above bubble,” which past coaches would look different in a 12-team playoff, and whether UNC's Michael Malone hire echoes the Belichick experiment.

Do spring games belong on TV, or are they just empty calories? Bruce reports from Miami, where Darian Mensah is flashing and the Hurricanes are rebuilding their trenches after losing most of last year's title game roster. Alabama's quarterback competition between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack heats up, but can DeBoer's offense finally run the ball? The NCAA is fast-tracking a five-for-five eligibility rule that could eliminate this whole waiver mess. And Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh's departure to the Big Ten office puts more pressure on Luke Fickell's make-or-break season in Madison.

The Big Ten swept national championships in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball this year. Coaching hires and the transfer portal matter more than raw spending, but is that a trend or a coincidence? TCU extends Sunny Dykes after back-to-back nine-win seasons, and Virginia locks in Tony Elliott after one breakout year. Plus, mailbag tackles Brian Kelly's disappearing act, Nebraska's looming NIL arbitration case, coaching records against ranked teams, and some bonus music documentary talk.Parker Fleming's conference depth according to SP+: https://x.com/statsowar/status/2037976630132678760?s=20

Trump's second executive order on college sports aims to nudge Congress, but will it actually move the needle? Cody Campbell and Brett Yormark get into a dustup over a Friday night Texas Tech–Houston game, reigniting the debate over high school football's sacred turf vs. TV eyeballs. Meanwhile, Alabama AD Greg Byrne calls for nuking SEC Championship games. Then, Bruce and Ralph each pick three intriguing non-playoff, non-new-coach teams for 2026.

Bruce breaks down his mock draft process and why coaches he surveyed think this is a weak class, with only one QB going in the first round. Pete Golding finally responds to Dabo Swinney’s tampering accusations, but does he actually deny anything? Meanwhile, the Big Ten wants the NCAA to stop enforcing tampering rules altogether. Then, it’s mailbag on the double standard between coaches and players, where the hosts would send a hypothetical four-star QB son, and favorite non-football college venues.