At Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, on Day 2 Doug Lesmerises talked to West Virginia coach Neal Brown and quarterback Garrett Greene about the “reckless” quarterback play that could put the Mountaineers over the top this season.

The Colorado punter stopped by to talk punting for Coach Prime; and the conference chief marketing officer explained how Big 12 branding (hello Nelly and wrestling!) can help this chesty outlaw conference promote its football.

Also, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN talked Big 12 coaching futures and Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports discussed the league without Texas and Oklahoma.

• Garrett Greene (02:46)
• Neal Brown (07:06)
• Wyatt Milum (15:52)
• Adam Rittenberg (18:41)
• Mark Vassett (46:00)
• Tyrel Kirkham (53:23)
• Shehan Jeyarajah (1:09:06)

Thanks for joining Kings of the North from Las Vegas.

The Big 12 Media Days kicked off in Las Vegas on Tuesday and Kings of the North was on the scene to talk Northern college football.

On this show, Doug Lesmerises brings you interviews from three Northern teams. In order, get ready for:

• Cincinnati punter Mason Fletcher (06:21)
• Iowa State receiver Jaylin Noel (15:36)
• Utah defensive tackle Junior Tafuna (21:45)
• Cincinnati running back Corey Kiner (26:49)
• Cincinnati right guard Luke Kandra (33:09)
• and Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham (39:50)

Check out the Kings of the North YouTube feed for live shows Tuesday and Wednesday night, and come back Wednesday for more interviews with Colorado, West Virginia and BYU.

Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

It's a final farewell to the Big Ten West and a look into a future with no college football divisions on this Kings of the North.

Scott Dochterman of The Athletic joins Doug Lesmerises to take a final look at the 10-year run of the Big Ten West: Why it was formed, why it went 0-10 in the Big Ten title game, and why its perception was even worse than its reality.
Without it, will teams like Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northwestern be better off or worse off? Those questions are answered.

But first Doug runs through the full history of divisions in major college football, and how every major conference had a stronger division and a weaker division -- and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing
After Scott, Doug expresses a fear about the College Football Playoff committee with no divisions around.

And then Doug hands out his final awards for the Big Ten West's 10-year run:
• Best Player
• Best Quarterback
• Best Coach
• Best Win
• Best Team

Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College football win total overs and unders are the topic of the day as Doug Lesmerises is joined by old friend and betting insider Tyler Shoemaker to discuss 10 college football bets for this season.

Doug also wraps up with news on quarterback recruiting, coaching rules and Blue-Chip Ratio. But thinking about the college football season through a gambling lens is the heart of the show.
That doesn't mean you have to bet or even like betting, because Shoemaker's analysis of the season is worth the time for anyone who likes college football.

So first up are five win total overs that Shoemaker likes -- including Notre Dame.
Then are five win total unders that he likes -- including Penn State.

Thanks as always for joining Kings of the North.

Which single college football player -- from Deshaun Watson to Manti Te'o to Aidan Hutchinson -- defined the tenures of their head coaches?

On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at 16 coaches from across college football -- 12 North and 4 South, 7 at their current school and 9 who moved on -- and pick one player for each of them that the coach couldn't live without.

Which players got coaches over the top for a title or playoff spot or 10-win season?
Which players changed their coaches' reputations?

Doug and Bill picked players for these 16 coaches at these schools:
• Nick Saban, Alabama
• Matt Campbell, Iowa State
• James Franklin, Penn State
• P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
• Kirby Smart, Georgia
• Jeff Brohm, Purdue
• Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
• Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
• Kyle Whittingham, Utah
• Urban Meyer, Ohio State
• Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
• Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
• Dabo Swinney, Clemson
• Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
• Chip Kelly, Oregon

Thanks for joining this episode of Kings of the North.

Which college football teams are truly thinking about a national title in 2024? Which are aiming to make the playoff? Which could be playoff dark horses? Which are rebuilding, or happy to hope for a bowl?

From Georgia to Notre Dame, from Texas to Ohio State, from Ole Miss to Iowa State, on this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break all 68 Power Conference teams into six tiers for this season. And, by luck, they wound up with a pretty even breakdown of the sport.

The six tiers and how many teams landed in them:
• Title contenders (5)
• Playoff contenders (11)
• Playoff dark horses (14)
• Bowl hopefuls (14)
• Rebuilding (14)
• Struggling (10)

Where does your favorite team fit? Doug and Bill categorize all 26 Northern teams, plus everyone in the South, from Florida and Texas A&M to Clemson and USC.

Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

College football takes are on the menu, from Michigan taking another Ohio State staffer, to Illinois getting a major transfer, to the politics of college football and what comes next.
Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into six different issues on these Takes of the North, starting with cold, reasonable takes that they then must warm up. A couple times, they set the kitchen on fire.

In order, they cover:
• The Big 12 potentially selling naming rights and what else in college football (including stadium names) should be sold
• Rutgers hitting a recruiting run that could signify something
• Michigan hiring another staffer away from Ohio State and how people should react
• Illinois landing a veteran receiving star in the portal
• The politics of college athlete compensation
• The future of walk-ons and how coaches might react

Plus it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking on a Dr. Phil impersonator, Doug eating too much on his recent vacation, and a weird football dream.

Thanks for joining Kings of the North.

The 1994 Colorado-Michigan college football matchup is remembered as The Miracle at Michigan, and on this inaugural edition of The North Remembers from Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis tell you why.

Reliving great northern college football games of the past, Doug and Bill cover stars like Kordell Stewart, Rashaan Salaam and Michael Westbrook from Colorado and Ty Law, Tim Biakabatuka and Tyrone Wheatley from Michigan in breaking down this 30-year-old classic.

With categories like Why It Mattered, King of the Game, Meme It, The South Can Cram It and Crazy Time, Doug and Bill run through a fast, furious,. informative and wild 40-minute recap.
That includes the idea that this was the surprising final seasons for both head coaches -- Colorado's Bill McCartney and Michigan's Gary Moeller.

Zip through the past and celebrate a great game in northern college football history with Kings of the North on The North Remembers.