AUSTIN, Texas — Studio Host Mike Yam of CW Sports recently joined “The Thing” Brian Fitzgerald and Chad Hastings to break down the realignment of the Pac-12 and its influence on the College Football Playoff landscape. During Talk 1370's "The Thing About Sports", Yam examined the widespread effects of conference restructuring, how there is no room for error when it comes to the top Group of Six contenders, and other major storylines developing across prominent college programs.
Looking back on a hard-fought game where a resilient Texas State Bobcat team scored 36 unanswered points before ultimately falling to the Boise State Broncos, Yam emphasized the league's history of unpredictability. He pointed out that despite featuring a new lineup of teams, the conference still displays its classic competitive dynamics. "It feels like the old Pac-12 in the sense of the cannibalization that can happen in this conference," Yam observed. He also stressed that Boise State most likely needs to stay undefeated if they hope to secure a postseason spot, "Boise State’s margin moving forward, if they want to be a playoff team, is so razor-thin right now."
Addressing the reshaped Pac-12, Yam highlighted how drastically conference boundaries have shifted across the sport. He noted new geographic alignments that pair programs such as Texas State with traditional West Coast schools while sending other institutions across multiple time zones. "It is just weird, the landscape," Yam stated. "There’s been more change in college football in the last what, 10 years or so, than we’ve gotten probably in the previous 50."
Yam also offered a breakdown of the ACC, including the game between top-ranked Miami and No. 11 Notre Dame. He noted that another loss would effectively eliminate Notre Dame from playoff consideration, while also pointing to challenges for Miami following an injury to key contributor Malachi Toney. "That is catastrophic right now," Yam observed, noting that the Hurricanes must diversify their offensive production to maintain momentum.
Wrapping up his review of the national playoff landscape, he pointed to undefeated UCLA as one of the season's most compelling storylines while keeping an eye on Ohio State's path to re-entering the championship conversation.
Turning to Texas, Yam addressed the heavy national attention centered on quarterback Arch Manning, alongside the offensive expectations for the Longhorns as they prepare for a tough road matchup against Missouri.
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