Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] I'm Kayla Ali and this is the Ali perspective. So welcome back. I know I've been MIA for a while. I know guys, I know you guys can be upset with me, I know. But of course we got to talk about college football and I want to start off by talking about the top four teams in the nation.
[00:00:16] And we have number four, Alabama. Alabama had that week one loss against Florida State and have been looking like a different team ever since then. Ty Simpson is definitely a Heisman candidate. He's been playing lights out. His ability in the past game to always make the right decision. He only has has one interception on the season and I believe 18 touchdowns on the season. He's also have I believe two foam. No, he's had two fumble recoveries, two fumbles lost. But other than that the def. The offense have been pretty solid. He has four wide receivers, he has Ryan Williams, he has Jermaine Bernard, he has Isaiah Horton and he has rising fresh, a rising freshman. That has been very reliable for him.
[00:01:01] Not rising freshman, but he is a freshman have been very, very reliable for him in a passing game. Now their running game still needs some work.
[00:01:08] Every game is kind of seems like a different running back has been the guy to spark the run offense. But even if people stop the run offense, the way the passing game has just been so dominant for Alabama, it has been crazy to watch, especially from the first game of the season to where they are now. They are the only SEC team to ever be four top 20 ranked teams back to back.
[00:01:35] And they have done those in really good fashion too.
[00:01:39] I mean to go to Georgia and beat Georgia in Georgia, then go to Missouri, beat Missouri in Missouri. Of course, you know, we already know what the third October, the third Saturday in October means to Alabama. And with that rivalry against Tennessee and they showed out, their defense is getting better and better. They are solidifying those pieces on the back end. I know Damani, the number one as a corner. He's been iffy. But Red Morgan, a freshman, has been coming in and been making plays and he earned more reps in that from that Tennessee game just because how able, how much he was able to cover.
[00:02:21] He had some past breakups, a few good tackles. So I, I think they have a really good rotation on that back end, the D line. They're starting to find a rhythm. They starting to get some pressures.
[00:02:31] They had four sacks against Tennessee which is the most they've had in the season.
[00:02:36] And that is the most Tennessee has allowed to any team and that's the most Tennessee has allowed all season in terms of they only allow four sacks the entire season so far and then Alabama to go in and have four sacks against them. That goes to show you how that D line is also improving. So that defense is improving game by game. The offense is also getting better game by game. That is a team to watch out for. Then we have number three, Texas A and M. Yes, I understand Texas A and M is undefeated, but I don't think tennis, Texas A and M has played anybody of real caliber and some of those games they had to come back and win and they were there just haven't been. I don't think personally I've watched a Texas A and M game and I'm like this team is just amazing. They're always one play going the opposite way and then that game is lost for them and then they don't really face anyone else for the rest of their schedule. And I mean they did have that big win against Notre Dame. That is their best win on their record in my opinion.
[00:03:46] So I keep my eye out of Texas A and M, but they haven't really, really stood out to me. Now Indiana, Indiana is also a team that many might say modic came out of left field. But they have a great coach over there and he has just been building his program and they are solid on defense as well as offense. They are a well coached team. They are very disciplined on both sides of the ball. Um, so it's going to be really good to continue to see how Indiana plays out. And as I am looking at their schedule right now, they also kind of have a easy schedule the remainder of the way.
[00:04:22] But it's going to be interesting game against them against UCLA since UCLA fired their head coach, they are on a three game winning streak. So they start their season on four. They're now three and three. So let's. If so, I think UCLA might be the most competitive game we're going to see for the rest of Indiana's schedule. I mean, of course, you know, with the playoffs they'll play different opponents, but right now their schedule seems easier. I don't.
[00:04:49] If they don't finish the season 11 and oh, they could very well finish 10 and 1. And then of course we have Ohio State as a number one team. Ohio State, best win of the season so far has come against them beating Texas.
[00:05:04] They pretty much demolish Illinois and they also don't have another ranked opponent until Michigan. And even though that is at the big house and anything can happen, Ohio State is now on a two game losing streak. Against Michigan in that rivalry game. But I think Michigan will finish the season undefeated and we won't see them face any real competition again until they make it into the college football playoffs. Now I want to get into the fact that Florida has fired Billy Napier and then now that has left some recruits to try to maybe want to transfer or however that's going to be because I mean, Billy Napier there for a few years and he has had a lot of talent, but even though he's had a lot of talent, they just cannot put together a winning season over there. So it'll be interesting to see who Florida tries to go out and hire. And I do have a little soft spot for Billy Napier. Billy Napier, he worked at South Carolina State as our quarterbacks coach and as I'm on the alum from SC State. So I was kind of rooting for him, but it just didn't pan out. But I do think he can go somewhere and be a great offensive coordinator. Just maybe Florida wasn't the right job for him. And then also Penn State. Penn State had high aspirations of being a national title contender with two of the best running backs in college and their quarterback coming back, pretty solid offensive line. And they just came out and did dud after dud at the dud. After that Oregon loss, they just went downhill. Even though they fought back in battle to where that organ game turned into double overtime, they just haven't been able to recover from that loss. And because of that they had decided to fire James Franklin. So now he has to look for another job and. And Penn State has to find another coach. So those are the two biggest coaching jobs that are open. So it's going to be very interesting. I'm going to keep my eye out on any names that have been dropped in the hat for to possibly replace those two coaches and be the next head coaches of those premier programs.
[00:07:10] Now moving on from college football, I want to talk about the NBA. We had opening, we had opening night a couple days ago and. And the story that I really want to talk about is congratulations to OKC for having their ring ceremony and then winning in double overtime against the Houston Rockets. But I just had to give OKC a shout out for that because that was a great game. That was a great first game to start the season.
[00:07:36] But Victor Wembayama of the spurs, so this summer apparently he went and he spoke with the Monks and after that he, he went and he trained with Kevin Garnett and he trained with Akeem Olajuwon and it looks like the Dream. Akeem Olajuwon has turned Victor Women into the next walking nightmare of the NBA. I mean, the guy went out, scored 40 points, 15 rebounds. And it's not about the fact that he scored 40 points, it's how he scored those 40 points. And it was also on 71% true shooting. And I'm not talking about. He's just at the rim and he's making layups. I mean, he'7 4, of course he can do that. But he's going. His handles have gotten better. He's going between legs. Between the legs. Step back three. At seven foot four, he is completely trying to revolutionize and change the way that we look at the five.
[00:08:38] And apparently he trained with the right people. He has just been. If this is.
[00:08:43] If this is an indication of what he's going to do for the rest of the season, oh, man, he is definitely a candidate for winning mvp. Like, I know it's just the first game. I know it's just the first game. We have 81 games to go. But that was just a scary sight because someone his size being able to move the way that he's moving and do the things that he's doing, it's crazy. I know we've seen Kevin Durant do it, but I'm talking about someone that's 7 foot 4, very close to 7 foot 5 doing this. And he's only 21 years old and he's only going to get better and better and better. People should also be on the lookout for the Spurs. They just, they just had Rookie of the Year and Steven Castle and he's only going to get better as well.
[00:09:31] De' Aon Fox, he isn't even back yet, so they're going to have him to add as well. I think they have a great coach who coached under Greg Popovich for years, and just hearing him talk in the huddle with Mike the. I think he has the right fire, the right tenacity to coach this team and have this team be one of the top teams in the West. And I mean, he, he has a great player in Victor.
[00:09:56] They have a great core player. So it's going to be really interesting to see how what the spurs do.
[00:10:03] OKC is also going to be a great team.
[00:10:08] They're going to be good. They're going to be fine. They're going to, I mean, with a leader in sga, their core is still together. They're still going to be able to win games. So the west is going to be heavy, heavily loaded again this year with Kevin Durant going to the Rockets. I like what I saw in the Rockets singoon. I think he's been training with Kevin Durant a little too much because now he's now hitting step and I don't even when I say too much, not in a bad way, just in a really good way because now he's also, his handles have gotten better from last year and he's hitting step back jump shots as well.
[00:10:43] And I'm excited from the small portion of the games that I've seen so far, I think we are going to be in tune for a great, and I mean a great season in the NBA. Now to pivot, we have the NFL and the shocker of this year are the Indianapolis coats.
[00:11:06] Everyone was like, what are the Colts thinking when they go out and, and they sign Daniel Jones and not only do they sign Daniel Jones, they make him the starter or Anthony Richardson and then once the season started, now this team is now 71 and it's probably one of the better team. Not probably, but is one of the better teams in the NFL. I didn't call it, I didn't see it. But I guess if you look at them, they always had the right pieces. They just never had a consistent quarterback. And Daniel Jones has now been that pillar for them and that team is just soaring and, and they are doing great.
[00:11:44] And of course, you know, we're at the halfway point of the season, but that's just one of the things that I saw and I really want to talk about in NFL. So it'll be exciting to see what they do for the remainder of the season. I also want to talk about the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys have the number one offense in the league. They defense just has to catch up. I mean Dak Prescott is really putting up MVP numbers, but they have a 3, 3 and 1 record.
[00:12:10] And that doesn't back up how well Dallas, how well Dak has played. And I really want to stick up for Dak because people always say Dak isn't that great. They're just hyping him up. Now listen, I am probably one of the number one Cowboy haters, but I can, I can call a spade a spade. And Dak Prescott is, he is balling out. I still don't understand why the Steelers thought it was a good idea to trade George Pickens. George Pickens to the Cowboys. And he's been phenomenal. Him along with CD Lamb. I mean, they still don't have much of a run game, but their passing attack is just phenomenal. Between C.D. pickens and Dak. So I'm excited now. I'm not excited. I lied, I lied, I lied. I'm not excited. But I'm be interested in to see what happens with the Dallas Cowboys.
[00:13:00] Another team that I want to talk about, the Philadelphia Eagles. And I think the Philadelphia Eagles biggest problem this year, I mean, they're five and two, but their biggest problem is their offensive coordinator. It's not Jalen hurts. It's not the offensive coordinator. They need to get another one. He is not it.
[00:13:24] And then their offensive line needs to get healthy. Once their offensive line gets healthy, then their running game can get back to what it was. Saquon Barkley. Barkley, at this point in the season had already had five games of 100 plus rushing yards. He has none so far. And that's because they're pretty much piecing together their offensive line.
[00:13:43] So maybe when their offensive line gets healthy, we can see Saquon be Saquon again. But it felt really good as a viewer to watch Jalen hurts, be able to air the ball out and to Devonte and to A.J. brown and be accurate with it. But I also think he has one of the prettiest deep balls in the league, and he showed that on full display against in their last matchup.
[00:14:08] So, yeah, those are the key things that I wanted to talk about today.
[00:14:12] So please make sure you, like, comment and subscribe. Okay. I will be back exactly next week. I'm not gonna make y' all wait anymore. I'm gonna do better, I promise. And you guys will see me back here next week. And we're going to talk more in depth about college football and the NFL because things are heating up. Playoff races, people are coming back from injuries, and we need to talk about all of that as well as some of the coaching positions that might be available and who I think will be best to fill those positions. So once again, I'm Kayla Ali, and this is the Ali perspective. I'll see you next time.
