The Solid Verbal

In this college football podcast episode, we dig into a very specific list of ailments for 10 college football teams. From Illinois’ third-down struggles to USC’s late-game woes, we diagnose teams’ glaring issues from 2024—including Wisconsin’s explosiveness, Colorado’s run game, Air Force’s slip—and their 2025 cures.0:00 - Intro6:11 - Illinois13:14 - Wisconsin20:12 - Colorado25:41 - Kansas State30:57 - Arkansas34:23 - Texas Tech41:59 - USC49:35 - Virginia Tech55:52 - Wake Forest58:04 - Air Force**Key Topics Discussed**Illinois’ Third-Down BluesIllinois shined in 2024, but abysmal third-down defense (100s nationally) left wins on the table—new DL transfers from Wisconsin aim to boost havoc and get off the field.Wisconsin’s Explosion DeficitWisconsin’s offense fizzled (bottom 5 in explosiveness)—injuries (Tyler Van Dyke) and a mismatch with Phil Longo sank chunk plays; Jeff Grimes and Billy Edwards Jr could provide a spark.Colorado’s Run Game RiddleColorado leaned on Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and a good c