VSiN College Football Tailgate Show | October 17, 2026 | Hour 1

SPEAKER_1 (0:02)

This is VSiN, the SportsBetting Network. This is VSiN's College Football Tailgate Show, only on VSiN, the SportsBetting Network.

Tim Murray (0:20)

We are off and running on a absolutely glorious College Football Saturday. Hello everyone, I'm Tim Murray, live from the Circus Sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas. I'll be with you for the next three hours here, getting you ready for one of the biggest College Football Saturdays on the schedule. You know, over the summer as we were swimming around and starving for college football, we looked at a couple of weekends and we said, ooh, that's a weekend where we can't leave from the couch. November 7th looks to be loaded. And today, October 17th, what a massive day.

Top five matchup in Bloomington, Indiana. Top ten matchup in Provo, Utah. It's the third Saturday of October. That means Alabama and Tennessee. And oh, by the way, sneak it up on us. How about Missouri and Ole Miss as a top 15 matchup? Monster day. That's why we're here, to break it down for you. We don't like to waste time here on the VSiN College Football Tailgate Show. Let's get into it and set the scene.

SPEAKER_1 (1:25)

Let's dive in to the biggest games of the day.

Tim Murray (1:31)

Just a little primer for what today will bring our buddy, Chris, the Bear Felica, part of the Circle Friday Football Invitational, reminded us that today is pretty unique. It is the first Saturday where we have four AP top 15 matchups on the same day in the regular season since November 3rd of 2018

So sit back, get the popcorn ready. First time in almost eight years, we've had four matchups between top 15 teams. And let's start with the matchup of top five teams. Last year's Big Ten Championship, you've got the reigning national champion, Indiana. You've got the champion from two years ago in Ohio State. Kirk Cignetti has never lost a home game as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers. And today, they are a home underdog. But let's hear from his counterpart first in Ryan Day as he knows that this game from start to finish will not be easy for his Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ryan Day (2:37)

It's not that it's stressful. It's just that you have to stay focused for 60 minutes. And I think that's the challenge for all of us to make sure that, you know, you take a playoff, these guys will hurt you. So we can't do that. You know, we have to, from the jump, we have to be locked in with great concentration, everybody doing their job at a high level, and then sustain that throughout the entire game. Because if you don't, these guys can hurt you, and they have.

Tim Murray (3:03)

Ohio State dealing with a couple of injuries, worth noting, as they're starting right tackle, will be out. Jacobi Jackson will be out as well. So a little bit banged up are the Ohio State Buckeyes. Had a bunch of guys sidelined last week. A handful of them will be returning, but the offensive line, not fully 100%. But he knows 100% number four. Jeremiah Smith, your odds on favor to win the Heisman Trophy. Kirk Signetti, he knows, he already saw him last year, his hands will be full taking on and trying to slow down Jeremiah Smith.

Kirk Cignetti (3:36)

Well, anytime you have a new coordinator, there's gonna be some subtleties, but you know, they still run the ball really well. They throw the ball really well. They're very efficient, effective. They do a lot of really nice stuff. And they move Jeremiah around quite a bit. And you know, he's taking it up a notch without question. I think he has nine touchdown catches in the last three P4 games.

And you know, there's no one like him right now playing at this level. I mean, we got two really good ones. You know, he's a freak and we're going to have to do a great job on him.

Tim Murray (4:14)

916 receiving yards so far this year. 11 touchdown receptions. Kirk Signetti mentioned in the last three P4 games here were his stats. Against Illinois, 12 catches, 217 yards, four touchdowns, no big deal. Iowa on the road, 11 catches, 206 yards, two touchdowns. And you know, against Maryland, easy work, four catches, 93 yards. And two touchdowns. Kickoff, we'll call it a little bit afternoon. Big noon doesn't tend to kick promptly at noon, but that's the early game of the day. Let's go to the primetime window.

Notre Dame and BYU. Notre Dame taking the road with their number two ranking. BYU welcoming in the Irish with their number eight ranking. Trevor Maddich, Hall of Famer for BYU, National Champion, 1984 He was on VS in primetime earlier this week. Myself and Matt Newman, we pondered the question, is this the biggest home game in BYU history? And he said, yes, it is. They won a national championship in 1984 They beat number one Miami in 1990 Trevor Maddich said, today will be the biggest home game in BYU history. Marcus Freeman taking his squad on the road and up for the challenge.