One game remains and it’s a match up with one of college footballs most notable teams, the Miami Hurricanes, vs college football most beloved teams, the Indiana Hoosiers.

It truly has everything a fan of the game could ask for and am sure Hollywood agents are lining up for the life rights to this years college football story. Thus, we welcome back Bruce Feldman, one of college football’s best storytellers, to Y-Option to dive into the National Championship game. As always, this podcast is fueled by our founding sponsor, 76® - keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat.

Bruce is an alum of Miami and an expert in college football with a detailed lens on the quarterback position. We dive into all of that in today’s conversation. Some of the details include:

* Miami’s rise isn’t about re-creating the past but built in the trenches under Mario Cristobal.

* Indian’s run is a brilliant story and if they win, they should be considered among the greatest teams of all time.

* The Quarterback position: how should premiere recruits approach which school they attend.

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel as we will have LIVE content later this week.

Also, we will have you covered all week long in advance of the title game with another Y-Option Scouting: Indiana vs Miami and more.

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Whenever I think of the Oregon Ducks my mind often goes to Dan Rubenstein, host of The Solid Verbal podcast and dear friend. So in advance of the the semi-final game with the Ducks vs the Hoosiers we had to bring him back on the Y-Option podcast, fueled by our founding sponsor, 76® - keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat.

Dan and I dive into Oregon’s evolution over the course of the season, why this Ducks team feels different defensively, and how growth, resilience, and situational football have defined their path.

We also zoom out on Indiana’s historic run—what makes it real, sustainable, and potentially one of the greatest stories college football has ever produced—before expanding the lens to Miami vs. Ole Miss, the chaos of January coaching calendars, and the CEO mindset required to navigate it all.

We close with a candid look at the state of the game, quarterback development in the portal era, and why the 60 minutes on Saturdays have never been better—even as the sport itself continues to evolve.

It’s part playoff preview, part philosophy, part film room, and part late-night conversation with someone who’s been watching this sport as long—and as closely—as anyone. Hope you enjoy today’s episode with Dan Rubenstein!

A DEEP DIVE:

If you’d like a deeper dive into the analytics around the game be sure to check out the latest edition of Y-Option Scouting: Indiana vs Oregon.

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Rhett Lewis (The Big Red Carpet) and Matt Fortuna (The Inside Zone) join me live for a wide-ranging, real-time conversation centered on the College Football Playoff national semifinals — including a detailed breakdown of the Oregon–Indiana rematch and what has changed since their first meeting. We also explore the question: “If Indiana wins out and finish 16-0, are they they best college football team ever?”

We dive into matchups, margins for error, and momentum while also expanding the lens to Ole Miss vs. Miami.

In a wild week in the College Football transfer portal we also the changes across the nation and in the Big Ten.

You get three perspectives in a LIVE episode designed to unpack not just what’s happening, but why it matters as the stakes rise.

The semi’s are almost here!

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

It was an action packed Rose Bowl Media Day in downtown Los Angeles with Indiana and Alabama. Post Media availability Rhett Lewis and I sat down for a LIVE podcast collaboration with Y-Option and Big Red Carpet with our biggest takeaways after interviewing players and coaches from Indiana & Alabama.

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Each team will hit the practice field today as they put the finishing touches on their preparation for the Granddaddy of Them All. Rhett and I lay out what that prep could look like on game-day while assessing the biggest matchups and identifying the pathways to victory for both teams.

Our collab also hit on major college football news, including Chip Kelly landing as the new Offensive Coordinator at Northwestern!

Thanks for joining the LIVE and stay tuned to Y-Option for more insight and analysis in advance of the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff!

If you missed our Y-Option: Scouting deep dive on Miami and Ohio State be sure to check it out for paid subscribers.

Much more to come over the next few days!

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi

Kyle Whittingham was named the 22nd Head Coach at Michigan yesterday and all day I spent thinking about how college football continues to deliver storylines that none of us can predict.

Here is a detail look at who I believe Kyle Whittingham to be based on covering his teams since the Fiesta Bowl 20 years ago.

Hope you enjoy and looking forward to this week as we have a few things coming your way here at Y-Option.

* Deep dive into a few quarterfinal games with Y-Option: SCOUTING

* Full coverage from the Rose Bowl alongside Rhett Kleinschmidt The Big Red Carpet

* And be sure to subscribe to our YouTube page for content as well.

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Happy holidays—and I hope you enjoyed the first round of the College Football Playoff.

With Christmas approaching and another college football season sliding toward its next chapter, Jim Mora is beginning one of his own.

The new head coach at Colorado State joined the Y-Option podcast, fueled by our founding sponsor, 76® - keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat, to share the why behind his decision to lead CSU in the reborn Pac-12.

What struck me most in our conversation wasn’t the résumé—NFL head coach, UCLA head coach, program rebuilder at Connecticut, mentor to generations—not even our long friendship.

It was the choice.

The decision to take on something unfinished. To step into uncertainty. To begin again—not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Jim Mora has lived inside football his entire life. Not as a job, but as an inheritance. A family calling that shaped him as a coach, a son, a father, a husband, and a leader. From the Pac-8 days of his father’s career, to playing in the Pac-10, to coaching in the Pac-12, his journey mirrors the evolution of the sport itself.

Which is why this moment matters.

Colorado State isn’t a nostalgia play.It’s a belief play.

Jim is stepping into a re-imagined Pac-12. Into a conference finding its footing again. Into a program searching for identity and traction in a version of college football none of us could have fully imagined five years ago.

NIL.The portal.Revenue sharing.An expanded College Football Playoff.Realignment.

For some, that landscape feels overwhelming.

For Jim Mora, it feels familiar.

He sees today’s college football ecosystem as closer to the NFL than ever before. The portal functions like free agency. Recruiting resembles a draft. Financial realities echo a salary cap. The guardrails may differ, but the principles remain the same: roster construction, culture, alignment, and adaptability.

That word—adaptability—came up again and again.

You have to have a plan.You have to believe in fundamentals.You have to hold standards.

And you also have to be willing to adjust—often daily—without losing your core.

Coach Mora learned that from some of the greatest to ever do it: Hall of Fame coaches and executives who shaped how he views leadership, decision-making, and sustained excellence.

But none of it works without people.

Coach Mora has always been clear about that.

Building programs. Scaling mountains. Taking on challenges without guarantees. College football continues to pull him in because of the impact—the opportunity to shape young people during some of the most formative years of their lives. To teach lessons not only through success, but through failure. To help players grow into men, not commodities.

That perspective matters now more than ever.

The mountain ahead is clear.

A new program.A re-imagined conference.A legitimate—though demanding—path toward competing on the sport’s biggest stages.

And a daily commitment to do the work required to turn ambition into reality.

Jim Mora isn’t chasing legacy.He isn’t chasing comfort.

He’s chasing alignment with the work.

And maybe that’s the clearest lesson of all.

After all this time, he finally feels like he knows what he’s doing—even as he embraces the truth that the climb never ends.

I think you’ll enjoy this conversation as we all head into the holiday season, hopefully with a little time off, a good hike, or a fun surf.

On behalf of all of us at Y-Option, thank you for your love, support, and community.

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi

Y-Option: College Football with Yogi Roth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Fernando Mendoza win the Heisman! Join Rhett Lewis, Galen Clavio and myself as we talk about an incredible night in NYC.

Also - be sure to subscribe to Y-Option’s YouTube Channel.

Much love and stay steady,

Yogi