College Football Week Zero Reaction Show | The College Football Experience Recap
The College Football Experience (@TCEonSGPN) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network continues its 2026 season coverage with a college football week zero reaction show, live off the back of the SGPN meetup in Las Vegas. Pick Dundee aka (@TheColbyD) and Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) react to a wild opening weekend, from Bill Belichick and North Carolina stunning TCU 15-10 in Dublin to Memphis winning big at UNLV. Was the North Carolina defense the real story of Week Zero? Should you already be fading TCU after that showing?
Did North Dakota State prove again that the Bison belong stepping up in class? Is Virginia a problem in the ACC after bullying NC State? And what in the world do you do with an FCS Saturday this chaotic? The guys go game by game through the Group of Five and the FCS, all the way to Louisiana Christian’s first-ever NAIA win over a Division I program, plus Cal Poly, William & Mary and a full board of upsets. We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.
Back From The Vegas Meetup
The guys opened the show by thanking everyone who showed up for the SGPN meetup. The bosses put that trip together twice a year, and this edition lived up to the hype. From there, Pick Dundee and Moneyline Mac ran through who they got to hang out with on the trip. Jane North, Bill Russo, and Miami Mac were also part of the crew. Meanwhile, a big group of listeners rolled through the meetup as well, making the whole trip feel like a proper reunion. The night then ended at Allegiant Stadium for Memphis and UNLV, which set up everything else on the show. Colby is also already counting down to running it back for March Madness, since twice a year is not enough for him.
North Carolina Stuns TCU In Dublin
The headliner of the whole show was North Carolina beating TCU 15-10 over in Ireland. Colby and Mac had also been calling this upset all offseason. Meanwhile, the rest of the podcast world stayed locked in on the Frogs. But Pick Dundee and Moneyline Mac loved what Bill Belichick’s defense did in the red zone all game long. Xavier Lewis was living in the backfield the entire afternoon. They also figured Billy Edwards will settle in just fine once he gets more reps in Bobby Petrino’s offense. TCU looked completely lost switching identities on both sides of the ball. Then the officiating became a bigger story late in the game. It was rough enough that both hosts wanted that same crew nowhere near a field for the rest of the year.
The Rest Of The FBS Openers
USC handled San Jose State as a 39-point favorite, but the Coliseum was mostly empty for it. But the guys actually came away more impressed with San Jose State than they did with the Trojans. Meanwhile, Virginia bullied NC State at the line of scrimmage in a total blowout. That result also cost Colby a money-line ticket on the night. North Dakota State then rolled Jacksonville State 33-7. That score proved again that the Bison do just fine stepping up in class against FBS competition. Stanford also survived Hawaii 37-27 after nearly coughing up a big lead late. Florida State, meanwhile, looked shaky the whole way beating New Mexico State, despite what the final score suggested.
Memphis Wins Big In Vegas
The game the guys attended in person was Memphis over UNLV, 27-21. But they were not buying any of the postgame talk about the home crowd carrying UNLV. Meanwhile, Memphis traveled loud all night long, and it showed everywhere in that building. Charles Huff’s defensive line also took the fourth quarter over completely. That performance put the Tigers squarely in the American and the playoff conversation going forward. Then again, Elvis running out with UNLV before kickoff did not save the atmosphere in the building. The road crowd also made itself heard from the opening kickoff all the way to the final whistle.
The FCS Went Off
Most of the show ended up belonging to the FCS, and it earned every single minute of the time. DeSean Jackson held on for a win at Delaware State. Meanwhile, Houston Christian went into Southeastern Louisiana and shocked everyone as a big road dog. Division II teams also kept knocking off Division I opponents all day long. Ohio Dominican needed three overtimes to get theirs done. Concord then took down Davidson outright. Then came the best story of the entire day: Louisiana Christian. That NAIA school picked up the first win of its kind ever over a Division I program. They also beat Northwestern State 42-37 in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1908. Friday night, meanwhile, had already set the tone with a William and Mary classic over Villanova. Cal Poly also delivered a thriller with Idaho on a night honoring John Madden.
Game Balls
On the FBS side, the game balls went to four teams: Memphis, Virginia, North Dakota State, and North Carolina. Each of those teams had already been broken down earlier in the show. Meanwhile, on the FCS side, the guys spread the game balls around to a much longer list. William and Mary, West Florida, Cal Poly, Louisiana Christian, Ohio Dominican, Concord, and South Dakota Mines all made the cut. That is seven different FCS programs also getting recognized off one wild Saturday. It also says plenty about just how deep the upsets ran across that level of the sport. From there, the guys were not quite done. Next, it was on to a full week of weeknight action still to come.
Podcast Chapters
0:00 Download The SGPN App Today!
0:51 Welcome To The Week Zero Reaction Show
3:10 SGPN Las Vegas Meetup Recap
4:58 North Carolina Stuns TCU In Dublin
14:52 USC Sleepwalks Past San Jose State
21:13 Virginia Blows Out NC State
25:53 North Dakota State Hammers Jacksonville State
29:57 Eastern Michigan Edges Sacramento State
33:18 Stanford Survives Hawaii’s Comeback
36:56 Florida State Struggles Past New Mexico State
40:09 Memphis Wins Big At UNLV In Vegas
49:16 FBS Game Balls
52:57 FCS Thursday: Delaware State & Miami Mac
56:12 Fake Lightning Delays: Towson & Lafayette
1:00:08 FCS Stunners: Houston Christian & The D2 Upsets
1:15:44 Friday Night Classics: William & Mary & Cal Poly
1:22:28 Saturday FCS Rapid Fire: Campbell, Vick & 87-0
1:42:35 FCS Game Balls & Sign-Off
