The end of Les Miles, the fall of North Dakota State: A Blitz Podcast

The Saturday Blitz Podcast is back after a hiatus to discuss the Les Miles saga, North Dakota State’s loss, and body types in football.

It has been a while since the Saturday Blitz Podcast last broadcast to the masses. Since our last episode, we have seen a lot of stories transpire across the world of college football. None have been bigger than the fallout from the Les Miles story. The coverup of Miles’ misconduct at LSU has taken down not only the coach but also Kansas athletic director Jeff Long and Oregon State (and former LSU) president F. King Alexander.

This saga headlines the opening segment. We look at the willingness of athletic departments and universities not only to overlook indiscretions by successful coaches but also the lengths schools will take to cover up those issues. If LSU was willing to use legal loopholes to subvert public records requests, how many other schools are following the same playbook?

After the first break, we turn our attention to the North Dakota State Bison. With the FCS playing spring football, the hegemonic force at that level suffered what on paper looks like a damning defeat to Southern Illinois. Yet the Bison remain locked in a tie atop the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and there are few indications that this loss was anything but a blip on the radar.

In the final segment, the conversation shifts to how the NFL evaluates college prospects. With an uproar about Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith’s weight, we discuss how important prototypical body types really are in terms of player evaluation. Do NFL teams really talk themselves out of can’t-miss prospects because of a few missing pounds?

Listen now through the player above or click through to download the episode to your favorite device!

The Saturday Blitz Podcast goes live every Wednesday morning. You can reach John Mitchell at @jlmitchell93 and Zach Bigalke at @zbigalke on Twitter.