Podcast

Northern Aggression: A College Football Podcast

Football, Sports

The Big Ten runs college football, the SEC is in freefall and this is the show that talks truth, has fun and dives deep about college football’s new reality. Northern Aggression is your go-to place to get real about Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, USC and the most interesting Big Ten teams, as well as Notre Dame and any program not drenched in SEC mediocrity. Doug Lesmerises, Bill Landis and Matt Fortuna will be here multiple times a week to break down the biggest games and best players, and offer new ways of viewing college football that we promise you won’t find anywhere else. Sick of shows slanted to the South? Come hang with a show that sees college football from your perspective on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

Episodes
41
Releases
Daily
Typical length
55 min
On air since
2026
Latest episode
1 day ago

Episodes

41 episodes, newest first

  1. Notre Dame-Miami college football game of the year? Will Ohio State bounce back? Around the North

    Episode 41

    Show notes

    The college football discussion is robust on this episode, as the five topics include the concern level for Ohio State after its loss to USC and whether No. 1 Miami vs. No. 4 Notre Dame is the college football game of the year, and if not, what is instead?
    On this episode of The Podcast of Northern Aggression, old friend Ari Wasserman of The Andy & Ari Show on On3 joins Bill Landis, Doug Lesmerises and Matt Fortuna to discuss those first two topics and three others.

    • How would you describe the chaos of this CFB season?
    • Is 10 SEC teams in the Top 25 too much?
    • With six ranked games this week -- Miami-Notre Dame, BYU-Utah, Missouri-Texas, Alabama-LSU, Kentucky-Tennessee and Ole Miss-Georgia -- which underdog in those games intrigues you the most?

    Plus, a 24-team playoff discussion leaks into the show as well.
    Thanks to Ari for his time and expertise, and thanks to you for joining us on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 15 min
  2. LSU-Alabama, Ohio State-Oregon, Tennessee-Kentucky, a wild over play, and more college football bets

    Episode 40

    Show notes

    From LSU-Alabama and Ohio State-Oregon with TShoe to Kentucky-Tennessee and Northwestern-Iowa with Doug, it's time to dig into more college football bets on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

    Tyler Shoemaker was 3-1 on his bet suggestions last week and is a sizzling 23-12 on the year. Doug Lesmerises went 1-3 last week and is a desultory 9-17. They lost their combined Union Bet last week on Northwestern against Oregon to fall to 6-3 on the year on that bet.
    Time to bounce back with a Union Bet on Oregon State-Texas State.
    Then TShoe has bets on:

    • LSU-Alabama
    • Ohio State-Oregon
    • UCLA-Minnesota
    • South Carolina-Texas A&M

    Meanwhile, Doug has bets on:

    • Kentucky-Tennessee
    • Northwestern-Iowa
    • Purdue-Maryland

    Thanks as always for joining our college football betting show every Monday here on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    34 min
  3. Wisconsin-Iowa, Ohio State-USC, Arizona-Texas Tech, Utah-Cincinnati: Week 9 College Football Picks

    Episode 39

    Show notes

    Are the Wisconsin Badgers back? Can Ohio State keep winning now that it's playing a backup QB? Can Northwestern finish off Oregon? Those questions and more are covered on our college football picks show on The Podcast of Northern Aggression. Matt Fortuna, Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises pick these five games this week:

    • Wisconsin-Iowa
    • Arizona-Texas Tech
    • Northwestern-Oregon
    • Utah-Cincinnati
    • Ohio State-USC

    Plus they discuss three bonus games:

    • Minnesota-Indiana
    • Florida-Georgia
    • Miami-North Carolina

    Join us every Thursday for more college football picks on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 12 min
  4. Ohio State's future, Oregon lessons, Big 12 playoff spots, Curt Cignetti mortal? Around the North

    Episode 38

    Show notes

    From Ohio State to Oregon, from Indiana to Utah, from Miami to Texas Tech, there's a lot of college football to cover on this episode of Around the North. Shehan Jeyarajah of http://CBSSports.com is the excellent guest today, joining Doug Lesmerises, Bill Landis and Matt Fortuna to dive into these five topics around college football and the Big Ten.

    • Will the Big 12 get two playoff spots?
    • Is Oregon officially done and what lessons can be learned from the Ducks' season?
    • Did Indiana's overtime escape against Michigan show Curt Cignetti is mortal or a genius?
    • Is anyone thinking about Ohio State missing the playoff with the Buckeyes playing their backup QB?
    • What game are you most looking forward to Saturday, from Wisconsin-Iowa to Arizona-Texas Tech to Utah-Cincinnati to Miami-North Carolina?

    Thanks to Shehan for his time and expertise and thanks to you for joining us on Around the North on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 3 min
  5. College football bets on Ohio State-USC, Miami-UNC, Oregon-Northwestern, Penn State-Purdue & more

    Episode 37

    Show notes

    It's college football betting Monday as Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises get bets to you early in the week before the lines move too much. Games picked this week:

    • Oregon-Northwestern as the Union Bet

    From TShoe:

    • USC-Ohio State
    • Miami-North Carolina
    • Baylor-UCF
    • Auburn-Ole Miss

    From Doug:

    • SMU-Syracuse
    • Penn State-Purdue
    • Iowa-Wisconsin
    • Minnesota-Indiana

    Thank for joining The Podcast of Northern Aggression for our betting advice each Monday.
    TShoe is 20-11 on the season on his solo picks.
    The Union Bets, where TShoe and Doug combine math and vibes, are 6-2 and have hit six straight.
    Doug is 8-14 and trying to climb out of his 1-10 hole to start the season.

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    34 min
  6. Indiana-Michigan, Houston-Utah, Iowa-Minnesota, ND State-New Mexico: Week 8 College Football Picks

    Episode 36

    Show notes

    We're picking Indiana vs. Michigan, Houston vs. Utah, Iowa vs. Minnesota, USC vs. Wisconsin and North Dakota State vs. New Mexico as our college football games on The Podcast of Northern Aggression this week.
    The bonus games discussed are Michigan State vs. UCLA and BYU vs. UCF.
    Indiana is trying to bounce back from a loss to Ohio State against a Michigan team making a quarterback change.
    Houston and Utah are hoping to land major wins in the Big 12 race.
    North Dakota State and New Mexico is not only big for the Mountain West race, but also in deciding which Group of 6 team makes the College Football Playoff.

    Thanks for joining us on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    48 min
  7. New College Football playoff picks: Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, Miami, BYU race for No. 1 seed

    Episode 35

    Show notes

    It's time to reset our College Football Playoff picks halfway through the season. But first, Matt Fortuna, Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises look back on preseason playoff predictions good and bad (Illinois, Washington, Oklahoma.)

    Then it's onto new lists of the predicted 12 teams that will make the CFP field.
    Will upstarts UCLA, Kentucky and Northwestern make it?
    Will Georgia, Miami, Ohio State or Indiana be the No. 1 seed?
    Is Notre Dame is danger of missing the field?
    How many teams from the ACC and Big 12 will make it with so much uncertainty in the Big Ten and SEC?

    Thanks as always for joining The Podcast of Northern Aggression. Weekly game picks will show up in your feed on Thursday.

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    49 min
  8. College football's big disappointments, best underdogs & teams to not give up on: Around the North

    Episode 34

    Show notes

    From Texas to Oregon, from Michigan to Northwestern, from Wake Forest to USC, college football discussions hit a lot of topics on this edition of Around the North.

    Ralph Russo from The Athletic swings by for an outstanding appearance, bringing lots of insight, as he joins Bill Landis, Matt Fortuna and Doug Lesmerises to discuss these five topics around college football.
    • The team you shouldn't give up on yet
    • Favorite underdog story this season
    • Biggest disappointment this season
    • What to expect from Ohio State and Indiana after their big showdown
    • Suggestions to make the AP college football poll better

    Thanks to Ralph for his time and great info. And thanks to you for joining us on Around the North on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 3 min
  9. A crazy college football weekend leads to the question: What will the 24-team playoff do to CFB?

    Episode 33

    Show notes

    Five of college football's top 7 teams in the AP poll -- Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana, Alabama and Texas -- lost last weekend. The 24-team CFB playoff is coming next season.

    On this episode, Matt, Bill and Doug combine those two realities and dive into the future of the sport.
    What about the upsets?
    What about the chaos? What about the parity?
    What will it all mean when 24 teams make the playoff?

    Thanks as always for joining The Podcast of Northern Aggression, your preeminent place to talk about how mid the SEC is.

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    1 hr 5 min
  10. College football bets: Time to fade Indiana, Auburn, Tennessee, Iowa? TShoe was perfect last week

    Episode 32

    Show notes

    t's a great time to follow college football bets on The Podcast of Northern Aggression after a perfect week for Tyler Shoemaker last week, with wins on TCU, LSU, West Virginia, Appalachian State and Air Force.
    What's next this week?
    TShoe and Doug Lesmerises discuss how to handle Auburn and Tennessee this week, after big wins over Georgia and Alabama, and what to do with Indiana following it's razor-thin loss to Ohio State.
    The Hoosiers are at Michigan, while LSU faces Auburn and South Carolina plays Tennessee.
    Plus bets on Oregon-Illinois, Clemson-Virginia Tech, Rutgers-Northwestern, West Virginia-TCU, Kentucky-Vanderbilt and more.
    Thanks for joining The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    38 min
  11. Ohio State-Indiana, Notre Dame-BYU, Michigan-Penn State, Nebraska-Oregon: College Football Picks

    Episode 31

    Show notes

    Ohio State-Indiana, Notre Dame-BYU, Michigan-Penn State, Wisconsin-UCLA and Nebraska-Oregon are the games we're picking this week on The Podcast of Northern Aggression is a big week for the Big Ten and Notre Dame. The bonus games discussed are Northwestern-Michigan State, Houston-Oklahoma State and Kentucky-Oklahoma. The Wisconsin and Nebraska visits to the West Coast are both huge for those teams trying to take a step up this season, while UCLA and Oregon are trying to deal with quarterback injuries. Meanwhile, the Penn State-Michigan loser could be in very bad shape, and Buckeyes-Hoosiers and Fighting Irish-Cougars are both Top 10 matchups. Thanks for joining Doug Lesmerises, Bill Landis and Matt Fortuna on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 6 min
  12. Is Notre Dame, Ohio State or Indiana the best Northern team? Plus SEC midness and 2 huge games ahead

    Episode 30

    Show notes

    No. 4 Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana and No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU are two major games in college football this week, and Around the North dug into both of them on this episode. The show also asked the question of which Northern team is best right now, the Buckeyes, Hoosiers or Fighting Irish? To answer that question and many others, Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports and the Happy Auer newsletter on Substack joined the show to chat with Bill Landis, Matt Fortuna and Doug Lesmerises. Besides those games, the show also tackled the topic of SEC Midness and asked which Big Ten game last week was the most interesting or shocking: Purdue over Minnesota, UCLA over Oregon, USC over Penn State, Iowa over Washington or Nebraska almost beating Indiana? Thanks to Nicole for her time and insight and thanks to you for joining us on Around the North.

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    1 hr 3 min
  13. Should we ride with Kentucky & UCLA? Plus WVU, LSU, TCU after college football bets went 6-2

    Episode 29

    Show notes

    After another good week of college football betting last week, as TShoe went 3-1, the Union Bet hit for the fourth straight week and Doug went 2-1, Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises are back for another round of college football betting advice.
    The picks here are on:

    • UCLA-Wisconsin
    • Houston-Oklahoma State
    • LSU-Mississippi State
    • TCU-Baylor
    • West-Virginia-Cincinnati
    • Appalachian State-Coastal Carolina
    • Air Force-UNLV

    Thanks for joining us on The Podcast of Northern Aggression betting show. For the season, TShoe is 15-8, Doug is 5-13 and their combined Union Bets are 4-2.

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    32 min
  14. USC-Penn State, Nebraska-Indiana, Georgia-Alabama, Oregon-UCLA & more: College Football Game Picks

    Episode 28

    Show notes

    Six college football picks are on this show as Bill, Matt and Doug add an extra game to the usual slate. The discussions and picks are on:

    • USC-Penn State in what might be a sad White Out
    • Georgia-Alabama
    • Indiana-Nebraska
    • UCLA-Oregon
    • Iowa-Washington
    • Purdue-Minnesota

    Plus a bonus look at Oklahoma-Texas. Thanks as always for joining The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    55 min
  15. Inside a Nebraska-Indiana showdown, Michigan & Penn State troubles, who is Big Ten's 4th-best team?

    Episode 27

    Show notes

    Indiana vs. Nebraska is one of two college football showdowns between undefeated Power Conference teams this weekend. On this episode of Around the North, Josh Peterson of the I-80 Club podcast and YouTube show joins Matt, Bill and Doug to discuss whether people should be believing in Nebraska this season, or anticipating another fall off after a fast start. How big is the Big Noon matchup with Indiana at Nebraska on Saturday, what does it mean to the Big Ten, and how does it compare to the other undefeated showdown between Alabama and Georgia? Other topics covered:

    With both teams on two-game losing streaks, how much trouble are Michigan and Penn State in and how should we view Kyle Whittingham and Matt Campbell?
    What is the fourth-best team in the Big Ten and why do we have so many candidates for it?
    How many actually good teams are there in the Big Ten and SEC?
    Thanks to Josh for his time and insight. Thanks to you as always for hanging out with us on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 12 min
  16. Betting 2 major SEC underdogs, an Oregon-UCLA play, advice for Georgia-Bama: College football bets

    Episode 26

    Show notes

    An Oregon-UCLA play is the Union Bet in this college football betting discussion with Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises. They have hit three straight Union Bets, when the math and the vibes come together, and are 3-2 on those bets for the year. TShoe was 2-2 on his bets last week and is 12-7 on the year, while Doug is also here. Other games to play this week:

    South Carolina-Florida
    Utah State-Washington State
    Arkansas-Tennessee
    Florida International-New Mexico State
    Alabama-Georgia
    LSU-Kentucky
    Michigan State-Illinois
    Thanks for joining the betting show on The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    31 min
  17. Will Michigan, USC & Penn State bounce back? Ohio State at Iowa test: Week 5 college football picks

    Episode 25

    Show notes

    Three Big Ten teams that took big losses last week are under the microscope on this edition of college football picks on The Podcast of Northern Aggression. For Week 5, Doug Lesmerises, Bill Landis and Matt Fortuna make picks on these five games:

    • Michigan at Minnesota
    • Penn State at Northwestern
    • Ohio State at Iowa
    • Alabama at Mississippi State
    • Washington at USC

    The bonus games discussed are North Dakota State-Wyoming, Clemson-Miami and Pitt-Virginia Tech.
    Thanks for checking out the weekly picks show on Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 2 min
  18. Big Ten shakeup: Lessons from Iowa, Oregon, Wisconsin, Minnesota wins; Michigan, USC, PSU, UW losses

    Episode 24

    Show notes

    The teams ranked Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7 in the our Big Ten preseason poll all lost Saturday. On this edition of Around the North, the discussion centers on those games and what we learned about the winners and losers. Audrey Snyder, the great Penn State writer for https://insidethelions.substack.com/, joins Bill Landis, Matt Fortuna and Doug Lesmerises to break it all down. The five show topics:

    • Wisconsin beating Penn State
    • Iowa beating Michigan
    • Oregon beating USC
    • Minnesota beating Washington
    • Grading the four new Big Ten coaching hires for this season: Bob Chesney at UCLA, Matt Campbell at Penn State, Kyle Whittingham at Michigan and Pat Fitzgerald at Michigan State

    Thanks for joining Around the North on The Podcast of Northern Aggression. Tell a friend.

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    1 hr 25 min
  19. Pitt-Penn State PA betting special, SEC 3-pack, mechanic picks after 3 hot weeks of CFB winning bets

    Episode 23

    Show notes

    After a 5-1 week on the show, Northern Aggression is back for more college football bets on Pitt, Penn State, Georgia and more.
    On this episode, Tyler Shoemaker and Doug Lesmerises discuss TShoe's mechanic picks as he goes under the hood for some off-the-radar games.
    He has a best bet for James Madison-Marshall, as well as suggested bets for Cal-UNLV and Oregon State-Colorado State.
    He also likes two games on Friday, with a pick on Penn State-Northwestern and a Union Bet with Doug, as math and vibes combine, on Pitt-Virginia Tech.
    Doug is more basic, choosing three SEC bets while riding high after winning his only bet last week on Georgia.
    This week he makes picks on Alabama-Mississippi State, Georgia-Vanderbilt and Kentucky-South Carolina.
    For the year, TShoe is 10-5 and Doug is 2-10, while their combined Union Bet is 2-2.
    Thanks for joining the betting show each Monday on the Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    35 min
  20. Is Nebraska for real, Michigan-Iowa mirror game, will USC seize the moment? College football picks

    Episode 22

    Show notes

    Five college football matchups are up for discussion and picks on this episode, with Matt Fortuna coming off a perfect 5-0 week against the spread. Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises join him to debate and predict:

    Michigan-Iowa
    Penn State-Wisconsin
    Nebraska-Michigan State
    Texas-Tennessee
    USC-Oregon
    Plus bonus discussions on Florida-Ole Miss, Oklahoma State-West Virginia and Toledo-San Diego State.

    Thanks for joining The Podcast of Northern Aggression.

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    1 hr 4 min