{"id":1096,"date":"2025-09-26T19:44:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T19:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/podcasts\/?p=1096"},"modified":"2025-10-10T00:21:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T00:21:41","slug":"big-12-sec-breakdown-cayden-mcfarland-talks-gundys-firing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/podcasts\/big-12-sec-breakdown-cayden-mcfarland-talks-gundys-firing\/","title":{"rendered":"Big 12\/SEC Breakdown: Cayden McFarland Talks Gundy’s Firing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Use<\/a>
\nThe Big 12 isn\u2019t backing down. As conference realignment chatter grows louder, early-season results show that the league is deeper than many expected. Texas Tech\u2019s road domination of Utah, Iowa State\u2019s steady climb, and BYU\u2019s undefeated start highlight why the Big 12 deserves more respect in national conversation.\u00a0 But Oklahoma State made the decision to move on from long-time head coach Mike Gundy.\u00a0 Tyler Jones and Thomas Bridges break all that down and more this week<\/a> with KJRH Sports Director Cayden McFarland<\/a> in the Big 12\/SEC Breakdown.<\/p>\n

Cowboys Face More Questions Than Answers After Firing Gundy<\/h2>\n

Oklahoma State, however, faces turmoil. Gundy\u2019s dismissal sent shockwaves through Stillwater\u2014not because the move came, but because of its odd timing. Athletic Director Chad Weiberg emphasized urgency with looming media rights negotiations in 2030, yet questions remain about funding, NIL direction, and who the Cowboys can attract as their next head coach. Names like Zach Robinson and G.J. Kinne are being floated, but the job comes with hurdles.<\/p>\n

Sooners Roll On Without Mateer<\/h2>\n

Meanwhile in Norman, Oklahoma has found resilience. Quarterback John Mateer\u2019s thumb surgery puts Michael Hawkins under center temporarily, but the Sooners\u2019 defense has been stellar. Brent Venables\u2019 squad looks playoff-caliber, though questions about the offensive line and running game linger as they march deeper into SEC play.<\/p>\n

Permanent Rivalries Look To Bring Balance In SEC<\/h2>\n

The SEC\u2019s decision to lock in permanent rivalries also sparked discussion. While some traditions like Alabama-LSU are lost, balance largely prevailed. Arkansas and Texas A&M drew the toughest assignments, while Oklahoma\u2019s early slate looks manageable despite chatter about them being \u201cshortchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, this week\u2019s slate features pivotal Big 12 and SEC clashes\u2014TCU vs. Arizona State, BYU vs. Colorado, and LSU vs. Ole Miss among them. With contenders emerging and programs like Oklahoma State searching for direction, both conferences are shaping narratives that will define the 2025 season.
\nListen to “Big 12\/SEC Breakdown: Cayden McFarland Talks Gundy Firing, Mateer Injury” on Spreaker.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Big 12 isn\u2019t backing down. As conference realignment chatter grows louder, early-season results show that the league is deeper than many expected. Texas Tech\u2019s road domination of Utah, Iowa State\u2019s steady climb, and BYU\u2019s undefeated start highlight why the Big 12 deserves more respect in national conversation.\u00a0 But Oklahoma State made the decision to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4448,"featured_media":1097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[56,138,156,157],"class_list":["post-1096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcasts","tag-college-football","tag-ncaa","tag-oklahoma","tag-oklahoma-state"],"modified_by":"TJ Rives","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4448"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}