S8 Ep18: New DC, Birmingham Bowl Preview and G5s in the CFP

About this episode

The episode discusses the hiring of Mike Mutz as the new defensive coordinator and previews the Birmingham Bowl against App State while analyzing the state of college football and the Group of 5/6's role in the playoff system.

Georgia Southern has hired Mike Mutz as the new defensive coordinator. The news broke after we recorded, but Matt gives his instant reaction at the top of the show. The rest of this super-sized episode previews the Birmingham Bowl matchup against App State and features an in-depth discussion about the current state of college football and the Group of 5/6's place in the FBS and the College Football Playoff. Show Notes: Instant Reaction: Mutz Hired as DC Birmingham Bowl Most Prestigious Yet for Georgia Southern App State Preview Part 2 Breaking Down the Bowl Selection Process App State Pairing Could be Worst Case Scenario for Helton State of College Football Deep Dive Is JMU Making the CFP Good or Bad Long Term? Thoughts on a Potential G5/6 Playoff Ideal Scenarios for Reformed Post-Season Play

People in this episode

Host: Matt

Topics covered

• Mike Mutz hiring
• Birmingham Bowl preview
• App State matchup
• Group of 5/6 in college football
• College Football Playoff

Keywords

• defensive coordinator
• bowl selection process
• college football
• FBS
• post-season play

More episodes of GATA Talk

• S8 Ep20: QB Max Johnson Transfers to Georgia Southern · January 12, 2026 · 34 min
• S8 Ep19: Bowl Win, Transfer Portal and Coaching Changes · January 7, 2026 · 2h 30m
• S8 Ep17: Marshall Win, Bailey Fired and Bowl Talk · December 4, 2025 · 1h 37m
• S8 Ep16: Worst Home Loss in Georgia Southern History · November 25, 2025 · 1h 33m
• S8 Ep15: Coastal Carolina Win and ODU Preview · November 18, 2025 · 1h 10m
• S8 Ep14: App State Win and Coastal Carolina Preview · November 12, 2025 · 1h 4m