Open For Business: College Football w/ John Kurtz
College sports for fans who like to dig a little deeper.
Welcome to Open For Business, a show covering college sports from every angle, on and off the field.
I spent more than a decade traveling the country as a radio and TV broadcaster covering college football and basketball full time. Now I break down the games, the playoff race, coaching decisions and program-building that define Saturdays, along with the transfer portal, NIL, realignment, media money and the bigger forces reshaping college sports behind the scenes.
The goal is to understand the entire landscape, not just the biggest brands and loudest storylines. If something matters to where the sport is going, it matters here.
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Episodes
157 episodes
Big 12 SURGES in AP Poll; SEC Gets Ridiculous CFP Boost; Big Ten CHAOS
Big 12 contenders are separating themselves, the Big Ten suddenly looks much deeper and shakier at the top, and the SEC may have won another major College Football Playoff battle. On today’s Open For Business, we break down the latest AP Top 25, ...
Texas A&M and Oklahoma Are DOWN BAD; Can Either Season Be Saved?
Texas A&M and Oklahoma are both 2-2, their College Football Playoff hopes are already in serious trouble, and both programs now have quarterback drama to deal with. Mike Elko and Texas A&M are searching for answers after a blowout loss to LSU and...
USC’s Dirty Hit on Oregon QB Dante Moore Backfires; Is Lincoln Riley Done at USC?
USC’s loss to Oregon turned ugly after Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II was ejected for targeting on a hit that knocked Oregon quarterback Dante Moore out of the game. But even after losing Moore, Oregon turned to Dylan Raiola and still beat...
Oklahoma State Is FOR REAL; Cowboys Take Over West Virginia | Instant Reaction
Oklahoma State beats West Virginia 41-24 in Morgantown, and the Cowboys look more and more like a legitimate Big 12 contender. After the stunning loss to Tulsa earlier this season, Oklahoma State has now beaten Oregon and followed it up with an i...
Instant Reaction: Utah Handles Iowa State; Are Utes the Best in the Big 12?
0:00 Utah's Dominant Road Performance 1:04 The Evolution of the Utah Defense 2:37 Iowa State's Resilience and Halftime Adjustments 5:31 Big 12 Power Rankings and the Eye Test Utah looked every bit like a Big 12 championship contender in a 31-17 r...
Colorado Is Falling Apart; Is Baylor Actually Turning a Corner? | Instant Reaction
Baylor beats Colorado 23-13 in Big 12 play, and both teams leave the game with very different questions. For Baylor, the biggest positive was a defense that finally looked capable of carrying its share of the load. DJ Lagway was uneven, but he de...
Does Texas Tech Have a Will Hammond Problem? | Instant Reaction
Texas Tech football is 4-0, but is there a Will Hammond problem? John Kurtz provides an instant reaction to the team's start. The Red Raiders are coming off a 49-14 win against Sam Houston, and while the record looks great, the performance on the...
Texas Is TERRIFYINGLY Comfortable Winning Ugly; Tennessee Reaction
Texas survives Tennessee 20-17 in Knoxville, and the biggest story was not Arch Manning. It was the Longhorns’ dominant defense. Texas overwhelmed true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon with a relentless pass rush, led by Colin Simmons, who fin...
Why Is the SEC Trying So Hard to Tear Down Miami?
The SEC has been the best-performing Power Four conference early in the college football season, which makes the latest strength-of-schedule propaganda even harder to understand. John Kurtz reacts to the Oklahoma-versus-Miami schedule debate and e...
The SEC Is Winning, So Why the Propaganda?; OSU-West Virginia is Saturday's Most Fascinating Game
The SEC might be the best conference in college football right now, so why does the propaganda machine still feel necessary?In this episode, John Kurtz breaks down the SEC’s strong start, the constant schedule chest-puffing around Oklah...
OFB After Dark: Ole Miss Gives Kiffin Some Karma; WVU Shocks UVA; BYU Rolls
College football delivered another wild Saturday, and we’re breaking down the biggest results from across the country.LSU headlines the conversation, while West Virginia made a major statement with a ranked win over Virginia and BYU’s o...
BYU Cracks the Top 10; Are They Really Elite?; How Many Top 10 Big 12 Teams Are There?
BYU is officially a top-10 team. But are the Cougars really a College Football Playoff-caliber team, and how many top-10 teams does the Big 12 actually have?We break down BYU’s rise to No. 9, the explosiveness Legend Glasker has added t...
Texas Tech WAKES UP, Holds Off Houston After Early Scare
Texas Tech looked to be in real trouble after falling behind Houston 10-0, but the Red Raiders finally woke up and took control.We’re live breaking down Texas Tech’s comeback win over Houston, what changed after the slow start, the bigg...
Lane Kiffin Overshadowing Better Games?; Is Texas Tech About to Get Bullied?
Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford is dominating the college football conversation, but are LSU-Ole Miss actually overshadowing better and more consequential games this weekend?We break down the chaos surrounding Kiffin’s return, why Texas ...
Oklahoma State Insider: The Cowboys Can Still Win the Big 12
Oklahoma State is suddenly back in the Big 12 title conversation after a stunning win over Oregon. Carson Cunningham of Pistols Firing joins Open for Business to explain why he still believes the Cowboys can win the Big 12 despite their shockin...
The Big 12 Runs Through Utah?; Saban’s SEC Propaganda Was Right; Is Oklahoma State a Contender?
BYU and Utah look like the Big 12’s best teams through two weeks. Does the conference championship run through the state of Utah? We break down BYU’s win over Arizona, Legend Glasker’s impact, and Utah’s dominant performance against Arkansas be...
OFB After Dark: Is Texas Tech Okay?; WILD Texas Comeback; Iowa Does Iowa Things to ISU
OFB After Dark is LIVE after a wild Saturday night in college football. What is wrong with Texas Tech after another shaky performance against Oregon State? We break down the biggest concerns surrounding the Red Raiders and what they mean for th...
Monster BYU Win over Arizona; Cougs Show Championship Mettle
BYU showed championship mettle in its win over Arizona. After trailing at halftime, Kalani Sitake’s Cougars answered the challenge and opened Big 12 play with a statement about their toughness. John Kurtz breaks down BYU vs. Arizona, Bear Bachm...
Mizzou Manhandles Kansas in the Trenches; Another Rivalry Failure for Leipold
Kansas vs Missouri delivered another heated chapter in the Border War, and Mizzou controlled the game where it mattered most: the line of scrimmage. Missouri physically dominated KU in the trenches, exposing major concerns for Lance Leipold and...
Big 12, Texas & BYU Under Major Pressure; Oklahoma Is Suddenly America’s Team
College football has a massive Saturday ahead, and the pressure is on Texas, Michigan, BYU and the Big 12. Steve Sarkisian and Texas get another shot at Ohio State after spending the offseason arguing they were punished for scheduling the Bucke...
Lane Kiffin Killed the Dabo Era; Did BYU Pass Texas Tech as Big 12 Favorite?
Lane Kiffin and LSU embarrassed Clemson 51-10 in the worst loss of the Dabo Swinney era. Was this the moment college football officially passed Dabo by? We break down why Kiffin’s aggressive roster-building model is built for the modern sport, ...
OFB After Dark: WILD Michigan Hail Mary Saves Kyle Whittingham; WTF Happened to Oklahoma State?
Instant reaction to a WILD day of college football, including the controversial finish to Michigan-Western Michigan.
The SEC Sues LSU and Lane Kiffin; Cody Campbell Has a Warning for the Big 12; Cincy Exonerated
The SEC is suing LSU and Lane Kiffin in federal court as the fight over former NFL players returning to college football reaches a breaking point. We break down what the SEC wants, what LSU is arguing, the potential punishment facing Lane Kiffi...
Colorado STUNS Georgia Tech! Julian Lewis Delivers an Epic Game-Winning Drive
Colorado football just delivered an incredible finish against Georgia Tech, and Julian Lewis may have given the Buffaloes their first signature moment of the season.With Colorado needing a touchdown in the final minutes, Lewis led an ep...