The Rundown Take
Alabama, Then a Soft Landing: U Talk Walks the Full 2021 Schedule
With the 2021 slate freshly released, Devin and co-host E welcomed new DBs coach T-Rob to DBU before diving game-by-game into the schedule — and closed with a real conversation about why the show doesn't sugarcoat things for the fanbase.
Key Takeaways
- T-Rob gets the full welcome — the panel is counting on his South Florida rapport to help "take DBU back" after Miami slipped behind LSU at producing shutdown corners, and loves that he's preaching aggressive, press-man corner play.
- Season opener is Alabama in Atlanta on September 4th, followed by four straight home games: Appalachian State, Michigan State, Central Connecticut State and a Thursday-nighter against Virginia.
- Devin's trap games: Virginia at home off a short week, and a rescheduled Florida State game moved back to its old late-November slot.
- The panel's real litmus test isn't Alabama — it's North Carolina on October 16th, coming off a bye, the exact combination Manny Diaz has historically struggled with.
- Devin and E openly debated on-air criticism versus toxic positivity, with Devin defending the show's blunt, "keep it 100" tone as the whole reason it started.
Circle Alabama, But Watch North Carolina
Both hosts like Miami's chances to open 4-0 or 5-0 given the soft four-game home stretch after Alabama, but they zeroed in on North Carolina as the real measuring stick — Manny's teams have historically played poorly coming off bye weeks, and UNC embarrassed Miami last season. Beat the games you're supposed to beat, they agreed, and the rest of the ACC slate — NC State, at Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, at Florida State, Virginia Tech, at Duke — sets up favorably if the first five weeks go right.
Keeping It a Family Show, Not a Fan Show
A viewer comment accusing the hosts of being too negative sparked a real exchange. Devin's stance: stating the obvious about bad play isn't negativity, it's honesty, and Miami's fanbase — which he compares only to the Dallas Cowboys' — demands a level of accountability other programs don't get. E backed him up, noting the show was built to be straightforward from day one and isn't changing for anyone.