Why subscribe?
Y-Option is a podcast and newsletter that covers all angles of college football through the lens of the West Coast.
Hosted by award-winning analyst, Yogi Roth, Y-Option brings you inside the sport through conversations, observations, and stories from campuses coast to coast. From practice fields in March to Saturdays in the fall, this platform is built on access, relationships, and a deep curiosity for what makes teams, leaders, and players thrive.
College football is evolving in real time. Conferences are shifting. The business is changing. But the heartbeat of the game — development, competition, and connection — remains the same.
Y-Option lives at that intersection.
The best way to support Y-Option (and receive bonus podcasts and newsletters all year long) is to subscribe here on Substack. Here, you can get immediate access to our entire catalog of episodes, ranging from 2016 to today.
You can also find free episodes on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
What You’ll Get
As part of our community, you won’t miss a thing. Every new edition of our show and every subscriber-only show, will come right to your inbox and the Substack app. You’ll also get the chance to ask questions, join in chats, and more subscriber-only perks depending on the day.
In addition, you’ll get:
Perspective you won’t find on highlight shows
Real conversations with coaches, players, and leaders across the country.On-the-ground insight
Reporting from practice, production meetings, and game days through Yogi’s work with NBC Sports and Big Ten Network.The Process
A signature series exploring how great performers think, prepare, and lead alongside Rhett Lewis.Weekly reflections
Thoughtful takes that connect football to life, leadership, and family.A true community
Smart, respectful conversation with people who love the game deeply.+Surf reports from time to time
Why we exist
Y-Option was built on the belief that the best stories in college football don’t always happen under the brightest lights.
They happen in meeting rooms.
On practice fields.
In conversations about growth, pressure, identity, and purpose.
What started as a West Coast lens has grown into something bigger — a platform that travels the country to understand the game from the inside out, while still holding onto the curiosity, creativity, and perspective that defined its roots.
No hot takes. No yelling. Just honest storytelling and real insight.
About Y-Option
On August 4, 2023, college football on the West Coast was changed forever. Washington and Oregon announced their intentions to follow USC and UCLA to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State and Utah then proclaimed they would accompany Colorado to the Big 12. California and Stanford would soon set a path for the ACC, leaving Oregon State and Washington State to hold down the legacy of the 108-year-old conference. While playing apart, these schools will always be connected and Y-Option will be the common thread for these fans while also celebrating the entire footprint and offering a thoughtful and insightful lens on the biggest stories in college football.
Yogi Roth has been driven by the power of sports and story for over 20 years, as an on-air college football analyst for NBC Sports and Big Ten Network, as well as the creator and host of Y-Option.
Over the past 20+ years, he has built a career at the intersection of sport and storytelling—as a broadcaster, Elite 11 coach, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, and New York Times best-selling author. A former wide receiver at Pitt and coach at USC, his work is driven by a belief in development, relationships, and chasing what matters. To talk football, family, and storytelling, connect with him @YogiRoth.
Jim Thornby is an Emmy Award-winning television producer who has worked in sports media for over 25 years. After spending almost a decade with FOX Sports Net, he helped launch both MLB Network and Pac-12 Networks. He also spent three seasons overseeing football communications for the Pac-12 Conference. Follow Jim @jthornby.
