Speaker 1: Wait, what did you say?
Speaker 2: I said, shut up, Craig, what's up? Everybody?
Speaker 3: Welcome to It just means more football and coffee.
Speaker 2: I'm Rob Williams. He is craigmate Michael.
Speaker 3: You can find us on socials at Rob Williams, GCP
at mcmichah seven on all platforms and as always, remember
that we are part of College GRIDIRN Coast to Coast,
associated with last Word on college football, so you can
find us there.
Speaker 2: You can find Yards and Stripes. I would encourage you
to go back and listen.
Speaker 3: If you're able to catch the Navy Army game. I'll
say it that way at on Saturday. Go back and
listen back to those guys on Yards and Stripes. If
you're into schools that are in Florida, you have Florida
Football Insiders. We have the Big twelve coverage, we have
Get off my Pylon which covers West Coast teams, and
of course right here, as always, you have the greatest
conference in all of the culture, all the sec where it
just means more and for us it just means more
football and it just means more coffee. But you know what,
we've moved, We've shifted, baby, We like to keep it loose.
We like to create that diner vibe. But it's a
nine pm kick tonight for us. So I got a
little eggnog in my cup vanilla spice to be specifics up, Craig,
what you're sipping on?
Speaker 1: I have an Ice Mountain spring water and a Haul's
cough drop because we're a little cold going right now.
So it's just.
Speaker 2: The Ice Mountain spring water.
Speaker 3: He's drinking out of one of ths Like I know
you guys can't see us, but it's one of those
like stippy bottles, so if you hear him popping or
smacking on his bottle.
Speaker 1: So that's what it is.
Speaker 3: Hey, we are excited tonight because we have Mike from
the five Foot Nothing Pod with us representing Notre Dame
tonight because we are talking to playoff. You can find
him at five foot Nothing Pod on X that's the
number five and then spell but Nothing Pod, so you
can check him out there. We'll get into his show
and everything that he's covering in just a little bit.
But how's it going, Mike? What's going on tonight?
Speaker 4: Great?
Speaker 5: Enjoying the sights of Lake Havascou. If I know we're
not a travel podcast. I'm not, you're not, but if
you do have the opportunity to travel to Lake Havascoe,
I highly recommend it. Luckily I had a passenger with
me because I would have wrecked trying to take pictures
of all the million dollars views, so it made my
wife be on camera duty. But I'm doing great, man.
I have my rolling rock, cheers, two sippy cup of water.
Speaker 1: Well speak, speaking of which, speaking of which, that we
both could have a travel Poduh. We had a guy
come on Twitter tonight, section eight Rose seventy to seventy one.
He's got four tickets for Texas Clemson in Austin, two
hundred and fifty bucks. So I made my appeal on
the Twitter or x as the cool kids call it,
last word grid Iron Coast to coast, highly ask your
boys hook us up.
Speaker 2: Hey, we're ready to go. We're ready to go.
Speaker 1: Mike, you join us your games Friday night. You can
come and joy Joyce Saturday after dealing with us.
Speaker 5: And my hometown is Corpus Christi, which is roughly three
hours ish.
Speaker 4: From Austin, so it's not it's not a crazy drive.
Speaker 1: No, that's right, been there.
Speaker 3: I want to throw this out there really quick and
kind of get us started. We're going to look at
all these games, and I want to start with Indiana
and Notre Dame, especially because Mike is here.
Speaker 2: But before we get to.
Speaker 1: That, I can't.
Speaker 3: I can't blow past this because transfer portal is just
going nuts right now, as we kind of expected it to.
And Penn State backup quarterback Bo Privula is in the
portal and the statement released from Matt Zennitz less than
an hour ago, so this is pretty this is breaking news.
The statement from Pribula says this, the current NCAA postseason
model creates a challenge for student athletes. The overlapping college
football playoff and transfer portal timeline has forced me into
an impossible decision.
Speaker 2: His team is playing.
Speaker 3: He has played a role this year when aler has
been hurt, and he's been able to come in and
spell them and get them through. And now he's in
a situation where he understands that in order for him
to see the field and maximize his value, he needs
to get into the portal. But the but the window.
He feels like he's kind of forcing him now so
that he can go ahead and talk to teams. I
know there's a five day window to get into the
portal after your team loses if you're in the playoff,
So what for him? Okay, don't get ahead of yourself.
The picks are going to be at the end of
the show. So you saved that surprise for everybody else
with your with your pony hoodie on right now. Is
there a solution here that anybody has off the top
of their head to really solve this problem, because I
do see the problem. This is a Pennsylvania kid that's
got his playing for Penses's dream opportunity, and he's in
the portal.
Speaker 1: The dream opportunity. If you're leaving, I mean, it's me before,
it's it's me before we And let's be honest that
the kid was worth his salt. He would have no
problem running out the playoff and then using his five
day window and then leveraging that. Yeah, okay, I get
classes start in January. But if you're good enough, we've
seen this time and again. I mean, look at Caleb Downs.
What did he transfer in February from Alabama? By the
time but by the time it all went down, Georgia
had already started classes. Ohino State already started classes and
he had no problem getting going.
Speaker 4: My thing about it is, well, what real quick?
Speaker 1: To me?
Speaker 4: That says Aler.
Speaker 1: Staying like, yeah, yeah it does like that says that right,
But the.
Speaker 4: I don't want to make accusations.
Speaker 5: But having been through the Sam Hartman Roley Leonard thing,
there's no doubt.
Speaker 4: In my mind there's communication happening.
Speaker 1: No, not a, Notredain, not nore Dame.
Speaker 5: But I'm just in general, in general, there's communication happening
that I don't think having to wait till Penn State
is ultimately knocked out next weekend that they has to
uh then make a decision like that five day window
I think is fine. Right, I understand what he's saying,
but there's again Norman assumptions. But to me, that says,
I don't have a place to go because nobody's reaching
out to me.
Speaker 4: Because dude, Sam.
Speaker 5: Hartman was coming to Ordain before anything was ever said
by Leonard, was coming to Urdame before anything was said.
Cam Warden was going to Miami for everything, like whether
it's legal or not, there is communication that is getting loopholed.
And if probella is right, probella is that you say
it I don't.
Speaker 1: Have a media guy in front of me for not
gonna pronounce his name correctly.
Speaker 5: But it it to me that says like, Okay, well,
you're not having conversations that some of these other dudes
that have transferred or having because they were able to
play out their season regards to when it ended, it
still went to where yeah, feels like a one off,
and they've.
Speaker 1: Set it up.
Speaker 2: They've set it up for it to work. They've set
it up print to work.
Speaker 3: And I think that you're right when you say nobody's
reach out to me, so I need to get into
the portal so that I can make some moves before
everybody's full, and then they'll have a landing spot. I
think that's the situation here.
Speaker 1: Oh, Oklahoma's still open, but Oklahoma is still Oklahoma is
taking anyone who will show up. I mean they might
take the three of us. Let's be honest.
Speaker 3: Okay, you want to talk about that really quick while
we're here.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Oklahoma has like seventeen players in the portal. If
we go to take a look at it, they have
right now, it sounds like a Christmas list. Two quarterbacks,
two running back, six wide receivers, a tie it end
and two off into a line.
Speaker 3: Man, Wow, wow, it's good. Last week with the crying,
this week with the singing, it's going to be an ego.
Speaker 1: We're done with you. Yeah, but it's like, I mean,
you know, whether it's this Penn State kid, but like
you know, like this is the big thing of Oklahoma. Oh,
give Brent more time. He got a next time.
Speaker 3: I said that, let's be clear that those shots are
at me when you said, when you're making these sarcastic tones.
Speaker 1: There are shots at you, but they are also shots
at other friends of ours. But at the end of
the day he talks about how Seth Lachelle was the
problem and he fired him. Then he gets the kid
from Washington State to come in. But again, all these
guys are leaving, and like this is now the second
year in a row you have Brent Vennerables. Everybody's leaving,
very few are coming in. At what point can we
understand Brent Venerables probably isn't a head coach, is it?
Speaker 2: The defense needs to.
Speaker 1: Start probably passing the heck because it's not working. And
the question is does he have enough to pass around
the heat because maybe they're on il is not working
either well.
Speaker 3: They're gonna they're gonna give it another They're gonna give
it another year at this point, which I'm totally fine
with because we get them in the game, Cops get
them in Columbia next year.
Speaker 2: So I'll take they.
Speaker 4: Just beat them with twenty four to three, careful to
wish for it.
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, but we have them twenty one five minutes
into the game. So I think it's the I think
that his defense is really good and it's gonna be
good because the scheme is good. He's always been good.
He's and and he kind of the more the more
players that he gets, the better that's going to improve.
That was the major hump coming into the SEC. Could
they get the defense over because for what a couple
of decades, Oklahoma has been scoring one hundred points a
game and uh, maybe having trouble stopping people. That was
what the Lincoln Riley Oklahoma.
Speaker 1: That was the issue.
Speaker 3: They would get to the playoff, they couldn't stop anybody,
and they get into a shootout and YadA YadA. But
now it's kind of the tables have turn. It's split
in the other direction.
Speaker 5: Yeah, weren't they the team that lost fifty four to
forty eight in the playoffs to Georgia.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Georgia, they were up. They were up like fourteen
or seventeen. I know, I remember, and now there.
Speaker 5: Now, now, if they would score forty eight points, holy crap.
Speaker 1: They have to take six games to do that.
Speaker 3: Now, maybe a top five they'd be a top five team, exactly.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Okay, blame Seth the troll. It's all Seth, the
Trell's fault.
Speaker 3: It's not Seth, the Trull's fault. Seth, the troll is
not a fit. Never nevertheless, we digress. All right, let's.
Speaker 1: Diate Oklahoma, it's a fit.
Speaker 3: Trust in Indiana at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a
seven and a half point favorite. This is Friday night,
eight pm on ABC. Mike, Let's start out with this.
Here's my question. How do Notre Dame fans view the Hoosiers?
Is this because this is not feel like there's no
rivalry here. I mean, it's in state. You haven't played
since ninety one. I did the research. You've played seven
times nineteen fifty. Home teams won all seven. So that's
six and one another day in Indiana's last one was
in nineteen fifty in Bloomington. So this game is obviously
in South Bend. What's the viewpoint here?
Speaker 5: I mean, so in Indiana it's Notre Dame, then it's
Purdue in Indiana and whoever.
Speaker 1: Like Indiana's sleet?
Speaker 4: What's that?
Speaker 1: Indiana state?
Speaker 5: The Sycamores, you got, ball state, you got. But it's
just their little brother, right And what gets me, And
granted a lot of this has to do with Twitter
x whatever. I didn't know Indiana football had as many
fans as they do, and some of them don't like
being told, which I know this for a fact. They're
Indiana basketball fans in the spring and they're absolutely no
day football fans in the fall. That's the reality. And
I say that because I spent a couple of years
at Franklin College, Indiana, playing my own B three football,
which is just south of Indianapolis. A lot of dudes
there are from that area, and IU basketball and not
day football are a.
Speaker 4: Thing that are in the same person. So I don't
I think they're all of a sudden like, Okay, Indiana's good.
Speaker 5: We don't view them as a threat. It's that we
don't view them as a threat. I don't view them
as a threat this year?
Speaker 1: What about this year? Like so like, I think if
we look historically, Indiana wasn't a threat. Twenty twenty times
all in Indiana is a threat. But what Signette's doing
and you know he lost, he lost my fourteen to
Ohio State. They're only beat Michigan.
Speaker 4: They lost the fourteen Ohio State.
Speaker 5: Yes, and you're gonna get the people are all that
the drop punt and then Caleb Downs returned the punt.
That was special teams right if you take they had
two touchdown drives that totaled. I think it was I'm
trying to do the match. It was something like one
hundred and twenty one hundred and thirty yards of offense
and two touchdown drives.
Speaker 4: They had one hundred and fifty one for the game.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 5: Like we lost to Oha State by fourteen, looks great,
but then when you dive into the numbers, it's just
it's no impressive. You had two good drives, that's great.
If you have two good drives against Notre Dame, cool,
that's not gonna win you the football game. So have
your two good drives. Fact, even against the lesser teams,
Notre Dame has given up one significant drive in terms
of yardage and points. In almost every game, a lot
of them end up in a field goal, but they
put together a sixty seventy yard drive. So go ahead, Indiana,
go do it, but you're not gonna be able to
do it enough consistently against al Golden no names defense,
And I do think Notre Dame's rush offense is real
and Indiana they're gonna prop up their rushing defense. But
I did the math. I no math is not allowed,
but I'm gonna do it. They have yet to play
a team ranked higher than fifty five in rush offense,
and that was Ohio State of their eleven fbs ponents.
Because they did play one FCS. Of their eleven fbsponents,
the seven of them ranked one hundred or worse worse
in rush offense.
Speaker 4: The average rank for all the teams is one hundred
and first.
Speaker 5: So to think that their rush defense is gonna shut
down Notre Dame, which is a think. They're ranked eighth
in the country in rushing guards per game. Like something's
got to give, you know that, Well, they're rush defense,
good name, rush offense.
Speaker 4: Good, something's got to give.
Speaker 5: I'm gonna go to the team that has more talent
and has been productive all season. And you can knock
Louisville or USC or all these other teams, but I
think guard Name's opponent have A and M have been
a little more challenging and R name has succeeded.
Speaker 1: What was that thing in like? So what as you
look back at that USC game? That was that first
test really where Notre Dame really had to kind of
like got one out kind of and and go and
match scores? Was that playing in the West coast? You know,
did you do you have a censor? Is there anything
there that Signetti Indiana could look at and say maybe
we can replicate something like that that?
Speaker 5: So here's the thing the I say, yes, the path
offense potentially, but if again you look at the numbers
USC got all the they turn into sixty yards passing touchdowns,
thirty five points.
Speaker 4: Looks great.
Speaker 5: They threw the ball forty nine times, and if you're USC,
just based on talent and everything, if you're throwing the
ball forty nine times, you better be thrown for three to.
Speaker 4: Fifty plus and scoring points and et cetera.
Speaker 5: Right, I still think from an efficiency standpoint yards per
attempt standpoint, I don't think USC did anything that's over
the top. Now, Indiana is efficient in the past game.
They do get a lot of yards per attempts. They
can exploit that, but they're gonna have to really really
be efficient because again, I don't see Indiana's style of
play leading to forty nine passteps to get those numbers.
Speaker 1: And I think I think that that's kind of be
like the interesting part, right, because this is probably even
more than the SMU Penn State game, which we'll get
to next. And I don't want to jump the agenda
because unrav will get all angry, But like, to me,
this is that David Goliath game, right, And I love
that It's Friday night. By the way, here's a stat
for you, Mike. This is the first Friday night game
in South Bend since November thirtieth, nineteen hundred, when the
down the Chicago Physicians and surgeons. Chicago physicians insurgeons five
nothing shy.
Speaker 4: We dissected them right.
Speaker 1: Right, you dissected. I like that. I like that, so, like,
you know, I think that's gonna be interesting. Part is,
to me, the first ten minutes are going to tell
the game. Does does ND come out slow? Does Indiana
out the hair on fire or do they come out
does Indiana come out tight and they're roll over them?
Speaker 5: Well, here's where Indiana, like I said, go back to
the passing game. That's where they're gonna potentially have an advantage.
Here's the problem. Do you know the expected weather forecast
for Friday and Suthen there's currently a fifty five percent
chance of snow. Now, I'm not saying just bet that
negates any pass game, but it certainly doesn't help past game.
What it doesn't really hurt overall is a run game,
and I think that's that's what's gonna sway it towards
Notre Dame.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think for I think for me, it's like
on paper, you have two pretty good defenses. Again, I
would call him the question the schedules and like, who's
who's been played to create these great defenses? I agree
the kind of the two things that I'm watching are
the quarterbacks. To be honest, you know, can Roddy Lennard
be a true dual threat? Is he gonna threaten with
his legs and his arm? And the weather is definitely
gonna play a factor in that. Like you said, I
think it's great that we're gonna get a playoff. We're
getting weather in the playoffs, whether it's just cold weather
or we get the snow whatever.
Speaker 1: Hang, and you were telling me earlier this week that
it was like twenty five degrees in South Carolina. So
can we stop this narrative that it's like only cold
in the north.
Speaker 5: Well, I don't want to cut you off, but so
I on my show, I was breaking down the playoffs.
Speaker 4: You know who's hosting, and all this talk about.
Speaker 5: Oh man, all these southern teams, Yes, teams, you gotta
come up north.
Speaker 4: It's gonna devastate them. And da da da, dada da da.
Speaker 5: If you go through the matchups, the only one that's
even questionable in terms of uh oh is maybe the
shirt you're wearing an SMU. But even then I was
I was in Dallas for a New Year's just at
one point it was snowing.
Speaker 1: Yep.
Speaker 4: I was up in Dallas last year first week of February.
Speaker 5: We got iced in. We had to stay at the
hotel two days longer for a work event. So the
idea that SMU is, like, what are we gonna do,
It's like, well, they Dallas gets weather Tennessee.
Speaker 1: And let's be honest, does Freemen have them in are
a lot of this weekend. They're probably practicing indoors in Urlata.
They're probably not outside for the most part. They're getting
most of their work done indoors.
Speaker 4: I don't know, because.
Speaker 5: Riley, Leonard, Freeman, and Xavier Watts got interviewed to have
time of the Notre Dame women's basketball in Nordame, Connecticut,
and Leonard said, uh, we should be ready by Friday
because coach already said we got.
Speaker 4: To be ready for the cold.
Speaker 5: He made he made a little comment that I don't
know that they'll be there all right.
Speaker 3: I necessarily think that it's said, you know, these these
Southern teams are going to come up and it's going
to devastate them. I just like the fact that we're
going to have weather be a factor because we've never
really had that, because you're going to because you're going
because you've had you've had the Dome games or the
extremely Southern games where you know you're in Arizona or
California or Miami or whatever, where you're going to have
pretty decent weather for the most part.
Speaker 2: So I do think it's nice that we're going to
get some cold weather at.
Speaker 3: Least, because that feels a little more like like football
for sure. All that aside, like I said, I think
it's Riley Leonard.
Speaker 2: Can he be efficient in both in both dynamics?
Speaker 3: And then on the flip side, what does Rourton do
versus Notre Dame the secondary? And I will be the
first to raise my hand and say that I'm not
going to shy away from the fact that I've said
previously on the show that I think No Name secondary
is a little overrated. I do think they're good. I
don't think they're as good. I don't think they're as
good as maybe the hype around them is. And so
that I'm interested that we'll get to picks. We'll get
to picks in a minute, but I'm interested to see
what Rory can do. And I agree with Craig that
early in the game makes a difference because I think that, like,
we're in the playoffs at this point, so we don't
know what to expect because the first tell team playoff
that we've ever had. But if we know football at all,
we know that momentum is going to play a factor.
And it's a road game for Indiana. Can they come
in and kind of stun the crowd to get off
to a quick start.
Speaker 1: I think that.
Speaker 3: Happens in the passing game for them. If if there's
a path to victory there, that's what they're gonna do.
Speaker 4: That's what it is.
Speaker 5: So I want to address the Riley leonard Le dual
thread and Rory, but real quick, I don't like to
call out hosts.
Speaker 4: You invited me on I'm grateful.
Speaker 1: No, you can call them out. It's okay. I invited you.
I invited you.
Speaker 5: I find it funny that you're like, you know, Notre
Dame's secondary a little overrated?
Speaker 4: USC? Did they did that? And and I love.
Speaker 5: That you This is like I can't quote your verbatim,
but it was like Notre Dames secondary a little overrated
against USC.
Speaker 4: It was just those two picks sixes that really that
made the difference. You do realize how.
Speaker 1: What two pick six Yeah.
Speaker 4: There were, well, but I'm just saying, like, you can't
say Nor Dames secondary is overrated and then in the
next breath talk about pick sixes like it's you.
Speaker 2: See how those don't That's.
Speaker 1: The way.
Speaker 3: That How long has it been since No Dame has
had a pick station. You get two in one game.
It's kind of like, you know, there there is a
little bit of there's a little bit of luck in
there somewhere for them to be both pick sixes.
Speaker 2: Maybe not both picks. I'll give you two picks.
Speaker 1: Oh how the tables have turned?
Speaker 3: Who's yards of return? Return yards on two picks? Is
is obnoxious? And that just speaks to the lack of
physicality of the Trojans. And I don't have a dog
in that fight.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I agree, but Notreme has a lot of interceptions
on the year I do.
Speaker 1: I think they're really good.
Speaker 2: I think they're really good. I'm just not calling them
like the elite of the elite.
Speaker 4: And you're right, so uh, I do want to talk
to Leonard Wurk thing. But no, you're right the defensive statistics. Uh.
I'll be the first to.
Speaker 5: Admit, I know Craig and eyes interaction isn't as far
back as some other people. But if you get like
Casey on here, one of the reasons me and Casey
clicked and made friends so quickly is I try to
be as objective as possible.
Speaker 4: Yeah, still where the shan rock glasses?
Speaker 5: But like I'll admit Notre Dames Indiana's schedule have led
to some of those stats that you're looking at like,
that's let's not be ignorant of that fact.
Speaker 1: Ken Notre Dame claim an a SEC championship. No, because
the five teams are part time, it's okay. Now they
don't want to. They don't want to if they've made
anything clear.
Speaker 2: So they will nothing to do with these conferences.
Speaker 3: And the only way they're going to get in is
when Sankie forces them too, because they create a super league.
Speaker 2: And they have to join something to get into the playoffs.
Speaker 5: That's it, Rob and let until whoever the powers that
be are come in and say, Notre Dame unless you're
in a conference, you can't be a part of this
at all. Until that happens, you're not going to see
a change because there's there's no benefit. There's no benefit
And I've asked this and.
Speaker 3: There's way too much money what's going on right now?
Why would you switch it up if you have the
whole NBC to yourself.
Speaker 4: Well, and the funny thing is we don't even make
as much.
Speaker 5: If the big ten of the SEC, Notre Dame doesn't
make as much that they take home. But here's the difference.
We decide where that money goes and what we do
with it.
Speaker 1: There's the program, what's up the little cross program? Back
to back national champions that's where that money goes.
Speaker 4: Well, I'm just saying it can go anywhere we want.
Speaker 5: There's a lot of decision making that we don't have
to ask or refer to, or adhere to any other
outside influences or guidelines, et cetera. So that's that's the
benefit that I do find this funny. The coast to
coast schedule at Notre Dame has played for almost ever.
It feels like is being brought up, like why why
does the Big ten? Why does the ACC now have
to go from the East coast.
Speaker 4: To the west coast. That's not fair to the players,
like question, No. Dame's been doing it for years.
Speaker 1: They're not even buying an airport. They get it, like
what Chicago to fly out or any of that stuff.
Speaker 5: There's an airport in South Bend. I don't know that
you can get a chartered type.
Speaker 1: Of That's what I'm saying. But that's what I'm saying,
like football team, can you get a football tea?
Speaker 4: I don't think so I don't know the specifics on that, though.
Speaker 5: I need to start following a plane do.
Speaker 1: The plane tracker. Now, I'm I have to throw my
lacrosse love in there because I'm a big fan. I'm
a big fan of coach Corgan. Coach Corgan helped me
get get to the right spot when I came up
there for a clinic few years ago.
Speaker 4: So I love it.
Speaker 5: And if you see Jordan's face on Make a Play
on Friday Night, just know that he came to Notre
Dame because of lacrosse.
Speaker 1: I know, his little brothers, his little brothers coming to
I know.
Speaker 5: Okay, we're cutting rob out, Okay, Robard.
Speaker 1: Robert, are you okay, buddy? You know hug Wow, we're
really throwing it.
Speaker 3: We're really throwing it back at me this week after
we said that I was coming for last week. We're
gonna let Mike reply about his team that he came
on to talk about.
Speaker 5: So Leonard is one of the in Notre Dame history
better dual threats we've seen. And I say that now
because in the beginning of the year we had a
lot of questions about his passing ability and he's come
around so and that lot might have to do with
new new team, new receivers and for Not Dame in general,
new coordinator with Den Rock, but.
Speaker 4: Leonard does not like to be tackled.
Speaker 5: And when you're talking about whether being a factor, potentially,
the fact that Leonard can do what he does with
his legs, Jeremiah Love exists. Jerim Price is a powerful
and break it at any point in time. In fact,
Jerian Price, I don't know how many touchdowns he's got.
I can't think of on my head, but his average
depth of touchdown run is thirty plus yards. It's crazy.
So when you combine Leonard's ability, Love and Price, that
really makes Leonard even more valuable because you can't just
assume and lock in on him like you can another
running potential quarterback like J Mill wrote with Alabama.
Speaker 4: He he was kind of a big running threat and
they made him just to be a running threat. And
that's it.
Speaker 5: Leonard is the running threat, but so is Love. Legitimately,
so his Price, and he has ability to a little bit.
Isn't very mobile and you saw that against Ohio States.
That's the issue. Now Notre Dame is down on defensive
lineman to one position. We lost two guys to the.
Speaker 4: Same injury, but season any knee injury.
Speaker 5: But if we can create any kind of pocket pressure, pocket,
you know, turbulence, I don't see Rourke overcoming that successfully.
Whereas with Leonard you can send the house and he's
gotten better and more efficient passing. But if you try
to drop back and you cover everybody, he's very capable
of picking up the yardage needed to sustain and drives absolutely.
Speaker 1: I love that inst My question is going to be like,
as we think about picking this game, Notre Dame is
seven and a half point favorite. If Notre Dame wins
this one going away, and then as we start to
think about Penn State SMU the next day, if we
get a couple of blowouts, does that get the game?
Cock or my fellow co host the Rebels and miss
ill miss and Alabama starts saying, Indiana, maybe SMU didn't
you know, didn't deserve it. You know, you wonder about
about the narratives that come out.
Speaker 3: You know, I think there's absolutely no doubt about it
that's gonna happen.
Speaker 1: Yep. So like, okay, so, so do you want to
do PI? Do you want to do anything else? Mister host?
I don't know.
Speaker 3: I was gonna do it. I was gonna do them now.
By the way, Leonard has fourteen Russian touchdowns Love fifteen
Price seven to get your get your research out there.
Speaker 5: Of this seven, the average depth of those touchdown runs
is over thirty yards.
Speaker 4: He's that guy. Now.
Speaker 5: Granted he'll he'll go one, two, three, two forty seven.
Speaker 3: Pretty averages. He averages seven point three per carry in general.
Speaker 1: So and that's pretty.
Speaker 3: It's pretty good last time I checked.
Speaker 1: No, it is.
Speaker 4: It's great. It's just he's absolutely he's more boom than bus.
Speaker 5: But he is your kind of prototypical boomer bus style
running back where Jeremiah Love Uh. While he has the
big boom capability, you can count on him to get
a make a two yard game of four and a
half yard game and just get those extra yards, like
if you have the opportunity, if you haven't watched here
name this year, I know everybody's gonna be watching Friday night.
Of course it's the only game on.
Speaker 4: It's nothing.
Speaker 3: God, I told you that, Craig. When we started talking
about this, I was I was very efficient.
Speaker 1: Poke a little bit. I have to poke a little bit.
Speaker 5: Can I let me tell you a story about the
Peacock game this year, Right, So I went to Biloxi with.
Speaker 4: Your boy, my boy, Casey.
Speaker 5: We're down there and you were gonna sit in the
sports book and just watch college football day. Of course,
we placed bets whatever we got interest all over the board,
but we're gonna sit there and watch our teams play.
They they him and his other buddy of clebs and grads.
I'm a Notre Dame guy. Which the connection, by the way,
is my dad's a graduate.
Speaker 4: I decided to I wanted to play Division three football
and I didn't quite get in. But don't tell me.
Don't tell me if Indiana fans that.
Speaker 1: No.
Speaker 4: So We're sitting there in the sportsbook and I'm looking
on I'm like, okay, what I put on my phone?
I'm like, they're kicking off. Where the hell is the game?
So no one asked. They're like, well, I'm like, it's
on Peacock.
Speaker 5: Oh, we only have one screen that can do streaming services, Like, okay,
we'll put it on. Like, oh, it's over there in
the middle of the casino. I'm like, you're kidding me.
So here's me just sitting in the middle of a
casino with no one around, and they projected it onto
a I don't even I'm gonna say, fifteen foot screen.
I felt like the dumbest person on the planet. I'm
just sitting there yelling at this gigantic screen by myself,
with nobody around me because that's the only screen that
had it, and your phone because my phone is so small.
Speaker 3: But what game was box?
Speaker 1: I did the quad Box on my phone?
Speaker 5: No, I that's that's tough on the eyes. But I
will say about is the third quarter? I was I
just like, okay, I came to hang out my buddies
like this is so I just propped it up against
my beer and I washed.
Speaker 1: It that way. But is there any truth? Is there
any truth that is there? Is there any truth that
Casey may have paid the sports book to make you
go somewhere else in the bar so you didn't have
to sell them for a couple of hours.
Speaker 4: It was like doubt that I wouldn't doubt that.
Speaker 1: You know, all right, let's pick the game. Let's the
game are picking? Are we going with the spread? Or
we just? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Heck you ever going with the spread? The spread matters.
Speaker 1: Seven and a half points?
Speaker 3: I got not of name covers.
Speaker 1: I have the great team from Indiana, the Golden Domors.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think no name covers.
Speaker 3: I do. Wow, that was that was non competitive sight
straight across the.
Speaker 4: Board for for my health and my family who will
be in the room with me.
Speaker 5: I did place the bet, but I only have no
dream to win, just because I don't need the stress
of a cover.
Speaker 4: Yeah, infiltrating my enjoyment of the game.
Speaker 1: Maybe we'll get one of those pick sixes from that
average secondary. I did never average never came out of
my mouth.
Speaker 2: I said good, good, not elite, and this.
Speaker 1: Is the enemy of great good, is the enemy of great.
Speaker 3: Rob Well, yeah, because I think that there are there
are other people who would call them elite, and I
call that overrated. All right, we have We have three
more games to cover, SMU at Penn State, Penn States
and the eight and a half point favorite twelve o'clock
Saturday on tn T. Get out of here, talk about Peacock.
When the heck do we put these things on tn T.
At least it's an ESPN crew, Okay, info for this one.
SMU is the fourth ranked rushing defense and the twentieth
ranked total offense.
Speaker 2: We need to look at schedules for that one.
Speaker 3: As well, figure out who they've played to become the
fourth ranked rushing defense in the country. Penn State, on
the other hand, eight in points allowed and twenty fifth
in points scored. Looking at the opponents, I think on
both sides here muddies it up. Just to tad Penn
States face three ranked opponents this season. They're one and
two against those three opponents, and then smu IS only
faced one ranked opponent, and that would be Clemson. We
saw how that one needed with aint through the rights
zero and two. Are they still Are they still in there?
Speaker 1: I'm just.
Speaker 2: If they fell out.
Speaker 3: According to the College of All Playoffs Slation Committee, they
do not count. Oh my goodness, evalue So I did
hear Josh Payton going this rant about like us evaluating
ranked wins versus non ranked wins because what if all
of the other teams you played, What if you played
eleven teams? This was his argument. What if you played
the teams that were like twenty six through what would.
Speaker 2: It be thirty thirty six?
Speaker 3: Okay, six through thirty six thirty seven and that was
your whole schedule, and then another team played teams.
Speaker 1: You'd be not name because they'd be the team because no, no, no, no.
Speaker 3: But I'm saying you're the team that you were compared against,
played one top ten opponent and lost, and the other
ten games were like sixty through seventy streight ranked teams.
You see what I'm saying. Then then what we would
say is, well, this team played one ranked opponent and
this team played zero. Well they're the team that played
zero played much better competition overall. So it's it's really
muddy when you look at it that way. If you don't,
if you just look at the top twenty five, you
really have to look at where every team lines up,
where they stack up, the whole the whole thing.
Speaker 2: That's a really muddy argument.
Speaker 1: I get it.
Speaker 3: But like I'm just gonna make the statement that I
feel like, obviously Penn State schedule is weak. I mean,
SMU schedule is weak, and I don't think that Penn
States is the strongest, So the numbers are inflated. Is
kind of my argument here. I think the keys of
the game. I'll just kick it off and then toss
to you guys. You got Jennings, Kevin Jennings and Brishard
Smith are are it for SMU? So the quarterback is
playing really well, the running back is a machine? How
do they do against Penn State's defense? And then on
the flip side, what do we get outside of Tyler Warren?
But I think we know Tyler Warren's gonna get his touches?
Speaker 1: Is that?
Speaker 2: What else?
Speaker 3: What else is there do we get the did we
get an all Drew Aller wild turnover and timed?
Speaker 1: I think? I think, I think I think the game
hinges on Tyler Warren. Like to me, he's the biggest
playmaker out of the group.
Speaker 4: Is pretty decent too. Though, is it Singletary?
Speaker 1: It's Singleton, It's it's Singleton. But here's the deal. That
team replicates Shane's Franklin. Okay, they smashed the hell out
of Maryland.
Speaker 2: Last buckle up here comes with me, Dame James Rant.
Speaker 1: So they smashed the hell out of Maryland like the
last two weeks ago.
Speaker 3: Right, yeah, but like wow, Maryland, I know, but like.
Speaker 1: You know, it wasn't like September like like like Maryland's
good September and October August and like November that they're
they're they're awful. I just don't trust Franklin like he's whiny.
Speaker 2: The it's not a reason not to trust him. Must
talk about on the field.
Speaker 1: I am that. This is why though you're getting to it.
Twenty six, twenty five whatever that score was against Minnesota.
Minnesota was not good.
Speaker 2: And we called that.
Speaker 3: We did called that, right, he did, but I said
Minnesota would beat them.
Speaker 1: And we were disclosed. But like even earlier this year,
wasn't like Bowling Green up like twenty one to three
on thing st.
Speaker 5: Yeah, well so it's like but Bowling Green was investing
with them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so it's always it was only it's only a
touchdown game. They won the game thirty four to twenty seven.
Speaker 1: I know, but but like I think that's that's the thing,
is like the best.
Speaker 5: City team you wanted to talk about with Notre Dame
USC had three point the Penn State they.
Speaker 4: They crept down their leg and they let Penn State
back in it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and that's my my thing, Like mm hmm, Penn
State has they're the they're the Miami of the Big Ten.
Speaker 4: They keep playing with fire.
Speaker 5: They just haven't quite gotten burned yet.
Speaker 3: They raised it was loose to Oregon last week, right,
But I.
Speaker 1: Think what they do, Like I think, I think it's
fair to say Penn State will play to their competition whatever,
like like outside of that that that Maryland a couple
of weeks ago, Sure they played pretty even Ohio State. Yea,
they needed the other one that sticks out? But what
was your.
Speaker 4: Favorite offensive touchdown from Penn State in the high State game?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 3: That's funny, that's funny.
Speaker 1: But do you know how do you? I just like
this is but this is the problem. They're up ten
nothing in that game, and like this is that? This
is why, Like this is my rant against Franklin and
it's not new, But what has the team and what
has James actually done to inspire confidence that at noon
on Saturday it will be any different and that this
game will not come down to the very end? They
very very well. They win, They've got a nice line up,
they go and then they go Boise or is it
Arizona State? It's yeah, yeah, but that's like a nice
path to the Summis. Yeah, that's that's a path. How
do they land that? Look? But sometimes you're born on
third base, Like many coaches in the Big Ten.
Speaker 3: I think it's time for I was wrong as as
we flip every and talk about s m U. Craig
and I had an episode I don't even remember when
this was in the summer in the spring where we
viewed we previewed the potential of a super league when
the rumors really started to swirl and we started to
realize that, you know, this isn't happening immediately. At some
point or another, this NFL style Big ten SEC super league.
Speaker 2: Thing is going to happen.
Speaker 3: And so we we said, what what teams would it
look like?
Speaker 1: What teams would it.
Speaker 3: Take if we were to cut it down to sixty
four total teams and they do sixty team quarters that
would lead up to the final, Or what would it
like if we cut it all the way down to
forty eight and we had two twenty fourteen conferences that
would that would face off in the College for All
Super Bowl. What would that be Well to get down
to the sixty eight, we did an initial round of cuts,
and then we did a second round of cuts to
get to forty eight. The first team that I cut,
the very first team that I cut to get to
sixty four SMU And so here we are and it's
playoff time and their only loss of the year is
off of a miracle joinked in field golf by the
kicker at Clemson, and so I have to admit, I
have to admit.
Speaker 2: That I was wrong.
Speaker 3: And you know they they paid their own way. They
rett lastly did well in the portal. They benefit, they
benefited from what resembled their previous G five schedule in
terms of in terms of difficulty. And and here we
are right like they there they are one. They're one
loss team. They lost out in the championship game, and
so they clearly don't need to be cut when and
if this happens. However, I have no confidence in them
on Saturday or Friday night, Saturday noon.
Speaker 1: Last last Saturday, though, does show why you shouldn't have confidence,
because again Clemson raced out to a big lead.
Speaker 3: This is this game for me. As much as you
have talked about Penn State, and as much as you
don't like Franklin, as much as we call the mid
game James and all the things, this game has nothing
to do with Penn State, much like next week's game
we'll have nothing to do with Penn State.
Speaker 2: Has everything to do with their opponents.
Speaker 3: This game, I think they have enough and enough toughness
on the roster to roll.
Speaker 1: Through to the This game is what brings RUT last
year back to the SEC next year, next year is crazy, Craig,
if not this year.
Speaker 5: So Robert, you call the Penn State to win and
cover the eight and half or just win with what?
Speaker 1: Okay?
Speaker 3: Yeah, so let's go there. Thanks for us on track,
but thank you for keeping us on track.
Speaker 2: I think SMU.
Speaker 4: Covers, Okay, so do I?
Speaker 3: I think I think they cover, but I don't see
them winning the game.
Speaker 4: I can see SMU winning.
Speaker 5: But if again, if you're at a sportsbook, what do
you put I'll put my money on SMU to cover.
I don't know if they'll they'll win. I think it's
a real possibility. I just you know, I'm too familiar
with what James Franklin does without being a Penn State fan,
because I went through years.
Speaker 4: Of Brian Kelly and they are they are the same person.
Speaker 5: And what you were alluding to, Craig, was like James
Franklin had his team up against a team like Ohio State,
and then yes, like where where is that motivating aggression?
Like let's end this game pedal to the metal, Like
it's you see it over and over again, and LSU
is now enjoying those wonderful uh tendencies, So thank thank.
Speaker 4: You for that.
Speaker 5: But yes, the Penn State lack of let's get done
because get it done just it's very mid mid mid,
very mid. So I could absolutely see FMU winning this game.
But for purposes of what we're doing, SMU plus eight
and a half all the livelong day.
Speaker 1: So I'm not I'm not even taking SMU to cover.
You always have to watch that twelve five matchup in
the in the NCAA tournament. Now you have to watch
eleven five holding up man, we're going on to round two.
You're crazy preview of I was wrong right there versus Broncos.
Speaker 3: Let's go Clemson at Texas. Texas is minus eleven Saturday
at four pm on TNT. You're you're an info. Here
is that club. Nick's going home. He's from Westlake High
School in Austin, so I think he's pretty excited about that.
Had some conversations this week with some clebs, some people
watching the video. One of them was like, look at him,
he's so excited that he gets to go home. The
other one said, look at him, he knows the camera's
on and he's scared to death, and so he's just
making that face, all right, So we really don't know
how you feeling. You have former Clemson safety Andrew Maccooba
who starts at Texas. That's another connection in the game.
I think the thing that's that jumps off to me
here is that Dabbo gets a chance to legitimately play
the little old Clemson card that he hasn't had a
legitimate chance to play in a little in a while.
He built his name off of that card, and then
when they were actually elite, he was still playing that
tiny violin. Oh, it's just little a Clemson and here
we are and nobody believes in us, and that was
crap the whole everybody believed in them. Everybody knew that
they could win. Everybody knew that it was at the
highest level. He's definitely playing it now. He's getting the
boys motivated with that stuff right now. So I think
that I think that that's going to be a factor.
I think Texas's quarterback situation is huge here. We taught
this to death, but Arch needs a package. Okay, I've
fully flipped because of the matchup.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was not wrong. I was not wrong.
Speaker 3: It is still it is still Quinn's team.
Speaker 1: It is still Quinn's team from a matchup, they wouldn't
need a package for Arch. It's the matchup.
Speaker 2: Craig.
Speaker 3: I'm saying that it's his team in terms of his leadership,
and that's why I started. Doesn't fool him, That's what
he keeps saying.
Speaker 2: That's what.
Speaker 1: Four million dollars. Michigan State's going to pay yours four
million dollars not to go to the draft and come
to all So here's the deal, Rob and Quinn's team.
Speaker 3: But they need a package for Arch because Cson can't
handle a running quarterback and now will be a nightmare.
Speaker 1: Now listen, listen, Sarky has got it all drawn up,
spent on the grease board. DA was gonna wish that
Brent wasn't screwing up the portal out in Norman with
the portal. Texas is going to hammer Clemson, Texas. I
will repeat it again, is going to hammer from give
us a score?
Speaker 3: Didiction it says you're so confident?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Thirty one to ten? All right? Sorry case?
Speaker 3: Yeah, you see how he let him score a touchdown,
So it wasn't as bad as the Georgia score right thirty.
Speaker 1: One ten like, because what is what? What is Clemson's
record against the SEC this year? And two? And before
you start crying about Texas's schedule, mister host, all I
have to do is I have to look at the
college football or the I'm sorry, the SEC championship game
last week to see that Texas is legit. They played well.
I picked Texas to win the SEC Championship game.
Speaker 3: Craig, I understand they're legit. You don't have to convince me.
Speaker 1: No, but you were crying about and play anybody, but.
Speaker 4: Didn't play anybody.
Speaker 1: South Carolina needs to be in there.
Speaker 3: And you know I said that Georgia. I said that
georgia schedule is the hardest schedule. I said that we
should have been Georgia for having the most competition on
their schedule and making and making it through with the
record that they did.
Speaker 1: Continue. But at the end of the day, Texas. The
reason I feel ten points is fair. Quinn is probably
going to throw an interception because he just is liable
to turn the ball over in an opportune times.
Speaker 3: Well, both of these teams are top ten in creating
in creating turnovers, so I think that that is that's
cliche to say turnovers are a major key in a game,
But when you have two defenses that are top ten
in the country over the course of the year and
creating turnovers, then I think it's something that we need
to pay extra close attention to because that can really
swing momentum and cause the game to either blow out
or stay stay tight towards the end.
Speaker 1: But through the first half. Yeah, but again, I think
your key is to liquid with Texas did even a
couple of weeks ago down in College Station. They just
basically smothered and and strangled that Texas an and offense.
I think they did the same thing as clumpson. That's
why I think it's better receivers. I think has better receivers.
And that's the other thing that I have club that. Well,
he looked great against task Calne a couple of weeks ago.
He played really really well. But the thing that made.
Speaker 3: Yeah right, But the thing that made him look good
was that his receivers bawled out and when he threw
them fifty to fifty balls, they they they made They
made plays in impossible situations. There was one there was
one play in the beginning of the game where he's
the I think it was Westcoat absolutely blanketed and the
defender swipes the ball away and it just spell off
of the defender's hand perfectly where he was able.
Speaker 1: I mean, he's a great play by the receiver.
Speaker 3: But you don't get that all the time, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: So you're in the state.
Speaker 3: Of Texas, Mike, you tell us, uh, did the Longhorns
get it done to the tune of eleven points?
Speaker 5: I I don't think they win by eleven.
Speaker 1: He wants to say invited back to Biloxi. That's why
he's not saying that.
Speaker 4: No, it's not that.
Speaker 5: It's just that I look, I look at the the
A and m ut game that you just alluded to, Craig.
If Mike Elko had any type of creativity, A and
m would have scored a touchdown when they had more
than one chance at the goal line.
Speaker 1: So Jim so I and Clemson has a good defense.
Speaker 5: Texas has played plenty of close, low scoring games.
Speaker 4: Against good competition. I don't think Clemson is Georgia obviously
thirty four to three. I don't think, but I do
think Clemson is better than a and m so I
think that wins.
Speaker 5: I just the way the games have gone for both teams.
I see this just by default, not that it's it's
gonna be close.
Speaker 1: I guess.
Speaker 4: This is what I'm trying to get at, is.
Speaker 5: I think it's gonna be closed just because of the
way both teams play, and the end result will be
something like I don't know about thirty one to ten.
I would say more in the neighborhood of twenty four to.
Speaker 4: Seventeen. You know, maybe even thirteen, but thirteen's eleven. It's
a push.
Speaker 5: So I don't see either team getting well over twenty points,
and I think Texas wins barely getting to twenty points.
Speaker 1: I see it's another instance of like exactly what happened
Week one. You got a close first half and Texas
runs away with it a couple of you know, to
to and a half two and a half scores whatever
that mays be, Yeah, kind of runs it away.
Speaker 4: That's possible. I could see that happening.
Speaker 1: Plus, plus let's let's figure out like if we're gonna
look at most electric home field, and because I think
this is the underrated thing, no offense to Notre Dame,
no offense to the white out. I think UT is
going to be absolutely lit on Saturday afternoon for that game.
I wish that was the night game rather than going
to Columbus.
Speaker 4: You skipped Columbus. Was that on purpose or no?
Speaker 1: We're going to get there, But I think I think
there's too much internal strife to make that number one uh.
Speaker 5: From from that perspective, I I've never been to Derek
Darryl O k Royal inside, but outside the stadium, I've
never been in the game there. I just I don't
think UT fans are that ruckus, even though they're now
in the sea we have the Minister of Culture.
Speaker 3: Though they're kind of line and cheese.
Speaker 4: I think so too.
Speaker 5: They're more in line with a I'll be the first
tell you the Name's atmosphere is very spotty, like in
the stadium as a whole. They get pretty crazy for
a hot state, but you just have your pockets of
like I get nuts, but then there's a lot of
wine and cheese stuff going on. And I hope I
don't see that Friday night from Nordameside. But that's why
I see UT. I don't know that how big of
a home and advantage homefield advantage.
Speaker 4: It is, but I do think in this particular instance, you.
Speaker 5: Gotta get Dabbo some credit for having been there and
having accomplished what he's accomplished.
Speaker 4: As a head coach. So again, I do think Texas wins.
Speaker 5: I don't think it's that bad of a beatdown because
Dabo's Phil Dabo, and Thompson does have town roster.
Speaker 3: He's the most He's the most accomplished head coach and
active head coach in college football.
Speaker 4: What oh yeah, whatever, David retired, he's king for Kirby.
Speaker 1: Kirby's more way, more accomplished than Dabbo. Dabo's winning like
the Mickey Mouse Division every year.
Speaker 3: So have two national championships and then we have to
go to commerce championships next.
Speaker 2: It really make the argument, but we will.
Speaker 3: We will talk.
Speaker 1: About let's just not bring up the record. Let's bring
up the record Bama because that might also um am
I arguing for.
Speaker 3: Around now we have to evolve.
Speaker 4: I can't stand the SEC bias, this, that and the other.
Speaker 1: I can't you on the show. Then about.
Speaker 3: At the same because because despite a loss to a
middle tier MAC team, Notre Dame managed to make it
into the playoffs with a decently hot sea and we
need this.
Speaker 4: Thank you. It took us what almost an hour to
get to northern Illinois. Thank you.
Speaker 3: I feel like I feel like we're pasted it. I
feel like we're kind of passing this point. We just
have to we have to live in the world in
front of us, and that's that's why I'm not still
arguing to come on in the playoffs.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but what I was gonna say is like, if
you're looking Kirby versus Dabo, I think we anybody who
legitimately followed college football, you have to admit that winning
ACC as many times Dabo is done, isn't nearly as
accomplished as winning a ACC title.
Speaker 3: I mean, I would say you get an argument against
that on this show for sure?
Speaker 1: Can I say, can I say one more thing? One
more thing on this one? Mike, you said twenty four
thirteen to me at this point, So sure you said
twenty four to thirteen. Yeah, sir, that is not a
push because the line is eleven and a half. Dabbo
would cover a twenty.
Speaker 2: Five What book are you looking at though?
Speaker 1: ESPN? And then it moved yep, Well, you know, like
I listen I may not be the host, but I
appreciate facts here rob and try to get the most
up to date information.
Speaker 3: Okay, excuse me for locking it in earthier today when
I made this seat. All right, so I'm going to
take Texas to cover as well. Whether it's eleven or
eleven and a half, I think they went by fourteen.
I'm gonna go twenty seven thirteen. Let's move on to
Tennessee at Ohio State.
Speaker 1: SEC.
Speaker 3: Fans that are listening to this are offended because both
of you have referred to Texas as UT and the
longer standing UT in the SEC.
Speaker 1: We claim to have the true title there.
Speaker 3: Tennessee at Ohio State Ohio State seven and a half point
favorite Saturday at eight pm on ABC and ESPN. What
it's seven points? So that so that one moves too
since earlier today. Apparently that doesn't surprise me. I think
that stuff together, sir, I think that how much.
Speaker 4: Money are you putting on these games to move the line?
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm gonna fact I can either confirm or
deny any of this.
Speaker 3: I think this one is the most interesting, the most intriguing,
the one that gets my attention the most in terms
of potential for a great game, but also questions could
be a complete blowout because I think there's so many
moving parts in this one, and I do think Craig,
to your point, I think this one gets under a touchdown.
This is the only one that gets under a touchdown
before kickoff. In terms of the line, so High State
High State eighteenth in points per game, first in points allowed,
So from a defensive standpoint, they allow roughly one hundred
point yards yards per game on the ground, it's like
ninety six or ninety seven, so are around in there.
Tennessee is eight in points per game and fifth in
points allowed, So you got two really good defenses here.
I looked it up because I was really looking at
Dylan Sampson and we know that he's going to be
a major key in this game. And Tennessee rushes for
two hundred and thirty two yards per game, but on
average they also throw for two hundred and thirty And
that was kind of a happy accident that I found
that I got the passing stats when I was looking
at the rushing stats. The balance, the balance is crazy,
and I know that that's kind of offset by the
fact that Nico tossed it around against some lesser opponents
and probably boosted those numbers up a good bit.
Speaker 1: Yes, he did beat the Mount Tam.
Speaker 3: I'm like, however, what we saw, what we saw was
and we'll say this and say this and say this
over and over again. Is that against Bama that game
was closed. Tennessee won the game, but they could have
blown the doors off had he just hit the deep
shots that he had opened.
Speaker 1: And so obviously big against Georgia.
Speaker 3: Big key to the game here is can he connect
on things that are not short or even even you know,
middle tier throws. Can he hit the deep ball? Is
he gonna hit anything down the field? I don't think
he has to hit him all, but I think he
has to hit more more than more than one. He
has to hit more than one. And then obviously we
have Samson versus their high sight defense is the major
matchup here.
Speaker 1: So, so how did he do against Georgia? I'll sence,
you didn't answer my question because you were ignoring me.
Speaker 3: I was, I was finished. It's called finishing your sentence.
Speaker 1: To finish that. Yeah, in the so here's how here's
how we did twenty Actually, we broke this.
Speaker 3: We broke this down thoroughly after the game, we all
know go ahead, and like Mike.
Speaker 1: Mike may not have been paying attention, you know, Notre Dame.
Could have been playing like our sisters are the poor,
or you know.
Speaker 4: This, positions and dentists, surgeons.
Speaker 1: He could have been getting this checks, getting this cat scanned.
And I think it's because the only reason I bring
this up is I think Georgia and Ohio States defenses
are comparable in that in that game, Nico could not
hit a deep shot. Everything was a short crossing or out.
Everything was a short checkdown. He was twenty of thirty
three for one hundred and sixty seven, no touchdowns, no interceptions.
So like to me, this game begins and ends with
the quarterback, and Nico has not shown it when it
matters the most that he can pick apart a top
tier defense. And I think this is what has the
potential to say Ryan Day in Ohio State.
Speaker 4: That's and everything you guys are saying is right, like Rob.
Speaker 5: Hen't have to hit them all, but you know Hypel's
gonna take those shots, yep, and that it's funny like
the line being seven, I thought was like that seems
like a lot like that's a big number of Ohio
State Tennessee, right, I see the game being remotely pretty close. However,
if Nico's missing all of those deep shots, that can
easily flip the game heavily in Ohio State's favor because
Ohio State is very methodical with the offense with Will
Howard under center, so they're not going to take the
huge shots. But if they can just consistently move the ball,
and then Tennessee's coming back trying to take the big
shots fails and pops them three out out of their offense,
and I can see how it gets to seven or
bigger quickly. But at the same time, to Rob's point,
if he hits some of those all of a sudden,
it's it's a much different ballgame.
Speaker 1: And that's the key, is what I think you have,
though you have Chip Kelly, where the running game I
think is equal for both teams. The difference between these
two here is going to be Smith, Abuka and Tate
all averaging more than you know, twelve and a half
yards a reception, so they have that big playability. Where
again I think you know, both Chip and Josh Heipel
are going to be run and Ron Ron take that shot,
and I think what we've seen is is that Will
Howard is a little bit more accurate and Ken you know,
hit that deep ball. For whatever reason, they didn't do it,
you know a couple of weeks ago against Michigan and
what the game plan was, what was happening there. But
like it's at Ohio State receiving corps and their ability
to just turn it on and to make big place.
But again, even I go back to James Franklin. This year,
Ryan Day has done a lot of the same things.
There's been a lot of games this year where our
house state's kind of like yeah, you know, like the
Oregon game was good, but like there's a lot of
playing with your food. There's a lot of kind of
like rising and falling to the wrong rising and falling
to that competition.
Speaker 3: So it's like they clearly had the best roster in
the country. They went out and paid.
Speaker 1: For dollars legend and well that was New York said
it like an idiot did why did you make that?
Why would you make that announcement?
Speaker 2: Anyway, Sorry, we.
Speaker 4: Didn't they be Nebraska was twenty one seventeen or something
like that.
Speaker 1: Maybe four. It was tight, tight, and then that's not
impressive anymore, is it? No?
Speaker 3: And then obviously Michigan happened it wasn't impressive, then.
Speaker 5: Yeah, exactly, and it's yeah Ohio that's But That's what I'm
saying is if you saw the line and you put
in your head that well, Tennessee's gonna hit some deep shots.
Speaker 4: I've seen how steep play. How in the world is
the line seven? But I think this game is gonna
literally live and die on whether the Tennessee offense can
hit those shots that you know they're gonna try to take.
Speaker 5: Yeah, but Ohio State, I'm spacing on the defensive coordinator Knowles.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah.
Speaker 5: So if US three you're sitting nowhere near Columbus Ohio going, well,
Tennessee's gonna take some deep shots. I'd like to think
Jim Knowles knows they're gonna take some deep shots. So
I when they went by seven, I don't know, But
I do think Ohio State wins just because if you
can keep everything in front of you against Tennessee, you're
going to increase your odds. And I do think Ohio
State has a very efficient, controlled, methodical offense that it's
hard to totally stop.
Speaker 3: All right, So let's let's let's pick it. I'm gonna
give you one more piece of information before we pick it.
And I know we talked about this before, but this
has to play a factor. The high in Columbus, Ohio
on Saturday, it's thirty two degrees. The low for this
for this night game, it's fifteen, only a ten percent
chance of precipitation. But you're talking about an easy twenty
degrees with ten to fifteen mile prior wins.
Speaker 1: What it looks like.
Speaker 3: So but winschill is going to be in the teens.
How does that impact see if at all? Just throwing
it out there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, question, So that's Dylan Sampson versus question Sewn Jenkins.
Speaker 5: Then, right, because it's the weather obviously, Like again going
back to will the team who's visiting be affected? Just
in general, Tennessee gets weathered obviously, so that's a concern.
But from a throwing perspective, much like Notre Davergs Indiana,
who gets most hindered by that aspect? Now I would
take based on this year alone, I'd probably take Dylan
Sampson over Jenkins. However, However, I do think some of
that has to do with Nico's ability as a quarterback
and threat that allows Sampson to there's some more opportunities
that maybe Jenkins isn't getting.
Speaker 4: I still take Sampson.
Speaker 2: Well in twenty degrees.
Speaker 3: I'm looking at the kid from from Pennsylvania versus the
kid from Long Beach, California throwing the football, not Tennessee
versus Ohio State. I'm looking at where you're from, where
you grew up, what you're what you're built with.
Speaker 4: What'd you say, I knows from Pennsylvania.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's funny.
Speaker 4: Yeah, No, that's that's fair, that's true.
Speaker 5: That's where I think it creates a problem is and
I was talking to somebody just recently and talking about
no game Indiana and the weather, and they said, you know,
they've talked to a lot of quarterbacks. It would via
Twitter but X, but they talked a lot of quarterbacks.
They said, it's not the temperature or the fact that
it's snowing, it's.
Speaker 4: Wind yep and if there was good to be wind.
Speaker 5: In Columbus that that that just favors Ohio State. Even
though I would take Sampson over a jet can. Yeah,
a lot of what Tennessee does just so predicated on
the past game and the wind is again on top
of being from California, on top of you know how
many deep shots can you hit? Now we're going to
factor in wind yep. I don't know if we're are
we golfers or three of us? I play golf.
Speaker 1: You play golf not well, but I can hit a ball.
Speaker 4: But yeah, if you've played in wind you know exactly
that you can relate to a quarterback trying.
Speaker 1: Win.
Speaker 3: This is what Steve Spurry or Steve Sperry sence all
the time.
Speaker 1: Like Florida at South Carolina.
Speaker 3: Well, I think you said it at both if we're
Redskins or rain Snow. I don't think it was. It
may have been. It had to be the Redskins if
it was in Florida. But I don't know about Duke.
We go that far, but he said the exact same
thing that it wasn't. It wasn't for the precipitation.
Speaker 2: It wasn't.
Speaker 3: The temperature is completely the wind.
Speaker 1: Martin Bradwig took to win in two thousand and it
did not work for him against the Chicago bankers, all right.
Speaker 3: Piket Craig Tennessee, Ohio State seven Ohio State.
Speaker 1: Ohio State is impressive. I covered hand in the playoffs.
Ohio State is impressive against all teams not named Michigan.
And at the end of the day, I don't believe
in Nico. To be honest, I'm still not a believer
in Hypel Like I wanted to ask the question of like,
what does a hypel big win. Yes, he's beating Alabama twice,
but like, I just don't believe him, believe in him yet.
I just and and and it's I'm trying. It's not
my Georgia bias, righting. I just something just doesn't sit
right where it can fly. Yeah, so is also on
my mind too. So they cover the seven, yes, Mike.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I I don't want to say the exact same
thing Craig said, but yeah, I think high State covers
only because there's there's too many things that have to
go just right for Tennessee, where I feel like Ohio
State there's enough I guess certainty and certain things they
do that I'm just have more confidence and what they
do working versus what Tennessee needs to happen to make
it happen.
Speaker 4: And so I would take a high state to cover.
Speaker 3: All right, So let me set the scene for you.
It's late in the fourth quarter. Here we go Tennessee.
Tennessee punts high state fair catch on the twenty three
yard line. You get a Judkins run, kind of feels
like they're going to move the ball, and then they
decide to drop back and pass. James Pierce comes through
with the strip sack of Will Howard, late turnover. Tennessee
kicks a field goal to win the game. Twenty to seventeen.
That is my prediction, the upset of the weekend. Score
twenty to seventeen.
Speaker 1: Okay, I think you said twenty three. I was like,
field will worth six points now, sorry, twenty to seventeen.
That's where we're at, all right.
Speaker 3: So we've gone through them, we've broken them down, we've
analyzed them. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the last word,
as an ode to our writing platform, last Word on
college football. We want to talk for just a moment
about why the Bulls still matter because he and I'm
going to go on a little diet trip here and
then let you guys kind of chime in and comments.
Speaker 2: As fans of two teams that are in the playoff.
Speaker 3: I'll speak from the outside and say and just say
this number one. It's well known, it's been covered, it's
been talked about, it's been stated. Bowls are going nowhere.
They make way too much money. We don't want to
watch other things. Marshall, that's a different situation, thank you.
Speaker 4: That's who backed out right. Yes, remember who it was,
it was Marshall.
Speaker 3: Okay, they have twenty five plus in the portal, so
they are having trouble fielding a roster transfer. They were there,
they won their conference, and their coach left to go
to Southern miss that's the story. So internal internal issues
gotta be okay. So I think from an external perspective,
we know that the Bulls aren't going anywhere because of
the money, the money factor.
Speaker 2: They get way too many views.
Speaker 3: Some of them do a really good job of butts
and seats, some of them not so much. But I
thoroughly enjoyed watching Western Michigan in South Alabama last night
because football is football, and we only get so much
college football, and so I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna watch
as much of it. I'm gonna watch as much of
it as I can. And and the numbers prove themselves
that that's what's happening, and so the networks are making money,
and so we're gonna continue to have these bulls were
worth these teams. However, I do think that there's always
changes that can be made and that's a positive. We
could switch them things up. Uh, but I think bowls matter.
I think bowls matter for player development, and I think
balls matter. As we continue to see the transfer protal
and and NIL kind of level the playing field a
little bit, we've seen some more parody this year. We've
seen some team where we the statement the overarching theme
of the year is no elite teams where we look
at this playoff and it's it's really anybody's game except
for maybe s us but or Indiana's.
Speaker 2: But it's it's it's anybody it's anybody else's game. It's
anybody else's game.
Speaker 3: But Uh, that being said, you have all these teams
at the at the at the bowl level who need
to break through to the the next tier up. And
I think from a marketing standpoint, from a player development standpoint,
from a culture building standpoint, bowl practice, bowl experience is
a part of college football that is valuable within these programs,
and I think, at the heart of it, the things
that we love.
Speaker 1: The most about college football is tradition.
Speaker 3: If you go inside of if you go inside of
a stadium, it's the tradition. It's the years that have
been built, that have been forged within that stadium, the wins,
the losses together, the chance, the songs, the rituals, on
and on aga.
Speaker 2: And part of college football is bowl season.
Speaker 3: And so the balls still matter, question, the matter within
the fan base, and they and they matter to the networks.
So those are three check boxes and we're going to
continue to have both.
Speaker 1: Go ahead, Craig. So you give a coach some truth theorem,
it's not in the college football playoffs. Sure, do you
think they want to coach in a bull game or
do they want to get in the portal? Depends I'm
the coach, So it's either they want to win or
like they're just happy to be there. No, I think
that I think that there are plenty of coach.
Speaker 3: First of all, you can do both. It's being proven
all over the place right now. And secondly, I think that.
Speaker 1: I think the gas are probably coaching most of these
teams right now with the portal.
Speaker 3: I think that I think that some of these coaches
would prefer to coach ball then to go scout thousands
of players that have jumped into the portal so they
got in.
Speaker 1: So answer your question, here's the challenge. I don't know
about you guys. Those bowls, especially in January, first hit
differently when the semi final was on New Year's Eve.
They just kind of lost some of their luster, They
lost some of their appeal. And that's what I wonder
we have. We have college football playoff games coming up,
and let's be honest, they're inventory for ESPN. That's why
we have Capital One Bowl Week. They also give us
good ratings, so they're not going anywhere. And I think
that's why bulls matter. They give us inventory. Sure, there
are some some feel good stories, but Marshall has shown
us that they just don't mean as much anymore. That's
not true.
Speaker 3: So how kind of opt out of a Bowl in
the nineties because the ad didn't want to go play
it because he was more worried about exams.
Speaker 1: Since one started on line to take exams.
Speaker 5: That was thirty years ago, Notre Dame when I don't
even know what fifty years without playing in the Bowl,
and that was part of just the decision they made
is university like once the season's over, that's it. And
it came back when air procegion was that Notre Dame.
But look at last year, dude, sixty three to three
Georgia Florida State. That was everything to do with the
current climate in college football. Because I'm not saying Florida
State wins, but if they brought their full roster.
Speaker 1: They won, it would three to three, sixty three to ten,
maybe get out of here, which.
Speaker 5: By the way, not to go off off track too
much here, but that was a precursor for exactly what
you saw with the two and ten team extend. It
was the three points like that was outside of DJU
and a couple of transfers, that was the team they
were bringing to the next year because all of that
opted out were either going to transfer or going pro.
Speaker 4: So they weren't coming back to Florida State.
Speaker 1: So why are we were?
Speaker 4: But no, I look at that game as I just
use that in recent history of.
Speaker 5: The Bulls are losing some of the luster because you're
not getting the team. You know what you're getting, You're
getting the Holiday skeleton crew. You if if you ever
had a job where there's shift work. You're you're getting
the skeleton crew showing up with.
Speaker 1: Bowl games, you're getting with the what the work effort
is going to be this week before everyone goes down
holiday for two weeks.
Speaker 3: I think it depends. I think it depends.
Speaker 1: I think it has.
Speaker 3: I think we have an opportunity. I think we have
an opportunity for that to shift though. And and I
will credit Don and Shoulder and Travis Hunter and leading
the charge on shifting that narrative, and that they're going
to play. Most of that team is going to play.
You got I'll again speak to South Carolina. You got
the Citrus Bowl between two teams. There's one notable opt
out between South Carolina and Illinois, and it's noise leader receiver.
So I think that from year to year we have
an opportunity to shift that narrative. I think that it
was media types who don't really watch football who wanted
to get clicks because they they wanted to create a
narrative where you know, the big bad sport is out
to hurt these young men so that they could, you know,
just put money in their own pocket because they're getting
traffic on their articles. Started the conversation of quote unquote
meaningless bowl games, and then enough people caught onto it,
they got into players ears, and they just and then
and then it became a norm that the bowl games
are quote unquote meaningless. There are players who are gonna
who are gonna play during this moost season. They are
going to draftically improve their draft stock. So for some guys,
everything's on the line.
Speaker 1: I want to I saw, Okay, So when we do
the draft thing in April, yep, I would like a
list of three players that improve their draft stock because
of what they did in I'll have it ready for you.
Speaker 4: Well, I saw. I'll say two things. One Craig said
at the beginning of the show, it's me me vers
we or be over we?
Speaker 1: And is it me or is a week?
Speaker 4: Yep, Yeah, that's okay, that's what it was.
Speaker 5: So the other thing I'll say again is cruggling back
to Notre Dame, because that's why I'm here, Jalen Smith,
does that name mean anything to either of you?
Speaker 1: Two towards towards knee in the bowl game and was
going to be a high round pick, and that ended
up being like a thirty or fourth round pick. Look
at that this is NCC guy. Now he's now he's
a Notre Dame guy. Went from Big twelve guy last
week to Notre Dame guy this week. There you go,
but happy So yeah, welcome to Craig.
Speaker 2: You have no family and no conference in supports you.
Speaker 5: He went from a probably top fifteen pick to getting
his knee absolutely destroyed against.
Speaker 4: Ohio State in the Fiesta Ball.
Speaker 5: Now it's the Fiesta bawl, but it wasn't even I'm
not saying it's meaningless. But in the grands game of
can you win a national championship? Does this lead to
anything grandy more grand than winning the Fiesta Ball? No
pas First of all, Nigus torah as his long road
to recovery. Cowboys take a chance on him because Jerry
Jones is a moron. Not that he drafted Jalen Smith.
That's more of an offshoot of Jerry Jones not knowing
what he's doing.
Speaker 4: But Jalen Smith still had a road to recovery. Eventually
played some.
Speaker 5: Did things in the NFL that a lot of people
don't get the opportunity to do successfully.
Speaker 4: But that injury really changed his entire career trajectory, career earnings,
et cetera.
Speaker 1: So that.
Speaker 5: That plays a part too, where there's we're all side
with the player going me over, we like, are are
you about to be a top fifteen pick and make
how many millions upon millions of dollars?
Speaker 1: Travis shouldn't be playing Jackson Dart should not be playing.
Speaker 5: I agree, that's what that's what we say. I get
you were talking about Colorado and Dion and stuff. That
is cool and if you can sell the spotlight aspect
of it, Hey, so many people are going to be
tuning in because it's bull Mania capitol in Bollmania and
we did we did our our confidence picks and everybody's
gonna be watching because of that.
Speaker 4: But at the same time, is that worth one play
that we all know? What what I'm what I'm saying
when I say that one play?
Speaker 1: Yep?
Speaker 3: I mean I think I'll push back and say I
just think it speaks volumes about the players love for
the game, and I think we've lost it because if
it really is the.
Speaker 1: Coaches love for the game, where's Rich Rodriguez's love for
the game? After you know, Jacksonville State's going to a
bowl game and now he's in West Virginia. But where's
the coaches love for the game?
Speaker 2: But why structure?
Speaker 1: That's because the structure of the calendar.
Speaker 3: That's because of the structure of the calendar. He still
loves the game. He still loves the game. He's just
been hired. If the NFL came in, if the Cowboy
came in and drafted Jackson Dark today, then obviously he's
not playing in the game.
Speaker 2: But that's not how the calendar works.
Speaker 3: You still have one more opportunity with your guys to
go out there and win, to get back on the field. Last.
Speaker 1: It's the last opportunity, but the school has already hired him.
Speaker 3: Craig so poo West Virginia. That's what we did, like
they have to make their move. That's not how it's
because the NFL's calendar works better than anybody else's because
the people that set up college football in every aspect
are idiots. They don't have the calendar right, they don't
have to playoff. Right do you want to My computer's
on six percent and we've been on here for an
hour and forty minutes.
Speaker 1: You really want to start this diatribe that I have
about the freaking committee and then check in check in
early early, early this week, Rob and I will be
back with a special bonus SEC Bowl episode to prove
that it just means more, and we will break down
every one of your SEC Bowl games and we will
not talk about Notre Dame. Sorry, Mike, what a save
from the co host.
Speaker 3: Hey, thanks to Mike from five but Nothing Pod. Make
sure you go give him a follow on x at
the number five foot Nothing Pod and make sure you
check him out, go listen to a show. He's going
to be looking forward to having a bunch of new
listeners tuning in after Notre Dame's big win against Indiana
on Saturday, we all agreed there. It's the only place
where we agreed across the board. So let's not screw
that one up and land in the I Was Wrong
segment next week, right, Mike, Hey, thanks a lot again
for coming on. Congrats to you guys on the baseball
wins this week, and thank you. I'm glad that you
have enjoyed some travels and safe travels back to Texas.
Thanks again for being here with us night. It was
a great conversation. We appreciate you.
Speaker 5: Yeah, anybody out there, if you listening, DM me I'm
very conversational, I'm open to it. If you listen to
my show after about the first fifteen minutes is straight
Notre Dame. I do cover some college football, much like tonight,
but it does go Notre Dame pretty heavy.
Speaker 4: So if you like that, let's let's.
Speaker 1: Go and we can all agree Rudy was off sides. Bye.
M m hmmmm mm hmm