Alabama Defeats Oklahoma INSTANT REACTION | Alabama-Indiana EARLY Preview | CFP First-Round Results

Summary

Cover 3 College Football Podcast Episode Summary

Episode: Alabama Defeats Oklahoma INSTANT REACTION | Alabama-Indiana EARLY Preview | CFP First-Round Results
Date: December 20, 2025
Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Bud Elliott

Episode Overview

In this instant reaction episode, the Cover 3 crew break down Alabama’s dramatic rally to defeat Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff (CFP) first round, coming back from a 17-0 deficit to win 34-24. They dissect turning points, analyze player performances, assess coaching decisions, and set the stage for Alabama’s upcoming Rose Bowl quarterfinal against Indiana. The hosts also take a hard look at Oklahoma’s collapse, examine its future, and debate the College Football Playoff landscape as it stands.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Alabama’s Comeback Victory Over Oklahoma

• Initial Setting:

  • Alabama fell behind 17-0 early, leading to “roses on Bama's grave” talk among fans (03:17).
  • The Tide answered with 24 unanswered points, ultimately outscoring Oklahoma 34-7 from that point on.

• Turning Points:

  • Critical Drop:

    • Fornelli highlights a pivotal missed catch by Xavier Robinson.

      “There's the one moment in this game that I wonder if Xavier Robinson catches a ball that hits him in the hands, is this a very different outcome?” (06:32)

    • If completed, it could have led to a 24-0 Oklahoma lead, but instead, momentum swung to Alabama, especially after a muffed punt by OU.

  • Alabama’s Grit:

    • Fornelli applauds the Tide’s resilience:

      “A lot of teams getting down 17 to nothing... might just pack it up... They took advantage of mistakes, put points on the board, worked their way back.” (07:20)

    • Ty Simpson’s improvement at QB after a shaky first half is credited as key to the rally.

  • Defensive Adjustments:

    • Bud Elliott praises Bama’s defensive plan in the second half:

      “…I thought Oklahoma might have something for them coming out in the second half, but they just didn't have another answer for what Alabama was doing to them defensively.” (10:05)

• Notable Stat:

  • Alabama’s rare explosive run:

    “30 yard run, which was only the second time all damn season Alabama has had a 30 yard run. Let that sink in...” (07:20)

2. Analysis of Player Performances

• Alabama Heroes:

  • Lottie Brooks, WR:
    • Chip Patterson raves:

      “Throwing his body on the line, big plays left and right... finishes as the team's leader with five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns.” (13:56)

  • Ty Simpson, QB:
    • Recovered from “happy feet” in first half to make critical throws, including a “dime” to Isaiah Horton (15:30).
  • Defensive Standouts:
    • Tim Keenan’s recovery of Oklahoma’s muffed punt was a key momentum swing.

• Oklahoma Standouts & Struggles:

  • John Matier, QB:

    • Bud notes limitations:

      “As a drop back quarterback, poor at best. Great runner. Pretty good thrower off play action… They’re just limited in drop back passing game.” (10:05)

    • His miscommunication on a pick-six proved costly.

  • Dion Burks, WR:

    • Fornelli calls it a silver lining:

      “Tonight he looked like the guy I was kind of expecting that he would be for the Sooners.” (22:33)

  • Special Teams Meltdown:

    • Oklahoma’s special teams “were awful” with missed field goals and a muffed punt, including “the best kicker in the country missing a 36-yarder” (17:41).

• Other Talking Points:

  • Disappointment in Ryan Williams’s performances (“one of the biggest disappointments of the season” – 19:52).
  • Emergence of other Bama receivers and the rotating depth, pointing to strong recruiting and development.

3. Strategic and Statistical Breakdown

• Oklahoma’s Hot Start and Rapid Decline:

  • Despite outgaining Bama by 100+ yards and better success rates, “a muffed punt and a pick six” torpedoed their chances (10:05, 21:47).
  • The coaching staff’s play calling gets praise, but execution and mistakes proved fatal.

• Alabama’s Resilience:

  • The defense’s halftime adjustments neutralized Oklahoma’s attack.
  • Ty Simpson’s willingness to trust his receivers (“starting to take one on ones”) made an impact.

4. Postmortem: Oklahoma’s Missed Opportunity and What's Next

• Can Oklahoma “Run It Back” with John Matier?

  • Debate over whether Matier is the answer at QB for 2026 or if portal options (like Brendan Sorsby) are better (30:04–33:54).
  • Consensus: Matier’s value in the system may exceed what’s available in the portal, barring a clear upgrade.

• Program Trajectory:

  • Despite postseason disappointment, reaching the CFP is framed as a success, considering preseason expectations (“win total was 7”) (34:21).
  • Venables’ culture and staff development get positive reviews, but he’s likened to Gus Malzahn—“never far from the hot seat” due to sometimes inconsistent offense (36:03–37:19).
  • Oklahoma’s season is overall a step forward (“you can't not be happy with the year” – 34:37).

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Early Preview: Alabama vs. Indiana (Rose Bowl Quarterfinal)

• Alabama’s Key Adjustments Needed:

  • Better offensive line play:

    “What does Alabama have to do to be able to bring the fight to the Hoosiers?... Better block.” (38:57)

  • Ty Simpson “needs to be much more poised in the pocket” and trust his receivers versus Indiana’s “do-everything” disguised coverages (39:00–40:01).
  • On defense, Bama “has to tackle much better than tonight.”

• Indiana’s Unique Challenge:

  • Indiana is “a lot less sloppy than Oklahoma... they won’t give it to you, you have to go out and take it.” (40:01)
  • “Nobody runs on Indiana at all this year” (41:09).
  • Indiana’s offense, led by Fernando Mendoza, is described as the best passing attack Bama will have seen—the panel struggles to identify a better passing QB Bama has faced all year (44:04).

• Line and Prediction:

  • Expecting a “six and a half” to “maybe seven” point spread, but hosts question whether Bama “can get away with the kind of stuff [they] got away with tonight against Indiana,” with Chip predicting “this is about where Alabama’s playoff run stops” (42:53–45:40).

• Coaching Ties:

  • Storylines about mutual familiarity: “all these coaches know their way around the buildings”—Kalen DeBoer (Bama HC) was once Indiana’s OC, Kane Wommack (Bama DC) was IU’s DC (42:23).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Game’s Turn:

  “If Xavier Robinson catches that ball, I feel like this game goes a very different direction... Instead he didn’t, and I think you have to give Alabama a whole hell of a lot of credit...”
  — Tom Fornelli (07:20)

• On Ty Simpson’s Growth:

  “That man had happy feet... But he finally got himself calmed down in the second half and started to resemble the guy we saw earlier this season.”
  — Tom Fornelli (07:20)

• On Alabama’s Juice:

  “Alabama, from the vibes department, lacked juice... Lottie Brooks... might have single-handedly brought those intangibles.”
  — Chip Patterson (13:56)

• On Oklahoma’s Special Teams:

  “How awful Oklahoma special teams were.”
  — Tom Fornelli (17:39)

• On Quarterback Decisions for OU:

  “There are guys in the portal right now I do think are better [than John Matier], it’s just, can you get out of that and fire the money cannon at it again?”
  — Tom Fornelli (30:55)

• On Playoff Success vs. Hot Seat:

  “I don't know if Brent Venables will ever be that far away from the hot seat.”
  — Chip Patterson (35:43)

• On the Bizarre State of the CFP:

  “Can we just talk about how we're talking about a playoff game... in which the Indiana Hoosiers are a touchdown favorite?”
  — Tom Fornelli (49:22)

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Important Timestamps

• [03:17] - Game instant reaction begins
• [06:32] - The pivotal Robinson drop and potential momentum shift
• [07:20] - Ty Simpson’s rough start and turnaround
• [10:05] - Oklahoma’s plan/Alabama’s defensive adjustments
• [13:56] - Lottie Brooks’ impact and intangibles for Bama
• [17:39] - Special teams breakdown for Oklahoma
• [19:52] - Discussion of Ryan Williams’ struggles
• [21:47] - How the box score doesn’t match the result
• [30:04] - Should Oklahoma stick with Matier at QB next year?
• [34:21] - Reviewing Oklahoma’s season in context; is it a success?
• [38:57] - Early Alabama-Indiana preview: key issues and strategies
• [42:44] - The coaching ties and Rose Bowl narrative
• [44:04] - Is Indiana the best QB/WR corps Alabama will face?
• [45:40] - Early gut predictions—can Alabama pull an upset over Indiana?

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Tone and Takeaways

• The episode is fast-paced, conversational, and richly analytical—combining inside jokes, sharp tactical evaluation, and genuine surprise at 2025’s unlikely playoff landscape.
• The hosts are energized: equal parts celebratory of high-level football and incredulous at the unfolding chaos in the sport.
• Despite disappointment for Oklahoma, there is respect for their growth; Alabama’s win is lauded as a gritty escape but the next round is framed as an uphill battle.

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For fans who missed the episode:
This summary captures all major insights, key game moments, and sets the emotional and tactical tenor of the discussion heading into the CFP quarterfinals—with Indiana as a rare favorite and Alabama, usually the perennial powerhouse, positioned as underdogs.

Transcript

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[Podcast Host Intro]

Welcome back to the COVID 3 podcast with your hosts Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Danny Cannell and Bud Elliott. It's your call for the best college football coverage from national signing day to the national championship and everything in between. CBS Sports presents the COVID 3PO.

[Chip Patterson]

And welcome back to the COVID 3 podcast here on CBS Sports. That's Tom Fornelli, that's Bud Elliott. I'm Chip Patterson coming to you live on YouTube.com cover3 and everywhere. Get your podcast on demand. Thanks for hanging out. Smash that subscribe, smash that like and come and join us in the chat. Aka the COVID 3 tailgate where they I mean, I love, love that the tailgate always gets the conversation going early. The question is, and I need to go back to audit this, how early? Like were were they in the tailgate? Just throwing roses on Bama's grave. Were they in the tailgate? Photoshopping Kaylin DeBoer in Michigan colors. Because I tell you what, at 17 0, boy, we thought we had it all figured out. But no, Alabama rolls back with 24 unanswered points in total. It ends up being a 34 to 7 outscoring the rest of the way, the Alabama Crimson Tide advance in the College Football Playoff. Here we go, real fast, right off the dome. First Alabama College Football Playoff win since.

[Tom Fornelli]

Not 20.

[Chip Patterson]

I don't know when 21 semis against Cincinnati before they went on to lose to Georgia in the championship game. So I mean, look at that.

[Tom Fornelli]

Beat a P4 team. Way to go, guys.

[Chip Patterson]

First, first College Football Playoff win against a power conference opponent since winning the national championship five years ago. Whoa. Lots to be able to break down. Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna spend a little bit of time, just talk about the game, the football of it all. We don't have that many instant reaction shows left or we can just talk about the football. So we're going to enjoy that because this is our podcast. That's one of the things we like to do. But we are also going to do the things that we need to do for business purposes and and also answer your questions, including, well, what Is the line for Indiana and Alabama? What is it going to look like? What are going to be the matchup factors? A way too early preview of the Rose bowl quarterfinal between the Hoosiers and the Crimson Tide. And then also maybe a little bit of a. A debrief, a post mortem on the Oklahoma Sooners. So in a wild ride of a game complete with, I mean, an unbelievable. It's. Tom, I think it, in so many ways it lines up where we had the disjointed nature of the game with the Oklahoma start, the. The Alabama comeback, like all the different ways the Sooners messed it up the rest of the way. We also had unbelievable drops and one of the best catches of the year. This game had it all. Where. Where do you want to start sort of unfurling this one? What's on the top of your mind as again there we got post game conversations going on right now. It's 11:46pm Eastern Time. Game just went final. Where. Where do you want to start with this one, Tom.

[Tom Fornelli]

Do if. No, go ahead, bud.

[Bud Elliott]

You know, we all have in common with Oklahoma tonight, boys, we forgot our buttons. No, no, no turnover buttons. No. No buttons of any kind. It's got nothing to press, y'.

[Tom Fornelli]

All. All right. There's the one moment in this game that I wonder if Xavier Robinson catches a ball that hits him in the hands, is this a very different outcome? Because Oklahoma was dominating the game at that point. And Matier and like I saw some people criticizing him for not running and taking the first down on that third down. But I'm sorry, he threw a ball, a beautiful ball downfield to a wide open receiver that hit his receiver in the hands and he dropped it. And that would have been a first down at least, and it probably would have been a touchdown. We're probably looking at a 24 nothing Oklahoma lead.

[Chip Patterson]

Was that the one where he evaded pressure and Robinson rolled out to his left? Yeah. He like it snuck behind the defense. It was wide.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, yeah. And he drops it and then Oklahoma muffs the punt and then it just sets everything like immediately downhill. If Xavier Robinson catches that ball, I feel like this game goes a very different direction. But he didn't. And I think you have to give Alabama a whole hell of a lot of credit because a lot of teams getting down 17 to nothing on the road in a playoff game against that defense, particularly with how poorly they were playing in the first part of that game, might just pack it up, especially coming off of how terrible they looked against Georgia. Then you Throw in. The way they started against this game, we've seen plenty of teams just quit and say, all right, well, we're just done here. Let's go start our off season. They took advantage of some mistakes. They put points on the board, they worked their way back into the game. And I mean, Ty Simpson in the second half looked like a completely different player. And I joked on Twitter because there was one play where he overthrew somebody by a good five, six feet. And I says, well, at least Ty Simpson was poised in the pocket before firing two yards over his target's head there. Because, I mean, in the first half, that man had happy feet. He was dancing all over the place. He was anticipating pressure that wasn't even there. He was just assuming he was going to be there and moving away from it. And he looked awful. But he finally got himself calmed down in the second half and started to resemble the guy we saw earlier this season who was playing very well. And then just defensively, Alabama's defense figured things out. They even had a semblance of a run game. Like it wasn't a great performance from them on the ground, but they did have a 30 yard run, which was only the second time all damn season Alabama has had a 30 yard run. Let that sink in for a minute, folks. So just an incredible comeback. I think that if you're an Alabama fan, you have to feel like you completely stole one here tonight. And if you're an Oklahoma fan, I don't think. I think you feel like you just got hit by a bus. You have no idea what the hell just happened. You thought 50 Cent had come and saved you and then. No, he didn't.

[Bud Elliott]

Did you know 50 Cent, like, not that he was going to come out. Did you know they were playing mini men in the third quarter? Like, I never thought to associate that song. Oklahoma, great song, but like, I mean, I think everybody. Some kind of Toby Keith banger or something, maybe.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't.

[Chip Patterson]

Well, everyone's got a third quarter song now, so.

[Bud Elliott]

You know, I think Norman, Oklahoma, though, I do think 50 Cent.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, no, the, the joke about 50 Cent performing here is that Oklahoma is only good for one quarter. Get it?

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, got it. 50 Cent came at the 75 mark of the game.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we, we got, we. We got all of, all the jokes there. But, but what's, what's really sticking out to you besides apparently the, the turnover thing, which, you know, I mean, look.

[Bud Elliott]

This is a hat on. Okay, so one team out gained the other by a significant margin. Better success rate by, by a good margin. Had a turnover on a punt play and had a pick six. A month ago that team was Oklahoma in Tuscalooa. Tonight it was Bama in Norman. I mean obviously Bamo was you know like outgated by a lot more in Tuscaloosa. But still like those plays in, in a day where neither offense is great like have such great magnitude to it. Like, like those are just so important and they really do, you know, flip a game. I, I thought Arbuckle called a great game for ou man. Like I, I watched that first like 20 minutes or so and I was like he needs to be cutting a check to Gus Malzahn. Because they are running a really similar like, like plan literally down to the formations motions. A lot of the same plays that Malzahn hit Bama with early in that game what four months ago now in Tallahassee. You know Mater as a drop back quarterback is, is poor at best. He's a great runner. He's pretty good thrower off play action when he doesn't have to sit back and read the stuff. Like dropping back like with no play action doesn't really throw the ball in the middle of the field. They almost never challenged that. Bama left it wide open many times. He actually did hit it one time to. Was it Burks there? I think late but like a great throw. And I thought honestly because Bama had to kind of empty the clip with defensive adjustments towards the end of the first half that Oklahoma might have something for them coming out of the second half despite all the turnovers and just craziness that happened to them over the final eight minutes of the first half. And it looked like they just didn't have another answer for the most part for what Alabama was doing to them defensively, which I thought was a great plan. Like if you're Oklahoma I'd run that same plan back. Like I thought that was really nice. I mean receivers for the most part for them made some good plays. I thought Matier scrambling like did a great job evading pressure. I mean I know some of its own fault like not getting rid of the ball and like you know, but some of it's Zoe line, he's got freshman playing on there. I thought they played hard and just like they're just limited in drop back passing game so when they get to third long it's kind of like run around and make something happen because you're not hitting it within structure and on time very much. You know. Like I, I liked the plan I, I don't think Oklahoma did a lot of stuff wrong. You do see Matier on the pick six. So before the play he's doing this to the receiver. Right. There's a little chop on the palm move. And then on the replay they show him kind of yelling at the guy when he's on the bench saying, hey, I gave you this. Right. I don't know if the receiver looks back. I don't, like, I don't know what that adjustment is, but I chop it off the route.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Like give it. Given that he did it before the snap and it resulted in pick six, he was pretty emphatic, like, hey, dude, I gave you this, you know, after. I'm guessing that's some kind of missed call or like miss signal there.

[Chip Patterson]

So that would be to tell the receiver to chop it off and turn, which is why he wasn't looking. And Brown's able to jump it.

[Bud Elliott]

That's my best guess. That would make sense, right? I mean we're not, we don't have their calls, but yeah, it's some kind.

[Chip Patterson]

Of edibles as yours, bud. It's okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

We can take.

[Bud Elliott]

Right? Oh my gosh. And I, I thought the Boar and Ryan Grubb had good answers too. Yeah, ultimately, like they. Early on they were getting lit up. I thought, I thought Oklahoma had their snap count a couple times. I mean like they were, it wasn't all sides. They just did a great job anticipating the count.

[Tom Fornelli]

Right.

[Bud Elliott]

And Bama did a good job. I thought of varying that over maybe the final, what, 40 minutes of the ball game and moved the ball some. Like that was, that was quality. Like it was an exciting game. It was a super well played game. But it was, it was fun.

[Chip Patterson]

Very fun. I, I agree with that. Not super well played. Very fun game. Enjoyed watching it. Like solid college football game. I thought that Alabama from the vibes department lacked juice. Just didn't, didn't have a lot of like pop and you know who brought it and might have like single handedly like brought those intangibles. Lottie Brooks.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh my God. Like throwing his body on the line, big plays left and right. And it was all after he got ragdolled on that return. You know, I mean this is the, the freshman just. It's like, yeah, maybe you should fair catch that one next time. But then he just continues to just spin out of broken tackles, come up with big plays, finishes as the team's leader with five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Obviously the second touchdown was huge, but I Thought the first one and just sort of his play along the way was, I mean just, just a little bit of a wake up call. And then all of a sudden Tim Keenan, who's one of your team leaders, kind of the heartbeat of that defense. He's the one that falls on the muffed punt. This thing started to, to really build in a way that I think gave Alabama some belief. You know, they needed breaks here too to be able to get their, their own energy back. Because I, I don't know, I'm. Again, we're sitting here at our houses, but I don't know if y' all saw it the same way. As I was trying to take the temperature, I was like, oh God. I guess it wasn't just a 170 deficit. Alabama just didn't look like they, they looked like the same dead team that we had seen for the last four games. So you know, against FBS opponents obviously. But shout out to Lottie Brooks. One of my game balls obviously going to him. He was huge in this game.

[Bud Elliott]

I also thought Simpson was starting to take one on ones down the field in a way we have not seen him take in a couple weeks. Like some of those guys aren't really like open open. He's just.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Right now the, the ball to Horton is an absolute dime. Like that's like he stepped into it. He ripped it. That was great. But some of these, he was just. Hey, they're. They're overplaying our, our bunch sets over here. We're going to go ahead and just throw it. Like what's our best option? Okay. Like their corners are good, but they're not like first rounders. We have pretty good receivers. Like shoot, you know. Jeremy, you're only help.

[Tom Fornelli]

Go get it.

[Bud Elliott]

And he did. It was. Yeah, Tom's exactly right.

[Chip Patterson]

Justin Jefferson was one. We were, you know, there were a couple players that we had. We knew LT Overton was going to miss. There were a couple of players that we were at least curious about. Jam Miller played in this game. Didn't think it was a great game for Jam Miller.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, I mean, well, he had 11 yards on seven carries.

[Bud Elliott]

So what was your favorite yard?

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. Then. And they were trying to get him going on a few of those. There's the one little like pitch to him. We're throwing Proctor and everybody else else out I think to the left side and trying to like clear some space to get him going downhill. But yeah, he just, he. Whatever. I don't. The motor wasn't there.

[Tom Fornelli]

There was the one play early where they handed off to him and it was like, just like a simple counter and he got hit behind the line of scrimmage. And the way he went down, I just kind of thought he's not feeling good at all, like. And he continued to play for most of the rest of the game, but it was just early on I was like, okay, he's. Because I saw before the game like Holly Rowe was doing something about some special brace he was wearing. And I was like, it looked like what Forrest Gump wore. And I was just, I saw that in the pregame.

[Chip Patterson]

Alabama love the album.

[Tom Fornelli]

I know. I'm saying Alabama is at the forefront of bulky looking braces that I just don't have a whole hell of a lot of confidence in. And when I saw him take that first hit and the way he went down, I was just kind of like, okay, he's not going to be there tonight.

[Chip Patterson]

Jefferson played. I don't have a real grade for him. I haven't. But I thought that obviously Brown was another player, got nicked up in the SEC championship game, had one of the biggest plays of the game, you know, so a couple, couple of those Alabama players showed up in a big way. What else? What else? Oh, I, I've got a, I've got an answer, but I'd love to ask a question. What else surprised you about this game?

[Tom Fornelli]

How awful Oklahoma special teams were.

[Chip Patterson]

I was gonna just say the, the best kicker in the country missing a 36 yarder and after hitting what, a 51 yarder early so he finishes one for three because he missed the, the second one, the third one late. That one was, that one was not expected. Didn't have that on my bingo card for this one.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, I've been calling them crimson and cream. Iowa and their special teams just completely abandoned them tonight.

[Chip Patterson]

What about you, Bud?

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, that, that was clearly like the punter dropping the snap is, well, kind of dropped the snap just like dropping the ball. That was surprising for sure. I, I thought like the variety of AM's run game in the second half, like, they just, they had a lot in their bag they could go to. It wasn't amazing, but like, they did pop a couple. Like, like, like Tom said, they got some good movement against a really good Oklahoma front. Like, like as the game wore on. That did surprise me because like they've been, they've been moving nobody for about a month in a run game. Like that's been, that's been real Simpson, like settling in and like not drifting back on his throws. After getting popped a lot early, like that was a bit surprising. I was like, oh man, I don't know if he's actually going to settle down. But they, they got him settled down in the face of, of quite a bit of pressure. You know, they started to go a little more empty, which I think shows a lot of trust in him, you know, to handle all the different stuff. But maybe the intent there was to spread ou out, make them declare like where they're blitzing from on, on certain down the distance. I, that surprised me a little bit. What else here?

[Chip Patterson]

I, I mean, where was Ryan Williams dropping balls?

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, if, let's be real, if you're Ty Simpson, do you trust Ryan Williams? Like, if I'm looking for somebody that I need to make complete a pass, is that the guy I'm looking for? Like, there was the one sack he took that I don't think he ever would have gotten to. But like I saw like, like, oh man, Ryan Williams is open, wide open down the middle. It's like, okay, so he would have dropped it if he made the throw. Instead he took the sack and the clock kept running. So it was, you know, better off that way. I mean, let's be honest about Ryan Williams, guys. He's not been good for about two years now.

[Chip Patterson]

Whoa.

[Bud Elliott]

Two calendar years.

[Tom Fornelli]

Two calendar. I mean, he was the Georgia game. He's had 100 yard games.

[Chip Patterson]

It was like the first six games. I see what you're saying, like going all the way back to about middle of last season. I agree. Okay. I've. I had, I had on my notepad Ryan Williams, one of the biggest disappointments of the season, based on our expectations coming into the year to what has been delivered. But when you've got Lottie Brooks stepping up, you know, when you've got Jeremy Bernard making pro throw catch, like pro throw catches out there, you know, when you've got, I thought Isaiah Horton, you know, at a pretty good game.

[Tom Fornelli]

So they've got four better options in the passing game.

[Chip Patterson]

We did not do an emergency podcast. Richard Marcus Shepard, but he was the wide receiver coach who's helped, you know, get a lot of these, a lot of these guys up. He's the new head coach at Oregon State, so he's done good work there. Also, here's another one off the top you mentioned. First, only the second was it 20 plus yard run of the season, 30 plus, 30 plus first since week two. Do you remember who they played in week two?

[Tom Fornelli]

It was the week after Florida State, so I'm guessing it was a cupcakey kind of game, right?

[Chip Patterson]

It was.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

It was a 73. 0 win against Ulm.

[Tom Fornelli]

There we go.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay, so here. Here are the list of the 30 yard, 30 plus yard runs for the Alabama Crimson Tides so far this season. In a 73. 0 win against Ulm and on the road in the college football playoff against Brett Venables. Oklahoma defense. Sure, why not? Before we start to spin this ahead for both of these teams, what else is on the notepad from. From the game in terms of what we saw.

[Bud Elliott]

If you just gone blind. Resume. And you told me that Oklahoma outgained Bama by 100 yards and Bama went 2 of 12 on third down. If we had to guess how Bama won it, this is basically how it had to play out, right? Like just the magnitude. But also like the early scoring teams weren't driving it that well. They kind of like Bama's punter was awful early. Yeah. Oklahoma had the ball like what, at the. At the -41, 42. Two or three drives to start. And then Bama gets great field position. Second half, like they kind of moved it a little bit better, even though it was like. Like lower scoring just because the field vision wasn't quite as egregious.

[Tom Fornelli]

Silver lining or consolation prize? I was happy for Dion Burks. I mean, I know he had the good game against Michigan earlier this year, but I feel like that was his best game since coming to Oklahoma. That was a guy who two years ago was really good at Purdue, transferred to Oklahoma. We talked about him last year, how he was going to be a big deal for them and he was banged up. He missed a ton of time. Just never really got into the flow there. Had and had good. He had a good season, but he wasn't really the guy I was expecting him to be. And tonight he looked like the guy I was kind of expecting that he would be for the Sooners.

[Bud Elliott]

So my buddy.

[Tom Fornelli]

Point.

[Bud Elliott]

My buddy who's in coaching is like, do you run it back with our buckle or. Sorry, sorry. My buddy who's in college coach is like, do you run it back with mater.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, hold that.

[Bud Elliott]

Okay.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay. Yeah, I. I think that's a.

[Bud Elliott]

That's a. I'll read you what he text. I was like, yeah, that's.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

There is a lot of. From this game. Like, remember what we were right. You know, And I don't think an Oklahoma fan necessarily wants to hear this, but Alabama did not have a first down in this game until the 928 mark of the second quarter, you had 20 minutes of football where Alabama did not move the sticks. I mean, to your point, another thing, like, I didn't make any declarative statements, so I couldn't get freezing cold take tier. But as I was just sort of like building my notes from the game, I did, I said, you know, like, Ben Arbuckle had a great first couple drives. I don't think they have a good running game, but there were a couple of times where I was like, man, there's a lot of space there. You know, like, it was a good job of versatility, staying balanced. I mean, you could take those first 18 minutes. That's. Oklahoma might be a. Might be a team that can win a couple games in this. Instead, they are. They are going home. And that because they were imperfect, because they were flawed, when the game flipped, they didn't have a response. So I don't have a. I don't have a big read on Oklahoma beyond that, but it's. You couldn't. Couldn't get a hold of this game. The mistakes ended up being too costly. Couple like the. There was an unsportsman cond. There was a late hit. Like there were a few other, you know, breaks along the way that were a little bit tough.

[Bud Elliott]

The silo interference.

[Chip Patterson]

That the one on Alabama?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, Yeah. I was like, oh, okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

I. I will say that was a Big Ten crew and it was a Big Ten crew that I've mentioned on this show a couple of times. One of them was an Illinois game. And I will just say I was surprised that crew was working a playoff game.

[Chip Patterson]

Was it the Illinois USC game?

[Tom Fornelli]

No, it was the Illinois Wisconsin game. It's Con Knippel's uncle is the.

[Chip Patterson]

Is the referee in a Hornets legend.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I'm just saying that crew. I've seen that crew in many a different game this year. I do watch a lot of Big Ten football and I'm always kind of surprised by some of the calls that I see made or not made when they're calling a game.

[Chip Patterson]

Cover three tailgates telling me Jake Paul just got KO J. Paul Joshua Jake Paul Joshua fight results highlights 1600 ceiling. Consider me stunned.

[Tom Fornelli]

Can't wait until Jake Paul's fighting. PFT Commenter Next Only on Netflix. Congrats on the deal, guys.

[Chip Patterson]

Coming up on the other side, an early look ahead to Alabama, Indiana and what's next for Oklahoma. We'll start with Bud's burning question and more next.

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[Chip Patterson]

Back here on the COVID 3 podcast. Let's go ahead and do that. What's next for Oklahoma side of this because the Sooners are headed home. Congratulations, you got back to the College Football Playoff. Brett Venables in that sense has been able to put the kind of like high watermark to what has been, you know, 6 and 7, 10 win season. 6 and 710 win season. But I think making the playoff even in 12 team era gives a little bit of legitimacy there. But what next? How do they move forward? Because they still, despite all of those College Football Playoff appearances, have zero College Football Playoff wins. And that includes also I had forgotten this one, that they led by 17 against Georgia in the Rose bowl and blew a 17 point lead in that game before, you know, they got beat, you know, not as handily in the second half. And beyond that one went to what, double overtime, at least single overtime, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Rewatch. It's been a minute.

[Tom Fornelli]

You watch a lot of football.

[Chip Patterson]

Georgia, Oklahoma, Rose bowl was a pretty good one. I'll, I'll throw that one back on. But, but why don't you, why don't you bring us back to, to your friend and let's, let's unpack this one. Has, has John Matier, has he solidified himself as Oklahoma's immediate future for 2026?

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, this is kind of a wild question to ask given this guy was the Heisman favorite in week two or week three or whatever, whatever that week that was. He goes, he's like late. Like all credit to Bama. You know, plays adjustments, talked about awesome. Oklahoma's defense is, you know, hard to stop Simpson when he's making NFL throws out there because won't be easy. But man, Oklahoma at home with the 170 lead, Arbuckle calling a great game and your QB just can't get you home. Can they run it back with him? Really? I mean, and I guess the question is like, what are your expectations for next year? You know, like there's a lot of good quarterbacks in the transfer portal who can throw and can read a defense. I don't know, maybe he's their guy. Like they do lose some office, you know, but still should be a pretty damn good team.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't know what the situation is with like his quote unquote contract. Yeah, I can't imagine it'd be hard to get out of considering you can't have one. But just, I mean there are guys in the portal right now I do think are better. It's just, can you get out of that and then go fire the money cannon at it again? Because that's not a cheap position. You know what I mean? So like, I, I would rather have Brendan Source be than John Mateer.

[Bud Elliott]

How many quarterbacks in the current similar.

[Tom Fornelli]

Styles, but I'd rather have Sourceby.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, agreed. How many quarterbacks currently in the portal win this game for Oklahoma tonight or currently expected to enter the portal? Like, is Josh Hoover guaranteed?

[Tom Fornelli]

I, I, no, no. Josh Hoover's just as turnover prone as anybody. I mean, I don't know if they would win the game with Mater. It's just I, I think that over.

[Bud Elliott]

I think, I'm not saying they have to dump him. I just, I thought I'd bring it up that like, you know a guy who I know is a good coach watching this game, he's like, this guy's missing so much stuff.

[Tom Fornelli]

But honestly, Sourceby's the only one in the portal that I really feel.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I don't like, I, I would rather I, especially when you consider the institutional knowledge, the fact that he was there, the fact that the relationship with Arbuckle, the, the one that I was going to pull not for shock value but just to prove a point on how I would rather run it back is like, I, I wouldn't kick him to the curb for DJ Lagway.

[Bud Elliott]

No, no, not, not like you saw like more signs that like was going to progress.

[Tom Fornelli]

I just, I think Ryan in the chat has the correct answer.

[Bud Elliott]

What?

[Tom Fornelli]

Just take that money and invest it in your offensive line instead.

[Bud Elliott]

See, I think they're going to be good there. I mean, you, you played.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Like, no, no, those guys are going to get better. I would assume that's.

[Chip Patterson]

But I'm with you. I was going through, looking at the roster going into this and I was like, damn, you know what I mean? Obviously matier and berks. But it, it's not a transfer heavy roster. No, it is a roster that has been built with some pretty good recruiting. This is year four of Brent Venables. I think the talent on the roster says that they've got a pretty decent operation going. Player development obviously is the other part of this and getting the job done by the time when you get to game time. But they played one of the toughest schedules in the country. They won 10 games, they made the College Football Playoff and they had limitations. They've got areas where they need to improve, no doubt. But I would, for, for the record, if we're just, you know, throwing it down, I would run it back from a tier versus telling him to kick rocks and then having to go fire the money. Money cannon at 20, 25, 26 prices on the CA. On the players that are in the. In the portal of that caliber.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, we don't know what he's making, so. Yeah, that, that's, that's fair.

[Chip Patterson]

Does Sam Levitt win this game?

[Tom Fornelli]

Maybe?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I think so.

[Tom Fornelli]

Sam's gonna make mistakes, too. It's. That's the thing. There's no quarterback in the portal. I mean, there's a lot of big names in the portal. John Mateer was a big name in the portal just a year ago. They all have flaws.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. What else about the. The sort of Oklahoma does it. Do you think that Oklahoma can walk away from this, agreeing with this, with the sentiment or the notion that this has been a successful season, that you can feel proud about this?

[Bud Elliott]

Absolutely.

[Tom Fornelli]

Hell yeah. 10 and 3 getting to the playoff, sure, it sucks blowing a 17 to nothing lead at home in a playoff game, but overall, especially with like the teams that you played, the teams that you were able to beat during the regular season, I mean, yeah, you got blown out by Texas. That sucks. You blow a 170 lead to Alabama. That sucks. Like, the losses sucked.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, but honestly, Ole Miss, too.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, like, but it's an Ole Miss team that lost one game and is in the playoff. Yeah, but it's just considering where we were a year ago, if you're Oklahoma and what you got and what you were hoping for this year and looking at that schedule, getting to the playoff, man, I. It sucks the way it ended, but you can't not be happy with the year.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, you were. What was your Preseason win total?

[Chip Patterson]

7.

[Bud Elliott]

What if things had not gone well? Like, you're either firing Venables and having to start over right now, I think they're. They've got a decent thing going there. Or you're like going into next season with a ton of pressure on the guy. Like, now it's like, all right, you feel like you've done a really good job.

[Chip Patterson]

I don't know if Brent Venables will ever be that far away from the hot seat.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, not when you're off. I think I feel like any coach when your offense is that inconsistent and looks that ugly at times, you're always going to be on the hot seat because fans do forgive you when you put. You make the scoreboard go bling bling.

[Chip Patterson]

I did. The. The coach I was thinking of does not match that description. But tell me if you agree with this. I was going to put him in a Gus Malzahn trajectory. Did Gus. Dude, in eight years.

[Bud Elliott]

Gus was there a long time, but like Brent's an OU guy, right? Or kind of, you know, Kansas State guy, but he was there a long time under Bob, you know.

[Chip Patterson]

Because I was just remembering Gus was always one year away from the hot seat, right? And then he'd win and then he'd get off and then he'd like win and then he'd get off and it was always just kind of a, you know, every other year we'd be talking about, oh, you know, he's got to win now. Now he's got to win.

[Bud Elliott]

I do think those guys play with like great heart. Like, they're really tough. They, they. I think there's some culture stuff that maybe Gus's Auburn teams didn't consistently have year to year as far as like how hard you play.

[Chip Patterson]

I saw KJ Henry popped off on Twitter. They, they showed the clip of him. I, I forgot which player he was laying into, but he was just laying into. And KJ Henry retweeted the video. He said, that man scared me into being a good football player. I'll ride.

[Tom Fornelli]

That's awesome.

[Chip Patterson]

And by the way, K.J. henry, right, Bud was like a five star prospect, right?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

K.J. henry admitting, like, I had all of the talent, but I needed Brent Venables to get my head on straight so that I could be the player that I could possibly be. So I think, for the record, I think Brett Venables is a good football coach. It was. There were reasons to doubt him. He was being pegged and pigeonholed as a lifelong coordinator. He got an unbelievable opportunity in unique circumstances when Oklahoma had to hire a coach and it wasn't planning to have to hire a coach after four years with what he's delivered. Has it been disjointed? Yes. But I do think the path ahead shows, shows good positive signs coming off of this season.

[Tom Fornelli]

No doubt.

[Chip Patterson]

Real blue chip ratio game coming up. Is the Rose Bowl a safety issue? Bud Elliott.

[Bud Elliott]

It might be.

[Chip Patterson]

Do we not have enough?

[Bud Elliott]

We might need the best.

[Chip Patterson]

Do we. Might we not have enough blue chips for the Indiana Hoosiers? For. I mean, there's too many.

[Bud Elliott]

We lost the blue chip ratio team tonight.

[Chip Patterson]

So. Indiana will play the number one seed, Indiana Hoosiers, the juggernauts of college football. The bluest of blue bloods, Indiana Hoosiers will play the upstart plucky Underdogs from the 8, 9 game, the Alabama Crimson Tide in the rose bowl on January 1st. What does Alabama need to. Now I'm going to be serious Alabama did not play a perfect game, as we've detailed extensively. What does Alabama have to do to be able to bring the fight to the Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl?

[Tom Fornelli]

Better block. We saw. Yeah, we saw early tonight. They were struggling to block Oklahoma. They figured that out. Keep that going. Ty Simpson needs to. Or at least he needs to be helped figure. The one thing that Indiana does that is very, very effective defensively is they can do everything. And they do do everything. Like, they get into different formations, they bring blitzes from different spots, and they hide everything very, very well before the snap. And a lot of teams have trouble figuring it out. And you've only got. I mean, you've got the extra time to figure it out, so you're going to be able to watch a lot of tapes. So you're gonna have to figure out your blocking schemes and get everything lined up up front. And Ty Simpson is going to have to be much more poised in the pocket. We need to see the second half Ty Simpson, and we also need to see the guy who trusts his receivers because, like, I love d' Angelo Ponce. D' Angelo Pons is a very good player. D' Angelo Ponce is five' nine. So if you see him in man on man downfield, you're gonna have to trust your guy to go up and get it over him like we saw tonight. So do that on offense and then on defense. Tackle a lot better than you tackled tonight.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, 100%. Like, Indiana is a lot less sloppy than Oklahoma is. Like, they won't give it to you. Like, you have to go out and take it. Like, oh, you gave them some of the game tonight. Right now, I think they will face less pass pressure, like, less line of scrimmage pressure on their O line in that game than they did from Oklahoma. I think Oklahoma's front is better than Indiana's front.

[Chip Patterson]

And the Stephen Daly injury.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, that hurts.

[Tom Fornelli]

Hurts. Yep.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, because they already had. Oh, shoot. Now I'm blanking on the name because it was like, 10 weeks ago when.

[Tom Fornelli]

The guy went down.

[Bud Elliott]

But, like, they already had, like, Daly was supposed to be their. Like, their number three rusher, and then the other guy went down.

[Chip Patterson]

He's part of, like, the band of misfits.

[Tom Fornelli]

Right?

[Bud Elliott]

Well, why is the other guy went down?

[Tom Fornelli]

Excuse me.

[Bud Elliott]

Yes. So, like, no Wyatt. No daily.

[Chip Patterson]

I. I don't.

[Bud Elliott]

I think if you're Bama, you're like, I'm not sweating that. I'm sweating how well any Indiana disguises coverages, how well they fit gaps. Like, I can Shoot like you could pop a run in Oklahoma once in a while. Right. Especially though you wasn't loading up against it. Like nobody runs on Indiana at all this year, so.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, and, and yeah, because I don't know if Bryant Haynes is going to be bringing that exotic stuff that'll leave open a lot of room if you get like the, the right, the right call at the right time.

[Tom Fornelli]

They, they don't screw up much.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Even when they're aggressive, they don't screw up.

[Chip Patterson]

Little bit of time to see if you can get LT Overton back. Oh, man. I mean, some of these young Bama players just continue to pop. I mean it's, it is not a surprise when Alabama has players that haven't been getting their name called and haven't been just jumping off the screen. When you're watching it all season long, like when it happens, you're like, oh yeah, well, of course, like that guy looks super athletic. He was a blue chip, you know, he was a four or five star for a reason. But the young players on this team continue to show up in a big way. So even, even the absence of Overton, it just felt like they just, they had a lot of players on that defense that stepped up. It's against Oklahoma's offense. It's gonna be very different going up against Fernando Mendoza and that Indiana offense. But at the same time I think that it's, it was, it was a good sign for Kane Womack's group too.

[Tom Fornelli]

Severe US Matchup. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

What'd you say?

[Tom Fornelli]

It's a very incestuous matchup because we all know Sig was a, was an assistant under Saban at Bama. But DeBoer was Indiana's offensive coordinator in 2019, as was Kane Womack, their defensive coordinator for 2019 and 2020. So I mean all of these coaches know their way around the buildings, although they'll be in Pasadena, so it doesn't really matter.

[Chip Patterson]

It's also our third Crimson team. Right. We were Crimson and Crimson and now we're Crimson and Crimson.

[Bud Elliott]

So the line got bet out. Are we going to seven here, guys?

[Chip Patterson]

Six and a half.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean not minus 24. I, I bet you if that hits seven, that that gets snapped up. I am very curious to see how Alabama plays them defensively because a lot of the stuff you did against Oklahoma, like Mendoza is going to eat you alive if you do that like he does. He's going to hit open guys.

[Tom Fornelli]

He won't miss the throws, right?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, that's going to be curious.

[Tom Fornelli]

And I do Think like Indiana's receivers are so well better than Oklahoma's too.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I think so too. Like Burke's played really well tonight but Satania is so hit or miss. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Whereas Indiana's got like, I mean I don't. They're not like first round NFL wide receiver draft picks but they're going to be NFL wide receiver draft picks.

[Chip Patterson]

Well, yeah, I mean and it's the, it's the one. We don't need to scheme it open because of our trust in the quarterback and because of the size and the skill of our wide receivers. We can do the one on one stuff to be able to take advantage of whenever you get that opportunity. So I take a passing quarterback that.

[Bud Elliott]

They'Ve seen this year.

[Chip Patterson]

Ben, best passing quarterback that the Alabama Crimson Tide have seen because like they just.

[Tom Fornelli]

Runners docked in. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Joey Jackalar.

[Bud Elliott]

Joey Jack.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't know. Let's see here.

[Chip Patterson]

Let's go through Diego Pavia.

[Bud Elliott]

It it pro. Yeah, it might be Pavia.

[Tom Fornelli]

Tommy Castellanos, Lenora Sellers. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. They haven't faced a guy as good as Mendoza.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, like they haven't faced like a legitimate, you know, top 100 pick passing type quarterback. So that's going to be a new challenge.

[Chip Patterson]

I Alabama fans, this was a, this was a solid night. You did not lose the Anxiety Bowl. They like neither one of these team, neither one of these teams thought they were going to win at all. You know, but neither one of these teams want to be the first one out. You know, Alabama gets to keep it going. Alabama gets to go to the Rose Bowl. But man, I don't think you can get away with the kind of stuff you got away with tonight against the Indiana Hoosiers. I could be wrong. You know, maybe I am biased and blurred by, by my adoration for Kurt Signetti and the Hoosiers, but I don't know this is a good one. But you know, I think that, I think that this is, this is going to be about where Alabama's playoff run stops. I do not find myself predicting the Crimson Tide to go to Pasadena and pull off an upset.

[Tom Fornelli]

Motivation. Locker room material right there.

[Chip Patterson]

Bulletin board clip it.

[Tom Fornelli]

Is that an, is that an Indiana jumpsuit you're wearing right now, Chip?

[Chip Patterson]

I thought that this would be. First of all, I found this to be a little bit nice for the seasonal holiday time, you know, and then also matched both of our teams. Didn't matter who won. I was, I was going to be, I was going to have something of.

[Tom Fornelli]

The looking like the lost Tenenbaum brother deep.

[Chip Patterson]

The deep red crimson variety, you know. So does this last piece here, and this is Alabama related. Does this put to bed Kaylin Board of Michigan.

[Bud Elliott]

Oh my gosh. Did you say Kaylin the board to Michigan?

[Tom Fornelli]

No, I still think he's going.

[Chip Patterson]

Michigan Coaching rumors Michigan Coaching search Kenny Dillingham Kaylan depore I would argue.

[Tom Fornelli]

I would argue that Alabama's ability to come back from that 17 to nothing deficit and overcome the adversity only makes Kaylin DeBoer a more attractive option to those in charge of the Michigan coaching.

[Chip Patterson]

Service program's in trouble. Do you know what? The Michigan athletic department is in a 170 deficit right now. They need a man who can lead them out of this mess. And Kaylin Debor has just told us that he can be the man to lead this out of. Lead them out of this mess. Leaders and best. Okay, that is what Kayn DeBoer is all about. I mean it, it was wild just to. To freeze time when everybody, the college football universe was ready to bury Alabama and just pack Kaylin Debor's bags for Ann Arbor. And no, that, that is not. That's the way college football coaching searches go sometimes. By the way, the sliding door stuff is wild, but this one's. I sorry, Michigan. I don't. I don't think you're getting Kaylin Debore. And it really might have come down to the fact that John Matier gave the chop sign and his wide receiver didn't chop off the route and now you're moving on. So yeah, Kaylin divorce said all the right things to Alabama fans. He released the statement but most importantly, his team didn't quit, which means he had them dialed in. So that was I at the beginning. I wasn't sure if they were dialed in, but they found it and obviously got themselves a victory.

[Bud Elliott]

We asked about, well, Logan Biggs in the chat says that he'll bet Bama -21 for 500 large. So. Well, we can engage in that kind of activity. Of course, on cover three. Maybe if we do find someone to match that we can get a finder's fee since we pointed it out.

[Tom Fornelli]

Well, Logan will point out that Indiana hasn't played anybody this year.

[Bud Elliott]

You can kind of tell the people that only watch SC Network. Yeah. Like, guys, first of all, thanks for finding our show. Logan, like that is like you're branching out. This is great.

[Tom Fornelli]

Anybody played?

[Bud Elliott]

That's a long time ago. I was like, shoot, we need to.

[Chip Patterson]

Who'S the best team. They beat Ohio State.

[Tom Fornelli]

At a neutral site, so it doesn't count. So we have to go to them beating Oregon on the road. Yeah. Other than that, can we just talk about how we're talking about a playoff game, a college football playoff game in which the Indiana Hoosiers are a touchdown favorite?

[Chip Patterson]

I guess.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. What the hell happened?

[Bud Elliott]

They're really good.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, they're really good. It's at, at the end of the day, going out there and playing still matters, you know, they play. So it'll be a lot of fun. Again, that is January 1st kickoff around 4pm Eastern Time. But here on as we're in the early hours of December 20th, we'll have plenty more in terms of breakdowns, coverage, picks and more of that as as we await the rest of the quarterfinals, which will be set with the matchups and the results of the first round on Saturday. And that is where you will find us next at the conclusion of Oregon and James Madison. Saturday Night Round 11, 11:30pm Eastern Time right here at YouTube.com cover3 for recaps of all of the College Football Playoff first round action, early quarterfinal previews and more. And you can follow him on Twitter at Tom Fernell. You can follow him at buddy3. You can follow me at Chip Underscore Patterson. Gentlemen, thank you very much.

[Tom Fornelli]

Thank you.

[JP Acosta]

It's football season and you gotta keep up with the action. Listen in the Pushing the Pile part of CBS Sports Podcast network with Mike Renner, Kyle Long, and now me, JP Acosta for smart analysis of everything between the lines. With four episodes a week, Sunday night recaps, film review, power tiers and weekly previews, you will know ball. Stick with us until one team lists the Lombardi download and follow Pushing the Pile on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere podcasts are found.