Cover 3 Podcast Instant Reaction: CFP First-Round – Miami Survives, Oregon & Ole Miss Roll

Date: December 21, 2025
Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Bud Elliott
Theme: Instant reactions, analysis, and spirited discourse following the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff first-round games: Miami edges Texas A&M; Oregon obliterates JMU; Ole Miss routs Tulane. The hosts break down what happened, preview the upcoming quarterfinals, and debate the merits and pitfalls of the expanded playoff.

Episode Overview

The Cover 3 crew dives headfirst into the first-round College Football Playoff action. They give credit to Miami’s gritty defensive win over Texas A&M, discuss Oregon’s display of overwhelming speed against James Madison, and unpack what (if anything) can be extrapolated from Ole Miss’ rout of Tulane. Throughout, they debate coaching decisions, playoff structure, the blowout discourse, and look ahead to big-time quarterfinal matchups.

I. Miami 24, Texas A&M 21: Defense, Playcalling, and First-Round Drama

[03:43–15:56] Miami’s Defensive Masterclass

• Miami’s D-Line Domination
  • “What Miami's defense did to Texas A&M… relentless pass rush from one of the best defensive lines in the country. Baited Marcel Reed into turnovers that upended Aggie drives.”
    — Chip Patterson [05:47]
  • “Reuben Bain and the boys just absolutely whooped their ass for a few hours. It was Miami dominating… in the trenches that really ended up deciding the game.”
    — Tom Fornelli [07:12]
• Impact of Environmental Factors
  • “That wind was impacting a lot of things… throws moving two or three feet, field goals, missed kicks. It made the defenses look a lot better than they were statistically.” — Tom Fornelli [07:36]
• Miami’s Defensive Adjustments
  • “First drive… our backers got shook by Marcel Reed, but after that, went more contain. Didn’t blitz, kept more eyes on him. His legs were the biggest concern, but ultimately they just weren’t enough.”
    — Bud Elliott [09:09]
  • Miami tackled screens “really well… only time they tackled poorly was on Reed’s runs in the first half.”
    — Bud Elliott [09:57]

[10:20–14:46] Miami’s Offensive Issues and Critique

• Conservative (or Predictable) Play Calling
  • “Thank God Miami didn't lose or we’d be jumping out of the game. Dawson would be in a lot of trouble right now.”
    — Chip Patterson & Tom Fornelli [10:20]
  • Miami “got cute” early, forcing the ball to Malachi Tony in obvious ways. “If Tony was that good at QB, you’d have recruited him to play QB.”
    — Tom Fornelli [13:20]
  • “If they’d done what they were doing in the 4th quarter from the start, Miami probably wins by 17.”
    — Tom Fornelli [14:46]
• Hat-tip to Miami’s Young Talent
  • “Freshman with the winning touchdown, freshman with the winning interception. For those keeping track at home, recruiting still matters.”
    — Chip Patterson [14:46]

[15:58–22:51] Quarterfinal Lookahead: Miami vs. Ohio State

• Initial Impressions
  • “Ohio State’s ability to cover is different. A&M’s secondary isn’t as bad as people thought, but Ohio State’s is extremely good. I don’t think they’ll be scared of Miami’s receivers.”
    — Bud Elliott [18:48]
  • “I don't know if Miami can run the ball on Ohio State like today… nobody really has.”
    — Tom Fornelli [20:11]
• Game Plan Adjustments
  • “If Miami doesn’t get pressure on Julian Sayin, I don’t think they can cover Ohio State receivers. But that’s the case for everybody.”
    — Tom Fornelli [22:51]
• Program Trajectory
  • Miami “telling the story that something changed after the SMU game… Cristobal was very comfortable with a bare-knuckle fight in the trenches.”
    — Chip Patterson [21:02]

II. Ole Miss 41, Tulane 10: Routinized Domination, Little to Learn?

[28:40–34:05] Ole Miss’ Record-Breaking Night

• Speed Kills – Again
  • “Hard to take much new because they're just that much faster than Tulane. Angles get evaporated. Summerall basically said it: major speed difference.”
    — Bud Elliott [30:23]
• Defense: Good Enough or Sloppy?
  • “Tulane moved the ball—went into Ole Miss territory eight times—but only reached the red zone once. Offensively, it looked a lot better for Tulane than it really was; but as soon as the field tightened, Ole Miss just stopped them.”
    — Tom Fornelli [31:32]
  • “Ole Miss was kind of sloppy on defense… didn’t communicate super well on the back end, but still cruised.”
    — Bud Elliott [30:43]
• Context of the Victory
  • “12 wins for Ole Miss football. Never been done before. Their record-setting 12th win will get assigned to Pete Golding.”
    — Chip Patterson [28:40]

[34:45–36:09] Looking Ahead: Rematch with Georgia

• What’s Changed Since October?
  • “Georgia’s defense is better than it was. Offensively, they've looked like crap at times. If Ole Miss’s defense is just okay—and we're assuming Georgia puts up a boatload of points—what if we’re wrong? Then we might have a game.”
    — Bud Elliott [36:46]
  • “This might be where the Lane Kiffin absence is felt more—adjusting to what Georgia’s doing and figuring it out quicker.”
    — Tom Fornelli [37:45]

[39:26–42:34] Georgia Confidence; Ole Miss’s Path

• “I think Georgia is a much better team than they were on October 18th.”
  — Chip Patterson [39:26]
• “Every SEC team except Kentucky has made Georgia sweat. If Ole Miss can go down there and really make it uncomfortable... Everyone's made Georgia uncomfortable this year.”
  — Chip Patterson [42:34]

III. Oregon 62, JMU 27: Ducks’ Supersonic Statement

[50:14–59:40] Oregon’s Speed on Display; JMU Outmatched

• Ducks Blitz the Dukes
  • “Very clearly one side of the ball most overmatched—JMU’s defense. It wasn’t the physicality… it was the speed.”
    — Chip Patterson [50:14]
  • “How bad are the offenses in the Sun Belt for this defense to be rated like this? There's like an ultimate Frisbee team out there against Oregon.”
    — Bud Elliott [52:01]
  • “JMU’s defense would get a couple punts [in the Sun Belt]. Not against this.”
    — Bud Elliott [53:11]
• Dante Moore’s Showcase
  • “Dante could be 1:1 after Iowa and that was even a bad game. But this tape, even against JMU just because of the stage, will make the NFL draft highlight reel.”
    — Chip Patterson [51:50]
• JMU’s Offense Showed Grit
  • “JMU’s offense moved the ball a little, which I didn’t expect… but Oregon was just so far ahead.”
    — Bud Elliott [52:02]
  • “Nothing was really free. Everything JMU got was hard-earned.”
    — Bud Elliott [57:18]

[59:58–62:23] “Should Non-Power Teams Be Here?” Playoff Structure Debate

• On G5 Teams in the CFP
  • “Do you think any team in this field wouldn’t do this to JMU?”
    — Bud Elliott [59:17]
  • “Tulane is fair — I don’t think Oklahoma would do this to JMU.”
    — Tom Fornelli [59:20]
• Level Setting
  • “The American is way better than the Sun Belt as a whole. JMU is way better than the rest of the Sun Belt, but there’s a lot of shell shock as far as step up in competition tonight.”
    — Bud Elliott [60:48]

IV. The Playoff: Expansion, Blowout Discourse, and Systemic Sports Critique

[62:23–68:29] Is the Playoff Format Broken?

• Automatic Qualifiers & the Blowout Problem
  • “If you put it top 16, it's too tight. I think if you put it top 20, at least if you're really not top 20, why are we talking about you being in a 12-team playoff?”
    — Bud Elliott [62:04]
  • “We are die-hard CFB fans; this thing isn’t made for us. It’s for the people who watch five games a year and tune in for these. They’ll say, why am I watching Tulane get skull-caved in?”
    — Tom Fornelli [63:25]
  • “Blowouts have always existed. This year’s final scores in the title game…34-13, 65-7… If your thought is we have to change it to get rid of blowouts, you’re never getting rid of them.”
    — Tom Fornelli [65:39]
  • “What bothers me is a system letting you win a national playoff without a single top 50 win, which JMU didn’t have.”
    — Bud Elliott [66:58]

[68:29–72:17] Should Playoff Entry Be More Complicated?

• Proposals (and Satire)
  • “If we're overcomplicating the matter, we're just getting too lost in the sauce. This isn’t tax law!”
    — Chip Patterson [69:53]
  • “What if you can’t fix the playoff? Because the playoff isn’t broken. College football’s broken.”
    — Tom Fornelli [71:02]
  • “Hired a bunch of TV execs to run your leagues… and they turned them into TV programs, period.”
    — Tom Fornelli [72:44]

V. Quarterfinal Matchups: Early Previews

[73:54–76:53] Oregon vs. Texas Tech – Orange Bowl Hype

• Style Clash
  • “Oregon is so well balanced… Texas Tech is elite on defense, but how much did they see a Dante Moore, a Decorian Moore, an (possibly) healthy Evan Stewart, a Kenyan Sadiq—all at once?”
    — Chip Patterson [76:53]
• Chess Match
  • “Curious to see how much Oregon’s offensive line can keep up in pass pro. If Tech can’t get home with four, what happens? And can Tech’s offense keep up? I don’t trust it yet.”
    — Bud Elliott [78:00]
• Projected Line
  • “It’s not going to be Oregon -5. I think Oregon -1.5 is closer to what it should be.”
    — Bud Elliott [79:57]

[See above for Miami-Ohio State, Georgia-Ole Miss discussions]

VI. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You know recruiting still matters. Freshman with the winning touchdown, freshman with the winning interception. For those of you keeping track at home.”
  — Chip Patterson [14:46]
• “Dawson would be in a lot of trouble right now… The play calling was so cute early.”
  — Tom Fornelli & Chip Patterson [10:24, 13:20]
• “If you want to say the playoff is for die-hards, you’re lying to yourself. It’s for your aunt and uncle who watch three games a year. And then text, ‘Why am I watching Tulane get skull caved in?’”
  — Tom Fornelli [63:25]
• “We’re just creating extra hurdles for the teams that can actually win a national championship.”
  — Chip Patterson [67:01]
• “You can’t fix the playoff if it’s the sport that’s broken.”
  — Tom Fornelli [71:02]
• “I’m sitting here looking at this CFB playoff like it’s a Brazilian steakhouse. Green for yes, red for no. Can you win it all? Yes? You’re green. No? OK, you’re out.”
  — Chip Patterson [46:39]

VII. Episode Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:43] — Podcast content begins, CFP reactions open.
• [05:47] — Miami’s defensive performance v Texas A&M.
• [10:20] — Miami’s offensive game management issues.
• [15:58] — Miami-Ohio State quarterfinal quick look.
• [28:40] — Ole Miss-Tulane reaction.
• [34:45] — Ole Miss-Georgia rematch preview.
• [50:14] — Oregon-JMU in-game instant reaction.
• [62:23] — G5/Playoff discourse & playoff format debate.
• [73:54] — Oregon-Texas Tech Orange Bowl preview.

VIII. Final Thoughts

• The new 12-team playoff delivers spectacle—and plenty of blowouts. The Cover 3 hosts argue that’s nothing new, even in the four-team era.
• Miami’s win was about the defensive line imposing its will—and having star freshmen step up in the biggest moments.
• Oregon’s status as one of the absolute elite in speed/athleticism was proven against JMU—and now they face a legitimate test in Texas Tech.
• Ole Miss hits a program high watermark for wins, and gets another shot at mighty Georgia—though the hosts agree, the Bulldogs look primed to advance.
• The show closes with a candid, funny, and at times philosophical debate about what college football—and its playoff—should (and can) be for its fans.

For detailed game talk, look for the timestamps above. “Upon Further Review” is coming soon for more breakdowns!

Panel for This Episode:

• Chip Patterson – @Chip_Patterson
• Tom Fornelli – @TomFornelli
• Bud Elliott – @BudElliott3