Cover 3 College Football Podcast

Episode: Cover 3 Yearbook: What Are The Top 10 Stories That Defined The 2025 Season?
Date: February 9, 2026
Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Danny Kanell (Bud Elliott absent)

Episode Overview

The Cover 3 crew reconvenes to assemble their "Yearbook"—an annual tradition where they reflect and debate the top 10 stories that shaped the 2025 college football season. The conversation is rich with lively debate, humor, and inside references, as they attempt to take stock of a season that was as chaotic off the field as it was on it. By the episode’s end, the hosts have built a definitive top-10 list that captures both the seismic shifts (program realignment, shocking coaching sagas, NIL-fueled parity) and the most talked-about moments of the 2025 college football season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. North Dakota State Joins the Mountain West, FCS Fallout

Timestamps: 02:00–10:13

• North Dakota State’s move from FCS to FBS finally arrives, with immediate inclusion in the Mountain West for 2026, sparking debate about immediate competitiveness and the broader impact on recruiting and FCS stability.
  • Tom: “While they are power rated 40th by Sagarin, their strength of schedule is 156… There will be an adjustment.” (05:04)
• Hosts discuss whether NDSU instantly becomes a conference favorite and how this realignment further erodes FCS’s ability to retain its power programs.
• Immediate impacts:
  • Recruiting pitch changes from "compete for national championships" (FCS) to "make the College Football Playoff" (FBS).
  • FCS coaching legends (Bobby Hauck, South Dakota State’s coach) departing amid NIL pressures (“…money situation where the defensive coordinator at Rutgers will pay you far more than being South Dakota State head coach…” —Tom, 08:29)

Memorable quote:

• Tom: “FCS is hurting—the last five days of headlines have not been good for prosperity at that level.” (07:52)

2. Contraction of the Bowl Season & LA Bowl Closure

Timestamps: 12:33–14:15

• Reflecting on the closing of the LA Bowl after five seasons. Hosts share humorous or memorable moments from its short existence, like the infamous vomiting mascot (“The vomiting mascot. That was the Jimmy Kimmel year…” – Tom, 12:49).

3. The COVID 3 Yearbook: Methodology & Principles

Timestamps: 15:37–16:41

• Setting the stage for the “Yearbook,” the hosts plan to capture both the emblematic and the bizarre stories of the 2025 football season, combining user nominations from their "tailgate" YouTube chat with their own top-of-mind picks.

The Yearbook: The Top 10 Defining Stories of 2025

1. Indiana’s Unthinkable Rise: Signetti, Fernando Mendoza, and a National Title

Timestamps: 16:42–23:41

• Indiana goes 16-0 and wins it all under Kurt Signetti, with transfer QB Fernando Mendoza winning the Heisman.
• Transformational story: Indiana’s rapid transition “from nowhere to national champions”—raises the bar for what’s possible with NIL funding, aggressive coaching, and transfer recruiting.
• The Signetti effect: “I don’t think this is going away anytime soon… opens the door, gives a lot of hope to a ton of programs. If you get the right coach, if you actually fund your football program and buy some decent players… you could win a national championship too.” — Danny (17:30)
• Debate: Does Mendoza or Signetti define it? All agree—Signetti is the centerpiece, Mendoza the catalyst.
• Meta insight: Transfer portal era only intensifies coaches as program faces over fleeting player stardom.

2. The Lane Kiffin LSU Saga: Coaching Carousel Chaos

Timestamps: 23:52–29:37

• A pure “soap-operatic” drama: Lane Kiffin’s playoff run with Ole Miss is overshadowed by constant will-he/won’t-he rumors, fueled by firings at Florida and LSU, private jet tracking, and even the involvement of Kiffin’s own son playing high school football.
• The saga hijacked media coverage for over a month, shaped playoff storylines, and shifted SEC power lines.
• Tom: “My frustration with discussing the story may have come through on the show… that’s the most time I’ve ever called a coach an a-hole in one episode, nine times…” (28:32)
• Even fans and the hosts themselves disliked the story, but all agreed it completely dominated headlines and had major implications.

3. Miami & Notre Dame: The CFP Committee Credibility Crisis

Timestamps: 34:07–39:18

• From their opener to the final playoff spot feud: Miami beats Notre Dame head-to-head, but is ranked miles behind in early CFP rankings, sparking weekly outrage and debate over the committee’s logic.
• Both programs’ diverging postseason fates (Miami’s Cinderella run to the national title game as a 10-seed, Notre Dame snubbing a bowl appearance) fueled accusations of committee inconsistency and damage to process integrity.
• Tom: “How can Notre Dame be that much better than Miami when we have the actual data point, seeing the two play?” (35:54)
• This story "exposed the committee to more and more fans and dented the integrity of the process."

4. The Arch Manning Rollercoaster: Hype, Struggle, and Redemption

Timestamps: 29:51–34:07

• The most-watched individual storyline: Arch enters his debut Texas season as the Heisman and national title favorite, only to “bust” early before rebounding late, sparking non-stop speculation, mechanical analysis, and Heisman-odds breakdowns.
• Hosts argue that seeing him struggle and then recover adds to his legend and future promise.
• Chip: “We were breaking down Arch Manning's face at different times…” (31:21)
• Texas fan reactions mirrored the national rollercoaster.

5. Texas Tech and The New NIL Order

Timestamps: 54:16–55:30

• Texas Tech goes “from nothing to something” on a huge NIL investment, wins the Big 12, and makes the playoff, fully cashing in on the NIL era’s promises.
• Cody Campbell’s role as benefactor and advocate for new collegiate financial models underscores Tech’s position as the poster child for “roster-building via checkbook.”
• Debated as perhaps a top-5 story for its wider impact.

6. Penn State: From National Title Hopes to Chaos

Timestamps: 48:43–51:01

• Penn State begins as a fashionable title pick, starts hot, loses in overtime to Oregon, and then collapses (including ugly losses to UCLA, Northwestern).
• A coaching search drama for the ages: “open for seven months,” rejected by all, before finally hiring Matt Campbell.
• The hosts tie PSU’s stumble, coaching search, and the meta-disappointment to wider preseason narrative collapse.

7. The Sharon Moore Scandal & Michigan Turmoil

Timestamps: 45:46–47:25

• The rollercoaster at Michigan continues: Moore, Harbaugh's anointed successor, is fired late in the year for “stalking an employee.”
• Changes the trajectory of a program still living in the aftermath of its 2023 title and sign-stealing scandal.
• Chip: “I will sort of add, it just did not like talking about that, you know, the way things got at the end with the… arrest…” (47:25)
• Ultimately, Moore’s quick firing and the hiring of Kyle Whittingham have ripple effects through Big Ten power balance.

8. Big Ten Ascendance, SEC Slippage, and Playoff Politics

Timestamps: 57:17–58:07

• With the Big Ten winning a third consecutive national title (and selling shirts to commemorate), the hosts debate the newly shifting power structure:
  • SEC continues to slip from its once-unassailable perch.
  • Political fight over CFP structure, revenue, and tiebreakers continues into the next offseason.

9. Vanderbilt’s Breakthrough and the Pavia Effect

Timestamps: 59:15–60:17

• Vandy, led by quarterback Diego Pavia, has a season to remember, shattering preseason win totals and long-held expectations.
• The fun, underdog story of the year; referenced frequently as an in-joke among hosts, as Barton Simmons (Vanderbilt's GM) has been a recurring Cover 3 guest/subject.

10. The Group of Five Safety Issue: Two G5 Teams Make the Playoff

Timestamps: 55:30–56:49

• A watershed moment as two Group of Five teams break into the expanded playoff, leading to immediate rule changes and tiebreaker reforms in the ACC and beyond.
• The “Safety Issue” is emblematic of ongoing disruption and the power struggle at the lower rungs of FBS.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On FCS realignment:

  • Tom: “Your programs with money at the FCS level are leaving because they can, whereas the programs that don’t have money are going to be left at the FCS and might not really have anybody to play with soon.” (09:02)

• On Indiana’s national title:

  • Danny: “If you get the right coach… and happen to get one of the best quarterbacks in the country, you could win a national championship too.” (17:30)

• On Lane Kiffin:

  • Tom: “My frustration with discussing the story may have come through on the show a time or two… that’s the most time I’ve ever called a coach an a-hole in one episode.” (28:32)

• On the Miami–Notre Dame CFP controversy:

  • Tom: “To me the bigger part of the story is just the CFP, dog and pony, bull, BS crap every single Tuesday night.” (35:54)

• On the Arch Manning rollercoaster:

  • Chip: “We were breaking down his face at different times.” (31:21)
  • Tom: “If you just looked at the whole body of work… a pretty good year for a talented quarterback in his first year as a starter.” (33:04)

• On Texas Tech’s rise:

  • Chip: “If we’re going to take Indiana and expand the circle to talk about what it means for college football, I think Texas Tech’s on-field success is a top 10 story.” (54:37)

• On Michigan's saga:

  • Tom: “Of all the coaches that were on that Michigan staff… the one that they chose ended up getting fired for stalking.” (47:14)

Other Noteworthy Moments & Segments

• Reflections on contraction of the postseason: LA Bowl’s demise seen as a symbol of “too many bowls”—“We’re gonna have a little bit of contraction. I’m sure some will get lopped into whatever future playoff world…” (14:15)
• Recurring in-jokes: Barton Simmons, Vanderbilt, cover three “tailgate chat” speculation, and memories from past team turnarounds.
• Rejected or honorable mentions: Bill Belichick’s disastrous North Carolina season (ultimately “voted out” of the top 10), Ohio State’s collapse post-Michigan (“They finally beat Michigan and all it cost them was everything.” – Tom, 61:16), and offseason QB trades (Nico to UCLA).

Final Top 10 Stories (as voted by the crew)

Timestamps: 61:36–62:10

1. Indiana’s rise, Signetti, and the title
2. Lane Kiffin/LSU coaching saga
3. Miami–Notre Dame CFP/committee controversy
4. Arch Manning’s rollercoaster Texas debut
5. Texas Tech’s NIL-fueled emergence
6. Penn State’s collapse and arduous coaching search
7. Sharon Moore’s scandal and Michigan’s turmoil
8. Big Ten’s continued rise, SEC struggle, and playoff implications
9. Vanderbilt’s breakthrough (with Diego Pavia)
10. Group of Five “safety issue”: Two G5 teams in the playoff

Closing Thoughts

The hosts tie the yearbook together with references to the seismic changes and unpredictability that defined the 2025 season, expressing both nostalgia and excitement over the sport’s direction and hinting at more change in the horizon—from the structure of conferences to the faces of programs.

Chip (closing): “Bind it up, make it leather bound. Put it in your library. The yearbook for the 2025 season as put together by the Cover 3 podcast.” (61:46)

Navigation Aid – Segment Timestamps

• North Dakota State & FCS/FBS Realignment: 02:00–10:13
• LA Bowl Memories and Postseason Contraction: 12:33–14:15
• Yearbook Setup: 15:37–16:41
• Indiana’s National Title Story: 16:42–23:41
• Lane Kiffin/LSU Saga: 23:52–29:37
• Arch Manning Hype & Texas: 29:51–34:07
• Miami/Notre Dame & CFP committee: 34:07–39:18
• Bill Belichick at UNC Debate: 39:29–45:05
• Penn State Collapse & Coaching Search: 48:43–51:01
• Michigan/Sharon Moore Firing: 45:46–47:25
• Texas Tech, Vandy, G5 Safety Issue, and Honorable Mentions: 54:16–60:17
• Finalizing Top 10 List: 61:36–62:10

Tone & Language:
Conversational, irreverent, passionate, and peppered with long-running Cover 3 in-jokes. The episode is a rich blend of analytics, reminiscing, and playful debate—a must-consume for any college football fan seeking to understand what made 2025 truly unforgettable.