Cover 3 College Football Podcast

Episode: Upon Further Review: AP Poll Reactions, Hot Seat Watch, Surprise Teams, More

Date: September 8, 2025

Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Danny Kanell, Bud Elliott

Brief Overview

In this post-Week 2 episode, the Cover 3 team unpacks the latest AP Top 25 poll, debates who actually deserves to be ranked, and scrutinizes the logic of the current ranking system. The crew also dives into quarterback stock evaluations, highlights teams exceeding or falling below expectations, and shares their "brilliantly boring" wins while offering deep-dive insights into standout performances and trends shaping the early season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Running Quarterbacks & Durability (03:00 – 07:39)

• Main Discussion: Are today's dual-threat QBs being overused as runners, and will this wear them down by season's end?
  • Danny Kanell draws parallels to the NFL Ravens/Lamar Jackson ethos: “It’s not a luxury to have a quarterback who can run. It’s a requirement.” (03:35)
  • Tom Fornelli and Bud Elliott discuss differences based on conference defenses and strategy; they note some QBs (like Damon Dampier) avoid hits and manage risk better than others.
  • Bud Elliott asserts NIL money and college priorities mean teams are incentivized to use QBs aggressively as runners: “You are here to run the ball as a running quarterback. I don’t really give a damn about this NFL stuff for some of these guys…that’s what the money’s for, like Don Draper said, so run, run, run.” (06:13)

2. AP Poll Reactions & Voting Logic (09:00 – 19:51)

SEC Heavyweight

• Tom Fornelli: “11 SEC teams out of 16 [in the AP poll]. And you can argue there should be a 12th because if South Carolina is 11th, you can argue why the hell isn’t Vanderbilt ranked?” (09:01)
• Cast debate the merit of several teams' rankings, criticizing apparent brand bias and lack of respect for teams like USF and Vanderbilt.

Poll Process Critique

• Multiple hosts call out AP voters for not watching enough games, relying on reputation, and inconsistent logic.
  • Danny Kanell: “If South Florida had a Nittany Lion on the side of their helmet... they would be top five. I still don’t think the pollsters give enough credit for what you actually see during the season and building up resumes.” (10:34)
  • Tom Fornelli exposes voters who left Baylor unranked yet still ranked SMU after SMU lost to Baylor (14:11)
• Agreement that the AP poll influences playoff perceptions and TV hype, even if “it’s dumb”: “Those numbers next to the teams…are the AP rankings. They have a huge influence because for casual fans...they see that 12 next to a team, they assume that team must be really good.” – Tom Fornelli (19:32)

3. Quarterback Stock Exchange: Day Trading Danny (22:33 – 36:51)

Biggest Buy

• Sawyer Robertson (Baylor)
  • Danny: “He’s the best quarterback in college football…what he did on the road, bringing his team back from behind, never looked rattled. He’s got a cannon for an arm.” (22:33)
  • Tom: “He’s basically throwing 70 yards more per game than anybody else in the country.” (24:21)

Major Sells

• Cade Klubnik (Clemson)

  • Danny: “I’m selling my Cade Klubnik stock...he’s a player that needs a lot of good weapons around him. When Clemson wins national championships, they have a difference maker…that’s not him.” (25:30)
  • Tom and Bud echo concerns about Clemson’s failing run game and O-line limiting Klubnik’s upside: “I just think the offense as a whole is in a very bad place…we could be looking at 8-4 Clemson.” – Tom (27:12)

• Mark Gronowski (Iowa)

  • Danny is also selling after disappointing play, especially pocket awareness and lack of urgency: “He’s working with a sundial.” (31:01)
  • Tom offers a contrarian value bet, joking about incremental improvement.

Other QB Takes

• Buying: Dante Moore (Oregon); “He looks really comfortable in that system…buying Oregon as a Big Ten champion candidate.” – Danny (32:26)
• Holding: Drew Allar (Penn State); “Not concerned yet, but…playing with their food a little.” – Danny (34:29)
• General Analyst Comments: Bud remains intrigued by the accuracy and poise shown by Moore and sees Dan Lanning/Oregon as raising the floor with their QB play.

4. Brilliantly Boring Wins of the Week (36:51 – 38:15)

• Recognizing Indiana’s methodical 56-9 win over Kennesaw State:
  • Tom: “They just finished drives, Chip…they kept it simple, and they were able to finish their drives for touchdowns this week, unlike in their first game of the season.” (37:54)

5. Hymn of the Week: QB Celebration (39:46)

John Matier (Oklahoma)

• Spotlighted for a moxie-filled three-TD performance vs. Michigan, both on the ground and through the air.
  • Danny: “A little bit of a wild ride because you don’t know what you’re going to get…he’s a weapon as a runner. But you’ve got to have a dude at quarterback. That’s how you describe him.” (39:46)
  • Chip highlights Matier as the next in a line of swaggering, off-script college stars; hosts praise both the play and Matier’s postgame humility.

6. Upon Further Review: Under the Hood (42:23 – 64:07)

Georgia’s Ceiling with Stockton

• Bud expresses skepticism over the Dawgs’ QB situation: “I don’t know that Georgia can cash this defense in for a national title unless [Stockton] takes a real leap. It doesn’t look like, you know, a quarterback of a top five team.” (45:17)
• Chip wonders if OC Mike Bobo deserves blame or whether change could come if Puglisi is given a chance.

Oregon & Defensive Dominance

• Tom drops wild stats about Oregon’s defense making opposing QBs look historically bad: “Oklahoma State…averaged an astounding minus 1.15 EPA per drop back.” (47:43)
• Group consensus: Oregon is better than anticipated, with a credible argument to be in the Big Ten’s top tier early on.

Teams Significantly Better or Worse Than Expectations

• Better:
  • Oregon (“raising their floor thanks to Dante Moore’s accuracy,” 49:27)
• Worse/Biggest Downgrades:
  • Kansas State, Iowa State, SMU, Duke, UCLA, North Carolina, Oklahoma State.
  • Chip: “Big downgrades on UCLA, North Carolina, and Oklahoma State. Any arguments?” (56:11)

Arch Manning’s Health & Development

• Concerns surface over Arch’s mechanical struggles and apparent discomfort:
  • Danny: “He does not look comfortable in the pocket…he does not look 100% when he’s throwing the football.” (57:59)
  • Tom (after reviewing years of photos): “That’s just what he looks like when he throws.” (59:45)
  • Hosts agree it’s not panic time, but eyes are glued to the next performances.

Miscellaneous Insights & Notebook Tidbits

• James Madison’s defensive line garners praise for disrupting Louisville and the Sun Belt overall.
• LSU’s thin offensive line situation could be a concern after another injury.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “It’s not a luxury to have a quarterback who can run. It’s a requirement to have a quarterback who can run…you just have to say, you know what, it’s a physical sport. We’re going to take our risk.” — Danny Kanell (03:35)
• “You are here to run the ball as a running quarterback. I don’t really give a damn about this NFL stuff for some of these guys…that’s what the money’s for, like Don Draper said, so run, run, run.” — Bud Elliott (06:13)
• “If South Florida had a Nittany Lion on the side of their helmet…they would be top five.” — Danny Kanell (10:34)
• "I think a lot of the people voting in these polls do not actually watch college football. They just watch a game or two every week. Then they fill out their ballot at the end of the night." — Tom Fornelli (15:48)
• “He’s working with a sundial.” — Danny Kanell (about Mark Gronowski’s pocket awareness) (31:01)
• “If you’re on a beat, man…[You] can’t spend your Saturday watching every single game...It’s difficult.” — Bud Elliott (17:26)
• “I just think the offense as a whole is in a very bad place…We could be looking at 8-4 Clemson.” — Tom Fornelli (27:12)
• “He looks like he knows exactly where to go with the football. And I’m buying Oregon as a Big Ten champion candidate.” — Danny Kanell (about Dante Moore) (32:26)
• “Oklahoma State…averaged an astounding minus 1.15 EPA per drop back in that game.” — Tom Fornelli (47:43)
• “I don't know that Georgia can cash this defense in for a national title unless [Stockton] takes a real leap.” — Bud Elliott (45:17)
• “You’ve got to have a dude at quarterback and that’s how you describe [John Matier].” — Danny Kanell (39:46)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| |03:00–07:39 | Running QBs, durability, evolution of QB's role | |09:00–19:51 | AP poll debate: brand bias, logic lapses, voter critique | |22:33–36:51 | QB Stock exchange — Buys, sells, holds | |36:51–38:15 | Brilliantly boring wins: Indiana | |39:46–41:29 | Hymn (player) of the week – John Matier (Oklahoma) | |42:23–64:07 | Under the hood: Team upgrades/downgrades; Georgia/Oregon |

Tone and Style

The hosts are sharp, collegial, critique-heavy yet often lighthearted, blending data, strong opinions, and plenty of inside jokes and running gags about poll logic and coach-speak.

Concluding Insights

• AP Poll Voting is under fire: The group’s collective skepticism reaffirms how reputation and media inertia still drive early-season rankings more than on-field results.
• Quarterback play is everything: From injuries and mechanics to “moxie,” the right guy at QB is how programs separate from the pack.
• Surprise teams abound (Oregon up, Kansas State/NC down), but the sense is that September is for sorting out contenders from pretenders.
• Keep watching: The hosts tease deep dives into matchups and further under-the-radar notebook observations in their upcoming shows.

If you missed this episode, you got a front-row seat to the week’s sharpest analysis, loudest poll takes, and most candid conversations anywhere in college football media.