Cover 3 College Football Podcast — Episode Summary Episode: Upon Further Review: College Football Rankings Reaction, Playoff Projections, Bowl or NO Bowl & More
Date: November 10, 2025
Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Bud Elliott

Main Theme & Purpose

This lively episode dives deep into Week 11 of the college football season, focusing on pivotal reactions to the latest AP Top 25, College Football Playoff (CFP) projections, analysis of voters' reasoning (and biases), and spirited debates around which teams are truly bowl-worthy. Bud Elliott’s playoff projections get a critical breakdown, and the hosts explore both the strange logic driving some voters and the complex playoff pathways facing bubble teams. There's also time for “hot seat” coaching talk, stadium moves, and the ever-popular “bowl or no bowl” debates. The episode maintains its usual playful, irreverent “tailgate” energy throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AP Top 25 Poll Reactions

• Controversial Ballots and SEC Bias?
  • Some AP voters moved Ole Miss up after a 49–0 win against FCS Citadel and dropped Oregon despite Oregon winning on the road at top-20 Iowa.
    • Bud Elliott (04:09): “Gentlemen, I need to know why the win was so unimpressive that you all decided to move Oregon down while simultaneously moving Ole Miss up for beating an FCS team. I would really like an explanation for that because I can't find one.”
  • Geographic patterns observed among voters making controversial choices, suggesting regional influences.
• Logic Gaps in Polling:
  • The hosts scrutinize whether voters are copying CFP committee logic or are biased against certain teams like Iowa.
    • Bud Elliott (06:20): “I think it's partially playoff rankings... but also Iowa bias. This is the same poll that did not actually rank Iowa last week... people look at Iowa and think, Iowa sucks. So if you barely beat Iowa, you can't be that good.”
  • Tiebreakers & Resume Building:
    • Chip observes that sometimes teams get “jumped” rather than “dropped,” with voters making murky decisions within a one-loss cluster.
    • Chip Patterson (08:11): “If you had Oregon ahead of Ole Miss, then watch that weekend play out and then reverse that order, then I think that is misguided. Extremely.”
  • Strange ballots:
    • Bud notes a ballot with James Madison #15, Miami #17, and Louisville unranked—even though Louisville beat both.
    • Chip Patterson (10:20): “So Louisville beat James Madison and Miami. Yeah, but he's got Louisville unranked.”

2. Bud Elliott’s College Football Playoff Projections

• Forecasted Final Four:
  • Bud’s model projects Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Alabama as likely byes, assuming current leaders win out.
    • Tom Fornelli (12:32): “I do still project that those four are going to be your four teams that receive a bye assuming they keep winning through the regular season here.”
• Texas Tech Surge and Resume Power:
  • Tech’s dominant run and strong resume could propel them past one-loss teams, especially if Georgia doesn't gain more high-value wins.
    • Bud Elliott (16:15): “We know the committee is going to value strength of schedule, but are they going to value it as a tiebreaker if you have similar records…?”
• Struggles for Two-Loss Teams:
  • The discuss the difficulty for teams like BYU (if they lose badly to Tech) and Ole Miss (potentially lacking a ranked win), highlighting how head-to-head and “style points” will be significant tiebreakers.
    • Bud Elliott (19:24): “There is a chance [Ole Miss] could finish the season without a win against a ranked team.”
• Committee Manipulation of the Rankings Back-End:
  • Tom claims the committee manipulates the 25–20 range to justify giving quality wins to highly-ranked teams.
    • Tom Fornelli (19:40): “They rigged the back end to justify the top end… that’s not even a conspiracy at this point.”

3. Playoff Pathways for Bubble Teams (22:00)

• Oklahoma and Texas
  • Direct, win-and-in scenarios, but a single late loss (especially to a low-value opponent like late-season LSU) could be fatal.
• Miami & ACC Mayhem
  • Miami still has a “chaos path”; style points could matter if they hope to jump Notre Dame, who they’ve beaten head-to-head.
  • Tom Fornelli (24:39): “They also Miami probably needs style points. You need to start stomping people out, like the Irish are doing right now.”
• BYU’s Dilemma
  • Two-loss BYU likely out, especially with back-to-back losses to Tech—even close games may not help.
• Tennessee & Utah
  • Tennessee getting in is “not entirely insane” if chaos occurs, but Utah would deserve it more with a stronger schedule.
    • Bud Elliott (28:37): “If you’re 9-3 and your best win is Vandy, you don’t deserve to be in the playoff.”
• Massive List of Contenders
  • 30+ teams realistically in the hunt—unparalleled chaos potential for the expanded playoff format.
    • Chip Patterson (29:29): “Say the line, Bud.”
    • Bud Elliott (29:36): “That’s what makes this awesome.”

4. Coaching Carousel & Hot Seat Updates (32:58)

• Notable Rumblings:
  • Mark Stoops (Kentucky) and Mike Locksley (Maryland) not likely going anywhere soon, as buyouts are prohibitive and stability is valued.
  • Florida State watch is “wait and see,” with more focus on athletic department strategy, NIL, and roster-building over immediate change.
• Virginia Tech Search
  • The job isn’t filled yet, possibly as a leading candidate is still fielding other offers. Discussion turns to how program direction could change with leadership experience.
    • Chip Patterson (38:44): “I think the advantages of James Franklin are that he can help you as a university... to understand how to invest all this new money.”

5. Stadium Moves and Conference Planning (50:42)

• UCLA Considering Move from Rose Bowl to SoFi Stadium
  • Hosts debate fan experience, financial logic, and local tradition.
    • Tom Fornelli (51:43): “The Rose Bowl is beautiful… but the stadium itself's a dump. So… it's a much better fan experience at SoFi.”
  • Broader observation: Big Ten schools are locking in long-term revenue but may be saddling themselves with untenable debt just to stay afloat.
    • Bud Elliott (55:13): “Instead of taking this money, how about we all just get together and kind of, you know, collude against the $13 million coaching salary with the $50 million buyout.”

6. “Bowl or No Bowl?” Debates (57:07)

• Mississippi State, Kansas, Florida State, Clemson
  • Vigorous breakdown of each bubble team’s remaining path; most are pessimistic about Kansas making it, skeptical on Mississippi State, and split on Florida State and Clemson.
    • Bud Elliott (58:53, Kansas): “I’m going to go no bowl.”
    • Tom Fornelli (61:08, FSU): [hesitant coin-flip, "Noble."]
    • Chip Patterson (64:49, Clemson): “If Clemson finishes the regular season with four straight wins… you better get ready for how Dabo talks about this team and how he loved this team more than any other…”

7. Upon Further Review: Game & Coach Analysis

• Georgia’s Offense / Mike Bobo’s Year
  • The hosts praise coordinator Mike Bobo’s flexible schemes and managing offensive line injuries, wonky backfields, and steady progress since last year.
    • Tom Fornelli (47:22): “Yeah, I think he is having a nice year… they’re playing some young guys on the line... I think they scheme it up pretty nice. They understand like Stockton's strengths and weaknesses.”
• Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson Breakout
  • True freshman RB and under-the-radar star Emmett Johnson’s big game at UCLA highlighted.
    • Bud Elliott (50:05): “Emmett Johnson is one of the better running backs in the country, and he has not really gotten any attention for it all season long, so. Oh, well. Came for him.”
• Wake Forest’s Bowl Eligibility
  • Wake’s old-school, no-offensive-TD win over Virginia highlighted as the “brilliantly boring win of the week.”
    • Chip Patterson (42:41): “Wake is bowling now… they are about keeping it simple. They’re about playing rock-solid defense, they’re about not making mistakes…”

8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Poll Voters:
  • Bud Elliott (04:09): “Gentlemen, I need to know why the win was so unimpressive that you all decided to move Oregon down while simultaneously moving Ole Miss up for beating an FCS team. I would really like an explanation for that because I can’t find one.”
• On Committee Logic:
  • Tom Fornelli (19:50): “Definitely they rigged the back end to justify the top end. Like, there’s actually no reason to rank 25 teams in a 12 team college ball playoff ranking.”
• On Expanded Playoff Chaos:
  • Chip Patterson (29:29): “Say the line, Bud.”
  • Bud Elliott (29:36): “That’s what makes this awesome.”
• On Fan Experience:
  • Tom Fornelli (51:43): “The Rose Bowl is a beautiful view… but the stadium itself’s a dump. Like, it really is.”
• On Louisville’s Playoff Standing Collapse:
  • Bud Elliott (68:45): “I'm not saying this is going to happen, but Louisville has Clemson this week, then they're on the road at SMU. And then they finish with Kentucky… It's not insane to entertain the idea that Louisville finishes 7 and 5.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AP Poll & Voter Critiques: 03:07–11:15
• Playoff Model Reactions & Scenarios: 12:32–20:24
• Playoff Pathways for Bubble Teams: 22:00–31:00
• Coaching Carousel / Hot Seat: 32:58–41:05
• Brilliantly Boring Win (Wake Forest): 41:05–44:02
• Game Analysis: Georgia Offense, Nebraska RB: 47:19–50:47
• Stadium Moves & Big Ten Planning: 50:42–56:22
• Bowl or No Bowl Lightning Round: 57:07–65:21
• Further Review: Game & Coach Deep Dives: 66:13–70:46

Tone & Language

• Conversational, expert yet irreverent and playful.
• Frequent affectionate razzing of each other, playful digs at SEC and Big Ten loyalists, and inside jokes aimed at their core audience.
• The hosts don’t shy from criticizing the system—even as they love the sport’s chaos.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a must for any college football fan trying to make sense of the playoff race, who wants a sharp critique of poll logic, and who enjoys the “inside baseball” of coaching hires and playoff bracketology. The hosts’ combination of statistical gravitas, skepticism of established narratives, and obvious passion for the game makes even the most obscure bowl projection feel consequential.