Week 14 INSTANT REACTION: Ohio State Defeats Michigan | Alabama-Auburn | Texas Upsets A&M

Summary

Cover 3 College Football Podcast — Week 14 INSTANT REACTION

Episode: Week 14 INSTANT REACTION: Ohio State Defeats Michigan | Alabama-Auburn | Texas Upsets A&M
Date: November 30, 2025
Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Bud Elliott

Overview:

This episode delivers instant reactions to a loaded rivalry weekend and pivotal Week 14 matchups across college football. The crew gives deep, rapid-fire analysis of Ohio State’s statement win over Michigan, a chaotic Iron Bowl, Texas’ resume-changing upset of Texas A&M, Lane Kiffin coaching drama, playoff implications, and much more. Spirited and blunt, the conversation is equal parts breakdown, debate, and banter—pure Cover 3, all substance.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Iron Bowl: Alabama Survives Auburn

• Was Bama lucky or grinding?

  • Chip Patterson sets the scene with how wild the Iron Bowl finish was and ponders if Alabama played down or Auburn elevated.
  • Tom Fornelli (06:32): “When Auburn was tied 20 to 20 with Alabama, I was crapping my pants … I was very much surprised by Auburn being able to work their way back.”
  • Auburn’s explosive pass plays and turnover issues kept it close. Alabama’s run game was a bright spot, but QB Ty Simpson looked “shaky for a month now” (09:45).
  • Bud Elliott (08:04): “It felt like Bama got up 17 nothing and figured they would just cruise ... Auburn hits two 65 yard pass plays ... and all of a sudden, it’s a game.”
  • Offensive line injury concerns, blitz pickup issues, and Ty Simpson taking heavy hits raise flags for Alabama facing Georgia next week.

• Playoff & SEC Champ Discussion

  • SEC champion’s Playoff seeding dissected (13:01).
  • “If Bama wins sec, they're getting a bye, right?” — Bud Elliott (12:53)
  • General agreement that winner of Bama-Georgia is a lock for a top-four seed.

2. Lane Kiffin’s Unending Drama

• Ongoing speculation about Kiffin’s impending move to LSU and indecision dragging out.
• Tom Fornelli (15:46): “For somebody who is supposedly matured a lot, this is still very childish behavior… if you’re going to leave Ole Miss and take the LSU job, just freaking do it, man. Rip the damn band aid off. Be an adult.”
• Banter over whether he should be allowed to coach the playoff if he leaves (19:47).
• Impact on Ole Miss program and whether the staff would follow Kiffin.

3. Michigan Falls to Ohio State: ‘Statement Win’

• Ohio State dominates in Ann Arbor, locking up a 12-0 regular season and Big Ten Championship spot.
• Bud Elliott (27:27): “Michigan popped a couple nice explosive runs… and then the Buckeyes just basically allowed zero. It’s just a continuation of that defense.”
• Tom Fornelli (29:18): “The biggest separation in this game was that Michigan has a quarterback who might be great one day and Ohio State has one that already is.”
• Ohio State’s athleticism and defense overwhelmed Michigan; Buckeyes are considered a clear field-goal better than the field.
• Big Ten Championship preview (Indiana vs. Ohio State) — Indiana’s story and expected raucous atmosphere highlighted.

4. Oregon’s Tenacity

• Ducks cap an 11-1 season, survive shorthanded at Washington.
• Emphasis on defense taking away Huskies' passing game and timely big plays from WR Malik Benson (39:21).
• Bud Elliott (42:45): “Not being in the conference title game might not be the worst thing … you get the extra week to recover, get guys healthy, and you do get the home playoff game.”
• Oregon’s case as a real contender if fully healthy and getting stars back.

5. Playoff Picture, Seeding & Bubble Teams

• Oklahoma, Texas, BYU, and Texas Tech’s playoff resumes dissected in detail.
• Texas' big win over Texas A&M gives them a shot at moving into the top 12, but the path to a bye remains narrow.
• Chip Patterson (92:48): “I think the high, low range on this [where Texas lands in the AP] will be massive.”
• Texas A&M’s loss likely bumps them out of bye position; committee reluctance to punish severely analyzed.

6. Big 12, ACC, G5 Musings & Chaos

• Oklahoma and others have resumes strong enough for home playoff games, but play styles (“boring chaos") are panned for aesthetics.
• Vanderbilt’s ups and downs; Tennessee’s “real job pressure” under Josh Heupel explained (53:00).
• ACC Title Game farce—Duke vs. Virginia—panned for weak resumes and odd tie-breakers.
• Bud Elliott (65:05): “We should not have a conference champion for the ACC. This year. Or ever.”

7. Notable Quotes & Banter Highlights

• On Lane Kiffin:

  "For somebody who is supposedly matured a lot, this is still very childish behavior ... Rip the damn band aid off. Be an adult."
  — Tom Fornelli (15:46)

• Alabama’s Iron Bowl Performance:

  “Ty Simpson did not look great. ... He's been kind of shaky for a month now."
  — Tom Fornelli (09:45)

• Ohio State’s Defense:

  "Michigan popped a couple nice explosive runs. ... Then the Buckeyes just basically allowed zero."
  — Bud Elliott (27:27)

• On the Lane Kiffin Playoff Coaching Debate:

  “If you're going to leave Ole Miss and take the LSU job, just freaking do it, man. Stop yanking everybody around. Just get it done.”
  — Tom Fornelli (15:46)

• Texas Playoff Resume:

  “I think that in addition to the Texas College Football Playoff discussion ... I think the high, low range on this will be massive.”
  — Chip Patterson (92:48)

---

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [06:32] Iron Bowl assessment: Bama/Auburn deep dive
• [13:01] Playoff seeding for SEC champion
• [15:46] Lane Kiffin drama reaction/plea
• [27:27] Ohio State/Michigan key stats and turning points
• [29:18] QB play as true separator in OSU/Michigan
• [42:45] Oregon, G5, and playoff seed impact
• [53:00] Tennessee’s “job pressure”/fanbase expectations
• [65:05] ACC Championship structure roasted
• [92:48] Texas’ jump in rankings and playoff context

---

Memorable/Lighthearted Moments

• Banter about Lane Kiffin’s tarmac fate and coaching the playoff (21:06+)
• Power rating debate: Is Oklahoma really that much better than Vanderbilt? (47:27+)
• Misc. Heisman watch jokes—Arch Manning, Fernando Mendoza, Emmett Johnson, etc. (83:03+)
• Repeated cracks at the convoluted ACC championship and “imminent” Kiffin announcements.

---

Conclusion

This episode is an essential, energetic rundown of rivalry weekend and its shocking playoff and coaching ramifications. The hosts cut through surface narratives for tactical, data-driven analysis while never letting the show lose its signature Cover 3 swagger. If you missed the games, this is your best way to get fully caught up—and entertained—in under two hours.

---

Listen to full episodes and subscribe at Cover 3 YouTube and your favorite podcast platforms!

Transcript

[Chip Patterson]

It's NBA Tip off week and FanDuel is your home for live betting. So even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. However you want to play. Now is the perfect time to join because FanDuel is giving new customers three three hundred dollars in bonus bets if your first five dollar bet wins. So visit FanDuel.com cover to sign up today. Play your game with FanDuel. Official sports betting partner of the NBA must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18/ plus and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. First online real money wager only $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non withdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] gambling problem call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland or hope is here. Visit Gambling Helpline ma.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-Hopeny or text hopeny in New York. Have you heard of Gold Belly? It's this amazing site that's become a regular order for my family during the football season. It's where you can get the most iconic famous foods from restaurants all across the US and they'll ship it anywhere in the country. It's perfect for hosting Thanksgiving without the stress and with Black Friday right around the corner, it's a great time to pre order holiday gifts that can ship right to their door. Gold Belly can send smoked turkey from Salt Lake, barbecue in Texas, lobster Mac and cheese straight from Maine, or even the legendary three in one pie caking to make hosting a breeze and the gifts gorgeous. Think Lottery Macarons, Junior's Cheesecake and more delivered anywhere. Personally, our family had some deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's and Joe's Kansas City Barbecue and in both cases we were able to make the meal both a Saturday and Sunday football extravaganza. So if you're looking for that perfect holiday gift or want to impress your friends and family with an epic Thanksgiving, go to goldbelly.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code cover. That's goldbelly.com code cover for 20% off your first order.

[Bud Elliott]

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

[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 [e-mail] 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 are either celebrating or mourning the situation that we might be in. Yes, we are live. 11:34pm Eastern time. We are in the literal final moments of SMU's efforts to avoid disaster. It seemed as though they had stormed back from a double digit deficit against Cal only to have that lead then taken away again. And Tom is making a face. Dictate to me, Tom dictate that was.

[Tom Fornelli]

Nearly picked off by Cal. But there's a flag. I don't know what it is. It might be a holding. This thing might be done. Let's see what the flag is here. Brett Lashley does not look pleased.

[Chip Patterson]

Garrett in our resident Texas A and M fan in the tailgate says we should only talk about Saturday's games. Denied, Garrett. Denied. We're talking about the whole dagum weekend. This is the week 14. Instant reaction. Lots to be able to peel through right now. Again the, the ACC and SMU and all the chaos that is unfolding right there. Bud, take it. What do you see?

[Bud Elliott]

They got eight seconds left. You could try to throw a little out here and then like not try to kick a 52 yard attempt. Cal might have just bailed him out with the timeout. Like with 8 seconds you can throw, you could try to throw a little quick throw.

[Tom Fornelli]

Like a quick out.

[Bud Elliott]

Get rid of it. Yeah, like I, if it's me, I'm trying to like throw a little, little quickie here and, and get out of bounds. 52 is a big field goal in the Bay Area at night. Like that's got to be cold, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

There's a lot of things I can do in eight seconds.

[Chip Patterson]

Well. Well, apparently not to a bathroom break. Danny showed us. You need a full radio bathroom break. These cover three mid rolls ain't long enough as we found out.

[Bud Elliott]

Oh my God.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, so much to get to. We've got, we've, we've got that unfolding right now. We've got to peel through. I mean, we still don't have an answer about Lane Kiffin. There's, there's a lot to be able to, to dig into right now. While SMU and Cal are concluding the, the final stages there. Can, can we go to Jordan Harris Stadium? Because like Thomas, did you think that Alabama played down? Do you think Auburn met the moment? How, how do you go through? How did you feel at 20 to 20? Because here's the thing is you can't talk to me now after I saw an eight minute drive where they made, where they made all the tough calls and they made all the tough plays, right? I walk out of today saying, you know what? Alabama just got put in a tough spot and they found a way to win. We can have things that we can nitpick about the performance, but was that Alabama playing down? Was that Auburn rising up? How did you, how did you find yourself evaluating that game as it unfolded?

[Tom Fornelli]

First of all, it will be Duke in Virginia in the ACC championship game. I, you know what, Chip? I threw out the record books. You know, when it comes to a rivalry game, anything is possible. When it comes to the Iron bowl, anything is possible. So when Auburn was tied 20 to 20 with Alabama, I was crapping my pants because, I mean, I didn't think, when it was 17 to nothing, I felt like whether you threw out the record books or not, this game was certainly going in one direction. So yeah, I was very much surprised by Auburn being able to work their way back into the game. Not, not that defensively they were able to slow Alabama down because that's what Auburn's done to everybody this year. They've got a very good defense. It was just the fact that their offense was able to finally start maneuvering and moving the ball and putting points on the board. I mean, if you look at the box score like this is kind of like not the same thing, but it's kind of a bizarro Oklahoma game in Alabama because Auburn out gained Alabama by quite a bit. It's just turnovers killed them and they, they fumbled the ball four times and only lost one of them. So it was not exactly what I would consider a clean performance. It was not exactly an impressive performance. But they made enough play plays offensively to get back into it. And Alabama just, you know, Ty Simpson did not look great. Like he threw the three touchdowns, but he was being harassed all night and he made A couple of good throws, but he made some really bad ones and some strange decisions. But you know, they got away with it.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, when you watch this thing, it felt like bama got up 17 nothing and figured they would just cruise. Auburn hits two 65 yard pass plays on the night, which is like, you know, a tremendous percentage of what their pass game was at one point. Their other 29 passes they had thrown went for 87 total yards. Was one of those things. Like, I feel like Bama's fine here. Like they, they. This is confirmation bias by me. I thought they would jump out and kill them. Right. And ultimately, you know, they, they obviously didn't kill them. Right. Like they, they jumped on them early. Auburn hits those explosives and all of a sudden it's a game like Bama run game was going well, but their past game, like they consistently had issues with the blitz pickup. It was notable when Bama finally picked one up there when they had the late hit, low hit, I guess on, On Simpson. I mean, I don't know, there's a bailout call or not. It's probably like it, I guess, by the rule. Sure. I don't, I don't know. We need to protect college quarterbacks like we do NFL quarterbacks. Like, they're not quite the same level of investment. I'm rambling here, sorry. But like, you know, looking at that, it. I felt like they, their, their blitz pickup issues that they had against LSU that they had against Oklahoma, they continued. Right. So maybe they get that cleaned up by the time they play Georgia because Georgia certainly had to blitz them quite a bit, you know, because like, they don't have much of a pass rush from the down four. But like, yeah, I agreed, like the drive that they had to go win the damn thing was, was pretty impressive. And I thought even on that drive, like Auburn played really hard. Like, I thought Bama got to some creative stuff and Auburn, like Auburn matched it and ultimately like just, you know, better players won out there in the end, but they didn't look dominant. Certainly not. Not for 60 Minutes.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. And it's not like a perfect metric, but there is like a concern here. Like if you look at Ty Simpson on the year, he's got a passing passer efficiency rating of 154.8. This was the fifth straight game in which he has not beaten 136 in his passer rating. Like, he's been kind of shaky for a month now. And their entire operation has been shaky for a month now. So you look at where they Are they won? They survived, but now they're going to Atlanta where they're going to be playing Georgia in the SEC championship. And it's just, I mean, I guess you could argue the run game was probably considering how it had been performing and considering the defense they were facing, getting 4.2 per carry and 158 yards total, you might feel like, all right, that's step forward. That's a good sign. But I just, I'm. I have questions and concerns about this passing offense and this offense in general going into Georgia next week.

[Chip Patterson]

Ty Simpson got rocked in this game.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

And to your point about the calls, sorry, Auburn, you're sending bot. You're sending a lot of bodies at Ty Simpson. It's your game plan. And I don't disagree with that as your stated game plan. But if you're just. If you're literally letting the cat, the big cats loose, you know, all the time, then yeah, eventually it might end up costing you in terms of a roughing the passer penalty. I mean, how about the one where Ty Simpson was running towards the goal line and he got smoked, knocked out of bounds. And then the play comes back because of an Isaiah Horton hold, which to.

[Bud Elliott]

Me, that's on Simpson for cutting that outside.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, okay.

[Bud Elliott]

Like, there's no way that Simpson or that that Horton with his leverage is anticipating that Simpson is going to cut that to like the two and a half yard gap that he had there between that and the pylon. Like he, you know, I think if you're watching Horton on that, like, all, like, that's just. You don't expect a receiver to go ahead and just maintain that leverage to the site, you know, I'm saying, like, to me, that was more on Simpson. Like, dude, just, you got the first down barrel in there, and if you.

[Tom Fornelli]

Get it, you get it.

[Bud Elliott]

If not, it's. It's still the first that almost cost him.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, I didn't say by, by committing that hold, Horton did set up his third touchdown catch of the night. So stay. Well, he's.

[Chip Patterson]

He's get.

[Bud Elliott]

He's.

[Chip Patterson]

He's gassing the numbers for all the nil stat stuffing. Yeah, my, my thought was not necessarily to assign blame. I was like, well, that sucks that Ty just got rocked again and it didn't even count, you know, like, it was just. It made me think the, you know, you're talking about some of the schematic things and the warning signs. I was just like, man, these are a lot of. A lot of heavy hits when you're about to have to go play Georgia and Atlanta. And Georgia Tech did not lack for physicality. We could spend some time on that or not, you know, a little bit later on, but that's an extra day of rest. That game moved pretty quick. It's going to be a lot for. For the Crimson Tide to reload the Musket as they prepare for the SEC championship.

[Bud Elliott]

Although Georgia was. Was not without injury in the game in that win over Tech. Yeah, they had. I. I need to see, like, who's going to be probable or whatever, but, like, they. They. They had a lot of guys go down.

[Chip Patterson]

I mean, guys. Does winning the SEC even mean anything anymore?

[Bud Elliott]

All right, so, like, off rip, if Bama wins sec, they're getting a buy, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes.

[Bud Elliott]

Because I floated this takeout on Twitter. People are like, you're nuts.

[Chip Patterson]

How would they not read the room?

[Bud Elliott]

I know. It's Twitter.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, yeah, but. And Alabama. Let's hit the. Let's. Let's hit the magic bullet points here. It was an Alabama football conversation involving the College Football Playoff. On Twitter.

[Bud Elliott]

On Twitter.

[Chip Patterson]

That's a triple play engagement. Yeah. You're. You're not gonna. You're not get. Who knows what you're gonna get, but it's gonna be a lot.

[Tom Fornelli]

Either way, you're gonna get some dumbass egg with a name, then like 17 numbers after it's saying you're an idiot.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. But, yeah, I think that the SEC champion. It is really, really tough, especially if the SEC championship game is between Alabama and Georgia. Yeah. I'm sorry. That. That. That the winner of that game is going to have at a. I mean, a top four seed. The. The 1, 2, even the things were crazy.

[Bud Elliott]

This is wild. Like, I. For. For thinking that if Bama beats Georgia again, that they're getting a buy.

[Tom Fornelli]

We're idiots to think that the SEC champion won't get a buy. We're the idiots, right?

[Bud Elliott]

Apparently.

[Chip Patterson]

Thank goodness Ole Miss is not in this SEC championship game.

[Bud Elliott]

Oh, my God.

[Chip Patterson]

Hold on real quick. Anything else, football wise, about Iron bowl that we want to make sure we hit or get to, like, the.

[Bud Elliott]

The run game was kind of a positive. I agree. Simpson's taking a lot of shots. Like, the amount of pressure that they have in on him is. Is a ton. I know the broadcast constantly talked about where was Ryan Williams again, I kind of echo those thoughts. I don't really have a. I don't have, like. Like a conspiracy theory take on. On that one, but, like, Bernard was obviously not, you know, there, so Railsford.

[Chip Patterson]

Was In and out of the lineup, too.

[Bud Elliott]

He's pretty good. He's a good player, man. Like. Like, really nice player.

[Chip Patterson]

So, I mean, clearly he's 100%. If he's, you know, having to, like, go out, right guard kicks in, then he comes back in. I mean, it's. It's a. They. They. They're holding it together as best they can. Everybody's a little bit hurt. All right. I. I thought we'd have an answer. It's 11:45. We're not getting one tonight, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

Idiot. You're an idiot if you thought we were ever going to have an answer.

[Chip Patterson]

I was debating whether we would go, like, live at 2pm or 5pm or 7pm and then after about 9 to 10pm I was like, well, sorry. Sorry, Lane. You know, you might not get your own sirens, but you know what? Maybe he will after all. What. What do we do with this?

[Tom Fornelli]

He's going to lsu.

[Bud Elliott]

Okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

Like, he's just. There's a whole lot of excuses for why they haven't announced it. I don't know. I. I feel like Lane is just hoping Ole Miss does it for him.

[Bud Elliott]

Yes.

[Tom Fornelli]

So that way he could. I mean, I don't. You know what? He. Whatever. I. I've got a lot of thoughts about this. I'm not going to really share on here, but I just do feel like this is. For somebody who is supposedly matured a lot, this is still very childish behavior, just being afraid to make the decision or at least announce it. He's made the decision. He just doesn't want to say it yet. And then sit there and be like, well, can I still coach the team and try to negotiate that? And then also try to negotiate, based on the reports we're hearing, if he could take the staff with him to lsu. It's just. It's like. It's a really, really tricky situation, and I understand that. And I understand that it's not an easy one to make for him, but. But it's also a situation he's put himself in, so I'm not going to really have too much sympathy for him. It's just, if you're going to leave Ole Miss and take the LSU job, just freaking do it, man. Stop yanking everybody around. Just get it done. Rip the damn band aid off. Be an adult.

[Bud Elliott]

Are we even sure the whole staff wants to go to lsu? No, because, like, I mean, I'm not saying Pete Golding would have a chance to get that job, but also, guys done a pretty good job there with that defense. It's not like Ole Miss recruits high school all that well as far as like, you know, having a bunch of these five star D linemen. If he was to take that Ole Miss team, I know he wouldn't be the, like, I know people think Joe Judge would be the, the kind of like the de facto head coach because Golden's calling the defense still and I get that. But do we know he wouldn't get that job? Like, if summer all takes Florida.

[Tom Fornelli]

Is.

[Bud Elliott]

Ole Miss gonna go hire Gillesh over, over the in house guy? I don't know.

[Chip Patterson]

And now here to make his announcement live on the COVID 3 podcast, we've got Lane Kiffin. Lane. Oh man. Crappy didn't show up. Oh, he had him. Thought we had. Thought we had him.

[Tom Fornelli]

Marty Smith tells me the decision's imminent for the 19th time in the last 20 hours.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I did get a huge kick out of the game day crew saying that Kiffin should be able to coach the playoff game when Saban literally fired Kiffin over this same thing. Yeah, like.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, what is, what is the one thread that really ties Kiffin and everybody on that desk together, huh?

[Chip Patterson]

I don't know.

[Tom Fornelli]

I can't figure it out.

[Chip Patterson]

Anything football related from the Egg bowl to be able to take out of that?

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, look, Mississippi State played hard. They just don't have the front seven players to really make it matter. You know, like they couldn't get enough pressure on, on Chambliss. Chambers made some nice throws, receivers made some big time catches and they ran the ball pretty well. It's like we talked about it all week, like we understood why the spread was what it was. But this Mississippi State team that got pounded down the stretch by anybody with a half decent run game because their front seven just fell apart with injuries.

[Chip Patterson]

And Ole Miss with Kewan Lacey and Chambles's ability to run certainly satisfies all of those requirements.

[Tom Fornelli]

And you know that honestly, that makes me even matter in that Ole Miss, in all, in all, you know, realistic respects, has just had the best season it's had of the modern era. Like, you have to go back a long time to find the last time Ole Miss had this much success. And, and there's a ton of great stories with this team. You think of Trinidad Chambliss who comes from Ferris State, who was not even the starting quarterback at the beginning of the year. Austin Simmons was, you know, the, the Prince who was promised the guy who was going to be great, the Jackson Dart inheritor. And he gets hurt or he Just didn't play all that well. And Chambliss takes over, and Chambliss balls out. And you've got a great story where this team is able to go 11 and 1, and the only damn thing anybody's talking about is the coach wants to leave him. Because that's what the coach has done. He's completely taken all the joy out of this season. If you're Ole Miss, like, if you're. If you're a Rebels fan, do you even want him back at this point?

[Chip Patterson]

There's a chance. The playoff game, and they are at home.

[Tom Fornelli]

He's not coaching the playoff game. There's no way in hell, Chip.

[Bud Elliott]

They're. They're not going to let him do that.

[Tom Fornelli]

Is Ohio State going to let Ryan Day coach them in the playoff if he leaves for Michigan?

[Bud Elliott]

That's a great point.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, you're supposed. You want them to go into the playoff while Lane Kiffin is trying to put a staff together at LSU and get that team together, ready for next year, while also maybe poaching some coaches from the current staff. He's on. You think that guy's going to be 100% bought into leading you in a damn playoff game? Hell, no. He hasn't been 100% bought into you for three weeks now.

[Bud Elliott]

Even if he was, it's just. It's a terrible look for your program.

[Chip Patterson]

Yes. I. I didn't say that he should.

[Tom Fornelli]

You said there's a chance. There is no chance.

[Bud Elliott]

I. I think that collectively we called this right. Like, Ole Miss was not going to force him into making a decision before the Egg bowl, and they didn't. Or at least if he did make one before the Egg bowl, he didn't announce it. Right. But we did say, like, the playoffs is kind of the hard line you got to draw, or I guess in theory, the SC title game. But they're not going there.

[Chip Patterson]

So. So with everybody seeming to agree that he's off to lsu, the only thing that is left is.

[Bud Elliott]

Although if LSU flies these planes in tomorrow, as Dellinger reported, and they go. They go back empty, we're gonna have another Lane Kiffin tarmac moment.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I. I just. I am. I think that if. How about this, like, quick thought exercise, then we'll get back to football. If we are dealing with someone who is taking a tom. I'm going to use sort of your descriptor here, a childish approach to this. I want everything, and I don't want any responsibility. I want all of the credit and none of.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't want it to be my fault. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Yes. Right. To do that would be to ask to continue with your current team that you've worked so hard to lead all the way to this point and then be able to see it all the way out. You are asking Ole Miss then, to stand up and be sensible. I'm saying as this continues and as we continue to not have a. As we continue to not have finality here, the more my mind is entertaining. Holy crap. They really might let him do this. That is why I say chance here, like here at almost midnight on Saturday night. No, then saner. Saner minds will have prevailed.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, there's. There are. There are actual adults in the room, are they not? Just not the one leaving for lsu. Okay.

[Chip Patterson]

If he tarmac's lsu.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, that would be incredible.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, my goodness.

[Tom Fornelli]

Although, I mean, I. I picture a scene where Lane lands in Baton Rouge, comes off the plane, meet some reporters who ask him about taking the LSU job, and he's like, I still haven't made my decision yet. I mean, he might go look at some houses.

[Chip Patterson]

What if it's Tuesday?

[Tom Fornelli]

Anyway, let's move on to games. Lane Kiffin has gotten far too much oxygen from us and from everybody in general the last couple weeks. Weeks.

[Bud Elliott]

Okay, agreed.

[Chip Patterson]

We'll. We'll do a little palate cleanser. Coming up on the other side. How. How good must it have felt in their house? And so lopsided that Brutus was out there tap dancing Script Ohio in the snow. It was incredible. Ohio State's big win against Michigan, Oregon closes out an 11 win, regular season and more next. So I made the new Eggo protein waffles the other day for my boys. And no surprise, the kids loved it. They've got that same great eggo taste we all know and love, but with an irresistible twist. 20% of your daily protein in every serving. And let me tell you, protein has never tasted this good. I mean, my kids couldn't believe they were protein waffles and they just wanted more waffles. They're made with wholesome ingredients fresh from the griddle. And honestly, they become an easy part of our breakfast routine. It doesn't matter whether we have a little bit of syrup, maybe a little bit of butter, or, you know what, even just plain, because it's so simple and so delicious. These waffles deliver an excellent source of complete protein, 10 grams per serving, without compromising on flavor. Because, let's be real, if it doesn't taste good, no one's gonna eat it. But these no one can say no. Head to your local grocery store to fuel up your morning with Eggo protein waffles and pancakes. Available at retailers nationwide, this show is brought to you by BetterHelp. You know, as the days get shorter and it starts getting dark even before dinner, it can really affect your mood. This time of year, it's always important to check in on the people that you care about. Maybe friends you haven't seen in a while, maybe teammates who might be going through it quietly. Just sending a text or meeting up for coffee can make a huge difference. And honestly, reaching out for therapy can feel the same way. It takes that same bit of courage. But once you do it, you usually find yourself thinking, why didn't I do this sooner? BetterHelp makes that step a lot easier. They have over 30,000 licensed therapists and their matching process helps you find someone who really fits your needs. You just fill out a short questionnaire and BetterHelp does the work of pairing you with a therapist. And if it's not the right fit, you can switch anytime. It's therapy designed to meet you where you are. So this month, don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step, and Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com Cover 3 that's 3 Spell it out. T H R E E betterhelp.com Cover 3 that'S better. H E L p.com C-O-V E R T H R E E betterhelp dot com Cover 3 this episode is brought to you by PNC Bank. A lot of people think podcasts about in depth analysis on college football are boring. Sometimes, sure. But doing the research and understanding every game gives you the knowledge that you need to make small talk with any sports fan anywhere. It's like banking with PNC Bank. It might seem boring to save, plan and make calculated decisions with your bank, but keeping your money boring? It's what helps you live a more happily fulfilled life. PNC Bank Brilliantly boring since 1865 Brilliantly boring since 1865 is a service mark of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC bank and national association member FDIC back here on the COVID 3 podcast. Well, Ohio State got it done. They went into Ann Arbor. They came out with the win. It was very businesslike in its approach, especially in the second half. They dominated the Wolverines. They pulled away for the victory. Things were very tight early. Obviously you've got the Jeremiah Smith touchdown on the fourth down, which kind of opened things up. And then once you started to get Michigan a little one dimensional, once Michigan had to start chasing the game, well, the Buckeyes had certainly done their part. But what were some of the aspects of this that really stood out to you as Ohio State finishes? And I want to make sure we celebrate this because not all teams who are 11 and oh made it to 12 and oh, but Ohio State was one of them. So as Ohio State closes out a 12, 0 regular season, so Michigan had.

[Bud Elliott]

105 yards on four plays and their other 38 plays went for 55. So early on, Michigan popped a couple nice explosive runs. They had one pass that was like decent and then the Buckeyes just basically allowed zero. So it's just a continuation of that defense, like nice job, popping swing, explosive runs. If I got the math right on this and Chips looking at it with kind of a, a different eye here. So I'm thinking maybe I messed up these stats, but maybe I didn't. There we go. Yeah. So if you go to big plays, they basically had four, like four big plays for 105 and then the rest of them went for, you know, like 55 is.

[Chip Patterson]

Didn't we talk about that in Big game Breakdown, bud? That's exactly what Michigan does, right? Justice means run. I mean, it's just like all year long they've been setting themselves up to try and hit a couple of those explosive plays, but it's just not, they're not built to dominate anybody on a down to down level.

[Bud Elliott]

Offensively, Ohio State sees better receiver play from their second stringers in practice on a daily basis than what Michigan rolls out there. As far as like the totality, obviously, like we, we know the freshman's good, but like the rest of those guys are kind of whatever, they're fine. Pretty good argument that Michigan needs to go splash the pot in the transfer portal this offseason to get price and better receivers. You know, pretty good pressure on Underwood. Most today I thought Ohio State, like, they were pretty physical with the run game, saying, calm down, hit some shots. Receivers played good, like made good plays. They're just a better team. And they, they took a little while to settle into it, but they didn't look like to me, they didn't look crazy rattled. I didn't feel like, oh, this is unraveling. It felt like, oh, okay, this is like annoying for them for a little bit, but it just felt different to me. I don't know, maybe I'm having the benefit of hindsight on this because the game was 12 hours ago now. But like, I don't know, did you guys feel like they were ever truly in danger? No. Okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

And I, I, they got off to the great start. Okay. There was the big run by Marshall on the very first play of the game to get him into Ohio State territory. The pick and, and yeah, the pit. But I'm saying then they had to settle for a field goal.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Then they get the pick and then with a chance with like a fourth and goal situation, I can't remember what yard line they were at. Let's see, it was a, it was a 25 yard field go were like the seven or eight. So with a chance after that pick to really kind of seal all that momentum, you could have gone for a touchdown, but instead you kicked the field goal. So you're letting them off the hook because they were already down a score and now they're still down a score. They're freaking Ohio State. It's not going to be that hard for them to get a touchdown and take the lead. Now you held it for a little while because then Ohio State kind of followed suit and kicked a short field goal themselves. Because I do think that after Julian saying through that interception, Ryan Day kind of snuck back into the Ryan Day versus Michigan kind of mindset where he got ultra conservative. Because like Ohio State, very first play from the game on offense, throw deep, incomplete, but they took a deep shot. Then they come out in that second drive and they're throwing again and that's when the pick happens. And then it was just suddenly handed off. Handed off, handed off. Then when they get to that fourth and goal from the six after the delay game, Ryan Day quickly sent the field goal team out there to make it six to three, three. But I just think overall Ohio State, when you have that defense and you have those guys on offense, you, you can afford to be a little conservative over time, especially when you're that confident. I just, if I'm Michigan and I want to win that game, I, I can't be, I, I'm not going to beat Ohio State with field goals. Okay. It's, it's pretty clear to me. So I thought that was a big deal. And I also think honestly the biggest separation in this game was that Michigan has a quarterback who might be great one day and Ohio State has one that already is. And you saw that in the way that they treated it too. Because once Ryan Day got out of his like conservative funk, there he Just started letting his guy air it out again. And what do you know? Like, we have great receivers and a quarterback who can get them the ball against this defense, which is good. But as I was saying all week, it's not the same Michigan defense that we've seen the last few years. Most of the really good elite dudes are gone. There's still some good players left. It's just not the same unit overall. And we saw Ohio State take advantage of that. And Michigan offensively still doesn't have enough dudes and they're dealing with injuries, which isn't helping. But you know, Marsh has been fantastic for them all season long. He really strikes me as a guy that's going to be special for them. But you know how many catches he had? You know how many catches he had.

[Chip Patterson]

I think it.

[Tom Fornelli]

Because Ohio State has NFL defensive backs. Yeah, you can take him away. And they did that. Michigan had no counter.

[Chip Patterson]

No. It was only hope for a PI. The receivers were not getting open in this game like it was.

[Bud Elliott]

Ohio State continues to be the only. Like the power ratings see this but like we see it on the field every week as well. Like they continue to be the only team that is clearly a field goal better than everybody else.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes.

[Bud Elliott]

We ran and like in prior years, they might have been a touchdown better than everybody else.

[Tom Fornelli]

Right.

[Bud Elliott]

But like the sport is more compressed.

[Tom Fornelli]

Now.

[Chip Patterson]

And if you're to game it out again, like just trying to take what we. What we see with what we see on the field with what we see in terms of the data, there's you get. You got to factor in the way that they're going to coach it, which, you know, may maybe if it was a video game, they could beat teams by more. But they did exactly what they needed to do today and it was just rocking chair for a lot of that second half. So congratulations to the. To the Ohio State Buckeyes, number one team in America and with the win, locked up their spot in the Big Ten championship game. As first reported by Tom Fornelli on the COVID 3 podcast after he ran his numbers two weeks ago. Two weeks ago. His proprietary formula, the Tom for Nelli Big Ten title game predictor sponsored by Tom Fornelli. Told you it was going to be. It was. It was my metrics. Told you it was going to be Ohio State in Indiana. Indiana, by the way, got themselves in a real tough one on Friday night.

[Tom Fornelli]

You know, I mean, golly, Kurt Signetti is a man who understands how rivalries work. And then you've got the chance to absolutely embarrass your rival, embarrass him. So it's like, you know, he did it to Ryan, he got Ryan. I mean, I think Ryan might have been fired either way, but he definitely helped Ryan Walters get fired last year. And then this year he's like, hey Barry, welcome to the old oak and bucket game.

[Bud Elliott]

I'm just going to drop 50 on you real quick.

[Chip Patterson]

I have no notes football wise from this game. I feel like it was a more productive conversation for us to get. Just real quick, we're going to spend a lot of time this week talking about it. We'll get 12, Ohio State, 12 zero. Indiana. What are the first things that pop off when you start thinking about the matchup?

[Bud Elliott]

How much pressure can Indiana get on Ohio State? Like, can they figure out a way to bust their protections? Can somebody finally get open against Ohio State's defense consistently? Like Mendoza is the arm and like the smarts to hit him. You know, she's good. Like, you know, Cooper and Surat, are those guys, are they up to the task like that? That's going to be a really interesting challenge there, you know, like how much run game can they really get going? I mean, look, Michigan popped a couple explosives. It's basically all they did. But it, this is the toughest SLFA so far this year. So like I'm really looking forward to watching this same.

[Tom Fornelli]

I'm happy they actually get to play.

[Chip Patterson]

18 team conference. We actually get these two teams playing each other. It's amazing. That's why. Oh, it's in the championship game. Well, thank God. You know, not every conference can say that. I, I think that it is going to be, it is going to shocker from the vibes department. The Indiana Hoosiers are playing in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis. And I understand that Ohio, I've said this before, I understand Ohio State makes everywhere a somewhat friendly environment. And I know that every time the game is played, fans, obviously, there's a lot of red in that stadium. You know, like the red pops especially, you know, when they're playing at Michigan. So I, it, I know that Ohio State fans will be there too. Well, buddy, this is a moment for Hoosier football. Fernando Mendoza out there talking about how Pat Coogan stood up in the locker room at halftime, giving him a pump up speech, calling them the team of misfits making history. We'll see. I think, I think the environment inside that building, people decry conference championship games. What are they even worth? Why do we even still have them? Let's get rid of them. I predict that the environment inside that building is going to be raucous for 1v2 on Saturday night. Even though both teams are a lock for the College Football Playoff and the loser could absolutely go and accomplish something that the winner wants. I think that that's going to be a really fun conference championship game.

[Tom Fornelli]

Ohio state, currently a 5 1/2 point favorite at Fanduel, by the way.

[Chip Patterson]

Fair.

[Bud Elliott]

What does that close at?

[Tom Fornelli]

I think it closes closer to three than seven.

[Chip Patterson]

Were you thinking movement the other way? Yeah, I don't think it'll get over seven.

[Bud Elliott]

No, no, no, no. But like, like Bama closed. What, like seven minus zero five after being like five, four and a half. Five and a half the whole week.

[Chip Patterson]

I didn't know it ran out like that. But I mean, it's. It's Ohio State, Ohio State football, Kentucky basketball.

[Bud Elliott]

You know, like, I think it'll probably close. Set like six and a half. Juice.

[Chip Patterson]

Yep.

[Bud Elliott]

You know, people take the seven. If it hits seven, people lay the six, five and a half.

[Chip Patterson]

Or just go ahead and take that. Take that six, take that five and actually I'm. I hope it gets to four so I can take the fort.

[Tom Fornelli]

The only thing Chip's concerned about is the third quarter number.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Come on.

[Chip Patterson]

No, the fourth quarter for Indiana, Ohio State. Ohio State for the third quarter. Indiana for the fourth quarter. That's how we do it.

[Tom Fornelli]

Does the.

[Bud Elliott]

Does the cash app trophy extend to championship week or not?

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yep. Okay.

[Chip Patterson]

Championship week has always been the final.

[Tom Fornelli]

You know, bud, you might be in the lead after this week. I haven't done the numbers yet.

[Bud Elliott]

I think Chip. I think Chip rebounded after a tough morning, but we might have some. It might be. It might be a race. Down, down in the end.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

I'm racing Danny for third.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm either going to be 5 and 5 or 6 and 4, depending on if Stanford wants to.

[Bud Elliott]

They're making a game of this, Chip.

[Chip Patterson]

Hey. Hey, we're on the board. Hey, we're on the board. Oregon. The Oregon Ducks had. I. I had different feelings during the game early on. I was like, hell, yeah, Oregon. That's how you go into a tough spot. You're still shorthanded, and defense is coming up with some big plays, but then it couldn't quite pull away. Washington makes a little bit of a game on it. Of it. So I'm kind of bouncing around trying to. Trying to throw it back in, make sure I don't. I don't. Don't lose sight of everything, Tom. Would you. What'd you get from Oregon? Is this just like a, hey, you know what, like, solid road win into the season, or did you feel like you learned anything that's different from what we've seen from the Ducks recently as they've continued to be in this, you know, down multiple skill position players? I thought it was a good Dante Moore game, you know, like really relying on hit like that. Bud's boy, Malik Benson, he might only have straight lines.

[Bud Elliott]

We got to give that guy some credit, man. He's making some catches now. Yeah, like, for real. Yeah, like, you got to give that guy some, like, some serious credit because he. He flat out sucked at Bam in Florida State. And, you know, you might say he had Jalen Milro and a hurt DJU thrown in the ball. That might be a great point too, but, like, Oregon's getting some out. Some out of this guy, like, when they really need it. So, like, like, hats off to Benson, man.

[Chip Patterson]

Like, that guy had another catch or two that were kind of. That felt big, you know, just like.

[Tom Fornelli]

He had one robbed from him. That should have been a catch. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Gosh.

[Tom Fornelli]

Catch of the century.

[Chip Patterson]

Shout out to Gary Daniel catch I've ever seen.

[Bud Elliott]

I thought that like the best thing that or that Oregon did today was they just kept the lid on Washington's like, explosive passing attack, right? They had one pass over 20 yards the entire day. They're like, hey, if you're going to beat us, you're gonna have to earn it in the red zone. They just couldn't do it often enough.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, they were willing to give Washington room to run it a little bit, just to focus, to take away the deep ball. And I mean, yeah, if you look at like Washington's receivers, like Denzel, Boston had two touchdowns. He was 4:25. Like, they weren't really the big plays. I will say the one thing Washington did that I was impressed by is like, because you mentioned Corey Moore wasn't playing, Gary Bryant was playing. So they were like, all right, well, we're going to take away Sadiq and we're going to see if you can beat us with the other guys. And like, Blake Benson had that 64 yard touchdown recall like the. The deep end and then just took off. But they did take Sadiq out of the game. He had four catches for 11 yards, so that was an impressive job by them. It's just, I think Oregon was too good defensively and like, they just made enough plays on offense to win that game. I do not think that was a great performance. From the Ducks on offense. But it's tough to go into that stadium and play hard and win. I mean, even Ohio State only put up 24 on the Huskies in Husky Stadium. So it's. It's not a performance to be ashamed of. It just wasn't their best one and they still won comfortably. Like, I never really felt like Washington was seriously threatening even after that Bentley. That Boston touchdown in the fourth quarter to cut it to one score.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, look, you could say Sadiq had multiple drops, and he did, but even if he catches those, he's going like, what, eight instead of eight targets for 11. He's got eight targets for like, 40, like, five yards of target from the guy who's right now probably your best threat. Like, that's still a pretty good job at Washington.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, that's. That's why Jamari Johnson ends up getting a couple looks because Sadiq's been taken, you know, kind of isolated a little bit. Others that also ended up getting in on that. So Jonah. Jonah Coleman's not healthy, too. You know, like, it was. It was a good Muhammad game and we talked about that. He had played well the week before, too. So tough loss for Washington, but for Oregon, a congratulation, A hardy congratulations for the Ducks. Eleven and one in the regular season, not in the Big Ten title game, but certainly a very, very. You're 11:1 and your only loss was to Indiana. Like, this is. This has been a really good season for Dan, landing in his second year of Big Ten membership and also not.

[Bud Elliott]

Go ahead, Tom.

[Tom Fornelli]

I was going to say not being in the conference title game might not be the worst thing for this team because they are banged up. Yeah. So you get the extra week to recover, get guys healthy, and you do get the home playoff game. And there are very few places I want to go on the road to play somebody in a playoff game, you know, less than Watson Stadium.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, I do think it's really impressive what they did to go. What they did to Iowa, USC, and Washington down the stretch without all these guys. Like, if they get. If they get those dudes back, that. That's a. That's like a real team that can go win it.

[Chip Patterson]

I think. I think this Dan Lanning guy might be a good football coach.

[Tom Fornelli]

He could be.

[Chip Patterson]

Has anybody thought about maybe him being a name to watch in this industry?

[Bud Elliott]

I don't think it's really an option for other teams.

[Chip Patterson]

You know, like, I was just, you know, just they. Somebody should pick up the phone and call that guy. Is he available?

[Tom Fornelli]

His Name. His name's gonna come up. Right. But they're just. They're just worried about what's going on in that room, right?

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. Yeah. Great. What. Go ahead.

[Bud Elliott]

Stanford is doing a thing where they, like, call timeouts, try to like, like, maintain a drive. They blew it. And then Notre Dame drove right, right down the field. So they got first and 10, like the 15.

[Chip Patterson]

Well, 35, three. That's still a 32 point lead. So you're technically.

[Tom Fornelli]

We're still covered, baby. For.

[Chip Patterson]

All right, so Oregon in, right?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

We don't need to play the playoff game all through the episode.

[Bud Elliott]

And a home game right in.

[Chip Patterson]

And a home game. I'm with top. Tom mentioned that earlier. I will throw my support behind that as well. What. What do we do with the Oklahoma Sooners?

[Bud Elliott]

I think they're in. No, they.

[Tom Fornelli]

They. They are 100 and they should be in. I just. It's their resume. No, you can't take them out. That resume is too strong compared to the people that they're competing against. It's just nothing about the 8, 9 decision.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm talking about where they fall on this seed line and how we're feeling about the Sooners hosting a playoff game.

[Tom Fornelli]

I think that they have a very good shot to get a home game because of that resume. Man, they've got wins that these other teams they're up against don't have.

[Bud Elliott]

So their loss to Texas looks better. Their win over Michigan looks worse. Their win over Auburn looks worse. It might come down to the SC title game. You know, if you have a win over the SC champ, then maybe they get the home game.

[Chip Patterson]

I don't. I could be wrong, and I appreciate your thoroughness, but I don't think that they follow it. I don't think they follow it that far. Like, I don't think they actually do The. Okay, here are all of the results. Now let's go see what all of those teams did and then come up with, like, a total sum of what that total impact is. I just think they're like, very surface level, best win, worst law. You know, just like, yeah, we're only taking the. The very simple stuff that we can grab and then just shuffling it along the way. But there. I mean, if the Duke Blue Devils. Well, shoot. I mean, if the Duke Blue Devils win the acc, they might not even make the playoff. But, like, there's a potential for some. Some truly. Some truly tough watches making it to the first round of this college Football Playoff. And just in terms of aesthetics, like, the style, like, what we would be selling to the sporting audience for this being the fine competition for the national championship. Because the current state of Oklahoma football can be a very tough sell to someone who is not totally in to that brand of football.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, it's not. It's not pretty, it's not exciting. But damn it if it doesn't work.

[Bud Elliott]

Yes it does.

[Tom Fornelli]

But like. And it. You we mentioned it. It's just the way that they play, the way Matier is like they can beat anybody when they're playing well. It's just they also have that ability to play so poorly within a game that they keep everybody in it at the same time. Like anybody can beat this team if they don't play well enough. If mater makes those mistakes and the offense just struggles. They're. They're like. They're very boring chaos in a way. Like ugly disgusting chaos.

[Chip Patterson]

More than happy to just wait for the 75, 50 to 75 yard Satania touchdown.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, you just. If they hit it. Oh, you're screwed if they don't. You've got a fighting chance.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. Like would you rather like Oklahoma? I do you think Oklahoma just strip out resumes? Oh crap. I guess that's just gonna be power rating. That might give you an answer. Well actually I know YouTube both. Is Oklahoma far from Vanderbilt in your own personal power ratings? No, they're very different teams but all in the wash. I was wondering, I was like do they come out to being pretty similar teams?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I mean like there are so many teams like past Ohio State that are real similar. You can beat like anybody else on a given day.

[Tom Fornelli]

They're they. They play different styles but overall they're very similar. Let's see. I'm looking at mine right now because Oklahoma. Oklahoma is favored by 0.86.

[Chip Patterson]

Oklahoma is in the College football Playoff. Vanderbilt might be very likely.

[Tom Fornelli]

Not very likely.

[Chip Patterson]

Not I don't think both with 10 and 2 records. Vanderbilt lacking in the high quality wins that Oklahoma does have. That's probably the difference. The differentiator there. But still 10 win regular season for the Commodores or anything else on the Sooners in lsu.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean look, that defense is awesome and the offense is awful. So any game is winnable. Every game is losable.

[Chip Patterson]

That's the fun of it. Come on down. Brent Venables. You did it. Did you. Did y' all get eyes on Vandy Tennessee?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I did. What'd you think Andy doing the Vandy thing?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I mean like, like Pavia starts out awful.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh yeah. Red zone turnovers. We're doing all the checklists.

[Tom Fornelli]

It's Alabama all over again.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. We're doing everything that we can do to blow this opportunity.

[Bud Elliott]

And then I like. And then Pavia made some absolute dime throws. I thought Beck did a great job of scheming up some stuff to exploit. Like maybe some of the undisciplined play from Tennessee on the backside of some of those run fits and they spit a couple out, they hit a couple explosives. Probably has that one really long run that like they had a couple plays where Tennessee had him sacked that he just worked some magic on and that was like, that was fantastic. And like your defense just. They didn't play amazing, but they, you know, they played well enough.

[Tom Fornelli]

Right. Like we've mentioned it like this Tennessee defense is not nearly as good as it was. I mean, this is a team that they gave up the 44 to Georgia, but they also gave up 34 to Mississippi State. They gave up 30, you know, 37 to an Alabama offense. It hasn't exactly been incredible. They gave up 34 to freaking Kentucky. Like this is a team that has showed they're going to give up some points. So the fact that they weren't really able to get stops against Vanderbilt didn't come as too much of a surprise.

[Bud Elliott]

Because Vanderbilt offense, the chat's saying, when do we start asking about Hypo? They had like one of the best teams in the country of the year that the quarterback gets hurt. They're like super late. Right. They made the playoff last year. This year was an obvious like, go back and watch summer school. Right. We had the guys off involves 247. Like this is. It's not a rebuild year, but it's kind of like a, you know, reset type of year.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. Damn. I don't, I don't know why you're bringing sense to a hot seat conversation with Tennessee fan base. They don't have a win over a FBS team with the winning record.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, they don't. Neither does Missouri. True. Although I think Missouri. I don't know if Missouri will be ranked next week. I do question whether Tennessee still will be.

[Chip Patterson]

And we'll let you know what we think in terms of the AP top 25 a little bit later in the show. In tomorrow's top 25.

[Tom Fornelli]

I have a question for you. Although it's really not a question, it's just a statement of fact. Did you know that Nico was 10 against Vanderbilt? Makes you think.

[Bud Elliott]

If Aguilar gets the extra year, like if the injunction goes in their favor, do they want him back? No, I don't think so either.

[Tom Fornelli]

I think they'd gladly take him back, but I don't think they're going to just hand him the job.

[Bud Elliott]

I think they would go shopping in the portal if they're. There ain't no chance he's starting for them next year, in my opinion.

[Tom Fornelli]

No. Like they'll, they'll tell them, if you want to come back, you can come back. But we're also going after competition for you and you have a chance to.

[Bud Elliott]

Compete like you're here because we were desperate with a really weird situation. Like you're not a upper half the SC quality starter.

[Chip Patterson]

The other piece about this, a term that I've used here before and credit Gary Parrish, I own college basketball podcast. He talked about it with John Calipari near the end of his Kentucky time. Was like, is it hot seat? You'd be like, no, it's not really hot seat because Kentucky ain't firing John right now. But what it is is it's real job pressure. It means that you wake up in the morning and every second of your existence is like, oh my gosh, they are furious at me right now. And I do think that Josh Hyple could enter next season with a little bit of job pressure. I think that there have been some, some big game defeats over the last two years. Like I would include the law, even though Ohio State won the national championship. The buzz that Tennessee had going into that game and then the way that they got dog walked in that game, I think was like, throw it on the list of the one, the, the defeats that, you know, they, they don't look bad. When you're looking at the Wikipedia grid and we're just chalking up all the wins and losses, but in the emotions of fans and boosters and, and people of that nature, I think there have been some big game losses for, for Josh Hypo that probably sparked that conversation from the tailgater.

[Bud Elliott]

So in the, in the 14 years before hypo got there, where do you think an 8 and 4 regular season record would rank for the balls?

[Tom Fornelli]

Tied for first.

[Bud Elliott]

Tied for first.

[Chip Patterson]

That's correct because Butch did it. But he'd win the bowl game, go get to 9 and 4, then show up number 23 in next year's preseason top 25 just because he was 9 and 4 with a Capital One bowl win?

[Tom Fornelli]

Brick after brick, baby.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah. I mean, they were 11 and 2, 9 and 4, 10 and 3, a playoff team and 8 and 4.

[Tom Fornelli]

It.

[Bud Elliott]

I don't Know, I think he's doing a fantastic job there overall.

[Tom Fornelli]

Me too. But you know, the sec, it just means more. Every game is. Is a must win. The pressure is just different. You wouldn't understand unless you live in it.

[Chip Patterson]

But by the way, brick by brick, Red Wolves, Red Wolves went into Boone and did some disrespectful stuff.

[Tom Fornelli]

It was a bowler bus you right out the mountains.

[Bud Elliott]

I did not get eyes on that one, actually.

[Tom Fornelli]

Chip was in the mountains, he saw Butch was coming and he got the hell out of town.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

30 to 29. Arkansas State gets to 6 and 6. Dow Loggins. Mountaineers fall to 5 and 7. Tough, tough, tough scenes, tough scenes there in the high country of North Carolina. All right, let's see. We got Gallo Oak, Oklahoma, Got a little Vanderbilt. Would you. What'd you make of the Miami Hurricanes?

[Tom Fornelli]

Better than Pit.

[Bud Elliott]

They. I mean, like, Pitt has played either two or three, depending on how you want to classify Louisville's D line, like real, you know, legitimate defenses and their O lines gotten destroyed by, by Miami, Notre Dame. It's kind of what we thought would happen. I didn't think their D line would get destroyed as bad as it did. But like line of scrimmage game that was not close at all.

[Chip Patterson]

I, I think that's just the end of the rope of this. These, like the, the games. Even even though Georgia Tech is not at all on the same caliber of those other teams in terms of the quality of athlete, quality of player that you're dealing with, I think the stakes of these games just back to back to back to back might have been wearing on that team just a little bit.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I would agree.

[Chip Patterson]

What are you smiling about?

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't want to bring it up. I don't want to give him any more oxygen.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, gosh.

[Tom Fornelli]

Just a current thing that's on ESPN right now. Just a word that is on the screen as Pete Thamil's talking. That has been on the screen on ESPN pretty much all day.

[Chip Patterson]

Rhymes with train and brain.

[Tom Fornelli]

And no, no, I just don't think anybody in Bristol, Connecticut knows what the word imminent means.

[Chip Patterson]

Malachi Tony continues to be an absolute joy when your season's on the line. Why not give your best player 20 touches, 15 targets, 13 of them pulled in for 126 yards and a touchdown. Receiving got him. Five official carries recorded on the ledger. Two pass attempts from Malachi Tony, one of them for a touchdown. So. So yeah, that's that. That was clearly a piece of the game plan. It continues to be a piece of the game plan. And it's super fun when really good young stars like that just continue to, to build and stack good experiences and good games. So that was fun.

[Bud Elliott]

So should the ACC rig this like the Big Ten did in 2020 to put Ohio State in. Grant is a Covid year. So a little bit different scenario or like the Big 12 last year when they, remember when they clarified their, their conference championship stuff last year mid season.

[Tom Fornelli]

Is it different? I mean, if you think about it like acc. No, the ACC and Covid are kind of one in the same, if we're being honest about it.

[Bud Elliott]

But like at least the ACC teams all play the same number of games.

[Tom Fornelli]

I, I mean, if there's still time to do what's right, if Jim Phillips has the courage. I, I don't know what to say.

[Chip Patterson]

I was very dismissive of this idea until this. There's a loss that's not being counted. We've got boxes of unchecked ballots. NC State beat that team now. I know it didn't count.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

But if you're actually going to talk about, you know.

[Tom Fornelli]

This is the stuff they don't want you to know.

[Chip Patterson]

This is. We gotta count the votes.

[Tom Fornelli]

I was gonna ask, going back to Malachi, spinning it forward, where is he at? Unlike the preseason Heisman board next year. I mean, he's too high up there.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, too high, sure.

[Bud Elliott]

A receiver in a crystal ball offense.

[Tom Fornelli]

Come on. I know, but I'm just saying he's going to be up there as like one of the. He will be the it boy of the Heisman talk over the off season.

[Chip Patterson]

Are we sure he's going to be going into Jeremiah's final year of college football?

[Tom Fornelli]

Right. Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

And wherever. And wherever Coleman ends up playing and.

[Tom Fornelli]

Jeremiah will be the favorite. Tony will be the hipster like pivot.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, sure. Sub out Jacob Rodriguez, sub in Malachi. Tony. Yeah. But a perfect and you know what perfectly fine name for us to, to celebrate. You could just talk about him as being a great football player. But if you have to call him a Heisman contender or Heisman dark horse to talk about a cool football player. Sure.

[Bud Elliott]

Are we sure JMU is getting it over Duke if Duke wins this?

[Chip Patterson]

I am.

[Tom Fornelli]

I'm not sure.

[Bud Elliott]

I'm not sure either.

[Tom Fornelli]

I do think I, I think it's like I, I had given them no chance. I'm well on the record with that. The fact that Duke was still somehow able to get to the ACC championship despite having five losses. JMU has a pulse. My concern is with. As Matt Senates phrased it earlier this evening as with Bob Chesney being a quote, person of interest for the UCLA job. How does the committee view James Madison if there's a chance that Chesney's going to ucla?

[Chip Patterson]

Interesting. You know, we've had the. There have been like 6 and 6 Georgia Tech teams that have made the ACC championship game. A five loss team in the ACC championship is not new. We've been here before. Oh yeah, but the five loss champion, boy, that would be something else.

[Bud Elliott]

You see what the spread is?

[Chip Patterson]

No, please tell me because I have to write.

[Tom Fornelli]

It's probably like four and a half points.

[Bud Elliott]

It came out three and a half. Got pounded all the way down to two and a half already.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, came out Virginia three and a half.

[Chip Patterson]

Man.

[Tom Fornelli]

I think it was Nathan in the chat who asked a minute ago, would you rather watch ACC football or have covet.

[Chip Patterson]

I've. I've done both at the same time. It was incredible.

[Tom Fornelli]

I think everybody on the show has done it at the same time.

[Chip Patterson]

That we did have a point. Chris Summer, our colleague, introduced this factoid that I was very sad, did not come home just because I thought it was interesting. But Rhett Lashley stealing playoff opportunity from both Manny Diaz and Mario Cristobal could have been rich, you know. But alas, Manny Diaz gets the last laugh. Here's. Here it is, Manny. You could be an ACC champion. All you have to do is beat Virginia. That simple. Virginia last in the ACC championship game in 2019. Duke last in the ACC championship game in 2013. Neither of them, neither of them won in those games.

[Bud Elliott]

Question for you. That actually I'm kind of stealing from the chat, but changing it up. So Nick in the chat says, does the committee leave old Miss out if he doesn't coach? Not a chance.

[Tom Fornelli]

No.

[Bud Elliott]

Could that be the deciding factor of the Ole Miss Oklahoma thing?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes.

[Bud Elliott]

For the, for the eight, nine.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes, very much so.

[Bud Elliott]

Now they did beat Oklahoma by what, multiple scores. And Norman.

[Tom Fornelli]

But that was a different team. They had a coach then. I know Florida State was a different team before Jordan Travis got hurt.

[Bud Elliott]

But we haven't seen Ole Miss play without Lane Kiffin, remember?

[Tom Fornelli]

True Christ. Also, nobody was campaigning for how old Miss without Lane Kiffin is still just. Is. Is a terrible team. They're actually campaigning that he should still be coaching in the game even though he's taking another job.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm going to answer this very seriously and succinctly. If the Ole Miss Rebels, which defeated Oklahoma in Norman and who currently have an 111 record, are seated behind an Oklahoma team that is 10 and 2 and lost at home to that Ole Miss team, then it's just. It. It's just for shits and gigs. I mean.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, but we know that it.

[Bud Elliott]

Is so, like, it's.

[Tom Fornelli]

This committee would never put a team that lost to another team ahead of them in the rankings.

[Chip Patterson]

Never. I'm telling you, I don't think they'll do it.

[Tom Fornelli]

And Miami hosting a playoff game this.

[Chip Patterson]

Year, I'm saying if they do, then it's like, it's not even something that I'm going to spend that, too that much time trying to follow the logic on or care to honestly. Okay, fine, line it up and go. I mean, that's my whole thing about these weekly rankings when I've been comparing it to basketball is everybody bitches for two days about the basketball bracket. And then you know what happens?

[Bud Elliott]

We watch Game starts. Right.

[Tom Fornelli]

Do you.

[Bud Elliott]

Do you think that if Duke wins this, we will see some changes as to how these conferences decide who goes to their championship games?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes.

[Chip Patterson]

Yes.

[Bud Elliott]

So you don't think it's, like, optimal process to have NC State, UNC and Boston College, Syracuse be the deciding factors for your conference opponent, like schedule strength? No. Okay. I would agree. Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

I think. I think you're far more. You know, you're probably going to see a lot more of conferences going to, like, head to head being the first tiebreaker and then CFP ranking.

[Bud Elliott]

There is it. There is a conference that does this, and I looked it up today and I forgot it's one of the G5s. I think so. But some of the G5s also use computer ratings to determine this kind of stuff.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, I. I think you will see, with the sole goal of getting as many teams into the field as possible, they will go head to head and then CFP ranking.

[Bud Elliott]

All right. Practically, you wouldn't get the CFP rankings until Tuesday.

[Chip Patterson]

I know.

[Bud Elliott]

So would you just use, like, common sense that Miami, the fact that they didn't lose is clearly, like, no, sorry.

[Chip Patterson]

Boys, y' all are both doing prep.

[Bud Elliott]

But common sense doesn't. Right. Like, like, well, you would have a good idea scenario, but, like, in other years, it would not.

[Tom Fornelli]

You'd have a good idea based on the previous weeks.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. But, like, this year would be very clear. In other years, that might not work. So you might have to go like, some mishmash of computer ratings.

[Chip Patterson]

Because computer ratings would update. You wouldn't have to wait for the correct.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. Okay.

[Chip Patterson]

But if I. If. If we have decided as a conference that our number one goal for structuring our championship race is to help our conference in the College Football Playoff, then, yeah, I get rid of all this stuff, because we just don't. I mean, Duke and SMU only have two common opponents.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, but they haven't been in the ACC together that long, so it takes. It takes a little while to get to know everybody. You know, it's like when you're the new kid at school, you got to give them a couple days to get acclimated, maybe even a whole semester.

[Chip Patterson]

Yep. Let's hit. Bud, you got a little muted. Are you unmuted now?

[Bud Elliott]

Oh, I was just saying we should not. Yeah, mute button, Bud. For sure. We should not have a conference champion for the ACC.

[Chip Patterson]

This year. Or ever.

[Bud Elliott]

Just ever.

[Tom Fornelli]

Okay? Nobody in that league deserves to be having nobody goes champion attached to their name.

[Bud Elliott]

Like, what. When's the chip. When's the last time that you could not have acquired free tickets for this or tickets under the price of a beer?

[Chip Patterson]

Listen, the. The Charlotte Sports Convention. The. They. They do a great job. All right.

[Bud Elliott]

No doubt. I mean, shout out Citrus Sports here in Orlando. We might get Texas, Michigan for the Cheez It Bowl.

[Tom Fornelli]

You'd have to be a damn fool to not want to spend a Saturday night in December outdoors in Charlotte.

[Bud Elliott]

Dude, it's always, like, cold and, like, still, like, wet.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Why is it wet right.

[Chip Patterson]

Next door?

[Tom Fornelli]

There's fog. It's always foggy. It's always cold. It's always wet.

[Bud Elliott]

It's always awful. Yeah, it.

[Chip Patterson]

At the end of the box for, like, half these.

[Bud Elliott]

Right. Like, I'm still complaining about it. Yeah, it's.

[Chip Patterson]

And, you know, but before the College Football Playoff, they'd always have a whole bunch of oranges because the ACC champion go to the Orange Bowl. So, like, these rocks that are frozen oranges are just getting hurled across the field.

[Bud Elliott]

The best thing I ever got out of the AC Championship game was one of the FSU years. There I was. We got the story. When I remember when I videoed this stenographer trying to. Trying to like, like, type Jimbo when he's speaking like, a million miles a minute. And, like, I interviewed her, and that was, like, the most viral thing we did, like, the entire championship week. She's like, yeah, he's worse than an auctioneer. It's actually ridiculous.

[Chip Patterson]

All right, let's. Let's. Let's do another palate cleanser, because we still haven't. We need to make sure we get, like, a good hard start time for Arch Manning. Arch Manning Texas College Football Playoff projections coming up on the other side. Where will Arch Manning be in terms of the College Football Playoff bracket and more next I've noticed something about my workday. The longer I sit, the harder it is to stay focused and energized. I mean, my back tightens, my posture suffers, my brain just feels sluggish. It's clear that movement isn't optional, it's essential. Why sit when you can stand out? That's why I upgraded to the all new Uplift V3 standing desk. The V3 combines the best of Uplift's V2 and V2 commercial desks into one powerful, stable and customizable setup. It features reinforced steel and redesigned feet for unmatched stability. Assembles in minutes and the Flex mount cable manager keeps all my cords perfectly organized. The ergonomics are next level and the desktop options and accessories let me create a space that is truly my own. My favorite part? Being able to seamlessly switch between sitting and standing. It keeps me energized, focused and ready to tackle any task. It's more than a desk. It's an upgrade on how I work and feel all day. Transform your workspace and unlock your full potential with the new Uplift V3 standing desk. Go to uplift.com cover and use our code cover to get four free accessories, same day shipping for free free returns and an industry leading 15 year warranty that covers your entire desk plus an extra discount off your entire order. That's U-P-L-I F-T-E-S-K.com cover for this exclusive offer. It's only available through our link. It's the home stretch of the college football season. We're headed out of town. Rivalry weekend. Oh, college football playoff games. The whole experience. While I'm off soaking in the excitement, I realized my home could actually be doing something for me while I'm away. That's right, you can host your home on Airbnb while you're gone. And it's such a practical way to earn a little extra money. I started thinking about it. A few nights of hosting could help cover part of the trip or even fund tickets for my next game. It's easy and it doesn't take over your life. Just make your space available and then let others enjoy it while you're out having fun. And maybe it's not even a big game. We could do it when we're out for holiday travel as well. You come home to a little Extra cash in your pocket, and no hassle at all. So if you've got an upcoming trip, whether it's a football weekend, a quick getaway, or a family visit, hosting really does feel like a smart move. Seriously, your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] Host back here on the COVID 3 podcast, where for a night. Yes, at least just one night. The A stood for Arch and Manning. Yes, Manning coming up with some big plays as Texas pulls away for a 27 to 17 victory against the Aggies. And now Texas sits in a position where Steve Sarkeesian can go on the politician trail. Now, I don't. I don't need to. You know, I didn't. I didn't ask Mikey to clip anything. We don't need to, like, go back. You're a head football coach. You're politicking.

[Tom Fornelli]

Sure, it's a great system.

[Chip Patterson]

Did Texas look good.

[Bud Elliott]

Defensively?

[Chip Patterson]

Ran the ball okay? You know, we've seen that run game be really, really bad at times, you know, suspected others. I thought it was a decent. A decent game for the Longhorns running the damn ball.

[Bud Elliott]

You remember big game breakdown? We were like. We're like, oh, Sark says Hills in.

[Tom Fornelli]

We were like.

[Bud Elliott]

Okay, that's inconsistent with what some of the stuff I think people were hearing. And he didn't play. So I thought their defense played really well with Hill being out. Obviously their other backer was out for the first half. Like, they. They held together. How much is Marcel Reeds, like, getting banged up? Like, he didn't look right. And I. I've never been like, a big Marcel Reed, guys, as our listeners know. But, like, he looks like a level. He looked like a level below what he usually looks, though, you know, especially post injury. So, I mean, the two picks at the end were. Were pretty rough. Like, Texas played really good defense and, you know, A M just allowed too many explosives.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. There's a part of me that wonders, like, if. If Stark remembers he has a run game in the first half or at least he could run the ball if maybe this wasn't a blowout. I. Because I do think that, like, in the first half, Texas was just throwing, throwing, throwing, and it was not good. Arch was not playing well. Then they finally realized, maybe we should lean more in our run game. And all of a sudden, they really started hitting those big plays in the second half, and the offense got humming and they just looked so much better overall. So maybe if they start the game that way, it goes a Lot differently. But I mean, it was, it was a good win for me. It keeps them in the conversation. I, I don't think that. I don't think that the results they needed today happened for them. Like, I still think they're very much facing an uphill battle. I think they needed, like, some certain teams to lose, and it just didn't happen. Although I guess Stanford could come back in the second half and beat Notre Dame. Who knows? But I don't know.

[Chip Patterson]

It's like if. If we had seen Auburn pull off the Iron bowl upset and if we had seen Oklahoma actually get beat instead of hitting the Satania easy button to be able to pull away with the win against lsu. Like, if. If all of those dominoes at all fall and then, yeah, you could, you'd all sudden find yourself a lot closer to number 10. And as we've been talking about, you know, you get to the 10 spot in the committee's rankings, that's. That's the target for all these at large teams.

[Tom Fornelli]

And the other side of this conversation is Texas A and M's playing its first real opponent since like week two. And they looked like a team that wasn't used to facing real, real opponents. Like, they looked kind of stunned at times in this game when they were, you know, going up against Texas defense. Look like, oh, wow, there are people that hit like that. I forgot. We haven't really had to deal with it much. So, yeah, it's. It was a very bad timing. I. I showed you, Chip. I don't have the towel with me anymore. I gave it to my wife. It was a early Christmas gift. I got like the Marcel Reed Heisman campaign stuff promo package in. In the mail yesterday, like 10 minutes before this game kicked off. So the timing was.

[Chip Patterson]

Are we 02 now?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, because I got Haynes King the week before. So if you are an sid, I really appreciate that you keep me in mind.

[Chip Patterson]

But you will lose.

[Tom Fornelli]

I would just say going forward, maybe think twice before you send me anything because it does not typically work well.

[Bud Elliott]

And you live in, like, such a remote area of the country. It makes sense that stuff takes months to get to you.

[Tom Fornelli]

Mm.

[Bud Elliott]

You should move to a major city.

[Tom Fornelli]

I should.

[Bud Elliott]

How far does A M drop in.

[Chip Patterson]

Playoff rankings or AP playoff?

[Tom Fornelli]

I think that they are outside the buy range, but I don't think they fall too far simply because this committee does still seem to be very hung up on the number of losses in the column.

[Chip Patterson]

I think they are having a conversation with Texas Tech.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I think Texas Tech can surpass them. Although I would argue that Texas Tech doesn't have a win as good as Texas A M's road win against Notre Dame.

[Chip Patterson]

I would agree.

[Bud Elliott]

You would be correct.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I would agree with that assessment.

[Bud Elliott]

No, that win is doing a lot for them because Auburn didn't make a bowl. Mississippi State got crushed. Florida didn't make a bowl, Arkansas didn't make a bowl. LSU again, you know, lost Missouri, you know, kind of whatever. They beat Arkansas, South Carolina didn't make a bowl. Sanford. I don't know what the record is. Utah State 1 are covered.

[Tom Fornelli]

And then also Texas Tech's loss is worse than Texas A M's.

[Chip Patterson]

Texas text loss. Yes.

[Tom Fornelli]

Arizona State versus Texas. Yeah. So they might not drop past Texas Tech. It'll be interesting to see how the committee views them.

[Chip Patterson]

I don't know. See here, people who really have been getting into the selection committee stuff will actually talk about game control. Like some, some people who can really nail the like projections even going in week by week. According to ESPN's Game Control, Texas Tech's number four. Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

They've been beating the piss out of teams.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

If, I mean Texas A and M's is not far off that, but it's. I, I could see if Texas Tech dominates BYU in the Big 12 title game. Well, shoot, if they do that, they're probably knocking on the door of a top four seed. Might not get it, but they'll at least be in that conversation.

[Bud Elliott]

No, I think Tech is in the conversation for a buyer.

[Tom Fornelli]

Again next week. Especially if they blow them out again. I don't know how you cannot give them one of the buys.

[Chip Patterson]

So that I think is how Texas A M ends up in the final rankings. Maybe pushed down a little bit because Texas A M can't do anything. And these other teams all have the ability to be able to improve their standing in the eyes of the committee. 13th data point things.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Nature.

[Bud Elliott]

I don't, I, I think they have to crush BYU though. Like if they squeak one out of. I do not think they get a buy.

[Chip Patterson]

What about your answer to your question? Where do you think A and M goes?

[Bud Elliott]

Well, they're not going to drop below Notre Dame. Right.

[Chip Patterson]

I don't think they're going to drop below Oklahoma or Alabama.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, but oh my God, how funny would that be if they did? Like if the committee has Notre Dame ahead of both the teams it lost.

[Bud Elliott]

To, they do have the really weak schedule within the, within the sec. Right. Like we pointed out, Ole Miss's schedule strength within conference being terrible, which is True. Obviously A M would say. Yeah, we actually played Notre Dame. Ole Ms. Scheduled four cupcakes. Right. So I don't think the committee's going to look that deeply into. They probably. What are they six do you think?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, probably. Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

But that's, I mean depending on if Bama beats Jordan.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I, I don't think that they're gonna, I don't think they are going to think too hard about this loss sorter. Oh, okay. You used to have a zero. You are our third ranked zero loss team. Now you've got a one. Okay. Where do you fall among the one loss teams? Well, we like Georgia better, we like Oregon better, we like Ole Miss better. And then somewhere in there I think is probably where Texas A M falls. Something along those lines. Anything from the Aggies outside of, you know, we, we mentioned it with Marcel Reed. The sort of cold water plunge of facing a team. Do, do you feel any different about their ability to win games in the playoff?

[Bud Elliott]

A little bit. A little bit. Only because they are going to face better teams in the playoffs than they faced in terms of like quality of athlete and caliber of team. In all but two weeks they really got the dregs of the, of the sec. They got Missouri. When Missouri's quarterback was out. They played Mississippi State. They played a lot of, a lot of like the really bad SEC teams and the SEC has a lot of teams that were like 0 and 8, 1 and 7, 2 and 6 in conference and A M got most of them. Wisner got a lot of his runs. When that D tackle for A M went out, I forgot the kid's name and it's obviously like what 1am now but are they thinner on the D line in the middle? Do we realize like, like what's. I assume he's back and it didn't seem like some catastrophic injury but like the broadcast I think did a nice job pointing that out. Macro was like oh, with him out they're moving these guys quite well. And Texas offensive line has not been very good this year. So you know. Yeah, Onadayam. I'm not saying his kids name right but I had that notes like okay, maybe they're not quite as good on the interior past those first two guys.

[Tom Fornelli]

I, I've always looked at Texas A M as like a final four team and not really a national title team. So my opinion hasn't changed.

[Bud Elliott]

I would, I would mostly agree. I think if they play their, their fastball is good enough to win if they get the right matchups.

[Tom Fornelli]

I guess I, I Think it's more difficult to get to the semis now that they won't have a buy.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm worried that one of the reasons I thought that they didn't have many weaknesses is because no one exposed their weaknesses.

[Tom Fornelli]

That was part of it for sure. But I mean, like, if you looked at power ratings all year long, they've typically been in that, like, 5 to 8 range in most of them. Even with their record.

[Chip Patterson]

I didn't have Texas A M as like, a. A top three team. I thought that. I thought that the way that they were built made them potentially dangerous, you know. Oh, they can throw in, they can run. Ooh, they've got a quarterback and go on the move. They've got a dangerous pass rusher. Yeah, they're a little bit leaky on defense, but they can come up with big plays. You know, like, I. I sort of built out the idea of the way it would look, I guess. Bud, to your point, the fastball, like, on paper, if everybody plays well and they get some breaks, then it's a team that could go on a deep run. I don't think this game is. I don't think this game provided a ton, except for a heat check on my expectations for what the Aggies will do because every team they play in the playoff, most of the teams that they will play in the playoff will be a lot closer to the caliber that they faced on Friday night.

[Bud Elliott]

I don't want to, like, derail the show, and I do that at times. Jeremiah loves Heisman. Odds are, like, plummeting. Is he out?

[Tom Fornelli]

Not hurt? Yeah, he got hurt. He left the game with, like, some sort of, like, midsection injury.

[Chip Patterson]

He's back, but he's four. Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah. Okay. I mean, obviously he needed to have a huge game because Notre Dame doesn't play on championship weekend, and he's not having that so far.

[Tom Fornelli]

Okay.

[Bud Elliott]

Like, he's. He went from 450 at kickoff to 1600 now. So that's basically done. I thought it was done anyway. I didn't think he could really win it. But, like, not after the, like, the game saying had. Today it's going to go to the winner of the Big Ten title game, I think. Unless Pavia gets some kind of huge, like, Netflix push.

[Tom Fornelli]

But.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I just. I noticed the change in odds there. Wanted to ask.

[Chip Patterson]

According to Matt Zenitz and 247 sports, Ole Miss has a team meeting scheduled for 9. 00am tomorrow.

[Bud Elliott]

That's central Time, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

Should be.

[Chip Patterson]

And then they will have an announcement afterwards. Whatever. Forget that. All Right. Let's talk more about football from today.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, Jim Nagy's mad at me.

[Chip Patterson]

Real Jim Nagy.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, he tweets you.

[Tom Fornelli]

He, quote, tweeted me because of my tweet that said the country. My. It's a joke tweet. By the way, this country needs to have a serious discussion about letting Oklahoma into the playoff. What did be with, quote, letting Oklahoma into the playoffs? Show me a better resume. Gtfoh Jim, come on, buddy, relax.

[Bud Elliott]

Oh, my gosh.

[Chip Patterson]

You know, do you know who isn't getting enough Heisman love? Fernando Mendoza. Have you seen this guy play football?

[Bud Elliott]

Wow.

[Chip Patterson]

Real good football player. Outstanding football player. I think he's gonna have a good career. More people should talk about him, you know. You know who else isn't getting enough Heisman left? Arch Manning. You see him run.

[Bud Elliott]

Wow. And also Emmett Johnson.

[Chip Patterson]

Emmett Johnson is getting enough Heisman Trophy love, you know.

[Bud Elliott]

All right, would you guys like to play a game with me?

[Chip Patterson]

Sure.

[Bud Elliott]

Would you like to rank in order? Matt rules. Best Big Ten wins at Nebraska in three years. All right, so we have the choices are at Illinois in 23, Northwestern in 23. Best he's ever had, Purdue and 23. I tend to agree with you there, Tom. All right, and then at Purdue last year, Rutgers last year, Wisconsin last year. And then this year we have Michigan State, at Maryland, Northwestern and at ucla, Illinois. Yeah, Northwestern is kind of a sneaky good one, though. I mean, not gonna lie like, like now.

[Tom Fornelli]

Anytime you can put like an Illinois pelt on the wall, you know you've done something.

[Bud Elliott]

Dude. They're close, though.

[Chip Patterson]

Have you seen the career wins in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln County?

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, I'm gonna hold on. I gotta find it. Cody tweeted was incredible. I hope Cody didn't tweet too much today so it's easier to find. Come on, Cody, don't be out. Don't be on these Twitter streets, buddy. Here we go. Kirk Ference is 7 and 1 in Big Ten games at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska's Memorial Stadium, not to be confused with Geese Memorial Stadium in Champagne. Nebraska's last three head coaches combined are 18 and 26. Matt Rule is 6 and 8. Scott Frost is 6 and 11. Mike Riley is 6 and 7.

[Chip Patterson]

What's that Kirk Saran record in Nebraska Stadium again?

[Tom Fornelli]

He has more wins seven in Memorial Stadium than Nebraska's last three head coaches. By the way, Bo Pelini was 12 and 4 in Big Ten games. Not overall.

[Bud Elliott]

I was going to say.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, no, that does not count beating Northwestern State, just Northwestern.

[Bud Elliott]

And in A weird way, I'm kind of like not bullish as that. They're gonna go win the Big Ten. I think they might have finally got some of the front office stuff right after like two full reorgs there. But I just don't think they're close. Credit to Iowa though, dude.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Like, nice season for. If they had an easier Big Ten schedule, they could. Like, they're very.

[Tom Fornelli]

Illinois.

[Bud Elliott]

A couple really close games from being a playoff team.

[Chip Patterson]

Iowa. Iowa's 8 and 4. It's like an ACC 10 and 2.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes. Should Iowa be in the ACC championship ahead of Duke?

[Chip Patterson]

Yes. You know, a lot of people aren't. You know who's not getting enough love for the Heisman Trophy? Mark Kranowski. Who would a way to battle, you know, rough start, a little bit banged up. Couldn't really get in rhythm with your new team with all the limitations of the off season surgery. But man, just. Just being gutty. Just. Just gutsy stuff there coming down the stretch.

[Tom Fornelli]

This is not an insult, although I'm sure Iowa fans will take it as one. But it is just kind of a giggle. If you want to have a giggle, go compare Mark Gronowski's numbers to Navy quarterback Blake or Vath. It's. You'll giggle.

[Chip Patterson]

Hey, Navy's got nine wins, but they're an option offense. Yeah. Congratulations to the Boston College Eagles. The sun is shining. We're still fighting, Trevor. Yeah. Two and ten on the season. Just one ACC win. But dad gum, at 34 and 12, they had zero FBS wins coming into today. Now they've got one. Good job. Bill O' Brien and the Eagles. All right, what else from. From the notebook? What jumped out at you today?

[Bud Elliott]

Do you circle back to Miami real quick? Do you think they. Do they do enough with that late score? Like are.

[Tom Fornelli]

Are.

[Bud Elliott]

Do they have a real path to get in now?

[Chip Patterson]

So.

[Bud Elliott]

I mean, other shows make this like the entirety of their show, according to our chat. We really didn't debate it.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't think so. I. I think they're done.

[Chip Patterson]

They can't. All right, so here they needed.

[Tom Fornelli]

They needed results to them is bad. Yeah. They needed results that would help get them battling Notre Dame for the spot.

[Chip Patterson]

And they needed Texas to lose.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, they didn't get those results.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, they needed Vanderbilt to lose. They could still get BYU out of the paint if BYU gets blasted. But they needed Alabama or Oklahoma. Yeah, I don't know if they got it. I don't know if Miami or Vanderbilt had enough results go their way to.

[Bud Elliott]

Clear the path the, the chat is asking, like, why would the late score matter? Well, because I think comparatively the committee could in theory look and say, okay, Notre Dame, who Miami beat blasted pit by this, Miami beat him by this. You know, just like compare. We damn sure know if Miami had struggled against Pitt. Committee says, oh well, Notre Dame blasted those guys. Miami didn't get better over the course of the season. Notre Dame's better team. Now they're in. So beating them by what they did with style points kind of at least wipes that argument, right? Louisville 1. Florida State got blasted. SMU lost a freaking Cal. Yeah, I think they're out.

[Chip Patterson]

I think it was a good win. Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean it just now, now you look at now that they beat Pit and this is, this is the cruel irony of the way that this works. Pitt's not going to be ranked. So Miami doesn't have a single win over a team that's going to be ranked.

[Chip Patterson]

Right.

[Tom Fornelli]

So yeah, it's, it's, it's how the sport works. It's hilarious. The rankings and how much they matter. That little number.

[Chip Patterson]

Every single Saturday night, we like to spend a little bit of time talking about the college football rankings, specifically what we think the new AP Top 25 is going to look like on Sunday. It is tomorrow's top 25. You can read [e-mail] you can hear it right here on the COVID 3 podcast. So we discussed Texas A and M's landing spot. My prediction is that the AP voters will be a bit hesitant on the A and M side. Got them checking in at 6, you know, right there in that 6, 7 Texas Tech range. The interest is how high can Texas get? Because the Longhorns have a head to head win against Vanderbilt. Oh, and now that you've got this win against Texas A M, you can really start jumping up into the. Okay, well, I've got a win against Texas A M in Oklahoma. What do you have? And BYU opens its pockets and, and, and just pulls out some CVS receipts. You're like, okay, well talk for the record, I do have BYU ahead of one spot ahead of Texas. But I do think that that is what AP voters are going to be wrestling with right now. That even if there's a one loss or even a two loss difference, I could see Texas getting some love. My prediction is that they go from 16 to 12. Does that seem right to you.

[Tom Fornelli]

With.

[Bud Elliott]

Wait, so passing Michigan, passing Utah, passing Vandy. Does Vandy pass BYU?

[Chip Patterson]

No, I'm using the AP Top 25 poll. Where BYU was 11 last week.

[Bud Elliott]

Right? That's what I'm asking.

[Tom Fornelli]

Right behind them and Bandy's 13.

[Chip Patterson]

So they'd be jumping over Utah, Miami, Vanderbilt to land behind byu.

[Tom Fornelli]

Okay, yeah, that makes sense.

[Bud Elliott]

That's a big jump.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, but they also beat the number three team in the country in a game. Everybody was watching because it was, when.

[Bud Elliott]

We look at voting points, they were what, like over 200 voting points behind Miami and Vandy.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, it's a big jump.

[Tom Fornelli]

Damn it. Now's not the time to take small steps.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I mean, it is. Truly. I mean it's, they're, they are the COVID photo, Bud. Like when we're saying like, okay, what's going to be interesting? Like, I don't know, Jack. Not a lot of stuff's moving. But hey, did you know that one of the most interesting and polarizing teams in America might be one of the biggest movers? Maybe that's the thing that we'll, we'll, we use to talk about here. Because I think that in addition to the Texas College Football Playoff discussion, which is not tied at all or specifically to the AP top 25, but how do these teams stack up against each other? We'll hear from the 12 committee members on Tuesday night, but we'll get to hear from about 63, 64 AP voters in terms of where they think Texas will be. I think the high, low range on this will be massive.

[Bud Elliott]

I think it's pretty crap to jump Texas that high, to be honest. I'm not trying to like hot take this for clip it. But like you played to the wire against a terrible Kentucky team, Florida walked you, Georgia killed you and you all seen it overtime against an awful Mississippi State team like that. That's a lot of bad performances from Texas in addition to the losses.

[Tom Fornelli]

Were you not listening to Greg McElroy and Sean McDonough on the broadcast? You are. They did not get crushed by Georgia. They were in that game, Bud.

[Bud Elliott]

Jesus Christ.

[Tom Fornelli]

Okay, we're in that game. They had a chance and that's, you know what that Florida team, you look at their record, a lot of talent on that team, Bud. I don't know if. What game weren't you listening to? Come on. No, I, I, I tend to agree with Bud. That won't shock anybody. I've been on this train about Texas all for a month now. But yeah, no, I, I do think the AP voters will bump them up largely because a, it was against the top team and it was in a prime time Friday night spot that everybody was watching and there's not a lot of games, if we're being blunt, where the majority of AP voters are watching. That's fair.

[Chip Patterson]

By the way, put that Kentucky team in absolute hell today.

[Tom Fornelli]

They sure did. But that's a really good Kentucky team and you can beat them. Like that's impressive unless you play in a different conference. But speak Speaking of the Propaganda hour, I do want to shout out byu. Did you guys see their tweet after their win?

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, they mocked Steve Sarkeesian.

[Tom Fornelli]

They said. They said disservice to the sport to keep us out of the playoffs using the same words that Sarkeesian used to. For those who aren't familiar, Sarkeesian played where at byu. At BYU quarterback.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

So I thought that was great. Did not think BYU giving up 14 points off the bat to UCF was great, but that's a different story.

[Chip Patterson]

417 after the first yeah, I know.

[Tom Fornelli]

Also, just, just a quick amend. I meant earlier. Miami doesn't have a ranked win since beating Notre Dame, so get out of my mentions. I just misspoke. I know what I'm waking up to in the morning.

[Chip Patterson]

Further down in the ballot, I am not projecting much of a punishment of sorts for the Michigan Wolverines following the defeat. They are obviously a 9 and 3 team, but the the hook here is that while they were ahead of USC prior to this game, a USC team that beat them handily 31 to 13. I do think that this loss does bring you back into that range where voters are just going to grab them and pin you two together. You know, we're just going to have you two hang out. You're probably going to be ahead of the James Madison's and the North Texas of the world, but you're not winning any arguments to be placed up there close to Utah. So that's sort of where that thing settles. Then we hit the G5 neighborhood where things are mostly the same turnover, including Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Pitt and SMU dropping out. A host of sm A potpourri of perfectly fine teams checking in Arizona probably near the front of that nine and three season for Brent Brennan.

[Bud Elliott]

I'm glad you have them in and not Missouri, sir.

[Chip Patterson]

I said four teams are dropping out.

[Tom Fornelli]

You've got Missouri in there.

[Chip Patterson]

I got a pilot. Listen, we I had.

[Tom Fornelli]

Hold on, hold on.

[Bud Elliott]

Should be over Missouri.

[Chip Patterson]

I Iowa is over. Iowa is in.

[Tom Fornelli]

How. How many wins against winning teams does Missouri have? How many Chip again, how many. How many hats has Chip is projecting.

[Bud Elliott]

What the voters will do, which is scary because he's so good at this, but it is annoying.

[Chip Patterson]

No, no, no.

[Tom Fornelli]

Bias is coming through loud and clear. He's mad at me for yelling at him during the locks pod all day on Thursday. He's mad at me for the joke about nobody giving a shit about North Carolina. So he's keeping Illinois out of the projected top 25. They won the hat tonight, Chip. They've got multiple wins over teams of winning records. They might have a win over a playoff team if Duke beats Virginia. But hey, Missouri beat Central Arkansas.

[Chip Patterson]

You're Tom Like a lot of things, you're right about some, you're wrong about others. I don't give a about the North Carolina comment. You can dig in on that all day. Yeah. So I had SMU in there. The show started. I needed a quick replacement. I might so they were 20. Here's, here's what I wrote for my blurb as we we were in a commercial break. They were 28th in voting points in last week's balloting. They were just in the top 25 two weeks ago. So if you're just scrambling to grab a team, I It's possible their 14 point road win against a 2 in it 2 and 9 Arkansas, 2 and 10 Arkansas team might end up getting them in there. But no, it Navy, Arizona, Iowa. There are teams that I think are ahead of them in the order to be able to get in where, you know, we'll, we'll see what other late tweaks need to be added. I get one more after the Notre Dame game is done. I get one more final edit on this, but it's a, it's a mess down there. It is just a mess. But that's.

[Tom Fornelli]

What, that's out of context.

[Bud Elliott]

Houston is not jumping back in, I assume.

[Tom Fornelli]

No.

[Bud Elliott]

Right.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

But bud, those are the options we're talking about here, right?

[Bud Elliott]

Well, Texas Tech fans in our chat are arguing for Houston, so their win over Houston looks better.

[Chip Patterson]

But.

[Bud Elliott]

God, I don't think that's gonna happen.

[Chip Patterson]

I don't think it's gonna happen either. That's a say that, that that team, that team was powered by three.

[Tom Fornelli]

You're putting in these eight and four teams ahead of them. They had a resounding win over Baylor today by 7. They absolutely smoked UCF a few weeks ago by 3.

[Chip Patterson]

I think South Florida's 9 and 3 is more impressive than Houston's 9 and 3.

[Bud Elliott]

I would agree. Big 12 fans will totally like go nuts on you for this.

[Tom Fornelli]

Here comes hipster G5 boy.

[Bud Elliott]

I'm honestly like it's Close. I. I don't want to, like, agree emphatically, but that's. I see the argument. I don't disagree with it, but I don't know. I. I retract my. I agree. I just. I don't disagree.

[Tom Fornelli]

Your retraction is rejected.

[Chip Patterson]

All right. As always, you can check out the. The most final update here at the end of the night, Sunday morning, whenever you're listening to this over on CBSSports.com projecting the new AP top 25. All right, let's see what else before we get out of here. We got that team meeting coming up in about eight hours. At some point, we'll need to sleep.

[Tom Fornelli]

It's imminent.

[Chip Patterson]

It's imminent.

[Tom Fornelli]

Meeting is imminent. Clemson beat South Carolina. Always great that, like, you have a bad season, but you finish it with a win over your rival. It's fun. It's good. It gives you a nice feeling. Good for them.

[Bud Elliott]

Does Marty Smith sleep in the facility tonight?

[Chip Patterson]

Maybe. It's quite possible.

[Tom Fornelli]

How does his hair look?

[Bud Elliott]

I'm gonna ask, though.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I was gonna. I was gonna say can. I mean, bud, Honestly, I would. I would.

[Bud Elliott]

There's no way he's gone to bed yet, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

No. All the Red Bulls he was pounding or the Celsiuses he's been pounding all day to do that. That man's gonna be up for at least another five hours.

[Chip Patterson]

I was gonna say that we might be in a, like, quick nap in the suv.

[Bud Elliott]

They gotta have nap pods there at Ole Miss, right?

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, that's a good idea.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

That's a great. That's a great call.

[Chip Patterson]

I mean, I was just thinking, I.

[Tom Fornelli]

Want to get in one of those.

[Bud Elliott]

Dude, I would go get, like, a little, like. Like, if I'm Marty, it's a little iv, some nad. Get like a hyperbaric chamber real quick nap pod. And I'm just. I'm looking. He always looks like. Like, perfect, right? So there's got to be some method to madness here.

[Chip Patterson]

Like, I've. I, like, Gigi's just, like, cut the heat on in the car before a Cotton bowl one time when I just needed, you know, 45 minutes just to recharge. That's what I was. I was imagining that Marty's like, all right, all I need is, like, an hour and a half. Like, can you go cut the heat on in the Suburban outside? I'm just gonna go hop in and get a quick nap. Be ready to go.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, like, he. He looks, like, dapper, but, like. Like, he's. You know, he's from like he grew up going about tech games. Like that guy can rough it, I bet. Yeah. They're gonna need two reporters on this because if he's in the facility, who's going to the airport? I'm gonna need footage of this plane or planes landing. I mean, maybe you're sending two planes. Like how big of a crew are you taking back with you?

[Tom Fornelli]

Maybe Marty and Ross could work out like a cross platform deal. One follows them to the airport, one stays at the facility and then they just share info.

[Chip Patterson]

The detail of two planes was curious.

[Tom Fornelli]

Well, one's a decoy.

[Chip Patterson]

For some reason. These aren't popes. We're not. We're not moving. We're not moving dignitaries here.

[Bud Elliott]

What was 2007 Dale Junior watch?

[Chip Patterson]

Was that what he was in teams?

[Bud Elliott]

I think so, yeah. Because the chat is pointing out that Marty was the guy in charge of covering the 2007 Dale Junior watch.

[Tom Fornelli]

If I had a dollar for every time I saw the anchorman Panda Watch Day five screenshot today, I would be very rich man.

[Bud Elliott]

I DM them. I said, hey, do you sleep in the facility tonight or how close is the hotel? Oh, he switched to Hendrick Motorsports. Okay. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Virginia. Hey. Virginia did what they were.

[Tom Fornelli]

They did.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

Taking care of business. Quality football team.

[Chip Patterson]

94 minutes of Dragon teams that duffed it this weekend. Virginia had a winning in scenario and they went and they took care of business against their biggest rival. Won that thing by 20. There we go.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, yes, they did. Like some things do work out in that James Madison fans now get to root against Virginia, which really is not going to be hard for them to do.

[Chip Patterson]

Nope.

[Bud Elliott]

Oh, Chip. Stanford is close to entering the red zone.

[Tom Fornelli]

The despondent on the sideline.

[Chip Patterson]

The important and interesting detail here, looking ahead to the ACC title game is that these two teams played just two weeks ago and the game sucked. It was 30. It was 313 entering the fourth quarter.

[Tom Fornelli]

And then Duke scored like two touchdowns late.

[Bud Elliott]

Charlotte Sports commission's about. About the cut chips feed.

[Chip Patterson]

I said two weeks ago the game sucked. You never, you never know what could happen.

[Bud Elliott]

You had some fog, some like not ice, but kind of ice. And, and dude, we got a banger.

[Tom Fornelli]

You know what we do when there's a rematch, Chip? We throw out the record books.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, we'll, we'll. We'll see what sort of adjustments can be made by both sides. Obviously if you are Darian Mensah and the Duke offense taking care of the football always is the. The lottery ticket of the day.

[Tom Fornelli]

Don't get lucky.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. You take care of the football. You normally give yourself a good chance. If you don't, you. The self inflicted wounds can mount. In the words of your own head coach, Manny Diaz, you can be the architects of your own demise. Anything else?

[Tom Fornelli]

Great quote from Mario Crystal ball today. They put on the Chiron during the game where it said there's no such thing as bad weather, only soft people. Just absolute banger of a quote.

[Chip Patterson]

It's true. Let's see.

[Bud Elliott]

I don't.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, Knowles.

[Bud Elliott]

Jaden Baugh.

[Chip Patterson]

Jaden Baugh. I didn't watch. I did not. I true, like, not like, hey bud, you know, like, I'm just like, truly. Like, I didn't watch the game. The score tracker was going.

[Bud Elliott]

I watched the whole thing. Liam's like, we might lose this. I was like, yeah, we're gonna lose this.

[Tom Fornelli]

Well, I mean, you lost a game. I'm gonna lose my father.

[Chip Patterson]

That's right. He put his life savings.

[Tom Fornelli]

He bet his. He bet his life on this game.

[Bud Elliott]

He put it all on the dole. So I'm trying to kind of game this out like for playoff. Well, yeah, like ball ran all over them. If it should look like a mess, I, I know some guys on the team want Norvell to stay. Some guys don't. Like, they play like a team that's not really together. So if we get these like ACC champ plus G5 or two G5s in. Is there an argument that you want to be the 6 seed instead of the 5 seed because of the way.

[Chip Patterson]

The bracket will play out?

[Bud Elliott]

I'm trying to figure out like who's going to be the three, who's going to be the four. Like, I mean this is just, it's, it's unusual to have two teams of this level in the playoff where they'll be. They're going to be like 20 point dogs in the opening round at least, especially the G5 team. Like, would you rather be. You'd probably still rather be the five, right? Because you don't have to play.

[Chip Patterson]

The five is either going to get James Madison or, or Duke or, or North Texas. Virginia could finish. Virginia is ranked ahead of North Texas right now. Virginia could win the ACC championship and get the 11.

[Tom Fornelli]

Right.

[Chip Patterson]

So.

[Bud Elliott]

Well, I guess here's the thing. You might want to be six if Ohio State wins the whole damn thing or if they, if they win the Big Ten title game and they're one, you might want to be six because that means you are one round further away from having to play that team. If you think Everybody else, like, 2 through 10 are roughly even, which I think on any given day, they're. They're pretty close. Power rating wise. I think you might want to be the 6 seed instead of the 5 seed.

[Chip Patterson]

Interesting.

[Bud Elliott]

Does that make sense? Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

So who winds up being the 5 seed?

[Bud Elliott]

I don't know.

[Tom Fornelli]

Texas A M or Oregon.

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, probably.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, I still think maybe, maybe Texas Tech.

[Chip Patterson]

There are only four teams that get to host a home game. I'm not so fearful of, you know, different seating, prep. I think step one, you just want to host a home game. We're going to have to play.

[Bud Elliott]

Right.

[Chip Patterson]

We want to have that thing at home. The environments for that were incredible last year, but we'll see. It'll be. It'll be another piece of the math as we sharpen our focus on this college football football playoff field. All right, what do we do? What are we doing? Are we back Monday? We doing this tomorrow for Lane? Probably.

[Bud Elliott]

If they screw around and don't like, if they delay this, delay this, delay this. The Sanders slayers do have practice it too. So.

[Tom Fornelli]

You know.

[Chip Patterson]

So if we do.

[Bud Elliott]

This at like 10am Eastern time or like 11, we're good. Got it. Two to three, 30, not as good.

[Tom Fornelli]

Do we want the latest update from our good friend Brett?

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

From Brett McMurphy. Lane Kiffin is, quote, essentially demanding the to finish the season with Ole Miss while simultaneously threatening to poach End quote. Ole misses roster and staff if he can't. Source told On3Sports. Quote. It's unfortunately gotten even messier than expected and emotions are high. Yeah, he's having a tantrum.

[Chip Patterson]

Peace out.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Bud Elliott]

If you're Walker Jones, you're like, tell.

[Chip Patterson]

Me when they announced the playoff. I'm. I'm out. This is. No, sir. This is disgusting.

[Bud Elliott]

Is Florida gonna get, like, very lucky for having missed out on Lane given.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I mean, I think I'd rather have summer. Although the way Florida price, the way Florida fans are reacting to summer Ohio, just, it's.

[Bud Elliott]

Oh, my God. I. I was with a couple of them tonight, watching all the games. Like, guys like these home run hires, they work out like less than half the time. If you go back through it, the cost that you have to pay to get Lane there is exorbitant. It might really work. Most coaches work at lsu, but, like, the cost if you. If it doesn't work is. Is crippling.

[Chip Patterson]

I will say now that I've gotten the toxicity out, now I'm just, you know, free, you know, clear, clear mind here. What if he goes on a run with Ole Miss.

[Tom Fornelli]

What do you mean?

[Chip Patterson]

What if they, like, make it to the semifinals?

[Tom Fornelli]

He's not going to be there.

[Chip Patterson]

What if. What if they do let him coach the team through the rest of the season?

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't think they're going to let him.

[Chip Patterson]

And while he's poaching the players, he's also leading those same players on this incredible run.

[Tom Fornelli]

That would be incredible.

[Chip Patterson]

It would be. It would really defy believability.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't buy it.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm not. I'm not selling it. I was just, you know, I think.

[Tom Fornelli]

You'Re trying to sell me on it. You know. You know who. You know who's really benefiting from all this, by the way? Lsu. Not because of what they're gonna end up with, but because nobody's talking about their process here in that their governor got on his high horse about, like, how we're not going to be held hostage by giving out these giant contracts with huge buyouts to coaches, and they're about to give Lane Kiffin 100 million. And I'm going to guess the buyout's going to be pretty significant on it. And also, you're literally coming off hiring a coach who felt like he hit his ceiling at his previous Power 4 gig and had a better shot to win national titles at your school, who you paid 50 million to go away, and now you're going to hire a coach who seems to believe he's hit his ceiling at another Power 4 school who thinks he can come to LSU and win national titles there. It's like you're doing the same thing you just did. But Brian Kelly at least had been in the title game before.

[Bud Elliott]

Like, if you're Sexton, you basically tell Lane, hey, that whole idea, they were going to, like, get out of the buyout by trying to imply that the AD and the board did not. Authority. Yeah, that. That's gone. They're going to pay in the full boat, by the way. And they also, like, you know, in implying that they had cause for him, probably hurt his job prospects as well. So they're going to get, like, a lot less on the mitigation, but the money's there for you, so we're good. I buy it.

[Chip Patterson]

Sure.

[Tom Fornelli]

It's going great.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. It undeniably will set up him as a. As a main character of the entire damn Sport going into 2026, and that's really the goal, and that's all he's wanted. So, yeah, we'll. We'll. We will Keep you updated as. As we continue to learn more. Yes, bud.

[Bud Elliott]

If you want a little more on this. If Bama had lost the Iron bowl is. Do we think some of this divorce stuff was real for Penn State?

[Chip Patterson]

I don't know, but it was.

[Bud Elliott]

I kind of think no.

[Tom Fornelli]

But I am very, very confident that Penn State has people in charge there who want to make a run at Kaylin DeBoer if they felt he was available. I do not think that it was ever reciprocated, but there was.

[Bud Elliott]

That's where I'm at as well. Like, just. But that's from stuff I had heard a couple weeks ago. Let it be floated. There certainly was a lot of other programs want you.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, there were a lot of eye emojis. Everyone's hitting the eye emojis these days. Like every single time Auburn scored a touchdown.

[Tom Fornelli]

I'm gonna. That's a good idea. I'm gonna tweet the imojis right now.

[Chip Patterson]

That's a good call.

[Tom Fornelli]

Okay.

[Chip Patterson]

Lincoln Riley to Alabama.

[Tom Fornelli]

Everybody in the tailgate. Go retweeting like that. Let's get it out there. Let's get the people going.

[Bud Elliott]

Is Penn State watching the Big 12 championship game closely?

[Chip Patterson]

Is Penn State. Are you talking about Kalani Sataki?

[Bud Elliott]

Yeah, I got a couple DMS today. We're like, hey, what about colonies attacking Penn State? I was like, I haven't thought about that at all. But, like, Penn State's been very quiet, so I don't know.

[Chip Patterson]

We will see. Come and join us YouTube.com cover3 for all the latest as we continue to wrap up this wild season. Yeah. 9:00am Central Time is the meeting. Okay, we'll unpack it as we learn more.

[Bud Elliott]

That's not a long meeting, by the way.

[Chip Patterson]

It should not be.

[Bud Elliott]

If he's going, Ole Miss is not letting him have like, like a hour long Kumbaya. I love you guys so much. Follow me to LSU meeting. Like, it's like, hey, enjoyed it.

[Tom Fornelli]

Peace.

[Bud Elliott]

If Ole Miss does it right? Which. That's an if.

[Chip Patterson]

Ah, it's an if. I'm just saying what if. And you can follow him on Twitter at Tom Franili. You can follow him@bud Elliott3. You can follow me at Chip underscore Patterson. Gentlemen, thank you very much.

[Tom Fornelli]

Thank you.

[Bud Elliott]

This November, action is free on Pluto tv. Go on the run with Jack Reacher.

[Tom Fornelli]

Every suspect was a train killer.

[Bud Elliott]

Then buckle up for drive. World War Z.

[Tom Fornelli]

Every human being we saved one less.

[Bud Elliott]

Fight and Charlie's Angels.

[Tom Fornelli]

Damn, I hate to fly.

[Bud Elliott]

Launch into sci fi adventure with the Fifth Element and laugh through the mayhem. Middle Tropic Thunder.

[Chip Patterson]

What is going on here?

[Bud Elliott]

All the thrills, all for free. Pluto TV stream now pay never.