Week 8 INSTANT REACTION: Ole Miss-Georgia, Tennessee-Alabama & More | Cover 3 College Football

Summary

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Cover 3 College Football Podcast

Week 8 INSTANT REACTION: Ole Miss-Georgia, Tennessee-Alabama & More

Date: October 19, 2025
Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli
Special Guest: Barton Simmons (Vanderbilt GM)

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Overview

This episode offers instant reactions to a wild and revealing Week 8 in the 2025 college football season. Chip Patterson and Tom Fornelli break down marquee matchups featuring Ole Miss vs. Georgia, Tennessee vs. Alabama, Texas A&M’s gritty win, Arizona State’s thriller, and significant upsets. A substantial segment is devoted to Vanderbilt’s rise under Barton Simmons, with lively discussion on the Commodores’ historical win over LSU, their program trajectory, and SEC chaos. The hosts deliver sharp analysis, humorous takes, and highlight the unpredictable landscape as the Playoff race heats up.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Auburn in the Twilight Zone (01:55–06:22)

• Auburn’s ongoing woes: Another painful loss to Missouri, making four straight, sparks discussion about Hugh Freeze’s hot seat and the recurring theme of “almost, but not quite” for this team.
  • “If it is fired, it's just the accumulation of what's been going on...” — Tom Fornelli (04:52)
  • Frustration over repeated close losses with the same excuses each week.
• Freeze’s persistent issues: Calls for Auburn to “learn winning football” ring hollow in Game 52 of his tenure.

SEC Showdowns: Georgia vs. Ole Miss (06:35–14:47)

• Game breakdown: Georgia outlasts Ole Miss in a back-and-forth shootout, taking control in the fourth quarter.
  • “When they're in these big games… how many of them are like 80 point shootouts now?” — Tom Fornelli (07:58)
• Emergence of Gunner Stockton: Stockton’s clutch performance for Georgia (26/31, 289 yds, 4 TDs).
  • “That guy just goes out there in college football games and makes winning plays.” — Chip Patterson (08:39)
  • “When it's the biggest moment, he will complete the pass. He's incredible at doing it.” — Tom Fornelli (09:56)
• Ole Miss credibility: Despite the loss, Ole Miss proved resilient; both agree there’s no need to panic about their trajectory.

Rapid-Fire SEC Takeaways (14:47–22:42)

• Alabama’s steady improvement: Wins 37-20 over Tennessee; offense looks balanced, but run game concerns persist.
  • “They're having to rely on a lot of gimmicky plays… that's never a good sign.” — Tom Fornelli (15:43)
  • Ty Simpson has an off night, but Bama finds ways to win.
• Tennessee’s status: Not quite in the SEC’s elite tier.

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The Vanderbilt Era: Special Guest Barton Simmons (17:05–32:19)

Vanderbilt’s historic win over LSU and program transformation:

• Crowd & culture shift: Recaps the packed house and the “act like you’ve been here before” energy.
  • “It feels so different at stadium right now… there’s great energy.” — Barton Simmons (22:16)
• SEC credibility: Discussion on why Vanderbilt can win the SEC this year, with Barton expressing belief that the Dores match up with everyone left on the schedule.
  • “There's never been any reason why we can't do everything that anybody can do in this conference.” — Barton Simmons (23:10)
• AP poll history: Chip breaks down Vandy’s all-time high ranking; Barton grounds expectations: “It's not like no one's gonna be waking up… and high fiving about where we're at in the AP poll.” (28:14)
• Sustaining momentum: Simmons emphasizes humility and focus, despite breaking program records.

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National & Big Game Reactions

Texas A&M Survives Wild Weather at Arkansas (36:10–40:59)

• Resilience spotlight: Texas A&M finds a way in adverse conditions, but defensive frailties linger.
  • “You gave up 527 yards… over eight yards per play. Any concern on your part?” — Tom Fornelli (37:41)
  • “If you're a team that can win in dog fights, that's a good trait…” — Chip Patterson (38:52)

Notre Dame Outlasts USC in the Rain (42:10–43:53, 67:44–71:15)

• Environmental factor: Dissatisfaction with ND’s turf removes the “slow down the opponent” advantage; Jeremiah Love shines.
  • “Notre Dame should be happy with what they were able to do against the run.” — Tom Fornelli (68:12)
• USC’s soft spot: Once again unable to respond after a gut punch—“when the disaster happens, most teams go into shock... USC, to me... when they get punched in the gut, they usually don't recover from it.” (70:40)

Oregon’s Statement Win at Rutgers (43:58–46:35)

• Offensive explosion: Ducks tally 750 yards of offense—a demonstration of bounce-back after a loss.
  • “Oregon looks right. Oregon had a potentially devastating… but got right.” — Chip Patterson (44:03)

Frustration with Texas & the Playoff Picture (47:02–52:07)

• Texas struggles: Despite preseason No. 1 ranking, offensive line woes and lack of run game cast serious doubt.
  • “It’s the same game every week. I'm so unhappy with Texas.” — Tom Fornelli (47:02)
  • “This team doesn't have it.” — Chip Patterson (51:17)
• SEC’s role: Georgia, A&M, and Vanderbilt “have an assignment—make sure Texas isn't in the Playoff” (52:14).

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Big 12, Pac-12 & G5 Storylines

Arizona State Edges Texas Tech in a Wild Finish (55:54–61:47)

• QB injuries shape outcome: ASU’s starter returns as TTU’s backup struggles. The frantic final 5 minutes are recapped.
  • “It was a very, very fun game for the last five minutes. First 55 were kind of a chore.” — Tom Fornelli (55:54)
• Red zone inefficiency keeps Tech in it, but ASU holds on.

The Holy War: BYU Beats Utah, Moves to 7-0 (62:19–66:34)

• Satake’s impact: Kalani Satake’s positivity and leadership getting the best from BYU, even if they’re not as talented as other unbeaten squads.
  • “He is the kind of guy that is able to get a team that is just gonna play enough defense, run… and come up with the winning plays.” — Chip Patterson (64:21)

G5 Shakeup: UAB Upsets Memphis (82:16–83:39)

• Parity in the playoff race: Several favorites lose; UAB’s surprising surge puts more chaos in G5 New Year’s Six ambitions.

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Around the Nation: Upsets, Trends, and Rants

• Memphis, UNLV, and Tulane New Year’s Six implications: All struggled, opening the door for a wide-open G5 race.
• Iowa-Penn State box score appreciation: Revealed as an eyesore—classic “sicko mode” football (84:00–85:33).
• Minnesota = New Iowa? Tom floats the theory as Minnesota’s defensive grind reminds listeners of classic Kirk Ferentz teams.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“If you're an Auburn fan, most your life is filled with pain… at least it's never boring. Like, your disasters are always entertaining.”
— Tom Fornelli (04:00)

“He just goes out there in college football games and makes winning plays.”
— Chip Patterson on Gunner Stockton (08:39)

“When the disaster happens, most teams go into like, shock and they don't recover. USC… when they get punched in the gut, they usually don't recover from it.”
— Tom Fornelli (70:40)

“There's never been any reason why we can't do everything that anybody can do in this conference.”
— Barton Simmons (23:10)

“This team doesn't have it… They were the preseason number one team in the country. There's not a single person outside of that building that's like, yeah. National champions.”
— Chip Patterson on Texas (51:17)

“Get Barton back on here. I wanna look him dead in the eye and tell them, don't lose to Texas… Do not lose to Texas. Please get them out of our lives.”
— Tom Fornelli (49:10)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Auburn’s Pain & Hugh Freeze Discussion: 01:55–06:22
• Georgia vs. Ole Miss Reaction: 06:35–14:18
• Alabama vs. Tennessee Takeaways: 14:47–17:05
• Barton Simmons / Vanderbilt Deep-Dive: 17:05–32:19
• Texas A&M Survives Arkansas: 36:10–40:59
• Notre Dame vs. USC & Conditions: 42:10–43:53, 67:44–71:15
• Oregon’s Rout at Rutgers: 43:58–46:35
• Texas Struggles & SEC Playoff Picture: 47:02–52:07
• Arizona State vs. Texas Tech Thriller: 55:54–61:47
• BYU Stays Undefeated in Holy War: 62:19–66:34
• G5 Chaos (Memphis/UAB): 82:16–83:39

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Tone & Final Reflections

The episode is energetic, irreverent, and deeply analytical. The hosts mix humor, inside jokes, and direct quotes with solid, objective breakdowns, providing both entertainment and insight for diehard college football fans. This week underscores the chaos and new hierarchies developing in the SEC and across the country, with a special spotlight on program-changing moments at places like Vanderbilt.

The episode closes with light-hearted banter and encouragement to check out the site’s projected Top 25, promising more reaction and analysis in the following week.

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For listeners who missed it:
This episode weaves together all the major Week 8 college football storylines—upsets, Playoff drama, coaches’ hot seats, and team identity crises—through the expert perspectives of the Cover 3 crew, culminating in a Vanderbilt celebration and a re-centering on what could be a transformational season for longtime SEC outsiders.

Transcript

[Chip Patterson]

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[Tom Fornelli]

Welcome back to the COVID 3 podcast with your hosts, Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Danny Cannell and Bud Elliott. It's your call for the best college football coverage from national signing day to the national championship and 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. 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're asking, how is this Auburn team real? Tom, How? How? You could not script. You could not script a more bizarre actual football team than the 2025 Auburn Tigers. So much to get to this day has been bananas. We are coming to you a little bit later than usual. I apologize.

[Tom Fornelli]

It's on you. I made that clear.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, you did? In the tailgate.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, yeah, me and Mikey, we were throwing you under the bus constantly, just backing it up on you like. Like we're Clemson at Death Valley.

[Chip Patterson]

So I'm gonna go ahead and tease it. I'm gonna get the people juiced. I'm sorry I'm late, but I did slip a link out to the best general manager in college football, so I' ma let the tailgate know we might have to totally take a left. I might save some of our strongest opinions about Vanderbilt and LSU until we get the best general manager in all of college football to come and join the show. We'll see. Oatmeal vodkas. We'll see if they're flowing. Those are coming up in a little bit.

[Tom Fornelli]

I would imagine they are.

[Chip Patterson]

I would hope so.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

So, so much to get into today. Obviously, a big day in the sec. Vanderbilt, LSU being a big part of it, as we are sitting here in the immediate wake of Missouri, Auburn as it is still raw and the tailgates popping.

[Tom Fornelli]

Do you.

[Chip Patterson]

You. You and I had a similar thought on this game, that it was just going to be toxic no matter what. So do you have any sort of, like, leans one way or the other on that one?

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, like, that was. Here's the thing, like, if you're an Auburn fan, most your life is filled with pain. Yes. You'll always have, you know, the 2010, the Cam Newton season and all that kind of stuff, but at least it's never boring. Like, your disasters are always entertaining. Although maybe they're not entertaining if you're.

[Chip Patterson]

The Auburn fan and you are actually the Auburn fan. No, I think I. I've gotten the. The sense that we take more entertainment out of that than they.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, I. I think they're into it. I think they're kind of. I think they're a little. A little kinky. I think they're into it. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Fader process. And the tailgate says that Hugh Freeze will be escorted out of the stadium. I mean, do you think we're doing, like. I don't know if this loss is fireable, but it is the fourth loss in a row for this Auburn team.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I don't think it's. I don't think it's Mizzou itself or like you said or just anything that particularly happened in this game. I think it's. If it is fired, it's just the. The accumulation of what's been going on because, like, you lose 23, 17 against Missou, you had chances. You lose 20 to 10 against Georgia, you had chances. And to be fair, chance kind of got ripped away from you out of your own control. You had chances. Get like, they're all close losses, which just makes it that much more painful because you could try to pin, like, if we had just done this. If we had just done that. But then at the same time, like, the excuses you hear every single week are the same excuses. Like, and, like, I can't remember what the quote he said at halftime was. He was running off and he think he was doing the radio interview and he just said, we need to start learning how to play smart football. And it's.

[Chip Patterson]

No, he said, winning football.

[Tom Fornelli]

Winning football. And it's like, bro, how long have you been there?

[Chip Patterson]

Like, I think I saw you. Yeah, I think I saw Justin Ferguson, who, you know is on the Auburn beat. I think he said, game 52. It's game 52 and where we have to learn winning football.

[Tom Fornelli]

What did Kenny Dillingham say last week in his press conference? What's being out coached? Everything. Because I'm responsible for everything.

[Chip Patterson]

Hey, shout out to Kenny Dillingham. You know, he keeps giving us the gems in the midweek press conferences, and then when he's asked to talk about a top 10 win, he walks away. That's okay. He was emotional. It was a big day.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, Danny, as soon as the pregame ends.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, no, listen, Arizona State obviously getting with a massive win against Texas Tech. Like, I, I. There's a lot of different layers to peel back to this.

[Tom Fornelli]

Where, Where. How about this?

[Chip Patterson]

Where would you like to start? You were in studio all through the morning. Lots to get into. We've got, you know, the, the Georgia Ole Miss, usc, Notre Dame.

[Tom Fornelli]

Georgia Ole Miss.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

All right.

[Chip Patterson]

I was gonna say, I feel like we got about, like, five headliners, because, you know, I was going through. And one of the reasons why we were a little bit delayed getting started was tomorrow's top 25 today. And it was. Tom, I don't know. You don't always track this, but did you know that Every single top 25 team played this week?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, because the, the agenda that you had to keep Illinois out kept them from being in the top 25. They run a buy.

[Chip Patterson]

So congratulations, surprise. By the end of this. We're going to do tomorrow's top 25 today. And guess what? They're in 22.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes.

[Chip Patterson]

Yes.

[Tom Fornelli]

Chips. Respect.

[Chip Patterson]

Every single team from the AP top 25 played. We had five games between ranked on ranked teams. We had nine ranked teams that took losses by the end of this thing. So, yeah, there's a lot to get to as we continue to peel this thing back. Tom Fornelli in studio for CBS Sports. All through the day, Georgia Ole Miss. You and I talked about this game at halftime, and we both thought that Georgia would end up winning. Did it happen the way you expected?

[Tom Fornelli]

No, because, like, they lost the third quarter and then they completely took over the fourth quarter and that's not how the treasure map was supposed to go. But it is weird when we're watching Georgia now because when they're in these big games like this, how many of them are like 80 point shootouts now? It seems to be happening every single time. And you, you think of like the Georgia teams that were winning national titles, like the Boa constrictor and they would just, you know, they'd get, they'd get the lead on you and then they just sucked the life out of you until the game was over. And now they're waiting until the second half to do that. But it took them a while to do that this today. And it's just. I'm continuously baffled by Gunnar Stockton's ability to just make stuff happen.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, Yeah, I like him. I can't, like, I can't argue with a, an NFL guy or a quarterback evaluation guy who's gonna be, who's gonna tell me that Gunner Stockton doesn't have it? Because I'm just going to tell you that as a purely college football fan with zero evaluation skills, when it comes to trying to translate talent, like, I don't know, that guy just goes out there in college football games and makes winning plays. It started honestly when he came in for Carson Beck in the SEC championship game and we were even going into the Notre Dame corner final thinking, like, I don't know, yeah, Gunner Stockton could get Georgia pretty far. He did not eventually. But yeah, I'm with you. I, I find myself believing in Gunner Stockton more than all the QB eval guys out there or even.

[Tom Fornelli]

You know, there's been a lot of love for Trinidad Chambliss since he became the starter at Ole Miss. And I think Gunner outplayed him. You know, just plain simple. Today I, you look at it, he's 26 of 31 for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for 59 yards. He had the long touchdown run. And I, it's kudos to him because I, I watch him play. And like I said, it baffles me how he's able to do it time and time again, but damn it, he keeps doing it. So I have to give him credit.

[Chip Patterson]

Throws too.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, it's like there will be like when, when it's second and 10 and you just need him to get four yards to get yourself into third. Manageable. No shot in hell is he completing that pass, however, when it's the biggest moment, he will complete the pass. He's incredible at doing it. But I. Back to the original point though. I. I do think that, like Kirby Smart deserves some credit here because.

[Chip Patterson]

They.

[Tom Fornelli]

Were winning games when they were defensive juggernaut. And the problem that this team has this year is that along the lines of scrimmage, they're not nearly as good. Their offensive line isn't as good as it was a few years ago, their defensive line this year is not nearly as good. But they're still figuring out ways to win these games and they're still playing good teams and they're still beating good teams despite the fact that their identity has had to change just based on the personnel that they have on the roster. So I think that says a lot about Kirby. I think it says a lot about that coaching staff. And I know like some Georgia fans are very like, they're getting mad at Schumann because, you know, the defense has been pretty bad in these games. But I think when you don't have the defensive line you're used to having, it's hard to have an elite defense. I think that's been the case for everybody since the dawn of time and how much.

[Chip Patterson]

All right, so if you want to complain about that short pass to Deshaun Stribling, that he ends up taking like 60, a 75, 75 yard touchdown pass where he does a lot of it running after the catch. Sure. Yeah. Like, okay, Lane, gotcha. Coming out of the locker room.

[Tom Fornelli]

Fine.

[Chip Patterson]

But was all of that, like, out? I felt like there was a lot of out of structure, Trinidad, Chambliss just making it happen too. Yeah, it's a little bit tough to be able to be concerned about, you know, like, eventually that Georgia defense did settle in.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, that is. I mean, that's kind of how Ole Miss works with Chambliss. Like, he will put the plays in structure when it's there. But the one thing that has kind of separated him from Simmons, I think, obviously besides Simmons's inexperience and some of the turnover problems, is that a lot of that is when the things went wrong. Simmons wasn't able to get him out of it or make anything happen. Chambliss, at least while he might not be as gifted of an athlete as Simmons or he might not have the stronger arm or whatever you want to look at as far as looking at him as a quarterback, his experience, even if it's at the level that he was at, is helping him in these situations. Just like, okay, well, plays breaking down doesn't mean the play's over. Play goes on. We have to finish it and make something happen. So. But I mean, that was two good teams. And I've said all year, like, Ole Miss is a team to me that I've. I felt was good but wasn't as good as their record suggested. I figured they were going to lose at some point. I figured they were going to lose this game, and they did. But they were still impressive even in the loss. So it's. This is a spot where it's like, I look at the top of this league and we'll get to them soon here. But like, I still feel like Alabama is the best team in the sec, but I think after that there's like five or six teams that I generally think are kind of all right there in that next tier.

[Chip Patterson]

Doesn't it feel like there's a bunch of 10 and two teams?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm just waiting for the, the losses to come. I don't know these seems. And I don't know when they're going to come. I don't know who, who they're going to come to, but it just feels like there's a lot of 10 and 2, 9 and 3, and it's just going to be a couple of conference games down the stretch that decides who's 10 and two and making it to the playoff and who's nine and three and going to be mad about missing out on the spot because Illinois is getting in.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, no. I, I don't know if it's like mathematically possible to have five of them finish 10 and two because of the schedules. But, but I do feel like there's. Yeah, you're going to see like that kind of finish at the end. Like, the bottom of the league is probably going to be pretty awful because you're going to have Mississippi State, Kentucky and Auburn taking on a whole lot of losses. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Lot to lot to continue to get into here for Ole Miss. I, I'm sensing that we're not panicked. So, so fun back and forth. You threw your punches, you were on the road, you lost by a score. I just, I'm not changing like, Ole Miss's ranking will change again. We'll get to that more in AP in the tomorrow's top 25 today. But like, there's no, there's no panic about what Ole Miss is or isn't. We don't need them to be anything different. They're still a very, very good football team at this point. Right.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. You look at the rest of their schedule like they've got Oklahoma on the road next week. Won't be easy. But you can Oklahoma score enough points to win that game? Because I love that defense. I just don't know if they could completely stop Ole Miss. And I think if ole miss gets 24, you're asking a whole hell of a lot of Oklahoma. But then after that, South Carolina, Citadel, Florida at Mississippi State, the Egg Bowls. The Egg Bowl. But still you look at it, it's hard to imagine they're probably going to lose at least one of those games. You think they're going to lose two? I don't know.

[Chip Patterson]

Keeping it in the SEC. Alabama, you mentioned the, the class of the conference, 37 to 20 winners in the third Saturday in October. They're lighten up their cigars as they are the, the victors there. So I guess we will see Emily proud rocking some crimson in a future college football pre game. She and Damien Harris taking their annual bet on stage. But what'd you see from the crimson tie that stood out to you?

[Tom Fornelli]

They get better every week. I mean they really are kind of improving. Ty Simpson I don't think was great tonight. Like I think if you just, if you go back and watch and grade it, I would say it's probably one of the worst games he's had in the last month. But he, he did make enough plays. I do worry just when I. The run game is still a problem. Like do you know who led the team in rushing tonight?

[Chip Patterson]

For Alabama.

[Tom Fornelli]

For Alabama.

[Chip Patterson]

Was it Simpson?

[Tom Fornelli]

No, it was Jeremy Bernard, four carries for 49 yards. So like they're having to rely on a lot of like gimmicky plays to get their run game going and that's never a good sign. So I do think that when it comes to like the SEC championship and playoff time, if they're still struggling to run the ball, it's going to be very difficult for them to win the whole thing. But I do think that with Simpson and with that passing game, they're going to be able to put up points. I think Ryan Williams had a very nice game tonight and I think, you know, what was it last week? He, he didn't have a single catch, so it was a nice bounce back performance from him. Bernard is still rock solid. Brooks had a big game, he stepped forward. So I think they're complete on offense. If they could develop a run game, it's just. Can they? I don't know because they haven't really shown it consistently yet. So that's the one thing I think that they need to work on going forward. But defensively, if you look at the situation, like they gave up 410 yards, but a ton of that was on like the last two possessions when they're up 17 points in the fourth quarter and they're just kind of dropping off and letting Tennessee move down the field. So I don't really hold that against them. And then, you know, just, I, again, this is another situation. Two good teams. But I don't think I talked about, I don't think Tennessee is on that same level like when we were talking about that second tier a couple of minutes ago. I don't put Tennessee in that tier.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I put Tennessee behind Vanderbilt.

[Tom Fornelli]

Of course I put everybody behind Vanderbilt.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, that's right. Hey, get a. Get, get the likes up if you want the best general manager in college football to come in. Get the likes up if you want the best. All break the glass. Let's go. Get the stone cold music going. Martin Simmons in the house. Oh, I know that kitchen. You're home, baby. Nothing better than a home. Let's go, buddy. How we doing, man? That was a fun, fun football game. How about him?

[Barton Simmons]

That was fun. That was fun. There was, there wasn't a lot of drama to it also, which made it fun. Know, it was just, hey, I felt we kind of controlled it. It's nice to, it's nice to be sitting here talking to you guys from my own home. I think last time I was talking to you guys in a live setting, I was in a random person's like, bonus room with the dentist in the background, like, heckling me.

[Chip Patterson]

The.

[Barton Simmons]

Dennis did make an appearance at the house tonight. Just so everyone, you know, he's, he's alive and well. But I, I made sure you guys gave me enough of a heads up to where I, I turned the faucet off on, on the imbibing to make sure I had a little bit of a better performance tonight than I did last year against Alabama. Last thing, though, before we actually start talking shop. It's also nice to feel like, you know, a win like tonight isn't like they rushed the field, you know?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, it was. We, we. This is, this is. This.

[Barton Simmons]

This was Vanderbilt football. Being Vanderbilt football and excited that, you know, I don't feel like I got to celebrate all night long for that one. I'm ready to go to bed after this deal. And that's, that's a good thing.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, that's crazy because that's like I, I mentioned that when we were on HQ talking about this game afterwards, I said the most remarkable thing to me was it's like Vanderbilt just beat LSU for, like, the first time in a long time. They beat him at home and nobody rushed the field because it's like everybody in that stadium is like, yeah, we're the better team. We were supposed to win this game. And it's just. It's wild to think of how far you guys have come in such a short amount of time.

[Barton Simmons]

Yeah, yeah, it was. I. I was actually. I saw the Pavia brothers on Friday night. I was. And they were. They were talking about rushing the field and I. And I. And I threw to them the scenario of, I don't. I think if we win, I don't know if everyone's going to. Going to rush the field. And. And sure enough, you know, that they waited until the clock ran out and they waited till. Till you left the field before they came. But, yes, that's progress and that. I think that means we got a lot more to do, you know, so.

[Chip Patterson]

And also, how about the way that the place was packed out, right? I mean, you just continue to think about the. I mean, I like, oh, shocker. Like, Chip and Tom are gonna gas you up about, like, how everything's going well. But I mean, seriously, like, we're talking about that game. Noon start, 11 local, and the place was packed out. You had good response. I mean, you. You tell me from being in the building, we were watching, obviously, you know, Tom's in Fort Lauderdale. He spent the morning at the office. I'm here in Raleigh. But like, you had like, some. Some good pop, some good noise, some good energy. Like, it's. It is everything that you would want in terms of, like, yeah, of course we are favored against a ranked opponent. Stop talking about, like, this. However many years it's been since then, like, we're about to show up. And the entire game, it was like, that way. I. I hope that it felt that way in the stadium, but it was definitely a we. It was definitely a act. Like you've been here before when it's kind of what it feels like, at least from the outside.

[Barton Simmons]

Yeah, I mean, I think I. I think it's. It's been. I mean, guys, listen, in 2021, I guess, our first year there. I've got a picture. I've got a. I've got a picture from someone from a fan's tweet of the. The stands at halftime against Missouri, an SEC game that Missouri hit a Hail Mary at halftime to Just take the lead. So it was like a, I don't know, three point game or something at halftime against an SEC team. And it was a rainy day to, to, for full disclosure. But you can count the people in the stands. I mean, count them like. And, and, and so to, to go from that and to, to go to where we are now. And listen, there's more work to be done there too now. I mean, there's a lot of yellow. There's still. Still a lot of purple in those. Those stands. And so, you know, it. The job's not done there either. But, man, I, I really am proud of the way our students have started showing up. I'm really proud of our. The student sections developed there. I'm proud of the fans. I mean, we. We sold out Georgia State, man, that place is packed. And so it's, It's. You know, we still got some market share in that stadium to continue to take over and sort of recoup, but you're right, Chip, man, it's.

[Chip Patterson]

It's.

[Barton Simmons]

It feels so different at stadium right now. There were some real moments today where it was like, yeah, it was like a real vibe. And like, there's great energy.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, like a false start. Like a key third down. And then like LSU jumps. Like, false start. You're like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm sorry, did Vanderbilt's home crowd just cause a false start? This is not something that I am used to right now.

[Barton Simmons]

It's. It's.

[Chip Patterson]

It's.

[Barton Simmons]

Hey, it's. It's not an easy place to play right now. I don't. I. I think I can safely say it's not an easy place to play right now. And that's. You know what? That's. That's. Like I said, that's progress.

[Tom Fornelli]

Speaking of progress, like, I, I positioned this on the show a month ago. Chip scoffed at me. Bud started vomiting blood. He was just so disgusted by the idea. What. Tell me why Vanderbilt can't win the SEC this year.

[Barton Simmons]

Hey, I mean, Diego's been trying to tell you guys since the summer. That's where the plan was. Clark's been trying to tell you guys since 2020, I think. Summer of 2022. SSE media days, you know, like, this is. This has always been the vision for this place, man. Like, there's never been any reason why we can't do everything that anybody can do in this conference. And, and so, yeah, we got. We got work to do. I'm looking at the schedule, the graph that you guys put up.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Barton Simmons]

I mean, this is we got some really, really good teams ahead of us. So, I mean, nothing is taken for granted. But we do believe. And I do believe. I mean, I'll speak for myself. I mean, I. I do believe that there's not a team on our schedule that put in. Put out. Put them out in front of us and. And line up and throw the ball out there, and we're as good as any of them. And so it's just about, are we going to play our game that day? You know, and, you know, we see what happens when we don't play our game and we don't take care of the ball in the red zone and, you know, we don't. And then I just, you know, we're not as clean as we need to be. I mean, we need to play a certain way, but when we play that way, man, it's. We're a hard team to handle, and so we just. We have to continue to take care of ourselves and handle our business, and some good things will happen. So we got. We got to take one week at a time, and we got another fun one next week.

[Chip Patterson]

Well, if Tom's gonna kiss up to you talking about all the things that he said on the record elsewhere, I. I will point out that, yeah, that to me, was the difference. That taking care of the ball. Taking care of the ball in scoring opportunities. That's the difference between the Alabama and the LSU game to be right. You know, like that Alabama game, which right now we're looking at as the class of the conference that the only team that's gotten you so far this season, man, you go back and you're like, those. The opportunities were there. You know, the opportunities were there. What happens today? Take care of the football, right? You take care of the football. You cash in those opportunities. So it's there. So have you had any conversations with your sports information director about your AP Top 25 poll history?

[Tom Fornelli]

No.

[Barton Simmons]

No. What is. What are we getting out there?

[Tom Fornelli]

You still write in your column? You need information? No, no, no.

[Chip Patterson]

I. I want to let. I want to let Bart know because this is actually the lead. Like the. Like the tomorrow's top 25. Today is going to lead with Vanderbilt because according to Chip Patterson Institute and Research Department, I've got y' all at 10 as the highest ever AP top 25 poll rank. Buddy, I think we're, like, knocking on the door. Top five. I've got you at seven.

[Barton Simmons]

Okay.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay. So, like, we're talking about program history on Sunday when the eight. Because who. What. What. What's the punishment. You, you, you lost Alabama, you know, and where's Alabama gonna be? You know, like, I just, I, I think that it's, you know, it. The reason why I think the AP top 25 Polish schools that it connects history all the way the way back to 1936. Invaderbilts was. Vanderbilt was in the top 10. That was their previous high back in 1945, I believe.

[Barton Simmons]

Oh, now we're 1945 Doors. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Listen, 20, 25, 2025. Telling 1945 Doors to step aside. Okay?

[Barton Simmons]

Their time's gone. It's our time.

[Chip Patterson]

Just because y' all had all the boys who didn't go to war.

[Barton Simmons]

Well, you know, Chip, I mean, listen, I, that you're, you are a great college football historian and that is, that is well researched as you know. I mean, it's like going to the dance and it's just that that's, that's what suit you're wearing, you know, that's, that's where you rented your tux from. You know, did you rent it from Men's Warehouse or did you rent it from. I don't know. I don't know what a higher brand version of Men's Warehouse is, but there doesn't need to be all that really matters. How well do you dance? You know, what, what, how. You know, so it's like, I mean, that's, that is. Listen, there's no doubt about it, man. Like we're, we're, we're like embracing, you know, the, the barriers that we're breaking through or, you know, the, the history that, that we've had a chance to make and all that. But like, you know, you go in that locker room, I swear, I swear, like, it's, it's like there's, there's more for this team, man. Like they're, they, like, it's not like no one's gonna be waking up tomorrow morning or, or on Monday morning and high fiving about where we're at in the AP poll and.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, hell no.

[Barton Simmons]

No, you know what I'm saying? Like, we're, we're excited to go and, and because what we know is, is no one's gonna hand this team number one, you know, and like, no one's gonna like sort of assume, hey, Vandy's number one. Like, we, we gotta go earn that and we got to go fight and claw and beat people for that because, I mean, hey, there's a reason we were 17 against 10 and we were the favorite, you know, like, it's, it's still going to be like, we got to scrape and claw and prove people wrong. And that's what we love, man. That's, that's, that's what's exciting about being part of this program. And this team has always been a chip on the shoulder operation. And, you know, we've had a lot of ground to make up and we still do and we're still chasing it, you know, and so. But yeah, we'll take it. We'll take it. Hey, we'll, we'll, you know, it's 1945 is long enough, man. Let's get in that top 10 and let's, let's see what we can make. Let's see what kind of noise we can make from there.

[Chip Patterson]

Hey, and Barton, you know, like, tonight is an amazing episode because you're joining us, but if Brian Kelly gets fired tomorrow because Vanderbilt beat lsu, we've got to do an emergency podcast. It's just. On to the next one.

[Tom Fornelli]

Okay.

[Chip Patterson]

You know, you can't just linger on your last success, right? I mean, I, I, I feel it the way you do. Right? It's just you, you gotta just keep spinning it forward and doing good work. Right?

[Barton Simmons]

That's right. That's right.

[Tom Fornelli]

It's a.

[Barton Simmons]

Why, hey, man, this is a, you guys are gonna have a, this is like a content, like, season for you boys, man. Like, you guys gotta stay on the alert, you know, you need like a siren in your house or something, you know, someone else fired. So, you know, keep, keep doing what you do, man. And I'm gonna keep on mowing that lawn on Sundays and, you know, and I'm gonna pop the ear pods in while I'm mowing the lawn on Sundays and, you know, we'll see what you guys have to say, you know, but I'll be listening and, you know, hopefully, you know, I don't, I don't, I'm not hoping for anyone to get fired, but, you know, hopefully we'll keep on making some noise and, and mix, you know, mixing things up.

[Chip Patterson]

Hey, you knew when to get out because you missed that cataclysmic. What was it? It was the one that got Brian Kelly to lsu and it was the one that had Lincoln Riley going to usc like that. You were already there. Like, you, you may be talking about that, that photo after the Missouri game and the. No, listen, I promise you, everything y' all went through in year one, it was way worse for that coaching carousel at the end. 21, 22. Hey, Barton, I love you. Thank you so much. Man, like, yeah, this is. This is a cool, cool moment for Vanderbilt. Y' all were challenged by the expectations. You lived up to the expectations. And when you're a program like Vanderbilt and you are, like, continually feeling like you got to fight for it when you win in that moment, man, I know you. There's so much more work to do for everybody in that building, but I hope that you take at least a moment to soak it in.

[Barton Simmons]

No, hey, listen, Anytime I get the text from you guys, that's what I know is a meaningful win. It's like, okay, color people wants me on this. This must be the win this year that's turning the heads, you know, I hope I get a lot more text from you guys because that means it's a good night.

[Chip Patterson]

So.

[Barton Simmons]

Love you guys, man. Appreciate y' all having me on as always. I know y' all got a lot more ball to talk. I'm gonna go to sleep, but I. I'll listen to y' all on the lawnmower tomorrow. The grass getting a little high. This might be my last cut of the season. It's about to be. It's about to be fall, but I, you know, I'll find a way to get. Get the AirPods in there otherwise, man. So keep doing your thing. Enjoy listening to y'.

[Tom Fornelli]

All.

[Chip Patterson]

All right. Sounds like he's got to take care of that Northwestern grass out there, you know?

[Tom Fornelli]

Gotta get it.

[Chip Patterson]

All right, Martin, thank you so much. And coming up on the other side, brother, we continue our roll through all of week eight. That was. And more. So if you're headed out of town this weekend for a big football game, of course you're going to be thinking about tailgating, cheering from the stands, the whole experience. But while you're off soaking in all that excitement, you might also be thinking, wait, Your home could be doing something for you while you're 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, you know, I started thinking about it myself. A few nights of hosting could help cover part of a trip or even fund tickets for a future game. It's easy. It doesn't take over your life. You just make space available and let others enjoy it while you're out having fun. And it doesn't just have to be your whole home. Maybe you've got a little extra space. Maybe you've got that room above the garage. Well, you could do something similar. You're out of town for a little bit, you come home to a little extra cash 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 FanDuel's got an offer. You don't want to miss this NFL season. New customers can bet just $5 and get 300 in bonus bets if you win. That's right, you pick a bet, you bet five bucks and if it wins, you'll unlock 300 bucks and bonus bets to use all across the app. You can build parlays, bet player props, ride the livelines. Whatever your style, fanduel has you covered. The NFL season is here. The only question is, are you ready to play? Visit FanDuel.com cover and download the FanDuel app today and get started. Must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18/ plus and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. First online real money wager only. 5$. 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 fanduel.com rg call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Mass or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPE NY in New York back here on the COVID 3 podcast. All right, so we knew Barton was going to come. I mean like full transparency here. We, we weren't sure when, but so thankful that he did.

[Tom Fornelli]

That was, that was an old school reaction show. That was, that was the original reaction. The three of us.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, absolutely. Like for those of you who have just joined, that was like the, the way that this thing went at the very beginning of the COVID 3 podcast. That was Barton Simmons. That was him being sort of the soul of this show. And so to check in with him was, was very special, very cool, big moment. But as Barton said, a lot of work to get done. How about I'll tell you one thing I did not plan on was the impact of weather in Texas A M, Arkansas.

[Tom Fornelli]

How long is how long was that delay, two hours. See, I lost track because there was so much going on while I was at the studio. It's like I, I knew it was in a delay. I just suddenly it was on. I was like, okay, cool. Yeah, it was a good, it was a very fun game. It was a very good game. Like, I. Arkansas scored late to get the back door. Was it you who had Arkansas plus eight in the locks? Yeah. Congratulations.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

You take them any way you can get them.

[Chip Patterson]

You take them any way you can get them. But, like, I, I, I come away from the game far more on another of, like, check the box. For Texas A M, you were on the road, you battled, like, horrible conditions, and yet, you know, you still did a good job of what was it. Was it early third quarter when they kind of stole this game? I'm just kind of remembering it, like, as I can, but they just, they kind of grab control of it and they're able to defend it. We've talked about Texas A and M being a group that has, you know, one of the best offensive lines in the country, Marcel Reed, and the, the growth that he's had along the way. They are dealing without Le'Veon Moss for an extended amount of time. Maybe a, like, really, really long amount of time. Ruben Owens has a good game here against Arkansas. Scoring a bunch of points against Arkansas's defense doesn't always necessarily be like, oh, yeah, you're an elite team, but winning a game like this, I think, is the big check mark for Texas A and M for me.

[Tom Fornelli]

But you'd not have any concerns about the defense, though, because we were talking, like, the defense, obviously, early in the year, struggled with utsa, struggled with Utah State, struggled with Notre Dame. And then, you know, like, the last three games, they'd really seem to lock it down. And the question was, well, has the defense figured it out, or were they just playing Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida? And then today they, they get the win. So don't feel bad about it, but you gave up 527 yards. If you, even if you don't count that last drive, you still gave up a lot of yards. You gave up over eight yards per play. Like, is there any concern on your part about, with. Oh, not next week against lsu. That offense, you don't need to worry about. But Missouri, maybe in a couple weeks, because that's on the road. Like, is that the one spot you're looking at? Like, maybe that's where somebody jumps up and bites the Aggies.

[Chip Patterson]

No.

[Tom Fornelli]

No. So you think they're Going undefeated until like Texas.

[Chip Patterson]

No, but I don't think that it's like a liability. Like if they get beat, then they get beat. But Missouri doesn't pose as much of a threat as Arkansas does in terms of the vertical passing game.

[Tom Fornelli]

Very true. I mean, Arkansas's offense is good. Arkansas's offense has done this to a lot of use. It's not like the Aggies are alone.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I think Arkansas's got a really, really good offensive line. Missouri does too, when they're all healthy. But you know, Texas A and M's gotta play Texas later in the season. But LSU's offensive line isn't much. I, I, I'm not saying they're going undefeated, but because like we said earlier, the SEC just has a bunch of 10 and two teams. There are losses lurking at any point. Today probably wasn't going to be one, even if the final score is just three points. But at the same time, I'm, you know, I, I think that if it, if you're a team that can win in dog fights, man, that's a, that's a good, that's a good trait, I think, for, for a team. And we don't, we haven't always gotten this. And here's my question for you. Is that a Mike Elko thing? Are we starting to assign that to him?

[Tom Fornelli]

Just like the ability to not beat yourself?

[Chip Patterson]

Like, yeah, yeah, we're ready to go. Like, you want to be a low scoring grinder? Okay, let's go. You want to play a high scoring shootout? Okay, let's go.

[Tom Fornelli]

And they don't, they, they typically, they don't beat themselves. Like they had a couple penalties today, but like no turnovers. Even without, even without Moss, you ran the ball effectively. You ran for over six yards per carry. Your passing game was good. Marcel reed threw for 283 touchdowns. It's just, this is a very good team. This is the team where it's, like I, I said, I think Alabama's number one and there's that second tier. I would say Texas A M is the one team in that second tier that right now I would consider the second best, even if it's very close. I do really like this squad. My only concern is, based on what we saw, maybe that defense isn't as fixed as we thought and that could be. And maybe it's not on their schedule. Maybe. But if they get to Atlanta and they're facing Alabama or they get to the playoff and they're having to face, you know, like an Oregon or somebody that's when it could bite them in the ass.

[Chip Patterson]

I, I, I think you would. I'll tell you what.

[Tom Fornelli]

You get to the playoff, you're not gonna be like, cool, whatever, sure, we don't win it all, but we get there.

[Chip Patterson]

I was gonna say, like a Texas A M fan doesn't want to hear this, but as somebody who's been like, judging this team years, I, I would love to be considered the second best team in the sec. Yeah, you know, like, that's a, that is an unfair, that's an unfair box for someone who wants to strive for championships like Texas A and M does, because they spend, they invest, they want to, like, win those. But yeah, I think that'd be a great spot for the Aggies to land in, especially in terms of stacking up, like, what this looks like over time.

[Tom Fornelli]

I also think if they win these next two games on the road against LSU and Mizzou, punch the ticket to Atlanta. They're going.

[Chip Patterson]

God, that Alabama and Texas A M do not play this year if they play on the schedule. And we'll, we might get to Texas in a little bit. I'll put the rest of the SEC to the side. What'd you make of, Speaking of the conditions, what'd you make of the rainstorm in South Bend?

[Tom Fornelli]

It made me hate the fact that Notre Dame has turf even more than I already hated the fact that Notre Dame has turf. Because, like, you think back to, like, there was obviously a lot of the 20 year anniversary of the 2005 game, the Bush push. And you know, you're seeing a lot of those highlights and you just remember how long Notre Dame, how tall that grass was. Yeah. Because, like, they knew USC was coming to town. Reggie Bush is coming. We got to slow them guys down anyway we can. So we're going to just grow some marshlands out, out on that stadium. And then it's the turf. So it's like, when it rains, it's like, all right, that doesn't really have any impact on it. Which leads to a more entertaining game, I suppose, because the offenses did play pretty well in this one. And I mean, Chip, my Jeremiah Love Heisman ticket might, might have come back to life a little bit on this one. 228 yards.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

A touchdown. And I, I will say, I think we could put to bed the idea that USC's defense is fixed. They dominated Michigan along the lines of scrimmage. They didn't play bad along the lines of scrimmage tonight, but they were not nearly as dominant as they looked Last week against Notre Dame or as against Michigan. So the fact that they were able to run all over him like that I think is a concern for usc. But at the same time, like that offense, Jade Myava, he had the, the one, I would say really bad interception, but he made a lot of really good throws. That's still a very good team. It's just when you look at how the situation breaks down for them, like how confident are you that the Trojans will be able to get through the rest of the season without losing again? And they've got to go to Nebraska. They've got to play at Oregon.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh yeah. I mean that like I. Did you see what Oregon did?

[Tom Fornelli]

I did not watch it. But I mean I don't really, I'm not into snuff films.

[Chip Patterson]

Like I, I was tracking Oregon, Rutgers, and very quickly I put that to the side. And so you asked like I, like you asked me, are you confident that USC is going to be able to, you know, win the, win out the rest way? No, absolutely not. Because they have to play Oregon and I think Oregon will get right because I mean Oregon looks right. Oregon had a potentially devastating. I mean there are so many teams this season that have not handled a loss well. Even in games where they win the next one, it's not all been Penn State where you lose in double overtime and then you lose and then you lose as 24 point favorites in both of them. No, sometimes it's just you win but you just don't look right and damn, Oregon had to travel across the country and got right. I'm, I'm, I'm back in. I'm back in on the Ducks.

[Tom Fornelli]

Mean I was, I was never truly out, but I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna take pounding Rutgers into oblivion to be.

[Chip Patterson]

I am really. Well, yeah, because I've seen. So remember when they played Wisconsin late last year and it was 16, 13 or something along lines and it was very much a. Okay, just get through it. That was a intentional statement. So I. Again, dude, I'm not going to go heavy on this because I haven't given it the, the full attention, the full breakdown in terms of like what went right along the way. I'm just going to tell you that that result after what happened last week is a, it's a good statement for a college football team.

[Tom Fornelli]

Have you looked at the box score for this game?

[Chip Patterson]

Tell me.

[Tom Fornelli]

750.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I was gonna say like it was at 500 when I checked out.

[Tom Fornelli]

750 yards of offense in One game.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't know if Auburn has that many this year.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I was, bro.

[Tom Fornelli]

They rushed. They rushed for 403, 15 yards at 11 and a half yards per clip. Like I did not look at. I'm just looking at the box score now because it was 42 to 3 at halftime and that game was all right, filed away.

[Chip Patterson]

I had put that thing off to the side. So I was like, I saw it at like 400 or 500. I did not know it got to 750.

[Tom Fornelli]

EIGHTHAN Kelly Manis, who's a good quarterback, who I've been fond of his play so far this year. Oh my God. Eight of 25 for 79 yards. That's going to cost you some third team. All Big Ten right there. He's going to miss out on third team because of this game.

[Chip Patterson]

Auburn and Texas both wish that they had combined those yards.

[Tom Fornelli]

Tired of Texas, Chip. Just tired of them. It's the same game every week.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm so unhappy with Texas.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, the off. It's. We've said it a thousand times and it. The offensive line is atrocious. They cannot run the ball because the offensive line stinks. Arch Manning is not getting any time to throw the ball because the offensive line stinks. And he's obviously taking a lot of the heat for it and he deserves plenty of it. I'm not absolving him of any of the blame. It's just. It's very hard to play football when you can't block anybody. And Texas cannot block anybody. Like Kentucky had seven tackles for loss. They had three sacks. On the other side, Texas's defense is still Texas's defense. They had 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. But the fact that like I know that sometimes going to Kentucky can be tough because that defense of theirs can be very salty. But you finish with 179 yards of offense, averaging 3.3 yards per play. You're freaking Texas, man. Like you are not supposed to be that assy looking. And they looked assy as hell because I was watching this game a lot because I just saw it was close and I had the money line sprinkled. The Kentucky Plus 400. The longer the game was going on and the more I was thinking, oh, wow, this thing might cash. This thing might hit for me in the sprinkles contest. I really needed those four units, Chip. I really, really, really needed them. But just like Arch got outplayed by Bowley, this team was number one in the country to start the year, chip. They averaging 1.7 yards on the ground and they're only putting up 180 yards against Kentucky and they might sneak into the playoff. And I think that's the worst part of it all because they've only got two losses and that defense is good enough to keep them in the rest of their games and maybe squeeze into the playoff. And we're going to have to watch. Watch a playoff game with this team averaging 2 yards per carry, playing like a 13 to 11 game.

[Chip Patterson]

Georgia will take care of that for us.

[Tom Fornelli]

They better ple Georgia.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, see, that's what I'm saying. Like, we've seen Georgia in these games where we're complaining about the fact that they don't have the old Georgia defensive line. But I'll tell you what Georgia has done when they've been told to nut up and. And go play some football. They've played some football. Like what cost them the game against Alabama. They're only lost this season because they decided to go forward on fourth down and the play didn't work. But what do we see if LT Overton doesn't slip that block and. And drop Cash Jones? He might walk into the end zone. Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

But you know what? Yeah. We talked about at the beginning of the year how Texas had an easy, manageable schedule, like for the sec. But now you look at it, they've still got to play Vandy, they've got to play Georgia, they've got to play A M. When we were saying that none of us were expecting Vandy and A M to be as good as they have been. So, yeah, at least we probably don't have to worry about them getting there. But the other problem is with that schedule now, if they go somehow, two out of three in those nine and three might be enough with the new SOS metrics. So we're looking. Get Barton back on here. I want to look him dead in the eye and tell them, don't lose to Texas, Georgia fans in our chat, because I know we got a ton of. This is a Georgia pot after all. Do not lose to Texas. Please get them out of our lives. Don't make me have to watch any more Longhorns games than I'm required to.

[Chip Patterson]

So there's a. There's a strong Texas contingent within our building. I'm not going to call any of you out by name, but I saw y' all rooting for Texas to lose. What? I saw y' all rooting for Texas to lose. It's in that, like, I want you to learn your lesson. You know.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, no. We're in life lesson phase.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, we're, we're in, like, I'm, I'm gonna tell the dog to rub it face in it type stuff. Even y', all that love Texas, you know, that's the thing is, like, we're sitting here being critical. And I know that, that even if you love the Texas Longhorns, you're, you're saying, I, I understand. I agree. This team ain't got it. We're on. We're October 19th. We've crossed midnight. We. This team doesn't have it. They were the preseason number one team in the country. There's not a single person outside of that building that's like, yeah. National champions. You're like. You are like, yeah. They could still make the playoff. They just don't have it.

[Tom Fornelli]

No. Yeah. Get out of my life. Texas.

[Chip Patterson]

Texas A M, Georgia, Vanderbilt, your assignment has been set. Take care of business. We can't have this team in the playoffs. All right. Coming up on the other side, were our no boys out because they were worried that Stanford's gonna win? And more next.

[Tom Fornelli]

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[Chip Patterson]

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[Tom Fornelli]

Quite a bit. This is a situation where Arizona State got its starting quarterback back and Texas Tech didn't have theirs. And Will Hammond, we saw against Utah played very well. When he came on in relief, he did not play nearly as well to start this game. He got going as the game went on and late. And we saw just like, like the last four minutes of this game were insane because what was it? With four minutes left, the score was. Let's see here. It was night. It was 19 to 7, Arizona State. I kind of thought the game was over. Texas Tech goes and scores. All right, cool. Maybe there's a reason to come in. You know, I. I flipped to another game because I'm here in the hotel room. Come back 30 seconds later. And like, Texas Tech has the ball again, it's one play later, they've scored a touchdown, they've taken a lead. And then Arizona State marches down the field, goes 75 yards in less than 90 seconds to get the touchdown and take the lead back with their elite Brown score. This was, it was a very, very fun game for the last five minutes. I thought the first 55 were kind of a chore. I didn't think it was all that exciting. But. And I think Arizona State too, like, they have struggled in the red zone all season long. That was no different here. They had five red zone possessions. They only scored 23 points. They had to settle for field goals three times. And that was really why, like, the game was ever even close to begin with. If Arizona State finishes those drives early in the game and puts touchdowns on the board, this thing's over early. And Texas Tech never has a chance to get back into it. But they did. Arizona State still wins. I think there was an excellent recovery from that team because you could, a lot of teams, let's be real, like, you blow that lead in like the span of 90 seconds of game time, you break. Yeah. You're shell shocked, you're dead. You're like, you've got no idea what's going on. You can't respond. And they very much responded to that. So they are still very much in the thick of the race in the Big 12. And you look at the top of that league right now, like Houston's 3 and 1. I'll be honest with you, I'm not considering them as like a serious contender to win the Big 12. But the other four, Texas Tech, even with today's loss, Arizona State, Cincinnati, BYU, like, it is going to be a very interesting final six weeks, weeks in this league because I think any one of those teams can still win it. And I think that there's very much a chance. I mean, I, I still favor Texas Tech, but if Morton's still hurt, if they lost Skyler Gil Howard for a while because that impact was certainly felt on the defensive line today. They are a more beatable team than they were a few weeks ago.

[Chip Patterson]

Skyler Gill Howard, thank you for bringing his name up because obviously I could not pull it today when I was just talking on CBS Sports hq. Did you catch that?

[Tom Fornelli]

No, I did not.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I mean, look, I, we're at minute 52, the reaction show, but we've, we've been working well. Like our first hit together was at 9:30am today. Right. It was a long time Ago, I was like. And Texas Tech, they got really bad news, losing their best defensive tackle. And then later I was like a key contributor on the interior of the defensive line. I'm just, I'm reaching for it, Tom. I'm reaching for it.

[Tom Fornelli]

So it was a long day. So very, very long day for both of us. Very long day.

[Chip Patterson]

And I was, I was disappointed as soon as the hit was done. I was like, I didn't. Couldn't pull it. But yeah, like, that was something that I was looking for in this game, was like, okay, we talk a lot about your edge rushers, and I do believe that Height and Bailey are awesome and will continue to be awesome, but I was invested in the whole defensive front, interior and edge.

[Tom Fornelli]

So let me pose this question to you. I know this game was in Tempe, but how much of this loss for Texas Tech do you pin on them not being able to throw tortillas on the field anymore?

[Chip Patterson]

Very little. I. I am refusing to engage her tortilla discourse.

[Tom Fornelli]

All right, well, I think you have.

[Chip Patterson]

To understand how much tortilla discourse I deal with on a daily basis.

[Tom Fornelli]

Really? How much tortilla discourse are you dealing with?

[Chip Patterson]

Twice to three times a day.

[Tom Fornelli]

Tortillas. Big deal in the Patterson household.

[Chip Patterson]

Yes. 100%. Like, do, do, do. Hey, listen, will you eat these sweet potatoes? I'm gonna get a. I'm gonna go to the fridge and get a tortilla.

[Tom Fornelli]

So the boys are living like 19 year old college dudes already. Just.

[Chip Patterson]

Yes, yes, tortilla.

[Tom Fornelli]

Pour some hot sauce on it, make.

[Chip Patterson]

A little tortilla and sprinkle cheese. I'm, I'm living in a life of tortillas. Being like, I live the Texas Tech home field disadvantage right now. My five year old and my three year old, they, they re. They push back on all of the foods that are offered to them and prefer tortillas and sprinkle cheese.

[Tom Fornelli]

Has. Has pooch slipped a pocket knife in any of those tortillas, to your knowledge?

[Chip Patterson]

No. I'm way more concerned at this moment about what punt puts in tortilla. The rivalry's hot. No, but it's funny.

[Barton Simmons]

It.

[Chip Patterson]

I see, I see in the tailgate, nutrition is nutrition. There are times where it's like, if they're going to grab chocolate or tortilla, then, yeah, go, absolutely, go for it. Go for a tortilla. 100. But enough of. Enough about that. I, I'm curious to see now what happens, because Texas Tech clearly was a team that I was very enthusiastic about and there's going to be a little bit of, you know, a recalibration. I don't think that I changed my opinion necessarily, but the outcomes that I'm expecting have to change given the loss. Right? Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, removes some of the margin of error form. I still do think they're the best team in the Big 12, though.

[Chip Patterson]

I agree.

[Tom Fornelli]

And you look at the rest of the schedule like, obviously, there's the huge showdown in a few weeks with byu, but there are other four games, and I mean, at Kansas State in Manhattan, maybe that's tricky. Who knows? But the only game I look at on the rest of their schedule where I'm like, they could even sniff a problem is at byu.

[Chip Patterson]

Let's see what else.

[Tom Fornelli]

Speaking of byu, do you want to go to the Holy War?

[Chip Patterson]

Hell, yeah. Let's go. 24, 21. BYU gets the win. Seven. And, oh, are the Cougars Bud Elliott.

[Tom Fornelli]

In shambles right now? That's why he's not here. He was just so devastated about BYU winning yet again. He just couldn't face it. He couldn't face a world in which the Cougars just simply do not lose.

[Chip Patterson]

What'd you think of it?

[Tom Fornelli]

I was. I was too busy thinking about. I don't think any. No, Bachmeyer's haunches really helped launch him on that one play. No, I. This was. It was. It was very much a Holy War. Like, it wasn't the cleanest game. It wasn't the prettiest game, but it was a very physical game. And I honestly think that, like, in a lot of ways, like, I felt like Utah was slightly better than byu, not. Not to slip into bud mode, but I did feel like watching the game that Utah was a slightly better team, but they just couldn't overcome the environment, and they couldn't overcome, like, the key plays that BYU was making to, you know, get the lead and win that game. But that was. That was the kind of game where I feel like it probably could have flipped in a different direction 15 different times.

[Chip Patterson]

See?

[Tom Fornelli]

And yes. More color. More color blocking like that. I love the BYU and the royal blue and Utah and all the red. It just looks fantastic on tv.

[Chip Patterson]

I think there's something to be said for BYU and. And, like, I should track it down, obviously, at, you know, 12:42am It's a little bit tough. But Kalani Sataki had a moment maybe four years ago where we were like, is this cut out to be a head coach?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

And now I kind of think he's the reason that BYU wins games like this. That guy is so positive. He is like gregarious. He is positive. He is build you up and he is, he is the kind of guy that is able to get a team that is just gonna play enough defense, run the out of the football, you know, and like hit you at the line of scrimmage and come up with the winning plays. Like that's a, that's a really good personality type to play. Style match. I just, I think I'm in. You know, obviously, you know, you mentioned the lock fight that I was very happy to win and I, all I offered was Provo at night. But I don't, I tell you what, I don't want to be. I don't want to be on the forefront of a fraudulent train like is BYU 7 and oh the same as every. Let's see what is. Is Ohio State 7 and oh, now, yeah, maybe, yeah. Okay. Is BYU 70 the same as Ohio State 7 0? No, but I am not going to call BYU fraudulent. That's a team that they have not played a, A schedule littered over with ranked teams, but they have an identity. And if you play BYU's game, BYU can beat you.

[Tom Fornelli]

Ever since you were talking about Sataki, all I could think of is like that one meme versus it's like Utah has Devin Dampier an offensive coordinator, two NFL offensive tackles versus byu, which has Kalani, Sataki and the power of friendship. But yeah, no, they, they win games, man. And Bud can hate them all he wants, but they're 7 0. Bud hates Marcel Reed too, and look what's going. Oh my God. Is Bud hating you? The key to success in 2025.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, don't tell Bud. Whatever happens.

[Tom Fornelli]

If that's the case, that on Monday.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, that'll be a pun for the review. Bud also hates Arkansas. Ooh.

[Tom Fornelli]

But does. Does Bud hate Arkansas or does Bud just want Bobby Petrino to have the job for content? Another thing for Mondays, upon further review.

[Chip Patterson]

I might want Bobby Petrino to have the job for.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't. I, I don't. I want Gus Melzan to have that job for content.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, hell yes. Is Florida State definite at Stanford? Because Gus Malzahn interviewed for the Arkansas job.

[Tom Fornelli]

Are they definite right now? I haven't been paying any attention to that.

[Chip Patterson]

13 to 10, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

They're still losing. Wow.

[Chip Patterson]

I could be wrong.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh yeah, I just looked it up. It's still 13 to 10. Stanford.

[Chip Patterson]

Tough scene. All right, so the tailgate seems to indicate that we did not give enough to usc Notre Dame. Okay, is that a basic Like Notre Dame frustration, or probably they have some validity because we were trying to get that into the Barton Vanderbilt conversation. Because I'm willing to entertain that we were, excuse me, trying to figure out how to get Barton in here. Did we not give Notre Dame enough flowers? You know what?

[Tom Fornelli]

If you want us to talk more about Notre Dame and usc, extend the series, you guys aren't going to play anymore. Why? Should we give you that time? No, fine, I'll give you more time. I. I don't think C.J. carr was great tonight. In fact, you know, because we've been, We've been puffing him up a lot. I don't think CJ Car was fantastic. I think that he had like a really good stretch in like the second and the third quarter, and then the end of the game did not look good. Maybe it was the rain. Maybe he has difficulty throwing the football in the rain. Who knows? Maybe he's got Carson Beck syndrome. I just, I think defensively, Notre Dame should be happy with what they were able to do against the run. But again, I will point out that USC is down to like a walk on running back. So what does that truly mean going forward? I think the most important thing for the Irish if you are Notre Dame in this game, is that you got through it because you can't afford to lose games. And this was one of the teams on your schedule where you looked at and say, all right, maybe they've got a decent chance of doing. Maybe they can knock the Irish off because next week you got Boston College on the road. They're not going to Boston College. Also, Yukon, like, that's not a problem. And I just feel like this is a team that when you look at the rest of their schedule outside of the road game against Pitt and maybe Navy, but we've seen Navy go up against Notre Dame when Navy's good and what happens like it's when Navy sucks is when Notre Dame needs to worry about Navy. So I think they're. They're set up pretty good to accomplish what they want to accomplish the rest of the year. And I think they're also getting better week by week. But I just don't think CJ Carr was very good tonight.

[Chip Patterson]

I have to consider conditions. Right.

[Tom Fornelli]

The rain, you mean?

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, yeah, you can.

[Tom Fornelli]

But again, they play on turf. It doesn't. It's not the same.

[Chip Patterson]

What. Talk about throwing that ball.

[Tom Fornelli]

Nah, I don't want to hear those excuses. How that stick them. They're able to put on balls now the way you're able to scrub those things down.

[Chip Patterson]

That looked miserable in the third quarter. So I missed the first quarter this game. I tuned in a little bit late. So it was like I caught the end of the second quarter and then into the third quarter. So it was like I saw basically the worst of the weather. And at that point, especially the way that Jeremiah Love was running, I was like, ah, well, this is not going to be a, we're just going to hand the ball off to Jeremiah and that'll be fine. And to see him fall out like that, I was like, cool, you're good.

[Tom Fornelli]

And also like there was the moment where USC took the lead and then Notre Dame responded right away with the kick return touchdown. And I was like, that moment, I was like, all right, game over. Because USC is just, we talked about it with Arizona State a few minutes ago. Like, when the disaster happens, most teams go into like, shock and they don't recover. Usc, to me, people call it soft. I don't. But when people call it soft, they typically being on the line, scrimmage. If I'm going to call USC soft, it's going to be because of moments like that. When they get punched in the gut, they usually don't recover from it.

[Chip Patterson]

I like that for Missouri, Auburn, we sort of mentioned it a little bit at the top.

[Tom Fornelli]

We don't need to go any further on that game. That game stunk, man. Like Mizzou, you got the win, be happy. Auburn, you got the loss, be apoplectic. But just that game meant nothing to me.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay, so is it big game Brahm or is it big game Mario?

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't know. I, I, I do feel like Brahm spent two weeks scripting the hell out of the beginning of that game and.

[Chip Patterson]

Shout out to Miller and the rest of the offense for following the script. But I think it becomes he is as healthy as he has been in three weeks.

[Tom Fornelli]

So I, so I think you got to give it to be part Braum for that part. But I think a lot of the rest of the game was Mario being Mario and also Carson Beck being Carson Beck. And that's one thing. You know what? Screw that. Forget the coaches. You know what really happened in this game. And people were like, here comes the Georgia version of Carson Beck because he threw four interceptions. Well, you know why he threw four interceptions? Because last night was the first night Miami played a team this year that was able to put pressure on Carson Beckham. And the reason Carson Beck threw all those interceptions last year with Georgia and not the year before that with Georgia was Because Georgia's offensive line stunk last year, whereas the year before it was really good. So he was never under pressure and he looked like a superstar. Offensive line kind of craters a bit, especially at the tackle position. Carson Beck's chucking up interceptions. Louisville's putting pressure on Carson Beck Friday night. He's chucking up interceptions. Like, that's what he does when he gets pressured. He is a very not good quarterback when he is under pressure, he makes bad decisions. He panics. He turns his head away like this while throwing. So he's no longer even looking at his target because he's too worried about being. It just. Yeah. That Louisville's defensive line deserves the credit for that game. Not Jeff Brahm or Mario Cristobal.

[Chip Patterson]

A little bit Jeff Braum. Like, they figured out a way. I thought they schemed around Ruben Bane. I thought they were like, did a good job of saying, okay, here's our weaknesses. Here is Chris Bell. Chris Bell is a weapon that we think they can't cover. Miami did not do a good job of tackling in the open field in the early parts of that game. They locked it up. Louisville tried to hand them that game with the red zone failures, settling for field goals like that. That to your point, Carson Beck's the ultimate reason why it doesn't happen. But.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes, another thing for Miami to be concerned about. They did not run the ball well in their opener against Notre Dame. They were able to run the ball against Bethune Cookman in usf, but against Florida, against Florida State and now against Louisville, they were not able to run the ball very effectively. And I was talking about it like, you know, if. If you don't run the ball well, it's hard to beat other good teams. You can, but it just becomes that much more difficult because you can't control it. So, like, even if Mario wanted to get super conservative and kind of start trying to control the tempo of that game, control the clock and just ground the Louisville defense down, the fact that his team couldn't run the ball never gave him the opportunity to do so. Gay.

[Chip Patterson]

Actually, before we get to games that I did not get a chance to watch, but I am looking forward to checking in on the. The thing that drew my attention to that would be, in fact, Virginia winning on a safety. I did not watch.

[Tom Fornelli]

All I saw was the safety on Twitter.

[Chip Patterson]

I don't know what got us there, but I guess I'm glad that Virginia just won so we could just move on with it. But yikes. Game. I did watch and do maybe have some concerns about. Were you impressed with Michigan against Washington? No. Yeah. No.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, they won the game, and. But it wasn't like, it was much closer than, I feel like the score suggested. Like, Demond Williams just started chucking up interceptions late in that game, and it allowed Michigan to kind of pull away at the very end to make it look like it was a blowout. But, I mean, Bryce Underwood was fine. I don't think he was great. I think he made some very good throws, but overall was not, you know, like, let's see here, they finished with over 400 yards, but again, a lot of that came late. And just defensively, good job. You really kind of slowed down Washington. But now we're kind of seeing a trend here with this Washington offense where, you know, like, we talked about the trio of Williams, Coleman in Boston, but whenever they faced a good team, those three have all kind of disappeared.

[Chip Patterson]

How about when you and I and Danny Canal and Bud Elliott were talking about this game on CBS Sports Network? And, you know, we were. We were kind of running down near the end of the segment. I want to give you credit for being a total professional, because in my head, I was thinking about a player that you and I were both talking about a lot over the course of the last couple weeks. I was like. And, Tom, how about in my head, I was like, how Andrew Marsh has become, like, a much better player. You remember the name? I said on CBS Sports Network, premium cable television, I said, and Tom, sounds like it'll be a good Jake Marsh game.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes, I do. Now. I remember that.

[Chip Patterson]

Just.

[Tom Fornelli]

We all. We all remember Jake Marsh from. Pardon my take. Yeah, no, he had another good game.

[Chip Patterson]

I called legitimately, like, one of the, like, more fun Michigan players to emerge throughout this season. I caught him, Jake Marsh, which I guess credit to Jake Marshall.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, but he, like, his touchdown grab today was pretty. I mean, he, like, I tweeted it. He's. He's showing more dude moments every single week. Like, I don't think he's completely there, but you are seeing the ingredients for a guy who's probably going to be, like, one of the better receivers in the Big Ten the next couple of years, which is for Michigan, is just not something they've really had too many of in recent years. Like, they've had good receivers last year. They didn't this year. And I think they've really got two decent ones in Martian McCullen. But, yeah, I. I think Marsh has a chance to be, like, I don't know, the best wide receiver in the Big Ten who doesn't play for Ohio State?

[Chip Patterson]

Because Ohio State has the one and the two.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. Because Ohio State just always has really good receivers.

[Chip Patterson]

Carnell Tate, I mean, it was awesome. They just.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Did you.

[Tom Fornelli]

How much of that game did you watch?

[Chip Patterson]

I watched everything through the. I mean, obviously you were on the halftime show together, you know, so I watched through the first time, and then I watched the beginning of the third quarter, and then. Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

The only thing I'll say about this game is I. I am seeing some discourse online about Julian saying and about how people are overhyping him and all this kind of stuff, because he's surrounded by phenomenal talent. And I am not going to argue that he's not surrounded by phenomenal talent, but I will argue is that Julian Saying understands he's surrounded by phenomenal talent. And I talked about this a bit while we were on. At halftime, Julian Saying knows he has Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. So if they're slightly covered, he's not worried about it. He's not waiting for them to be wide open, which a lot of quarterbacks, particularly at the college level, but even in the NFL, because, just ask a Cincinnati Bengals fan, the difference between Jake Browning and Joe Flacco. It's like Jake Browning needed Jamar Chase to be wide open to throw the. The ball to him. Joe Flacco just says, oh, look, there's Jamar Chase. I'll throw the ball to him. He's pretty good. He'll probably make the play. Julian Sands already doing that. And for a kid who's as inexperienced as he is overall to understand that and then also to put the ball in places where his. His guy can actually make a play on it. Like, he's only putting it to where his guy can get it. And if he can make the play, great. If he doesn't, oh, well, we'll come back, we'll fire again and try it again later. I. I think that a lot of people are being a little too dismissive of saying. I'm not saying he's the best player on their offense. I'm not saying he should win the Heisman Trophy, but he's not a jag. And I'm seeing people talk about him like he's just a jag who's just driving the car. No, he's better than most of the other quarterbacks in the country already.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm not ready to say that. I'll. I'll go back to what I told you earlier. I just. I think we're Just seeing he. He gets more put on his plate. He answers his, you know, and nobody in this college football fueled chat wants to hear this. That's kind of something you and I can relate to. We get a little bit. Yeah, let's take it. Get a little bit more. Yeah, let's take it. Get a little bit more. Yeah, let's take it. Like, it's all right.

[Tom Fornelli]

And that's the thing. He keeps taking it and he keeps doing well with it.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, yeah, that's. That's. I don't know.

[Tom Fornelli]

How many quarterbacks do you see fall flat on their face in this sport as soon as they get more responsibility? Or we'll hype them up over the entire off season like they're going to take the leap forward and then they never do. This kid's doing it every single week.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, most. Yeah, I hear you on that one. All right, last call before we move. Obviously we got. We got a lot to get to, a lot of different places to go. Biggest result we haven't talked about yet.

[Tom Fornelli]

Memphis losing to uab. I'm not even joking. Like, that really kind of throws a large wrench into like the G6 kind of. And also UNLV losing to Boise because, like, UNLV and Memphis were what you would consider two of the favorites. And Tulane damn near lost to army today. Like, we nearly had. Like, I know we were all paying attention to all these top 10 games, so we nearly had like a cataclysmic Saturday in the G6 as far as that playoff bit is concerned. But my question for you, Chip Patterson, is, after watching UAB beat Memphis, how much did those players hate Trent Dilfer?

[Chip Patterson]

So I think Lil Mort might just have the goods.

[Tom Fornelli]

Son of Chris Mortensen, who you're referring to. Yep.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't know that they looked like a genuine, like, because I saw the score, so I was paying. We had it on one of like the billion TVs in the studio. So I was paying attention to it because I kept seeing the score and I was waiting for Memphis to kind of like put it away. And they just weren't like UAB was sticking around. And I was watching it and I'm like, this isn't fluky, man. They're just actually playing very well. And I don't remember seeing UAB play that well since, well, Clark was coaching them.

[Chip Patterson]

So uab, even under Dilfer, could score, but they would just get run through. Right? Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Did you watch? I wasn't able to see it because it was on Peacock. So I did not have access to it here. Did you watch any of Iowa, Penn State?

[Chip Patterson]

No.

[Tom Fornelli]

Okay. I. I've been peeking at the box score. Chip, Chip, I'm gonna.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm looking at you dead in the eyes.

[Tom Fornelli]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I know. I just said it twice for the emphasis, though, to really set the scene here. One quarterback was 10 of 16 for 68 yards passing. The other was 15 to 28. For this game. Just looking at the box score looks disgusting. And it was Mark Gronowski who was 10 to 16 for 68, but he also rushed for 130 and two times for 93. For 93 with two interceptions and six carries for one yard. So he was you know, not. Not offering a whole lot in the run game. But my boy, Kate. Kate Trinellen. 28 for 145. Just like Iowa was in serious danger of losing this game. I wasn't able to watch it. I was able to track the score as it was going on. And it was 24 to 19, Penn State in the final minutes of the fourth quarter before Iowa scored to take the lead. They also led 21 to 10 in the third quarter. Like, I thought Iowa was going to lose at home to Penn State with a backup quarterback after it just fired its coach. And I was wondering if maybe tomorrow there would be another coach that we had to do an emergency pod for that in the Big Ten who absolutely nobody saw coming.

[Barton Simmons]

It's time for sicko mode.

[Tom Fornelli]

Let's go. I mean, can you imagine, like, if that had happened?

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. No, they're. I mean, Kirk Ference runs the school, so it ain't gonna be him. You know what I was thinking about Kirk Ference, who is a lot. Because that's where I'm at with the University of North Carolina.

[Tom Fornelli]

Ooh.

[Chip Patterson]

Because that's a Brian Ference ass offense. The problem is they don't have Iowa's defense. They just have no desire to push the ball down the field.

[Tom Fornelli]

Would you. Would you take Brian Ference over Freddy Kitchens?

[Chip Patterson]

I'm sorry, that's the Spider man pointing me.

[Tom Fornelli]

Speaking of Spider man pointing memes, proposal for you. Minnesota is Iowa now. PJ Flex. Minnesota is what Iowa was when it was at its best under Kirk Ferenc.

[Chip Patterson]

No, because I don't think the defense is that reliable.

[Tom Fornelli]

They had what, like a thousand sacks on Friday night. They.

[Chip Patterson]

Against Dylan Raiola.

[Tom Fornelli]

They blew the doors off of Nebraska.

[Chip Patterson]

They didn't do shit against Ohio State.

[Tom Fornelli]

But Iowa didn't do shit against Ohio State when it was at Its best. Like they would, they would beat everybody else and then they play Ohio State and like the Big Ten championship or something and they'd lose 41 to three.

[Chip Patterson]

What happens when Iowa plays Minnesota?

[Tom Fornelli]

Minnesota is going to win probably.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

I.

[Chip Patterson]

P.J. fleck could be at Minnesota for a long time if he wants to. He could be the Brian Ference of Minnesota football if he wants to.

[Tom Fornelli]

Brian or Kirk.

[Chip Patterson]

Kirk.

[Tom Fornelli]

See you. You got Brian on the brain. You want him running that off?

[Chip Patterson]

Because didn't Kirk spend a minute with the Patriots or something?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, Brian did. Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

I was like, I was trying to think about how to, you know, wrestle with the. Is there too many Carolina fans are like, oh, it was so nice that we were right there against Cal. Like, bro, you gotta, gotta understand where you're at right now, the quality of this football team. The football team that is like this. This team can't score points. They need everybody to only score 21 points to have a shot to win. Tough scenes. Are you more encouraged by Georgia Tech or less encouraged?

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't, I don't know that my opinion really changed either way. Way. Okay, I. We mentioned it on hq. Like, that's one of those games. Like Duke opens the game by driving all the way down the field, then fumbling at the goal line. Like either North Carolina and Georgia Tech picking the ball up and going 95 yards the other way. It's like when that happens on your very first drive of the game, you just kind of know it's not going to be your day if you're Duke, Georgia Tech, I, I am impressed by the fact that they are not overlooking opponents, I guess you could say, in a way that they have in times past, but they're also not pulling away. And I think that is one of those things where when you play in those kind of dog fights every single week and you're winning them, we're going to give you credit for it. It's just at some point the ball, it's an oblong football, it's going to bounce the wrong way. It's like, I would like to see Tech start pulling away from teams that, that you know, they should pull away from if they want to be considered one of the elite.

[Chip Patterson]

Here's the punt. Filled a deep by Stanford looking like.

[Tom Fornelli]

Is it. It's 20 to 10 now.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Jesus Christ.

[Chip Patterson]

I gotta. I mean, did they really duck us? Did they really duck us because they think that Florida State is gonna lose to Stanford four losses in a row?

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, I think it's pretty clear that they're afraid to show their faces on this show because they know that they're associated with Florida State. And Florida State's gonna lose on the road to Stanford.

[Chip Patterson]

I mean, I mean, Danny Cannell was willing to chug beer and jump rope before he is willing to come on this podcast. Before answering.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, you know what I will say. Dandy sent us that text. He said, I've chugged three beers and eating cheese curds and I've been jumping rope and I'm not in great shape. And you know what? If you can't survive that, Danny, then Florida State can't be in the Big Ten because, buddy, that's, that's the Midwest. If you can't chug beer and do jump rope, who the hell even are you? You're not tough enough for this league. Go. Go play in the Big 12 or something.

[Chip Patterson]

Is this gonna be the touchdown right here? Nope, I guess not. All right, coming up on the other side, we give you a preview of tomorrow's top 25 today and more next.

[Tom Fornelli]

Carolina basketball isn't just a program, it's a legacy. I'm John Henson and we'll be the host of Tar Heel247, a UNC basketball podcast for fans who bleed Carolina blue. Each week I'll be joined by players, coaches and insiders for real unfiltered conversations about the team, the tradition, maybe some funny stories and everything in between. No filters, no fluff. Just hoop talk the Tar Heel way. Subscribe now to Tar Heel 247 at UNC Basketball Podcast or wherever you get your podcast at. We will have a good time. Let's get ready to go. Need contract help for those workload peaks and backlogged projects? You're not alone. At Robert Half we found that 67% of companies surveyed said they will increase their use of contract talent. That's why our recruiters leverage their experience and use award winning AI to quickly find the skilled candidates you want. Learn about our specialized talent in finance, accounting, technology, marketing, legal and administrative support at Robert Half. We Know Talent. Visit roberthalf.comtalent today.

[Chip Patterson]

Back here on the COVID 3 podcast and every single Saturday night we like to give you a look at the new top 25 today as we project it. And Ohio State should be number one again. Indiana will make more program history, moving up to number two because Miami of course lost against Louisville on Friday night. Tom Miami, one loss team. They've got a win against Notre Dame. They've got a loss to Louisville. Where do you think The Canes land.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, I don't think they're going to fall out of the top 10. Or at least they shouldn't. Like they still, if you look at the overall resume, they still have one of the most impressive resumes in the country. They still only have the one loss. So I would say they're probably going to be. Let's see. I would say somewhere in that 7 to 9 range, I've got them all.

[Chip Patterson]

The way down at 10. I would not be surprised if they fall behind. I would not be surprised if they fall behind. Georgia Tech undefeated.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, they are behind him in the standings.

[Chip Patterson]

Ole Miss might still be ahead of them.

[Tom Fornelli]

No.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, maybe, but lose on the road to Georgia versus lose at home as a two touchdown favorite to Louisville.

[Tom Fornelli]

Understood. But like when you start comparing wins, I mean, assuming any of the voters actually start doing that. But like if you compare wins, Ole Miss's best win is like LSU or Tulane and Miami has the Notre Dame win. And it's just, it's a. I, I don't think that Ole Miss should be ahead of Miami. I, I understand the loss is quote unquote worse, but.

[Chip Patterson]

Right.

[Tom Fornelli]

Louisville's only got one loss. Louisville might be in the ACC championship game. We might be looking back at this a month from now and being like, oh, that wasn't a bad loss. Actually, we just had it pegged wrong.

[Chip Patterson]

I do have Louisville breaking in at number 21. I've got Illinois breaking in at number 22. Michigan gets that win against Washington. They're in. I've got Arizona State breaking in, of course, after their win against the likes of Texas Tech. Other big movers within the top 25. Let's see. Utah out.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, probably. I mean, they were ranked low enough and then they lost. So they, they usually get rid of those teams quick.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Where do you have Texas tech falling to 18. Wow. Big 12 disrespect. Not on you. That's just the way it usually works.

[Chip Patterson]

How does the top five shake out? I think it's Ohio State 1, Indiana 2, Texas A&M 3, Alabama 4, Oregon 5.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. Although there's a chance Georgia could leap. Oregon.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I've got Georgia six. Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. Just because, like, yeah, that game had so many. Probably had a lot more eyeballs on it than Oregon's win over Rutgers did. Yeah. Again, 750 yards of offense in one game.

[Chip Patterson]

Bananas. Let's see other movement within that. Let's see, we've got in the. Tennessee. Excuse me. Won't fall far right.

[Tom Fornelli]

Probably not, but maybe they should.

[Chip Patterson]

Well I've got them falling down to 15. I thought like you get down into that Virginia, South Florida, Texas land. Are you really going to put Tennessee behind Texas?

[Tom Fornelli]

No, but I wouldn't rank Texas at all. I just, I want, I told you I want them out of my life. I don't want to even write their name down. Teams that, it's just a joyless, joyless football team.

[Chip Patterson]

Speaking of joyless football teams, LSU I think will stay ranked.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, two losses and you've beaten such behemoths like Clemson who by the way Clemson loses at home to SMU and we don't even bring it up on this show until now. How the mighty have fallen quick. But I mean I, I think they probably will hang on because they are lsu. They started the season ranked high but they, they don't have a win man like Florida, Clemson or South Carolina. Who are you hanging your hat on? All Those teams are under 500.

[Chip Patterson]

They have close. The LSU is a quality loss ass team and you just have to Prepare yourself on October 20th for dealing with some quality loss ass teams.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, no, I get it. They'll hang on, but they'll hang on. You know what would Gary Parish say? Chip?

[Chip Patterson]

Computer truckers.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, you gotta rank 25 teams.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, it's tough. It's a complex resume for voters to parse because LSU is lost on the road close to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. It doesn't have anything to justify a top 25 ranking beyond that. So tough to be able to to split that up when you get down to the chopping block. Of course be sure to to check out the entire tomorrow's top 25 today over at CBSSports.com it's been a big day. Got anything else you want to throw too?

[Tom Fornelli]

1. I will answer the question in the chat as to who is Illinois's best win. Well, I don't know. You can go with USC or Duke or Purdue but like I've seen a lot of stuff about how the top 10 teams are losing and about how like this season's so super unpredictable because you like you look at the teams that are winning these games and like we just went over the top 10 and like what Texas A&M is three, Indiana's two. How much of this fault, blame, whatever you want to call it lies at the feet of the AP voters? Chip, why are they so bad at ranking teams? They keep ranking all these loser ass teams in the top 10 chip. And they keep losing games.

[Chip Patterson]

It's all relative.

[Tom Fornelli]

Just saying if, if we Were that bad at our jobs, they'd fire us.

[Chip Patterson]

No, they wouldn't.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I know.

[Chip Patterson]

I know, but I saw Danny go, like, 19 and 37 in top 25 picks.

[Tom Fornelli]

Hey, the six pack went zero and six last week. We bounced back with a three and three. This week, they.

[Chip Patterson]

It got so bad that they put a graphic together of him underwater and had him floating back up and down underwater. Only did that, like. I mean, it was like they were really putting graphics together to indicate. Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

So did you see Danny's video this.

[Chip Patterson]

Morning in the sauna? Yeah, only after you texted. I didn't search it out. I mean, excuse me. It did not come across my desk, but I searched it out.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I opened my phone, like, the first time I opened my phone, and I just, you know, getting ready to go to the office, and I'm sitting there and I open it, and I open Twitter, and the first thing I see is Danny's ass sitting in a sauna.

[Chip Patterson]

It's like, all right, cool.

[Tom Fornelli]

This is how we're starting the day. So, yeah, I think Danny doing a sauna should be, like a weekly segment. Maybe that's where he should do day trading. Danny from a sauna.

[Chip Patterson]

Hashtag, relatable content.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, when I watch shows that feature, like, Wall street types, how they're spending so much time in saunas, in those shows, Chip, like, it makes sense.

[Chip Patterson]

That's true. That's true. Of course. Check out tomorrow's top 25 today over at CBSSports.com we will be back on Monday with the full review of everything from week eight with contributions from Danny Cannell and Bud Elliott and more. And you can follow him on Twitter at. Tom Fenell. You can follow me at Chip Underscore Patterson. Tom, thank you very much.

[Tom Fornelli]

Thank you. You know the words that dominate our news site. Private equity keeps investing. But do you truly understand how they impact your world and your wallet? In a world that skims? The what? Understand the why. Because context changes everything. Subscribe to Learn [e-mail] the global benchmark for business news?