Cover 3 College Football Podcast

Episode: Who Is The Next First-Time National Champion In CFB? PLUS Details On A 24-Team Playoff & More!
Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Danny Kanell

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, and Danny Kanell tackle some of the hottest new developments in college football. They discuss Sacramento State’s controversial move to the FBS and the MAC, the Big Ten's detailed push for a 24-team College Football Playoff, and then debate which program and coach is next in line for a first-ever national title—now that Indiana has broken through. Insightful, often irreverent, and full of sharp takes, this episode offers college football fans deep analysis, future-gazing, and laughs.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sacramento State’s Move to the MAC and FBS (00:48–10:28)

News Breakdown

• Sacramento State is joining the FBS and the MAC in 2026, despite significant travel and financial hurdles.
• Context: Follows other FCS powers making the leap (e.g., North Dakota State).

Panel Reactions

• Tom Fornelli:
  “To me, this is the dumbest thing I think we've seen... in a history of like, hell, in the last 12 months of a lot of really stupid things that have been happening in this sport.” (03:09)
• Danny Kanell:
  “Where is the money coming from? Because they are, they're spending 23 million to make this jump. ... I think it's more of an ego play. I think it is. That's all it is. They want to be a part of big time college athletics. So congrats, you're in the Mac. Like you can play on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.” (04:18)
• Chip Patterson:
  “Is this rats fleeing the ship? Is this like going for the last boats that are out there? Like, why is there this existential dread?” (06:36)
• Consensus:
  The panel is collectively baffled, noting the lack of logical financial or competitive benefit. Travel costs and questionable fan support were seen as major red flags.

Memorable Quote

“You telling me Sacramento State fans aren't going to be lining up around the block to get in to see the UMass Minutemen come to town?”
—Tom Fornelli (05:24)

Key Insight

• Many FCS schools feel existential pressure to move up before any potential further division within college football—fearing being stranded outside a shrinking pool of viable programs.

2. Big Ten's 24-Team Playoff Proposal: Details & Debates (12:41–28:18)

Key Features of the Proposal

• 23+1 Model: 23 at-large teams, 1 group of six spot (no conference automatic qualifiers)
• No Conference Championship Games: Entirely scrapped.
• Two Rounds of On-Campus Playoff Games: Top 16 seeds guaranteed a campus game.
• Earlier Finish: Aims for a mid-January championship, about a week earlier than current setups.
• Broadcast Rights: Only 2 of 12 new games reserved for ESPN; 10 up for bid to other networks.

Reactions and Analysis

• Danny Kanell:
  • Likes aspects of the proposal, especially doing away with conference championships and emphasizing home playoff games.
  • Suggests they should “package” it as a 16-team playoff with play-ins, as “24 is so shocking to everyone that's out there.” (14:24)
• Tom Fornelli:
  • Not surprised by the expansion, noting the relentless pressure for more playoff spots and TV money.
  • Memorable Rant:

    “This is what was coming the entire time... They've destroyed the regular season already. Like, what changed? We, we destroyed it with a 12 team playoff...” (17:38)

  • Points out the hypocrisy of critics who push for expansion and then balk at the consequences.
• Chip Patterson:
  Appreciates the proposal's attention to alleviating transfer portal chaos and giving teams more margin for early struggles.

Notable Segment

• On Media Rights/SEC Buy-In:
  Fornelli speculates the SEC would want more playoff spots:

  “If I'm the SEC, and this is not like there's no auto bids. It's all just top 24 teams. How the hell would I not be in support of this? ... I'm going to get eight or nine, 10 teams in every year.” (20:53)

Memorable Quote

“These are the same dumbasses who think the game matters more because you put the word playoff on it.”
—Tom Fornelli (18:04)

Key Insights

• TV rights and inventory are clear motivators—expanding the playoff will lead to much more media revenue and attention from multiple networks.
• The regular season’s importance is already diluted, and further expansion is seen as inevitable due to constant coaching turnover and big-money buyouts.

3. Eligibility Chaos & the Trinidad Chambliss Ruling (28:18–38:27)

Context

• Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss QB) wins an eligibility battle, can play in 2026.
• Each legal case is different; there’s little uniformity in eligibility rulings.

Panel Reactions

• Danny Kanell:
  • “This was probably at minimum a $4 million win for Trinidad Chambliss.”
  • Notes huge financial implications for both player and program.
• Tom Fornelli:
  • Calls out lack of broad eligibility standard.
  • Mocks the NCAA for being undermined by its own member schools’ lawsuits:

    “The schools create the rules until a certain school doesn't want them anymore, and then they're like, these are wrong and unfair and it's all the NCAA's fault...”

• Chip Patterson:
  • Thinks Ole Miss always expected Chambliss would play, and this helps them avoid a “raw” quarterback situation.

Event Impact

• Ole Miss is now set up for a stronger year, likely starting in the top 15, with playoff expectations.

4. Who’s Next? First-Time National Champion Programs (39:16–54:42)

History Recap

• Indiana’s recent win broke a 30-year drought of first-time champions (last: Florida, 1996).
• Historically, first-time winners come in “clusters” (e.g., early 80s).

Candidates for First-Time National Title

Top Tiers:

1. Oregon
   • Danny Kanell: “I think they've got to be the number one candidate of these schools.”
2. Texas Tech
   • Tom Fornelli: “I feel like Texas Tech… have an easier path to the playoffs...”
3. Virginia Tech
   • Danny Kanell: “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if James Franklin leaves Penn State where he never could win the big one? Virginia Tech… played for the national championship before.”

Others Discussed:

• Virginia (investment ramping up)
• Louisville (recent success, but skepticism remains)
• Utah (uncertainty post-Whittingham)
• Arizona State (begging for NIL money is an issue)
• Vanderbilt (strong recruiting and admin buy-in)
• Missouri (talented; seen as a “sleeping giant”)

Full List of Power 4 Programs Without a Modern Title (47:55)

(As read by Tom Fornelli: Boston College, Arizona, Utah, Texas Tech, Mississippi State, NC State, Oklahoma State, Missouri, South Carolina, Oregon, Arizona State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Purdue, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina)

Key Debate (48:54)

Which “sleeping giant” could awaken with the right break, and how much do NIL and conference path matter?

Memorable Quote

“Louisville’s not winning the national title...but Indiana just won a national title, so I got to check myself.”
—Tom Fornelli (48:42)

5. Coaches: Who Is Next for Their First National Championship? (54:03–59:16)

Top Current Coach Candidates (per FanDuel/host consensus)

• Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame)
• Steve Sarkisian (Texas)
• Mario Cristobal (Miami)
• Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)
• Mike Elko (Texas A&M)
• Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)
• Pete Golding (Ole Miss)
• Brent Venables (Oklahoma)
• Lincoln Riley (USC)

Analysis

• For 2026:
  Freeman is cited for Notre Dame’s favorable scheduling.
• Texas & Oregon:
  Hosts predict either Dan Lanning (Oregon) or Sarkisian (Texas) will win a first as both have strong, well-funded teams and likely playoff berths (54:46).
• Sarkisian:
  “It does feel like the year for Sark... they've spent a bunch of money in the portal..." (55:23)
• Brian Kelly (LSU):
  Considered for breaking through given the resources and pressure (55:47).
• Dark Horses Mentioned:
  • Rhett Lashley (SMU)
  • Joey McGuire (Texas Tech)
  • Matt Campbell (Penn State, now)
  • John Summerall (Kentucky)

Discussion Points

• TV era impacts (1984-present) may be a better line for “modern” titles.
• Kalen DeBoer at Alabama faces higher scrutiny; his tenure uncertain but possible to win.

Notable Exchange

“If Sark can't get it done, we got a big game Sark problem. Can't win the big one.”
—Chip Patterson (56:10)
“Nobody can win the big win until they do. ... You can't win big games until you do."
—Tom Fornelli (56:19)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “To me, this is the dumbest thing I think we've seen... in a history of like, hell, in the last 12 months of a lot of really stupid things…”
  —Tom Fornelli on Sac State to the MAC (03:09)

• “I think they should’ve called this a 16-team college football playoff proposal with a round of play-in games…”
  —Danny Kanell (14:24)

• “This is what was coming the entire time… They destroyed the regular season already. Like, what changed?”
  —Tom Fornelli (17:38)

• “If I'm the SEC, ... how the hell would I not be in support of this? ... I'm going to get eight or nine, 10 teams in every year.”
  —Tom Fornelli (20:53)

• “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if James Franklin leaves Penn State ... and finally wins one at Virginia Tech?”
  —Danny Kanell (45:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:48 – Sacramento State joins the MAC; FBS expansion debate begins.
• 04:18 – Why would Sac State make this move? Ego vs. economics breakdown.
• 12:41 – Big Ten’s 24-team playoff proposal: Format details and reactions.
• 14:24 – Rebranding the playoff and the shock of “24 teams.”
• 17:38 – How the regular season’s been “destroyed” by playoff expansion.
• 20:53 – SEC’s potential playoff dominance; media and TV rights.
• 28:18 – Trinidad Chambliss’s eligibility and that process.
• 39:16 – First-time national champions: Candidate programs discussion.
• 54:03 – Coaches “next up” for a first national title.
• 56:10 – Sarkisian’s “big game” reputation examined.
• 59:49 – Can Kalen DeBoer win at Alabama? The Alabama job post-Saban era.

Recap

This episode offers a fast-paced, in-depth look into massive current changes in college football. The hosts provide context, history, and critiques on the proliferation of “desperation” realignment, the dollar-driven playoff expansion, and the inevitable march toward more playoff access (and the money that comes with it). They also give thoughtful, nuanced takes on who’s due for that breakthrough moment—be it a blueblood knocking on the door, a surprise Indiana repeat, or a coach finally getting over the championship hump. If you care about the shifting delivery and power structures of college football, and enjoy smart—but never stuffy—debate, this is an essential listen.