NFL With Steve Smith, The Jameis Winston Experience, CFB With Brandon Walker And Listener Submitted Pardon Your Takes

Summary

Pardon My Take – Episode Summary Release Date: December 4, 2024

Hosts: Big Cat & PFT Commenter
Guest: Steve Smith Senior
Special Cameo: Liam Blutman – Renowned Ball Watcher

---

1. Jameis Winston’s Historic Performance in the NFL

Timestamp: [03:05] - [07:36]

Big Cat opens the discussion by praising Jameis Winston, dubbing him his favorite athlete despite not being on his own team. PFT Commenter highlights Winston's extraordinary game where he threw for 668 passing yards, the most by any quarterback in NFL history, surpassing Vinnie Testaverde ([03:45]). Winston's performance included four touchdowns, three interceptions, and two pick-sixes, showcasing both his talent and volatility.

Notable Quotes:

• PFT Commenter: “He is the best athlete to root for of all time on, not your team. What we saw on Monday night, 460 yards. It was historic.” ([03:05]
• Big Cat: “James Winston should play every single primetime game. He should be all-time quarterback.” ([04:19]

The hosts delve into Winston’s impact on the game, his ability to elevate the Broncos’ performance, and the consequential effect on rival teams like the Browns, emphasizing the unpredictability and excitement he brings to the field.

---

2. College Football Playoff and Rivalry Weekend

Timestamp: [17:00] - [43:38]

Brandon Walker joins as the college football expert to analyze the College Football Playoff (CFP) landscape. The conversation centers on Ohio State's shocking loss to Michigan, deemed one of the worst in history, and Ryan Day’s coaching performance. The hosts critique Ohio State’s strategic decisions, particularly their reliance on quarterback Will Howard, and discuss potential changes in hiring practices for head coaches.

Notable Quotes:

• Hank: “Ryan Day came out the other day... a shocking failure of coaching.” ([18:39]
• Big Cat: “Is going to be a hell of a video.” ([70:21]

The discussion extends to the implications of the CFP structure, highlighting issues like strength of schedule and the challenges posed by super conferences. They debate the fairness of the playoff selections, particularly concerning teams like SMU and Alabama, and explore potential reforms, such as adopting NFL-style divisions to mitigate schedule disparities.

Notable Quotes:

• Big Cat: “They need to do the divisions.” ([40:41]
• Hank: “If you have to go into a playoff game like that, it's fine.” ([37:41]

Brandon and the hosts express frustration with the current playoff system, advocating for a more balanced and fair selection process that better represents team performances throughout the season.

---

3. Heisman Trophy Predictions and Awards

Timestamp: [51:35] - [67:56]

A lighthearted yet competitive segment unfolds as the hosts and guests discuss their picks for the Heisman Trophy. PFT Commenter bets on Travis Hunter, while Hank and others voice support for Ashton Gentee and Nick Nash. The conversation reveals differing opinions on what constitutes a Heisman-caliber performance, with debates on player usage rates and the impact of injuries.

Notable Quotes:

• Big Cat: “Travis Hunter is going to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy.” ([52:24]
• PFT Commenter: “He should have been.” ([56:00]

Liam Blutman joins the discussion, adding his perspective and favorite candidates, further intensifying the friendly rivalry among the hosts. The segment underscores the subjective nature of awards and the diverse criteria voters consider when selecting finalists.

---

4. Hot Seat & Cool Throne Segments

Timestamp: [66:00] - [85:57]

The Hot Seat and Cool Throne segments provide an interactive and humorous break from the intense sports analysis. Listeners submit playful questions and challenges, with the hosts engaging in witty banter and lighthearted competitions. Topics range from funny bets to amusing takes on current sports events.

Notable Moments:

• Hot Seat: Discussions about NFL kickers and their performance pressures.
• Cool Throne: Interactive quizzes and playful debates on topics like the Four Aces in golf and NFL players’ management.

These segments add a layer of entertainment, showcasing the hosts' chemistry and ability to balance serious discussions with comedic relief.

---

5. Interview with Steve Smith Senior

Timestamp: [104:54] - [147:57]

Steve Smith Senior returns as a recurring guest, providing expert insights into both the NFL and College Football. The interview covers a range of topics, including Steve’s perspective on coaching changes, player development, and team dynamics. He emphasizes the importance of accountability and effective coaching strategies in rebuilding team performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Steve Smith: “These are the best professionals in the league.” ([105:45]
• Steve Smith: “He is doing really good. He's throwing the football. He beat the Panthers.” ([117:59]

Steve discusses Bryce Young’s development under Coach Canales, highlighting improvements in offensive strategy and quarterback confidence. He also touches on broader issues like the impact of schedule disparities in the CFP and the challenges faced by teams like the Miami Dolphins in cold weather games.

Key Insights:

• Coaching Accountability: Steve underscores the need for leaders who can hold players accountable and foster a winning mentality.
• Player Development: Highlighting Bryce Young’s growth, Steve credits effective coaching for enhancing player performance.
• Season Challenges: Analyzing teams struggling with injuries and strategy flaws, Steve provides a seasoned perspective on navigating tough seasons.

---

6. Guest Cameo: Liam Blutman

Timestamp: [147:34] - [150:38]

Liam Blutman makes a cameo appearance, contributing to discussions on Heisman voting and sharing his own picks. His participation adds depth to the Heisman segment, as he advocates for balanced representation and highlights emerging talent in college football.

Notable Quotes:

• Liam Blutman: “If I had to vote for the Heisman, I would vote for Ashton.” ([62:29]
• Liam Blutman: “Nick Nash, triple crown leader, it's kind of a no-brainer.” ([63:30]

Liam’s input enriches the conversation, offering alternative viewpoints and emphasizing the importance of recognizing diverse talent in awards.

---

7. Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Timestamp: [150:35] - [151:26]

As the episode nears its end, the hosts reflect on the day’s discussions, reiterate their sports bets, and tease upcoming segments and continued interactions with guests like Steve Smith. They express anticipation for the next episode, highlighting ongoing competitions and listener engagement activities.

Notable Moments:

• Big Cat: “We need to make sure you get to four before Brandon gets five years.” ([147:34]
• PFT Commenter: “You're the one that I got hang into office.” ([148:37]

The episode concludes with a blend of humor and camaraderie, reinforcing the show's engaging and dynamic format.

---

Conclusion:

This episode of Pardon My Take delivers a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of both NFL and College Football topics. From celebrating Jameis Winston’s remarkable performance to dissecting the complexities of the College Football Playoff system, the hosts provide insightful commentary enriched by expert guest Steve Smith Senior. Interactive segments like the Hot Seat and Cool Throne, along with guest cameos, ensure a lively and engaging listen for sports enthusiasts.

Key Takeaways:

• Jameis Winston’s Impact: His historic performance adds excitement and unpredictability to the NFL season.
• CFP Challenges: The current playoff system’s flaws highlight the need for structural reforms to ensure fairness.
• Heisman Predictions: Diverse opinions underscore the subjective nature of sports awards.
• Guest Expertise: Steve Smith Senior offers valuable insights into team dynamics and player development.
• Engaging Segments: Interactive elements keep the show lively and entertaining.

For those who haven’t listened to this episode, Pardon My Take continues to deliver a blend of loud, correct takes with humor and expert analysis, making it a must-listen for sports talk enthusiasts.

Transcript

[Big Cat]

Hey, Pardon my take listeners. You can find every episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or YouTube Prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[PFT Commenter]

Coors Light presents To Chill or Not to Chill when your friend bets against your team. End the friendship or choose Chill because you're drinking Coors Light with your buddy Coors Light.

[Steve Smith]

Choose chill.

[Big Cat]

Celebrate responsibly.

[PFT Commenter]

2024 Coors Brewing Company Golden, Colorado on.

[Big Cat]

Today'S part of my take, we have our good friend Steve Smith senior back on the show talking some NFL. And then we have a very special guest, our good friend Brandon Walker to talk some college football. The crazy rivalry weekend. Looking ahead to the College Football Playoff. Also, special cameo from Liam Blutman, number one ball watcher in the world. We're gonna talk Monday Night Football. We're gonna do Hot Seat, Cool Throne. We have Pardon your take Great Wednesday show and it's brought to you by DraftKings. The NBA is hot. Here's a way to get even more into the action following your favorite players playing pick six from DraftKings, an official partner of the NBA. It's super simple to get started. First, download the DraftKings pick six app. Then select two or more players and choose if they'll have more or less of a stat like points, rebounds, three pointers and more. Track your picks for a shot of huge cash prizes. That's all there is to it. Pick six Available in most states including California, Texas, Georgia, Missouri and more. And for all first time pick six players, check this out. New customers play $5. Get $50 in pick six credits. Hoop it up all season long with the newest, most fun way to play fantasy sports. Pick 6 from DraftKings. Download the DraftKings Pick 6 app now. Use code TAKE. That's code TAKE for new customers to play $5 and get $50 and pick 6 credits only on DraftKings Pick 6. The crown is yours.

[Hank]

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[Big Cat]

See [e-mail] Promos okay, let's go. Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. Hoop it up all season long with the newest, most fun way to play fantasy sports. Pick Six from DraftKings Download the DraftKings Pick Six app now. Use Code Take. That's Code Take for new customers to play. $5 get 50 in pick six credits only on DraftKings pick six. The crown is yours. Today is Wednesday, December 4th and PFT. I think that Jameis Winston is my favorite athlete of all time that I didn't root for on my own team.

[PFT Commenter]

He is the best athlete to root for of all time on, not your team. What we saw on Monday night, 460 yards. It was historic.

[Big Cat]

Historic.

[PFT Commenter]

And I mean. I mean truly historic. Not in the we love Jameis Winston. We're going to call everything historic type of way. Which we will do.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It was literally historic. He had four touchdowns. He had three interceptions. Two pick sixes. Almost a third if you count every yard that was gained by an NFL football player who received any of his passes. Doesn't matter what uniform they were wearing.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He threw for 668 passing yards.

[Big Cat]

I love it.

[PFT Commenter]

That is the most of any quarterback in NFL history. Second is Vinnie Testaverde.

[Big Cat]

It's.

[PFT Commenter]

And I think he had quite a. Quite a bit less than 668 combined passing yards.

[Big Cat]

His passing chart was so funny. 34 for 58. 497. 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions. James Winston should play every single primetime game. He should be all time quarterback. It was the full James Winston experience where it would be one drive, pick six. One drive. He's just dicing up a very good Broncos defense. Yeah. And it was back.

[PFT Commenter]

Really good Broncos defense.

[Big Cat]

And afterwards saying I know I'm better than this. I'm praying for the Lord to deliver me from pick sixes. I. He's just the best.

[PFT Commenter]

I love it.

[Big Cat]

He's the fucking best. And I listen. The Broncos are a good team. The Broncos are going to go to the playoffs. Bo Nick's not his best night. But he still played well.

[PFT Commenter]

He had a great, great throw. That long touchdown.

[Big Cat]

Oh yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That was a bows and rope.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. To Mims. That was sick. And Bo Nicks is the real deal. But this was the Jamis show. Like I feel bad because you know it was going to be Bonix is coming out party. Unfortunately had to play against Jameis Winston who good and bad. He steals the show.

[PFT Commenter]

He's. So the Browns have went from. They went from being borderline unwatchable early.

[Big Cat]

I would say like I would say unwatchable.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, we still watched him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. But like if we could. If we could have not watched them. We would have not if I could.

[PFT Commenter]

Men in black myself.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And remove those memories. I would do it to.

[Big Cat]

Now.

[PFT Commenter]

They are must see tv.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And it sucks that they got flexed out of another primetime game, because I want to see more primetime. Jamie, that would have been. It would have been the Browns and the bench. Bengals.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

In prime time. That game. I guarantee you that game is going to be just a fireworks display.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

James might break Norm Van Brocklin's record for most yards passing in a game. That game.

[Big Cat]

It's. It's going to be incredible. And I'm. I'm like, I'm getting retro mad where I. I was already mad that DeSean Watson played the beginning of this season, and now I'm retro mad that Andy Dalton played over Jameis Winston last year when we were saying it should be James Winston. Will he make some mistakes? Yes. But will it be maybe the most exciting brand of football you could ever watch also? Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

It's. It's exciting. It's fun. Everybody, if you want to draw on the casual viewer.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Give us.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, number one, give us a Simpsons game.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Or two, give us Jameis Winston.

[Big Cat]

I'm kind of excited for the Simpsons game.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, I've. I've been excited. I'm pumped to see what they do with it. Like the Simpsons. That was my entire life.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So the Browns are officially. I mean, they were already out. I think they officially got eliminated.

[PFT Commenter]

Also, Jerry Judy with a hell of a game.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Oh. Incredible revenge game. Jerry Judy. Although it was perfect because it was like he got the revenge, and then the lasting image is him having to tackle a Broncos player off another James Winston pick. The Browns are. Sorry. Are not officially. Officially eliminated. But they're out. They were three and nine. They were. They weren't. Even if they won that game, it wouldn't have really changed anything. They are full on spoiler mode. And the Broncos, that was a win where it's like they are now on a collision course with their. I mean, their Colts game in two weeks is going to basically either be their in or out, because that's the two teams, like the Colts still have to win. The Broncos are, what, two games up. But that head to head will. If the Colts win, they have a real chance. If they lose, it's the Broncos. Yeah. And I, I'm. I'm a bow lever. I'm a reformed believer.

[PFT Commenter]

He's so good.

[Big Cat]

He hurt me enough in Auburn. In Oregon. I'm a. I, I, I love BO necks.

[PFT Commenter]

I also love seeing James and BO side by side when they were doing the Monday Night Football graphic where they had them Stand in front of the camera. And they said, okay, just, you know, stand there and maybe twirl the ball.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And Jamis put on like a. A full on improv comedy routine.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

For his. He's. He's just the best.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. He's a drug.

[PFT Commenter]

Jameis Winston is a drug that I.

[Big Cat]

Want to be addicted to forever. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And there's no downside.

[Big Cat]

Well, the pick sixes, which the Lord is going to help us.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, the Lord also said, Jeremiah 27:46, intercept them and give them a message for their masters.

[Big Cat]

There you go. So we need to get that to Jamis. What other thoughts? Anything else from Monday Night Football? I mean, it was just a very fun game. The Broncos. It's also nice. The Broncos are one of those teams that I want them to be in big games because it's just something about Mile High and like, they're just. They. They are football to me. I mean, we've talked about it before, but up until, you know, up until the super bowl when they win with Peyton Manning, if you look back 30 years, the Broncos were consistently just always there, and they've had a really bad decade. And now with Bo Nicks, they got something. And it was cool to watch a big time game on Monday night. Mile High.

[PFT Commenter]

Were you also thinking the same way that this game would be just a little bit better if they weren't wearing those uniforms?

[Big Cat]

I liked the helmets, though.

[PFT Commenter]

I didn't like them. I. I want to see.

[Big Cat]

I like the white. The white on white Bronco.

[PFT Commenter]

That's Thursday night.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Oh, Max is on the couch, by the way. Hank had a meeting. We. We're just doing the. The intro Hank saw on the rest of the show. Max, any thoughts? You didn't watch Monday Night Football?

[Memes]

No, I did not. I did not watch.

[Big Cat]

You didn't watch Monday Night Football?

[Memes]

No, I don't. You know, I don't watch Monday night, but.

[PFT Commenter]

Jamis, I'm disgusted with you.

[Big Cat]

That's gross, dude.

[Memes]

I don't know what to tell you.

[Big Cat]

What did you watch?

[Memes]

I caught up on some. Some shows.

[Big Cat]

What shows?

[PFT Commenter]

I'm reading your mind right now.

[Big Cat]

Is there lady shows below deck? You watch the lady show?

[Memes]

I watch Silo. Two episodes of Silo. Made a nice chicken chili.

[Big Cat]

Were you following along a little bit?

[Memes]

Yes, I was. I followed it along the entire time.

[PFT Commenter]

Did you not have FOMO of what is James doing right now?

[Memes]

I. It's Broncos. It's. I mean, he's a winner.

[Big Cat]

He's thinking about winning. He doesn't care.

[Memes]

These teams have nothing to do with the Eagles. And that's basically if the Lions were playing, I would be.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, no, because if the Browns win, then you could be like that win against the Browns. That means a little bit more.

[Memes]

Means not. I'm looking at winning the division, getting the one seed.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you're looking at Thursday Night Football.

[Memes]

Thursday Night Football. I will be dialed.

[Big Cat]

Dialed.

[PFT Commenter]

I just wish that you watched Monday Night Football.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Our friend Joe Buck.

[Memes]

I love Joe Buck.

[Big Cat]

Shadow giving us a little nod where he said, I'm a big Indiana guy.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep.

[Memes]

Listen, I'm happy. I'm happy that James entertained the people, I'll tell you that.

[Big Cat]

So Pug is in Max's seat. President Pug, did you watch Monday Night Football? Yes. Our President. Good job, memes. Did you watch Monday football?

[Steve Smith]

I did.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Your thoughts?

[Big Cat]

James Winston is an SQB of the New York Jets. Oh, I didn't see that one coming. Wait, is Rogers. Were you. Were you just wishing something on Twitter when you said Rogers is going to retire at the end of McAfee today? No.

[PFT Commenter]

So I'm forced to watch McAfee every Tuesday because my quarterback does an hour.

[Big Cat]

Long interview and he was reminiscing on how the jets impacted his life and it seemed like this is because they said an announcement was coming and he was reminiscing and then it was just a trailer for his new show. Ah, so you.

[PFT Commenter]

So that doesn't sound.

[Big Cat]

You just torture yourself all week.

[PFT Commenter]

It doesn't sound like something that you'd say if you were still planning on having more memories of that team.

[Big Cat]

It seemed like the memories were over.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And what memories? They were.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

He said you met some good people inside the building. Oh, that's always. That's always a relationship. That's always a failure line. Some really great people in the building. Damn. Damn. Yeah. So he didn't retire. Also, Al Shahir got suspended three games after the Lawrence hit and he also apologized. But was it. It was kind of weird. It was no tap.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

No tapped it. Dark mode. Which I think is appropriate.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Solemn occasion. And then Tamiko Ryan's kind of walked back. Some of the stuff that he was saying right after the game.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Because he kind of threw him under.

[PFT Commenter]

The bus a little bit and he kind of defended. Alright. I have been watching. I watched the clip a bunch and I did some think I did some ruminating on it.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

On the slide, the quarterback slide. It's kind of weird that, the way that you give yourself up to protect yourself in the NFL. Like the Rule that's written in for quarterbacks also puts you in a position where you're very likely to get concussed.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Like, how many times have we seen a quarterback slide? Their head is down near the ground, they get even slightly hit on their head, and it bounces off the ground and they get a concussion.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It feels like it's. It's one of those rules where I understand why they did it, because they. They have to protect the golden boys.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Guys are bringing the money.

[Big Cat]

The alternative is they just get hammered.

[PFT Commenter]

They get hammered, they learn not to run or they dive headfirst.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Cause I have seen this take throw around like, oh, the slide is actually making it more dangerous for quarterbacks. I feel like that can't be right. I know it makes it more dangerous for quarterbacks in the rare occasion where a Trevor Lawrence hit happens, but how many times do we see a slide where nothing happens and guys give up?

[PFT Commenter]

Right.

[Big Cat]

And they're safe?

[PFT Commenter]

I think I have no data to back this up. I'm just going on vibes.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

I feel like the slide. You have a higher likelihood of getting a concussion, getting crunched and not sliding. You have a higher. Likely. Much higher likelihood of getting another injury.

[Big Cat]

But I agree with that. But what I'm saying is the slide. I guess someone has to give us the data. But it feels like. It feels like you. You could do. It's. It's like the traffic analogy where it's like, you could. You could have no traffic for a month, and then the one day you have traffic, you're like, God damn it. Traffic is the worst. I can never get out of traffic. Like, we're. We're reacting to Trevor Lawrence. But how many slides happen in a week where nothing happens?

[PFT Commenter]

I think it's also like extending the traffic analogy. You're way, way more likely to get into a car crash than you are into a plane accident.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But if you get into a plane crash, you're dead.

[Big Cat]

You're dead. That's true. That's true.

[PFT Commenter]

It's very safe to slide, but it.

[Big Cat]

Goes more dangerous than. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

If it goes wrong, you're.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I wonder what to. His thoughts are on this. He's like, now, let's go head first.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. I mean, some quarterbacks do that. They dive head first.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[PFT Commenter]

And they do the little roll.

[Big Cat]

I mean, this also was like. There are. Sometimes when a slide happens, you're like, that was. Bang, bang. This was avoidable.

[PFT Commenter]

It was kind of. Yeah, it was avoidable. But also, we do forget how quickly this. Of course it was a bad one.

[Big Cat]

I mean, he had forearm to the head.

[PFT Commenter]

I think it was kind of targeted and I think it's probably worthy of some sort of a suspension. But three games is a lot.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[PFT Commenter]

Max, what are your thoughts? I know you don't watch football, but what are your thoughts?

[Big Cat]

ADD Is kicking in. It's a lot more present when it's right here on the couch.

[PFT Commenter]

I get a good look at him during the show and I just see him. He's like looking all around the room. He looks dizzy.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah.

[Memes]

No, I have ADD and I think it was a dirty hit and then the fight was bad.

[Big Cat]

But it's not Eagles, so who the fuck cares?

[Memes]

And neither of those teams really affect the Eagles, so that's what I got.

[Big Cat]

For oh, it's not Eagles. Okay, well, let's. We have a great show because we did an hour with Brandon and Liam Blumen joined at the end and we have Steve Smith senior. We're going to talk a lot of college football because it's the best time of year for college football. Let's kick it to ourselves and let's get into that discussion. Okay. Before we talk college football with Brandon Walker, we're brought to you by our friends at Chevy. There's a reason we've never done a Mount Rushmore of pickup trucks. And that's because for pardon my take, there's only one pickup truck, the Chevy Silverado. Why is that? Silverado is a partner. A partner you can depend on. We've all spent time driving and using the Silverado for all kinds of pardon my take, jobs, adventures and other shenanigans. Silverado has been our ride for a cross country trip to the Super Bowl. Silverado helped us dig the biggest hole ever in the state of Ohio. Last year at Grit Week, Silverado helped us give fullbacks the recognition they deserve with the low man award. And yet, and this year, Silverado was out west with us for our latest Grit week. Silverado brings the grit to legendary grip paired with modern truck tech inside and out. Massive screens, up to eight cameras with 14 different views to help make driving, towing and parking all easier. We love the bold blacked out look of the new Silverado HD trail boss. So head on over to Chevy.com to build your own Silverado or Silverado HD and check out all the current offers on Silverado. Discover a world of strength and capability all behind the wheel of our favorite truck, the Chevy Silverado. We're also brought to you by our good friends At Body Armor. Real hydration, real ingredients packed with electrolytes, vitamins and nothing artificial. Body Armor sports drinks has great tasting flavors like strawberry banana and blue raspberry. Not only do we hydrate with body armor, but some of the best athletes in the world do as well, like Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow and Sabrina Ionescu. Surviving Barstool premieres on Tuesday night. Second episode is tonight and it is sponsored by Body Armor. So go check it out. Get yours today at Walmart or local grocery store near you. Okay. Brandon Walker is here, our college football expert. By the way, at Memes, I asked you if you could find me their picks so we could do an update at the end with. Between Brandon and Tom Frenelli, because that is to decide the true expert upon my take.

[PFT Commenter]

And Brandon's very paranoid right now.

[Big Cat]

He's.

[PFT Commenter]

We got a second mic set up.

[Hank]

Gee, I wonder why.

[PFT Commenter]

And you think that we're not just going to have you on. You think Andy Staples is walking in the door?

[Hank]

I think Andy Staples could be behind that door. I think Tom Frenelli, I think Chip Patterson, I think Danny Cannell, I think Josh Pate.

[Big Cat]

It's just you.

[Hank]

I think Ben Metz could be on the other side.

[Big Cat]

That's definitely not happening. It's just you. And we're here to talk.

[PFT Commenter]

We're in the office, Brandon. Yeah, we're likely here.

[Big Cat]

We're here to talk ball. And let's start. So we'll do like a mini recap and then we'll look forward.

[Hank]

I don't feel good about the standings we had because I didn't even remember we did that on the couch last time I was here.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

But I remember getting the teams. I think I had Oklahoma State, so that's probably.

[Big Cat]

But you guys had to pick a lot of teams. Like he had like Iowa or something. Okay. So I threw out the idea on Sunday's pod. And I know you've probably talked about it, but I think that Ohio State's loss on Saturday was one of the worst losses of all time.

[Hank]

I think it's a top five worst loss in my life that I can think of.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

But it is time for a recalculation of what we think worst losses can be because they're not dead at all. And they're going to spend the next three weeks hearing how much they suck and hearing their coach should be fired and hearing how embarrassing this is. And it is embarrassing, but shit, they might get up off the mat.

[Big Cat]

I agree with you that it changes it, that they're not eliminated. But unless they win the national title, Michigan will then say, like, if they lose in the College Football Playoff, Michigan will say, well, it's because Michigan ended.

[Hank]

Their season well, keeping it just a Saturday. You talk about an Ohio State team that was number two had everything to play for. And not only that, for the last 364 days.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[Hank]

You had three years of embarrassment built up and it was all leading to this. When you finally got a chance to play them on an even playing field, you thought. And finally got a chance to take out three years of frustrations. And then you just didn't. And you let them out. Tough you on your own home field. It was. It's the most embarrassing loss I can remember because Ryan Day is the one coach who couldn't get embarrassed in this spot. And he did.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he is. He's the modern day John Cooper.

[Hank]

This is who he is now.

[Big Cat]

He's John Cooper. Where John Cooper had, you know, great recruiting classes at Ohio state and went 2 and 10 against Michigan. He can't. It's why I love this rivalry. It's why I love rival rivalry weekend. Ryan Day can't get over the Michigan hump. There's something about it he doesn't. It was similar to when Urban Meyer was getting Ohio to a spot where it's like they would just beat the out of Michigan and they meant more for those guys. Michigan played their bad football team and Ohio State played so tense and Ryan Day choked and they had an outside advantage throwing the ball, and they didn't throw the ball. Also, I did say in our preview, Will Howard was my main bugaboo about Ohio State. And that proved true. Well, but that was so catastrophic for Ryan Day and Ohio State's program because if they fire Ryan Day, they're basically having to reset for a couple of years because you can't fire him before the playoffs are over.

[Hank]

Well, the playoffs are over. The transfer portal is going to be opening up. Right. Everything's. I'm going to steal a take from Mark Titus, who did it on mostly sports, but he was right. Ryan Day came out the other day. Ryan Day and Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator, came out and they seemed determined to win the right way. They wanted to show they were tougher than Michigan.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[Hank]

We're soft. Yeah. We're going to run it right down Michigan's throat. And that played right into their advantage. Michigan has the best defensive line. They have a great defensive line line. And you have advantages everywhere else. But they kept running first down, second down, then third down, they try to throw it and everybody's covered up like they tried to win a certain way and they couldn't do it. They never adjusted. It was a shocking failure of coaching. It was a shocking failure of preparation. It was a shocking lack of nuts. And to be honest, what your point is, correct. They went to the Mercedes dealership this year and got a safety. They went to the Mercedes dealership and they got a running back and they went to Dollar General and got a quarterback. I have no idea why they did that. When Miami's going out and getting Cam Ward and everybody else is doing this and they settle for Will Howard.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And I do. I mean, Will Howard's a nice player. Will Howard should not be the starting quarterback for a $20 million roster at Ohio State in a must win season.

[PFT Commenter]

Or you can get away with using him if you're going to throw the ball to your skill players that are much better than Michigan skills. So like Michigan, Michigan, when they, they changed the Tide because Harbaugh was like, we're going to beat you playing man football.

[Hank]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

We're going to just be tougher. We're going to shove you around. And it worked for him. Ohio State still has that advantage of having better skill position players. And now especially Michigan's not as tough as they were when Harbaugh was there. But when Ohio State tries to play Michigan's game, Michigan's still going to be able to beat them at that shitty brand of football.

[Big Cat]

But Will Howard also is not a pat. Like he's not a great passer. No, he's an okay passer.

[Hank]

He's not a 45 to 40.

[Big Cat]

He's not C.J.

[Hank]

Stroud.

[Big Cat]

You know, so it's like they, they built this, all the parts around him and then they gave it to him and it's like, dude, you, if you're going to build this team, you need to, you need to actually get a passer.

[Hank]

Yeah. They gave the keys to a race car to like, to like a four wheel driver.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Like an off road rider. Like somebody that doesn't belong behind the wheel of something that powerful.

[PFT Commenter]

Do you need somebody from Georgia to drive that car?

[Hank]

Yeah, something like that.

[Big Cat]

Do you, do you, do you think they fire Ryan Day? Because it actually is. I don't either because I, I think that firing Ryan, Ryan Day at this point is going to be very difficult because you're going to get, you're probably going to win your first college schedule, playoff game. Yeah. The schedule is so messed up in college football and you lose all your stud players and you have to reset. I think they're going to have to wait till they don't make the College Football Playoff for Ryan Day to get fired.

[Hank]

I mean, signing day. This is coming out tomorrow. Yeah, signing day is today.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Hank]

This is high school signing day. This is when everybody gets better. For the next four years, the transfer portal is going to open and close by the time the playoff is over. So they will not have any window. The players won't have any window to leave Ohio State.

[Big Cat]

It's why Michigan had a down year, because Jim harbor had to wait till after the national championship to leave.

[Hank]

Yeah. And they were forced to hire Sharon Moore. Maybe they were going to do that anyway, but. And who are you going to hire? The coaching carousel will be done by then.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Hank]

You'll be lucky to get somebody out of retirement or get somebody late in the game. It's just the schedule doesn't work. You need a little bit more roadway to fire a guy in this day and age. And plus they could still win the fucking national champions.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they could.

[Big Cat]

That.

[PFT Commenter]

That's what he's so crazy about it. So Brandon, the real reason why he had on today's show was because.

[Hank]

Here he comes.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, I mean, we've been. We've talked a lot about Ohio State and it's probably painful. We have a lot of listeners that are Buckeyes that are listening to this and they feel down about themselves. They need some advice on how to handle it, how to get over it. You have lost a lot of rivalry games in your life. A ton. The egg.

[Hank]

That's actually not true. Since 1990, when the. When the. It went to campuses, it's tied at 17. So it's.

[PFT Commenter]

You've lost 50, 50 a lot recently.

[Hank]

Not really.

[PFT Commenter]

So do you have any advice for Ohio State students or fans on, you know, what the next, you know, couple weeks are going to be like, how you like to get over.

[Hank]

I'd like to point something out real quick, and I don't like to say this a lot.

[Big Cat]

Brandon's a Buckeye too, by the way.

[Hank]

I'm not. Our coach died, so there's. That's really kind of unprecedented in college football. Not a lot of coaches die.

[PFT Commenter]

Sounds like you're bragging.

[Hank]

I'm not bragging at all. But our coach did die, so we've been in an unprecedented situation. It really doesn't apply to Ohio State at all. At all. And they've lost four in a row. We've only lost four out of five. So there's no, that's a big difference. No real comparison.

[Big Cat]

Urban Meyer should also be four out.

[PFT Commenter]

He almost died several times.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Anytime. Anytime. He almost lost to Maryland, he would die.

[Hank]

Sure, sure. But he didn't die.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

It is so crazy that Urban Meyer was able to like. Urban Meyer would lose to Purdue.

[Hank]

Right.

[Big Cat]

Urban Meyer would not lose to Michigan.

[Hank]

No.

[Big Cat]

And Ryan Day is. Has it flipped where Ryan Day. That is also not to just really pick on Ryan Day, but it's so crazy that Jim Harbaugh broke his brain to such an extent with the born on third thing where he is. He puts so much pressure on himself. That was not only the worst loss for Ryan Day, just because it was Michigan, that was the worst loss in terms of like, quality of opponent that Ryan Day has ever had. He never loses schematically to bad teams.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And Michigan was a bad team.

[Hank]

They were a bad team. It was a. It was. It was bad in every way. A loss could be bad. And if you lose to Purdue in a season as Ohio State, your fan, Your fan base is mad.

[Big Cat]

They're.

[Hank]

They're furious. Until the next game.

[Big Cat]

Correct.

[Hank]

And then you put it all back together. Well, the next game for the next game in this rivalry isn't till 365 more days. The next game isn't really going to. The next game on your schedule isn't going to fix this. They're going to be mad for a year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they are. There's. There's not a lot. So if you lose to Purdue, you write that off. It's a trap game.

[Hank]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

Overlooked an inferior opponent.

[Hank]

Oh, well.

[PFT Commenter]

It's not great.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

We can get over it. But this is the one opponent that you're supposed to be thinking about all year long.

[Hank]

And you were thinking about them all year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

You've been thinking about.

[Hank]

To their detriment, I believe. I think Ryan Day.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Said it right. I think Michigan's in his head at this point.

[Big Cat]

Oh, God.

[Hank]

He is not himself against Michigan. They are not themselves against Michigan. They try to pose as somebody they're not to beat Michigan. And that's not how you're beat once you do that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he's. He like tries to do like a fake tough guy. It's like you're not Jim Harbaugh. You're not Urban Meyer.

[Hank]

That's not who you are.

[Big Cat]

You're John Cooper.

[Hank]

That's not what you're program is.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Third base got picked off.

[Hank]

Your program is having the best players at every position.

[Big Cat]

Well, the wing, the wind, they didn't account for the wind.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they could have at least. I know. I'm not saying that Will Howard's the best quarterback in college football.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he's not. Well, he's not.

[PFT Commenter]

But they could. They could have at least try to get the ball to their playmakers.

[Big Cat]

Well, he threw two really bad.

[Hank]

Threw one pick. He set him up at the two yard line.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, he did.

[Big Cat]

And he also threw a pick where they should have scored points.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And it was a bad pick.

[Hank]

And it's not like Michigan had this overwhelming. Like, they were the same bad team they were all year. Their quarterback threw for 62 yards. Their quarterback threw the worst pick in the history of football when they were trying to take the lead with seven minutes left. And that's when I knew Ohio State was done. When Ohio State got that play, that should have been the light switch. That should have been like, all right, well, we fucked around long enough. Let's go do it. Yeah, they go. They go run up the middle for nothing. A little dinky pass that gets dropped and then a run up the middle for nothing. They punt it right back. And they just were not. They were not ready to compete.

[Big Cat]

And you know who probably wins that game?

[Hank]

Who?

[Big Cat]

Kyle McCord.

[Hank]

Oh, comic Cord wins that game by three touches.

[Big Cat]

He can pass.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

He can't run like Will Howard. Yeah, they wanted. Yeah, I know. It's crazy.

[Hank]

Yeah. And Chip Kelly is kind of. Because Ryan Day has been the head coach and has lost so many games. Chip Kelly's game plan and his aggressive or lack of aggressiveness is killing that team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Because not only did it happen against Michigan, but they had a very slow start again against Penn State. They had a very slow start against Indiana.

[Big Cat]

Nebraska.

[Hank]

Nebraska. They are not coming out and being aggressive offensively. And it's killing them.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And Kyle McCord, like, it is like, I feel I'm happy for him because how say was 12 and one last year.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

And he. And he lost by six points to the national champions.

[Hank]

Have the ball to 30 to win the game.

[Big Cat]

I understand you wanted a mobile quarterback, but, yeah, you have the dudes to beat him on the outside. You got to get someone to get him the ball. All right, so any other rivalry weekend. I mean, the Georgia. Georgia Tech. Here's the take. They have to. Have to. Have to figure out the overtime rules because we can't have a playoff game in that way.

[Hank]

No, we can't have a playoff game in that way. But they don't want to figure out the overtime rules. They just Changed it three or four times.

[Big Cat]

I understand. I'm saying like, like there's different overtime rules in the NFL. You know, MLB does the guy on second in regular season, then they take that away. Like you can't. Georgia Georgia Tech was an incredible game. So much fun to watch. I still don't know what to make of Georgia. I just know that if we have to watch 2 point conversion to decide a national champion, it's going to suck.

[Hank]

It will be absolutely sickening. But that is very, very much on the table.

[Big Cat]

Just be like playoffs. Get the old.

[Hank]

Yeah. Put them at 25, put them to 25. We had that format for years.

[Steve Smith]

Right.

[Hank]

17 overtime games spooked us. I have no idea why one game out of, out of however many college football games are in a year, there's probably a bunch. I have no idea why one game spurred the change. But college football will. I feel like that's an adjustable rule that if that were to happen, easy, they can go back and just say, you know what for, for a do or die game. For a game that must have a result. We're going to have a result.

[Big Cat]

Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

I think that just doing it the regular way, you know, in a meaningful game, that would make by far the most sense. It was, it was so annoying too to watch. Like there's no flow on offense.

[Hank]

No.

[PFT Commenter]

For either team. You don't have any real drought. It's just like all or nothing on this one play.

[Hank]

It's coin flip. And I'll tell you what I was really struck by with that game play calling on two point conversions, particularly in these situations.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Have really collapsed. They're terrible.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay. So if you have the ball on the two yard line in a game.

[Hank]

Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

Right. In the course of a normal game.

[Hank]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

What are you likely to do in that scenario?

[Hank]

Run.

[PFT Commenter]

You're likely to run the football for some reason in this overtime. Like coaches brains get broken.

[Hank]

Correct.

[PFT Commenter]

And they think we have to pass the ball from the two yard line. Can you explain that to me at all? That makes no sense.

[Hank]

There were 12 two point conversions in the six overtimes after the first couple. Right. There were 12 two point conversions. There were two running plays, including the one run that won the game.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

When Georgia finally said we're going to run it, we're going to win. Haynes King spent the entirety of that game running the football and dominating Georgia's offense or defensive line just, he kept, he was just running for three, running for four, running for five, hit a slant. When they get to the two point conversions and they have to have it. They want him to turn into Joe Montana and become a precision passer. And I have no idea why Georgia Tech went away from that. I have no idea why coaches try to outsmart themselves and say, you know what? I'm going to roll him out. I'm going to give him options, because that's what they're expecting.

[Big Cat]

I think they just ran out of their place. Like, I think they go into a game and they have. I know, I know they have three or four, like, you know, dynamite two. But it's crazy given the way the overtime works. You got to go in there with a lot more than three plays.

[Hank]

But Haynes, King and Regulation, I believe, had 18 carries, something like that. And you get to get the overtime. He has zero. Or he had one carry in overtime.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

He didn't score, but he only one carry.

[PFT Commenter]

Sometimes not having options is way better.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what? You have to go that way.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So.

[PFT Commenter]

And then after the game, the post game hug between Brent Key and Kirby Smart, he's crying.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

How long did you clock that? I feel like it was a minute hug.

[Hank]

I didn't clock it. It was at first. I was like, well, that's nice to see. Yeah, that's. That's nice. Two guys locked in battle. And then after about 30 seconds, I'm like, all right, let's wrap it up.

[PFT Commenter]

This is getting a little.

[Big Cat]

A little.

[Hank]

A little. Much too much.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Hank]

And it was very close. There might have been some neck kissing. That's how close it was.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it was. By the way, we got the list. So this is the. This is the preseason list where we made Brandon and Tom almost. Well, I. There's no way there's any good teams left. Brandon and Tom picked. They each got 12 picks.

[Hank]

Right.

[Big Cat]

And if one of their picks wins the national title, they are our college football expert for an entire year.

[Memes]

So one. One pick from each of them. I'm. I'm going back and listening.

[Big Cat]

So top. But I'll just say the ones that are. That are meaningful here. Tom has Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee, Penn State and Alabama, which I want to talk about.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Brandon has Ohio State, Clemson, Texas, Miami and Notre Dame.

[PFT Commenter]

Ole Miss.

[Big Cat]

Ole Miss.

[PFT Commenter]

Coach Kiffin's making a hell of a campaign, so talk about that.

[Big Cat]

It looks very even, Brandon.

[Hank]

Sure.

[Big Cat]

We're taping this at 2, 2:30 in the afternoon. We don't know what the actual standings are going to be, but we can take a guess. They're going to find a way to get Alabama into this tournament.

[Hank]

Yeah, they are, but given the options.

[Big Cat]

So it's basically, as far as I can understand, it's SMU wins the ACC title game.

[Hank]

Right. There's going to be a spot.

[Big Cat]

Alabama will get it, in my opinion, and I don't think that's the correct pick.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

But I think that's what they're going to do if SMU loses. As long as it's not a bloodbath.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

It will be Clemson and SMU.

[Hank]

Yeah. To put it frankly, there's 11 spots that are just spoken for right now. Yeah, there's 11 spots. The four in the Big Ten, three in the SEC. You're ACC champ, your Big 12 champs, your Group of Five, you're Notre Dame. All right, so there's 11 spots SMU and Clemson play. If Clemson wins, they steal a spot.

[Big Cat]

Yep.

[Hank]

And SMU, who goes 11 and 1 the regular season, probably shouldn't get punished. They should take that 12 spot.

[Big Cat]

I think they will.

[Hank]

I think they will, too. Now, if Clemson loses, SMU wins. SMU takes the. Is inside the 11, and that opens up for Miami at 10 and 2. That opens up for Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina at 9 and 3. I think they would give it to Alabama.

[Big Cat]

I do, too.

[Hank]

And out of the three SEC teams, that is far and away the best options.

[Big Cat]

Because that's where we disagree. You hate.

[PFT Commenter]

But also, you should preface this. You hate the Gamecocks.

[Hank]

I hate all SEC teams. Not Mississippi State Fair. And frankly.

[Big Cat]

He's sitting up.

[Hank]

I see what you're doing.

[Big Cat]

Obviously, now he's in.

[Hank]

I see what you're doing. Oh, I hate the game. Because that's what every emotional fan base thinks. If you say one thing that isn't sucking their dick, that you hate them. No, I don't hate them. I'm just saying reality. Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

You sound like an emotional fan base.

[Hank]

If they're in. If they're in the SEC and they're up against Alabama for the spot and Ole Miss for this spot, and they lost to both of them.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I think this is a fair point. I just wanted to preface it by. So that people knew it was a good preference. You hate the Cox.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it was unbiased. Journalist.

[Hank]

No, you're exactly right. I hate, out of this group, Alabama, who I live next to my whole life, and my mother is a fan, and I hate her. And Ole Miss, she's a saint. Who I absolutely hate and wish they all their businesses would fail and their marriages would get divorced. I hate them. You're right. South Carolina is the one I hate the most.

[Big Cat]

Okay, so Brandon, we actually agree that you can't just disregard what happened on the field and Alabama Ole Miss beat him. I think it's going to be Alabama because that's just what they're going to do.

[Hank]

Who should it be then?

[Big Cat]

I want it to be South Carolina because I think they're playing the best ball and in terms of like a viewership. I want to see Lenore Snead in the, in the playoffs.

[Hank]

Sellers.

[Big Cat]

Sellers. Sorry, what was it? Oh, I was thinking of Snead from Kansas City. Lenore Sellers in the playoffs. I want to see them, they've been playing great ball. I don't want to see Alabama again who failed, you know, three times. One to Oklahoma. I really don't want to see Miami. I know that Cam was exciting, but their defense can't stop anything.

[Hank]

I wouldn't mind seeing Miami cause they can score.

[PFT Commenter]

It'd be fun game.

[Big Cat]

But I just think like you, it's a flawed system in the fact that you're going to, if you, if you don't put in my, if you put in Miami, that's actually the easiest thing the committee could do because like, hey, they have two losses. You can't lose three times. I'd totally be fine with that. Be like, you know what, don't lose three times. But if they do go from the SEC teams, I want the team that's playing the best ball right now.

[Hank]

I think that playing the best ball is a crutch that people are leaning on.

[Big Cat]

That's my personal preference.

[Hank]

When you say they're playing the best ball, all you're really telling me is they played all the teams capable of beating them early rather than late.

[Big Cat]

They did get screwed against lsu.

[Hank]

They made a comeback.

[Big Cat]

Sellers was hurt.

[Hank]

They, they, they scored a late touchdown to beat Missouri with 10 seconds left. Missouri's not that good at all. They did that. They, they won on a last second touchdown against Clemson. This isn't a team that's just rolling everybody all of a sudden. They've won the last six, including four against ranked teams. Two of those teams were Missouri, who's not good, and Vanderbilt.

[Big Cat]

Let me ask you a question. If they keep an undefeated Florida State team out last year because of quarterback issues.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Shouldn't Sellers being out against lsu?

[Hank]

I don't mind that. I don't mind the committee looking at that. But I don't think Sellers being out for a quarter and a half against.

[Big Cat]

LSU three point game, that he got.

[Hank]

Screwed up is the reason they gave up 36 points to an LSU offense that couldn't score 36 against anybody else.

[Big Cat]

There was also some bad calls.

[PFT Commenter]

I think quarterback thing is like if they want a reason to keep you out and you have an impact player that's not going to play, they will use that as a reason, but they're not going to give you a benefit.

[Big Cat]

I know. Which is bullshit.

[PFT Commenter]

Your quarterback was out for a game.

[Hank]

And I hear people saying that, you know, like Florida State last year, they want to use that precedent. That was a 14 playoff. That was a once in a lifetime thing. This is a 12 team playoff. This team has lost three times. It's not like you're nitpicking to say one thing about them when they lost three times like that.

[PFT Commenter]

One thing you did beat Tom Frenelli on was in the argument of whether or not the 12 team playoff is better.

[Hank]

If it's way better, it's so good.

[PFT Commenter]

Like all these conversations we're having right now, we would not be having these at all.

[Hank]

So many games in November matter matters. So many games in November matter.

[Big Cat]

Miami, Syracuse was a big fucking game.

[Hank]

This ACC championship game coming up is. I think we will care more about this ACC championship than we've ever cared.

[Big Cat]

About the Big 12 championship. The Mountain west champ. All these games that are winning, get in.

[Hank]

Those are playoff games.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they're playoff games. It's so great. And I. So yeah. So I think the South Carolina thing, I. I don't think they'll put South Carolina in. I understand the reasoning. I'm just saying personal preference. I would love to see them because.

[Hank]

I think that we'll see Alabama again.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's part of it. That's part of it.

[Hank]

That's fine. But Alabama beat Georgia.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

Alabama beat South Carolina.

[Big Cat]

Alabama lost to a really bad Oklahoma.

[Hank]

That's true, they did.

[Big Cat]

And they got killed.

[Hank]

And they lost to a mediocre Vanderbilt and South Carolina beat them both. But they also. South Carolina lost to lsu. Alabama killed him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. No, you're right. And South Carolina did get worked by Ole Miss. Yeah.

[Hank]

Like South Carolina. We're talking about South Carolina and Alabama. South Carolina can't pass Ole Miss. Ole miss beat him 27 to 3 at their place.

[PFT Commenter]

Right.

[Big Cat]

PFT was right when he said it last week. Like just don't ever let a three team loss team in. Just put Miami in.

[PFT Commenter]

I don't like seeing the number three. If you're giving an at large bid to a. Here's a number three loss. I know the problem with it this year is that you don't have that many teams to choose from.

[Hank]

It's not just this year. If you look back over the last 20, 30, if you're, if you're talking, all right, we're going to do a 12 team playoff and you retroactively take that 12 team playoff back 30 years. There's three lost teams inside the top 12 every year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

All the time. There's a three loss team inside the top 12. So that's just going to happen. And when you say it's a flawed system, you're right. Any system we choose is going to be flawed. But we are. So we also are talking on Sunday they'll have a selection. Right. We know 11 of the spots right now.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's pretty good. Yeah. No, I've been a long proponent of the way to fix all of this is you need to actually embrace college football being an NFL model where you have divisions in each conference and it's the division winners go and they play out of their own conference and then you get to the playoffs. So it's like you're. You decided on the field. Yeah, we're like Alabama and Ole Miss are in the same. Say they're in the same division. They want, you know, lsu, Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State. Sorry, that's a bad division for you. Alabama and Ole Miss will be playing this weekend to see who comes out of the SEC South.

[PFT Commenter]

The real problem is we don't have a set tiebreaker system.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So in the NFL you got the divisions. Yeah, but. And you know, every winner of each division they get in, every conference champion gets in. But we have no tiebreaker system. That's on like a national scale for the at large bids under the system.

[Hank]

The, the super conferences are probably a mistake. The super conferences this year have allowed teams, certain teams. I'm just saying. I'm going to say it. Indiana, they've allowed. Let me say what I'm going to say.

[Big Cat]

We're an undaunted podcast.

[PFT Commenter]

You sound a little daunted right now.

[Big Cat]

You sound super daunted.

[Hank]

You guys are too on the Internet, you know.

[PFT Commenter]

No, no, wait. We're two on the Internet.

[Big Cat]

A team that goes 11 and one in the Big Ten should be in the, in the playoffs.

[Hank]

Absolutely.

[PFT Commenter]

Everyone's more on the Internet. You're going to allow me block half the Internet.

[Big Cat]

I would like you to be undaunted.

[Hank]

Would you allow me to do the point?

[Big Cat]

Would you like to be undaunted?

[Hank]

Would you like me to do the point?

[Big Cat]

Would you like to be undaunted?

[Hank]

An 11. One Big Ten team deserves to be in 100% of the time. Indiana deserves to be in. However, these big conferences allow schedule disparity that we didn't have before. And the schedule disparity allows Ohio State to play every other team in the top five of the Big Ten and Indiana to play none of them.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I mean, listen, part of, part of my undauntedness, if I'm being totally transparent here, is I have looked ahead in 2026 is the year that I will have to be undaunted for the Wisconsin Badgers because if we can put our shit back together, we can be like a 10 and 1 and never played any one team.

[Hank]

I'll use another team. No, no, no, no, no, no.

[PFT Commenter]

You don't get, you don't get to say that about Indiana because if you look at. If you want to talk, let me use another team if you want to talk. Strength of schedule. For Indiana, though, I believe that their strength of schedule is now better than Notre Dame.

[Hank]

Fine.

[PFT Commenter]

And Notre Dame has a way worse.

[Hank]

I'm going to use another team. Schedule disparity has been caused by big conferences and everybody, all the contenders in conference not playing each other. Texas is another great example. There are six, nine win teams in the sec. Texas played one of them. That team beat them by 15 points.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Hank]

Like Texas. But Texas is in this playoff, no doubt because Texas and Georgia didn't play the same schedule. That didn't even play anywhere near the same schedule. So what I'm saying is the system is good. I like the 12 team playoff. But the fact that you've got these 16 and 18 team conferences allows these pockets of bad schedules to affect this.

[Big Cat]

That's why they need to do the divisions.

[Hank]

And it's not Indiana's fault. It's not. It's not Texas's fault. They played the schedule put in front of them. But we need to make sure schedule disparity is addressed at some point.

[Big Cat]

What are you looking at?

[PFT Commenter]

It looks like. It looks like Indiana. Where's Indiana on this list?

[Memes]

Indiana was.

[Hank]

What's the list?

[Memes]

65.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, there's 65. I thought they were in the.

[Memes]

Was 57.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, so they're close. I think last.

[Big Cat]

You also can't. We should say you can't predict year to year because Indiana did play the national champ, the reigning national champions and the team that went to the national championship last year. You can't predict that.

[Hank]

Like, again, not Indiana's fault.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Hank]

But it is a consequence of the big conference of teams playing unbalanced schedules.

[Big Cat]

Within these, I feel like you can't even predict what the schedules are going to be. You know what I mean?

[PFT Commenter]

Like you do, you just.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, there's teams will be down. Like I think your point is valid.

[PFT Commenter]

It's, you know, it's not fair to have certain teams have to play a gauntlet and then other teams only dip their toes.

[Hank]

But you guys did did what a lot of people on the Internet are doing. If I use Indiana, for example, because they're Cinderella. If I use them for an example, people freak out. Oh my God, daunted. All this stuff. If I use Texas for an example, they're like, oh, okay.

[Big Cat]

Well you do sound daunting. It's the same as I've been saying it. The three lost teams in the sec, Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina. You know who also has three losses a big conference? Illinois.

[Hank]

Illinois, Syracuse, Syracuse, Illinois.

[Big Cat]

Like Illinois shouldn't have lost to Minnesota, but Alabama shouldn't have lost Oklahoma.

[Hank]

That's why I don't have any sympathy for a three loss SEC teams won. When Indiana had one loss and there were some two loss SEC teams, I was like, let's take a look at the schedules. But Alabama and Ole Miss particularly gave up any advantage they have with strength of schedule when they lost, when they chose to lose to Kentucky, when they lost to Oklahoma, when they lost a Vanderbilt. Like you give up any schedule talk when you lose to bad teams on your schedule.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So you sound moderately daunted, but that's fine.

[Hank]

Yeah, you're, you're like, I'm the only person in moderately.

[Big Cat]

I think you wake up world. I think you wake up undaunted and then it slowly like wipes off. Where the end of the day you go to bed, you're daunted.

[Hank]

So there's a. I'm forever going through a daunting throughout my day.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, right. You, as the day goes on, it wears on you and you should become daunted by the 2 o'clock.

[Hank]

Right now I'm kind of daunted.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Oh, you're very daunting.

[Hank]

If we were to Talk at like 9pm the most daunted.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I'm the opposite. I wake up in the morning a little bit daunted, like a hangover. But then as the day goes on. Yeah, the world gets better.

[Hank]

You shed your daunting.

[PFT Commenter]

I shed my daunting.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So I want, I want to give you the opportunity.

[Hank]

Have you ever been daunted, Big cat?

[Big Cat]

I'm always undaunted. Actually. No, I was a little Daunted. Like I was. I was a little. I was a little daunted in the fourth quarter of Ohio State, Indiana, and then the SEC shit the bed, and that became undaunted.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. So, Brandon, I want to give you the opportunity to talk a little bit more about Ole Miss, because Lane Kiffin is making a very powerful argument online. He's taken upon himself to just kind of.

[Hank]

He's embarrassing himself as he has most of the season.

[Big Cat]

We like Lane Kiffin on this podcast.

[Hank]

I don't. I don't give a shit.

[Big Cat]

Okay? I'm just letting you know that we like him.

[Hank]

You can like whoever you want.

[Big Cat]

Okay?

[Hank]

Sounds like you guys are daunted.

[PFT Commenter]

Why do you think he's embarrassing himself?

[Hank]

Because Lane Kiffin had a roster worthy of going to the playoff. Lane Kiffin had a roster. He built, a roster worthy of winning a national championship. He has probably the best defensive line in the country. He has one of the five best quarterbacks in the country. He has one of the five best receiving rooms in the country. He had everything lined up, and he beat Georgia, and he beat South Carolina 27 to 3. This is a team that can compete with anybody in the country. And he figured out a way to lose to Kentucky, to lose to a bad LSU team, to lose to Florida on the road. And the entire time he has been, he whined this year about, oh, the SEC didn't give us any night games. Our fan base deserves better. Oh, a couple of weeks ago, he's like, it would be a big disadvantage if we went to the SEC championship game. A lot of coaches I've talked to don't want to go to it, because if they lose, they might be out. Lane Kiffin, as the Ole Miss coach, should be saying, we want to go the SEC championship game. We haven't won the SEC in 60 years. We love to go and win and get to the playoff and do all this. And now he's doing this whining about schedule, and he's whining about strength of schedule, and he's doing all this while all he had to do was beat Kentucky, a 4 and 8 team who won one SEC game at home at Ole Miss. So he is. He is grandstanding. He is out there preaching. He's out there doing. And the one thing he didn't do was coach his football team, which was a winner.

[Big Cat]

All right, so a lot of things you said are correct, but I didn't say anything incorrect. Well, no, I'll just say this. Nick Saban did this every year But.

[Hank]

Nick Saban did it when he went 11 and 1.

[Big Cat]

I understand when he went 9 and 3. But I'm. I'm fine with coaches advocating for their case. I would want them to do that. I agree with you. Like, don't lose to Kentucky. But I would rather my coach try to fight it than just lay down and be like, yeah, we shouldn't have lost Kentucky.

[Hank]

You gotta fight. You gotta fight for your guys. But you know when you could have fought?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

When Mark Stoops was beating your ass at your own place.

[Big Cat]

That's a fact. That's a fact. Brandon, I want to say, okay, couple things here about the College Football Playoff. One, I think one of the dumbest narratives going right now is that it is bad to go to your championship game. Because I hate it, man. Like, do people understand what a buy is? Yeah, a buy is very important in a fucking playoff system.

[Hank]

Correct. Rest.

[Big Cat]

That's rest. And also, you don't have to win a playoff game. Yeah, you get off. Like, I know that everyone has a. You know, Notre Dame getting the five spot is actually probably advantageous. I understand that. But I still would rather have a buy.

[Hank]

You have a buy. And for some of these teams, it. In certain situations, you could be avoiding a road playoff game. Like, there's so many things. A buy is the perfect thing at this time of the year. You have somebody go out the week before and they wear themselves out. A buy would be incredible. These coaches should be saying, SEC championship game, Big 12 championship game. We, if we make it, we're going to go win. They got to be saying that. Saying that it's loser talk is what they're doing.

[Big Cat]

It is. It's loser talk. And I.

[Memes]

Those teams getting a buy this week, like Notre Dame is getting a buy.

[Big Cat]

But it's not in the playoff. But.

[Memes]

But what? But what he's saying is like getting a buy for rest.

[PFT Commenter]

For rest.

[Big Cat]

But also this week, a buy in the playoff.

[Memes]

Penn State, who is currently ranked higher than Notre Dame, could play themselves out of that five seed.

[Big Cat]

No, I don't.

[Memes]

Because. Just because they lose to the number.

[Big Cat]

One team, I don't think that they're going to ding teams like 10, Texas, Georgia to Oregon.

[Memes]

Notre Dame will 1,000% take that.

[Big Cat]

Well, Notre Dame is always the tricky one because they. They will always help Notre Dame.

[PFT Commenter]

I think I.

[Big Cat]

But I still advise built for Notre Dame. I still would rather play for a buy because it's a buy in the playoff. That's the things you don't have to play, like playing A playoff game is going to be intense playing matter a winner. A one game playoff game. You could, you could have a bad game.

[PFT Commenter]

It's going to matter if your buy is the week before as opposed to two weeks before. Three weeks before. That's a big deal too. Like if you sit out the championship game. Okay, that's a little bit different than sitting at a playoff.

[Hank]

Yeah, but y'all are going too deep ahead. A sitting head coach speaking into a mic and saying, we do not want to go to our conference championship game, but something bad might happen. Is bitch made. And that is.

[Big Cat]

I like that you said that with your chest. That is bitch.

[Hank]

It is absolutely bitch made.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's bitch made. Notre Dame, could they win it all? No, I don't. I agree. I.

[Hank]

But they can beat people who can win it all.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

I think their defense is elite.

[Hank]

It's elite.

[Big Cat]

It's similar. Their run game is incredible. Jeremiah Love is awesome. It's similar to kind of Ohio State where it's like, do I trust Riley Leonard in a big moment?

[Hank]

Probably not for me is, no, I don't trust Riley Leonard in a big moment. I don't really trust Marcus Freeman in a big moment. I think they are built to beat an Oregon, to beat an Ohio State, to maybe beat a Texas. I don't think they can beat three of those in a row or maybe two out of three. I just, I don't think they're going to be able to put together enough of a passing game. I don't think they'll be able to put together enough of even a consistent run game. I think they can beat like, like if they met Ohio State in the second round. I don't know how the seeds are going to line up, but they could beat them like 14 to 10 and then get beat the next week, 17, 6 or something like that. I don't think they have enough consistent offense to win three games in a row.

[PFT Commenter]

So at their best, each team at their best. Whose best is better than everyone else's?

[Hank]

I think Ohio State's best is still the best in the country. Followed by Oregon.

[Big Cat]

Even with their offensive line banged up.

[Hank]

He asked at their best.

[Big Cat]

Oh, no. But at their best right now.

[Hank]

Yeah. With the left tackle and the center out for the year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm not saying, like.

[Hank]

It'S Oregon or Ohio State.

[Big Cat]

So who can win the whole thing? Because I've been.

[Hank]

Oregon can win at Ohio State can win at Texas can win it. Georgia can win it.

[Big Cat]

I don't know. I guess Texas. I mean, I don't know if Texas A and M was good or not. I actually like Texas this week because I think Georgia just went through hell in that game.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

But I don't know. I don't know.

[Hank]

Also got embarrassed the way they played against Georgia.

[Big Cat]

Big time. Big time embarrassed.

[Hank]

Yeah. And I think Sark. Sark is a coach. Is. I trust him schematically enough to not have that happen again.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Hank]

And even more, I'm not even worried about the players. I'm just saying this coach, I believe will come out here with something to really prove.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And it's. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I just want to say I wanted to revisit a conversation we had a while ago. Brandon, that's not fair.

[Hank]

Or it might be fair.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, it's fair.

[Hank]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

It happened. I have the exact date that it happened.

[Hank]

Oh, boy.

[PFT Commenter]

It was September 24th, year of our Lord 2024. I said to you, I like Travis Hunter to win the Heisman Trophy. And you said, I would not make that bet.

[Hank]

That is true. I did say that.

[PFT Commenter]

You did say that. And he tried to talk me out of it. Big Cat talked me into it.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

I made the bet in August.

[PFT Commenter]

You daunted me a little bit in saying. Okay, no, I'm admitting. Self admitting. I got a little bit daunted after that conversation because I. I was saying with my chest, I was all in on Travis Hunter. Thank God Big Cap brought me back in on it.

[Big Cat]

Thank God. August, you said I placed a bit in August.

[PFT Commenter]

You said he wouldn't have the stats correct. Well, as a cornerback, Brandon, you're a smart guy. You know that stats aren't everything for a good cornerback.

[Hank]

Well, I.

[PFT Commenter]

Let me tell you something.

[Big Cat]

Wait, you're a quarterback.

[Hank]

I don't know what he's saying.

[PFT Commenter]

No, as a quarterback, they don't.

[Big Cat]

He said, as a quarterback, Brandon, Cornerback.

[PFT Commenter]

The stats don't tell the story. They don't give out a lot of speeding tickets.

[Hank]

That's also not what I don't.

[PFT Commenter]

They don't give out a lot of speeding tickets in Amish country.

[Hank]

That's not what I said.

[Max]

It's.

[PFT Commenter]

That doesn't mean the roads are unsafe.

[Hank]

That's not what I said. What I say.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, you said.

[Hank]

I said he's not going to have the stats because of something.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

You said he's not going to have the stats because there will be a quarterback that separates.

[Hank]

What I said was if Travis Hunter plays every snap of every game like he is doing for 12 games, he will probably win the highs. I said that is Virtually impossible. I just cannot see somebody with his usage rate Surviving 12. Surviving 12 games. Whoa. What?

[Big Cat]

But it's virtually impossible. But then he did it, so he sounds like he should be the Heisman.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Hank]

What are you doing? You don't have to continue. I'm just going to win the Heisman. You don't have to continue.

[Big Cat]

Are you gonna vote for him? If you had a vote.

[Hank]

I don't have a vote.

[Big Cat]

If you had a vote.

[Hank]

I. I'm not in your head.

[Big Cat]

If you had a vote.

[Hank]

No, I wouldn't.

[Steve Smith]

Wow.

[PFT Commenter]

Piece of.

[Big Cat]

But would you have voted for Melvin Gordon in 2014?

[Hank]

No, I would have voted for Dak Prescott.

[Big Cat]

You are bullshit. This is why you don't have a Heisman vote.

[Hank]

No, it's not.

[PFT Commenter]

You talked your way out of it.

[Hank]

Anyway. What I am saying is you vote for losers. I didn't think Travis Hunter's usage rate or I thought his usage rate would cost him a game or two along the way like it did Last year.

[Big Cat]

It cost him one game.

[Hank]

This year it cost him half a game.

[Big Cat]

Half a game.

[Hank]

It cost him half a game. And I thought that would happen more often and I thought his usage rate would slide him down and he wouldn't be able to do it. He did it. He played every game. And therefore he is going to win the Heisman.

[PFT Commenter]

But again.

[Big Cat]

But you wouldn't vote for him.

[PFT Commenter]

Give it to him.

[Big Cat]

And even though you said something is impossible and then he did the impossible.

[Hank]

I said virtually impossible.

[Big Cat]

And he did it.

[Hank]

He's going to do it. Travis Hunter is going to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy. You guys can stop politicking. You don't have to keep doing it.

[Big Cat]

We never stop politics.

[Hank]

You don't have to. You don't.

[Big Cat]

He could be holding and I'll be kabalitik.

[Hank]

Anyway. I personally would vote for Ashton Gentee. I think he has had a remarkable year. I think Boise State, what he did against Oregon and his one shot against a great team. No, you don't have to shit on Ashton Jetty just because you're a Heisman bet.

[Big Cat]

No, it's gotten ugly. It's gotten ugly.

[Hank]

It's.

[Big Cat]

No, it's gotten ugly. I don't. I. Ashton, Jenny's been incredible. I clicked on one anti Travis Hunter tweet and I got in the algorithm. It's gotten ugly. They're calling him the cardio award winner. Yeah, like shit like that.

[Hank]

He is winning because of snaps.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So he also has a lot of touchdowns. Fifteen total touchdowns, interceptions and catching they're.

[Hank]

Also starting about November. Dion and that coaching staff. He's winning the Heisman.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Which I love. He started to get everybody you voted for last year.

[Hank]

I. Buddy, I don't even know who won the damn Heisman.

[Big Cat]

Jaden Daniels.

[Hank]

Michael Penis. No, no, no, no, no, no. You remember last year I was pushing the Jaden Daniels thing early.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay?

[Big Cat]

Guns.

[Hank]

I was the first one. I was the first one on Jay Daniels.

[Big Cat]

Guns are down. Guns are down. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

There was a caller into Andy Staples show that said that Travis Hunter is just good at stamina.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's. That's where it got ugly. I didn't get ugly till they got ugly. You go low, I go lower.

[PFT Commenter]

I love that take, by the way. For the record, like if you're going to be a hater, that's a. That's a great line.

[Hank]

But even if that is the take, he's also the greatest in history.

[Big Cat]

Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yes. And Ashton, Jenny's been incredible. I mean, yes, he's very fun to watch. Like if you don't watch Ash and Genti and you're just like, oh, he's just doing about against Mountain west teams. No, he is like, guys cannot bring him down.

[Hank]

I think in some years we give the Heisman away even though there's not really a Heisman caliber guy. And this year I think there's two Heisman caliber guys. I think Travis Hunter is going to win it. But Jenty could have won it in any other year or maybe any other era because it's just hard for a running back to win.

[Big Cat]

How many touchdowns does Jenny gets on Saturday or we officially. Or Friday? Are we officially worried?

[Hank]

I don't think there's.

[Big Cat]

It's possible if he gets eight touchdowns.

[Hank]

If he runs for 621 yards and eight touchdowns, you're in.

[Big Cat]

All right, so we should be worried about that.

[Hank]

You're in trouble.

[Big Cat]

I'm going to bet the under on both. No, I shouldn't because that I should bet the over on both.

[PFT Commenter]

That'd be a hell of a hit. That's probably even better than no hedge.

[Big Cat]

No hedge. We're not hedging. Yeah, well, hedging on this podcast.

[Hank]

Congratulations, guys.

[Big Cat]

No, stop it. No, no, no.

[Hank]

You won your bet.

[Big Cat]

No, no, you.

[PFT Commenter]

You just said you want to stop.

[Big Cat]

Right now because you're. You're trying to jinx us. And the guns will stay out.

[Hank]

All right, fine. I would vote Ashton Jenty. Most people are going to vote Travis Hunter.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay? That's why you don't have a vote.

[Hank]

That's not why.

[Big Cat]

You know, it's definitely why you don't vote.

[Hank]

I think my.

[Big Cat]

They have 870 people who vote on this award.

[PFT Commenter]

No, I think one day you will have a vote.

[Hank]

No, I don't want vote for these things. We should try to get me votes for the Blitnikov and something else. I just. I just don't want to.

[PFT Commenter]

They tried to get. Give you one. You said no.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Why? How could you do that for the sport that you love?

[Hank]

Liam Blum, who has votes for the Blitnikov and something else.

[Big Cat]

Does he have a Heisman vote?

[Hank]

He doesn't have a Heisman vote.

[Big Cat]

Wait a minute.

[Memes]

Liam Bloodman has votes?

[Hank]

Oh, yeah. No context. College football is big. Yeah. Liam Blumen has votes for multiple things.

[Big Cat]

I mean, he watches the most ball. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

If you call yourself a college football expert, you say that you love the sport. Wouldn't you want your voice as somebody who pays attention and knows what he's talking about?

[Hank]

These awards are mostly. Awards are mostly bullshit. Like Travis Hunter, for example, is a finalist for.

[Big Cat]

He's getting dirty here.

[Hank]

No. Can you guys listen? Why don't you let people talk?

[Big Cat]

We actually do. Just not you.

[Hank]

He is. Travis Hunter is a finalist for the Blitnikov, which is for the best receiver, but he is not a finalist for the Thorpe Award. The best defensive back.

[PFT Commenter]

He should have been.

[Hank]

He's a better defensive back than he is receiver. Even though he's been great at receiver. There's better receivers than he. Than he is, but there's not. I don't think there's three better defensive backs than he is.

[PFT Commenter]

Agree.

[Hank]

Was that a problem?

[Big Cat]

No, I'm fine.

[PFT Commenter]

I think he's.

[Big Cat]

Calm down.

[PFT Commenter]

He should win both.

[Big Cat]

I've calmed down.

[PFT Commenter]

And the Heisman.

[Big Cat]

I've calmed down. Why? Why?

[PFT Commenter]

How come when they do the Heisman pose, they don't actually do the post?

[Hank]

They don't. I don't. I think Desmond Howard broke it.

[Big Cat]

He did.

[Hank]

In 1991 when he did it. He hiked the leg up too high. And I think he broke it.

[PFT Commenter]

It's Berenstain Bears.

[Big Cat]

It's like.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, the statue. Both feet are on the ground.

[Hank]

They're not doing the Heisman. They're doing the Howard.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Hank]

And Howard broke it.

[Big Cat]

Howard did break it.

[Hank]

But the Howard. I mean, it's cool if you were to do the actual Heisman pose and just do this. That. But when you hike that leg up.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. After you score a touchdown, you're amped up. And then you just put both feet Calmly on the ground.

[Hank]

Yeah, that doesn't do it.

[PFT Commenter]

It doesn't hit you.

[Big Cat]

Are you pro or anti putting a flag into the middle of the field?

[Hank]

I am anti the furor about it. This has been happening for decades and years. And post rivalry, if you want rivalries to matter and be great, well, this is what comes with it. There are skirmishes, there are fracases, and that's just reality.

[Big Cat]

There's frankases.

[Hank]

They're not real fights. And again, I don't like the phrase, if you don't want them to plant the flag, beat them. Well, they fucking tried to beat them, but it's just. Whatever.

[Big Cat]

Here's my problem with anyone who's getting on, you know, a white horse, no. Ivory tower, and being like, can't do this. White knighting. Yeah, white knighting. There it is. Can't do this.

[Hank]

Don't do this.

[Big Cat]

The problem with it is, guess what? Next year, before Rivalry Week.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Every single fox, NBC, espn, cbs. You don't think they're going to play video of all those moments to get people to watch. You don't think the Michigan, Ohio State pepper spray is going to get played. So spare me. Yeah, spare me Gus Johnson.

[Hank]

What's the step? Do they ban flags? No more flags.

[Big Cat]

No, I want all of it. I love it. I think that's exactly what Rivalry Week should mean.

[Hank]

I know.

[Big Cat]

It's this. That is one of those things that if you take that out of this sport, it's the NFL. And, like, these are the. Like, it's already becoming the NFL, paying the players, which I'm all for. And my idea for the divisions, which I think will eventually happen. Keep college football. College football. Keep this, like, anger and this real bitter rivalries like that.

[Hank]

It doesn't.

[Big Cat]

It's not going to happen if the Chiefs play the Ravens in the AFC Championship game.

[Hank]

No, it's what. It's the tip of the sword to college football. Right? If you want the passion, if you want the fight, if you want all this, then it comes with this. Yeah, it comes with this. And this isn't that big of a deal. Like, the pepper spray the other day was crazy. It's just a bunch of players up in each other's face yelling at each other. Not a real fight. No, it's just separate them, send them to the locker rooms and be done with it.

[Big Cat]

That was a tough look for Ryan Day, by the way. I don't know if you guys saw that.

[Hank]

Tough look for Gus Johnson.

[Big Cat]

No, but. Yeah, but Ryan Day, like the. The video Stand in there. He just, literally was just like walked over like looking like he was like a little kid looking at a car crash.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He also took pride in his players defending midfield. Like after the game he, he tried to salvage a little bit of self respect. He was like, I'm really proud of my guys for the, for what they did right after the game was over.

[Hank]

Yeah. As he just stood silently and motionless as, as Jack Sawyer is having a meltdown.

[Big Cat]

I feel bad for Jack Sawyer.

[Hank]

I do too.

[Big Cat]

That one was tough.

[Hank]

The defensive players that came back to win the national and they still can win the national title, defensive players came back to beat Michigan and win a national title and they go, oh, and four against Michigan. That's, that's, that's a rough.

[PFT Commenter]

And you're.

[Hank]

And there was nothing that they could have done.

[Big Cat]

No.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. How do you feel about Michigan these days?

[Hank]

I don't, I don't really think about Michigan at all.

[Big Cat]

That's when we talked about Michigan for like 10 minutes.

[Hank]

We were talking about Ohio State. We were talking about Ohio State, not Michigan. Michigan's a non factor in College football in 2024.

[Big Cat]

Brandon, who. Which team is most likely to cause some chaos in the College Football Playoff? Because I'll throw one out for you.

[Hank]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

You ready? I'll throw one out for you. And what I mean by that is we're talking about Oregon, we're talking about, you know, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas. I think Tennessee can cause some chaos.

[Hank]

Tennessee defensive line, another good defense, another good running.

[Big Cat]

Nico's starting to play a little better.

[Hank]

Nico is starting to play a little bit.

[PFT Commenter]

And if he, if he plays at his best, if this is like the new Nico that we're seeing, which we've said that before by the way, but if this is, if he shows consistency, then yes, they can definitely beat anybody.

[Hank]

Yeah. And Tennessee kind of went through a mid season slump and Nico went through a mid season slide up. I think they're as talented as anybody.

[Big Cat]

They're so bad in that Oklahoma game.

[Hank]

They're kind of under the radar.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. No, I agree. I think they have. Especially if they somehow get a home playoff game, which I think they should. They will probably get one because I don't. I would. I think they deserve one over. They deserve one over. Well, I think it's going to be Ohio State or Tennessee because Notre Dame's going to be five. Penn State's going to take one of the home playoff games and who am I forgetting? And Georgia will probably take another one.

[PFT Commenter]

Texas, they're going to Be right in that flip flop zone with probably Ohio State.

[Big Cat]

It's going to get.

[PFT Commenter]

One of them might host the Tennessee.

[Hank]

Probably has to get it over.

[Big Cat]

I think they should because they have two losses and yeah, and they have the same amount of losses but they haven't lost as late as Ohio State lost.

[Hank]

But that, that if that's Tennessee, Ohio state at that 8, 9 matchup. Is that where it intersects 5, 6, 7, 8. Yeah, 8, 9.

[Big Cat]

Because you would assume. Yeah, Georgia and Penn State or say Texas and Penn State but Georgia and Penn State because they both would have. Or Georgia would have three losses.

[Memes]

Penn State could get a buy the way you keep saying Penn State.

[Hank]

Well, they could.

[Big Cat]

I'm throwing out. I'm just throwing out like who's favorite in the game. Max. Yeah, cool down.

[Memes]

It's a three point.

[Hank]

He's throwing out his.

[Big Cat]

But do you know how annoying it is if I say Oregon, Penn State, Texas, Georgia.

[Memes]

Let's just loser of Oregon, Penn State.

[Big Cat]

Okay. The loser of Oregon, Penn State will get a buy or we'll get a home playoff game. The loser of Texas, Georgia will get a home playoff game. Notre Dame get a home playoff game. Ohio State and Tennessee.

[Hank]

Boy, if I'm, if I'm. Or. Oh, what are you doing?

[PFT Commenter]

It's a college football expert, Liam Blunt.

[Big Cat]

You turn on his micro.

[Hank]

So there wasn't.

[Big Cat]

No, there was not. I just, I texted him. I found out he had votes.

[Hank]

Oh, I will always talk ball with Liam Blumen.

[Big Cat]

Liam Blutman, our college football most the number one ball watcher.

[PFT Commenter]

Mike's not plugged in.

[Big Cat]

Mike's not plugged in.

[PFT Commenter]

You can take Brandon's Mike.

[Big Cat]

He's a man of few words. The number one ball watcher in America.

[Hank]

I've said that many times.

[Big Cat]

I just said it. Liam Blutman has joined us very quickly. Liam Blutman, I have a simple question for you. A simple question.

[Hank]

Have a producer knows how to plug in them.

[Big Cat]

He knows how you hate producers Brand. All right. Yeah. You are. You're like Ellen DeGeneres around here. Liam Blutman.

[PFT Commenter]

You kind of look like him.

[Big Cat]

If you had a vote.

[Hank]

I don't.

[PFT Commenter]

A little bit.

[Big Cat]

You do.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I can see it now.

[Big Cat]

If you had a vote for Heisman.

[Hank]

Who would you like for?

[Liam Blutman]

If I had to vote for the Heisman, I would vote for Ashton.

[Big Cat]

Oh, get out of here. Get out of here. Get out of here.

[Liam Blutman]

Happily be okay with Travis Hunter winning because I think that these are the two best Heisman like contenders that we have had in so long.

[Big Cat]

That's what I said neither is it sounds better coming door should be number.

[Liam Blutman]

Three in the Heisman voting too. I don't know what's going on there. Split votes that that is a possibility but I think I would personally vote for Genti. I think it's not talked about enough that the second lane rusher in the country is Astron Jente after contact. I think it's insane I said that.

[Big Cat]

That he, he, he, he's hard to bring down. It's crazy to watch his Heisman run backfiring. Pft.

[Liam Blutman]

His Heisman run was derailed because of injuries. Foot injury.

[PFT Commenter]

Stamina is important.

[Big Cat]

Stamina is important. He was in a boot didn't win the stamina award.

[Hank]

What all, what all votes?

[Big Cat]

Tell us all the votes you have by the way.

[Hank]

What votes do you have? Politnikov.

[Liam Blutman]

Politnikov.

[PFT Commenter]

Are you Hunter for that?

[Liam Blutman]

I vote for Nick Nash.

[Big Cat]

Yes. Triple crown Nick Nash, San Jose.

[Liam Blutman]

One of my big things about like, like wanting so badly again to the voting scene like personality thing in college football was the group of five representation. Representation for all the other people that didn't do it. So I thought to myself if I don't vote for Nick Nash.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Nick Nash is elect.

[Hank]

You become who you hated.

[Liam Blutman]

Correct. So four years ago Liam would be livid. You know like Jarrod Stearns got robbed of his bulletin the cop.

[Hank]

Right.

[Liam Blutman]

A few years ago. So Nick Nash, triple crown leader, it's kind of a no brainer.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he's electric. What other votes you have?

[Liam Blutman]

Davey O'Brien who you vote for there.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Liam Blutman]

What else?

[PFT Commenter]

I'd like to give you a low man trophy vote.

[Liam Blutman]

I voted.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Liam Blutman]

North Dakota states fullback.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, okay. All right.

[Liam Blutman]

Tough name.

[Memes]

Say but did you also just out yourself as being biased towards Ash Agenty over?

[Big Cat]

Yes he did. That's a great point Max. That's a great point. You said you just outed yourself for being biased towards Ash and Jenny over Travis Hunter.

[Hank]

You did because he's G5.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you did.

[Liam Blutman]

You know that, that, that's a fair point.

[Big Cat]

Pft, do you want to do the low man nominees?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, we actually have the list.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So let's finish with that. Oh actually before we finish that Blutman, answer this one question. We're taping this again at 2:30 in the afternoon. But Al, they're going to get Alabama in, aren't they?

[Liam Blutman]

Alabama's 100%.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it sucks but it's going to happen.

[Hank]

So they would go in over smu. Who loses or they go in over, they go in over Clemson. All right. Clemson.

[Big Cat]

Would they go in over SMU if they lost a Clemson? That would be the Travis.

[Hank]

That would open up two spots. I wouldn't.

[Big Cat]

No. If Clemson beats. Yeah.

[Hank]

Clemson. Steele.

[Big Cat]

That would be the travesties. SMU should be in over Alabama if SMU loses the chance.

[Hank]

I mean Alabama's in regardless.

[Liam Blutman]

Yes. Oh, and I don't think they should be. But as a fan of college football. What a what against it. I kind of love the chaos factor of Alabama getting in there and. And make stuff happen.

[Big Cat]

I. I just.

[Hank]

I don't think they're good enough.

[Big Cat]

The fact that we would get like a three loss Clemson and a three loss Alabama in would just suck. Zombie dabo.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

All right, let's do the Low man. We'll.

[Hank]

We're.

[Big Cat]

This is unveiling the finalists for the Low man award which we're going to be announcing the winner in a couple weeks.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

Does Brandon have a vote?

[PFT Commenter]

Brandon does have a vote.

[Big Cat]

Okay, nice.

[PFT Commenter]

He has not given his vote yet though.

[Hank]

I did not submit the ballot.

[PFT Commenter]

This is why you don't have a Heisman vote.

[Hank]

No, it's not.

[PFT Commenter]

You don't do the paperwork.

[Big Cat]

You had.

[PFT Commenter]

I gave you a vote and you.

[Hank]

You asked me.

[PFT Commenter]

Shoot it.

[Hank]

You asked me yesterday at 5:00. I didn't know that. I didn't. You didn't put a clock on me. I didn't know that we were doing this.

[PFT Commenter]

I only gave you 22 hours.

[Big Cat]

That's right.

[PFT Commenter]

That's on me.

[Big Cat]

All right, Blubbing. If you have anything to say about any of these guys at PFT lists.

[PFT Commenter]

All right. So we consulted the panel, very prestigious panel of current former fullbacks and they submitted these names. These are the most common names. And then we will narrow them down and have a winner in due time. Max Breederson, Michigan. Kanye Udo.

[Hank]

Like that name.

[Liam Blutman]

Army is great.

[PFT Commenter]

Christian Moore, unlv. Stevo Klotz, Iowa State.

[Hank]

You like Klotz?

[Liam Blutman]

I like the most of our breath.

[PFT Commenter]

It's. It's a great name. Steve O. Klotz.

[Big Cat]

Steve o'clock. It's on the. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That's what you think about when you think about a fullback. Gabe Fisher from Vandy. Eli Heidenreich from Navy.

[Hank]

That's also a great name.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, great name. It means Argentina Heidenreich. Tyler Crow from Boise State.

[Liam Blutman]

He was very good. Even took a few carries over for gentee because their RB2 and RB3 were hurt.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, so Genti system back.

[Big Cat]

Sounds like it.

[Hank]

I can't say anything around these guys.

[Big Cat]

Jump on it, they're very good.

[Liam Blutman]

We allow them to say what they want. They are great for college football.

[PFT Commenter]

Brandon, thank you.

[Big Cat]

Thank you.

[PFT Commenter]

You're great for college football.

[Big Cat]

Thank you.

[Hank]

Why are you talking down to me?

[PFT Commenter]

I think Liam might be a footballist.

[Liam Blutman]

Single handly going. Travis Hunter. The Heisman. You gotta give him some respect.

[Big Cat]

Thank you.

[PFT Commenter]

I think he had something to do with it.

[Big Cat]

He definitely had like 50.

[Hank]

50. Can I just. I don't think two people can do anything single handedly.

[Liam Blutman]

Double handedly you can quadruple hand.

[Hank]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

And then the, the final. Actually, no, I'm going to add yours. Liam.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Liam Blutman]

Truman Wehrmeyer.

[PFT Commenter]

How do you pronounce that?

[Liam Blutman]

Truman Wehrmaer.

[Big Cat]

How?

[Hank]

He just said.

[PFT Commenter]

Truman Wehrmaer.

[Liam Blutman]

Straight out. Fargo. Fargo. Kidd went to play at ndsu.

[PFT Commenter]

North Dakota State.

[Big Cat]

Now look where he's at. Rich Heritage, still at ndsu.

[PFT Commenter]

And then the final nominee, this was actually from the awl. I allowed them to nominate somebody and truthfully I would have nominated this guy as well. Brock Lampy from Northern Illinois, instrumental in their defeat of Notre Dame.

[Hank]

Yes.

[PFT Commenter]

So that's your list. Max Bredesen. Bredesen. Kanye Udo. Christian Moore. Steve O. Klotz. Gabe Fisher. Eli Heiden. Reich. Tyler Crowe. Blutman.

[Liam Blutman]

Oh, Tyler Wehrmeyer.

[PFT Commenter]

And Brock Truman.

[Liam Blutman]

Wehrmeyer.

[Big Cat]

Truman Wehrmaer.

[PFT Commenter]

So that's the list and we will get the final votes.

[Big Cat]

Ok.

[Hank]

Given to the. The fullback who had the best season or the man who looks most like a fullback.

[PFT Commenter]

This is given to the top fullback.

[Big Cat]

I'd say. I'd say both of those meet the criteria.

[PFT Commenter]

If your name is Brock, you have.

[Hank]

A much higher percentage in good shape.

[PFT Commenter]

Steve O. Klotz.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Historically, if you played for Armed Forces Academy or Iowa, Wisconsin or Iowa, you had a good shot.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. But I mean that's just where the best fullbacks go.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And I think we do a good job of awarding them because we have like, you know, professional fullbacks, people that take this seriously.

[Hank]

He just showed me the North Dakota State fullback.

[Big Cat]

Let me see him.

[Hank]

He looks awful fullbacky.

[PFT Commenter]

He looks very fullback. Here we talking neck roll.

[Hank]

I'm talking 44.

[Big Cat]

I'm talking. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's a fullback.

[PFT Commenter]

He's got the nice fullback tilt right there.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Where he's like not all the way hunched over, but he can still run your ass over. Yeah, yeah, I love that.

[Big Cat]

All right. Okay. Well, this has been fun, boys.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what I love about the College football playoff? What I just realized after having all these conversations They've secretly turned us. Like they've tricked us into doing math, but just with names of schools. Like we're doing algebra. Like probability. If this team beats this team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Then they. They made us learn a quadratic formula.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

A brand new one in like 12 months.

[Hank]

Skills are off the chart.

[Steve Smith]

And you.

[Big Cat]

And you could have just looked in the back of the book and seen written Alabama.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. The entire time. You could have figured this out. It's like how your dumbest friend from high school was tricked into learning the metric system.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Buying and selling drugs.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Like Nicky Smokes could do grams to ounces easy. Faster than Google Calendar.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. All right. Right, boys. Thank you, Brandon. Great job.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Two time PMT guests. Liam Blutman. One time PMT three time. Oh, yeah.

[Hank]

Dingers only.

[Big Cat]

Which. Are you ready for that?

[Hank]

I'm ready.

[Big Cat]

We're finally going to do it.

[Hank]

I won. Dingers only.

[Big Cat]

You did.

[Hank]

I've received no prize.

[Big Cat]

No, your prizes. You get to come with us. And it's going to be a hell of a video.

[Hank]

All right.

[Big Cat]

It's going to be a hell of a video.

[Hank]

Excited?

[PFT Commenter]

I'm sorry. Generous.

[Hank]

It's okay.

[PFT Commenter]

You're not generous.

[Big Cat]

Liam. First time PM empty.

[Liam Blutman]

I think.

[PFT Commenter]

I love that.

[Hank]

I love it.

[PFT Commenter]

Yep. College football expert.

[Big Cat]

Let's make sure you get to four before Brandon gets five years.

[Hank]

Man three, nine. 25. All right.

[Big Cat]

See you guys. Okay. Hot seat, Cool Throne time. Brought to you by our friends at Coors Light. No matter what happens between your favorite rivals this week, you've got a chance to win. Just go to the PMT Instagram and tell us how you prepare for a rivalry game with Coors Light. For an opportunity to win the Coors Light rivalry shirt shirt. Five winners will be selected every Saturday until December 7th. So remember, when rivalries get a little overheated, choose chill and keep things cool by reaching for the mountain cold refreshment of Coors Light. Coors Lights Mountain cold refreshment. Literally made to chill. Coes like Coors Light is cold lagered, cold, filtered and cold packages as crisp and refreshing as the Rockies. Perfect for a moment to unwind. Even the biggest rivals agree. When it's time to cool things down and enjoy the game, you choose chill and then reach for a Coors. Like get Coors Light delivered straight to your door. Visit coorslite.com take or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer. That's coorslite.com take. Celebrate responsibly. Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado. Henry Hot Seat, Cool Throne My hot.

[Max]

Seat are the best players on NBA teams that don't play back to backs.

[Big Cat]

Oh, shit. You stole mine.

[PFT Commenter]

Load management.

[Big Cat]

Maybe you didn't.

[Max]

Jalen Brown.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Eastern Conference Finals MVP.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Max]

NBA Finals MVP.

[PFT Commenter]

Aura.

[Big Cat]

MVP or King of the Aura on the Celtics.

[PFT Commenter]

Batman.

[Big Cat]

99% of the Celtics aura. Actually, no. 50%. 50% Joe Missoula.

[PFT Commenter]

49% Joe Missoula. 1% Peyton Pritchard.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

At the end of quarters.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Luke Cornett, he didn't play Sunday, was sick. And then he played on Monday, Celtics won. And I think he was talking about, you know, missing the back to back. And he said it's hard for teams to be great if some of your best players don't play back to back. So.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Max]

Anyone? You know, I don't know who falls in that category? I guess you could probably look at the. There's probably some website that shows, you know, percentage of NBA players that don't play back to backs.

[PFT Commenter]

But I think after.

[Max]

Anyone that wants to be great, after.

[PFT Commenter]

Everything he's done for the city, I think Boston can give him a pass.

[Max]

Yeah, no, he, you know, he acknowledged it. He's like, I wanted to, you know, I want to play back to backs. I was just feeling sick.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

He wants.

[Max]

The reason you want to play is because it's hard to be great if you don't.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Showing up. You have to show up to be great. And I think. Yeah. If. I think that star players can get away with doing that if they've got results, you know, if they, if they've got pelts on the wall.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

If they can say, I want a championship, there's no doubting my commitment to this team.

[Big Cat]

Also, they lost Sunday. I mean, it is an interesting strategy if you're like the Celtics and you have a pretty loaded team to schedule your back to backs, like correctly. Where it's like one night, Jason Tatum sits out one night, Jalen Brown, you probably win both games. But this is also.

[Max]

That's loser mental.

[Big Cat]

Okay. All right, all right. He said it.

[Max]

He said if you want great. It's hard to be great if your best players don't play back to back.

[Big Cat]

That's true.

[PFT Commenter]

It's a good point.

[Big Cat]

Is there anyone who doesn't play back to backs?

[Max]

Like there's a bunch.

[PFT Commenter]

LeBron.

[Big Cat]

No, LeBron plays back to back. So that's my cool. Toronto, get to it. LeBron played back to back at 40 years old, 39, about to be 40. Is there anyone else? Is the boo the guy you're referring.

[Memes]

To doesn't even play single games anymore. So what I don't even understand.

[Big Cat]

He doesn't play backs. He doesn't play back, let alone back to backs.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, no. Paul George.

[Big Cat]

Paul George.

[Memes]

I think Paul George is back tonight, by the way.

[Big Cat]

NBA Cup. We do release our picks every Tuesday. Max is really bad.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, really bad. What's your record, Max?

[Memes]

I'm. I am sitting out this NBA season.

[PFT Commenter]

What's your record, though?

[Memes]

Bad. I don't know. Bad.

[Max]

Even the NBA cup season.

[Big Cat]

So we're in a competition.

[Memes]

We're gonna keep doing my picks, but I'm just so bad at it.

[Max]

What an endorsement.

[Big Cat]

I'll say it. I am. I'm a full NBA cup guy. Oh. I thought that it was lame last year, but I. The courts, I love. The what? The courts, I love.

[Max]

You're just digging your heels into that.

[Big Cat]

I do. I like the courts. I like something different. The courts, I love. I also love the fact. And this is probably because I like to gamble on overs. The teams are playing for point differential. That makes it fun. Where it's like, at the end of a game, it. Where it shouldn't mean anything. Teams are still trying to score to get the point differential up. I'm an NBA cup guy.

[PFT Commenter]

I am locked in on the NBA Cup.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I've never been this hot.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

No, you are. Yeah.

[Hank]

You're.

[Max]

You're blazing the Wizards because it started last year. I think they're like the worst team in NBA cup history.

[Big Cat]

Oh, no.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Setting records.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

This is part of the plan. It's the process.

[Big Cat]

But Max is getting Cooper.

[PFT Commenter]

No, he disavowed. So where. Wait, Max, what is your record for the NBA Cup?

[Memes]

I am two and seven.

[Big Cat]

That's tough.

[PFT Commenter]

Not good.

[Big Cat]

That's tough. I think I'm like six and three or something.

[Memes]

Yep, you are, exactly six and three.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

No idea.

[Big Cat]

No, but 100 do. Follow us. We're playing it.

[PFT Commenter]

What am I?

[Max]

Oh, five and four.

[PFT Commenter]

Just curious.

[Memes]

You're eight and one.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm eight and one. I'm eight and one.

[Big Cat]

While we're asking for records memes, what did you go on Sunday in the NFL pitch? I went 01 on the NFL picks. Sunday. On Sunday, I went Sunday. Oh, semantics. But, yeah, the NBA Cup. We're releasing our picks on all of our socials on Tuesday. We're in a competition, so follow along. Follow. Pft. He's hot. Where's the winner get $10,000 free bet?

[PFT Commenter]

You know what? If I get. If I get the free bet?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm going to Mississippi. I'm going to hang out for a while.

[Big Cat]

The here. Say something nice about the Sixers. Ready for it? I am a full.

[Max]

This wasn't about the Sixers, by the way.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't. Say something about nice about the NBA. I'm a full blown Jerry McCain fan, Stan. I've watched all his Tiktoks. He is. The fact that he pisses people off makes me like him. But then more than that, watching his Tiktoks. It's the old rule of if you watch something, if you watch someone do something that they genuinely love, it kind of puts a smile on your face. He genuinely loves doing Tiktoks and I find myself smiling when I watch him.

[PFT Commenter]

I also love the fact that he's awesome. Yeah, no, he's really like, if he's making the Tiktoks and he stunk would be different. Then everybody be like, fuck this guy.

[Big Cat]

I'd still be a fan of the Tiktoks.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, what happens is he makes people so mad with the Tiktoks and then he goes out and he just drops an insane game on you and tells you that he's rookie of the year and it makes his opponent so much more angry at him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah.

[Max]

I have a yes or no question.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Max]

That would be good, I think, to get on the record.

[PFT Commenter]

It's good.

[Max]

Segment three years from now.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Max]

Will the city of Philadelphia have broken McCain?

[Big Cat]

No, I think they're embracing him.

[Max]

Simmons. Yeah, they've broken Embiid.

[Big Cat]

Oh, man, that's a good question.

[Memes]

Maxi.

[PFT Commenter]

It's a good question.

[Big Cat]

Tyrus. Maxi might be broken. No, I think mentally, I mean, he's got to deal with Joel Embiid because I mean, you're elephant in the room. You forgetting about the elephant.

[Max]

Max, he's always been like, he hasn't. You know, he's. He's 1A1, but he's never been like MP'd, you know, got all the shine. Simmons got all the shine. Now McCain is really getting all the shine on the Sixers and still not Maxi. So.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Max, I will fight for you to not have that happen. Because I like Jared McCain.

[Max]

Just a yes or no question.

[Big Cat]

I'm gonna say yes.

[PFT Commenter]

I think it's, it's completely fair to ask that question because it is like if the second things start going poorly.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It's very easy to be like, this guy needs to get off. Tick tock.

[Big Cat]

How are the Eagles playing? That's the question.

[Memes]

Has to become a point. Where we stop talking about the Sixers.

[Big Cat]

In the three week. No, they're talking about NBA. We're talking about the NBA.

[Memes]

We're talking about named Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

[PFT Commenter]

We're talking to me how.

[Memes]

That is not talking about this, Max.

[PFT Commenter]

We're talking about the Rookie of the Year year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, Max, national sports.

[Memes]

Hank, literally, Hank just brought up Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

[Big Cat]

See, I disagree. Max, I think we're allowed to talk to this about the Sixers until Christmas Day. If they don't have 10 wins, then they're done. That's the deal.

[Memes]

End of Christmas Day.

[Big Cat]

End of Christmas Day.

[Max]

If they don't have 10 wins, Philadelphia is broken. Embiid Simmons. That robot.

[Big Cat]

The Liberty Bell.

[Memes]

That robot.

[Big Cat]

That robot. The robot. Yep.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I'm with you.

[Big Cat]

Nick. Sirianni's brain.

[Memes]

No, Sirianni's all the way back.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, all the way. Oh, my God. If you don't think he's got a little crazy that he's just waiting for the first crack, he's just gonna. He's gonna shave his head again.

[Memes]

Baldiani, Undefeated.

[PFT Commenter]

They broke Carson wentz.

[Max]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

Donovan McNabb.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Well, no, Ryan Howard.

[PFT Commenter]

Mike Shanahan broke him.

[Big Cat]

Yes. I booed him on the way out. Didn't you?

[Memes]

Not me.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

You broke Trey Turner, then you put him back together.

[Big Cat]

Yep.

[Memes]

Yep. How about that?

[Big Cat]

He's like Humpty Dumpty.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

All right, Good. Hot seat. Hank, about the NBA. What's your cool throne?

[Max]

My cool throne is getting hacked.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[Max]

Did you guys see this?

[Big Cat]

No.

[Max]

Obviously congrats to Josh. He got engaged over the holiday break.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Josh Allen, our guy.

[Max]

Steinfeld. Seinfeld. Steinfeld.

[Big Cat]

Steinfeld, Seinfeld. Steinfeld.

[Max]

His ex, Britney was someone. I think she posted a tick tock and someone commented asking her like, you know, when is she going to get another athlete boyfriend or something? And she replied, her account replied, sorry, luckily my boyfriend owns a team and doesn't play for one. Don't have to be with another brain dead CTE athlete.

[PFT Commenter]

That's mean.

[Max]

Listen, about an hour later, she posted on Instagram, she said, I got hacked, so.

[Big Cat]

Oh, that's. That's definitely what a hacker would do. I think she.

[PFT Commenter]

When was this? This was on on Friday.

[Max]

I was like, after the news, bro.

[PFT Commenter]

She got hacked by Pinot Grigio.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Most hackers will. Will have a very specific reply.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

About how you're actually living your best life.

[PFT Commenter]

Is Britney.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. That's the nicest hacker ever. Yeah. To just be like, I'm going to come to my. My girl. I hacked this girl's account and now I'm going to come to her defense.

[PFT Commenter]

Actually, the person's account who I have hacked, they're doing great.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they're. You don't even know.

[Max]

She got hacked by a Chiefs fan trying to, like, slander. Yeah, Josh Allen.

[PFT Commenter]

She's focusing on herself, which, honestly, she deserves to do. And by the way, Britney is the most X name of all time. Yeah, every. Every Britney is somebody's ex.

[Big Cat]

It's Britney. Good job, Hank.

[PFT Commenter]

Nice job, Hank.

[Max]

Thanks.

[PFT Commenter]

My hot seat is Hank.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, Hank. Who are the members of the Four Aces?

[Max]

Oh, Dustin Johnson, Varner, Perez. It's not Uline because he just won a DP World tour event.

[Steve Smith]

It.

[Big Cat]

Double penetration.

[PFT Commenter]

Come on, Hank.

[Max]

I don't know.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, you know this guy.

[Max]

Is he old?

[PFT Commenter]

He's. No, no.

[Big Cat]

You got to make sure you keep. Keep track of your. Your wallet.

[PFT Commenter]

His wife has burners. Maybe hacked.

[Max]

Oh, Pat Reed.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, actually incorrect, Hank. Oh, there's a fifth ace. They just acquired Thomas Peters from the Range Goats. So there are five four aces right now.

[Big Cat]

You knew that Thomas Peters was on the Range Goats?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Max]

Oh, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So there are five four aces. Pat Perez's contract ends on January 1st, so as of right now.

[Big Cat]

That's awkward.

[PFT Commenter]

There are five four aces.

[Big Cat]

That's very awkward.

[PFT Commenter]

So can you remember those? We'll quiz you on those later.

[Max]

So Perez out, Prez out.

[PFT Commenter]

Peterson. Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

That's a.

[Max]

That's a stack team.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. My other hot seat is Mike Greenberg.

[Big Cat]

Oh.

[PFT Commenter]

Because baseball is implementing some very dumb rules. Maybe they're floating some very dumb rules.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I haven't heard this.

[PFT Commenter]

And this sounds like it's right out of Mike Greenberg's brain. That's why he's on the hot seat for not thinking of this first. Rob Manfred is talking about, like, the winter meetings and all the stuff that gets discussed in the off season. Baseball, whatever that might be. And there's a new rule that he says has a lot of buzz going around the meetings.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

It's called the golden at bat. The golden at bat is a rule change that MLB is considering implementing.

[Big Cat]

Can I guess what the Gold Net is?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, Yeah, I guess.

[Big Cat]

Because I actually think this would be awesome if this is what it is. At any point in the game, you can go out of order and put anyone up.

[PFT Commenter]

You can put one player up.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. Is that it?

[PFT Commenter]

That's the golden.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I love this.

[PFT Commenter]

Now they're floating out.

[Big Cat]

It's a Shohei rule.

[PFT Commenter]

They're floating out the idea that it might be only if your team is trailing and then they have to figure out what's going to happen. If, like, if you want to move Shohei up, like two spots in the lineup and then he gets on base and then his turn comes around in the order. Does he get to bat again?

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Do they have to, like, flip flop?

[Big Cat]

Ghost Runner. I would love a Ghost.

[PFT Commenter]

Ghost Runner would rock.

[Big Cat]

Ghost Runner would be awesome. Isn't there.

[Max]

Isn't it. Isn't there a mathematical way, though, where you could just put him like, five spots back where it would basically be mathematically impossible for him to be on base?

[Big Cat]

No.

[Max]

With.

[Big Cat]

No.

[Max]

The amount of outs, no five spots back or whatever.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it would be. There would be a certain amount. Yeah.

[Max]

I don't know what.

[Big Cat]

Yes.

[Max]

5 is just a random number.

[Big Cat]

Yes. Where it could be bases loaded and you have two outs.

[Max]

Scenario. Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Like, let's just say bats first, the second guy gets on, the third guy gets on, that space is loaded.

[PFT Commenter]

And then let's say fourth gets out.

[Big Cat]

The fifth gets out. So seventh. Six. Six would be up. Seventh and seventh.

[PFT Commenter]

You could do it. But I think the idea is that when you have, like a hitter that's up that you don't think is going to get a hit, then you can be like, hey, instead of Aaron Judge hitting, let's just have Giancarlo Stanton hit twice.

[Big Cat]

I like this rule. I think that makes it cool.

[Memes]

Baseball harder is going to be, oh, so mad.

[Big Cat]

Think about, like, the ninth inning when you're like, oh, you know, Shohei made the last out, but he can. He can bat again and we're down 2. That's cool.

[PFT Commenter]

This is one of those rules that it sounds fun to talk about about because this is what baseball does. There's just like, so many different opportunities to make the game more entertaining that you have an endless supply of, like, wrinkles that you can put in. But once it gets into the game, I feel like that's going to be very weird to watch.

[Big Cat]

I think.

[PFT Commenter]

I don't think I'm gonna like it. I like.

[Big Cat]

I like this.

[Max]

It's a great idea.

[Big Cat]

It's. Yeah. Do you know what they should need to do to make it even though is the defense. The pitcher should. You should be able to bring one pitcher back.

[PFT Commenter]

Golden. Gnarly.

[Big Cat]

Because then you could, like, bring in a guy to pitch against a lefty, then put him back in the bullpen and then bring him back in. I don't know. That would probably get confusing. I Like the golden bat rule, though, because it does. It just makes it so that games will be exciting at the end.

[PFT Commenter]

What I really want them to do is to implement the idea of having challenges for strikes.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But it's just done by the batter at the plate, and he has to say it immediately.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I mean, they have that in.

[PFT Commenter]

In minor league. Some minor league baseball team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Where they. They have one challenge and they just immediately look at it. Yeah. I like this.

[PFT Commenter]

I see.

[Max]

I think you start owing one.

[Big Cat]

No, I think it's just gold in the bat. You just get to do your order over where you get to put your best guy up. Because it's just.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, numbers mean anything to you guys anymore? Am I the only one that loves the numbers in baseball?

[Big Cat]

No. Numbers mean jack shit at this point. It's. I mean, think about it. It's just, you know, you're. If you get to the bottom of the ninth and you can be like, our best guy's now going to that. That's cool.

[Max]

The numbers that actual baseball fans care about now are the dumbest num. Like, it's like if you talk to a true seam head, they're talking about, like, the random, you know, war obgr. Like, they're just the numbers that. They're like, the actual important numbers are like, who cares? I also make baseball entertaining.

[Big Cat]

I also think, pfd. They kind of like, it's the point of no return. As soon as they did the pitch clock, which I'm in favor of the pitch clock. The like rule that if you come in the game, you can. You have to f. Face a certain amount of batters.

[PFT Commenter]

Slightly bigger bases.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Throws over to first. As soon as you do that, you've changed the game and how it's played. So it's like, why not?

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, I could be on board with this, but I. What I really want to see is some nerds go back and do projections for, like, what Babe Ruth's numbers would have been if they had the golden at bat.

[Big Cat]

Well, if they only do. If you can only do it when you're down.

[Max]

Strap at a game.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. If you only can do it when you're down, it's probably going to end up being like, what, 20 extra bats? If it's. It's a certain amount. Because you probably wouldn't.

[Memes]

I think you can't do it only when you're down. I think both teams got to be able to do it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. But it won't happen as often because think about it. You has to be if you. If you. If they did the rule where it's. You're only down, it has to be half. Like, it has to be every game you're down. So it's whatever, split that in half. And then it also has to be all the games that your guy wasn't going to come up anyway.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

So it could maybe like, 30, 40 at bats extra.

[PFT Commenter]

What they really need to do is just make red zone for baseball. Baseball.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

They should make it that if the player, if he's on base, he can come out, but the opposing team gets to pick the pinch runner so they.

[Big Cat]

Can pick the slowest, fattest, fattest guy. Yeah, Maybe there's just. Every team has to carry a 26 guy that's over £300. That would be awesome. Like, you get the golden at bat. But that, like, how awesome would be, like, oh, a golden bat's coming up. Hopefully he gets a single so we can watch a fatso run around the bases.

[PFT Commenter]

I like that idea. Also, one of the infielders gets a knife.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I'm in for that.

[PFT Commenter]

The cool throne today is going to be Instagram hockey. There's a guy that does Monday night hockey. I forget his name. Steve. It is Steve Valet. He works for the Rangers. Means maybe you can provide some insight as to this guy. So he went after Jack Hughes, because in the. In the game on Monday night, Jack Hughes had a breakaway, and then he did, like, a few too many moves on the breakaway and tried to score with one hand on a stick.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And Steve Valakat went after him and was like, this is a clown show. You're trying to show up your opponent. You're trying to embarrass the other goalie. In my day, we would have had guys coming over the boards at you. This is Instagram hockey. This isn't real hockey. Also, side note, he didn't end up scoring on it. Like, Shasturkin stopped the shot.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

But in hockey, the idea is to beat the goalie.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

On a breakaway.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[PFT Commenter]

So who cares if you juke him out too much or he's going to.

[Max]

Be embarrassed by any goal.

[Big Cat]

Right?

[PFT Commenter]

Correct. But I also. This goes back.

[Max]

Safe.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, it was safe. This goes back to how we love these type of guys being around sports.

[Big Cat]

Oh, yeah, we need.

[PFT Commenter]

Don Cherry needs a guy like this to step up and take the torch for him in the future, who just hates fun Stuff. Stuff.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. It's Ian Rapport crying about Mike Malarkey.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. We need old guys that get pissed off over stupid because that Actually makes sports more fun for those of us who aren't old who get pissed off.

[Big Cat]

The. Yeah, Prisco. The. The. All the people who were tweeting that, like, the flag, you know, stuff during rivalry week was too far, and someone's going to get hurt. I love those guys.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

You need them.

[PFT Commenter]

It was a big day for flags.

[Big Cat]

It was a big day. Flag, but, like, it's just. It was one of those situations where I need someone on the other side to be like, this is actually really bad and dangerous. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Because I don't want have to invent a straw man in my head that I can argue against and be like, I. I can't believe there's some people out there that think this isn't fun.

[Big Cat]

Right. That would. Then we would have you just be. We'd be rilla.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. It. It fills a valuable role for us to have somebody who actually believes this stuff. So did Jack Hughes say something about it? What do you say? Memes?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I had Max pull up the clip.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, let's see.

[Hank]

That.

[Big Cat]

You were trying to embarrass the circum. Just take me through that. And what was your reaction to hearing that? What did he say? He said he thought you were trying to embarrass a circuit on that breakaway. Wouldn't you come to the Forsberg? Yeah, I mean, I don't even know what that means. Like, what does that even mean? Yeah, I don't even know what that means.

[Max]

It's literally like Allen Iverson was trying to embarrass his defenders when he crossed them up.

[PFT Commenter]

I like to imagine that Jack Hughes actually just didn't understand what those words meant.

[Max]

Well, it's.

[Big Cat]

It.

[Max]

I think he was being nice, but his real answer was probably like, yeah, no, I was trying to embarrass him.

[PFT Commenter]

Like, yeah, it's my job.

[Max]

Literally.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Max]

Shootout.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Max]

Like, I want to do the filthiest.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Nastiest, like, most embarrassing goal that you can score and score. I'm a goal score.

[Big Cat]

And it's good for the sport.

[PFT Commenter]

It is good for the sport. Also, this guy's good for the sport because we're talking about the sport, and hockey season hasn't even started yet.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it hasn't started. All right. My hot seat is beta males. Because the Bears did a press conference. They're looking for leader of men.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, they're very clear about that.

[Big Cat]

Leader of men.

[PFT Commenter]

I think they've said the phrase leader of men too many times, and then.

[Big Cat]

Way too many times.

[PFT Commenter]

DJ Moore says, like, what are you they asked him, what are you looking for a head coach? He's like, well, Kevin Warren told me we're looking for a leader of men.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It seems like they're obsessed with the.

[Big Cat]

Phrase leader of men. I'm staying cautiously optimistic, but I will say that the, the immediate press conference after with Kevin Warren and Ryan polls did not give me a lot of confidence because it feels like Kevin Warren is now running the show. I feel bad for Ryan polls because I honestly think there was a report that he wanted to fire Eber Fluss after the Patriots game.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Also, Jalen Johnson basically told Eberflusse to fuck off in front of the whole team after the Lions game. And that was the moment where they're like, oh, we should maybe fire this guy.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

But yeah, it looks like it might be a mess and they're looking for leader of men.

[PFT Commenter]

During the post game speech, apparently Jalen Johnson was just like, the same fucking thing happened over. I've heard the speech five times in a row. Yeah, shut the fuck up, Matt. And Matt Eberfluss just, in a very non leader of men fashion, closed his mouth and just ended the speech after a couple seconds. There was also something that I read, Big Cat, where they did the press conference on that, that Friday morning.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And they started the meeting behind the scenes with Kevin Warren, ryan poles and McCaskey. George McCaskey.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So they started that meeting at 7:00am Matt Eberfluous's press conference started at 9:00am.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I can explain this, but the.

[PFT Commenter]

Meeting of whether or not to fire Matt Eberflusse wasn't concluded until like 10:00am yeah. So that, that tells me that in this meeting that lasted three hours, there was somebody who was passionately trying to defend Matty Berflusse and not let him be fired.

[Big Cat]

No, what I think happened was George McCaskey was like Michael Scott being like, explain this to me, like I'm five that I have to pay this guy to not work work. And they just had to go over that over and over and over.

[PFT Commenter]

He was just looking at what.

[Big Cat]

He was just.

[PFT Commenter]

Your bank statements were.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he was like, wait, so he's not going to coach anymore this year, but he's our head coach and we have to pay him because. And they're like, all right, let's go over this for the 75th time.

[Max]

Head coach. But like, we're paying one.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we're paying one right now. How does this make sense? I feel like in a three hour.

[PFT Commenter]

Meeting somebody probably had a dissenting Voice.

[Big Cat]

No, they probably are just. I mean, it's. It's. It's bad. It's bad.

[Max]

And then they pulls it like the. The clip, which was a great. The hard knock Saquon clip where there was the one guy in the room being like, you know, someone's going to pick him up, like, and they're like, who. Who's going to want Saquon? He's like, anyone that wants a good running back?

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

You could tell he was fighting for it. And we're just getting overruled.

[Big Cat]

I and Ryan polls deserves some. A lot of criticism for how this year has gone, but I do think that he is. It's pretty clear that he is being held back and not being able to do what he wants to do because there also was a report that he wanted to fire Eber Fluss last year. Year and was told not to. So. Yeah, yeah, it's fun times. But leader of men. We're gonna get a leader of men. Someone who can lead some men.

[PFT Commenter]

I like that.

[Big Cat]

Also, really, like, I don't feel bad for Eberfluz because he got paid to not work and I'm sure he'll get a job somewhere else because that's how all coaches work out. But what a terrible, terrible, like 48 hours where essentially every single person called you a. Yeah. They're like, we need a leader of men. Men.

[PFT Commenter]

We didn't.

[Big Cat]

What we had was not a leader of men.

[PFT Commenter]

Have one of those guys.

[Big Cat]

You can lead a man. Maybe it's. It's men.

[PFT Commenter]

It's so funny that they're going out and they're like looking to hire somebody to lead them.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It's like, I want you to come into this office and show me how you would dominate me.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah, Exactly.

[PFT Commenter]

A lot of money for that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Okay. My cool throne.

[Max]

My last question, because I'm.

[PFT Commenter]

Is it.

[Max]

What's the timeline? And just like off season.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I mean, they'll probably hire someone within the first week of the off season. I mean, they're. Guys have to. Well, unless they hire from outside. You know what I mean? Like, if they hire someone who doesn't have a job right now, it could be sooner, but if it's Ben Johnson, it's going to be longer. I'll read the power rankings to you real quick. It was interesting what the computer spit out this morning. There was.

[PFT Commenter]

I think Ron Rivera is available.

[Big Cat]

Stop. The 49ers power ranking was. Should probably start fresh and fire Shanahan. And then the Bears were below the 49ers and it said need a new head coach. If anyone can think of a team that probably should start fresh and fire their Shanahan, seems like that's a match.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, you guys play Shanahan this week, right?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's true.

[PFT Commenter]

You guys are on back to back weeks trying to impress other coaches.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I actually think the Bears are going to win that game. I think they're going to play for Thomas Brown. My cool throne is I have two. One is for LeBron James. So LeBron played a back to back. Is there any big players that don't play back to backs?

[Max]

It's tough to be a great team if you don't.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Jalen Brown.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, well, he had his tummy. Tummy ache.

[PFT Commenter]

Also championship.

[Big Cat]

He played the back of the back. He didn't play the first back.

[PFT Commenter]

He didn't play the front.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he played the front. LeBron James kept his streak of 10 point games alive in his back to back. And it was when he was down 25 points in the fourth quarter with eight minutes left, when LeBron James usually is not in a game. Yeah, but they kept him in so that he could get that.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, I mean, he probably only played for what, 15, 17 minutes.

[Big Cat]

He played. So yeah, I mean, credit to him. He did play back to back. He played 31 minutes.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Big Cat]

LeBron's old.

[PFT Commenter]

No, he's not. He's not. He's not old. Because the second I admit that LeBron is old, guess what? We're old. We're old.

[Big Cat]

But I think it's happening.

[PFT Commenter]

He's not old.

[Big Cat]

I think it's happening, happening. It's been incredible that he's almost 40 years old and he's still in the league, but it's happening.

[PFT Commenter]

You know what I realized the other day? Derrick Henry, you would consider him to be old, right?

[Big Cat]

He's like what, 29?

[PFT Commenter]

I think he's. I think he might be a year younger than Hank.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, no, he's ancient. Yeah, he's 30 years old.

[PFT Commenter]

So old.

[Memes]

Cooper DeGene, also him up.

[Big Cat]

Okay. So I talk about.

[PFT Commenter]

Why do you have to inject Philly into every conversation that we're having?

[Memes]

Everything.

[Big Cat]

That was a really nice tap. I mean, the like Derrick Henry caught the ball and turned around. He wasn't like. They were both squared up.

[Memes]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Memes]

Took him off his feet.

[Hank]

All right.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. No, it was a really nice tackle, but it like wasn't like, it wasn't like Derek Henry was running full force. Cooper Jean was running full force. Cooper Jean fucked him Up.

[Memes]

Derek. Yeah, Derek Henry also has £60 on him.

[Hank]

Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

And he.

[Memes]

And he lifted him off his feet form tackle. You should put that in textbook.

[Big Cat]

Textbooks.

[PFT Commenter]

What kind of textbook would that be in form?

[Memes]

What? Oh, now we're above football textbooks?

[PFT Commenter]

No, I took football. And we're down.

[Big Cat]

We're down for football textbooks.

[PFT Commenter]

Football in college. But we never textbook. We had film.

[Big Cat]

Relax, buddy. We're down for football textbooks. I forgot my other cool throne. God damn it.

[PFT Commenter]

There should be a football textbook.

[Big Cat]

Oh, I remember my other cool throne because it's right there. Ryan Day's on the Cool Throne. Because I don't know if you guys saw this. This is from the eleven warriors podcast. Now, it is. Is out of con, not out of context, but it's a one minute clip, so they could have been joking. I'm gonna give them at least out there that we don't know the full thing. But the one minute clip is very, very funny. And I also, I respect these guys because every fan does this where if you have a tragic loss, you cope as hard as you can. Have you guys seen this clip?

[PFT Commenter]

No.

[Big Cat]

Okay. It is quite something. So Ryan Day officially on the Cool throne. And here's why, if you want to.

[PFT Commenter]

Every Ohio State fan I know has.

[Big Cat]

Spent the last, I don't know, what, 15 months screaming that Michigan cheated. Michigan cheated. Michigan cheated. Me as well. You know, all of us. Like, I think everyone in here was probably. I'm not pointing fingers. I'm one of those people as well.

[PFT Commenter]

And if that's the case, you probably.

[Big Cat]

Put an * on 21, probably put an * on 22, 23, maybe a.

[PFT Commenter]

Different story because they had time maybe.

[Big Cat]

To change signs, but that had come out by the time the 23 game came about. So on that thinking, if they cheated.

[PFT Commenter]

To win in 21 and 22, then does Day only have two losses to.

[Big Cat]

Michigan, only one of them really considered a bad loss? I mean, is that, is that a.

[PFT Commenter]

Fair question to ask? Because they lost to a national championship.

[Big Cat]

Team game, probably their closest game, one of their closest games of the season had the, in my opinion, the best offensive drive any team had on that Michigan defense last year, that third quarter.

[PFT Commenter]

Running drive drive of the year against Michigan.

[Big Cat]

And if that's the case and he's only got one really bad. I love these guys.

[PFT Commenter]

I want to stand up for these guys real quick because best offense, really, really, they under sold it. They undersold it a little bit because this year they, Michigan probably also cheated because they had cheated in the past. So now Ohio State's like, how are they cheating this time? And that got into their own head.

[Big Cat]

I just, I love these guys because it is the, the, this is what fandom does to you, where you do a podcast after a horrendous loss and you've spun zoned it into actually Ryan Day. If you do it, he's actually only lost once to Michigan and drive of the best drive against the national championship.

[PFT Commenter]

Nobody's talking about that, about that.

[Big Cat]

For that drive, Ohio State was national champions.

[PFT Commenter]

No one's talking about that drive. And how they basically won a national.

[Big Cat]

Raise a banner in the horseshoe, 2023 National Champions third quarter drive against Michigan.

[PFT Commenter]

Also, I feel like protecting legacy is more important than winning a game. And the players protected the legacy of the school by defending their, their midfield against having a flag planted on.

[Big Cat]

That's facts. I, I can't tell. I like I, I w. I probably have to go listen to the whole thing but. Shout out the 11 warriors. This is what we sound like when our teams lose and we, you know, we're like, oh, well, this is. This it was, this, it was. We make every excuse. But that was. I didn't expect that. SPIN Zone 11 loss for Ryan Day against Michigan.

[PFT Commenter]

I like that. I, I, I honestly do like this take. And I don't know if we've talked about this with Brandon Walker earlier because we haven't recorded that yet. I really want Ohio State to win the national championship. I think that would be the funniest thing ever. It would, it would be so funny. In, in my dream scenario, I like root for chaos and just for ridiculous things to happen. Ohio State winning the national championship by going through like the easiest schedule ever. Yeah, they don't have to win any upsets everywhere else. Upsets everywhere else. They don't have to win a single big game. They win the national championship and then Ryan Day gets fired. Yeah, that would be the funniest possible outcome to this season.

[Big Cat]

Dave can claim that he's won two national championships.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, that, I mean if you are, if you don't have a horse in this race, that's a pretty funny one to back.

[Big Cat]

Yes, I'd agree. Yeah, no, I actually, I had a similar thought because I went to look to bet Ohio State to win the national championship, but it's five. It's, it's 475. Not, not enough. I need a little more.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I mean, I need a little.

[Big Cat]

Bit more because there's a chance they just crumble.

[PFT Commenter]

I might do it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I might. I got. Or Oregon. I might sprinkle in some Ohio State.

[Max]

I'm doing Ohio State.

[PFT Commenter]

All right, let's do it.

[Big Cat]

Let's do it. We'll do it as a team.

[PFT Commenter]

Are you actually. Are you. Are you rooting? That's my bet.

[Big Cat]

Are we cashing out? Is there a cash out or no?

[Max]

Putting it in right now. I also already have another night the Eagles Bills parlay, so I'm gonna. I'm gonna parlay them as well.

[PFT Commenter]

I'm gonna wait until Saturday night to.

[Big Cat]

Make this future bet because you might go up.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, because I know at the moment.

[Big Cat]

No, it's not. It's not this Saturday.

[PFT Commenter]

That Saturday night is what I'm talking.

[Big Cat]

Two Saturdays.

[PFT Commenter]

Two Saturdays. I'm going to wait to put in this bet in two Saturdays.

[Big Cat]

That. That's responsible gambling.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I mean, it would be very funny. It would be very, very funny if Ohio State was able to do it and then they fired Ryan Day. Or it would actually be funnier if they. If Ryan Day won the national title and then went and took the North Carolina job. Yeah. He's like, I don't want to do this anymore. You guys. You guys drive me nuts.

[PFT Commenter]

What do you think would be a funnier outcome if Ryan Day goes through the easiest possible road, wins national championship, and then he gets an extension afterwards? Yeah, that would be funnier.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Either way. Either way, I'm rooting for that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Okay, let's get to our interview with Steve Smith before we do that. Pft. You got a couple ads before we.

[PFT Commenter]

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[Big Cat]

Okay. We now welcome on recurring guest, friend of the program and future hall of famer, which we have to talk about off the top. It is Steve Smith senior. Steve, first of all, thank you for coming back on. You're a semifinalist this year. I know we talked about this last time you were on this is the year, right? You need to be in the hall of fame. This is crazy that Steve Smith is not in the hall of Fame.

[Steve Smith]

Well, I'm not really sure how to go about it. You know, I'm honored and it's, it's cool, you know, and, and I don't know how the voting goes. So, you know, I just kind of wait for my time and, and do that. But the real reason I have avoided coming on you guys.

[Big Cat]

Yes.

[Steve Smith]

One, I owe you hats.

[Big Cat]

Yes, you do.

[Steve Smith]

And, and, and you notice I'm not even wearing an LA hat just because it was so bad. And you Guys were so right.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

Just. I just wasn't sure what to do. So I just. You know what? I did?

[Big Cat]

I did.

[Steve Smith]

I did what any middle aged father would do. I put my head in the sand and hoped it went away.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that was a smart strategy. So for people who don't remember, last time Steve was on, it was last year. We made a bet. I think it was Panthers four. It was a wager.

[Hank]

Wager.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, a wager. Major. Four and a half wins. Was it?

[PFT Commenter]

I thought it was even higher than that. It might have been five or six.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. And they didn't even come close how high it was.

[Steve Smith]

It was real low.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

It didn't happen.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. So you owe us some Steve Smith signature flat brim hats, which we expect to receive. We'll send you our info. But at least.

[Steve Smith]

Yes, please.

[Big Cat]

At least you acknowledge it off the top, because that was definitely on my list of things to talk about.

[Steve Smith]

You got to.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Smith]

You got to. When you owe people things, things you have to be willing to, you know, to follow through. And I was. I planned on following through, but it was kind of like when you owe somebody some money, you know, owe that bill and they call, you know, when they used to call you and say, hey, checks in the mail. You know, So I was. Checks in the mail. I don't have your address, but checks in the mail.

[PFT Commenter]

I feel like you ignored it for an appropriate amount of time where it was just. You were annoyed by the fact that not only did you lose the bet, but you lost it by. By. Like it wasn't even really close.

[Big Cat]

No, never close.

[PFT Commenter]

So then you were just like, I just don't want to have to admit that I was very wrong, but I will eventually and I'll make it right. And I actually think, listen, Steve, this goes a long way towards the hall of Fame case for you being nice to journalists, the guys that are being in that room writing your name down. Do you have a, like a sappy story you can tell about a time like Peter King convinced you to keep playing football when you felt like quitting. And then he'll feel important and he'll. He'll write your name down for the Hall Fame.

[Steve Smith]

Peter King is important no matter what has to do with Steve. Peter's a dude, man. I like Peter. Peter does. You know, in training camp he doesn't get a lot of credit, but in training camp he goes around a whole bunch of different teams and he talks. So a lot of stuff that you're seeing him kind of print up and do. It's been seven or eight months of accumulating data information. So Peter King is one of the good ones, man. It's. It's a lot of good journalists out there. It just sometimes the way they write articles, sometimes it excuse your perspective on the individual when you see them in person.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So what. What's an example? What. Where's the line where players are like, all right, this is because obviously they got a job to do. You got a job to do. But what you're asking the wrong person. Yeah, I guess that's true. Yeah. You're live in one of those journalists.

[Steve Smith]

That players have said, yeah, but I think the toughest thing is trying to figure out and find out which guy really actually watches film. How much do they watch film? Because there are times where, you know, I've had guys who say, you, man, you don't. You obviously aren't watching a film. I've had some people even on my podcast that say, oh, Steve, you don't understand. You must. You don't watch the games because they're looking at it from their point of view. A great example is I was. We're talking about Miami Dolphins and how they struggled in the cold weather.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Steve Smith]

Having won. And a fan said at the bottom of my podcast that a comment was like, you don't watch the games. We lost. We lost those three games by one point, bro. A L is a L. Yeah. Like, it's not about, like what you see, it's about the end result. And sometimes the end result gets. You get distracted because of the way someone articulates it, that you disregard the actual content that they're talking about.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, so. So let's talk about the Dolphins real quick, because is we. We were talking about on our show the biggest. There was two things that stuck out. One was Mike McDaniel shivering on the sidelines. That was not a good look. And the second. Yeah, and the second was they had 20 missed tackles. And that to me, is cold weather affecting you where it's like you're not getting physical. You're not, you know, putting your, your, your nose in, in the pile and that kind of stuff. So what are the. The Dolphins have a couple more cold weather games. What is it that they have to fix? Like, what's the mentality? Or is it just, hey, this team just can't play in the cold? It is what it is.

[Steve Smith]

I mean, I think they could play in the cold. I just, I just really think sometimes that people aren't looking at the teams that they're playing Green Bay isn't a cakewalk.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Right.

[Steve Smith]

And just like last night when we watched the 49ers play the Buffalo Bills, the Buffalo Bills aren't a cakewalk. And Also too, the 49ers are injured. They're not extremely healthy. They're not firing all cylinders. So. So to blame everything on the cold weather, to say the cold weather has these guys not playing, man, you go, missed tackles happen in the heat.

[Big Cat]

True. Right.

[Steve Smith]

It doesn't necessarily matters. What happens is when the elements are what they are and the outcome, then all of a sudden the overreaction and the reasoning behind it is always front and center. Where sometimes it's just we don't want to really give credit to the people who get paid. Who maybe had a. Who had a better. And executed a. A better game plan.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

Than opposing team.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. It's easier for us. We. We like to just say it's their candy ass uniforms as soon as you put them under 40 degrees. It's simple as that. Nothing to do with the X's and O's.

[PFT Commenter]

The Aqua doesn't play in the snow.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. They put on.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, you got south beach uniforms.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I mean, the, the Panthers have some candy ass uniforms every now and then where they, you know, where it's like the blue. I'm just saying, did you feel it? Did you feel it in the cold?

[Steve Smith]

You're like, I know you did.

[Big Cat]

You did rip up the Bears.

[PFT Commenter]

But I mean, when you'd wear the black uniforms, those, those travel. You can play in cold weather in the black, but in the. Yeah. In the blues. You don't want to see that in an ice game.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

I mean, teachers.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, I think you know that we're right.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah. You watch the film. You know that unfortunately your life has been about football. And sometimes dumb people like us can boil it down to just candy ass uniforms. And that hurts.

[PFT Commenter]

I don't like that color.

[Steve Smith]

Yeah, you don't have to like the color.

[Big Cat]

I.

[Steve Smith]

One candy. I disagree. And then I don't think you guys are dumb. I just think you have your perspective that you're. You're willing to die on the hill about.

[Big Cat]

I mean, candy makes sense. If I handed you a lollipop that was orange and teal and I handed you a lollipop that was green and. And yellow, like you would be like, I want the orange and teal. That looks yummy.

[Steve Smith]

First of all, two grown men handing each other lollipops is. That's the problem.

[Big Cat]

So that's probably A problem.

[Steve Smith]

I'm not necessarily sure why you're handing me lollipops and I'm taking it, but.

[PFT Commenter]

I think we can normalize giving candy to your friends as adults.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you know what? We're gonna do that as soon as you give us our hats Next time.

[Steve Smith]

When's the last time y'all, too.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, just pop.

[Steve Smith]

What you say you pop. Oh, oh, yesterday.

[PFT Commenter]

Yesterday.

[Big Cat]

Bad question for us. There was.

[PFT Commenter]

There was nerds Gummy clusters yesterday, and I ate, like, 10 of them.

[Big Cat]

And they looked.

[PFT Commenter]

They actually looked like Dolphins uniforms.

[Steve Smith]

Different situation. We're not talking about that. You're talking about just regular old Tootsie Rolls and dumb dumbs.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, I. I have a secret candy stash here that I. I'll put people onto it. I'll be like, hey, you want to see this? And I'll hand them some candy. So. Yeah, you're asking the wrong dudes. We're passing around candy all day.

[PFT Commenter]

That was talking Miami Dolphins.

[Steve Smith]

We're not talking. We're not talking about the candy that you guys are talking.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, Steve, I got a question for you. So. So I'm a Bears fan. They fired their coach. The line that's coming out of House hall right now is they need to find a leader of men. Can you explain to me what a leader of men is?

[Hank]

I think so.

[Steve Smith]

A leader of men. When you. When you compare this talk, it's really about holding everyone accountable. Not based on your draft status, not based on, you know, what this individual means to the franchise, that everybody is treated at the same. However, there are certain people with veterans where they have different, you know, opportunities and different things to do. I think it was a lot of mixed messages going on, a lot of things that probably did not live up to the expectation based on the talent of that team. And so that's what the leader of men is. That. Not someone. Not Shirley Shally and someone sticking to what they believe and kind of making sure that they hold the rest of the team accountable to that as well.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Who's the best leader of men that you've played for?

[Steve Smith]

Obviously. Let's see, recently. So John Harbaugh, John Fox.

[PFT Commenter]

They tried that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we tried that. John's. John's.

[Steve Smith]

Who else? Ron Rivera was like a. A player's coach. And I. I wouldn't say he's not a leader or men, but I think players, Coaches sometimes get a pass where they make themselves more about the players. And. And I just. He's a leader. Men, too.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

I don't even want to go there when.

[Big Cat]

When you have a coach, though. And like, it obviously was that the Bears, like the co Iberflu kind of had lost the locker room. Is there. Can you feel that shift in a locker room where it's like, oh, and is there any coming back.

[Steve Smith]

Shift?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Is there any coming back from it or is it like, once it happens, it's kind of over.

[Steve Smith]

The only thing you could do is win games to come back from it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

The way they were losing games, how they were losing games, it got worse. It wasn't improving. It was getting worse each and every time. So you got to make a step. And I would imagine probably something was said in that locker room after the game that probably was about, hey, we. And it wasn't a we. It was a he.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Steve Smith]

And that just kind of just.

[Big Cat]

It was.

[Steve Smith]

That was a straw to broke Camel's back.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So in your career, have you. Have you had the. The experience of playing for an interim coach?

[Steve Smith]

No, I'm not.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay. Because I was wondering.

[Steve Smith]

That was a great question. I was great.

[PFT Commenter]

Thank you.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

So that I. We always like to bet on interim head coaches when they step in that first week because you get the bump of. Of having a guy that's gone that probably had lost the locker room. And then usually the interim coach would be somebody that's like, you know, big, tough guy, strength and conditioning background might just get you juiced up to run through somebody's face that game that week. But, yeah, I guess if you. If you haven't been through it, that's probably a good thing because you never had a coach that was fired in season for you.

[Steve Smith]

No, I haven't. I've just had a coach get fired right after the team meeting and was talking us, it was George Seifert, as if he was going to be coaching us next year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's weird.

[Steve Smith]

That was really weird. Yeah, that was extremely weird. Like, hey, make sure you do this. You make. I'm like to get fired. What is he talking about?

[PFT Commenter]

The other thing that happens a lot during losing streaks is the players only meetings. And we're big fans of players only meetings, but sometimes there might. You might have too many players only meetings. At what point in the season do you decide, hey, it's time to have a players only meeting. Meeting. And then what gets discussed during those meetings?

[Steve Smith]

Since you two aren't a player, I can't discuss it with you.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Steve Smith]

Yeah. Too many is too many. When you two is too many.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

First one, you got to do it after that if it's not getting done, then you just have to have little conversations on the side.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. So, yeah, I want to talk about your Panthers. Bryce Young. Incredible. What he's looked like since he came back from that benching. What. What happened in those three weeks. Like, what I want. I want to study those three weeks because it looks like a completely different guy. Obviously, he's still got a lot of work to do, but the confidence and like, how he's seeing the field is night and day versus what we saw last year, all of last year, in the beginning of this year.

[Steve Smith]

Well, you just getting a guy that gives opportunity to see the game from a different perspective.

[Big Cat]

Seeing.

[Steve Smith]

Seeing it from the seat versus seeing it from behind the center and get an opportunity to be coached and seeing. You know, not everybody deals with adversity the same, but obviously, Bryce has shown you that he could deal with adversity. He's used to it. He has a good pedigree. And, you know, I think I've said it from the beginning, I thought it was a great idea just based on how the situation went. Went. He was first overall pick, really didn't have to fight for his job. It was handed to him. That team wasn't. You know, that team obviously wasn't great. Looking at the. At the record offensive line sustained some injuries. So there's a lot of different things, and you just throw them out there and expect Bryce Young to fix all the ailments of all the other areas that are needed improvement. And so it didn't go well. And it kind of picked up from where it started. Picked up where it started with the firing of Coach Wright and then with Coach Canales. Same thing. And Coach Canales, you know, had the authority and also had the perspective. Hey, I think this is the best thing for our team moving forward. And it looks like that was the right move.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, yeah. It's been fun to watch him. I think a lot of people wrote him off maybe. Maybe us included at some points, but it's fun.

[Big Cat]

No, we definitely.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, we. I mean, we did. Yeah, we watched a lot of the bad games, but it's been cool to see him come back and play well. So what is. What is Dave Canales doing that is helping Bryce out specifically?

[Steve Smith]

Well, one have a better offensive line play action. He's under center. You know, you're seeing a lot of different things. He's the RPO game, some of the things he did in college, so. And then his offensive mind is bringing a different perspective. Perspective. They're running the Football. I mean, they're doing a lot of different things compared to last year. I mean, you name it. I mean, heck, the points they're scoring. How about the type of throws that he's making down the field?

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, he just seems to be way more confident in every throw that he's making. It was a great game on Sunday. I want to give you the opportunity to say something nice about Baker Mayfield.

[Big Cat]

Oh, we lost him. Is he frozen?

[Steve Smith]

No, I'm. I'm not frozen.

[Big Cat]

He's a dog.

[PFT Commenter]

Is he a dog?

[Big Cat]

He's a dog. Baker.

[PFT Commenter]

Baker.

[Steve Smith]

Yeah, I guess so.

[PFT Commenter]

I don't believe it. I'm not buying that dog.

[Big Cat]

That's. That was.

[Steve Smith]

I sell him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that was a little purse dog you just had right there. Is he.

[PFT Commenter]

Has he been better than you thought he would be?

[Steve Smith]

Oh, I don't.

[Big Cat]

I don't care.

[Steve Smith]

He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him. And say, respect.

[Big Cat]

I like that beef.

[PFT Commenter]

I think, yeah, he probably would respect that.

[Steve Smith]

There's no beef.

[Big Cat]

Sounds like a little bit of beef, Steve. There's some beef there.

[Steve Smith]

Absolutely not.

[Big Cat]

I'll bet you a flat brim hat there's beef.

[Steve Smith]

I bet you. I bet you 10 flat brim hats is not a beef. Okay, there's no beef.

[Hank]

So.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay, so if there's no beef, can you say one thing that he's done well?

[Steve Smith]

He's doing. He's doing really good. He's throwing the football. He beat the Panthers. He's doing a good job, man.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I just try.

[Steve Smith]

What I try to do is I try to leave that alone, man.

[PFT Commenter]

All right, no more. No more beef.

[Big Cat]

Okay, Got it. What?

[Steve Smith]

There is.

[Big Cat]

There is.

[Steve Smith]

There is no beef.

[Big Cat]

What. What quarterback can you be critical of right now? Because you do like to be critical of quarterbacks. Which one do you expect more of coming down the stretch?

[Steve Smith]

I. Kirk Cousins. I expect him. He got to be better, man.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

Kurt was out there. Kurt was killing it for the other team the other day. Just didn't see that coming.

[Big Cat]

Well, do you think they make the switch?

[Steve Smith]

What do you say? I don't think they'll make a switch. They got too much. I. I don't know if. I don't know if Michael Penck is ready to. To make that switch. I. I also think the offensive line is for the Atlanta Falcons.

[Max]

It's.

[Steve Smith]

It's not great, you know, but Kurt is moving a lot, moving around in the pocket a lot more than he should be. That's not his specialty, but, you know, he just Got to play better. Four picks. So that's, that's, that's uncharacteristic of Kurt.

[Big Cat]

Okay, we'll be back to Steve Smith in a second. Quick word from our friends at Aura Frames. Isn't it funny how people we love most are often the hardest to shop for? Luckily, there's one gift that everyone on your list is sure to enjoy. An Aura digital picture frame. We actually got one from Jake and Bill a few years ago. I have it in my house. Listen, if you have kids, you know, you gotta look at, you know, you got pictures of your kids.

[Max]

Great gift for parents. My parents have these all over the place.

[Big Cat]

Yes, I love to go down memory lane with, you know, when my kids were a little younger. And it is the best gift out there. If you can't think of something to get someone, get the Aura frame named number one by wirecutter or Frames makes it incredibly easy to share unlimited photos and videos directly from your phone to the frame. When you give an Aura frame as gift, you can personalize and preload it with thoughtful messages and photos using the Aura app, making an ideal present for long distance loved ones. It's a gift so special to use it every day. Save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get 35 off or as best selling Carver matte frames by using promo code PMT at checkout. That's Aura Frames a U R a frames.com code PMT. This deal is exclusive to listen listeners, so get yours now in time for the holidays. Terms and conditions apply. All right, back to Steve Smith.

[PFT Commenter]

What about, what about the defensive side of the ball? Is there a cornerback that you've seen recently? Maybe a new guy on the scene that you're like, that guy can play that, that dude would be very tough to go up against.

[Steve Smith]

I mean those fifth round picks from the Los Angeles Chargers, man, those dudes is out there playing well. I'm pretty impressed with them. There's a, there's the defense a little bit. This year has been kind of hit or miss, right? You've seen guys play well and then you've seen guys disappear. Guys are playing a lot of zone coverage like the Philadelphia Eagles. Their, their draft picks are balling. I mean there's a lot of guys that aren't first round draft picks are really contributing to their teams in ways that people weren't just weren't, were not expecting it.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, did you see that? Jim Harbaugh said that lab McConnell, he reminds him of you. Is that, that's a, I Like Lad. Is that a good comment? Yeah, Lad's been awesome, man.

[Steve Smith]

Laughs A dog I like. I did a breakdown on that. I liked him at Georgia. I was very consistent. I mean, I take that as a compliment. I'm not worried about falling into the, oh, he's this, he's that, or who reminds me, man, if. If coach says that, that Lag can play, then I agree. Lag can play. You know, when I look at Lag and then I, you know, and I look at myself, I was like, man, is this Lad or Steve? Steve or Lad? I mean, so that's, you know, that's how I feel.

[Big Cat]

All right, so I have another receiver I wanted to ask you about one of our. One of our favorite.

[PFT Commenter]

Wait, wait, wait. Does that mean that you're rooting for Lad to do well? Because that way. Yeah, the comparison to Steve Smith is good. Are you rooting for Lad to not be as good? Because then you can be like, there's only one Steve.

[Steve Smith]

I want la. I won Lad to ball just because I've been watching. I watched this film last year. He's coming out of college. College at Georgia. He's steady Eddie. He's consistent. What you see is what you get. This has nothing to do with me. This has to do with, man. The two could just ball.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

Flat out.

[Big Cat]

All right, so the other receiver, I wanted to ask you about one of our personal favorites, George Pickens. Okay.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

What are your thoughts on George Pickens? Because he plays with an edge that is sometimes. Sometimes goes over the line. Is that. That, like, do you need to. You don't want to take all the George out of George Pickens. You want him to be that fiery guy. But what is. What does he have to do that maybe tone it down a little? Or do you just say, hey, no, George, go be you.

[Steve Smith]

He got tone down a little bit just because people are talking about it. So. And I, you know, and I've been a guy that understands, you know, when people are talking about you like that, it's going to be this assumed disposition about you. People are going to believe what they see or believe what some other people may say, even though. Though the context may not be all in line, but Georgia is going to have to calm down. He's a heck of a football player. You know, he has one of the best coaches out there who. Who. Who really rocks with you. So if. If Mike. If Mike T. Is telling you, you know, you need to reign it in, then guess what? You need to reign it in. Because Mike T. If you think about it, Mike T. Has been around a lot of special wide receivers, guys who can change the game like that in your favor. He's also seen that some of these guys haven't managed themselves well. And so he's speaking more from not I'm better than. But I've seen this movie before, and I know how the ending is, so you need to be careful.

[PFT Commenter]

I think he likes having guys like that around, though, because it gives him a good challenge as a coach. He likes being able to, you know, take somebody and help them reach that next level and maybe battle some of their. They're like internal demons. But with George, I feel like you can't. You can't really tell George to stop being George, because that's who he is, and that makes him special. I think you need to tell his teammates, almost have like, a. Like a quarterback rule where the second he gets tackled, just have everybody out in the field run up to him, help him up, and walk him back to the huddle. Just like, don't. Don't do the gun sign. Don't grab anybody by the face mask. Don't pump the ball into the stands. Just let's. Let's all work as a team to get George back to the huddle after every reception. Reception.

[Steve Smith]

Okay. Sounds like a play.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, I. I feel like. So you got those. You got those reputation calls at points when they be looking at you. Another guy that gets a reputation calls, I feel like, is DK Metcalf. Where now he's. He's under a microscope for Seattle. Have you watched him recently? This year I watched him.

[Steve Smith]

He's been hurt a little bit, but they're doing a really good job. I don't. I don't think you could put DK in the same category of some of the stuff that's going on. I think, you know, every situation is different. To lump all these guys together and say they're troublemakers, man, I don't think that's fair. No, no.

[PFT Commenter]

I don't think DK's a troublemaker at all. I love the way that DK plays the game. I'm just saying that I feel like the refs, after. There's enough times where you get a penalty against you. I feel like the refs, they start to zero in on you, and you get reputation calls that maybe you don't earn, and I think that that's what's happened sometimes with dk.

[Hank]

Okay, I'll go with that.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. All right, Steve. So it's December. It's winning football Time if you had to pick your super bowl right this second, give you a second chance. I don't know what your super bowl was before the season, but I didn't pick anything. You didn't pick anything. All right, so. So this is your first chance. You get a good chance here. Who would you say in December is gonna be in the Super Bowl?

[Steve Smith]

Let's go with. I'll give you two. How about. Can I give you two?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, you can give us as many as you want.

[Steve Smith]

All right, let's go with Detroit, Kansas City.

[Big Cat]

Okay.

[Steve Smith]

Or Philly and Buffalo.

[Big Cat]

I like that.

[PFT Commenter]

Those are both good picks.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

With Kansas City they are playing with fire. They've had like a bunch of really, really close victories where it seems like they're going to lose and then somehow they managed to pull it off. Do you think that's of like a weakness in Kansas City or has it become almost to the point where it's a strength where they know how to win these close games?

[Steve Smith]

Man, people always looking at, especially the way Kansas City is winning, they're looking to really kind of be critical of them. I mean there's ugly wins and there's pretty wins. But the thing you want to just really focus on, on the wins. They've sustained a lot of injuries and it's really hard to say that, hey, next man up when the. You know, Pacheco is not a guy that you just. His backup is not the next Pacheco. So it's. It's hard to really replace him.

[Big Cat]

Right.

[Steve Smith]

Rasheed Rice, when he's been able to do Hollywood. Like all these guys had a role and that offense and defense was constructed based on those individuals roles and then now those guys are gone and so the next guy that's filling end, he won't be better. If he was better, he would have been starting. So that's why they went got D Hop because he's more of a guy that can freelance a little bit. That's what he does. And then with. With Patrick. So I don't really think that them winning by less is anything. I think sometimes they maybe play down to their opponent but I mean they're still only one. They've only lost one game. So I don't really understand all the. It's just more of the hate more than anything because they've been so success. Successful and trying to get that three peat.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

We had our good friend Fred Smoot stopped by the office last week and he's an all time talker. You're an all time talker did you ever line up against him? And how did that talking go?

[Steve Smith]

Yeah, me and Fred, we had some pretty fun times just now. We. Now we chilling two old men now.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. But I would imagine that's fireworks when you. I mean, that's. I feel like that's has been a match for both of you. Like, if you're like, who. Who could match up against Fred Smoot in the talking, you know, department, it's Steve Smith and vice versa.

[Steve Smith]

Yeah, Fred is Fred. He still talks some. Some good stuff, though.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Did you. Was there any cornerback that would get in your head that would know to piss you off, you know, Brendan Brown or.

[Steve Smith]

Got in my head a little bit. Sherm. Sherm got in my head. I got in Sherm's head. It's funny is when me and Sherm are like kind of in the same area when we working, we always end up talking and somehow, some way, I end up always apologizing to Sherm for something I did to him. It's like every single time. And I don't understand it. Like he's the victim every time.

[Hank]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

That's how he gets. You don't let him do that to you. Stand up for yourself.

[Steve Smith]

And the way he talks about it actually feel bad too.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

He was doing some of the talking too.

[Steve Smith]

Oh, a lot of the talking.

[PFT Commenter]

He needs to apologize to you for some stuff.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

We all can't live in the past, man. Some people need to move forward.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

Steve, I had. I had one last question for you. It's a Rob back question. RH B.com promo code. Take 20% off your first purchase. QZIPs, polos, hoodies, joggers, shorts. You are a big golfer. How's your golf game going and how's the talking on the golf course? Because that's, That's. I would. I would love to see that. We gotta. We gotta get. We gotta do a video with you.

[Steve Smith]

Let's do it. I. I'm enjoying golf, man. I'm enjoying golf big time. Like one of my guys right here, out for the. Out of the office right here with ghost golf. So I've been having. With. I've been hanging with them a little bit. That's one of my partners. So I been enjoying it. Golf. Actually, it's kind of weird. Golf is that place. There's some. There's some stuff about 89, some stuff about Smitty stuff theme. And I didn't even know it was there. Like, I really. I can't play a lot of rap music no trap. None of that stuff on the golf course. You know, one of the big things I've been in is f. Country music on the golf course, bro.

[Big Cat]

That's it. That's the stuff, man.

[Steve Smith]

Some little jelly rolls. Shabooz. Morgan Wallen. Like, I just. Bro, it's. I. I've been rolling on it. It's been. It's been kind of dope.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Some nice, chill stuff.

[Big Cat]

What's your handicap?

[Steve Smith]

It's about a 15. I. The last couple weeks, I've been working. I played the other day, and I was terrible. I mean, terrible. Like, it was so bad. Me and my driver are not seeing eye to eye. Yeah, that's had to. It cost too much to. Well, I got fitted, so I put it in there. I put it in the bag, and I was just playing with my. My irons, which help. Helped my game a little bit. I was just. But I'm doing pretty good.

[PFT Commenter]

That's perfect. A golf company called out of Office. That's Hank's two favorite things.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

All rolled into one.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Our producer would absolutely love that. Yeah. So have you got a hole in one yet?

[Steve Smith]

No, I have not. I. Bro. I missed the eagle for a bird.

[Big Cat]

Birdie.

[Steve Smith]

I missed a birdie for par. I missed the eagle for birdie and a par.

[Big Cat]

Bogey.

[Steve Smith]

So I'm. My putty is. As my son Peyton would say. My putty. I put like Ray Charles. He says, dad, what are you reading?

[PFT Commenter]

You should invite journalists to play golf with you to be friends with them so that they put you in the hall of fame. We need Steve Smith in a gold jacket, and I want to see how they make your bust. I want to see. I want to see what that statue looks like.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, it's going to happen.

[Steve Smith]

I just hope it's not the same people that did the wing, Wade. So.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah, we'll make sure that guy's not involved.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

They usually do a good job with the hall of Fame, though.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they do. All right, well, Steve, we look forward to getting our hats.

[Steve Smith]

Yep.

[Big Cat]

You're gonna actually do it this time.

[Steve Smith]

You're gonna give me your information.

[Big Cat]

I'll give you all of our information and you. And you're gonna. We'll have. We. We'll have it texted to you right now. Now. And. Yeah, we. We need the hats. Send us.

[Steve Smith]

Yeah, I'll get you some. I'll do the LA hats, and then I'll get you some because I'm driving down there. I'm in LA right now, so I'm driving Down there to get go to ghost golf today.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Perfect.

[PFT Commenter]

Love that.

[Big Cat]

Love it.

[PFT Commenter]

You want to make another hat bed at any time, just let us know. Yeah, we're game.

[Big Cat]

Okay. Yeah.

[Steve Smith]

Hey, where you guys located?

[Big Cat]

Chicago. You got to come check it out. We got a whole studio, you know.

[Steve Smith]

Just nippy in Chicago. Right.

[PFT Commenter]

We got a golf simulator, though.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, we got a golf simulator coming the summer. We got a full court, basketball court. We got everything.

[Steve Smith]

Can we get out there?

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that would be awesome. We'd love to have you. We'd love to host you. All right, Steve, thanks so much, man. Be well. And we're looking forward to the hall of fame. We're excited for it.

[Steve Smith]

All right. Hey, give me, give me guys information too.

[Big Cat]

All right. Okay, perfect. All right. Thanks so much, Steve.

[Steve Smith]

Thank you.

[PFT Commenter]

Thanks, Steve.

[Big Cat]

See ya.

[PFT Commenter]

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[Big Cat]

Okay. Pardon your take on re. Give it to us.

[Max]

Let's play guess guess that age. Okay with this question.

[PFT Commenter]

All right.

[Max]

NFL kickers should have to finish a 12 pack of beer between the beginning of the game and their first field goal attempt or extra point in the fourth quarter.

[PFT Commenter]

19.

[Big Cat]

How old is Malasek?

[Max]

25, 26.

[Big Cat]

Wait, NFL kickers should have to fill. Finish a 12 pack?

[PFT Commenter]

Actually, I'm gonna guess like 46. How old is Sebastian Janikowski? This is definitely from him.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that might be him.

[PFT Commenter]

He would be the greatest. The greatest kicker of all time if that were the case.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, they should just put NFL kickers on like something that. Like a downer.

[PFT Commenter]

They just need to.

[Big Cat]

Don't get hyped up.

[PFT Commenter]

They got to put them on Xanax.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, put them on Xanax. Xanax. Have him go out there on Xanax.

[PFT Commenter]

There's something going on with kickers and we're gonna find out there really is.

[Max]

What's up, Henry, Lighthouse, Big Fat and Ski eft. Oh, my girlfriend and her boyfriend. Brother. My girlfriend and her brother are massive Ravens fans, and her brother recently said if Lamar wins the super bowl this year, he'll begin to unseat Mahomes as the best QB in the league. Is this crazy glazing or is there some merit to this? Absolutely some merit.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, okay.

[Big Cat]

Interesting that you. How many? Lamar has two and a homes has two.

[PFT Commenter]

Does Lamar have two or does he have two?

[Memes]

Lamar, it's abundantly clear that MVPs don't matter on this show.

[Max]

With Mahomes individual numbers. With Mahomes individual numbers falling off this year, is there any chance people begin to declare Lamar's best qb or is that too far fetched?

[PFT Commenter]

I think this happens a lot with quarterbacks that are. Are, you know, considered to be the greatest of all time. There will be doubters and haters along the way that predict their demise before it actually happens. And then the great ones bounce back against them.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

So what have you done for me lately?

[Big Cat]

Mahomes has two MVPs last year, three Super Bowl MVPs. Three Super Bowls. I think that's pretty tough to say. One Super bowl now under seat.

[PFT Commenter]

I got a question for you because Hank just said it's a what have you done for me lately league in regards to Patrick Mahomes.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, he's back to back.

[Max]

This is.

[PFT Commenter]

He went two Super Bowls in a row.

[Max]

That's. That's it. This conversation, like in March11.

[Big Cat]

And listen, the Mahomes is going to go. He's going to be Brady. Like, he's going to win multiple. Like probably a couple more. If you're Lamar, if you're Josh or if you're Joe Burrow, your hope is that you are Roethlisberger, Breeze or Manning. Yeah, like that's. I'm just being honest with you. Like, I don't. Lamar's not going to win five Super Bowls, but if you can win one or two, then he's going to go down in the Hall. I mean, he's already a Hall of Famer, but he's going to go down as one of the greats. But Mahomes is so far ahead.

[PFT Commenter]

The good news is there is time to, to rewrite the narrative.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Like we know what the narrative is going to be and it's what Big Cat just said. But at this moment in time, you can, you can think and use your imagination and say there's still time. Like, what if Lamar just rattles off four in a row?

[Big Cat]

Yeah. No, if Lamar wins back to back Super Bowls, then we will start having this conversation because then it would be three Super Bowls to two and same amount of MVPs. So he's got. You got to get to two before we can start talking about unseating Patrick Moms.

[Max]

I think if Josh Allen wins MVP in a Super bowl, he's in that conversation too.

[Big Cat]

He's got to get to two to start unseating. I think if it's three to two, you can start having a conversation, but three to one is not. You can't. You can't have that conversation.

[PFT Commenter]

What about Russ? Russ wins the super bowl this year.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

And he's back. He's got to be in the conversation. You think of, you think 2000s quarterbacks. You think of Mahomes, Brady, Russell Wilson, Stafford.

[Big Cat]

Eli Stafford wins his second. I lose a piece of my pinky.

[Max]

Michigan fan here. I'm buzzing from Saturday. Last three years have been nothing short of amazing with all the massive wins and champions championships. Something about watching Ohio State and Ryan day down their pants was maybe even more satisfying than any of it. I don't know why that is. I can't explain it. But we were just so bad this year didn't matter at all. Then the meltdown they had after the game with the flag, it was like good porn. The game had me damn near having to cross my legs hiding a chubby even though the football was so awful.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Am I way off base for feeling like this? I know Hank would say I'm crazy, but I don't know what it is. Man, that one hit, like, crack that. All right.

[Big Cat]

So he just explained a rivalry and I can't exist.

[Max]

You explained winning it. Like, I understand that feeling. Like, that's, you know, the Patriots beat the Seahawks, Patriots win 28 to 3. Like, the buzzing feeling you have after winning a good game literally lasts you for months, maybe even years. Like the Celtics winning the championship. Like, I'm still. So I get the riding that high. I do. For Michigan fans, it's. And I understand the rivalry and that Ohio State fans should be devastated, but I'm. I was more surprised at the lack of, like, let's keep fighting because their season's not over. But I. I hear the point of them being like, well, it doesn't matter.

[Big Cat]

It's.

[Max]

Again, that's why I feel like if I was Ohio State, I would be crushed. But also, like, let's win a national champion.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. I think the part you're missing is.

[Max]

It's basically in part, I guess it's big.

[Big Cat]

Four years of Ryan Day being like, we have to beat Michigan. Like, we have to beat Michigan. And then they spent all this money and they couldn't beat a dog Michigan team. Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, there's. You find a lot of joy in winning things and being a personal champion. You find almost as much joy in watching your. Your biggest rivals just piss down their leg and up. Like, being a hater is very, very fun. But what adds to that is, is if your biggest rivals can absolutely shit the bed while you're still buzzing in the afterglow of a championship yourself.

[Big Cat]

And it's.

[PFT Commenter]

That's like full. That's a speed ball.

[Big Cat]

When you play once a year and you've been playing for a hundred years, you win that game, you get to talk shit for literally 365 days. And they have the counter. Like, it's been this many days since Ohio State's beat Michigan.

[Max]

It's brutal.

[PFT Commenter]

Well, two of those were wins because Michigan.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, that's true. And the quarter and the.

[Max]

And I guess the difference too, between, like the Celtics or some of the other championships that were, you know, easy wins essentially are like, never in doubt, winning games you're supposed to lose or like your big 20 point underdog, or you're down a lot. And then those. That next week of. Of like, searching the opposite. Fan bases cope.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[Max]

Is the best.

[Big Cat]

The best?

[PFT Commenter]

Also Ohio State, they're this year against Michigan. They're one and. Oh, and having better players and spending more money. Yep.

[Max]

It's also great. And again, like, I'm not. I'm not completely oblivious to the rivalry thing.

[Big Cat]

It is great.

[Max]

Like, Michigan fans can, like, like, they lose Ohio State. They're watching the playoff games with pure hatred now. They can, like, watch the games and, like, laugh. They can be like, oh, this is going to be funny. Even if they win, this is still funny.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. Our good friend Tom for suggests that maybe Hank should go to the Big Ten championship game and root against his hated rival, the Oregon Ducks.

[Steve Smith]

You.

[PFT Commenter]

I mean, Hank has two favorite teams in college football. It's the Washington Huskies and whoever's playing the Ducks.

[Max]

I got a new one.

[Big Cat]

And whoever's playing Wazoo.

[Max]

No, there's. There's a new one.

[Big Cat]

What?

[Max]

Nebraska.

[Big Cat]

That's your new favorite team.

[Max]

I second to Washington.

[Big Cat]

Dana. Dana signed a contract extension. Yeah.

[Max]

That's my best friend.

[Big Cat]

But that is your best.

[Memes]

Those are two Big Ten teams.

[Max]

I know. I'm going to. I mean, Belichick and Dana, like, it's. It's. Those are two heavy hitters.

[Big Cat]

Yeah. But, yeah, rivalries in college football mean more than in pro sports. They just do.

[PFT Commenter]

It's.

[Hank]

It's.

[Big Cat]

It's what? Like, it just. Why the sport is so. So much fun is because the hatred is so deep and, like, it's all that matters. All right. Was that it? Okay. Yeah. No. That guy, by the way, is complete. Everything he says, completely. Right. If I were a Michigan fan, I'd just be watching. I mean, I even saw. I saw a hype video where they had the Michigan team going into the shoe. And it was a song. It was a song from Sakari, and it was one of the coolest hype videos I've ever seen. And I'm not a Michigan fan. I would say that I don't like Ohio State more than I don't like Michigan, but I don't like either. And I watched that and being like, holy.

[Max]

I would like to see more. I don't know if it.

[Big Cat]

That was from Richard. Not. Not Richard. Not down bad right now.

[PFT Commenter]

Okay.

[Max]

I think the only thing I would like to see more of. I would like to see more Ohio State bar reactions. I feel like there wasn't a lot of those. Those are always good.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Max]

Crushed.

[Big Cat]

But there wasn't really.

[Max]

I guess there wasn't a moment. It was a slow death because those like that's thinking about the Seahawks like that. Those are the greatest videos of all time.

[Big Cat]

Yeah.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah. You have to have a big swinging moment where it's. They. They thought they're going to win like.

[Max]

The Yankees, like Billy's.

[Big Cat]

The Ohio State had the ball for two minutes in the fourth quarter. It's crazy. It's nuts. Our. All right. Good show, boys. Numbers three. PFD.

[PFT Commenter]

Two, 11 memes. I'm going to give you 99.

[Hank]

Pug.

[PFT Commenter]

58, 44.

[Max]

Give me 85, 21.

[PFT Commenter]

You got. Oh. Oh.

[Steve Smith]

Hey, memes.

[PFT Commenter]

Have you ever gotten this?

[Big Cat]

I did get it. No, no, I got it. No, I did. Pfd. I got it. No, I got it. I got it.

[PFT Commenter]

Pfg.

[Big Cat]

I got it. I got President Pug. Wait, why are you talking to the mic? Present rule. Hey, respect the office. Dumb fucking who out of me. Max memes. Hank. Pft. Who has never gotten it. I believe it's me. Oh, good. Myself. I got it. I get that. Good pick. Pft.

[PFT Commenter]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Big Cat]

Way to go. That was his number. That was his number.

[PFT Commenter]

That was my number.

[Big Cat]

You don't get his number.

[PFT Commenter]

You don't get to turn President Pug's mic. You didn't.

[Hank]

You didn't pick.

[Big Cat]

We live in a society that was his.

[PFT Commenter]

We got deep state memes over here.

[Big Cat]

You technically did not pick that. No, that's his pick.

[PFT Commenter]

I got it.

[Max]

You're the one that I got hug into office.

[PFT Commenter]

I got the number.

[Big Cat]

You did.

[PFT Commenter]

That I got.

[Big Cat]

That's his pick.

[PFT Commenter]

Guess what?

[Big Cat]

But I got. No, no, no. You said, have you ever picked it, right? No, no, no, no. Have you ever gotten this? No, the question is, have you ever gotten this? Have you ever gotten this? That's what I was asking.

[PFT Commenter]

Yes.

[Big Cat]

No, you have not. You've never gotten this.

[PFT Commenter]

I think the question.

[Big Cat]

No, no, no.

[PFT Commenter]

Typically, I have gotten.

[Big Cat]

Gotten it because I said no, you get to know. Have you picked it, Right?

[PFT Commenter]

Have you ever. Have you ever, ever gotten this?

[Big Cat]

Not in the old studio, but yeah. No, you haven't. Never, ever. This is a win. He's never gotten there. This is a win. No, it's not. Well, Hank took the. The three ball out in the old studio.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, here come the excuses.

[Big Cat]

Oh, what? Remember it went missing?

[PFT Commenter]

Hank honestly lives in your head, Memes.

[Big Cat]

TFT has a win here. No, he has. He has gotten the number. You are the only one who has not gotten the number. Number. I'm now rooting so hard for Shane and Jack. Oh, my God. Oh, Shane's gotten it. Oh, Jack. Jack's guess, like four times total. Oh, my God. We must get Jack a win. Oh, my God.

[Max]

I mean, that's way longer than last streak.

[PFT Commenter]

Memes. You were so close.

[Big Cat]

Yeah, You. You have the longest streak by far. No way. Four years. Someone's got to crunch the data. Hank's streak was long, but I think you went to the old studio. To this studio. But I just guessed it right.

[PFT Commenter]

No, you didn't. I got it.

[Big Cat]

Memes. What? Memes. What was your number? I guess. No, no, no, no, no. What was your number? I'll ask.

[Hank]

PFT.

[Big Cat]

PFT. What was your number?

[PFT Commenter]

I think it was at 58 PFT numbers.

[Big Cat]

What was your number? PF.

[PFT Commenter]

Oh, my. My number was two.

[Big Cat]

Okay, two is up there.

[PFT Commenter]

Yeah.

[Big Cat]

PFT. Got it. I picked that well. And also, Pug, you is. It is. No, his mic's off.

[Max]

Respect the president. Secret Service, please turn the mic back.

[Big Cat]

Hank's mic is off. I picked the right number.

[PFT Commenter]

Memes is drunk with power right now, so. But the thing is, Memes, in picking my number, you knew that he would not want me to get it before him, right? So he was trying to pick a number that he didn't think would hit, and he's even bad at that.

[Max]

Is PFT still picking memes number, Pug? And vice versa.

[Big Cat]

This is.

[PFT Commenter]

I would say yes.

[Steve Smith]

I.

[Big Cat]

What do you guys think?

[PFT Commenter]

I'll. I'll continue to pick memes number if it. If it pleases the president.

[Max]

I mean, because we gotta. Like, we're trying to have a conversation.

[Big Cat]

Memes. We're trying to do a podcast. The podcast is over. Okay. Great job. Great job. Pft. Congrats.

[PFT Commenter]

Thank you.

[Big Cat]

Thank you.

[Steve Smith]

Thank you.

[PFT Commenter]

Appreciate you guys. I want to thank everybody out there that stuck with me. All the. All the PFT riders appreciate you. There's so many people in the room to thank. Big Cat, I want to thank you.

[Big Cat]

All right. Thanks for coming, Max.

[PFT Commenter]

Thank you very much for sticking with me through thick and thin. NFC beast for everybody. Pug, great job as president you've done. This has been a great era for the podcast. Shane, awesome as always. Never forget that really cool letter that you designed that one time. And the Chargers look great. Jack is doing an awesome job too. And most of all, there's one other person I forgot to thank, and that's you. Love you guys.

[Big Cat]

Sa. Sa.