Ringer Tailgate – Episode Summary

Episode: "New Top Five in the CFP, Plus Are Kiffin and Sarkisian Leaving?"

Date: November 19, 2025
Hosts: Van Lathan, Joel Anderson, Tate Frazier
Special Guest: Billy Gill

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the shake-up in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, explores the ongoing debate about playoff expansion, discusses the swirling coaching carousel—especially the futures of Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian—and features trademark Tailgate banter about traditions, conference strength, and the logistics (and chaos) of college football scheduling. The crew also pitches and debates a radical "opt-out week" scheduling idea, reacts to James Franklin's surprising move, and previews the biggest games of the week.

Key Topics & Insights

1. CFP Rankings Shake-Up & Conference Power Struggles

(03:18–16:36)

• Van’s Take on the CFP

  • Van emphasizes the SEC's continued dominance, pushing back on rumors of its demise:

    "The SEC is still in this bitch. ... If you look at these rankings right now, look at your top 10, A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Alabama—five in the top 10 from the SEC." (04:37)

  • NIL money changed the calculus of bag-dropping, with $500k offers now the new norm.

• Joel’s Big Ten Counterpoint

  • Joel argues the Big Ten has earned “premier conference” status and critiques the idea of playoff expansion for including too many marginal teams:

    “We don’t need to get the fourth-place team in the Big Ten or the SEC. ... If you lose two or three games, hey, man, you probably had a tough season, but we can pretty much tell within a reasonable doubt that you're not a national champion.” (09:50)

• Tate on CFP Objectivity & Clusters

  • Calls out the lack of true objectivity among committee members and the convoluted “cluster” system for rankings:

    "The way they grade out these teams, they do them in fours... when they're in the same cluster, they do head-to-head as premium." (18:27)

2. Should the CFP Expand Further?

(16:36–26:00)

• Van questions the value of expanding past 12 teams:

  "If you tell me right now that we are going to get a more solid champion because we add more teams to the playoff, I'm good with it. If not, I think it's good at 12, man. I really do think it's good at 12. And honestly, I think 12 is a fucking stretch." (14:09)

• Joel raises player welfare and fairness concerns:

  "My thing is, if you play more games, the good teams are more likely to get hurt ... If you're going to make them play more games, then you better be prepared to pay them more." (15:14)

3. Billy Gill’s Wild Opt-Out Scheduling Proposal

(27:05–41:10)

• Billy introduces "Opt-Out Week":
  Teams can opt out of their scheduled game late in the season and coordinate—or negotiate—new, mutually beneficial matchups, maximizing strength of schedule for playoff consideration.

  "You have a three, four-day window where any team in college football can decide, 'I'm opting out of my week 12 game,' and work with another school for a better matchup." (28:21)

• Mixed reactions:
  • Van: “I’m for flexible scheduling. Since all of these conferences have gotten so ginormous, I’m for it.” (37:57)
  • Joel: “This is a terrible idea ... it’s too logistically challenging. It doesn’t make sense.” (36:44)
  • The crew riffs on the implications for fans, players, betting, and bowl games, with trademark joking and back-and-forth.

4. Coaching Carousel: Kiffin, Sarkisian, and Franklin

Lane Kiffin Rumors

(44:33–56:37)

• Is Kiffin really leaving Ole Miss?
  • Joel: “He absolutely is taking this very seriously.” (45:05)
  • Van: “If Lane Kiffin is not coming out and saying, I will be at Ole Miss for years to come … if he’s not doing that, you have to ask why.” (47:36)
  • Both note that Lane seems to have a foot out the door and owes the program more stability.
  • Discussion of Kiffin’s coaching style—he raises a team’s floor, but can he win "the big one?"

Steve Sarkisian’s Job Security at Texas

(57:08–69:36)

• Sark called out for underachievement; does he survive?
  • Audio clip: Sark defensive—points to strength of schedule and adversity.
  • Van: "Sarkeesian’s like, look, I never said we was number one. Y’all said we was number one. ... He's got a point." (60:13)
  • Joel, bluntly: "Texas fans—get over your fucking selves. ... One national championship since desegregation, four conference titles in the last 30 years." (62:17)
  • Desmond Howard's social media adds fuel, hinting that the Texas job might open via “mutual parting of ways.” (68:34)

James Franklin to Virginia Tech

(76:39–79:42)

• A surprise move but deemed a home-run hire by all:
  • Joel: "He should not be available for Virginia Tech. ... It’s arguable that he was the best coach out there on the market." (76:59)
  • Van: "He gets to prove some things at VaTech that maybe he couldn't at Penn State." (78:32)

5. Games of the Week & Playoff Implications

(80:24–89:58)

• USC at Oregon is called the "biggest game of the week" and a career-defining opportunity for Lincoln Riley.
  • Van: "If they do, Lincoln Riley and SC officially back." (81:18)
• Other Matchups:
  • Pitt at Georgia Tech—a direct impact on ACC championship scenarios.
  • Arizona State at Colorado—curiosity about the state of both programs.

6. Banter, Culture, and the “Big Van on Campus” Segment

(91:48–99:17)

• Junction Boys Longevity: Van marvels at how many of Bear Bryant’s legendary Texas A&M “Junction Boys” are still alive well into their 90s, musing about the toughness and the secrets of their longevity.

  “What is in Junction, Texas, that these guys got into that’s contributed to this incredible longevity?” (94:37)

• Classic Tailgate Banter:
  • Digressions on competition vs. camaraderie in rec leagues, the seriousness of adult cheerleading, and message board mayhem.
  • Ongoing, tongue-in-cheek “beef” between Joel and guest Billy Gill.
  • Numerous running jokes including "You know I’m a G" and Van’s hyper-competitive pickup basketball tales.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Van Lathan (on CFP expansion):

  “I think with the fall off that you get between 6 and 10, 6 and 12, the quality of the team, the capability of the individual athlete, I think 12’s plenty enough, but I know it’s not going to stop at 12.” (14:09)

• Joel Anderson (on playoff fairness):

  “At a certain point, you want people to have as much of their roster as they’ve had throughout the year when they were compiling this resume ... and you better be prepared to pay them more.” (15:14)

• Billy Gill (on Opt-Out Week):

  "College football is full of its traditions, but now we’ve tossed that out with the playoffs and the nil and all that... So what if we revolutionized college football...?" (28:21)

• Desmond Howard (clip):

  “Don’t be surprised if that Texas job opens up at the end of the season... I’m not saying anyone’s going to get fired, maybe a mutual parting of ways, you dig?” (68:34)

Important Timestamps

• [04:37] Van’s reaction to new CFP rankings and the SEC’s resilience
• [09:50] Joel’s argument against further playoff expansion
• [13:18] Van on tradition vs. competition in college football
• [27:05] Billy Gill pitches “Opt-Out Week”
• [44:33–56:37] Coaching carousel: Kiffin speculation, Joel & Van on what coaches owe their programs
• [57:31] Saban clip & Texas fans/Sarkisian heat and context
• [68:34] Desmond Howard’s Texas coaching bombshell
• [76:39] James Franklin’s Virginia Tech intro—analysis
• [80:24–82:57] Preview and breakdown of Week 13's biggest games
• [91:48–99:17] “Big Van on Campus”: the Junction Boys, their legendary toughness, and surprising longevity

Summary & Takeaways

"New Top Five in the CFP, Plus Are Kiffin and Sarkisian Leaving?" offers one of Ringer Tailgate's liveliest explorations of college football's current chaos. The hosts blend sharp, data-driven analysis with irreverent jokes, cultural asides, and real talk about what makes the sport both maddening and beloved. The SEC’s staying power, playoff expansion controversies, behind-the-scenes coaching drama, and institutional quirks spotlight how much is in flux—but it’s their banter, authenticity, and willingness to spin even the weirdest hypotheticals (looking at you, Opt-Out Week) that make the show.

Memorable sign-off: If college football’s future means less tradition and more competitive chaos, Tailgate is here for the ride—bowl game stats, opt-out hypotheticals, and all.

For more, don’t miss their live Saturday shows and especially Joel's promised story about “raising the roof.”