Ringer Tailgate – Episode Summary

Episode Title: No Cinderella Stories in CFB, Plus Fraud Alert for Week 12
Date: November 13, 2025
Hosts: Van Lathan, Joel Anderson, Tate Frazier
Special Guest: Billy Gill (enters ~1:35:00)

Overview

This episode is a full-throttle ride through the chaos of college football’s Week 12, as The Ringer Tailgate crew dives into the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, exposes perceived “frauds” among contending teams, and debates whether Cinderella stories have any place in today’s game. With trademark banter, sharp analysis, and some wild tangents (plus a breakdown of a Grambling-Bethune Cookman fight and the oddities of Minnesota), Van, Joel, and Tate serve up a mix of humor and real talk that’s both irreverent and insightful.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. CFP Rankings: Credibility and Chaos

(07:15 - 15:45)

• Miami’s Jump in Rankings: Van is incredulous at Miami’s leap in the CFP, questioning the committee’s consistency. He suspects pressure and public opinion swayed them:

  • "Bullying works. Miami is now in the CFP. How on God's green earth did Miami jump up that far?" – Van (07:16)
  • Tate and Van discuss “style points” being cited by the committee, with Van dismissing that as “horseshit.”

• Head-to-Head Confusion & Credibility

  • Debate over Miami leaping Louisville, despite losing to them: Van argues for consistency, Joel points to week-to-week changes and contextual results (injuries, timing, etc.).
  • Joel suggests the committee’s transparency may fuel fan anger but is inevitable content fodder.
  • Quote: "People being mad, getting upset, that is the fuel of college football, man." – Joel (10:45)

• Strength of Schedule Double Standard:

  • Committee chair Mac Rhodes is criticized for dismissing ACC strength despite Florida State beating Alabama (Tate at 11:06).
  • ACC has more non-conference wins vs. current CFP ranked teams (Tate outlines this at 11:11).

2. ‘Best Teams’ vs. ‘Resume Teams’: Who Deserves a Playoff Spot?

(13:18 - 20:28)

• Debating the 12 “best” teams vs. most “deserving”
  • Not all top-12 teams are truly “best,” pointing at the Group of Five/Power Five disparity.
  • Joel: “Would you really rather see 10-2 Vandy, or 9-3 Texas, over an 11-1 Group of Six team?”
  • General consensus: Teams should be rewarded for on-field results, but resources and scheduling realities limit true Cinderella runs.

3. Why Cinderella Stories Don’t Happen in CFB

(18:50 - 25:45)

• Tate and Van contrast college football vs. college basketball playoff upsets:
  • Van: “College football is not a sport of Cinderellas. It’s a sport of upsets… At a certain point, there is a 300-pound man on the line across from you and you gotta move him.”
  • TCU’s 2022 run to the natty was as close as we’ve come—and even that ended in a blowout.

4. Fraud Alert & Resume Dissections for Week 12

(33:03 - 42:44)

• Teams with “Fraud” Concerns (34:27)

  • Notre Dame: “Notre Dame is the biggest fraud concern for me just because they legitimately do not have a good win on the season.” – Van (34:27)
  • Joel labels Michigan and Tennessee as “frauds,” breaking down their lackluster conference wins and poor eye-test performances (37:21).

• Resumes Don’t Stack Up

  • Overemphasis on “style points” over actual results noted as a recurring CFP committee theme.
  • Indiana, Texas A&M, and others criticized for feasting on weak conference schedules and “almost wins” over heavyweights.

5. Lane Kiffin’s SEC Spin & Neutral Site Debate

(26:07 - 33:03)

• Lane Kiffin suggests Vegas odds are better than the committee; Joel and Tate actually check with oddsmakers: “Indiana and Ohio State are both favorites over Texas A&M at a neutral site.”
  • Van: “Lane knows… the perception of Texas A&M helps the rest of the conference. This to me is nonsensical blibber, blabber,” (32:12)
  • Dick riding the SEC as a conference theme.

6. Family, Vets, and Generational Change Tangent

(00:59 - 05:45, 54:31 - 58:48)

• In the wake of Veterans Day, the crew shares heartfelt (and hilarious) stories about their fathers and grandfathers’ military service, leading to banter about changing family dynamics and manhood across generations.

7. Week 12’s Biggest Games: Stakes, Matchups & Historic Rivalries

(62:21 - 79:25)

• Top Games:

  • Texas at Georgia: Framed as a massive cultural game with implications for Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian’s future, and Georgia’s supposed “slippage.”
    • “This is a huge cultural game in college football. It’s a gigantic matchup.” – Van (62:49)
  • Oklahoma at Alabama: Both Van and Joel believe Oklahoma can upset a “gettable” Bama, analyzing pressure points for both teams.

• Other Marquee Matchups:

  • Notre Dame vs. Pitt (“strange” press conference from Pat Narduzzi who is fine with losing “110 to 10” as long as Pitt wins ACC games—see quote below)
  • Iowa at USC, Virginia at Duke, and a slew of ACC and Group of Five games with major playoff implications.

8. Memorable Quotes & Banter

• On the CFP Committee:

  • “You wonder if they’re taking this sh*t serious. I’m being for real here.” – Van (07:54)
  • “Justice for Louisville, justice for Miami over Notre Dame, justice for these teams…” – Van (13:18)

• On Lane Kiffin and the SEC:

  • "The SEC, man, again, the dick riding is crazy bro." – Joel (31:48)

• Pat Narduzzi, Pitt Head Coach:

  • "I gladly get beat 103 or 110 to 10 in that game. They can put 100 up on us. As long as we win the next two after that." – Narduzzi, via Van (44:01)

• On Cinderellas:

  • "College football is not a sport of Cinderellas. It’s a sport of upsets." – Van (20:28)

• On Allegiances:

  • “I don’t give a f*ck about any other team except for LSU.” – Van (29:08)

• On Modern Manhood:

  • "If it was 3,000 years ago, you wouldn't even be there. You'd be with me and Tate, hunting a boar." – Van (55:23)

9. Big Van on Campus: HBCU Fight Breakdown

(79:25 - 87:47)

• Van breaks down the Grambling vs. Bethune Cookman football fight using boxing scoring (“10-point must system”), playfully giving the win to Bethune Cookman almost solely due to “turning down the fade” and Grambling’s band not playing during the fight.
• “The Grambling Band is watching this happen and they’re not playing anything at all.” – Van (82:51)
• “BC fucked Grambling up. The final score of this fight is 30 to 26 Bethune Cookman.” – Van (84:39)

10. Guest Segment – Billy Gill’s Last Call from Minnesota

(89:35 - show end)

• Billy checks in from Minnesota, sharing oddities like “Paul Bunyan Land” and the Mall of America.
• His recap of the episode includes jabs that “Joel knows how to ride some dick. We learned that today,” referencing running jokes on “conference propaganda” and “dick riding.”
• The segment ends in riotous laughter, with the pod acknowledging more fun than rigorous analysis (“on analysis: 4; on fun: 11,” per Van at 91:52).

Notable Moments & Timestamps

• CFP Outrage, Miami Jump: 07:16 – 11:39
• Head-to-head/Resume Debate: 13:18 – 20:28
• Cinderella Discussion: 18:50 – 25:45
• Lane Kiffin/SEC/Neutral Field Probe: 26:07 – 33:03
• Fraud Alert (Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee): 33:03 – 42:44
• Pat Narduzzi Must-Win Rant: 43:44 – 45:10
• Week 12 Key Games Rundown: 62:21 – 79:25
• Big Van on Campus (HBCU Fight): 79:25 – 87:47
• Billy Gill’s Last Call / Minnesota Adventures: 89:35 – END

Final Thoughts

This episode embodies the Ringer Tailgate vibe: cramming real football analysis, irreverent humor, running inside jokes, and wild tangents into two hours. The crew is skeptical of the College Football Playoff’s process, unapologetically partial to blue bloods, and ever-ready to call out “frauds,” while championing what makes college football fun—even if, as they admit, there might be “more frauds than we think at this point.”

If you want to know who’s for real, who’s capping, and why there may never be a true Cinderella in college football, this episode is a must-listen—if only for Van’s Southern pride rant, Joel’s rational skepticism, and Billy’s Paul Bunyan Land travelogue.

Selected Quotes by Timestamp

• 07:16 Van: "Bullying works. Miami is now in the CFP. How on God's green earth did Miami jump up that far?"
• 11:06 Tate: "Florida State-Alabama, I guess, never happened. Now the committee has wiped that game from our memory."
• 18:54 Tate: "In college basketball we love Cinderella stories... in college football, we're trying to litigate the Cinderella stories out of the playoff."
• 20:28 Van: "College football is not a sport of Cinderellas. It's a sport of upsets."
• 32:12 Van: "This to me is nonsensical blibber, blabber."
• 34:27 Van: "Notre Dame is the biggest fraud concern for me just because they legitimately do not have a good win on the season."
• 44:01 Narduzzi: "I gladly get beat 103 or 110 to 10 in that game. They can put 100 up on us. As long as we win the next two after that."
• 55:23 Van: "If it was 3,000 years ago, you wouldn't even be there. You'd be with me and Tate, hunting a boar."
• 91:52 Van: "On college football analysis: probably like a 4. But on hanging out with your boys, fun—I'm gonna go 11, man."

Episode Verdict

Smarter than your fan forum, funnier than your coach’s press conference.
If you like serious CFB analysis with a side of absurdity, “No Cinderella Stories in CFB, Plus Fraud Alert for Week 12” delivers.