Miami-Indiana CFP National Championship INSTANT REACTION

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack

Episode: Miami-Indiana CFP National Championship INSTANT REACTION
Date: January 20, 2026
Host: David Pollack
Guest: Brett Rollins (On3, PFF analyst)

---

Episode Overview

This instant reaction episode dives into the stunning College Football Playoff National Championship game between Miami and Indiana. David Pollack, joined by analyst Brett Rollins, breaks down Indiana's improbable rise—from college football's “losingest” program to undefeated national champions. The episode features detailed scheme analysis, key moments, standout performances (particularly Fernando Mendoza), and a playful but insightful "way-too-early" look at next year’s top teams.
Tone: Passionate, experienced, energetic, and packed with inside football knowledge.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Indiana’s Unbelievable Title Run

• Indiana, historically a bottom-tier program, completes a perfect 16-0 season to capture their first national championship.
• Pollack marvels at the turnaround engineered by Coach Signetti and the mentality shift across the program.
  • Quote: “Indiana's that good, man. They're national champions, like unfreaking believable. Like, it’s ridiculous.” (01:19)

2. Game Flow – Physicality, Grit, and Tactical Chess Match

• Indiana jumped to a 10-0 lead using aggressive RPOs, exploiting Miami’s off-coverage.
• Miami responded with halftime defensive adjustments, amping up their pass rush (Bane, Mesidor, Moton) and bringing the physicality.
• Both teams traded blows in a tight, back-and-forth second half highlighted by gutsy calls, big defensive plays, and standout individual efforts.
• Miami’s mistake-prone night (untimely penalties, block punt for a TD) proved costly—“when you lose by six and you gave away seven points…” (16:02)
  • “Indiana just continued to counterpunch... It took a lot of guts to win.” (04:09)

3. Signature Plays & Coaching Decisions

• Signetti’s Aggression:
  • Twice went for it on 4th down in the red zone—one a back-shoulder throw to Becker (hasn’t dropped a pass all year), the other a gutsy QB draw for a Mendoza TD.
  • “You’re up three… you probably kick it… No, no... we're going up ten. Like, go for it.” (04:54)
  • “To have the onions to call that for Signetti and to have Mendoza at your QB spot… that's not a normal dude.” (05:38)
• Miami’s Missed Opportunities:
  • Critiqued for kicking a long field goal instead of going for it on 4th down, leading to a miss and lost momentum. (15:07)
  • Crystal Ball’s “smart” clock management noted, but overall, his red zone calls are dissected.

4. Fernando Mendoza’s Heroics & Impact

• The clear MVP: played through “blood running out of his mouth” and delivered in the toughest spots.
• Repeatedly called “not a normal dude,” “best player in college football… it's not close.” (28:57)
• Noted for toughness, leadership, and making winning plays at key moments—a “character and guts” guy who elevates everyone.
  • Quote: “He’s going to put it on the line for his teammates… when your best player is that, you win championships.” (06:44)
• Brett Rollins adds, “He is the indelible image of this season. He is him.” (44:13)

5. Indiana’s Defensive Toughness and Special Teams Edge

• Defensive front held Miami’s massive O-line in check: “They could not pound Indiana up front.” (13:24)
• Multiple crucial stops on short yardage; bear front strategy compared to blueprint from Ohio State.
• Blocked punt (their 8th in two years) swung the game—“an absolute killer.” (12:49)
• Complimentary football—specials repeatedly pinned Miami inside their own 20. (16:36)

6. Miami’s Efforts, Key Playmakers, & Pain Points

• Miami’s D-line was relentless; Moton’s interior domination highlighted.
• Receivers and secondary scrutinized—Indiana picked on Miami DB #24 all game (“He got beat like he stole something.” (28:17)).
• Offensively, Miami could not ground-and-pound, but creative red zone play-calling from OC Dawson kept them alive.
• Carson Beck’s up-and-down night; frustrated, but made special throws on the move to keep Miami close.

7. Standout Individuals and Matchup Exploitation

• D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana, CB): Small in stature, elite in coverage and tackling—“If he was three inches taller, he’s a top 10 pick.” (25:59)
• Charlie Becker (Indiana, WR): Emerged as a star after injuries to others—called “the dude” and likely the highest-drafted of their WR trio. (28:35)
• Indiana’s veteran ballcarriers highlighted for their maturity and physical style.

8. Game Management & Penalties

• Coaches’ clock/errors late first half and sequence management debated.
• Both squads’ penalty discipline generally strong, but Indiana’s rare false start created “oh no” moments late.
• “Refs let them play all postseason,” with Pollack riffing on modern receiver/DB hand-fighting and how physical the game’s become. (27:27)

9. Legacy, Cultural Takeaways, and What Makes a Champion

• Pollack’s philosophy summarized: “When your best players are your best humans, contagious effort follows—makes coaching easy.” (06:44, 37:44)
• Indiana’s turnaround – “not a bigger turnaround… I’ve ever seen.” (07:17)

10. Way-Too-Early 2026 Top Five (Postgame Thought Experiment)

(Starting at 32:34)

• Pollack’s Top Five:

  1. Texas (“I feel way more confident about Arch Manning than last year… spending plenty of money, plenty of green.” (33:14))
  2. Ohio State (“Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Bo Jackson… will reload.” (36:21))
  3. Notre Dame (“CJ Carr showed a lot… schedule sets up well.” (38:42))
  4. Oregon (“Love the Ducks… Dante Moore coming back… transfer portal wins.” (35:03))
  5. Georgia or Miami (debated spot – Miami’s QB transfer potential, Texas on the fringe)

• Rollins’ Adjustments:

  • Puts Oregon #1 (“mainly because they have returning quarterback and growth in young weapons”), Indiana solidly in top five for respect.
  • Miami, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech as top ten risers due to NIL and portal activity.
  • Emphasizes “have to have your QB guy”—Mendoza’s rare.

• QB Salary Arms Race:

  • Discussion of NIL impact—“When you can pay Cam Coleman QB money, you’re in a good spot.” (43:01)
  • Miami’s pursuit of Dairy Mensah at quarterback highlighted as pivotal.
  • “If you don’t have a baller at QB, you don’t have a chance.” (43:09)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Pollack, on Indiana's rise:
  • “Not a bigger turnaround that we've ever seen… unbelievable game.” (07:17)
• On Mendoza's guts:
  • “Blood running out of his mouth and he’s just like, ‘that tastes good, I like that.’” (44:20)
• On coaching edge:
  • “The best play calling by Indiana all game: run on third and medium to slow the pass rushers—they did it in huge situations.” (16:55)
• On Miami’s costly errors:
  • “When you lose by six and you gave away seven points... penalties on third down, third and long, the block punt, obviously for a touchdown.” (16:02)
• Indiana’s special teams prowess:
  • “Their eighth kick blocked in the last two years, which is most in football…” (12:49)
• On defensive physicality:
  • “Ponds is tiny… if D’Angelo Pons was three inches taller, he’s a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft.” (25:59)
• On program-building:
  • “When your best player is your best human being and your best leader, that is contagious… easiest coaching job in the world.” (37:44)

---

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Opening Reaction & Indiana's Transformation: 01:18 – 07:17
• Key Moments, Scheme Analysis, Coaching Guts: 04:09 – 08:12
• Mendoza's Signature Drives: 05:38 – 09:16
• Defense/Special Teams Dominate: 12:49 – 14:47
• Miami’s Errors and Big Calls: 14:47 – 16:36
• Complimentary Football, Scheme Adjustments: 16:36 – 20:15
• Quarterback Play, Beck vs Mendoza: 24:01 – 28:08
• Individual Standouts (Ponds, Becker, DBs): 25:55 – 29:27
• Big Picture & “Best Players/Leaders” Culture: 06:44, 37:44
• Way-Too-Early Top 5 for 2026: 32:34 – 43:09

---

Final Reflections

• Indiana’s blueprint: elite leadership, experienced players, “complimentary football,” and relentless physicality—summed up as "just enough of that in the second half that I absolutely love."
• The 2026 championship game is praised for delivering the drama and quality fans hope for: “Exactly what a championship game should be like. What do we want more than anything? A back and forth game that comes down to where teams got to make a play late.” (29:56)
• Both hosts promise ongoing offseason coverage (NFL Draft, transfer portal, interviews with coaches).

---

Summary for New Listeners:
This episode is an essential, energetic breakdown of a historic national championship that cements Indiana’s place in college football lore. The analysis is sharp, deeply knowledgeable, and often candid, spotlighting not just the big plays but the cultural shift that drove Indiana to glory. If you want to understand what happened—and, more importantly, why it happened, on the field and in the locker room—Pollack and Rollins deliver the definitive postgame reaction.

Transcript

[A]

A KFC tale in the pursuit of flavor. The Colonel made his $10 Tuesday bucket so full with eight pieces of juicy.

[B]

Crispy chicken or tenders that it might.

[A]

Just last you till Wednesday. If you've got that kind of self control.

[C]

I mean some people want leftovers, others.

[B]

Are more into right nowers.

[A]

The Colonel lived so we could chicken 10 bucks 8 pieces. One big deal with KFC$10 Tuesdays. Prices and participation may vary. Taxes, tips and fees extra if you're.

[D]

The purch manager at a manufacturing plant. You know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[E]

And how about that Polack interception in the end zone?

[A]

Well, it's David Pollack and I think people are going to learn what kind of ball player he is. He's got a heart of a line. I'm real proud of that kid.

[B]

This is C Ball. Get Ball.

[A]

College football's top show for football analysis.

[B]

Predictions and coach interviews. Now here's your host, three time All.

[A]

American, seven time Emmy award winner, David Pollock. We got what we all wanted. Welcome in to Seaball. Get Ball. We got a great game. We got a great national championship game back and forth, five touchdowns in the second half. Indiana, you know the losing his franchise in the history of college football. When Signetti took over, they didn't play anybody like Indiana didn't play anybody this year. They played trash, they played garbage. They let some teams hang around and they kind of got bailed out or they're just fricking that good. Indiana's that good man. They're national champions like un freaking believable. Like it's ridiculous. Jamari Sharp is the name of the young man who sealed the deal for Indiana. Beck was driving with a chance to really change history like you talk about like the way he's looked at the way he's drafted possibly. This was a back and forth game like crazy. Indiana did what they what they do always. I they started off hot, started off 10 to nothing. Here's what I loved about Miami's game plan. I don't love cheap shots. I don't recommend cheap shots. It's not something that I support even though I am a defensive guy. But here's the thing. When you carry out fakes and you run all this RPO game and option game that Indiana does, if it looks like you're running with the football, take the liberty to take somebody's face off. And the idea behind it is you be physical with a quarterback and you make him think about it, and you make him think about carrying out those fakes. You make him see a little bit of ghosts. And here's what I'll say. Man, Miami did a great job. They crossed the line probably a couple times with, with what they did in the targeting, probably low in the lower in the head, underneath the chin, but Mendoza's bloody. They're not in the greatest rhythm, you know, in the first half. The Bane and Mazador are getting to them, you know, more than Indiana's accustomed. But. But I think Indiana's scheme and their players out wide were the difference in the game because the free access out wide early in the game, like Indiana's drives, what do they do? Spread them out, throw the ball. Miami sagging really, really far off. By the way, if you want to talk about somebody that got picked on tonight, 24 in the secondary for Miami, it was like, where is he? Throw it at him. They did a really good job of taking advantage of that matchup, but that's how they got on the board early. They got the three points on the first drive and then Miami doing Miami things is what led to the 10 to nothing. Third down and six. Defensive PI for Miami. Third down and 13. Bane jumps off sides next time that.

[F]

What.

[A]

What do they do? They run the football. They get. They get a first. Indiana gets a huge first down and go down the field. They score and it goes up 10 to nothing. And this game, you know, looked like it was possibly going to be similar to the ones we saw, you know, in the past. Like, is Indiana going to run away with it? But. But a phenomenal job by Miami coming out in the second half, adjusting their offense immediately. But more importantly, this the first drive of the second half, man. Bane, the Mezadore, both got sacks, both got involved. They got another penalty, but they still got off the field. Tell you what, man, Miami's defense, like it, it's. It is. It's fun to watch, man. And it's not just Bane and Mazador. If you watch Moton on the inside, he dominated the football game. 99 finally back healthy. He was eating people's lunches. But, but you, but you got to respect the way that Indiana just continued to counterpunch continued to counter punch. What did Signetti say after the game? It took a lot of guts to win. 100%. 100%. It took a lot of guts. And guess what? When you needed it the most, who showed you the guts on this team? Signetti. 4th and 4, go for it. Throw it to Becker. Why? Because Becker doesn't drop balls. Hasn't dropped one all year long. Dude, you're up three with nine minutes to go. You don't throw the ball, you probably kick it to go up 6. No, no, no, no, no. We're going up 10. Like go for it. Throw the back shoulder. And then it's fourth and fourth and five inside the 20, another opportunity to kick the field goal. To play conservative. Play conservative. Signetti said Google Analytics. He googled analytics. It says go for it. And it says give it to the guy who isn't human. Like he's not human. Like we talked about. One of the keys to the game. Can Mendoza be human? Yes, he's human because he bleeds when they hit him in the mouth. He bled, right? You saw him bleeding. But in the biggest moment, fourth and five, what the heck do you do? You go to Mendoza, you run a quarterback, draw his big arse, makes a ridiculous cut to the right because he sees the safety is not fitting, and guess what? Breaks another tackle, gets the crap kicked out of him, stumbles into the end zone. Absolutely un freaking believable. To have the onions to call that for Signetti and to have Mendoza at your quarterback spot, man, that's not a normal dude. Nick Saban said it a long time ago, man. And the reason why Indiana won, it's as simple as this, man. The reason why this team came together and the reason why they just did what they did. When your best, when your best players are also the best humans on your team, it spreads to every single person. Mendoza has the character, the guts, the game. Like he's going to put it on the line for his teammates, he's going to say the right things, he's going to give his teammates the shine. When your best player does that, when your best player is that you win championships, that's what separates you from everyone else. I told you the Final Four, whoever had Mendoza was going to win. Like if you watch tonight, it's exactly the same thing, but Indiana into frickin the Anna. I mean, unfreaking. Who, who, who's yours? Well, I'm sure we'll get one of those from Signetti, man. Like not a bigger turnaround that we've Ever seen definitely in my lifetime. I don't know of one. I'm. There might be one in like the 1970s or something like that. But what an unbelievable, unbelievable game. Brett Rollins, get in here, brother. So much to, so much to discuss. So many plays that and schemes in this game. Brent writes for On3 and Pro Football Focus knows the game inside now. But Brent, I mean where do you want to go, man? That but the onions late in the game obviously was, was the difference. That's why they won period.

[B]

The biggest comeback or sort of turnaround in program history in all of sports. You could likely say to go where they were two years ago to where they are now and remember what we talked about in the preseason. What do you think we'll ever see an undefeated champion again? Nope, didn't think it. 16 0. They just put it, they just put their stamp on a 160 first, you know, undefeated in the obviously the 12 team playoff. But Mendoza, the Mendoza play on fourth back to back fourth downs, the throw and then the catch by Becker and then the run on 4th and 5 which they, you could see that they have been setting that up for quarter and a half in terms of how they played certain formations in third and fourth down. But the two and one of the things I was going to ask you later but I think it's a good time to ask now what we remember most about College Football in 2025, 2026, it's for Fernando Mendoza and those two plays, the play against Penn State in the back of the end zone, Iowa.

[A]

I was freaking unbelievable late.

[B]

Like the dude, the dudes stretching out for the td.

[A]

Like the dude's made of all the right stuff, man. Like it's as simple as you've got. And listen, I, I don't think Indiana is going anywhere from a national landscape, but they're never going to have that dude again.

[C]

Matt Money Smith here from Believe in Chargers talking to you about the Game time app. What is it? Tickets. I like going to sporting events, right? And there's nothing I hate more than hitting checkout and bang, my cost has gone up by 20%. That is not going to happen with game time. First of all, you get 100% legitimate tickets at the best price. That is the game time guarantee. If you find tickets in the same section and row for less, they're going to credit you 110% of the difference. On top of that they've got zone deals. That means when you choose a section and you let game time choose the seats, you can get a discount that way Seat views Panoramic view from your seat in the app before you buy and they have that lowest price guarantee. What you see is what you pay. So use our code believe that's B L E A V 20 bucks off your first purchase again download the Gametime app create an account use the code Believe Bleav for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply again create an account redeem the code bleav for 20 bucks.

[A]

Off the new year brings new health goals and wealth goals. Protecting your identity is an important step. Your info is in endless places that could expose you to identity theft leading to funds. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, our restoration specialists will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Resolve to make identity, health and wealth part of your New year's goals. With LifeLock, save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com Special offer terms apply if.

[F]

You owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt, medical bills, or personal loans. Help is here. More and more Americans turn to credit cards to get by. National debt relief is helping qualified clients reduce what they owe. For many continuing to struggle making minimum monthly payments could take years to pay off. National debt relief has already helped over 550,000Americans reduce their debt by negotiating directly with their creditors. When you call, you'll be amazed at how much you can save and how quickly you can become debt free. If you want off the debt treadmill, visit nationaldebtrelief.com today. You don't need to declare bankruptcy and you may qualify for significant debt relief. To find out what savings you may qualify for, simply Visit National Debt Relief.com that's National Debt Relief.com if you're an H Vac technician and a call comes.

[A]

In, Grainger knows that you need a.

[F]

Partner that helps you find the right.

[A]

Product fast and hassle free. And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking.

[F]

Blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat.

[A]

With Grainger's easy to use website and.

[F]

Product details, you're confident you'll soon have.

[A]

Everything humming right along. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Like that dude is the difference. Like I remember we we talked about him in the preseason and how good he was and how special he could be. And then we talked about his numbers and his numbers were really, really good this year. But when his numbers but when he needed it the most, he played his best Football. And he did again, again, more touchdowns than incompletions coming into this game. Five touchdowns or eight touchdowns. Five incompletions. And I think. You know what, here's what, here's another thing too. Mendoza deserves a credit, but so does this Indiana defense and special teams because there we go. Because when you talk about this team, man, the special teams, the block punt, it was an absolute killer because Miami's defense, they got all the mojo back. Getting to get into Mendoza, he didn't have a. Mendoza didn't have a completion until the fourth quarter. So while he was finding it again, like, and while this offense was finding it again and Miami's defense was winning, they block a punt, their eighth kick blocked in the last two years, which is most in football, continue to not make penalties until late in the game. That almost cost him, by the way. That would have been crazy to see if some of those penalties late. But, but the defense, could Miami come in and be the big bad bully? Like, could they pound the rock? The answer is, hell no, they couldn't. Like, they could not pound Indiana up front. They, they got in the pistol and they've done what they did to Texas A and M. They got in the pistol and they did what they did to Ohio State. They got in the pistol and they did what they did to Ole Miss. They did it to Indiana and dudes didn't move. They didn't get knocked off the ball consistently. Indiana, by the way, bringing all those guys in tight, running a bear front. Ohio State did too. They just still got beat up front, but so many plays, so many guys inside. I love what they did in the second half when they come out and they go Fletcher and they go stretch from the pistol a little less predictable, which I think was a, a great decision. But Indiana met the physical challenge that, that Miami. It took them one time, Brent, in the first half. It took them four run plays to get 10 yards, like four run plays. And they got it by this much like everything Fletcher had at 6 to 2, 25. And they barely got like. Indiana more than met that challenge physically of that huge offensive line where they're outweighed by 50 or more. £50 by more than £50aman.

[B]

That was the drive that crystal ball went forward on fourth down on his own territory. And they got it by the true nose of the football on that drive. I actually thought on that same drive, I, I did not like the kick, the field goal kick at that point either. I like that guy.

[A]

I thought they should have gone for it.

[B]

That to me, that was a. I like my note in that at that point in time in the game was game over, question mark. Because they didn't go for it there and they kicked the field goal. The kid misses it like he's been iffy from 40 plus like the, the whole time. So like that was, you know, one.

[A]

Thing to your point right there though. I love the way Crystal Ball managed the clock because he let it run all the way down and took a timeout, which is smart. That's a great job. So you leaving the end of less time if you do miss. That was good. I thought Signetti dropped the ball before the half too. Like.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

They've always been so aggressive before halves and I've watched him at Iowa steal points, steal a long range field goal and be aggressive. They didn't even give themselves a chance. They kept timeouts in their pocket that they shouldn't have. I thought it was a bad job by them. So we could go tick for tack with that.

[B]

But we talked about earlier today, we talked about in the end, oftentimes these games are lost and Miami's gonna look back and they're gonna. You mentioned some of them, the penalties on third down, third and long, the block punt, obviously for a touchdown. Like when you lose by six and you gave away seven points, which I think somebody in the chat, you know, catching, catching the ball inside the 10. Like I, I have a theory on that because you know, that's one of the things that people instantly go to is like, hey, weren't we all taught that put your feet on the 10 yard line.

[A]

That's not the rule in college football, by the way. It's not the rule in NFL football either. They don't do that anymore. That used to be the case like 20 years ago. Now it's the five. Like literally they go to the five when also all these guys have learned how to drop the nose of the football stops and dies and you don't want to get hosed. Hey, four second half possessions by Miami, they were inside their own 20 by being pinned back deep by special teams by Indiana. Like it's complimentary football, man. Like that's what they do. They don't beat themselves. It's one of the most well coached team we've seen. We've seen. We talk about having a bunch of veterans on the squad and older guys. You know what else they do? They don't panic like second half, man, I also look, you know what else they will never. Indiana is as much as people will want to in football, they will want to. People get so sick. Fans, they get so sick of, why do you keep running the football? Why do you keep running the football? Indiana will not abandon the run, and because of it, they're successful. They had a. They had a stretch where it was like, run, run, run, run, nothing. And then bam, they go for eight, they go for 10, they go for 12. Like, you have to throw those bodies. Blows. You have to keep Miami guessing. They did just enough of that, man. Just enough of that in the second half that I absolutely love. And honestly, the best play calling by Indiana all game. They did one thing in the first half, and it's the only reason that they were up 10 to nothing at the half. It should have been probably tied or closer. What did they do to. To the pass rush? They ran the ball on third and medium. Hey, when you got great pass rushers that pin their ears back, that goes like. That's what they do, man. They hunt, you know, you slow them down. You run the football like. And they did it in huge situations. They also ran, you know, a screen too, which didn't work. But they did the best they could to continue to slow those guys down. And when you slow those guys down, man, it just puts a little doubt in my head, right? Like, it just puts the little. Littlest bit. All right, Hooers. Yeah. Hey, before we finish, thanks to Edmonds. Big thanks to Edmonds for supporting C Ball. Get ball tonight. National championship nights. When you're selling your car, it can be tough. It's like deciding whether you go for it on 4th and 5, the national championship, or 4th and 4. Might have seen that tonight. You go for it. Yeah, you go for Edmunds. They have all the tools to help to make buying or selling cars really easy at any point. With their online appraisal tool, you can see how much your car is worth and even get instant offers for your car. It's free. It takes as little as. As an interview on the field after the game. So that's how. That's how fast it is. Your car appraisal, the offer, you use that, you take that, man. Use it as leverage with your dealership, because you know those dealerships, sometimes they'll lowball you like crazy. But if you're going to trade your car in, sell it to your dealer, make sure you know what the heck it's worth. So when you're selling your car, check the value, get your score so you can get what you deserve. Um, you can find out how much your car is worth quicker than a TV timeout. Go to edmunds.com appraisal that's e d m u n d s.com edmunds we drive it like it is. All right, so the second half, man.

[B]

So do you think. Question, question, quick question. Yeah. Do you think Miami's initial plan defensively of a lot of off coverage, kind of given the free access on the RPOs, do you think that had anything to do with Lucas being out in the first half?

[A]

Yes, 100%. And I say that because it changed immediately as soon as he came in the game. Literally, the first play where they get a sack, it's. It's more. You've got to trust your corners if you're going to play up, man, you got to trust them to not get beat deep. Again, what are defensive coordinators scared, Shiznik? List of Getting beat over the top. Getting beat over the top. Here's the thing, man. Surratt doesn't beat you over the top. That's not. That's not what he does. That's not his game. Like, I would.

[B]

I thought they'd go press, bail like I thought they would play some press and bail off of that a little bit, but at least give the look to slow some of that down because they were winning so much in the. In the interior and the defensive line.

[A]

Well, I also thought that Indiana had. I thought they had some good play calls, too, to. To be able to run the RPOs and the ISO RPOs like, the different stuff off. I also thought Mendoza was really, really good with it and saw it quickly, got it out quickly. But then I thought Miami did a good. A really good job of adjusting. And you know what? The first time I've seen it all year long, man, when you go watch Mendoza's tape, when I say it's fun and enjoyable the last three games for them, man, when I say the ball's out on time in rhythm with his wide receivers, you don't see drops. You know why? You saw Surratt drops. And listen, I. I'm just telling you this. You saw it because Mendoza was sped up for the first time that I've seen him sped up in a long time. The ball was coming out a little bit quicker. Like, again, you want to hit that back foot and you want to get it out. It hit Surratt that one time in his hands. When he drops it, it's because the ball got on him so quickly, like it was on there a little. He had another one that he could have caught on the outside that. That he stabs a lot of the times and makes that play. It was there just a little bit too quickly. Miami did a good job of speeding that up just a smidge, hitting him enough where he's trying to get rid of the football.

[B]

You would give you some numbers to back it back up. Your point here? Yeah. 2.7 seconds is his average time to throw for the season. In this game, it was 2.32.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

On average, like so. That's like. That's big time. But the drop. That was only the seventh drop they've had all year. The Surratt drop, which was a big drop at the time, but it ended up setting up the punt. The punt block, but. But still, that was one like this. This was. If you're. Especially if you're a football nerd and you. The scheme part of this, the back and forth with these coaches in this game was just phenomenal to watch. Of. Okay, hey, we're playing off. We're gonna go quick rpo. All right, now you're pressing. We're going to go RPO towards the middle of the field. We're going to run screens. We're going to do different things that way. Like certain little things that each team did back and forth. Great coaching. Now we'll say fun.

[F]

The.

[B]

The last part I was. I thought was going to be a. Oh, why did you do this moment with Signetti and it's third and five and you don't put it in Mendoza's hands with those receivers and that qb and you don't put it in his hands to just go get a first down. And then you just. You settle for the field goal. Basically run it again.

[A]

I was like, oh, first off, it was very un. Indiana because they jumped off sides. The game's over.

[B]

It's second one.

[A]

The game is over. Indiana does what they never do. They commit a penalty, they back it up, and then Miami brings the house several times in a row with the right. Like, I'd probably get that thing to Mendoza, but it's. You know, they. They did it. They did their job. They finished the drill. Carson, Beck, Miami's offense. They rushed for 20, 20 yards in the first half. We're getting absolutely owned. Couldn't. Couldn't ground and pound.

[B]

They had that look on his face. He had that look like, I'm frustrated.

[A]

He was frustrated. You could. You saw it on the third and short when he handed it off. He got frustrated, which I don't love that look personally for. For my offense. I just don't I don't like that. Look, I need you to be in control. And when you screw up, I don't need you to react. And when somebody else screws up, I don't need you to react. Like, I don't need you to change the opinions of my team. But he. They could not get the running game going. Came out in the second half. Great adjustment. They went wide. Busted the big play with Fletcher. But I tell you what, man, they're over six on third downs. And going into the second half, Carson makes that scramble play to Daniels. That was an elite play by Carson Beckman. An elite play. Like, what he does poorly is a lot of times, if he's going to evade the pocket, he'll leave it too fast and get chased down. He did a good job of starting to leave the pocket, but then stopped, used his guys. Daniel's scramble drill was amazing. Did a great job. And he hit him. And then they go down the field. And let me tell you something, all you Miami fans. Dawson was dialing late. Like, the creativity in the red zone, the creativity to get the ball to Tony, by the way, in the flat off of the fake, which was beautiful, and then fake it, Tony for the Fletcher touchdown. When he goes basically fullback, video game style, fullback, dive. Like, they kept dialing up huge plays and use creativity to get back in the game. Several times, man. Several times. But you know what? Indiana's defense, their zone coverage that they stick to just so much, it's just so good, man. They're tackling one of the best tackling teams in the country. What did they do? They came up and got people on the ground, like, very few. The Tony play when he hit the Little Bang 8 and they got it to him and he kept running. But, like, guys don't miss tackles. Ponds is tiny, okay? He's.

[B]

Please talk about him. Like, how can you not love that dude as a football player, even as.

[A]

A fan, if D' Angelo Pawns was three inches taller. D' Angelo Pawns is a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Hands down. D' Angelo Pons is tiny, by the way. High school teammate, remember of Jeremiah Smith. That dude, like, he saw what it looked like at a high level, but his coverage is elite. His tackling is unbelievable. Like, unbelievable. Like, unfreaking believable. So, like, their. Their zone eyes and the way they broke on the football and the way they tackled was just so elite. Because I'm like, Miami, just check the ball down, like, make the easy plays. Because Miami, because Indiana did a good job early in the game, Indiana is a pressure team. They love to bring pressure and simulated pressures. They were like, all right, I'm gonna drop eight. Carson throwing windows. And Carson was like, I was not ready for this. Nobody told me this was on the test. It was like me walking into a test in college. Like, I didn't even know we have a study guy. Yeah, I went on test days. It's the only days I went. I remember at Georgia, we didn't drop passes. We dropped classes. But. But I. I thought that the. The coaching edge early. I thought Indiana really confused Carson and went with the. With the Drop 8. They kind of caught him off guard, and he kind of struggled out the gates because of it.

[B]

All right, so at what point did you think, like, an actual. The cops are going to have to be called for their. For their penalty to be thrown because they were letting them play.

[A]

They did it all postseason, though. They all postseason, man. Like, defensive backs, you. You. You have never had it so good. Like, you've never had it so good. And if I was them, I'd be doing the same exact thing. I'd be handsy as a mug. But here's what I'll say. Here's what I'll say, though, if you're going to continue to. The game of football has now changed so much, and receivers have changed so much because it is basically, receivers are allowed to put hands on you at all times. Like, they. They are going to put both hands on you like crazy. Both hands and then extend. Well, if you're going to put your hands on me, I'm gonna put my hands on you. And so I think the one they.

[B]

Actually called at one point was not the greatest call. Like, there's, like, the holding call late in the game on 24. They met on a. On a slot.

[A]

I don't even want to. I don't want to say his name because I don't want to be so disrespectful. But 24 got beat like he stole something.

[B]

Yeah, he was.

[A]

He got. It was like. Well, it was like. It was like, hey, Where's Waldo? Where's 24? Okay, I'm going at 24. Like.

[B]

But still, though, you think about what. What took Indiana from being really good to being 16 0. Great national champ. Great. It's the emergence of Charlie Becker. It's him being the third guy and coming and coming out of nowhere, and it's like they weren't even going to play him until Surrat gets hurt against Penn State. And it's like that guy's just the dude.

[A]

Like sure. Or that Mendoza just went nuclear. But your offense, I get you and that's great. And he's a really good player. But that dude is that dude. And Mendoza is the best player in college football. It's not close to. There's not a close second. Like he is so good. And Becker made some plays. Do not get me wrong. Like Becker is probably the highest picked.

[B]

Guy of their three receivers. I bet.

[A]

I don't know Cooper's, Cooper's got that wiggle. Cooper's got the most wiggle. And then in today's game, you know you win, you got, you can be smaller and win. But no, Becker was fantastic. Him being black running the rock consistently downhill, 23 and 24 year old grown men who are experienced and they run angry. Like run angry. But. But I mean.

[B]

I think it's Curtis in the chat makes a great point. Great game. Exactly what a championship game should be like. That's when you what do we talk about? What do we want more than anything? What do we want to see more than anything? We want to see a back and forth game that comes down to where teams got to make a play late and it was about to get very interesting. And then Carson Beck said I'm going to try to try to make a deep shot. And it then ended in Indiana took it and they are the champs. Three straight Big Ten championships, three state.

[A]

Big Ten champions, national champions. So, so this naturally we're going to, we're going to wrap that up because we just, we beat the mess out of that. There's not a better, there's not a better recap in college football. If there is, send it to me. I'd love to disagree with you.

[E]

What are you doing in a meeting? That could have been an email. That's right, you're losing interest. Don't let it happen to your money too. Vanguard's Cash plus account can't help you at work, but we can help with your savings because Vanguard believes in giving you more. So how much interest could you earn? Find [e-mail] cashplus offered by Vanguard Marketing Corporation member FINRA and SIPC.

[F]

If you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt, medical bills or personal loans, help is here. More and more Americans turn to credit cards to get by. National debt relief is helping qualified clients reduce what they owe. For many continuing to struggle, making minimum monthly payments could take years to pay off. National debt relief has already helped over 550,000Americans reduce their debt by negotiating directly with their creditors. When you call, you'll be amazed at how much you can save and how quickly you can become debt free. If you want off the debt treadmill, visit nationaldebtrelief.com today you don't need to declare bankruptcy and you may qualify for significant debt relief. To find out what savings you may qualify for, simply visit nationaldebtrelief.com that's national.

[D]

Debt relief.com if you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why, hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[A]

And this, this, this is, this is sadness for everybody, I'm sure, because we're getting to the end. But you know what time it is. It's time to do the top five for next year. Because why not? Like we ran, it's way too early to do a top five. Way too early. Makes no sense to do a top five for next year. But really quickly, we'll do a top five. We'll just think about the number one teams, number two teams, number three teams. Do you have Miami or Indiana in your top five? That's a, it's a fun question that's going to ask. So you want me to start, you want me to start with the top team next year?

[B]

You, you go first. I'll, I'll, I'll react to yours. I'll give you where I would be different. It's your, it's your show. You go first.

[A]

It's our show. I'm trying to, I'm trying to remember who I had because I'm so excited. I got to go back to my, to my list. Okay. All right. So I'm doing this because you shouldn't do this. You shouldn't go back to the team that was ranked number one last year. I'm going with the Texas Longhorns. I'm going Texas number one should never do it. Why would you pick hook them like they can't make the playoffs? Arch Manning looked really, really good last year, by the way. Like, I feel more confident about Arch Manning next year than I did this year. That's a fact. Like, I feel way more confident. And they are spending plenty of money, plenty of Money hook them has plenty of green and they're spending that green and must champ. The biggest thing to having that must champ in that age in that culture. So I think that Texas with the Portal editions and who they are and what they are, I think I got Texas preseason on our way, way, way, way too early. And doing this right now is absolutely stupid because. Because we don't even know who's finished there being there yet, which is even dumber. But, you know, I know who they added in the Portal, and I know they're really, really good. And I know who. How Arch Manning finished and I know who Will Muschamp is. I. I'm going Texas. They haven't been here in a while. I'm going to Longhorns number one.

[B]

I almost. I don't even have him in my top five.

[A]

Oh, really? Okay.

[B]

I got. Mainly because I. I feel there's a. When we go preseason, there's an element of this season.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then who returns quarterback?

[A]

I don't do that crap. I don't care about this season.

[B]

I went. Oregon is my preseason early. Way too early. Number one team.

[A]

That would make a lot of sense. Hey, the. The Big Ten win in their fourth straight Big Ten championship by a different team. How about that? Like, that would be. You talk about dunking. Absolutely. Dunking on somebody. That would absolutely be it. Dante Moore coming back, all the young weapons, the people that are going to grow up, the way that they've hit the transfer portal. Absolutely love the Ducks. I would have the Ducks in the top five, 100%. Those are too unanimous, though, because I'm putting the. I'm putting. Okay, so you're put. I'm putting one in. You're putting one in. I unanimously support Oregon. I think the way they ran the ball this year, the way Dante Moore grew throughout the season, I think he's only going to get better. Remember, he's. He's. He. He. He got to sit and watch for a year, and that was his first time playing, so. First time playing in those uniforms. I really, really like that. Remember, guys, see ball, get ball. We're going to do this all offseason, but we're also going to talk about. Talk with coaches of all these teams that coach these guys that are going to the draft, talk about deep dives into the draft. And we'll talk with these college football coaches, too. And before you know it, spring will be here and we'll be doing more of the talks about all this stuff.

[B]

So we got the rest of your top five so you got Texas one.

[A]

I'm absolutely what I saw from Julian saying I got Ohio State 100% in the top five. And here's another thing, too. How about the way they reloaded from a year ago and just came right back. Going to be, going to be hungry again. Is four still there? Is that, that, that wide receiver guy that, that Jeremiah? He's, he's still there, right? Okay, so offense is going to be easy. Bo Jackson's back, offensive lines back. I think that Ohio State to me is, is going to be a Chris Henry junior. I play with his dad. He's coming in. He just looks just like the next freak. So it's just, hey, let's have another one, two punch. They're going to lose a lot of guys, but, but I trust Ohio State to be right back in the top five.

[F]

Okay.

[B]

All right. So you got Texas, Ohio State. Who else? I'm writing this down as you do it because I got to write down.

[A]

Who else you got. You.

[B]

Can you get the next one for me? I put Indiana too, because the proof is in. The proof is in the pudding. Like, Sig's not going anywhere and he's already went and did a lot of portal shopping.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Hoover, Marsh, like, they went and got some players already. I, I put in more as out of respect for what they just did. And then also, you know that they've already replaced the QB part of it. I, I, that's why I put, I put them too.

[A]

They replaced the qb. Well, they got, they got a mouth. They got a QB with experience. Listen.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

The reason, the reason Indiana won a championship again, if you put Mendoza on any other team in this playoff, in this playoff, probably they win a championship. Like, that's how good that cat is. He ain't gonna be there anymore. I think Signetti's talent is going to go like this. But remember what I said to start this show. When your best player is your best human being and your best leader, that, that is contagious. It is the easiest, it is the easiest coaching job in the world when that happens. It's a lot harder when that changes. When you've got, when that guy is more selfish, when that guy is not as driven, it is a totally different animal. Like, totally.

[B]

You're a Fast and the Furious fan, aren't you?

[A]

Yeah, I like Fast and Furious.

[B]

The nitrous. It's the nitrous for your team. You know, you hit the, you hit the nitrous, get that little extra boost when that guy's that. But anyway, all right, Notre Dame.

[A]

Give me a Notre Dame. Give me Notre Dame early. I think C.J. carr showed you a lot. I don't know what they're going to be at running back. I know their offensive line is going to be good. I know their defense will be really, really good. I know they'll be pissed off. And I like their schedule. Like, their schedule is going to be.

[B]

That's a great point.

[A]

Their schedule is going to be fan freaking tastic. They're not doing what they did a year ago, guys.

[B]

Well, that's Miami. They still got Miami, right?

[A]

Still got Miami.

[B]

But. But that's about it.

[A]

That. It's. It's going to be fortuitous. Marcus Freeman was on the set tonight. Those guys are going to be pissed off. They're going to have a lot of. A lot of stuff in their neck.

[B]

Saban were. It was almost like Mark, he would make a point and then Saban be like, I don't know if I'd do that.

[A]

That's interesting. It's just because you. I. Yep. Continue.

[B]

All right, so you got Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon. Who else? Who's your other.

[A]

Well, you got. You got the lot. You got the last dibs.

[B]

So I actually had Oregon, Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Miami as much.

[A]

You're not going to put Georgia in there, you jerk.

[B]

I. I got them in my end because I'm assuming I'm going to make a pretty well assumption. I don't know if it's actually done, but Dairy Mensah will be at Miami playing QB next year. I'm. I'm gonna. Which is that assumption.

[A]

So big time for Miami because Fletcher's back, the. The cult back. Tony's back. Like. Well, I mean, yeah, Tony's back. Everybody has the window now, right, where they can. I think, where they still have the chance to. Can't they still do something after this? Like, I think they still have an.

[B]

Opportunity players in this game. Yes, very much.

[A]

I think so. So I, I don't. I don't know what the money situation is going to be, but when you, when you. I mean, but you better break them off. I mean, that, that's the thing. You best. You best to break them off. But I think George is your. I think Georgia's got to be your next best bet. Like Gunner Stockton, remember, was in his first year as a starter. That team was super young, super young. Super young defensively, like. And they, they came on obviously, throughout the season. They got some things to replace, but Georgia's kind of like one of those teams every year that you kind of go, okay, well, I mean, I'm going to plug them in the playoff. They're really, really good. Right. Like that's. It's kind of one of those teams.

[B]

You.

[A]

The trust factor is very high.

[B]

Yes. And actually, in terms of like my fifth team, it was Miami and Texas is who I was kind of tinkering with. And I thought, all right, Miami, you hung in. Hung in tonight. You might actually get better at quarterback. Likely we'll be better at quarterback, I think. And yeah, so I'm gonna put Miami there. Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame were the fringe teams for me because, I mean, don't forget Oklahoma gets material back an off season to kind of learn and evolve offensively as well as we know. You know, they're always gonna be good.

[A]

Defensively and the receivers and. And, you know, getting back to what they were early in the season offensively because they were. Man, they looked good before Matier's injury. Like he was. They were, they were on another planet.

[B]

I've looked at. I saw on three, they. I don't know who actually did. I think it was some of the writers that did a. Voting for their way too early for next year. And Texas, Texas A and M and Texas Tech, we're all in the top 10. And we had talked. You talked. I think it was last week. Hey, who you like in this room? You like teams from Texas?

[A]

If I'm betting on squads that are going to have the best squads in this system that we live in, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A and M, Oregon. Now listen, Miami's got some cash flow in there. Indiana's got some cash flow in there. And don't forget about Ohio State and Michigan because they've proven what they're willing to spend. The teams up north that they, they have the money like the south had the legal money for a long time that wasn't calculated as tax free. Right. Like, it was a lot different. Everybody cheated to an extent. It was just a matter of what extent you could cheat. But now with not. You're not playing the same game financially. Like when you can be like Cam Coleman. Hold on. Yeah, okay. One, two. When you can.

[B]

You want an extra mill.

[A]

When you can pay. Can Cam Coleman QB money, you're in a good spot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You should only be able to pay one guy that kind of money. Like you should be able to pay your quarterback that. And that's the only thing that can be justified. And I'm. I would do it if I was whoever I would. Miami's Miami's making a very smart decision this offset offseason. Very smart decision. They have to pay someone. They struck out on all of these guys. Mensah is a mother freaking baller. That dude is a baller. You've got to have a baller at qb. They've proven it. Cam, Ward, Carson, Beck. Like you got to find your guy or else you don't have a chance. If you got your guy, you got a chance. But here's, here's almost say we can land this plane. Not a lot of people thought Mendoza was that great.

[F]

Last year.

[A]

We were talking about him on this pod and we were like, this dude's special. And they're like, he was okay, Cal. No, no, you don't understand. He's 6 5, he's 235. He's tough as a mother freaker. Like tough as nails. Tough as nails. And so find your guy, you know, build it your way. But like we said, he's the indelible.

[B]

Image of this season. He is him. And that touchdown and that stretch like the guts that he showed in the.

[A]

Game, like blood, blood running out of his mouth and he's just like that tastes good. I like that. I like the taste of my own blood. Miami Hurricanes like, listen, you should be happy. Like it was a, it was a great season. It was a great ride. And you, you played in the. Listen, remember Oregon got the brake speed off of them. Alabama got the brake speed off of them. You just gave them a great game. A great game. Came up one place short. But it was a great season for Miami. Crystal ball proved, proved his worth. Like he proved how much he's grown because there's a lot of opinions. Listen, I didn't have a high opinion of crystal ball coming from Oregon to Miami playoffs. Everybody knew what. Everybody knew that crystal ball had some seasoning to get done still. Just like Kirby did, right? Like, and he, and he has, man, and he's, he's managed his team well. We will be here all off season like we said, man, covering the draft, talking to players in the draft, talking to experts with the drafts, making lists, creating all that stuff, man, for you guys this offseason while covering college football while covering the portal, while watching some tape. Man, we cannot thank you enough. Like we literally doubled our numbers on YouTube this year. I mean we, we, we doubled our numbers. We grew like crazy is because of you guys. So continue to rate, subscribe, do all that good stuff and we will see you very soon. We will see you Wednesday. We'll continue to to do our Monday Wednesday and start turning the page to the off season baby. Hoosiers number one national champs 16 and oh, unreal.

[E]

What are you doing in a meeting? That could have been an email. That's right, you're losing interest. Don't let it happen to your money too. Vanguard's Cash Plus Account Vanguard can't help you at work, but we can help with your savings because Vanguard believes in giving you more. So how much interest could you earn? Find [e-mail] cashplus offered by Vanguard Marketing Corporation member FINRA and SIPC.

[D]

If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[A]

If you like the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening. Listening.