Notre Dame QB CJ CARR | SEC Tiebreaker Silly Season

Summary

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See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack

Episode: Notre Dame QB CJ Carr | SEC Tiebreaker Silly Season
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: David Pollack

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, David Pollack dives deep into the wild world of college football playoff scenarios, the upcoming NFL draft, stand-out players and coaches, and delivers an in-depth interview with Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, CJ Carr. The episode strikes a balance between strategic analysis, bold predictions, and lighthearted banter, highlighted by memorable quotes and keen insights. Expect detailed talk on the SEC’s complex tiebreaker rules, the unpredictability of the playoff chase, the current landscape of assistant coaching talent, a breakdown of top receivers, and, of course, a candid conversation with one of college football’s hottest young QBs.

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Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. SEC Tiebreaker "Silly Season" and Playoff Scenarios

[02:25 – 10:53]

• David & Wesley break down SEC tiebreaker rules: Head-to-head, records against common opponents, scoring margin, and—if all else fails—a random draw.
  • “The last one is terrific... it is a random draw of the tied teams. I’m picturing like the Friday Night Lights scene where they flip the coins in the truck stop.” — Wesley [05:25]
• Simulation fun: The crew uses an online tool to play out alternate SEC endings, emphasizing just how chaotic and improbable qualification paths are.
• Texas and chaos: Texas is still alive for the SEC title game but must win out.
• On Ole Miss: Technically “sitting pretty,” but the probability of making it to the SEC Championship is “very small…chaos has to happen for them.” — Brent [08:33]
• Playoff field speculation:
  • “You're going to have so many teams that are in this that are good, and the talent isn't that big of a gap.” — David [11:45]
  • Parity, injuries, and the unpredictability of college football all play a part in Pollack's skepticism over an undefeated champion.

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2. College Football Playoff Contenders & "Who’s In, Who’s Out?"

[10:53 – 18:55]

• Debate over undefeated teams & playoff surprises:
  • Are we finally getting a three-loss team in the expanded field?
  • “It will be chaos. There will be discussion points out the wazoo. All this will be debated.” — Brent [23:22]
• Teams likely to miss out:
  • Oregon's brutal schedule puts their chance at risk.
  • “I'd be shocked if they went undefeated the rest of the way.” — David [15:54]
• Best two-loss contenders: Utah impresses.
  • “They’ve found what they are offensively... they're going to run the piss out of damn Pier.” — David [19:27]
• The three-loss debate:
  • David predicts Texas could sneak in as a three-loss team thanks to strong scheduling and close defeats:
    • “Am I really going to penalize them for going across the country and playing a great out of conference team that we all got to enjoy? Like, I think that would come down. I think that would be a say in that matter.” [21:10]
  • Outrage if Oklahoma doesn't get in after running the table:
    • “If that's the case, like, I'm out of here. Like, I'm leaving the sport.” — David [22:54]

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3. Standout Assistant Coaches & the Broyles Award Watch

[23:37 – 32:42]

• David's Top 5 Assistant Coaches:
  • Matt Patricia (Ohio State): “To rebuild the roster and be where they're at…if he's not on the list of semifinalists, I'd be shocked.”
  • Bryant Haynes (Indiana): “They know how to play the ball in the air, it's technical and it's sound and it's great.”
  • Ryan Grubb (Alabama): “He’s done an unbelievable job continuing to dial up plays and develop a quarterback that's a first time starter.”
  • Aaron Roderick (BYU): “They've taken a freshman quarterback and remained undefeated and in some big moments they've been absolutely fantastic.”
  • Buster Faulkner (Georgia Tech): “To dial up all the crap he dials up, man, it's insane…it looks simple. And that's when you're a really good offensive coordinator.”
• Discussion on hiring trends:
  • “Nowadays... it's a new world of football... A lot of these guys that sit there and marinate for a while, they—like, Kirby knew exactly the playbook he wanted to use to go be successful…” — David [31:26]
  • Agents’ influence in creating coaching “buzz,” even when real candidacy is limited.

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4. The Impossible Task: Top 5 College Wide Receivers

[33:03 – 38:48]

• Pollack struggles to name just five:
  • “If you can narrow this list to five and go, I'm 100% sure this is the best five wide receivers in college football, I'll kiss your butt…It's just asinine, bro.” — David [33:03]
• Names to note:
  • Jeremiah Smith & Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Craver & Concepcion, Surratt & Cooper, Makai Lemon (USC), Danny Scuder(o) (San Jose State)—“the dude's a dude now,” Brazil (Tennessee), Chris Bell.
  • “Scudera…runs by guys like he's standing still…he's got that hesi crossover…love it.” — David [35:17]
  • Skyler Bell (Connecticut), K.J. Duff (Rutgers), Cooper Bar Crate (Harvard/Duke), Hank Beatty (Illinois).
• Brent on the WR explosion:
  • “It's the position that matters most to me in the sport, outside of quarterback.” [36:25]

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5. 2026 NFL Draft: Quarterbacks vs. Edge Rushers

[38:48 – 46:00]

• Previewing next year’s draft talent:
  • QBs: Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore, Ty Simpson, Lenoris Sellers (“a chunk of marble”).
  • Edges: Rueben Bain, UI Ang, Kendrick Falk, LT Overton, Cassius Howell, Arvell Reese, T.J. Parker, David Bailey, Romello Height.
• David on defensive difference-makers:
  • “Receivers are starting to become more and more prevalent. I need someone that can go get the quarterback and make his life hard.” [40:48]
• Brent’s focus:
  • “I want to see where Reese, Arvell Reese, and Caleb Downs go – likely the two best players.” [41:58]
  • On Reese: “He puts them things on you…every time you turn on the tape…that dude's ridiculous.” — David [42:23]
• On QB development: Sellers has raw potential but not enough tape.
  • "Lenoris is the perfect example of what could be—if it clicks.” — David [46:52]

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6. Podium Kings: Best Soundbites of the Week

[47:30 – 49:41]

• Fernando Mendoza on opponents loading up to stop Indiana’s pass:
  • “We’ll run 370 yards down your throat.” [47:57]
• Bill O’Brien calls out a part-time reporter:
  • “You come in here with these down questions. I'm not down. You can go out there in your dark clouded world or whatever it is and do what you want to do. We're not down. The sun is up and we're fighting.” [48:29]
• Dabo Swinney on referee accountability:
  • “There's a system of accountability, but y’all don’t know anything about it.” [49:41]
• Pollack explains referee grading and game prep:
  • “Every college team, when they go into a game, you know exactly what this ref is known to call, what he's not going to call... you have scouting reports.” [49:45]

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Featured Interview: Notre Dame QB CJ Carr

[50:42 – 62:50]

About CJ and the Notre Dame Choice

• Background: Grandson of Lloyd Carr, Michigan football royalty, but chose Notre Dame.
  • “All my cousins go there, went there. I have one there right now. But I visited Notre Dame…every time I came here, it just felt more and more like home.” — CJ Carr [51:52]
  • “They were, you know, one of the only schools in the country that didn’t think I was just going to go to Michigan. And...recruited me hard. And, yeah, I couldn’t say no, man. It’s the best place on Earth.” [52:08]

Learning from 2024’s Run & Riley Leonard

• Watched team recover from a bad start: “Inside the building you remember losing to NIU Week 2... you're at the bottom of the barrel... but you got to watch somebody come in every day and not worry about the outside noise.” — CJ Carr [52:53]
• On Riley Leonard: “He was going to do exactly what was needed…whether that was running it 12 times or throwing the ball, it was going to get done.” [53:46]

On Head Coach Marcus Freeman

• “His competitiveness and his love for the game…he feels like he's just one of us…Everything he does is competitive. He wants to win at everything he does.” [54:40]
• On Freeman’s athletic ability: “He's not like a baseball player...he can't hit real well, can't field real well, but besides that, he's great. I'm saying that because that would piss him off.” [55:25]

Team Culture & Personality

• Player #4’s (presumably RB) athleticism:
  • “He looked to our sideline [on a 90-yard TD run] and our coach had said, ‘when you score, hit the Heisman’...he was looking at [Coach] Cider, like ‘get ready for this one’.” [56:28]
  • On #4’s vertical: “Four walks in, he's, ‘what are we doing?’ Like, you gotta touch the ceiling. Jumps up, touches the ceiling, walks away. It's like, oh, my gosh.” [57:43]
• On early losses: “We realized it’s not really about anyone else. It’s about Notre Dame. If we execute our plays... we’re really hard to stop.” [58:26]
• Coach Freeman’s Mantra: “‘Choose Hard.’ We're at Notre Dame, where you gotta go to class... everything we do is hard, and we're gonna continue to keep choosing harder because I think that's our edge.” [59:14]

Looking Ahead: Challenges & Goals

• On facing A&M’s defense: “Elko’s so good at understanding, seeing it through a quarterback's eyes…preparing for that third down defense was a challenge.” [60:09]
• On the Navy game and team improvement: “We want to continue to get better at staying on the attack and not letting the defense dictate how we call plays or how we execute.” [61:13]
• Team hype man: “Billy Shroud on the O line...and on defense, it’s a Don Shuler.” [61:51]
• Biggest trash talker? “I'd say I'm up there for sure...other than that, it's those O linemen.” [62:15]

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Notable Quotes – Timestamped

• “The last one is terrific...it is a random draw of the tied teams. I’m picturing like the Friday Night Lights scene where they flip the coins in the truck stop.” — Wesley [05:25]
• “If that's the case [Oklahoma left out], like, I'm out of here. Like, I'm leaving the sport.” — David [22:54]
• “If you can narrow this list to five [receivers]...I'll kiss your butt.” — David [33:03]
• “We'll run 370 yards down your throat.” — Fernando Mendoza [47:57]
• “You can go out there in your dark clouded world or whatever it is and do what you want to do. We're not down. The sun is up and we're fighting.” — Bill O’Brien [48:29]
• “He was, you know, one of the only schools in the country that didn’t think I was just going to go to Michigan…couldn’t say no, man. It’s the best place on Earth.” — CJ Carr [52:08]
• “His competitiveness and his love for the game...he wants to win at everything he does.” — CJ Carr on Coach Marcus Freeman [54:40]
• “Choose Hard… that's our edge.” — CJ Carr [59:14]

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Episode Flow and Tone

• Energetic, humorous, and full of authentic “football guy” banter.
• David Pollack leads thoughtful, direct analysis, always bringing a player’s and analyst’s perspective.
• The episode balances deep-dive football talk with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and the warmth of friendship among co-hosts.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:25] SEC Tiebreaker rules breakdown and scenario simulation
• [10:53] Playoff contenders and who’s truly alive
• [23:37] Broyles Award: Top Assistant Coaches & big-picture coaching discussion
• [33:03] The Impossible List: Top Five Wide Receivers
• [38:48] 2026 NFL Draft early positional talk (QBs vs Edge defenders)
• [47:30] Podium Kings: Best and funniest press conference bite
• [50:42] Notre Dame QB CJ Carr interview: career, team culture, and upcoming games

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For New Listeners

This episode is a must-listen for anyone craving both the strategic and the emotional sides of college football—how games, players, and even coaching staff can swing a season, as well as the raw individuality and leadership that define programs like Notre Dame. If you want an unfiltered mix of expert analysis and authentic college football storytelling, this is an episode you shouldn’t miss.

Transcript

[Host]

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[Host]

And how about that Pollock interception in the end zone? Well, it's David Pollock and I think.

[CJ Carr]

People going to learn what kind of ball player is.

[Host]

He's got a heart of a line.

[CJ Carr]

I'm real proud of that kid.

[Brent]

This is ball get ball.

[Host]

College football's top show for football analysis.

[CJ Carr]

Predictions and coach interviews.

[Brent]

Now here's your host, three time All.

[Host]

American, seven time Emmy award winner. What up dudes. Welcome on in we got the, we got the, we got the college football committee releasing their stuff and now you're starting to see so many like if, ands, buts, scenarios. Wesley has this little this website that you can go and do all these questions to which we're going to do that and then we have some, some good playoff questions, college football questions and then this is the time of the year where the inbox starts filling up. And, like, I had to put together a list today at the Broyles Award, so that's the top assistant coach in the country. And I'm like, all right, top five had to do that. And then Balitnikov, and I was like, holy cow. Like, do that exercise the top five receivers in college football. So we'll kind of hit some of that. We'll start talking about the draft a little bit, because we're definitely going to be all over the draft because it's just. It parlays so well with college football. We're watching all this tape, doing all this study, and. And then it moves right to. So we'll talk about kind of the shooting fish in a barrel, what the. What the draft's going to look like. Podium king, like always. We got some good ones in there. And. And then we got C.J. carr. We had a little pivot. If you watch friends growing up, you know that what that means pivot. Love had a scheduling conflict, so we grabbed CJ Carr earlier today. It's pretty good interview, too. We. We grabbed him before practice. New hairdo, which is. Which is really interesting. We asked him about that as well. So, Wesley, fill me in on this. You know, SEC has six teams in the top 12, nine in the top 25. It just means more in the hunt. Yes, I know that pisses people off, which is fun to say. So tell me about the tiebreakers. I think everybody probably goes right away, like. Yeah, I know. I got it, bro. Head to head clearly, is going to be the most important one. But then I guess. How does this. This site work? How do the. The next things go? Are you muted?

[Wesley]

My bad.

[Host]

That. By the way, that's twice in two shows. You're officially fined a quarter in the jar.

[Wesley]

All right. You got it?

[Host]

Yep.

[Wesley]

I'll mail it to you this week. All right, so before. Before we go through this. This website, it's called bball.not nothing.net it looks like a Russian basement operator is running this thing. I don't know who makes it very mysterious, but I do want to go through the SEC tiebreaker rules, which is kind of crazy. It gets crazier as you go along. First is head to head, then it's record against common conference opponents, then it's record against highest common conference opponent in the standings, and then it's cumulative conference winning percentage. All right? So if you're getting this far, you're in a lot of. A lot of trouble. And it never does get this far. But since the SEC does have six teams in the top 12, nine in the top 25, figure we might as well dive into it. The next to last.

[Host]

Please get to the last one at some point because it's my favorite.

[Wesley]

The last one is terrific. This is the next to last capped relative total scoring margin. I don't even know what that means, per Sports Source Analytics. All right, so you're getting some third parties in. But then the last one, if all those things are still tying people up, it is a random draw of the Tide teams. I'm picturing like the Friday Night Light scene where they flip the coins in the. In the truck stop. That's what you're getting to. But I'm going to pull this site up here and show you guys. It's really cool. We'll put a link in the description. Really fun to play around with. But if you go to this site here, take a full. You can pick the results of these games over the next few weeks. So if you want to, you know, you want to go chalk, you want Alabama over lsu, Florida, Kentucky won't really be a factor. Probably Texas A and M over Missouri. Let's say Georgia beats Mississippi State and Vandy in Auburn. So I'm just going to go through here, but then you can calculate the standing. So based on what I had there, A and M and Bama are in the SEC championship. And I think most likely just based on how things are now, if you go chalk, that's what you're going to get. But dp, as you look at these, what are some games that you want to play around with that you think could maybe get a little squirrely for Georgia, for Bama, for A and M. I mean, Texas is this team on the board here that can really mess a lot of things up.

[Host]

Texas losing to Texas or Texas beating Georgia beating A and M. And then Oklahoma beating Alabama.

[Wesley]

All right, let's run that. And I got Auburn beating Alabama here. I probably shouldn't have that, but you got Texas over A and M. Yep.

[Host]

Texas over A and M. Texas over Georgia.

[Wesley]

Yep. All right, here we go.

[Host]

And then you got Oklahoma over Alabama.

[Wesley]

Yeah, there you go. Alabama and A and M. So, I mean, y' all play around with this.

[CJ Carr]

It's.

[Wesley]

It's just fun. It's a fun exercise. We know how this conference is. We know how many teams you had in your CFP12 over the last few weeks. And we've seen those SEC teams just dwindle down because they beat each other up. But it is the deepest conference in college football when you look at the College Football Playoff rankings. So Brent, did you have any. Anything that. That you're eyeing here in these standings and these tie break?

[Brent]

Well, mainly just that kind of. Texas is still very much alive and. But they have to win. They have to win out to be in the SEC championship game.

[Host]

When you play five and three the rest of the season, you're, you're very much alive. Like that's, that's very. And you lost a one by seven at their place. Like, I mean they had some, they had some scares versus Mississippi State and Kentucky and I get it. But like it doesn't matter. Like it doesn't matter at all when you're going to play great teams and have a chance to, to cure all those ails.

[Brent]

The other thing is Ole Miss is sitting pretty.

[Host]

So pretty.

[Brent]

They went out there is. I've played with this thing a little bit. The chance, the chance that they make the SEC championship game is like so small. Is very small. Like chaos has to happen for them to play likely even potentially Georgia again. And that's just not. I don't think does it really scenario where they do.

[Host]

All you got to do is Georgia lose to Texas or I mean that's, that's another SEC loss and then Texas A and M. Texas A and M beat Texas. Oklahoma beats Alabama.

[Brent]

They're in. Texas A and M will still be ahead of them. They have to lose twice.

[Host]

Yeah, but they're ahead of Alabama because they have one loss.

[Brent]

No, but I'm just saying Ole Miss for Ole Miss. Yeah, they're like it's, it's very small. It's. Trust me. I mean very.

[Host]

Because you, because then you would go. If Alabama lost to Oklahoma, there's a common opponent with Ole Miss right there. So that would. They would win the tiebreaker. Texas loses to. Or Texas beats Georgia that night.

[Brent]

Are you doing this as he's gone through it? See if we.

[Host]

Let's not, let's not do it. Let's not do it because we're probably boring the piss out of people. But that's, that's absolutely. If you're thinking about Texas getting or Texas getting another loss, Alabama getting another SEC law or getting an SEC loss and have the common opponent. Yes, rooks your heads hurts in the chat. But anyways, if you feel like being a loser and going and play with that stuff, have at it. You and Brent can maybe hit each other up not being a loser.

[CJ Carr]

It's just I'm the one who brought.

[Wesley]

It up so I'm the loser.

[Host]

But he said he's played with it and I'm not surprised.

[Brent]

The website, it was there last year and last year it was insane looking at that because there was scenarios where you had six teams, I think with the two losses, if one game, two games maybe goes differently. But yeah, it's still like, oh, like I said, Ole Miss is sitting pretty to so pretty went out and be 11, you're in and, and be the six seed or you know, in the, in the College Football Playoff or seven seed or something like that and get a home game like, yep. That they are in a beautiful spot. That's one where you had A M in a playoff in the preseason. I had Ole Miss. I feel pretty good about both of those predictions.

[Host]

All right, let's get some college football questions.

[Wesley]

All right.

[Brent]

So the playoff rankings come out and one of the things that. Yes, leave it to the PFF guy to dig deeper. I'm also just a Nerd at heart.

[Host]

J.R. see you, J.R. morris in the chat, boy.

[Brent]

But we talked about this in the preseason and I think you're both of us. Kind of instantaneous response was no to this question. Do you think we see an undefeated champion this year?

[Host]

There's several things that we were wrong about in the preseason when it comes to this. We said there wouldn't be dynasties anymore. Ohio State's like, yep. What'd you say? I'm sorry. Like we can do this back to back thing. And then we talked about like this season and being able to run the table. Now listen, I, I'll be honest, I didn't know the Big Ten was going to be this week. I mean, because you, you look at.

[Brent]

Their schedules, the way their schedules, them.

[Host]

And Indiana, when Indiana don't play each other and they're clearly the two best teams. When you avoid Oregon altogether with those three teams, like, you know, you think Penn State's going to be something. Obviously they're, they're, they're not. And then the bottom of the league being mushy, like it's mush. I mean it's just, it's a, it's a good storm of it. But like, yeah, I mean I could see it this year now, I still wouldn't bet it because it's going to be hard. I mean, you got to run, you got to run the golf. Either way, when you get in the playoff games, man, when you start playing good teams, like, you got to bring it, man. Like you, you're going to have to, you're going to have to play good football. For several weeks in a row with the playoffs because you're going to have so many teams that are in this that are good and the talent isn't that big. And here's another thing, too. Injuries haven't hit certain teams at certain spots yet either. And that's still. That's still a part of it, man, that you. It's the part that sucks the most, by far. But it's also the part as season goes on, bodies get more tired. It's something that happens, unfortunately, and it's not the fun part. It's actually my least favorite part about sport.

[Brent]

All right, so last year we had talked about this. I think we talked about it, maybe not. There were three teams that were in the initial top 11 that did not make the College Football Playoff. One of those was Miami at number four last year, 9, 0. Who finished 10 and 2 did not. One was BYU. I think it was undefeated at that time. Again at this time.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Brent]

And then Alabama was another team that was in the top 11. So as you look at the top 11 right now, where you've got Ohio State, Indiana A and M. Bama, Georgia, Ole Miss, byu, Texas Tech, Oregon, Notre Dame and Texas. Who's not making like which if you had to pick at least two. Who's not. Well, they're not 11th ranked like in terms of the actual ranking they're in right now because of the ACC part. But in terms of just top 11 teams, they're not there yet. So they still got a chance.

[Host]

There's one of those other teams, though. I mean, just.

[Brent]

Well, all the ones that I just listed.

[Host]

Okay, so give them to me again.

[Brent]

So obviously. So BYU, you think, or Texas Tech, they're 7 and 8. If you had to pick one of those to not make the playoff, who you think?

[Host]

Texas Tech already has the loss, I think. But I think we've already made this. The picks. I think Texas Tech's going to win and then BYU is going to have a chance to have multiple losses and be out of it.

[Brent]

So they still have Cincinnati and TCU on their schedule and they can.

[Host]

They could easily lose two of those games.

[Brent]

Easily. I. I agree with that. One. If I had to pick another one as. And this is interesting because I also said this morning, I think when we did the picks thing that if I had to pick somebody who could win the whole thing that wasn't in the top, say four to five, I picked Notre Dame, but also think they might be the team that because of the pit game like they go, they go lose the Pit. They're done. They're not in the playoff. Sorry.

[Host]

They're done.

[Brent]

Yeah. And there might be a world where Miami somehow like gets their head on right In a, in a weird way and wins out and wins out in a big way. Beats pit or and. And looks good doing it, that sort of thing. And then now you have them with matching 10 and two records and playing well and Notre Dame maybe gets pushed out.

[Host]

Where is, where is Oregon at right now?

[Brent]

Oregon is ninth.

[Host]

I think that's pretty telling. Oregon's at nine now. Oregon, their schedule is brutal down the stretch. Like, it's not like Indiana and Ohio State. I mean, there's. Theirs is really, really tough. I absolutely could see Oregon being that team too, because, I mean, it's just, it's a tough schedule the rest of the way. So I could see them. If they take another loss, they're going to fall significantly again. Their best win is Northwestern. Like they don't have. There's nothing, there's no quality meat on the bone to go. Yeah, like I'm in. I just. That's a tough one. They got to beat somebody at some.

[Brent]

Point at Iowa this week, then Minnesota, USC at home, and then at Washington to finish the season.

[Host]

I'd be shocked if they went undefeated the rest of the way. I'd be shocked if they beat all those teams.

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[Host]

I would be, I would be very surprised.

[Brent]

That's gonna very much put them potentially on the fringe. So I, that's, you know, just sort of historically looking at this, we had to, you know, throw some teams maybe out there that wouldn't necessarily make the playoff. All right, which I put, I put Notre Dame in a special category for this next one because we tend to.

[Host]

They don't count because they do their own thing.

[Brent]

Well, they're special. Which two loss team do you think is most likely to make the College Football Playoff and go on a run and finish out? So I'll give you some, I'll give you some possibilities. Texas is one. Oklahoma, Utah, Vanderbilt, non, zero chance there. Miami, Southern California, Michigan or Washington. Those are, I'll give you those kind.

[Host]

Of, I'd give you Utah. Utah would be the one that I think, you know, they, they've, they've found, watching them play against Cincinnati the other day, I think they've really found what they are offensively. And it's weird and it's quirky and it's different, but I think they're going to run the piss out of damn Pier. They're going to run Wildcat. They're going to, they're going to use their freaky 360 pound tight end, which is, which is fantastic. Like they, I think they, I think they're, they're solid on both sides and I could see them putting a run together and being a team that, that jumps up in there even though they.

[Brent]

Already have the losses and based on what we talked about A little bit ago they'd have to face they I think they would potentially be in the Big 12 championship game in that scenario unless Cincinnati still finishes with one loss in in conference and gets that title game birth. But you know if Utah gets a chance to play Texas Tech again in the Big 12 championship that that could be there.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Brent]

All right. And then also I think this is one that I felt actually really confident about this going into the season and I don't know how confident I am in it right now. Do you think there's a three loss team that gets in as an at large team?

[Host]

Yeah. All the one losses that are log jamming now and the in the two losses that.

[Brent]

And basically the question I think comes down to three loss SEC team or you know maybe lost Big Ten team versus a different ACC team with a big better record or a Big 12 team.

[Host]

I still think you're going to get it. I still, I still think we'll get it this year. I think we'll be splitting hairs at the end of the year and we're going to go with some like where Texas is at right now gives them a really good chance to be that team because Texas has two losses and look who they're over. Go get a big win of Georgia or A and M play really, really close and now you go wait a minute, wait a minute. They didn't play a little sisters of the poor out of conference. They played the number one team in the country out of conference, went to their place and barely lost. Am I really going to penalize them for going across the country and playing a great out of conference team that we all got to enjoy? Like I think that would come down. I think that would be a say in that matter. And with that like I think Texas would be a three loss team that would be in.

[Brent]

So they would. If that's. If that's the case. Let's say they play Georgia tough and lose by three at Georgia then beat A and M who would potentially be 110 at that point at home and finish with wins over Arkansas and A and M. They might be. You're right, they're them because of the Ohio State.

[Host]

Yes.

[Brent]

The other loss like that's they're the one team. I think they can make it as a three loss team out of conference.

[Host]

They didn't have to play the game man. Like are you really going to start penalize people for playing good teams because otherwise screw it, I'm going Indiana route. And Signetti was very clear. He was like I'm not doing it, bro. Like, we're going to go play the worst football teams in America that we possibly can. So we can't lose and get tuned up, get used to our. Our schedule while we're flying high and we're ready to rock and roll. So, like, I mean, I. I think in that case, you might be upset with it, but I would agree with it. Like, I absolutely would agree with it.

[Brent]

Especially if that other two loss. If. So, here's that scenario is 9 and 3, Texas, 10 and 2. Oklahoma. Yeah, maybe is beat Bama. And those are the two that they're.

[Host]

I don't think there's any world. I don't. They're the ones ever that Oklahoma wins out and they're not in the College Football Playoff. If that's the case, like, I'm out of here. Like, I'm leaving. Like, I'm leaving the sport. Like, you go play that schedule and you play a ranked team at a conference in Michigan, like, and you go take care of business and you win that. Like, screw you. I quit. Like, absolutely not. Oklahoma fans, they got screwed enough with the schedule coming into the league. Compared to Texas, that would be an ultimate screw job.

[Brent]

It's amazing to think of what potential chaos that does exist in all this. And there will be chaos. I think that's the one thing we know for certain. It will be chaos. There will be discussion points out the wazoo. All this will be debated.

[Host]

Freaking awesome. It's fantastic. Like, that's why we love this thing so much, dudes. All right, let's get to some list. Me. I'm going to list you, and then I'll let y' all respond. So the Broyles award is for the best assistant coach in the country. This is. This is a really good way to look at, you know, the best units who's. Obviously, you got to be a good team to win this. Like, they don't give this to teams that are. That are very average. First guy that came to mind was Matt Patricia to come into Ohio State to rebuild the roster. Yes, he's got good pieces. But to rebuild the roster and be where they're at and be as dominant as they've been. If he's not on the list of semifinalists, I'd be shocked. Absolutely shocked. I'd be blown away. So Matt Patricia's one on the list. Next one on the list is Bryant Haynes for Indiana. Like, how many years in a row now? This is two years in a row where Indiana. Yes. They. They brought a ton of people from JMU and they bring in transfers. But the system is good, man. You watch this defense. They know who they are, they know what they are. They know how to twist, they know how to stunt. They, they know how to play the ball in the air like every. It's. It's just fun and it's good and it's technical and it's sound and it's great fre. It's why Signetti said when he got this money, when he got that big fat Santa Claus bag of cash, he was like, bro, I'm paying my assistance. It's a big deal to me. And he did with Haynes for a reason. So Indiana's D.C. big time. He's a dog for sure. For sure. Zach Martin in the chat Ryan Grubb, we talked about it in the off season. It was the reason why I felt confident in Bama returning and being so great. The pairing of DeBoer and grubbing grub has been lights out. Like lights out, dude. Play calling. Dialing it up. Is he pass happy? A little bit too much for me, Probably a little bit. But they don't run the football that great. So do what you do great. And he's done an unbelievable job continuing to. To dial up plays and develop a quarterback that's a first time starter and making him look like a Heisman trophy candidate. So Ryan Grubby, he's. He's the next guy on the list at three. I didn't put these in any order by the way of who would win, but these are the five guys that came to mind. Brent, be looking because I want you to. After I'm done to. You can, you can dissect this. But here's a guy that I don't know that anybody's going to have on their list. Aaron Roderick from byu. When I went and we did the something's brewing with BYU a couple weeks ago and I watched their offense, I was blown away. This is a guy that was fired in the past, I think by Utah or BYU in the past maybe even. But dude, he just. They've, they've taken a freshman quarterback and remained undefeated and in some big moments they've been absolutely fantastic. So I got Aaron Roderick on that, on that award or on that list. And then I got Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech. Haynes King centric, all offense. But to dial up all the crap he dials up, man, it's insane. Like it's a ridiculous amount of. Now you're seeing so much with the little shoot route to the tight ends and it's Just easy and it looks simple. And that's when you're a really good offensive coordinator, when you make it look really, really simple. So Matt Patricia, Bryant Haynes, Ryan Grubb, Aaron Broderick, Buster Faulkner, Brent Rollins, who do we leave off? Anybody come to mind? Right away, my first thought was the.

[Brent]

Shield Wood, the defensive coordinator of Texas Tech.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Brent]

Because not only did now granted how you got the players, we all know how pretty good free agents you have to take the players and make it work.

[Host]

And in year one, because he's just getting there too, and they're just getting there. So I, I agree again, you can only do five. But he, he absolutely should be on the list, the short list of these guys for sure.

[Brent]

The Coach Haynes at Indiana is one that's unique to me and all these guys for the most part are kind of like this. But the background of starting so low from a where you start standpoint to where you end up lends to, I think what you're talking about with the technical aspects of all this, where you didn't, you didn't start with this world where you exist with great players and you can just, you know, put great players in position to be great. It's, hey, we have to be sound at every level and every little detail that we do and, and be able to defend a lot of different things and have answers.

[Host]

Various level teams, all that I have to have answers. Like, I can't just say my guy in space, right? Like that. That's not, that's not a thing.

[Brent]

No. And Roderick, I don't know if he still sports it, but I know some of the, when you just sort of look up Google images on him, like really seriously good mustache, like looks very Doc Holliday esque with the hair and the mustache. Old school in a way, but, you.

[Host]

Know, that's, Weren't you impressed with him when we did the, when we did the breakdown and just watching him design zone offense, man, Offense. Like, we literally could do a film session with him and you'd be like, gosh darn I I the detail, the nuance, it's, it's fun to, it's fun to watch when, when you watch, when we study these guys on tape, man, when you watch the QB and the QB knows what the answers are and it times up with his feet, like, his feet and his eyes and his head. Like, it's called good coaching. Like, yes, it's, and it's, and it's rare. Like, it's, it's very rare to find it in college. Football. You see more of it in the NFL, but when you see it, it's like, that's really good. And how do you take pieces and make them work together? So.

[Brent]

And Buster, I think Buster is a great choice. Obviously, I'm a little biased in that choice. I agree and agreeing with it. But the other thing with this. In this list is, have any of the names mentioned on this list been thrown out for these jobs?

[Wesley]

Because.

[Brent]

Not really.

[Host]

What's. Because retreading, bro.

[Brent]

Like, some, like, the Haynes guy at Indiana. Like, why would. Okay, Sig, you don't want to come? Well, I'll take your second command. Kind of like, you know, Kirby smart going, coming to Georgia. Like, why would that not happen? Why would they not want to at least explore that initially? Because these people. And I think this is. If he's a semifinalist, it would be his third time, I think maybe in a row or third time total.

[Host]

He's definitely there last year.

[Brent]

Yeah. So, like, why are these, like, these guys.

[Host]

I would say Matt Patricia, Ryan Grubb, year one. So that kind of. They just got there. They just did this. Not as much longevity before, probably you get to that point. Matt Patricia also failed at a very high level in the NFL. It was very. A very ungood run. But Haynes, Haynes, I can get down with you and Faulkner for sure.

[Wesley]

Brent, I wonder Yalls take on this. When Saban was coaching, he had the coaching tree that everybody wanted to pick a piece of fruit from and get in their facility and get in their program. Who's that guy right now that has that? I mean, you could like Kirby maybe, but Schumann's stock has kind of tanked a little bit this year.

[Host]

Yeah, but, man, you still got fault, but you got Fran Brown, Shane Beamer, Dan Lanning, like, the list of guys that they just. I mean, Kirby's got a lot of them out there now that it started to. It started to produce fruit like they've started.

[Wesley]

I'm not saying they're not already out there, but, like, to Brent's point about why aren't more coordinators being brought up? Like, there's not a guy like that with coordinators from a tree that seem that desirable. I don't know.

[Host]

Well, I think. I think nowadays, too, I also think it's a new world of football, and so everybody's learning this new general manager. Okay, what's your plan? Like, when you sit down with somebody and you go, like when you sit down with a new guy that is just learning this and hasn't done it yet, like, to think about, like, these. A lot of these guys that sit there and marinate for a while, they, like. Kirby knew exactly the playbook he wanted to use to go be successful. The game of football has changed and morphed and shifted so much with the moving goalposts of all this nil and transfer portal stuff that, like. And now GMs, like, who are you? What are you? What is your system? So I think people are catching up with that and going to have to figure out who they are. And then you'll start to see because. Because you've got to have that when you walk in a meeting. I've done this meeting before. I've walked in to be hired for a head coaching gig. It's literally, what's your blueprint? Like, what. What is. What are your. What are your pillars? What's your blueprint? What you're saying. What are the things you're going to come implement day one? What are the. How are you going to organize? Yes. Like, who are you bringing with you? Like, these are all questions you have to ask. And in just this world right now, it's been so fluid and so changing. I think that's why you're not seeing as many coordinators, because they don't have experience with it yet. They will. They'll have it soon.

[Brent]

And also, I think that's agents. When you see names, it's agents putting things out there that says, hey, my guys. My guy's potential. My guy's a possible candidate because if he doesn't get the job, he at least gets a raise. Where he's currently hanging out, there might be a little bit of that. Just a little bit.

[Host]

All right, do we want to save the. The other list and get going? Because we're already a little bit of time into this. And Wesley, you want to go ahead and get to. Are we good? I'd keep going, keep going, keep going. All right. This list is absolutely impossible. Like, I. If you can do this and you can narrow this list to five and go. I'm 100% sure this is the best five wide receivers in college football, I'll kiss your butt. Like, I'm just. I don't see it. I just don't know how it's possible. You got literally, so the Blitnikov. So make it a list. Top five guys. You know how I did this? I'm gonna do this better than anybody, because guess what I'm doing. I'm taking Jeremiah Smith and I'm taking Mr. Carnell Tate. That's one. One that's the one spot. I'm taking Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

[Brent]

2.

[Host]

I'm taking Craver and Concepcion. Forget you. Hey, who else am I putting on the list? Surratt and Cooper? I mean, like, you literally can grab those guys, man, because, you know, they're right there together. So here's guys on the list that. That you need to know their name. So those three men, we've been talking about them all season long and obviously being, you know, the top three teams in the country, they. They. They speak for themselves. Makai Lemon, if you haven't watched him, from usc, can take over games. They move him around. He's. He's got speed. He makes those contested catches, even though he's not a big guy. How about Danny Scuder? Scudera. Oh, gosh dang it. I had it earlier, too, Brent. I did just like you did Scudero. This is a guy. I went and watched this guy's clips because he's leading the nation in catches. He's leading the nation in yards. He's leading the nation in touchdowns. Like, this dude's a dude now, and. Or number two, I think. And. But, like, here's. Here's what you see from this guy. He's a sophomore from San Jose State. I promise you the dude will be in the transfer portal, and he'll be at one of your schools next year. That's a guarantee. Like, that guy will be in the transfer portal again, because I did. He did, after this year. And that dude will be somewhere absolutely on a high dollar amount because he's that good. Like, I went and looked up his tape. They literally move him around. He runs by guys like, he's standing still. And. And Brent, he's got that. He's got that hesi crossover. He's got that, like, I love it. He's got that change of pace. Like, he pops off the line of scrimmage, like, chasing those guys, like, really understands timing and rhythm. So he's got. He's got to be on there with his numbers. Like, you look at his numbers, they're crazy. And I'm gonna give you a couple other names real quick, and then I'm just saying we could add a bunch. Brazil from Tennessee. Like, he's done. He's been an unbelievable job. Scoring touchdown, making big plays, big frame, really good. And Chris Bell is a superstar. Loved him before the season. Love him every bit of much now. Absolute freak. You know, I feel bad for Adam Rooks in the chat for Auburn because he could have a couple of guys that should be on this list. There's two that should be on this list if they had a quarterback, but because of that, they're not. But, man, you could go, dude, you could go down these lists, man. I can name more. We could go through the list of more guys. But that's a lot of receivers that make a lot of plays.

[Brent]

And it's.

[CJ Carr]

It's.

[Brent]

It's the position that matters most to me in the sport, outside of quarterback. And we've talked about how impactful those duos are at the. At the top of that, and that's. My guess is Tate's going to be the Ohio State pick in terms of that world. Because of him being older. Yes. I said Jeremiah Smith will be back next year. So that's. That's one. Which, in my world, I wrote this, like, two, three years ago. I think kids should be able to go pro after two years. So that's. But that's a whole other topic. Scudero, by the way, though, is second in the nation in touchdowns to Skyler Bell from Connecticut.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Brent]

Who's also up there in terms of yardage. Scudero is, I think, literally the only target on his team because he also leads the nation and drops. But he's. He's still a really good player.

[Host]

Bell's also done it in one more game.

[Brent]

Yep.

[Host]

Which is. Which is just. It's asinine, bro. Scadara, when you have eight games played and you got a thousand yards and 10 touchdowns, like, it's the dude. The dude's unbelievable.

[Brent]

110 or 111, I think was what I looked at targets in eight games. Yeah, you're the guy. You're the guy.

[Host]

And they move him around and feature him, which somebody will do and which.

[Brent]

Wasn'T, like, the Nash kid, like, from San Jose. Like, he. He was kind of that guy a year ago.

[Host]

Dude.

[Brent]

Feature got drafted late. Yeah. They figure out how to do that Very much.

[Host]

How about K.J. duff from Rutgers? He's a sophomore. That's at 854 and six tuddies. He's up there on the list. Yeah. Brazil it, dude. It's crazy. I mean, Cooper Barkrate from. How do you say his name? Bar Crate from. From.

[Brent]

Yeah. Duke.

[Host]

From Duke. But was it Howard or Harvard?

[Brent]

Harvard.

[Host]

One of the smart people schools. He's come over and he's absolutely torn it up. Hank Beatty's been great for Illinois. Like, yes. The list goes. The list goes on and on, man. Like, there's. There's a lot of receivers that are making plays.

[Brent]

You're going to have your work cut out for you when you have to actually make a list where you can't put two names in one spot.

[Host]

Yep. But you know what? Right now I can. So screw you, Brent. I don't have to do that. Do you think about that, you sorry sucker. All right, what you got, Wesley?

[Wesley]

All right, we're. We're looking at the draft. All right, we're going to go ahead and let y' all know. Little spoiler alert. We're going to talk about the NFL draft once the college football season is over, and we're looking ahead a little bit. Ndp trade deadline in the NFL wrapped up yesterday. Some interesting moves that kind of affect some of this stuff. When I look at the projected mock draft of the 2026 first round, I'm going to throw out some names in two different position groups. And you tell me, which position group are you most excited to dig into of the guys coming out of college this year? And not all these guys have declared yet, so that's a caveat. Fernando Mendoza. We got Dante Moore. We got Ty Simpson. Potentially. We got Lenora Sellers. A chunk of marble. Lenora Sellers. Maybe some work to do there.

[Host]

He is absolutely chisel.

[Wesley]

Figure him out. But maybe he's. Maybe he's got something under there that is. That is nice to look at. All right, so those are some big names, but check out this list of edge players.

[Host]

Oh, my gosh.

[Wesley]

Your boy Bane.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Wesley]

Out of the U. Yep. You got UI Ang out of Oregon.

[Host]

Yep. Kendrick Falk from Auburn is an absolute beast mode. Stud.

[Wesley]

Yep, he's on there. LT Overton, Cashes Howell. So I think I know what you're going to go with, but when you compare it to last year, the quarterback class specifically is more exciting, but with these edge guys, I mean, dude, you got to be salivating, right?

[Host]

Oh, dude. And Arvell Reese, you didn't even mention. Arvell Reese is an absolute baller, and I'll be interested to see where he goes, because he's the guy that. I mean, he's got. He's got those hands that just. He puts them things on you. Like, puts them things on you. T.J. parker from Clemson. Not much, obviously with Clemson has gone.

[Brent]

Right.

[Host]

But he's absolutely stud. David Bailey is going to be in that mix. Stanford, obviously, to Texas Tech now producing at an extremely high level. Like, it's, it's, it's fun. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch because the, the Deal. It's crazy what we've come to. And listen, I'm in this world and I love it. Like the quarterbacks obviously get the moolah. Running backs now are a dime a dozen. Receivers are starting to become more and more prevalent. I need somebody that can go get the quarterback and make his life hard. Like that's what the draft is going to continue to become. So there's a bunch of guys that they can put their hand in the dirt. Go get it. Cassius, how you mentioned probably the. I guarantee you his 5105 when they do the shuttle is going to be absolutely stupid. Romello height on the outside also from. From A and M will be an absolute problem for people. So it's going to be. It's going to be fun. It's going to be interesting. We'll have all those guys too, man that have done it for years and years with the draft. And Brent, you love the draft. I mean you've always been a huge fan of the draft and followed you listen to all the podcasts and so what's the number one thing for you with the draft that you're looking forward to?

[Brent]

I want to see where Reese, Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs go because to me likely the two best players.

[Wesley]

And.

[Host]

I don't think people realize how good.

[Brent]

Our position they play. Like does somebody look at Arbo Reese and say you're Micah Parsons, you got to play on the edge kind of deal. So that, that, that would be interesting for me. Downs.

[Host]

How high does the answer is hail? Yes. Hell yes. Like because. Because it's one thing to be like undersized and not be like a. Like Jalen Walker wasn't the most physical guy on the edge. Arvell Reese will hit you in between your eyeballs like but still has the flexibility obviously to cover and do some things that you could use him in a special package. But that dude's. That dude's. Every time you turn on the tape once a week, twice a week, three times a week, I'm like, that dude's ridiculous. Football is so much more than a single season. It's something you look forward to 365 days of the year. Just like Nationwide is so much more than a great insurance company. They're one of America's largest financial services companies too. For your insurance and financial needs, Nationwide is on your side. Nationwide Investment Services Corporation MEMBER FINRA Columbus, Ohio what are you doing in a meeting? That could have been an email.

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[Host]

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[Host]

So how much interest could you earn?

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Find [e-mail] cashplus offered by Vanguard Marketing Corporation member Finra and SIPC. The best TV comes in many forms. From real life mysteries to blockbuster dramas, family favorites and buzz worthy reality shows, Philo makes it easy to stream them all with one simple, affordable subscription. For just $33 a month, Philo offers more than 70 live channels, including favorites like AMC, AE, MTV, Discovery and Nickelodeon. Plus on demand TV like the entire AMC library. Whatever the mood, there's always something new to uncover. Philo subscribers also get access to HBO Max Basic with ads and Discovery at no extra cost, along with unlimited DVR that saves shows for up to a year. No long contracts, no complicated setup, just endless entertainment ready to stream anytime. Ready for a better way to bundle all the TV you love? Get started at Philo tv. That's P H I L O tv. Your next obsession is waiting. Ah, dsw. Birthplace of the humblebrag. Here. The shoes are so good. No one would ever know how little you paid if you didn't go telling everyone that is. And with never ending options for every style, mood and occasion, all at really great prices, we'll definitely give you something to brag about. So go ahead, stock up on fresh sneakers from your favorite brands or try those boots you always secretly knew you could pull off. Find the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget at DSW stores or dsw.com I mean he just.

[Host]

Keeps making play after play. He's the reason that defense, you got a piece like him that's that versatile. And Caleb Downs, it's cheating. Like it's not fair. Like because he could play a three technique and stone a guard right now. Absolutely. And Caleb Downs can play linebacker and play safety. Like play nickel. Like it's, it's, it's. There's so many fun pieces and that's why that defense is, is so stupid.

[Brent]

And they have an NFL coach that you highlighted as a potential Broyles semifinalist. I don't think the. I think you see a lot of these quarterbacks come back like somebody like Sellers and maybe not necessarily coming back where they are currently. That's just a thought. So.

[Host]

Well, why would you, why would you, why would you stay? And why would you not go make that bread right now and develop another year? Lenore Sellers has absolutely done nothing to help his Stock. Nothing. Not now.

[Brent]

He's.

[Host]

When he takes his shirt off, like, Wes said, like, that dude's gonna be like, yep, I'm him.

[CJ Carr]

I want to clarify.

[Wesley]

I was not talking about his physique. I was saying, like, maybe there's a masterpiece that someone can chisel out, like, what?

[Brent]

Bruce.

[Host]

But you were saying with his shirt off that you, like. No.

[Brent]

Okay, Wes, listen, Wes, you're.

[Host]

You're deserving, okay? The dude's a freak.

[Wesley]

I leave my mic muted, and you guys just cook me the rest of the show. I see how it is. Nah.

[Host]

But I think that the draft's going to be awesome. But Lenoris is the perfect example of, like, what could be. If it clicks, it will get to here. It's not here yet, but Lamar Jackson was late in the first round. Look at what Lamar Jackson turned into. So when the. When the clay is that good, it's. It's hard not. It's hard to pass up consistently, especially as you get a little bit later.

[Brent]

Anthony Richardson was the fourth pick.

[Host]

Yeah. And he wasn't great. I mean, he just. He was not great in college at all. Like, there was very little. All right, we're already going super long on the show, so, Wesley, we're going to get to podium Kings or. Yeah, let's rock and roll.

[Wesley]

Yeah. I mean, I made the. I made the graphic. So we're going to. We're going to do it.

[Host]

Get it.

[Wesley]

We're going to start off with the guy we just kind of alluded to, Fernando Mendoza. We're going to start off easy.

[CJ Carr]

Little warm up here.

[Wesley]

Short and sweet. Mendoza talking about Maryland's defense trying to take away the Hoosiers passing game. Well, here's what happens when you do.

[Host]

That as an opposing team. It's really tough to do that because we wanted the best run games in the country. So when you want to take away the pass, then.

[CJ Carr]

All right, sure.

[Host]

We'll.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

We'll run 370 yards down your throat.

[Wesley]

Yeah. Shout out. Shout out, by the way, to Adam Rooks, who DM'd us a wonderful mashup of Ferdinand Fernando Mendoza, which kind of got me down that track. I love Mendoza, dude. I don't know what he's on. I don't know if the NCAA needs to investigate it. It's a lot of caffeine or whatever you take before the show's dp, but he brings it. All right, next one, not as cheerful. Bill o' Brien talking to a reporter who apparently doesn't show up that much.

[Host]

You always come in Here with these down questions. Like, you show up like once a month or something like that. You come in here with these down questions. I'm not down. You can go out there in your dark clouded world or whatever it is and do what you want to do. We're not down. The sun is up and we're fighting. That's my message to the fans. What's up, Trevor?

[Brent]

How you doing?

[CJ Carr]

I. I love every part of that. I love every part.

[Wesley]

He calls out Mike for not showing up. He has this picture of the dark clouds. I'm going to say that to my. My kids on the way to school every day. By the way, the sun is up. We're not down.

[Host]

Absolutely.

[Wesley]

What's up? Trevor at the end was. Was sweet. All right. You requested this one. Dabo. Not a happy camper himself these days. But I do think this is interesting. I don't know what. I don't know about the call he's complaining about, but his general premise, 100 agree with holding officials accountable.

[Host]

It's impactful. So, you know, as opposed to just getting a report on Monday, you turn in 10. Yeah, we had to get. We had a game. I'm not criticizing. I'm just. I can't. You know, I can't tell you. I ain't gonna tell you the game. I'm not gonna say the game, but we're only allowed to turn in. You know, there's a system of accountability, but y' all don't know anything about it.

[Wesley]

Yeah, I don't know anything about it. Dpdu, can you enlighten us?

[Host]

Absolutely. There's. There's a system in which they. They grade the refs. Here's another thing, too. Every college team, like, when they go into a game, you know exactly what this ref is known to call, what he's not going to call. Like, you have scouting reports. This has been going on. Bill Snyder's the first guy I ever heard. Heard about doing it way back at Kansas State 15, 20 years ago. Like, they, they know exactly what they do, what they call, how often they call them. You can't. You got to make sure you're smart about this. And then your outfit determines what color gloves you wear, so they blend in sometimes with the other color jersey. And I know that sounds crazy, but all that stuff goes into it as much as absolutely humanly possible. All right, we're going to end the show. Irish fans appreciate y'. All. Y' all will appreciate this. CJ Carr, new lit and all, joining us as the first player. And it Will say when I say it when I interview him. But, like, the first player to join us, current player to join us on C Ball, get ball, here's C.J.

[Brent]

Carr.

[Host]

Next, we got a special guest, our first player on C Ball. Get Ball, cj. So this is. This is an honor to have Notre dame starting quarterback C.J. carr. Hey, man. The new. The new hairdo, man. Like, what. What happened with the hair?

[CJ Carr]

I was watching a. A TV show, the Avatar, and I like. I like the main character ang in it, so I decided to. To go with a little ang action and buzz the hair off.

[Host]

So you literally watched a movie and said, you know what? I'm gonna go ahead and buzz my hair because of that.

[CJ Carr]

Yeah, a little bit. It also, like, during the season, you don't. You don't got a bunch of time to. To do it in the morning. And it was kind of, you know, making me angry in the morning. You got to wake up and press the size down, so it's a lot easier.

[Host]

That a boy. Comfort, comfort, comfort over style. All right, cj, I want to talk about your story a little bit, man. Like, everybody knows if you're a football fan, the grandson of Lloyd Carr, you're so Michigan. Your dad played at Michigan, right? Like, how did you. How they. How did you get to Notre Dame, man, and not get. Go blue in your veins as a kid? From your family?

[CJ Carr]

Yeah, growing up, I was a big Michigan fan, big Michigan family. All my cousins go there, went there. I have one there right now. But I visited Notre Dame a few times, and. And every time I came here, it just felt more and more like home. And the coaching staff was recruiting me real hard, and they were, you know, one of the only schools in the country that. That didn't think I was just going to go to Michigan. And they kind of went all in and recruited me hard. And, yeah, I couldn't say no, man. It's the best place on earth.

[Host]

That's. That says enough. That says, that's. That should be the recruiting campaign for Notre Dame when you can literally say family went there. Like, forget that. All right? So last year, you come in as a freshman and you get to watch a team go to the. To almost. Almost win it all. Like, what did. What did CJ Learn watching Riley Leonard, watching that squad go make magic happen a year ago and get so close to winning it.

[CJ Carr]

It was a really cool year just because I think people remember it for the magic that happened and the run you go on at the end, but you also, inside the building you remember losing to NIU Week 2, and. And, you know, you're the. You're at the bottom of the barrel in college football, and you. You feel the emotions and you're not really in it, and you're not, you know, getting scrutinized like Riley was. But you got to watch somebody come in every day and. And not worry about the outside noise. And he attacked every day just, you know, just the same.

[Brent]

And.

[CJ Carr]

And then we go on the run and we're in the playoffs, knocking teams off left and right. And so it was amazing just to have him as a. As a leader and role model, you know, showing you how it's. How it's done.

[Host]

Such a great competitor. What did you say to him when he came to the sidelines? And then Natty, and he's throwing up, like, surely you. Surely you said something.

[CJ Carr]

No, no, I was. I mean, he looked. He looked rough. He had taken some beatings, but that was Riley. You know, he was going to do exactly what, you know, he needed to do to help the team win. And whether that was running it 12 times or throwing the ball, it was going to get done.

[Host]

Well, I think he ran it at least 12 times on that drive. That first drive, man, I was like, dude, he's gonna die. When you.

[CJ Carr]

When you.

[Host]

When you think about Coach. Coach Freeman, like, we all know Coach Freeman, and we see, like, the king of. Of swag. Like, Like, I cj, like, my wife was like, you know, one time that she comes Coach Freeman, she goes, who's that? And I was like, what's that supposed to mean, bro? Like, she was like, well, most coaches are fat. Like, they're just like. But just Coach Freeman and just being around. What's something, man, we don't know about him? Like, people don't talk about. About him in the media that only y' all know about. About Coach and his personality.

[CJ Carr]

I think. I think people know this, but I don't think they get to see it as up close and personally as we do. But his competitiveness and his love for the game is. Is he. You know, he feels like he's just one of us ready to go out on the field and attack the opposing team. And. And then also, it's not even in football. You know, we play Wiffle ball on. On Fridays before a game, and. And, you know, it's quarterbacks versus coaches. And. And he's in there, you know, talking crap and trying to hit home runs. So, you know, everything he does is competitive. He wants to win at everything he does And I think a lot of the guys in the facility can relate to that because we're all, you know, a bunch of competitive guys who just want to win.

[Host]

How would you rate his athletic ability still?

[CJ Carr]

I think he's an athlete. He's not like a baseball player. You know, he can't hit real well, can't field real well, but besides that, he's great. I'm saying that because that would piss him off as my guess. But yeah, I like that.

[Host]

We'll make sure, we'll make sure we post that. Well, one, one, one guy that is a, an athletic freak is number four. And, and the list goes on. You know, this past week just, I literally am watching the game. I'm like, did he just look to the sidelines like, while he was running that touchdown? Like, I mean, did you see that live in the game?

[CJ Carr]

I didn't see it live, but we go to the sideline and the guys are all buzzing about it. You get the iPad going and you're like, oh my gosh, like, what did he just do? It was, it was awesome. And it just brings a certain level of confidence and energy to, not only on our offense, but the guys on the defense are watching that saying, man, let's, like, let's go get this ball back and so we can, you know, put it in four's hands and it's exciting.

[Host]

What did he do? Tell everybody what he did do on.

[CJ Carr]

On the player saying, yes, yeah, tell America that we're on our own, you know, 10 yard line, something like that. He breaks off a 90 yard touchdown. And as he hits about our own 40, he looks to our sideline. Our coach before this, this is some inside scoop. But our coach before this had said, our running backs coach, Coach Cider, he said, hey man, like, I think you're going to break one off here when you score, like hit the Heisman. And so he was, he was running, looking at cider, our coach saying, all right, get ready for this one. Ready to go. And it was, it was electric. And that's the, the confidence we have in him is we're on our own 10. Our coaches are calling out like, oh, you know, this is going to score. Let's just, let's just get him the rock.

[Host]

Yeah, that's pretty. Is that the most, what's the most freakish thing you've seen 4 do?

[CJ Carr]

Some of the hurdles are like, what are we doing? We, we have this, the ceiling in our, in our locker room. I remember last year, there's nobody in the group can Touch the ceiling. And, you know, the DBs are all trying. I definitely can't touch the ceiling. And all the guys are trying. And Four walks in and he's. He's. What are we doing? Like, you got to touch the ceiling. Jumps up, touches the ceiling, walks away. It's like, oh, my gosh.

[Host]

This doesn't even have to say much. No, just. It's good. No, it's. It's crazy to watch kids like that. You know, every. A lot of people talked about the rankings for y', all, man, and starting the season the way you did, like, if you could face Miami again, like, knowing what you know now, because that's one of the things. One of the things that I loved about you on the opening week is there are a lot of people that looked like they were kind of lost and kind of the pressure got to them. I thought you competed your tail off, especially when you did the 35,000 yard scramble on your own, inside your own 10. Like, you probably got yelled at for that, but you made the play, so it really doesn't matter. But, like, going back and facing Miami, like, what. What was. What was hard about that Challenge? Start one.

[CJ Carr]

Yeah, I think, you know, you just don't know what to expect kind of coming into game one, it's my first ever college game. And so there. There were a lot of unanswered questions. And, you know, you start off 02, but I think through those two games, like, we realize it's not really about anyone else. You know, it's about Notre Dame. It's about us. If we execute our plays and do what we're supposed to do, we're really hard to stop. And so it was exciting. And then you string together six wins, and you're in a really good position right now. And now it's just continuing to stay consistent with the preparation and the performance and the execution. And we're ready to go against Navy Job.

[Host]

A slogan in the building that y' all consistently say or a theme throughout the week or does it change?

[CJ Carr]

It changes. But Coach Free always has his main kind of, you know, phrases. He says our big one is choose hard. You know, we're at Notre Dame where you got to go to class. You know, you come in, you're tired from class and studying, and then you got to go to practice and you got to study playbook. And it's getting cold now. We're about to start snowing around here. And so everything we do is hard. And we're going to continue to keep choosing harder because I think that's our. That's our edge. When we get into these dire situations, you know, we're going to be ready to go.

[Host]

All right, so last couple things. Can you describe A and M's defense? I don't know, like, the stat of A and M's defense, I don't know if you've seen it like they're number one in the country on third downs. It's like, it's like 20 something percent. Like, it is absolutely silly. Like, describe A and M's defense and facing them maybe in week two.

[CJ Carr]

We were. I remember playing them my freshman year with Riley and. And just watching through that third down cut up and you're like, oh, my gosh, the Elko's so good at understanding, seeing it through a quarterback's eyes and saying, okay, you know, he wants to slide the protection. We're an odd. He wants to push it all this way. So we're going to show pressure here and then bring it the other way, and then we're going to show up in, you know, just a base formation and everyone's pressure when they're coming in with zero. And so preparing for that, that third down defense was. It was a challenge. But, you know, a lot of the.

[Host]

Mental, like just knowing and seeing and experiencing.

[CJ Carr]

Absolutely. Yes, sir. All right.

[Host]

All right, so last question. Man, Navy this week, you know, different type of a deal option, obviously, for. For your defense, which. Which is. Which is totally different. But talk about coming to this game. What are the keys for Notre Dame? Not with just Navy, but, like, what are you working on, CJ and what is the squad working on? To take a next step offensively, to be consistent and. And be a team that can win the championship.

[CJ Carr]

Yeah, we want to continue to get better at staying on the attack and not letting the defense dictate how we call plays or how we execute. We want to go out and recognize the look, and if we have a good play, we're going to execute it to the best of our abilities. And if, you know, something needs to be changed, we want to, you know, get us into a look that will produce the best outcome. And I think we had a good challenge against Navy, and it'll be a good opportunity to just, you know, continue to elevate.

[Host]

All right, I got a lot. I got one more question. Who. Who's the. Who's the hype man on the squad? Who's the guy. Every week that brings the most juice is just crazy.

[CJ Carr]

I always like Billy Shroud. He's on the O line. He, when he says things, it just, it's exactly what you need in the moment to, to get yourself going and, and then on defense, it's a Don Shuler who's just getting the boys ready before the game and talking in the huddles and dapping everyone up before the game, getting them ready to go.

[Host]

Who talks the most trash?

[CJ Carr]

It's a good question. It's a good question. I'd say I'm up there for sure.

[Host]

Okay.

[CJ Carr]

I like to talk a little bit when we're rolling. Other than that, it's those old linemen like to talk a little bit. Obviously. When will Pauling. You see the dances in the end zone. He likes to get it going. We got it. We got a competitive, you know, bunch of guys.

[Wesley]

Yeah.

[Host]

There's nothing, absolutely nothing wrong when you do something. You earn the right to talk trash. CJ Congratulations, man, on the start and building your, your own lineage at Notre Dame, man. Fun to watch, Fun to watch you compete. You're a heck of a competitor and thanks for joining us, my man.

[CJ Carr]

Thank you.

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[Host]

This is the story of the 1. As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up and running is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger. Because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs, and then next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Hey, football fans, Matthew Collar here of the Purple Insider podcast. Every day, I take you inside the Vikings locker room, breaking down every game, every move, and all the ups and downs that go along with following one of the most fascinating teams in the NFL from a beat reporter's perspective. Tune in daily to hear different voices talk about the team, from former football players to analytics experts to fan Q&As. I've even got a fantasy show, all things Vikings in One Spot on Purple Insider. Be sure to listen on Apple or Spotify.