The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: Are Notre Dame's College Football Playoff hopes dead? New CFP rankings
Date: September 16, 2025
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Notre Dame’s fading College Football Playoff (CFP) hopes after their 0-2 start, debates around their ranking, the impact of their schedule, and broader CFP bracket predictions. Doug and Bill also run through their top playoff brackets and discuss the shifting power dynamics across major conferences, especially concerning the Big Ten and SEC.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Notre Dame’s 0-2 Start: Fault of Schedule or Something Deeper?

[01:21-05:14]

• Doug laments his preseason pick of Notre Dame as national champions, noting their rough 0-2 start and jokes about hexing teams with his predictions.
  • “I picked Notre Dame to win the national championship and they are currently 0 and 2... I am terrible at my job.” (Doug, 01:21)
• Both hosts maintain that Notre Dame is still a good team, but defensive struggles are evident—largely attributed to new defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s misfit schemes.
• Bill highlights how frontloading tough games (Miami, Texas A&M) might have sabotaged the season:
  • “It’s difficult… Because when teams give us what we want they also might be sabotaging themselves.” (Doug, 03:58)

Ranking Notre Dame: Should Winless Teams Stay in Polls?

[05:14-09:44]

• Doug critiques AP poll logic, debating if Notre Dame (0-2) deserves a spot after close losses to top teams.
  • “Would you rank an 0 and 12 team with losses to the top 12 teams in the country 13th in your poll?” (Doug, 06:24)
• Bill cites history—Notre Dame is the first team in 37 years to start 0-2 and remain ranked, comparing to Michigan in 1988.
  • “Notre Dame became the first team in 37 years to start a season 0 and 2 and remain ranked. And… it was Michigan in 1988, which is also the year I was born.” (Bill, 07:44)
• Both agree rationale must matter more than groupthink in poll voting.

Officiating Controversy: Does a Missed Call Justify Playoff Consideration?

[09:45-11:57]

• Doug raises whether an egregious missed holding call on Texas A&M’s game-winning TD should enter playoff discussions, given how pivotal it was.
  • Bill: “I don’t know that you can do that because… it just opens a can of worms… The committee doesn’t want to deal with.” (Bill, 11:31)

Remaining Schedule: Is There a Path for Notre Dame?

[11:57-16:38]

• Doug walks through Notre Dame’s remaining schedule, noting the lack of potential marquee wins left outside of USC.
• Both agree:
  • 9-3 Notre Dame is out of the playoff picture.
  • Running the table to 10-2 keeps a faint hope alive, especially if USC becomes a highly ranked win.
  • “If they are going head to head with other 10 and 2 teams, it’s very likely… the other 10 and 2 team would have a better win.” (Doug, 15:42)
  • “I think it’d be really tough at 10-2 to be put in over any 9-3 SEC team… because you get compared and they lost to A&M at home.” (Bill, 16:05)

CFP Playoff Bracket Predictions & SEC Turmoil

[20:10-23:53]

• Bill and Doug reveal and debate their weekly playoff brackets:
  • Top teams across both: Ohio State, Miami, Oregon, Penn State.
  • Uncertainty around the SEC champion—Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Oklahoma all look plausible.
  • “I thought there’d be clarity coming out of this weekend. There really isn’t.” (Bill, 21:58)
• Debate about whether “no dominant SEC team” will be spun as a sign of league strength; both hosts urge caution.
  • Doug: “A lack of dominant team in the SEC is good, but I’m on alert for it.” (Doug, 25:02)

Big 12 and Other Conferences: Too Soon for Double-Bids?

[28:37-29:37]

• Big 12 likely a one-bid league unless Texas Tech and Utah separate themselves.
• Upcoming Texas Tech at Utah game seen as pivotal: “It’s part of the September referendums…” (Doug, 29:37)

Major Upcoming Games & Big Ten Playoff Contenders

[29:37-32:46]

• Illinois vs. Indiana could decide a future Big Ten playoff spot; hosts debate which team they trust to include in their playoff brackets.
• Other games highlighted: Nebraska-Michigan, Utah-Texas Tech.
  • “Now it’s time to find some stuff out... It’s a heck of a stretch coming up.” (Doug & Bill, 32:46)

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• Bill on AP polls:
  "Notre Dame became the first team in 37 years to start a season 0 and 2 and remain ranked. And… it was Michigan in 1988, which is also the year I was born." (07:44)

• Doug on poll logic:
  "Would you rank an 0 and 12 team with losses to the top 12 teams in the country 13th in your poll?" (06:24)

• Doug on Notre Dame’s schedule:
  "When teams give us what we want [big non-conference games] they also might be sabotaging themselves." (03:58)

• Bill on playoff chances:
  "I think it'd be really tough at 10-2 to be put in over any 9-3 SEC team…because they lost to A&M at home." (16:05)

• Doug on the SEC narrative:
  "We have to be on alert for this lack of a great [SEC] team being some kind of signal of SEC superiority…" (25:02)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening / Introduction & Doug’s Picks Gone Wrong: [01:21–02:35]
• Is Notre Dame Still Good? Defensive Concerns: [02:10–03:56]
• Scheduling Tough Opponents vs. Easy Non-Conference: [03:58–05:14]
• Should 0-2 Notre Dame Be Ranked? AP Poll Debate: [05:14–09:44]
• Referee Missed Call and Playoff Implications: [09:45–11:57]
• Notre Dame’s Path Forward, Schedule Breakdown: [11:57–16:38]
• Playoff Bracket Reveal & SEC Uncertainty: [20:10–23:53]
• Big 12's Prospects & Texas Tech-Utah Game: [28:37–29:37]
• Playoff 'Eliminator' Games in Big Ten: [29:37–32:46]

Podcast Tone

The conversation is candid, analytical, and occasionally playful. Doug and Bill keep things lively with self-deprecating humor (especially about predictions), poke fun at groupthink in college football media, but remain rigorous in their breakdowns of on-field and off-field factors. They focus on being fair evaluators, not just fans or conference shills.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is a deep dive into Notre Dame's precarious playoff chances, the logic (and flaws) of early-season rankings, and how conference strength narratives can be misleading. Doug and Bill offer informed skepticism and mid-September clarity on the playoff picture, with plenty of engaging banter and big-picture framing for fans across the college football landscape.