The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: College football conference championship picks: What 9 games mean for the College Football Playoff
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis
Release Date: December 5, 2025
Podcast Network: Blue Wire

Overview

This episode is a comprehensive, energetic rundown of every college football conference championship game of the weekend and how their outcomes might impact the College Football Playoff (CFP). Doug and Bill dig into each matchup—from the Power Four to all the Group of Five, discussing odds, team histories, recent controversies, G5 playoff access, and shakeups in playoff advancement. True to the show’s spirit, their Buckeye roots and irreverent banter shine throughout, alongside their trademark pushback against southern CFB bias.

Key Discussion Points & Detailed Insights

The Importance of Strong Teams and Playoff Controversy

• Doug kicks off with a rant on the value of good teams being left out of the playoff:
  • "[Good teams getting left out is what college football is based on. That's what everybody wants. So chill out, whiny fans.]" (03:33)
• Bill notes expansion hasn’t killed the soul of CFB, as fans feared:
  • "[It's just a different version of good teams being left out. But we still have that right...]" (04:15)

Friday Championship Games: Group of Five Focus

Conference USA: Kennesaw State @ Jacksonville State

• First-year head coaches, a wild Hail Mary, and coaching controversy at Kennesaw State.
  • Doug highlights Kennesaw's rapid rise and tumultuous coach firing:
    • "[He’s literally the founding father of Kennesaw State football. And they unceremoniously booted the guy out.]" (06:43)
  • Bill on the bounce-back: "[Kennesaw State vindicated. They're 9–3 after being 2–10. Sometimes you need new leadership.]" (07:25)
• Picks:
  • Doug: Kennesaw State 31-24
  • Bill: Jacksonville State 38-31

Sun Belt: Troy @ James Madison (JMU)

• JMU’s coaching pipeline & impending hire of former Florida coach Billy Napier.
• Quarterback “Goose” Crowder gets the hosts riffing on Top Gun nicknames.
  • Doug: "[If we were watching Iceman Crowder...I'd pick Troy, but I'm not picking Goose.]" (13:24)
• JMU's dominance; questions about motivation as head coach departs.
  • Bill: "[JMU had the Sunbelt Player, Defensive Player, Freshman, Coach of the Year...42-15 average margin in-conference.]" (15:24)
  • Potential weather impact (cold, snowy Virginia).
• Picks:
  • Doug: JMU 34-20
  • Bill: JMU 38-17

American: North Texas @ Tulane

• North Texas's explosive offense, future QB portal implications, coaching hires, and which head coach is more distracted.
  • Doug: "[Drew Messemaeker is everybody’s favorite lower-level QB who slings it all over.]" (18:59)
• Tulane's struggles against good offenses cited.
• Picks:
  • Doug: North Texas 38-27
  • Bill: North Texas 38-35

Mountain West: UNLV @ Boise State

• Maddox Matson returns at QB for Boise after injury absence.
• Bill: "[He had four TD passes against UNLV last time. It’s hard not to assume he'll be awesome.]" (22:15)
• Boise is moving to the “new Pac-12.”
• Picks:
  • Bill: Boise State 45-35
  • Doug: Boise State 37-24

Saturday Championship Games: Power Four & MAC

Big 12: Texas Tech vs. BYU (in Arlington)

• Tech dominated first meeting, but BYU could close the gap if turnovers are avoided and RB L.J. Martin is healthy.
  • Bill: "[BYU turned it over three times that gave Texas Tech nine points... Martin was hurt.]" (23:47)
• Satake "bump" explored: BYU kept its coach despite Penn State overtures, with financial backing from a big booster.
  • Doug: "[This week Kalani Sitake was Penn State's top choice...BYU stepped up...the cost of the peanut butter blitz cookie is going up 25 cents.]" (25:03)
• Picks:
  • Doug: Texas Tech 28-20
  • Bill: Texas Tech 23-17 (both pick BYU to cover)

MAC: Miami (OH) vs. Western Michigan (Detroit)

• Explainer on the quirky tiebreaker that landed Miami in the title game over two teams that beat them.
  • Doug: "[Miami shouldn't be here. No offense.]" (30:33)
• QB change at Miami and trend of Mac title-game rematches favoring the first loser.
• Picks:
  • Doug: Western Michigan 28-21
  • Bill: Western Michigan 35-31

SEC: Georgia vs. Alabama (Atlanta)

• Georgia’s SEC South struggles:
  • Bill trivia: "[Do you know the last time Georgia beat Alabama in the South?]...2007. Nick Saban’s first year." (33:29)
• Doug muses about Kirby Smart’s mental block:
  • "[Maybe when Kirby looks over and actually sees DeBoer, he still thinks it's Saban.]" (34:11)
• Picks:
  • Doug: Georgia 24-21
  • Bill: Alabama 24-20

ACC: Virginia vs. Duke (Charlotte)

• Dismissive tone ("nobody will watch except the moms and dads") on a weak ACC year.
• Virginia won recent H2H, outgaining Duke by almost 300 yards.
  • Doug: "[Virginia's favored by 3.5. I have Virginia 23-17.]" (36:19)
  • Bill: "[Virginia 35-31. Duke stinks.]" (36:24)

Playoff Projection & What’s at Stake

Playoff Entry Scenarios – Detailed Walkthrough

• Current Assumptions:
  • Five highest ranked Conf. Champs get in (including one G5).
  • Doug: "[The five highest ranked conference champs get in—that's what it is.]" (36:45)
  • Winner of North Texas/Tulane is in (both picked North Texas).
  • Virginia wins ACC: Virginia in as #11 seed, North Texas #12.
• What about Duke upsets?
  • "[If Duke beats Virginia, JMU could make the playoff...Duke would not trump JMU in the rankings.]" (38:37)
  • "[If both Duke and JMU lose, maybe Boise or UNLV sneaks into the playoff—if none are in the top 25, the committee will keep ranking out to 31, or as needed.]" (40:19)

Potential Chaos and the 12-Seed “Disaster” Scenario

• Doug: "[If the 12 seed ends up as an 8-5 Duke or a 9-4 Boise State, let ‘em get boat raced by Oregon. Doesn’t end college football, it’s fine.]" (41:13)

The SEC’s Playoff Priority in Question

• Doug pushes hard against the assumption that Alabama is guaranteed a bye with two wins over Georgia.
  • "[For any national person who is saying the SEC champ is going to get a bye, you're living in old times...In this world where the SEC is full of mid, it's foolish thinking.]" (44:46)
  • Bill: "[The idea that if Alabama wins they're definitely getting a bye is emphatic, but I have a hard time seeing them jump multiple one-loss teams.]" (45:29)
• Should Georgia fall behind Oregon if they lose and Alabama wins?
  • "[If Georgia's two losses are both to Alabama, they can't rank ahead. But do they drop below Oregon?]" (46:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On whiny fans and playoff exclusion:
  • Doug (03:33): "Good teams getting left out is what college football is based on. That's what everybody wants. So chill out, whiny fans."
• Top Gun QB banter:
  • Doug (13:24): "If we were watching Iceman Crowder take on JMU, I'm picking Troy, but I'm not picking Goose. No offense to Mr. Will Crowder."
  • Bill (14:18): "It's weird to watch that movie and then pick the guy who dies."
• Sun Belt coaching pipeline dissatisfaction:
  • Doug (12:08): "Kind of giving up their roots. Signetti was so good there..."
• On BYU's money and Satake staying:
  • Doug (25:28): "The cost of the peanut butter blitz cookie special is going up 25 cents because I got to keep our coach and they kept him."
• SEC playoff entitlement pushback:
  • Doug (44:46): "For any national person who is saying the SEC champ is going to get a bye, you're living in old times...In this world where the SEC is full of mid, it's foolish thinking."
• ACC apathy:
  • Doug (35:24): "No one will watch this except the moms and dads of the players for Duke and Virginia. We're sorry that the Big Ten is offering you the 8th 1vs2 matchup in Ohio State history."

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:33] – Doug’s rant: Good teams being left out is foundational CFB drama
• [05:45] – Conference USA preview: Kennesaw State vs. Jacksonville State
• [11:06] – Sun Belt preview: Troy at JMU & Top Gun jokes
• [17:36] – American: North Texas at Tulane and playoff stakes
• [22:02] – Mountain West: UNLV at Boise State
• [23:09] – Big 12: Texas Tech vs. BYU & Satake-Penn State saga
• [29:34] – MAC: Miami (OH) vs. Western Michigan
• [32:31] – SEC: Georgia vs. Alabama – history & psychology
• [35:24] – ACC: Virginia vs. Duke, playoff implications
• [41:53] – Playoff scenario breakdown: G5 access, ACC vs. JMU, chaos scenarios
• [44:46] – SEC champ playoff spot debate—outmoded thinking & buy possibility

Tone & Flow

Bill and Doug combine deep research, inside-joke banter, and fan-focused skepticism of the playoff/SEC status quo. They keep the energy high, use pop culture (from Top Gun to The Big Green), and treat each non-P4 conference with surprising thoroughness. Their Ohio State bias is a through-line, but they consistently contextualize and analyze every major playoff scenario and underdog pathway.

For Non-Listeners

This episode will give you everything you’d need to understand the weekend landscape in college football—who’s playing, why it matters, the wild what-ifs for the playoff, and a refreshing irreverence toward unfounded outrage and SEC entitlement—seasoned with wit, historical nuggets, and contrarian wisdom from two seasoned CFB journalists.

Upcoming:

• Postgame show (Saturday, after Big Ten title) and live instant-reaction pod after playoff bracket is announced (Sunday).
• Monday: National roundtable playoff breakdown.
• Stay updated via YouTube and the show's Substack.