The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: College Football Playoff Rankings Live Reaction – How Far Will Alabama Fall?

Date: November 19, 2025
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis (Blue Wire)

Episode Overview

Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis stream a real-time, candid reaction to the just-released College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, focusing particularly on the fate of Alabama after their loss to Oklahoma. The discussion explores implications for Ohio State and major contenders, projects the playoff field, and riffs on the flaws, drama, and politics of the selection process—all with the duo’s trademark mix of irreverence, fan focus, and big-picture insight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debating the College Football Playoff Weekly Rankings

[03:05-08:39]

• Do weekly reveals make sense? Doug and Bill consider Nicole Auerbach’s suggestion to cut down on weekly CFP rankings, perhaps only revealing them at the start and at the end of the season. Doug favors an additional mid-November check-in.

• Bill proposes a hybrid: First and last rankings from the committee, with AP Poll filling the gap—revealed live in TV show format, AP voters instructed to “think like the committee.” This would “add relevance to an AP Poll that has no relevance once the committee rankings start.”
  Quote:
  “Do the first rankings for the committee. Do the last rankings for the committee. The rest of the time, don’t reveal the AP poll until Tuesday night... win-win for everybody.” — Bill Landis [05:09]

• Critique of committee chair explanations: Both hosts lament the nonsensical defense of committee decisions on-air: Quote:
  “They make stuff up. Right. Are they looking for a deep dive into the minds of the committee, or do they just want to talk about college football during halftime of a basketball game for 25 minutes?” — Bill Landis [04:39]

2. Live Reaction to the CFP Rankings Reveal

[09:14-17:56]

• Doug and Bill announce each batch of rankings as ESPN reveals them, riffing on the consequences and inconsistencies:

  • Bottom of the rankings reworked: Five new teams due to widespread losses.
  • “Dropping teams that don’t play is interesting... they did it last week too.” — Doug Lesmerises [12:31]
  • Debate over Miami jumping Vanderbilt due to NC State win, and questions about Notre Dame’s relatively stable spot at #9.

• Alabama’s Slide:

  • Oklahoma up 3 spots after beating Bama, Bama falls from 4 to 10.
  • “We’re just staring down five SEC teams in the College Football Playoff. It is…” — Bill Landis [15:16]

• Playoff Field Implications:

  • Early projections show a likely path to five SEC teams and three Big Ten teams in the 12-team playoff, with single bids for the Big 12, ACC, and a Group of 6 rep.
  • The bubble: “Number nine Notre Dame, number 13 Miami and number 14 Vanderbilt for one spot.” — Bill Landis [20:27]

3. Notre Dame vs. Alabama for the Final Playoff Spots

[21:51-24:51; 37:27-41:53; 50:00-52:46]

• Detailed discussion of the scenarios that would leave Notre Dame and Alabama battling for the final at-large spot.

• Head-to-head and Schedule Metrics:

  • Bill notes Alabama’s “significantly better” strength of schedule, but Doug points out Notre Dame is currently ranked just ahead.
  • “If Alabama loses to Texas A&M in the SEC title game... that is a pretty compelling data point in Notre Dame’s favor, is it not?” — Doug Lesmerises [40:40]

• Impending Drama:

  • “It will become the most important decision this playoff committee has ever made.” — Bill Landis [51:45]
  • The hosts imagine potential fallout, both from the SEC if Bama gets left out, and from the “Golden Dome” if Notre Dame is squeezed.

4. Projecting the Final Bracket – If Chalk Holds and If Chaos Reigns

[41:53–46:10]

• Doug and Bill unveil their latest end-of-season playoff projections.

  • Extensive debate about possible upsets in the Big 12 and ACC that could shake up the at-large selections, particularly Texas Tech’s fate and Utah/BYU’s Big 12 title path.

• Doug’s Top 12 Playoff Prediction:

  • Ohio State, Texas A&M, Indiana, Texas Tech, Georgia, Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama, Virginia (ACC champ), and Navy (AAC rep).

• Bill’s Top 12 Difference:

  • He takes North Texas as the Group of 6 team and still puts Bama as the last at-large, but adds Georgia Tech as a potential bracket-buster (if they beat Georgia, they could leap up as ACC champ).

  Quote:
  “You and I both have Bama as that last team in right now from the at-large pool. So then that's what we believe. They would be potentially in danger…” — Bill Landis [44:43]

5. Debating Playoff Expansion & Structure Flaws

[29:26-34:21]

• Bill and Doug discuss whether it’s better to be the 1-seed or the 5-seed, considering bracket structure:
  • “You could, if you’re the one seed, very well end up playing a team that is under-seeded. But I don’t know how they would change it.” — Doug Lesmerises [29:45]
• Big Ten’s Tony Petitti wants a 24-team playoff, with 4 auto-bids for each Power 4—Bill and Doug find this model even more “offensive” than others, joking about the absurdity of guaranteeing that many spots.
  • “He wants the guaranteed four spots for the Big Ten at all costs. So he'll give out as many guaranteed spots as he needs to to every other conference in the world.” — Bill Landis [33:13]

6. Cultural Commentary & Meta-College Football Jokes

Throughout, esp. [26:44-27:32], [46:10-47:08], & [52:46-53:43]

• Clowning on viral “driveway videos” (e.g., Desmond Howard), shirtless hot takes, and the idea that Texas might miss the playoff while four other Texas teams get in.
• Bill pitches a hypothetical play featuring “Touchdown Jesus, Greg Sankey and Cody Campbell” to dramatize playoff politics.
• Doug looks ahead (“Once we just get to eight automatic qualifiers for each conference for a 64 team college football playoff... I’m gonna miss these discussions, Bill.” [53:43])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Bill’s skepticism about committee explanations
  “They make stuff up. Right. Are they looking for a deep dive into the minds of the committee, or do they just want to talk about college football during halftime of a basketball game for 25 minutes?” [04:39]

• Doug on the ranking show spectacle:
  “If they didn’t trot some AD out there whose job is to summarize the thoughts of 13 people into 30-second sound bites, which is really hard to do...” [07:33]

• Bill proposes a new system:
  “Do the first rankings for the committee. Do the last rankings for the committee. The rest of the time, don’t reveal the AP poll until Tuesday night. … win-win.” [05:12]

• On Alabama’s precarious path:
  “Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is for Alabama to be the first team out of the playoff for the second consecutive year.” — Bill Landis [41:01]

• On the Big Ten’s power play for playoff spots:
  “He wants the guaranteed four spots for the Big Ten at all costs. So he'll give out as many guaranteed spots as he needs to to every other conference in the world.” — Bill Landis [33:13]

• Doug lays out the stakes of the ND/Bama debate:
  “If Alabama loses to Texas A&M in the SEC title game... that is a pretty compelling data point in Notre Dame’s favor, is it not?” [40:40]

• On impending committee drama:
  “It will become the most important decision this playoff committee has ever made.” — Bill Landis [51:45]

Important Timestamps & Segment Highlights

| Time | Segment | |---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:05-08:39 | CFP rankings show format criticism, alternative proposals (weekly vs. occasional reveals) | | 09:14-17:56 | Live rankings reveal reactions—controversies, bubble talk, Alabama’s slide | | 21:51-24:51 | Notre Dame, Miami, Vanderbilt vying for final playoff spots | | 29:26-34:21 | Playoff expansion debate, 12- vs. 16- vs. 24-team playoff, guaranteed bids | | 37:27-41:53 | Final playoff projections; Who gets the last spots—Notre Dame or Bama? | | 50:00-52:46 | If committee must choose between Alabama and ND—committee politics, metrics, chaos | | 53:43-End | Closing ruminations/jokes about playoff future, expanding playoff to “March Madness” scale |

Tone and Style

Doug and Bill’s signature is sharp college football analysis delivered with a blend of sarcasm, wit, and honest, sometimes self-effacing, Buckeye-centric fandom. They mix big-picture critiques with inside-baseball takes, always circling back to what their audience—diehard fans—cares about most.

Summary Takeaways

• The playoff field is “borderline straightforward” if chalk holds, but one or two late upsets in the Big 12, ACC, or SEC could send shockwaves, particularly affecting bubble teams like Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami, and Vanderbilt.
• Alabama, after a loss to Oklahoma, is at risk of missing the playoff depending on what happens in the Big 12 and ACC championship pictures.
• The hosts deride both the committee’s weekly ranking spectacle and the politicking around playoff expansion, offering alternative models and lampooning power plays by league commissioners.
• The most compelling possible drama: Alabama and Notre Dame, with similar records and resume flaws, competing for the 12th spot—a scenario that would test the committee’s logic and political nerve.
• Doug and Bill’s hypothetical matchups, bracket predictions, and running jokes offer both analysis and comic relief for fans locking in for the playoff chaos ahead.

For those who didn’t listen:
This episode is a must-hear for any Big Ten or SEC fan wanting a smart, funny, and thoroughly up-to-date look at November’s playoff race—especially if you root against Alabama or enjoy watching college football’s power brokers squirm.