The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Episode: College football's regular season and playoff are almost perfect, so media should quit complaining
Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis (Blue Wire)
Duration: ~62 minutes (approximate based on transcript)

Overview

This episode presents a passionate, in-depth defense of the current state of college football’s regular season and playoff systems, particularly in the new 12-team format. Doug and Bill argue that the sport is in nearly ideal shape, with a regular season that still matters deeply and a playoff that expands opportunity without diluting competition. The duo expresses frustration with persistent negativity from media and national talking heads, whom they feel are missing the big picture and ignoring the sport’s many recent improvements.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Perfection of the Current Playoff and Season Structure

• Doug opens with a strong declaration that college football has achieved a “threaded the needle” balance between regular season importance and an expanded, meaningful playoff.
  • Quote:

    "The way the regular season and the playoff interact with each other… It is exactly what you want. It is perfect." (02:05, Doug)

  • Doug expresses frustration at “media gripitude” and constant complaining, challenging critics to defend their positions head-to-head.

2. Critique of College Football Media & National Talking Heads

• Doug is particularly incensed by national sports figures like Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, whom he accuses of ignorance and sensationalism:
  • Quote:

    "He just has no idea what he's talking about because he spends five seconds on it. And then he goes back to talk about the NBA and the NFL…" (04:05, Doug)

  • He accuses the college football media of “ruining college football” by feeding negativity and missing what actually works.
• Bill agrees, noting how national “gripes” especially regarding Group of Five (G5) teams and perceived “fairness” are overblown.
  • Quote:

    "I just tune out a lot of that. I think because it is frustrating." (07:05, Bill)

3. Increased Opportunity & Turnover in the Expanded Playoff

• Doug highlights turnover as a key benefit of the 12-team playoff:
  • Only 4 of the 12 playoff teams from the previous season repeated; two-thirds were new.
  • In two years of the new format, 20 distinct programs have made the playoff, compared to just 15 in 10 years of the 4-team system.
  • Seven different SEC teams made it in two years, and a full quarter of Power Four schools have already qualified.
  • Quote:

    "It's not just opportunity for Indiana and Cincinnati and TCU. This is opportunity for Texas A&M. This is opportunity for Oregon... It's wonderful." (12:18, Doug)

• Bill expresses pleasant surprise that there’s more real opportunity than he expected:
  • Quote:
    > "To only have four holdovers, I think is pretty good." (09:32, Bill)

4. The 11th/12th-Best Team Debate is Overblown

• Doug mocks complaints about teams like Notre Dame being left out when G5 teams get in, calling it an “objectively wrong” way to look at the sport.
  • Quote:

    "You're looking at the sport wrong." (05:54, Doug)
    "We're getting in the seven, eight best teams for sure. Then we're having a fight for 9 and 10. And I'm sorry, 11 got left out. That's what everybody wants." (15:04, Doug)

5. G5 Inclusion Is Good for the Game

• The hosts resist calls to exclude G5 teams for being “uncompetitive,” defending their inclusion as part of what makes the sport unique—mirroring how other sports (like the NFL) guarantee divisional champs a spot.
  • Quote:

    "There's not a single sport in the world that exists that way…your point is invalid." (52:31, Doug)

6. Surprises Are a Feature, Not a Bug—Preseason Polls Shouldn't Be Demonized

• Doug and Bill agree that preseason misprojections should be celebrated for illustrating the sport’s unpredictability, not used to criticize ranking systems or writers:
  • Quote:

    "What a surprising sport…What a wonderful surprise this sport is." (20:35, Doug)

7. The Regular Season Still Matters—Now More Than Ever

• Doug meticulously lists (and nearly reads aloud) 39 regular season games he argues had playoff implications in 2025—across all weeks, not just late November.
  • Quote:

    "Every single week…we are watching, in real time, playoff games." (25:10, Doug)

• Bill admits some ultra-elite rivalry games (e.g., Ohio State-Michigan) may have slightly less at stake, but the upside vastly outweighs this.
  • Quote:

    "There's probably more in the other column…that probably overall does not lessen the regular season all that much." (24:25, Bill)

• They stress that the playoff cutline is at a healthy place: undefeated teams are in, one-loss teams are almost all in, and a 10-2 “bloodbath” is the right spot for fierce debate.

8. Schedule Strength and Big Wins Are Properly Rewarded

• The selection process effectively accounts for tough schedules and marquee wins—contrary to persistent fan complaints.
  • Quote:

    "If you want to act like playing a good schedule hurts you, let me show you the two-loss bloodbath…The three teams with the best individual win got in." (36:10, Doug)

9. How to Fine-Tune (Not Overhaul) the System

• The hosts run through a lightning round of suggested tweaks:
  • Keep the four byes for top teams.
  • Stay at 12 teams for now—16 would work too, but they like the current balance.
  • G5 deserves a spot; expansion could allow multiple via a “play-in” round among G5 champs.
  • Improve conference tiebreakers to better reflect playoff priorities.
  • Stop being swayed by (or angered by) the weekly committee ranking show—treat it as entertainment, not gospel.

10. Embracing Change and Shunning Old Habits of Complainers

• Doug encourages fans and media to celebrate what’s great, rather than defaulting to “the thing we love is broken”—and invites vocal critics on the show for debate.
  • Quote:

    "If you are complaining…you are wrong, and this is right." (44:24, Doug)

• They joke about rallying media to stop engaging with the playoff committee’s ranking reveals and propose just ignoring it outright to reduce the drama.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On media negativity:
  • "Too many people, all they do is complain. So I want this show to serve as a guiding light to shut those people up." (04:16, Doug)
• On preseason surprises:
  • "People love to complain about preseason rankings. Did the preseason rankings have any negative effect on the sport? No." (22:08, Doug)
• On the bloodbath at the bubble:
  • "A 10 and 2 bloodbath is right where you want to be. If you're undefeated, you're in...one loss, you're in pretty good shape. Now you're complaining that everybody got that one loss." (40:28, Doug)
• On “fairness” and structure:
  • "There's not a single sport in the world that exists that way [just picking the 'best']. The NFL is not going to have the 12 best teams...your point is invalid." (52:31, Doug)
• On tuning out the rankings show:
  • "The committee is going to have a show on Tuesday night…just accept that that dog is going to be barking and then it's going to be over and I'm going to go on with my life." (55:02, Doug)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:16] – Revisit of preseason playoff predictions; setting episode agenda
• [02:38] – Doug’s rant: Current system is perfect; tired of media complaining
• [04:05] – Critique of national talking heads; ESPN/Skip Bayless derision
• [07:34] – Playoff expansion benefits & opportunity; year/year turnover
• [11:04] – Historical comparison: 4-team vs. 12-team playoff (program diversity)
• [20:33] – Preseason polls and surprise outcomes: a feature, not a flaw
• [23:16] – Does the regular season still matter? 39 meaningful games
• [25:10] – Playoff stakes now spread across the whole season
• [36:10] – Schedule strength and quality wins as the path in
• [44:51] – Lightning round: System tweaks, G5 play-in, tiebreakers, and ignoring the rankings show
• [55:02] – Advice: Accept the flaws and tune out the noise
• [59:26] – Wrapping up: Celebrate a great season, the Playoff, and the sport itself

Tone & Style

• Energetic, blunt, comedic: Doug, in particular, is fiery and confrontational (“cram that light right down their throats…”).
• Conversational, playful: Both hosts riff off one another, peppering in Ohio State humor, media inside jokes, and references.
• Direct and opinionated: The episode is unashamedly critical of “complainers” in sports media while celebrating their own role as defenders of college football’s best qualities.

Takeaways for Listeners

• The 12-team playoff is working: more opportunity, more meaningful games, few actual flaws.
• Most anti-playoff or anti-G5 chatter is surface-level or driven by old biases and grudges.
• Regular season games matter more, not less—no matter the narrative.
• Scheduling and marquee wins truly matter at the playoff cutline.
• The playoff debate about the “11th best team” or “deserving G5” is a healthy, interesting one, not a crisis.
• Fans and media would be better served by tuning out manufactured outrage and celebrating the current “golden spot” the sport is in.

Closing Quote:

"Guess what’s great? College football…We’re just having a good time because we want you to have a good time in an awesome sport." (61:28, Doug)