The Big Suey: The Miami Hurricanes Reaction Hour

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Big Suey: The Miami Hurricanes Reaction Hour The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode Release Date: December 2, 2024

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1. Personal Anecdotes: Heroic Acts and Unexpected Encounters

Chasing a Runaway Dog

• Speaker: Chris Cody
• Timestamp: [01:04] - [03:05]

Chris Cody shares a humorous yet heroic incident that occurred outside a Whole Foods in Miami. While exiting the store, he notices a small dog sprinting down a busy sidewalk with its owner struggling to keep up. Observing the woman unable to catch her pet, Cody impulsively sprints after the dog to prevent potential chaos or injury.

• Notable Quote:
  "In an attempt to be heroic, I put down my grocery bags and I sprint after the dog."
  — Chris Cody [02:13]

Despite his efforts, Cody doesn't manage to catch the dog but is grateful when another individual on a bicycle intervenes, preventing him from potentially running into dangerous areas like the ocean. The episode highlights the unexpected moments of heroism in everyday life and sets a lighthearted tone for the discussion.

Rogue Shopping Cart Saved by Aaron Feld

• Speaker: Stugotz
• Timestamp: [03:58] - [10:47]

Stugotz recounts a similar experience involving a rogue shopping cart threatening to collide with his car at a shopping center. As the cart speeds uncontrollably towards their vehicle, Stugotz and his wife are momentarily panicked about potential damage and subsequent insurance claims.

• Notable Quote:
  "A man swoops by on a golf cart, one-handedly grabs the shopping cart, and ushers it away. It was incredible."
  — Stugotz [07:22]

Stugotz identifies the fearless rescuer as Aaron Feld, the Miami Hurricanes' strength coach, recognizing him by his distinctive mustache despite the fleeting encounter. This story not only serves as a bridge to the main topic of the episode but also injects local flavor by highlighting recognizable figures within the Miami sports community.

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2. Miami Hurricanes Football: A Season Under Scrutiny

Blowing a 21-Point Lead Against Syracuse

• Speakers: Chris Cody, Mike Ryan, Billy Gil, Stugotz
• Timestamp: [10:47] - [33:56]

The core of the episode delves into a critical analysis of the Miami Hurricanes' recent performance, particularly focusing on the game where Miami squandered a substantial 21-point lead against Syracuse. The hosts express collective disappointment, dissecting the defensive shortcomings and questionable coaching decisions that led to the loss.

Defense Under Fire

• Speaker: Mike Ryan
• Timestamp: [11:25] - [17:15]

Mike Ryan critiques Miami's defense, pointing out that despite statistical improvements (e.g., fewer points allowed compared to previous seasons), the team's inability to stop key plays remained a persistent issue. He highlights specific instances where defensive lapses, such as poor zone coverage and ineffective blitzing, cost the team crucial points.

• Notable Quote:
  "Miami had a legit shot this year if they were capable of figuring out that defensive side of the ball and they just blew it."
  — Mike Ryan [17:15]

Coaching Decisions Questioned

• Speaker: Billy Gil
• Timestamp: [26:14] - [34:27]

Billy Gil spearheads the discussion on head coach Mario Cristobal's in-game management, particularly criticizing the decision to kick a field goal instead of attempting a touchdown or going for a two-point conversion. The hosts debate whether this choice cost Miami a spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP), emphasizing the high stakes of such decisions in pivotal games.

• Notable Quote:
  "When you have given up a 21 point lead and you have the best quarterback in the country, the guy you wanted, you got him out of the portal. He needs a first down. And he decides to kick a field goal. That is a terrible job by Mario Cristobal."
  — Billy Gil [34:27]

Playoff Implications

• Speaker: Mike Ryan
• Timestamp: [26:31] - [33:56]

Mike Ryan discusses the broader implications of Miami's performance on their playoff prospects. He argues that despite a strong offense led by quarterback Cam Ward, the faltering defense undermines their chances. The hosts debate the fairness of the CFP selection process, suggesting that biases towards certain conferences (like the SEC) may disadvantage Miami regardless of their merit.

• Notable Quote:
  "Miami just blew it and I can't work up the conviction. I can give you the arguments for it, but I myself don't believe it. Because Miami had an opportunity and they blew it."
  — Mike Ryan [33:56]

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3. Travis Hunter and the Jim Thorpe Award Debate

Travis Hunter's Achievement and Award Snubs

• Speakers: Billy Gil, Chris Cody, Dan Le Batard, Mike Ryan
• Timestamp: [35:38] - [39:21]

The conversation shifts to Travis Hunter, a standout player whose exceptional performance has made him a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. Despite his accolades, Hunter is notably absent from the Jim Thorpe Award shortlist, which honors the best defensive back in college football. The hosts express surprise and frustration over this omission, questioning the criteria and selection process of the award committee.

• Notable Quote:
  "How is Travis Hunter snubbed by the Jim Thorpe Award? You can have my award. You can have it back. Matter of fact, I'm gonna give him mine."
  — Chris Cody [35:38]

Pro Prospects and Positional Debate

• Speaker: Mike Ryan
• Timestamp: [37:07] - [38:54]

Mike Ryan analyzes Hunter's potential NFL trajectory, citing feedback from industry contacts. He discusses the dilemma of Hunter being a dual-threat as both a receiver and a cornerback, with NFL scouts preferring to draft him solely as a receiver to maximize his impact and minimize injury risks.

• Notable Quote:
  "If he was working on that as a skill set, his athletic gifts make it clear that if he focused on just being a cornerback, he would also be a very good corner."
  — Mike Ryan [38:32]

The discussion underscores the complexities of transitioning multi-positional athletes to the professional level and the challenges they face in being recognized by collegiate award bodies.

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4. Closing Discussions and Lighthearted Banter

Future Prospects and Coach Commentary

• Speaker: Mike Ryan
• Timestamp: [34:47] - [39:21]

As the episode nears its conclusion, the hosts engage in lighthearted banter about potential coaching changes, scuttlebutt (gossip), and humorous interpretations of nautical terms related to workplace gossip. This segment serves to balance the intense sports analysis with relatable and entertaining dialogue.

• Notable Quote:
  "Scuttlebutt is like talking at the water cooler, which I actually don't really understand that reference either."
  — Stugotz [40:35]

Final Remarks on the Playoff Landscape

• Speaker: Mike Ryan
• Timestamp: [31:16] - [33:56]

Wrapping up, Mike Ryan emphasizes Miami's missed opportunities despite having a talented roster. He reflects on the inherent challenges within the CFP selection process and how institutional biases may continue to affect Miami's postseason aspirations.

• Notable Quote:
  "Miami just blew it and I can't work up the conviction. I can give you the arguments for it, but I myself don't believe it. Because Miami had an opportunity and they blew it."
  — Mike Ryan [33:56]

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Conclusion

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz provides a comprehensive and engaging analysis of the Miami Hurricanes' disappointing performance against Syracuse, delves into the complexities surrounding Travis Hunter's collegiate accolades, and intersperses personal anecdotes that add depth and relatability to the conversation. The hosts effectively combine sports critique with humor, making the discussion accessible and informative for both dedicated fans and casual listeners.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Stugotz]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Billy Gil]

Sui presented by DraftKings.

[Chris Cody]

Why are you listening to the the.

[Billy Gil]

Podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan Lerd podcast? I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging.

[Chris Cody]

I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys.

[Billy Gil]

I've done it. And now here's the marching man to Nowhere Fat Face and the Habitual Liar.

[Chris Cody]

You guys would have laughed yesterday if you had seen what it is that happened with me outside of Whole Foods, where I'm coming out of Whole Foods and I wonder what you guys would do. A tiny dog. This is Alton Road. Okay, so this is a road that has some traffic on it, right? A tiny dog is running down the sidewalk and the owner of the dog is running after the dog, shouting its name. And the dog just keeps running. And the woman who's chasing the dog isn't moving fast enough. And the dog is moving fast and it's a heavily trafficked area, right?

[Billy Gil]

Dogs can scoot. Dan.

[Chris Cody]

That's correct. But she could not. She was not scooting at the rate of speed that she needed to. So in an attempt to be heroic, I put down my grocery bags and I sprint after the dog. And I am now running after the dog. And it's several blocks that I'm running after the dog. And thankfully, and I'm not catching up to the dog. The dog is still running and she's falling further and further behind both me and the dog. And then a helpful person on a bicycle comes over and cuts the dog off. Otherwise I'd still be running in. I'd run straight into the ocean chasing that dog.

[Billy Gil]

Did she catch you?

[Chris Cody]

She did not catch me. No.

[Stugotz]

Did she watch your groceries. You just left them.

[Chris Cody]

I did. I just left them. I left them right off.

[Billy Gil]

Chicken nuggets.

[Chris Cody]

Chicken nuggets.

[Billy Gil]

Oh, you don't get those from Whole Food Foods. Oh, they're fantastic. They are great. Baked chicken nuggets. Amazing.

[Chris Cody]

What are you talking about? My Whole Foods doesn't even have those.

[Billy Gil]

Go to a new one.

[Chris Cody]

Okay. I don't think. I don't think the chicken nuggets is something that they have foods is known for.

[Billy Gil]

They have them.

[Chris Cody]

Put it on the poll, please. At Lerd show. Thanks for. They have them. Thank you.

[Mike Ryan]

I gotta try these now.

[Billy Gil]

Oh, they're delicious. Baked.

[Chris Cody]

At Lebitard show. Is Whole Foods known?

[Billy Gil]

Not now.

[Chris Cody]

It's Whole Foods known for its chicken nuggets.

[Stugotz]

Dan, what was going through your head? Because I've always been interested in getting in the head of a hero who decides just to act. So how did you know it's time to act? It was fight or flight for you and you decided to fight in this situation. So how did you. What kicked in? Like, what happened that you're like, I need to act now?

[Chris Cody]

The ninth time I heard the name of the dog called and realized what it is had just happened. I don't process things.

[Stugotz]

It was a delayed fight as quickly as I should.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah. Which is what I was going to say if you hadn't interrupted me, that I don't process things as quickly as I should. So sometimes something has to happen. Like, I don't think I noticed her calling the dog's name four times. And I don't think it sort of totally registered with me that the dog was running loose immediately. I was slow to react as a hero.

[Dan Le Batard]

What was the name of the dog? Was it at least a funny name?

[Stugotz]

I'm picturing muffin.

[Billy Gil]

Yeah. Four times.

[Mike Ryan]

What name were you screaming also while running? This is very important.

[Chris Cody]

So, okay. So I was having actual trouble understanding her accent. So. And the dog wasn't particularly listening. Wasn't particularly listening to anything that I was saying, but I was shouting while running. And now it's a good question for you to ask because I was shouting. D. And so some. Anybody who didn't. What. What I was fearing is somebody who didn't see the dog just recognizes me. And it's like, why is Dan Levittard running down the street?

[Billy Gil]

He's lost it.

[Mike Ryan]

Gonzo's lost his marbles. Silver alert for Gonzo Just Gonzo.

[Chris Cody]

Is it Gonzo or Gonzo and his son have lost their marbles? Because I'm just shouting Dada. Running down the street. Didn't Billy, didn't you have an encounter with someone heroic this weekend?

[Stugotz]

Yeah. Yes. Just yesterday I had a situation somewhat similar now. Not as good now as your story, but somewhat similar. So I was driving. It was my sister's birthday. Happy birthday to her. I'm sure everybody's excited. So anyways, we were going to like a birthday lunch situation and we were driving in, we pulled into a shopping center and something that I've never experienced before happened where a rogue shopping cart was running away from the shopping cart. Not owner because you borrow them, but running away from the person who the shopping cart belonged to.

[Chris Cody]

User.

[Stugotz]

And it was running right towards our car. And I wasn't driving and I pointed, I was just, I was a little under the weather. I pointed to my wife because I was under the weather and fight or flight. I usually flight. So I was just pointing like things gonna hit our car, then we're gonna get a dent. I'm gonna have to do. What do you do? Do you call insurance? So I pay for a stand out of pocket. How much is that gonna cost? Because cars nowadays, not what they used to be back in the day when cars were steel, those things could get hit, it wouldn't even matter. Now they're all like fiberglass and plastic and all this stuff. And just like a little, little flick, like a little flick and the whole thing is totaled essentially. So like I don't want this shopping cart to hit my car. So we're in the car and the shopping cart is coming towards. My wife is driving towards it. And I'm like, we need to stop, we need to stop. A woman sees that this shopping cart is coming and I see that she has a shopping cart that she's loading into her car and she sprints to go get the shopping cart. But I say, you know what? I don't think that's her shopping cart. I don't know where that shopping cart came from. So we have this rogue shopping cart coming, A woman is running. And then out of like my peripheral, all of a sudden someone swoops by on a golf cart. One handed grabs the shopping cart, what ushers it away and then continues driving away. And this man did this while holding the golf cart in one hand. It seemed as though he had a child in the golf cart with him.

[Billy Gil]

Get out of here.

[Stugotz]

And, and, and, and I say, that was incredible. And then I go, wait a minute. Was that Aaron Feld, Miami Hurricane strength coach?

[Chris Cody]

The guy with the crazy mustache?

[Stugotz]

The guy with the mustache came in and saved my life and saved my car and then kept driving. I couldn't even stop and think. Be like, are you. Are. Are you. Are you Miami strength coach Aaron Feld? Like, I know this mustache. Like, is that. You couldn't even stop and thank him. He just kept driving. He ushered it away, kept driving into, like, the, you know, shopping center. Paused very briefly. We parked the car, and then he was gone. Guy came in like a hero and saved the day.

[Chris Cody]

I had the conversation with Valerie. Do me the favor here, Chris, of playing the song again here, because I had the conversation with Valerie this weekend while watching the Syracuse Miami game. I'm like, look at this, honey. And she's like, oh, it's. It's Movember. I'm like, no, it looks that way all the time. Four days of football. Yeah, that's the holidays.

[Stugotz]

I'm still just like, how did the cart get on? Like, it was just a rogue cart. It was down the park. It was crazy. It was a wind. It was a windy day. I guess that the parking lot might have been slightly slow, but, like, I was so taken aback by the entire thing happening. And then I'm like, did he have time to fly back from Syracuse already? Like, is it. It has to. There's no one else that could have been but him.

[Chris Cody]

Well, Billy, the thing. The thing that you're.

[Billy Gil]

When you see Aaron Feld, you know you've seen Aaron Feld, and then he's.

[Stugotz]

Gone like that in a flash. You can't even thank him.

[Chris Cody]

The thing that you're describing has made me wonder aloud because you don't have him grabbing the shock being card. He's just altering its course.

[Stugotz]

Didn't even stop. He kept driving with one hand and then got in and ushered it away with the other while driving. It was incred.

[Chris Cody]

The thing that you're saying, though, is I'm having trouble. And I'm going through the entire catalog here, and this is difficult to do live thinking of anyone in the history of South Florida sports. Visually funnier to be in that golf cart. I couldn't believe it. In the history of South Florida sports. I'm trying to think of someone funnier being a hero in that spot, just visually. Then, for my intents and purposes, it was only his mustache that did this. The rest wasn't even involved.

[Stugotz]

Behind it was the side of his head. You just see kind of like a clean fade in the mustache. And I told my wife when it happened, I go, like, as it's going on, I go, I think that's, um, strength coach. And she goes, how do you know that? I go, I know that you know that if you know what he look, you know that's him.

[Chris Cody]

But you were doing it from the back. You weren't doing the distinctive feature of the handlebar Mustang.

[Stugotz]

It was so fast. It was just like a silhouette. Like, you just see his face. Very quickly, he does this heroic deed. My life flashed before my eyes. My car, the insurance, all of that. And you just get a quick look at the side of his face, and then he turns, and then you just see the side of the mustache with the wax, like, from the back, and then you see his hair, and you're like, yeah, that's definitely who that was.

[Chris Cody]

That mustache requires the daily wax on the corners. Correct? That's. I don't know what the maintenance of a handlebar mustache takes, but it must take every morning. You have to. You have to put in the product to get that. The wispy, crisp ends of that. Which leads us to, finally, the University of Miami game. And I just want to ask you, Mike, because I feel great shame as I sit before all of you here. I don't know if Mike remembers the last text I sent him. I don't know if Mike Ryan is angry about the last text that I sent him.

[Billy Gil]

I left him alone. Like.

[Chris Cody]

Well, no, this wasn't after the game. I was. I left him alone after the game as well. It was at 21, nothing. I texted him that they were going to leapfrog Oregon. Oh, that Oregon wasn't.

[Billy Gil]

That loss is on you.

[Chris Cody]

I mean, I do feel. You know what? I don't believe in superstition, but I agree. I absolutely agree. And I'm wondering if Mike Ryan is angry because he dared to hope a wildly successful season by any measure, but you go from an 85% chance of being in the playoff to a 40% chance of being in the playoff. And a number of things that happened in that game were debilitating. I don't know of many times in UM's history that they've ever blown a 21 point lead. And I would ask you to look up for me if a UM defense has ever given up as many points as this UM defense did this season. Has there ever been a University of Miami defense that gave up the point totals that this one gave.

[Mike Ryan]

Had to have. Just because they've. They've had some games where they've had really low point totals opposing.

[Chris Cody]

They're certainly not a good one. Certainly not a good um team has never had this kind of defensive issue.

[Mike Ryan]

Again entering the game. They were top 15 in, in team defense. But you were right to be concerned because they showed all season long that they're really bad at stopping sweep city outside. And when opposing teams force them to make plays in space or when they have corners isolated in which Lance Guidry went out of his way. I mean how many times did we see it? Over a dozen times where he blitzes, the safety, leaves a corner on an island. And you have Syracuse receivers who are elite at not really getting separation but still coming down with a catch. They are just ball winners and Kyle McCord just ripped them to shreds. He identified it immediately. Yeah, heartbreaking. Heartbreaking for Miami in that it was a good season. This is a, this is exactly where Miami needs to be in year three. If I told you before the season, two losses by a combined nine points on the road, those two losses come into pretty decent opponents that should be good enough to bowl teams. Yeah, well, I mean look, Syracuse is ranked and Georgia Tech showed everybody on, on Friday night exactly why they're a nightmare to play, especially at their barn. But I would say that Miami had an opportunity to lock itself into the playoff and because they lost that game, they should not be in the playoff there. I could make a compelling argument that I would half believe about. Alabama lost to two six win teams. Oklahoma, there's no scenario in which Miami loses that game 24 to three.

[Chris Cody]

At Oklahoma you're four and two against bowl teams. Alabama's not.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, I mean we have a very arbitrary like. Well, they have no ranked wins. That's not arbitrary in terms of the top 25. We'll see what the CFP comes up with because I think the CFP has shown in recent weeks that they don't really even use the AP or coaches poll as a, as a guideline. I think that there is a scenario which you take from the Louisville, Duke, Florida crop that one to three of those may be actually ranked by tomorrow. But look, Miami blew it and it's, it's the defense. And it's a real shame because they had a unicorn at quarterback this year. They had the greatest offense in the nation. We said if they just had a C plus level on defense, they'd have a shot against anybody. And if teams just watch film, they know exactly how to turn a C plus effort into an F minus.

[Billy Gil]

This has to hurt because you have Clemson on A down year. Even though they'll play in that championship game. You have Florida State in a down year as well. And so it was there for the taking for the Keynes. Plus you have a 21 to nothing lead with the guy who's one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy award against Syracuse. Like you gotta close that out. That has to hurt. Plus you have a coach that. I don't care what anyone tells me. There is no way any Keynes fan trusts that coach to make good decisions in the game. Especially at the end of games.

[Chris Cody]

We'll get to kicking the field goal in that spot. Because if I'm going to lose, I'm going to lose with Cam Ward throwing the ball on fourth and nine.

[Mike Ryan]

You would have lost with Cam Ward.

[Chris Cody]

That's fine. Probably. Yes, probably. And we have.

[Mike Ryan]

And you still have to stop them, which you weren't.

[Chris Cody]

Agreed. But I would have enjoyed seeing Miami do what the Colts did against the Patriots yesterday, which is nope, don't trust our offense. We're going to score, we're going to go for it on 4th and 9 and we're going to go for two. I don't trust our defense. Like I just simply do not trust us to stop anybody for any circumstances. I don't know how bad Moton feels about the season ending with him jumping offsides. They weren't going to stop anybody anyway there either.

[Billy Gil]

I don't know.

[Mike Ryan]

Mr. Cole, Colby, George. One was really bad. The personal foul there that backs him up to the 15.

[Chris Cody]

Arroyo made such a great play there.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. There was the Z Horton drop on the slant where he probably walks into the end zone. The pancake that was called as a holding on Martinez's kind of game changing run in the last two weeks. Two very uncharacteristic fumbles from Xavier Restrepo. It's a shame because we've identified six plays that if they go differently, Miami wins. Hell, if Miami calls a different play, fourth and one against Georgia Tech, they, they could be undefeated right now. Really? But look, they had a 21 point lead. That's supposed to increase your margin for error. You were running however you wanted in that game. I don't know why they didn't turn to the run game. Maybe we got infatuated. It's not like their offensive game plan was lacking. Chris Cody, you actually have some numbers here on, on. On the defense question that Dan posed.

[Stugotz]

Points per game. They've actually this season they gave up less points per game since. Any season since 1920. No, 20. 19. 20. Not 1920.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stugotz]

So like, statistically, points wise, they actually were better than in recent years. This year.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. I think if you, if you pull, if you look under the hood, you're going to see individual instances, whether it be that Georgia Tech game here, this recent game in which they're just really bad at doing a certain thing. And I understand what I've been complaining about is just be conservative on defense, play complimentary football, just be in zone the entire time. But when they did go into zone and when they have all season long, it's been a disaster. I don't know if they don't practice it, but you got blown assignments all over the field. No one knows where they're supposed to be on zone. So I understand why Lance Guidry is like, I'm just going to keep doing what I do. It's really unfortunate because Miami had a legit shot this year if they were capable of figuring out that defensive side of the ball and they just blew it and they're going to miss the CFP because of it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, I mean you lost two out of your last three to unranked opponents and this was a year that might be.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, Syracuse is ranked okay.

[Dan Le Batard]

We're not counting the AP here. That's not like you said earlier, they don't use that. This is we're college football ranking season here.

[Mike Ryan]

Okay, well, we'll see tomorrow though with the cfp. Like it could all change.

[Dan Le Batard]

Look, two losses late in the season and you were in a conference where you got to avoid playing SMU and Clemson like it was ripe for the taking. Like I did not see this season ending this way for Miami. And we know I'm just a natural hater. That's who I am as a person. But it's like a 10 win season is great, but I, it is disappointing in a sense where like you, you avoided the two toughest teams in the conference. There's not one world where Miami should not be playing in Charlotte this weekend.

[Chris Cody]

Your two losses, you were an 11 point favorite in both of the games. Right. You could not win on the road and you could not win on the road, at least in part because at the end of those Georgia Tech and Syracuse were going to run the ball and you weren't going to be able to do anything about it, even though you knew they were going to run the ball.

[Mike Ryan]

If we're applying that measurement to losing late in the season and losing as a big favorite, then you could write off the SEC teams. It's just, they're not. It's you'll be tilting at windmills. I think on the surface you can hold up Miami's resume and you could look at the losses and say they've lost by a combined nine points. Even though if you contextualize the Georgia Tech game, that should have been a two score loss. They kneeled at the, at the end zone before to just smoke the clock.

[Billy Gil]

Mike, can't you say the SEC teams though lost to better opponents?

[Mike Ryan]

No, I can't. No. Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, those are trash opponents, right? Those are, those are bad losses. South Carolina had bad losses like South Carolina, better wins. Yeah, I understand, but they also have one additional loss too. So I hear you, you have a winning argument. I think that with a Georgia Tech Georgia game, I think that was pretty perfectly analogous to what I've been saying all year, which is, yeah, it might be true that the SEC is the best conference, but it's also wildly overrated. The golf that was there in the 2000 teens is not there between these two conferences. But ultimately Miami had a play in game and they had a 210 lead in it. And I could parse like nine points on the road. That's, that's a tough, tough L. You would have thought anybody would have said 10 and 2 gets you at the very least is Charlotte gets you into the cfp. It didn't. If you, if you apply the state of the CFP right now, we'll see if the CFP does what many are expecting, which is last few weeks they haven't given a crap about this SEC narrative. And you saw with Clemson being ranked number 12 last year, they rate the ACC a little bit more than the talking heads do. If Miami is ranked number 11, if they're ranked ahead of South Carolina and ahead of Alabama, then what the CFP is telling you, they get in with a Clemson loss. Unless, you know, Greg Sankey really fires up the media machine. And there is an aspect of that too. Politicking for college football. Positioning is something that is as old as the sport. We saw Mac Brown nuke a traditional Rose bowl because of his politicking one year. So. So the SEC are going to always win that politicking game too. Miami just blew it and I can't work up the conviction. I can give you the arguments for it, but I myself don't believe it. Because Miami had an opportunity and they blew it.

[Lucy Rodriguez]

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[Mike Ryan]

So you want to be a marketer? It's easy. You just have to score a ton of leads and figure out a way to turn them all into customers. Plus manage a dozen channels, write a million blogs, and launch a hundred campaigns all at once. When that's done, simply make your socials go viral and bring in record profits. No sweat. Okay, fine, it's a lot of Sweat. But with HubSpot's AI powered marketing tools, launching benchmark breaking campaigns is easier than ever. Get [e-mail] marketers this year, Santa's bringing the power of Energizer into his workshop. Whoa. The Energizer Bunny's got so much power.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wait, he's powered up all the toys? I think that means we're done for the year. I love this bunny.

[Mike Ryan]

He's the hardest working helper the North Pole has ever seen. And he wants all your gifts to have the power of the number one longest lasting AA battery. So this holiday season, stock up on Santa's and the elves favorite battery, Energ ultimate lithium. Don LeBatard it's not my favorite rejoin. Context needs to be applied. Going for a joke and I thought the context was applied. We, we'd like to rip that out of context. I was going for a thing and you're gonna. I have a family you're gonna pretend.

[Chris Cody]

Here that you don't love Matthew Tkachuk more than you love anybody you've ever loved.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't love Matthew Tkachuk more than my daughter. Stugats now. It's pretty damn close.

[Stugotz]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the st.

[Dan Le Batard]

Can I be honest for a second? Can I be safe space? Not loving the 12 team playoff right now.

[Billy Gil]

Really not loving it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like, I'll love it in. I'll love it in like three weeks. But it was like when Ohio State lost to Michigan, like, that. I was like, that used to kill a season. And like, technically it still did sort of kill their season. They're very, very sad. They're sad.

[Billy Gil]

But they're in the playoffs.

[Dan Le Batard]

I do. Yeah, they're in the playoff. I do think there is, like, more parity in the sport than we've seen in a really long time. But it's still very much my fear coming into the season, which I think has remained the same, is that the top are so much better than the rest. Like, even if you look at the way that Texas, Texas A and M game went, I know the score made it seem a lot closer than it was, but that was not a close game by any means. Texas dominated across the board, and that was, you know, two top 25 teams. I just think that. I think we're gonna see a lot of, like, blowouts in the first round. And I don't know, I'll be happy. I'll be happy in three weeks. Cause it'll be, oh, my God, there's so much color football for me to watch and go to. Like, that's gonna be awesome. But right now I'm like, man, some of these losses used to mean a lot more. I don't specifically apply that to, like, rivalries don't mean as much because, like, obviously you saw what Michigan, Ohio State, but like, right. I don't.

[Stugotz]

I have a question now.

[Billy Gil]

Ryan Day can win the national championship and all will be forgiven.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't know. They might still fire him. They are really unhappy about him losing Michigan also. I don't know if you guys saw this last week, but Ryan Day gave an interview, which was kind of crazy, where he was like, outside of my dad dying, losing to Michigan has been the worst thing that's happened to me in my family.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, but aren't we longing for a college football that never existed? There were plenty of times where we thought Alabama was done. That's it. They're not going to be in the playoff. And Then they sneak in and they win a championship or they can't. LSU can't lose this game. And the SEC team always finds a way to navigate it and come out smelling like roses at the end.

[Billy Gil]

So, Mike, let's use Miami and Colorado. I would like the committee to put those two teams into the playoff just for me. Right?

[Mike Ryan]

You might get them at the Pop Tart Bowl.

[Billy Gil]

No, I would love that would be.

[Mike Ryan]

Even better, actually, if the players don't opt out. That would be really fun.

[Billy Gil]

I mean, imagine Miami going to Notre Dame for a first round playoff game. That would be fantastic. Right? But if Miami did make the playoffs, based on what you've seen the last two weeks, you don't think they have any shot, do you?

[Mike Ryan]

If they could figure out something defensively, look, they can score with anybody in the nation. I do think that they have a shot. Again citing the Georgia Tech thing, the SEC and the ACC played four games this weekend. They were pretty much all close with the exception of Florida. FSU and Louisville just totally blew out a Kentucky team. So the ACC had a winning record against every major conference with the exception of the sec. And it was very close. I think that Miami would have a shot against the likes of Notre Dame, but also Jeremiah Love would just run outside sweeps and destroy them and it would be like one of those 48, 45 games.

[Stugotz]

I have a question that is going to trigger you that I'm telling you on the front and I'm not intending to trigger you on this, but I know that it will. And it's not even like the question of Mario deciding to kick for the field goal and that costing them the game or not costing the game or whatever. Is there a world in a serious conversation where Mario cost came Ward Heisman votes because he did not trust his best player seemingly in that spot to win a game for him or tie a game for him. And he took the ball out of his hand and then voters can say, well, if this is the greatest player in the country, why did his coach not put the ball in his hand when the game was on the line and the playoffs were on the line?

[Mike Ryan]

I understand that. Look, Travis Hunter was minus a thousand to win the Heisman Trophy entering that game. And all he did was get an interception and three touchdowns prior to that Miami game. So I don't think there was anything that Mario could have done to win this. In fact, maybe he was a little too infatuated with trying to win Cam Ward a Heisman Trophy because you salt that game away when you're effectively running the ball like that. A lot of people have takes on the, on the field goal. You assume that Miami can score on a fourth and goal from like the 15, that that's not easy. And also you still need your defense to stop them. I think the rationale would be go for it because you'll run into a Syracuse offense that's going to be a little bit more conservative and maybe you have a better shot at stopping them. No, we saw that conservative offense kill the game against Miami. So ultimately they, they blew it with their mistakes and they blew it with, with their defensive performance. And I actually think that Miami's been in a lot of close games this year and Mario Cristobal has actually avoided blowing them. He, you look at, they've had what, nine really close games this season where it's come down to his in game management. I've talked to people in the NFL that crunch those numbers in terms of, of was this the right analytical call? They all said it's pretty close. You still need to stop. So. And it's not the first time he's opted to let me go for the win on my next possession. Ultimately, they just blew it. They couldn't stop Syracuse. Defensively.

[Dan Le Batard]

I didn't get to watch the first half of that game. Rose got pepper sprayed, so we had to deal with, with other things. I guess my sort of like pushback on that is like you gave up a 21 point lead and you're going to put faith in your defense in that situation. Like, it just seems kind of crazy to me, especially when you do have Cam Ward. I'm not quite sure how he was playing in the first half of that game, but like, you have one of the most electric players in college football and your defense has just crumbled to Syracuse. I don't know why you wouldn't just be like, all right, this is the time. This is what we spent all this money for.

[Billy Gil]

That's a spot. You don't trust your defense. They give up 28 points in the second half.

[Dan Le Batard]

Exactly. That's the spot where you're like, hey, we are one of the best offenses in the country. Like, I'm going to put faith in my, you know, Heisman finalist quarterback here. I don't get it. But also I didn't get to watch the whole game.

[Mike Ryan]

I think it's, I think it's a fair enough criticism, but I also think it's well overblown. You're underselling. Really. How catechismic that, that, that failure was across the board. I think a lot of people are just looking for confirmation bias when it comes to Mario Cristobal and want to seize on like the one thing in that game that they felt was a coaching decision in any scenario. You still have to trust your oh.

[Chris Cody]

But it's not just that because a lot of the criticism he got too was a lack of discipline because of what happened with Moten and what happened with George and what happened in general with them losing a game after being up 21, nothing. The only reason that I would have gone for it, even though it's the od, are against you in a condensed field in a fourth and long situation, it's because of how useless those three points felt. And if I was going to fail with my best player at the very end of my season, at least I'm pinning Syracuse back where if they want to throw they're near their own goal line and so I'd prefer to try and stop them back there than having them have better field position and getting those three points. Those three points did nothing for me.

[Mike Ryan]

I get the logic. It's one of those things that I don't even feel really strong about what happened. I don't think it really had any say in the game. Game. I'm not a big fan of any opportunity that you have to make a one score game a one score game. You take it.

[Chris Cody]

This is what I would tell you based on what was going on in the second half of that game. I'm not even looking for a successfully executed play there. I'd like my chances better of getting a holding call or a pass interference given how many of those there were in the second half that convert a first down than to have the three points.

[Mike Ryan]

I get it, but I think that second half showed me okay. We go to overtime, we still lose this game, we're not going to get the stop, we're going to keep blitzing.

[Chris Cody]

Why can't I move you off the position though when you say they would have had a shot this year, why can I not? Why are you being so stubborn about if their defense can figure it out? It's a bad defense but Syracuse throws the ball well. But it's not like it was great offenses that were running over them.

[Mike Ryan]

This is weird because I agree with you, it's not a good defense but every counting metric that you could use outside of really deep analytics, yards per play, like it's one of their better defenses historically, like you've had defenses rank where they rank and they are deemed championship level Especially with that offense. So there, it depends on the opponent. And I think once you get deeper into the College Football Playoff, you have teams that will pull like a Wake Forest. This is our identity. This is what we know how to do. We're going to challenge you in the A gap. We understand that you're bad at this in tape, but a lot of teams, they're just going to maintain their offensive identity because they see a bad defense that they don't really respect anyways. And that's where Miami actually thrives because you're playing more to Miami strengths. If you focus on where Miami is weak, they have shown you the entire season they can't stop it, dating back to the Virginia Tech game where Virginia Tech was forcing them to make tackles in the flag. If you, if you isolate their secondary and you try to make them make plays, they're not going to make plays. If you motion out the running back and Kiko Ma follows them into motion, it's an automatic chunk play. That's been the book all season long. It's what's going to cost them the cfp. It's a damn shame because Miami is right there in terms of teams that deserve to be in this tournament. You can make an argument. Yeah, I'm with Lucy. I think ultimately she'll be right. Right. Those, those two SEC teams, either Alabama or SC are probably going to get in. Then Miami. I'm sorry, you're like the 13th best team this year. They're only letting 12 in there. It's a good season and a major disappointment because that offense, that quarterback I believe in this year of parity, had a shot that certainly I would love to see them in the cfp. You're telling me Cam Ward goes to South Bend, Indiana? Bring it on. Let's see. I feel good about my chances because I like my quarterback, but they're not going to get that chance. They're not going to win against this SEC propaganda machine. And they blew it. It was all there for them. They blew it.

[Billy Gil]

The defensive metrics are fine, but that's the criticism of Mario Cristobal that I think is fair. Mike, you can't use body of work. It's got to be game to game. And in that game, in that moment, when you have given up 42 points in three quarters to Syracuse and you have the best quarterback in the country, the guy you wanted, you got him out of the portal. He needs a first down. He needs a first down to get you to the playoffs. They're on the 10 yard line. And he decides to kick a field goal. That is a terrible job by Mario Cristobal. Terrible.

[Mike Ryan]

I think you can get on Mario about a lot. Ultimately, those concerns are always going to be there about Mario. I think he's done pretty well this season in addressing some of those time management issues that plagued him the first two years here. Ultimately, you want to build a program that has a talent advantage that you don't. It doesn't have to come down to those margins.

[Chris Cody]

You mentioned Notre Dame. They end their game with a couple of 99 and 100 yard pick sixes against USC. You mentioned Travis Hunter. Can you explain this to me with Deion Sanders? Travis Hunter is a betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. But the trophy for Thorpe Award, the best cornerback in the country, he is not nominated for. And so this is what Deion Sanders has to say about that. Something that just transpired and they brought to my attention today that Travis is a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Maxwell Player of the Year, a Ben Eric defense player of the Year. Linden called best receiver regardless of position and was snubbed by the Thorpe.

[Billy Gil]

How.

[Chris Cody]

How is Travis Hunter snubbed by the Jim Thorpe Award? You can have my award. You can have it back. Matter of fact, I'm gonna give him mine. I ain't using it just sitting up there collecting dust so Travis could have my Thorpe Award because if this ain't the most idiotic thing in college football that he's not not a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and he is, I would say arguably, but it's. I don't think it's really an argument about this young man being the best defensive back in college football.

[Dan Le Batard]

Few things. One, we're going to see that Jim Thorpe Award in a KFC commercial in like two months. I felt the exact same way when two years ago they did not make Iowa's pun the Ray Guy finalist award that was probably more egregious than this. My thing with Travis Hunter is he's obviously insane. I kind of like Ashton. I think Ashton Gentee should win the Heisman because his season has just been like something we've never ever seen.

[Chris Cody]

His season is better than the last three running backs who have won the Heisman Trophy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Absolutely. But I do understand completely why Travis Hunter is the favorite because he is playing two positions. I think he's a better receiver than he is a corner. So that's kind of where I see this coming from. I, I think Travis Hunter is going to get plenty of awards this postseason. The Kfc will make up an award for him. Like, we'll see plenty of stuff happen here. I get why Dion saying that, but I don't think he's one of the best corners in college football.

[Billy Gil]

We're glossing over the fact that the head coach said, I'll give him mine. And I got to tell you, he should hold a ceremony during the Thorpe Award ceremony. Dion should have his own ceremony where he just hands his old trophy to Travis Hunter. I'd watch that.

[Stugotz]

That would be great.

[Billy Gil]

That would be great. I wouldn't watch it, but it'd be fun. It's a good idea.

[Mike Ryan]

Lucy's read on it is kind of the read that I've gotten from NFL folks when I've asked, like, what do you do with Travis Hunter? Because from a salary cap point of view, Travis Hunter is going to be a very interesting case study. What position does he get drafted at that that changes his salary tier. The people in the NFL that I've spoken to say they would probably only play him at receiver. And while Travis Hunter has counting numbers, he makes sensationally. He certainly has a nose for the ball you're not going to see on the highlight packages. When he gets burned down the field for a mistaken coverage, he jumps higher.

[Chris Cody]

Than any cornerback in the sport.

[Billy Gil]

It's crazy. Mel Kuiper told me and Billy that if he entered the draft as a wide receiver, he'd be the best wide receiver in the draft. If he entered it as a cornerback, he'd be the best cornerback in the draft.

[Chris Cody]

But that's not the consensus among people. And I don't know if the Thorpe people don't get me wrong, they. Many people are saying that he's too much of a gambler as a cornerback, but obviously, if he was working on that as a skill set, his athletic gifts make it clear that if he focused on just being a cornerback, he would also be a very good corner.

[Mike Ryan]

Correct. All the NFL people that I said that I spoke to about Travis Hunter's pro prospects are like, he would certainly be a good corner, especially if that's only what he's focusing on. But they think that the gulf between where he's at and the impact that he can have a game on a game as a receiver just far outweighs that as a db. And you don't even want to risk Travis Hunter the wide receiver getting injured because Travis Hunter the cornerback is out there playing.

[Billy Gil]

Who are these NFL people you're talking?

[Mike Ryan]

I'm not gonna give you my sources. That's not how you do it.

[Stugotz]

The cons.

[Chris Cody]

He really doesn't know Stugatz. How sourcing works. After all of these years in the business, Stugatz doesn't understand the concept. Not that Mike Ryan is a print journalist, but that you protect your source.

[Billy Gil]

He's not reporting anything. He's talking about scuttlebutt. Things that are being.

[Chris Cody]

No, but, but, but, but. If he wanted you to know the people that were saying these things, he would have named the people who were saying these things.

[Stugotz]

How about the scuttlebutt Ian Rappaport put out there? See who the bears have on their shortlist. Shortlist?

[Billy Gil]

Who?

[Stugotz]

Cliff Kingsbury.

[Billy Gil]

Get out of here, guys.

[Stugotz]

Hope he's gonna get another job. It's incredible.

[Chris Cody]

What is scuttlebutt actually? Like what? I don't know what it is, except in the context that we're using it. Which is basically gossip, right? A synonym for gossip. Sort of. Or is it not? Is it more. Is it more solid than gossip? Is it more factual than gossip?

[Billy Gil]

It's gossip.

[Stugotz]

It's nautical. It's a slang term for gossip. It comes from the nautical term for a cask that held a ship's daily supply of fresh water.

[Billy Gil]

Nice.

[Stugotz]

Okay, I know what a cask is, but for those who don't, put it.

[Chris Cody]

On the pole, please. Juju at Lebatard show. Do you know what a cask is? And did you know that scuttlebutt held fresh water at Le Batard's show? Because that doesn't sound right. So it's a nautical term. Scuttlebutt is a nautical term. How do we get from holding the fresh water to holding the gossip?

[Stugotz]

The term was later applied to the drinking fountains on ships at naval installations, and eventually to the rumors and gossip that surrounded them. I still don't know what any of that means.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's like talking at the water cooler, which I actually don't really understand that reference either.

[Stugotz]

So the pirates invented talking at the water cooler?

[Billy Gil]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

They invented yapping Lucy in an office setting.

[Stugotz]

Scuttlebutt is similar to the water cooler.

[Mike Ryan]

There you go.

[Billy Gil]

Bang.

[Chris Cody]

Lucy, though, is of an age where people don't go to an office, nevermind, gather around a water cooler.

[Dan Le Batard]

I barely come here.

[Mike Ryan]

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