The Dan Patrick Show

Hour 2 – Embarrassing Officials, Rick Neuheisel
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Dan Patrick
Guests: Rick Neuheisel (CBS Sports), Call-in guests

Episode Overview

This episode of The Dan Patrick Show centers on recent football controversies—particularly embarrassing moments involving NFL officials—and broad reflections on officiating, sports fandom, and coaching. Dan and the Danettes dig into poll results, listener calls, and notable football weekend events, including college football playoff reactions. CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel joins for insight into the college playoff landscape, and serenades the show with a football-themed holiday song.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Poll Questions & Listener Reactions

[04:00–08:00]

• Ongoing show polls: “Who do you believe in least, Alabama or Miami?” (Miami leads 60%) and “Which NFC playoff team do you believe in least?” (Bears at 42%).
• Surprise at the Seattle Seahawks being the “most believed in,” attributed to fan confusion or lingering “Sam Darnold spillover.”
  • "Maybe they’re as confused as I am with the results... possibly a poorly worded question" —Dan Patrick [05:25]

2. Embarrassing Officiating & NFL Referee Debate

[08:00–16:00]

• Dan and the crew relive a confusing and controversial call in the Lions game:
  • Referee loudly declares a “touchdown,” then quietly overturns it—inciting chaos in the stadium.
  • "That’s one of the most impactful ‘howevers’ in sports history." —Dan Patrick [09:45]
• Debate about whether NFL refs should be full-time employees:
  • Callers and Dan argue it’s an “optics” solution, not one that improves call accuracy or clarity.
  • "You can be full-time. You're still going to say something in the inverse order, like, what are you doing?" —Dan Patrick [12:05]
  • "Making the refs full-time would have the opposite effect... These guys are getting paid $500,000 a year to do this. It would make it worse." —Paulie [12:55]

Notable Moment

• Aaron Rodgers offers perspective on the Lions' controversial ending, relating it to the infamous “Fail Mary”:
  • "I was there for the Fail Mary game... glad we're on top." —Aaron Rodgers (audio clip) [15:00]

3. Weekend Highlights, Fan Stories & College Football

[16:00–23:00]

• Listeners call in with “Best and Worst of the Weekend” and sports anecdotes (e.g., comparisons to historic hockey brawls and memorable referee heckling).

• Discussion on college football coaching—I.e., why Michigan coaching search drags out, and Arizona State’s need for major NIL funding to compete.

  • "You get $21 million for your sports rosters, the collectives... you gotta have another $20 million if you want to compete." —Dan Patrick [20:00]

• Commentary on the growth of football collectives and the increasing money gap in college sports.

4. Fandom & Athlete Accountability

[23:00–29:00]

• Callers debate athletes going into the stands (DK Metcalf incident), praising self-control and professionalism.
  • "You're a professional athlete for dear God, stop going into the stands." —Gus, caller [24:00]
• Discussion on rising NFL coaches’ success (Ben Johnson, Liam Cohen) and which might win Coach of the Year.

5. Boxing Sideshow: Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua

[29:00–34:30]

• The crew react to Jake Paul’s brutal loss to Anthony Joshua, skepticism of his credibility as a boxer, and the spectacle’s entertainment value.

  • "He had no business being in there... those are professional fighters. Those guys are meant to hurt you." —Dan Patrick [31:20]
  • Note: General consensus is Jake Paul is a brilliant marketer, not a real boxer.

• Relates spectacle boxing to the entertainment “Kardashian nonsense”—if you watch, it’s your fault for buying into it.

• On fight scripting: "I don't think you would script: 'And here's where you break the guy's jaw…'" —Dan Patrick [33:00]

College Football Playoff Recap & Analysis

[48:30–58:00]

Dan reviews the weekend’s playoff outcomes for Cinderella teams (James Madison and Tulane):

• Both teams decisively beaten (Ole Miss handled Tulane by 31; Oregon over JMU by 17).
• The expanded playoff was intended to offer access to more teams, but the competitive gap was clear.
  • "JMU and Tulane are not amongst the 12 best teams. They're not, but they did what they were supposed to do... Don’t blame them, blame the committee." —Dan Patrick [50:00]

Tone:

Sympathetic toward the small schools—frustrated with the system.

Featured Interview: Rick Neuheisel (CBS Sports College Football Analyst)

[58:00–1:07:30]

On Group-of-Five Playoff Inclusion

• "I agree… someday we're going to get to a point where James Madison and Tulane are going to get to play each other—and we just need to get that game the kind of stage that it deserves." —Rick Neuheisel [58:30]
• Critiques “talent drain” from smaller programs to Power 4 via NIL opportunities—making it hard for them to compete.

On Who’s Best Remaining

• Rick’s pick: Ohio State for overall completeness.

Funniest Moment

• Holiday Football Song Performance by Neuheisel [1:03:00]
  • Neuheisel debuts his holiday football parody: “Just Let ‘Em Play”
  • Lyrics riff on coaching carousel, player transfers, playoff chaos, and the joy of college football.
    • "The coaching carousel is spinning, and the ADs are the only ones grinning, but don't you show dismay—let them play, let them play, let them play."

Notable Quotes—Rick Neuheisel

• "We're taking players from them, you know, annually... makes it difficult for them to compete when they get to this portion of the year" [59:30]
• "It will be some kind of greedy pigskin blues—Ole Miss wins and Lane gets rich, but the check comes from LSU." (from his song) [1:05:30]

NFL & College Football Stats/Trivia

[1:09:30–1:15:00]

• Paulie quizzes the crew: Has a Super Bowl-era All-Pro QB ever had the season’s leading rusher on his team?
  Result: Never happened (closest was pre-Super Bowl era; Lamar Jackson with Derrick Henry came close).

Listener “Best and Worst of the Weekend”

[1:15:00–1:25:00]

• Standouts:
  • Duke Blue Devils blow 17-point lead [Andy, caller]
  • Patriots stage rare comeback
  • Special teams struggles in Alabama/Oklahoma and Miami/Texas A&M games [Randall, caller]

Good Will Hunting callback

• Multiple “It’s not your fault” quips about underdog playoff losses, lightheartedly referencing the movie [1:21:00]
  • "It’s not your fault... It's not your fault, kid."

NFL Playoff Picture & Super Bowl Odds

[1:27:30–1:30:00]

• Rams and Seahawks as NFC favorites, Eagles as surprising underdogs despite strong showing.
• 49ers' path to #1 seed discussed in depth.

Danettes’ Best and Worst of the Weekend

[1:30:00–1:35:00]

• Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr (Best), Tulane/JMU non-competitiveness (Worst) —Todd
• Panthers rookie Lathan Ransom redemption (Best); waning NFL Christmas slate excitement (Worst) —Seaton
• Steelers’ Jalen Warren’s performance and Miami's kicker's near-miss (Marvin, Seaton)
• Chargers improvement and FCS playoffs (Paulie)

Final Listener Calls—Jake Paul & Boxing

[1:39:00–1:41:00]

• Jay in Delaware: "Jake Paul did bring eyes back to boxing, but the worst part was he finally met a real boxer…"
  Dan: "I'm a big fan of boxing, but actual boxing... He's a great marketer, but not a great boxer."

Episode Highlights—Notable Quotes

• "That’s one of the most impactful howevers in sports history." —Dan Patrick [09:45]
• "You can be full-time. You're still going to say something in the inverse order, like, what are you doing?" —Dan Patrick [12:05]
• "He had no business being in there... those are professional fighters. Those guys are meant to hurt you." —Dan Patrick [31:20]
• "JMU and Tulane are not amongst the 12 best teams. They're not, but they did what they were supposed to do... Don’t blame them, blame the committee." —Dan Patrick [50:00]
• "The coaching carousel is spinning, and the ADs are the only ones grinning, but don't you show dismay—let them play, let them play, let them play." —Rick Neuheisel (song) [1:05:20]
• "It's not your fault. It's not your fault. Goodwill hunting. Yeah, yeah, Goodwill hunting." —Dan Patrick [1:21:00]

Timestamps – Key Segments

• Poll Results & Playoff Talk – [04:00–08:00]
• Lions’ Ref Call / Referee Debate – [08:00–16:00]
• Listener Calls (Best & Worst of Weekend) – [16:00–29:00]
• Jake Paul vs. Joshua Boxing Talk – [29:00–34:30]
• College Football Playoff Reaction (Tulane/JMU) – [48:30–58:00]
• Rick Neuheisel Interview & Song – [58:00–1:07:30]
• NFL/College Football Stats Trivia – [1:09:30–1:15:00]
• Listener Calls “Best & Worst” / Good Will Hunting Moment – [1:15:00–1:25:00]
• Super Bowl Odds/Playoff Picture – [1:27:30–1:30:00]
• Danettes’ Best & Worst – [1:30:00–1:35:00]
• Boxing, Jake Paul Final Caller – [1:39:00–1:41:00]

Overall Tone & Takeaways

The show embodies Dan's trademark mix of humor, nostalgia, and no-nonsense sports critique. The tone is mostly lighthearted—especially in the handling of poll confusion, the officiating farce, and Neuheisel’s musically comedic contribution. However, there’s real frustration aimed at sports bureaucracy, whether in playoff selection, officiating optics, or the financial stratification of college football.

Anyone missing the episode will feel like they’re in the know—especially about the weekend’s biggest controversies, the state of college football parity, and why, sometimes, sports just “ain’t fair.”