Best of The Herd

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – "Best of The Herd" (December 4, 2024)

Introduction

In the "Best of The Herd" episode released on December 4, 2024, host Colin Cowherd, alongside co-hosts LeVar Arrington and guest Joel Klatt, delves deep into the tumultuous landscape of college football. This episode offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolving playoff structures, team dynamics, coaching strategies, and the passionate rivalries that define the sport today.

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1. College Football Playoff Structure and Team Selection

The episode kicks off with a heated discussion about the impending introduction of a 12-team playoff system in college football. The trio examines the controversies surrounding team selections, particularly focusing on traditional powerhouses like Alabama and Miami.

• Alabama vs. Miami Debate:

  • LeVar Arrington emphasizes the strength of Alabama’s conference play, stating, “The SEC is better than the ACC. Well, that's not fair. Well, it's not fair. Some people are born rich and some people are born middle class.” ([12:30] 12:30).
  • Joel Klatt counters by highlighting Miami’s performance, noting, “Bama's got a better win, it’s a better conference,” but also acknowledges Miami's recent inconsistencies.

• Playoff Criteria Critique:

  • Colin Cowherd points out the inherent biases in the selection process, saying, “In pro sports and in college football where you play who you play. It may not be your fault.” ([22:03] 22:03).
  • The hosts debate the fairness of allowing three losses for Alabama versus two for Miami, ultimately leaning towards favoring Alabama due to their tougher schedule and significant conference victories.

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2. Coaching Dynamics and Potential Shifts in Teams

A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to the strategic movements of head coaches within college football, with a spotlight on Kyle Shanahan and the Chicago Bears.

• Kyle Shanahan’s Potential Move:

  • LeVar Arrington speculates on Shanahan’s future, asserting, “I would give up multiple picks for Kyle Shanahan because even first-round picks, you don't really know what you're getting.” ([30:22] 30:22).
  • Joel Klatt discusses the Bears’ potential acquisition of Shanahan, evaluating the financial and strategic implications: “Are the McCaskeys smart enough to offer it? Draft picks? Are you kidding me?”

• Impact of Coaching on Team Performance:

  • The conversation shifts to how coaching decisions influence team dynamics and performance, with references to other NFL coaches like Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton: “Sean Payton in Denver takes over Chernobyl. Now they’re going to make the playoffs.” ([37:55] 37:55).
  • Joel Klatt emphasizes the importance of having a “culture creator and a schematic genius” for teams aiming for championships.

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3. Ohio State vs. Michigan Rivalry Analysis

A central theme of the episode is the intense rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, particularly focusing on recent game outcomes and coaching strategies.

• Game Breakdown:

  • LeVar Arrington critiques Ohio State’s gameplay against Michigan, highlighting missed opportunities and strategic errors: “They didn't exploit their best players, wide receivers.” ([32:52] 32:52).
  • Joel Klatt analyzes Ohio State’s defensive lapses and offensive hesitations, stating, “They allowed that path to take place,” referencing key interceptions that swung the game in Michigan’s favor.

• Emotional Toll and Fan Reactions:

  • The hosts discuss the emotional investments of fans, with Joel Klatt asserting, “Why do we love college football? Passion. Wild tribalism.” ([44:36] 44:36).
  • They explore how deep-seated rivalries heighten reactions and sometimes lead to over-the-top sentiments, acknowledging the intensity of college football culture.

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4. Impact of Transfer Portal and NIL on College Football Parity

Arrington and Klatt delve into the transformative effects of the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies on the competitive balance within college football.

• Parity Enhancement:

  • LeVar Arrington remarks, “The transfer portal allows for that freedom to go to different places,” indicating that these changes have leveled the playing field by enabling talent redistribution. ([50:55] 50:55).
  • Joel Klatt adds, “Now all of a sudden you’ve got teams like Indiana in the playoff and Arizona State playing for a right to go to the playoff,” highlighting increased competitiveness among previously underdog programs.

• Sustained Dominance vs. Emerging Teams:

  • The discussion points out that while traditional powerhouses like Alabama and Ohio State remain influential, the landscape is more dynamic, allowing for unexpected contenders to emerge.
  • Joel Klatt identifies Texas as a newly dominant force, noting, “I think the closest thing that we've got to a team that could really dominate for a few years is Texas right now.”

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5. Closing Remarks and Future Outlook

As the episode draws to a close, Colin, LeVar, and Joel reflect on the current state and future of college football. They express optimism about the increased competitiveness brought by structural changes and technological advancements in the sport.

• Future Playoff Predictions:

  • Joel Klatt offers his projections for the first-round matchups, suggesting potential clashes like Tennessee vs. Penn State and Alabama vs. Ohio State, based on ongoing season performances. ([53:16] 53:16).

• Cultural Reflections:

  • The hosts emphasize the enduring passion and tribalism that fuel college football, recognizing both its unifying and divisive aspects: “If I'm going to love the sport because it goes up to that line, I cannot be upset when it inches over that line.” ([45:06] 45:06).

• Final Thoughts:

  • The episode concludes with a harmonious note, despite earlier disagreements, illustrating the camaraderie among hosts: “You did. That's it. The snarky greeter. Bama's resume is not great, but to me, the bubble was those four teams from 11 to 14.” ([43:28] 43:28).

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Notable Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps

• LeVar Arrington: “The SEC is better than the ACC. Well, that's not fair. Well, it's not fair. Some people are born rich and some people are born middle class.” ([12:30] 12:30).

• Joel Klatt: “Why do we love college football? Passion. Wild tribalism.” ([44:36] 44:36).

• Colin Cowherd: “In pro sports and in college football where you play who you play. It may not be your fault.” ([22:03] 22:03).

• Joel Klatt: “Sean Payton in Denver takes over Chernobyl. Now they’re going to make the playoffs.” ([37:55] 37:55).

• LeVar Arrington: “The transfer portal allows for that freedom to go to different places.” ([50:55] 50:55).

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Conclusion

The "Best of The Herd" episode offers a thorough examination of the current and future state of college football. Through engaging discussions, Colin Cowherd, LeVar Arrington, and Joel Klatt provide listeners with insightful perspectives on playoff structures, team and coaching dynamics, and the passionate rivalries that continue to shape the sport. This episode serves as a valuable resource for fans seeking to understand the complexities and emotional depth of college football in 2024.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[LeVar Arrington]

It's Levar Arrington here from up on Game and I need you to listen for a moment. All right, I'm get serious. The hate in this country is getting out of control. It's at an all time high. It's going to take all of us to stop it. I mean, think about it. We're all on the same team in this country, right? Let's take a break from hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a time out Against Hate. Visit standuptoallhate.org to help and join me in calling for a timeout against hate by following hatsupwithhate or posting the Blue Square Emoji.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[LeVar Arrington]

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Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox sports Radio. Oh, do we got a good one? Today live in Los Angeles, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Joel Klatt, one hour from now. All the crazies, and we love them. All the crazies in college football are freaking out. 12 team bracket comes out again. Only a couple left before the real deal. December 20th is when it starts. So, J. Mac, everybody's freaking out. Oh, freaking out. How can you put Bama in? How can you leave Miami out? Terrible job. Terrible job. I want to start with this in my life. I love college football. It's always had one issue. One issue is that it's got a big game shortage because nobody wants to lose games. So everybody ducks competition. I mean, USC this year opened with LSU and closed with Notre Dame. That's like way above average. What you'd like to see every year is Ohio State saying, hey, let's go play Texas and Oklahoma. But it doesn't happen. And so I have always believed I am going to give you extra credit by just scheduling a game. You may lose it. But if you're willing to schedule a game and you lose it in overtime or it's close, it matters to me who you play. In the NFL you can't control your schedule. But in college football, you control three or four of the games and I'm paying attention. So 12 team playoff comes out. The big criticism is Miami, two losses should be in and Bama, three losses should be out. So let's forget out of conference for a second. First of all, Bama plays in a much better conference. Well, that's not fair. Well, it's not fair. Some people are born rich and some people are born middle class. It is what it is. The sec, those high schools got the best players. They recruit the best player. SEC is better than Alabama plays in that. The ACC is a hot tire fire. It's a mess. It's awful. Second, Bama beat Georgia. That's a big time win. You know, the big win for Miami, 75 Florida. That's our big win. So Bama played in a better conference. Bama's got a better win. Here's the other thing. Both of Miami's losses have come in the last three weeks, so it looks like they're a little wobbly right now. I don't love that. The other thing, the ACC's awful. So the three best teams in the ACC are SMU, Miami and Clemson. Bizarrely, they didn't play each other. They didn't play each other. So all of them stockpiled wins over terrible teams. Meanwhile, Bama's going through the SEC gauntlet and yeah, they went to Oklahoma, got caught flat footed. Oklahoma's got, you know, 15 kids that are going to play in the NFL. Like you go to you sometimes, you go to a game they're ready to play and you're not. And I don't think Alabama is great. I think they're good. I just think Miami, if they played them, is less good than Alabama's good. And I don't want Alabama at three losses to get in. But they've got a better win, it's a better conference. And by the way, Alabama against ranked teams this year, currently ranked teams 3 and 1. Do you know what Miami, Clemson and SMU are against ranked teams this year? 04 stockpiled wins over Nonsense. There are no great teams this year in college football. I think Texas is really good, really good. I don't think they're great. Great is the 75. You know, I would go great is the Tommy Frazier Cornhuskers, the Reggie Bush Trojans, the Joe Burrow LSU team. There was a Miami team Butch Davis assembled that was great. We've had about five or six great teams this year. I think we have one very, very, very good team, Texas. Oregon may be that as well, I'm not sure, but I think they could be. And then it's a bunch of Ohio State and Penn State and Alabamas and Tennessee's and Georgia's. But you're trying to get me upset because two losses, these aren't standings. Even in the NFL you can win a division, somebody's going to win, you know, the NFC south and they may be 8, 9 and then somebody's going to be left out with probably 10 wins. That's the way it works in pro sports and in college football where you play who you play. It may not be your fault. Again, it's not your fault for a lot in life. It doesn't make it untrue. And I would trust Alabama in a big game over Miami because I think Kalen DeBoer is a better coach than Mario Cristobal. And I think with a couple of weeks of prep I take the better coach. So it's not the end of the world. But better schedule, better win better against ranked teams, you know, the other. Let me just throw this out here. I always had this theory, and I know this just comes across as just a terrible thing to say, but if I pay for the wedding, I got to make the seating chart okay. Who pays for college football in the playoff? The networks. So I wouldn't even have a problem if everything was even. And you went down 20 different lists of record home away and it was even. At the end. It's a coin flip. And the network said, I'd rather take the massive fan base of Alabama in over a Miami team that gets 28,000 for a home game. I pay for the wedding. I get to decide the seating chart. And right now, I mean, in baseball, Major League Baseball, you know who was really on Major League Baseball for the pitch clock? Fox and espn. You know who created that game in Europe? Phillies, Mets, Fox, Field of Dreams, Fox. You know, outfield shift. They didn't listen to purists. TV networks pay the bills. They get a say in this stuff. The NFL has always understood that. I mean, they change rules annually to just make it a better TV product. But. And that's like the final box. That's not the first box. But I'm not losing sleep because two loss, Miami may not get in and Alabama, three loss in the toughest conference with a great coach is going to get it. If that's what we're losing sleep over. A couple of pretty good teams who have stubbed their toe. I'm sorry. I don't need Melatonin to sleep tonight. I'm going to be just fine. Joel Klatten, One hour. Okay. I saw this story. You know how some things are true and you just. And some people. And maybe it's just a money thing that people don't want to spend. Maybe these rich billionaire owners are cheap. Probably are. That's why they're billionaires. Right? But I saw Pro Football Talk, had a story this morning. The Chicago Bears should call the Niners about Kyle Shanahan. And I know what you're saying. Whoa, take a deep breath. Timing is everything. So first of all, let's establish this to be true. At any one time in my life, there's been about four to five rock star head coaches like any industry, tech, law, medicine, football coaching. At any one time, the NFL's got five rock stars. They're just better than everybody else. Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers completely changed the franchise with the same roster. Sean Payton in Denver takes over Chernobyl. Now they're going to make the playoffs. Sean McVeigh to the Rams dead franchise, double digit wins, year one rockstar Andy Reid, Chiefs are lost to the playoffs to a dynasty. Shanahan's considered in that class. And I'll get to more about Kyle later in the show. The only thing that amazes me is that more people, more owners don't consider this. Hello, Harbaugh McVeigh. Hello. I mean, when the Niners were terrible, they got Jim Harbaugh and then he left and they got terrible and they got Kyle Shanahan. Now we didn't know Shanahan was a Rockstar head coach at the time, but we knew he was a rock star coordinator at the time. He was the best coordinator in the league. And I look at all these Bears candidates. Oh, Ben Johnson, he's an oc, let's be honest. Little, little different guy, little quirky guy, doesn't have the gravitas. If I had to guess, he is great coordinator, not a head coach. That's my guess. Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame. Well, he's a great recruiter. Oh yeah, that doesn't matter in the NFL. He could be. But I would give up multiple picks for Kyle Shanahan because even first round picks, you don't really know what you're getting. You don't, I mean, you really don't know what you're getting after about the first eight picks. And even sometimes in the first eight picks you're like, yeah, about eight practices in that doesn't work. You know what you're getting with Kyle Shanahan, you're going to get that run game, the schemes. Now I. Here's the other thing and you're thinking, why would he leave? In my lifetime, there has been one quality that smart people have shared, men and women. One quality. And it's not where you went to college, it's not who you know. No, no. The smartest people, the Murdochs have been great at this. They get out of the movie business at the perfect time. They get out of the regional sports networks at the perfect time. The ability to understand timing, okay, is really, really the one thing in my life that highly successful people. Mark Cuban, by the way, just sold his NBA franchise. He knows something, right? He was the guy that came in, the young, brash owner. Nobody, nobody treated their players like Mark Cuban. He changed how players were treated. He was ahead of the curve. Now he's selling his team. Probably knows something. Look at Kyle Shanahan situation. Smart guy don't know Kyle. Know many that do. Smart guy about to have to pay. Brock Purdy, who's Now a little small and hurt for the second time to compete against Mahomes and Allen and Lamar and Herbert and C.J. stroud and Jalen hurts Brock Purdy. You want to roll with that? You don't have a trophy yet. That's your trophy. Quarterback. Secondly, Christian McCaffrey clearly, and I love him. He is peaked. Third, it's an old, expensive, increasingly brittle roster. And here's Chicago. Coach fired, coach fired, coach fired, coach fired. Are the Bears smart enough to look at the Rams and go, look what McVeigh did? This has a Tony Dungy to the Colts field where you had this surging young star quarterback. Tony's in Tampa and says, I'm going to go up there and I'm going to get my side of the ball, right? And Tony Dungy demanding the perfect fit. Shanahan to the Bears. My only question is, are the McCaskeys smart enough to offer it? Draft picks? Are you kidding me? Yeah, let's see. Linebacker or Kyle Shanahan, tight end. Or change the franchise forever. Not a tough call, J. Mac, I told you this morning, got a good night's sleep, ready to roll, my friend, you're on fire. Getting off a couple one liners there, Chernobyl reference. Well, it was nicely done. I mean, and by the way, Peyton's a great example. They have the Russell Wilson mess. They have no momentum. They gave up draft capital by the end of last year. You were like, yeah, Russell's actually back to being pretty good. Good enough. The Steelers said, we'll take him. And, oh, by the way, and now with draft cap, this is the thinnest roster Sean Payton will ever have. If they come out of the buy and win, they're nine and five. They're making the playoffs with a rookie quarterback in the division with the current dynasty in the division with arguably the two best coaches in the sport, Jim Harbaugh and Andy Reid, and a huge dead cap hit. Don't forget about that massive dead cap hit. Impressive job. Just. The Bears have players, the Bears have receivers. The Bears. What the Bears don't have is a culture creator and a schematic genius. Yeah, I would give up. I would give up multiple first round picks for the year. I mean, that's not bad. I still like my Marcus Freeman hot. Take a couple of my Notre Dame buddies. Stop, Jason. We do not want to lose. We don't know if it works. We don't know if he's going to be an NFL coach. Wait, hold on, hold on. What do we know about Kyle Shanahan? In fourth quarters. I mean he's been awful blowing big leagues fourth quarters. The Bears could just take wins. The Bears. I'll tell you what the Bears would love to have a problem with. We keep blowing fourth quarter leads. They just like to lead going into the fourth quarter. They got their issues are getting blown out regularly. We're dysfunctional. You think he's leaving San Francisco? I'm telling you the single. If you could look at the Murdoch's history who own this company, Fox News, I could argue their greatest skill is exits. So are you treating build an exit. The movie industry collapsed. They got out, sold it to somebody else. So you feel like the Niners of the Titanic right now they're sinking? No, I feel it's timing. I left a network, wasn't the Titanic, it was time. And I'm certainly not qualified to conclude myself in any category of smart people. But I'm saying is timing is a real thing. Don't fall in love. Fall in like with everything but your family and kids. Fall in like with stuff the Niners. It's great. Fall in like with the Niners. Coaches should never fall in love with their billionaire owner because I got news for you. Back to back losing seasons and a billionaire owner is going to jettison you. So I'm just saying that if you look at what Chicago's never had, a brilliant offensive guy. Chicago is a huge brand. I mean it was just like Harbaugh went to la. He's like, it's in la. I've got Herbert. I can be their first super bowl winning coach. I got a left tackle. I've got pass rushers. I got a bosa. I got this. There are so many components of the Bears that are the Chargers. And so you can look at a team's history. Do you want to change history? And I just think, I think you have to look at it. A lot of stuff sounds crazy. Kevin Durant goes from OKC to the Warriors. Sounded crazy. Tom Brady jettisons Belichick to go to Tampa. Sounded crazy. Herbert's leaving his alma mater to go to the Chargers. A lot of stuff sounds crazy. What do you think Shanahan's wife will say if he says, honey, we're leaving the beautiful Bay Area, we're moving to Chicago. What do you think his wife would say? Can't wait. California taxes 13%. Chicago 4.9. Can't wait. It's not like the winter weather in San Francisco's Palm Springs anyway. You gotta wear gloves when it's fishing. And by the way, in the winter. He's inside anyway. He's co. He's not out on the beach. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the iHeartRadio app apple cart is the.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[LeVar Arrington]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[LeVar Arrington]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[LeVar Arrington]

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[Joel Klatt]

So to me it's like I may.

[LeVar Arrington]

As well have been out there playing.

[Joel Klatt]

Receiver for Ohio State.

[LeVar Arrington]

I can't run, I couldn't catch. But it doesn't matter if you don't throw me the ball. I thought the best thing that Coach Belichick did, and there was a lot of them, was he would clearly define for offense, defense and special teams. This is how we're going to win.

[Joel Klatt]

The game this week.

[LeVar Arrington]

You got to have some formula for what you're trying to accomplish. What's the bullseye that we need to hit? So why don't we just dial it down and dial it back to the only the specific ones where our best players are going to touch the ball doing the best things that they do, and we're going to go out like that. If we lose, we lose. If we win, you know, great. But we're not going to lose doing things that we don't do well. And it's not that Ohio State can't run the football, but as many pointed out, Ryan Day hates the label that Michigan now is the program that's physical and in the Midwest, that just lands hard for Ryan Day. He does not want to be known as the coach that has created a softer program. But the truth is, and I've talked about this to Urban Meyer on this show, when you recruit the best receivers in the country every year in Alabama and Ohio State, do it does change. It does change how you play. By the way, Andy Reid went to Philadelphia, blue collar Philadelphia, and he was the coach that started to run on first down and started to pass on third and two. Andy Reid went into tough guy Philadelphia, and he said, you know what? I'm going to look at Donovan McNabb and my wide receivers and the culture changes in football. We're going to, we're going to pass the ball on third and two. And he got to five NFC championships because that's what he thought worked best for the culture changes and his personnel. He had a pretty good quarterback. And so you play to your personnel. And if you, if you recruit the best wide receivers in the world in college football and Ohio State does, that's what you are, don't be ashamed of it. If you want to stop recruiting them, fine. But fewer and fewer kids in America playing high school football want to be running backs because their careers are shorter and you make less money. The most talented high school football players and the smart ones want to be quarterbacks, ed rushers, wide receivers. So it's hard to find great running backs. The state of California, on an annual basis, 38 million people will have two elite running backs. Two, they'll have 100 Division 1 wide receivers. Kids are smart. They know where the money is. So in Ohio State recruits that position better than anybody. The other thing that hurts is Ohio State is in a weird, weird spot where Ryan Day beats everybody except Michigan. He's one and four against Michigan. He's 63 and two against everybody else. And so when you have a rival like a Duke, Carolina in basketball, Ohio State, Michigan, you gotta beat your rival when they're vulnerable. And this was the vulnerable year for Michigan. Not good at quarterback. Game was in Columbus. Harbaugh just left and they gave it to a coordinator. Remember, Ohio State dominated this thing from like 2004 to 2019. They dominated this rival. They were vulnerable one year, the Luke Fickle year. Michigan beat him. But Ohio State with trestle, Ohio State with urban always beat Michigan. And then that one wobbly year with Luke Fickle, Michigan beat him. This was the beat Michigan year because next year, the games in Ann Arbor. Next year they have a five star, best high school quarterback in the country and momentum. So now Michigan's in Ohio State's head, the game goes to Ann Arbor and Michigan's got the better quarterback, which, you know, matters. So it's, it's a weird spot if Ohio State loses its first game and right now in the playoff, they play Tennessee, my pick before the season to win the Natty, and they lose that game. I wouldn't fire Ryan Day because I think he's a good coach. Be careful about firing good coaches unless you have a great coach in the offing, and I'm not sure they do. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. 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[LeVar Arrington]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[LeVar Arrington]

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[Joel Klatt]

What's up, dude? How you doing?

[LeVar Arrington]

Breezelater Brady yesterday, Joel Clatt Sanchez, we're just all stars. Yeah, that's now I will admit I like the Buckeyes to win that game. It caught me a little off guard when you were broadcasting that game and because I was sitting there thinking what is Clatt thinking? When you got to the late second quarter, were you thinking to yourself, what's Ohio State doing?

[Joel Klatt]

I mean, yes, and I was saying that on the air a couple of times. But late in the second quarter, remember in the two minute series, right before the half, they finally started using tempo, some vertical routes and they went right down the field. And in a few of the series, let's remember in the first half they were able to go right down the field. They were stopped on fourth down on one of those and, and so they were gaining yards, throwing the football and that's where their advantage was. And our my conversations, they knew that, you know, they understood that. And the first half played out. They go in with a, with a tie game, it's 10 to 10. And I'm thinking to myself, they get the ball. And what they just saw and learned in that last series was they're going to come right back to the tempo. But they didn't. Well, they didn't really.

[LeVar Arrington]

Well, not in the first series.

[Joel Klatt]

And I just, I got to tell you, it wasn't until after the game that it really dawned on me. I think that they were playing, you know, around Will Howard, who was maybe banged up in that game. And after the early interception, I think that they got spooked a little bit in terms of the way that he was seeing the field. And then I think that they felt like their defense just would not give up a score because remember, at that point it's 10:10 and the only reason that Michigan scored was first and goal inside the five after the interception. And then they get a short punt and they get the ball and they go five yards and kick a 50 plus yard field goal. And so I think that Ryan and Chip in a. In a lot of ways looked at that, looked at the way their quarterback was playing, looked at the way their defense was playing. And I think that in the third quarter they thought to themselves, one score wins this. I thought field goal wins this. And that's the way they called the game in the second half.

[LeVar Arrington]

I think, you know, it's interesting. What if he loses in the first round of the playoff?

[Joel Klatt]

Oh, man.

[LeVar Arrington]

Now, now, I wouldn't fire him, but I do think we can say this. When you stacked him up against Harbaugh, he felt like the second best coach on the field. That's okay. Most of the NFL does. So let's not overreact that Harbaugh beat him. Let's not overreact to that. Belichick beat Andy Reid. Andy Reid beat Belichick. Sometimes you lose to great coach.

[Joel Klatt]

That's right.

[LeVar Arrington]

Tom Coughlin, by the way, who should be in the hall of Fame. It's idiotic that he's not beat Belichick twice in the Super Bowl.

[Joel Klatt]

Twice.

[LeVar Arrington]

Great coaches beat great. By the way, Belichick for years struggled with Andy Reid even before he had Mahomes. It's okay to lose to Harbaugh. And this is what I would tell Ohio State fans. Just take the Harbaugh out. He's arguably next to Belichick and Reed and Sean Payton is best coach in the league football on the planet. But then there's a Clemson loss and then there's a Georgia loss, so. And Ohio State's not reasonable. They're irrational. Do you think there's a chance he gets fired if he lost to Tennessee in the first round?

[Joel Klatt]

I don't think so. I don't think so. Just because I'm only going based on what their athletic director has said. Ross Bjork, remember, Ross is fairly new to the job. This is really his first full year on the job as athletic director at Ohio State. And I don't think that he wants to go down that road. I also think, and I know that, you know, people say, like, oh, you know, everyone has money, but it would cost a significant amount of money. Probably you're looking at upwards of 45 to 55 million dollars just to buy out the current coaching staff. You would need to then go and hire somebody and then spend money in the nil. You're looking at another 20 to 25 million to do that. So you're. You're in the neighborhood of 75 to 85 million dollars to make that decision. Yeah, and I don't think that that's. I don't think he has the appetite for it and I don't think that that would be the right move. I really don't. And this is the other part of this is like, I don't believe that. I don't think that this is going to last forever. I think that Ryan, Ryan is a very good coach. I think that there's a mental block with Michigan right now. And the game plan on Saturday, I think was evident of that. But there were obviously other factors. And this feels like something that when he gets over the hump, it's going to be big. I mean, Harbaugh didn't win over Urban Meyer and they stuck with him. When they thought they would fire him in the COVID year, they stuck with him. And look at what happened. You look at the history of college football and what you'll see is that most often even the greatest coaches in the history of our sport have taken a while to win their championship. Yeah, it took Osborne quite a while. It took Bowden quite a while. You know, it's very rare that you get these guys that win it right away, like Bob Stoops or Larry Coker. It's generally the opposite. Guys take a while. Urban Meyer took a while. Saban, it took a while as a head coach in order to get to that point and then eventually win the national championship.

[LeVar Arrington]

And it's okay for people to learn on the job. I do think I said this. If you go look at Saban, he starts at Michigan State. I mean, I mean, he averaged seven wins or something like, then he goes to LSU and he goes to Miami. Doesn't work. Maybe could have eventually. And then he goes to Alabama. First year they lost to Louisiana, Monroe at home. The second year they got boat raced by Utah in the Sugar Bowl.

[Joel Klatt]

Well, and they lost to Florida that year as an undefeated. They couldn't beat Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer. So it took a while. I mean, Nick Saban didn't win a title until he's, you know, well into his head coaching career. So I'm with you. But I also understand, like, that that fan base is irrational. There's no question about it.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah. And.

[Joel Klatt]

And the problem, and I think Ryan would even admit this, is like, Saturday was not great. Was not great at all. Because they allowed.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah.

[Joel Klatt]

Michigan to get in their head to play the game, the only game that they could win. Yeah. There was one out of ten paths for that Michigan team to beat this Ohio State team, and they allowed that path to take place.

[LeVar Arrington]

I don't want to go Dr. Phil here, but I've got a theory a little bit on this. So there's certain things you can say to a Coastal elite. Not that I am one or know any, but if you said to me, oh, Coastal elite, I'd be like, yeah, 72 degrees today. How's it in Indy? I don't. I don't care if you call me the coastal elite either. To New Yorkers. I've been called that my whole life. And I'm like, I love the Midwest. I fly over it all the time. So. But in the Midwest. But in the Midwest, if you say to somebody you're soft. Who they don't like that. We are soft out here.

[Joel Klatt]

I'm soft.

[LeVar Arrington]

I am. I take work off for an ice cream headache. I will take a day off any day. But Midwestern people, and Ryan Day was told the last three years, you're soft. Ohio State soft. You can't run the ball. And it got into his head.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah.

[LeVar Arrington]

And I think if you told Lincoln Riley that or you told nobody cares. You know, I think that play. He was coaching that game to prove a point.

[Joel Klatt]

Well, I know that that's the way it looks. I don't think that he was coaching to prove a point. If you gave him like, if. If Will Howard is seeing the football field really well and playing well. They throw the ball all over the place. That that game was called because of the way the game happened. I don't think it was. So I'm just. I'm just disagreeing. I don't think he's there. Like we're going to prove we're. We're tough. I believe that the circumstances of the way his defense was playing and the way his quarterback was playing led to the way that the game is called. And the evidence is the third quarter. So in the third quarter, they've got first and 10 at the 19 yard line with about 6 minutes, 6, 22 left. That series ends in a really bad interception. Yes, really bad interception. Then immediately Davis Warren throws them an interception and Caleb Downs picks it off. It's a 16 yard line. Now it's first and 10 at the 16 yard line and your quarterback just threw a really bad interception. And guess what they did? Played for a field goal because they felt like a field goal was going to win the game at that point and they missed the field goal. So I thought that's what. That was more what happened rather than this narrative of toughness and softness and everything like that. I will say though, generally speaking it does feel, it does feel at times like Michigan is the guy in the lunchroom that's like, hit me in the stomach. And then Ohio State is like the, the fast, you know, popular kid that has all this skill and gets baited into a stomach punching contest with like O. Doyle, you know, Odoyle rules and it's like, that's the way it feels.

[LeVar Arrington]

That's a good one. I like that. So I'm just going to approach the. Nothing bothers me about the 12 team playoff. I would ideally not like to have a three loss team in there. Ideally.

[Joel Klatt]

Okay.

[LeVar Arrington]

I'm not an idealist. Okay. I, I'm not like, I work in radio, tv. I understand the game. I'm a bad segment from working at Costco. Like, I get it. So my point is.

[Joel Klatt]

Wait, would you be a greeter?

[LeVar Arrington]

Oh, I'd be the best.

[Joel Klatt]

You would be the best greeter.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah. Batteries in the back.

[Joel Klatt]

Can you imagine Colin greeting at the, at Costco and he would just.

[LeVar Arrington]

Why is that funny to you?

[Joel Klatt]

Because you would just be like judging people as they walk by. I don't like your shoes. That his walk is weird right there. I don't think he's gonna get the sale.

[LeVar Arrington]

You know, I can be a little judgy.

[Joel Klatt]

Okay, that's fine.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay, so the point is on this, and you're one of these reasonable people, I tried. It always tries to throw a life preserver to the sad. You're very empathetic. I am not. Okay, I'm going to call it out. Hey, Miami, you plan a lousy conference. Your last two, your two losses, you don't beat any. You don't have a good win.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay. Alabama's got three losses. Ideally. I don't like that. I don't think you should have two mulligans. But they beat Georgia and you know, losing to Oklahoma is not the worst thing in the world. They also were three and one against ranked teams. So I don't like them having an extra mulligan.

[Joel Klatt]

There's not a great option. Let's start there.

[LeVar Arrington]

So I'm taking Alabama over. Miami is a better option, I think.

[Joel Klatt]

I think based on the strength of schedule, based on what Miami did within their ACC play, they had a very favorable ACC schedule. They didn't have to play many of.

[LeVar Arrington]

The any other kind.

[Joel Klatt]

See, there you go.

[LeVar Arrington]

There you go greeting. I morphed right into snarky time.

[Joel Klatt]

You did. That's it. The snarky greeter. Bama's resume is not great, but to me, the bubble was those four teams from 11 to 14. So it's Bama, it's South Carolina, it's Ole Miss, and it's Miami. And if you put Alabama head to head, resume for resume, with all of those bubble teams, they win the argument.

[LeVar Arrington]

There you go.

[Joel Klatt]

I did this on my program for today's show, and I know people don't like it. I understand that. And I'm not saying that this is a great option. I'm just saying that in an argument, Bama wins those arguments.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yes.

[Joel Klatt]

Miami does not have a ranked win. You can point at that and you can say they're also losing at the wrong time, Losing two of their last three games. This is. This is not a great option. And I don't think Alabama is a great team. I don't think that they have a chance to win the national championship. But in a resume argument with Miami, they win that argument. I think that that would be the main point.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay, so this whole flag planting.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah. At the end of the game.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay. So people overreact to everything. And my take is they're young people. These rivalry games, it's easy to sit, you know, a thousand miles away and go, what are these hooligans doing? If you live in Columbus or Ann Arbor, this is a big deal for these kids.

[Joel Klatt]

Well, it's not just a big deal, Colin, by the way. Like, think about. Think about it just for a moment.

[LeVar Arrington]

Are you and I kind of saying it happened?

[Joel Klatt]

I'm going to be similar with you here. Think about it for just a moment.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay.

[Joel Klatt]

Why do we love college football?

[LeVar Arrington]

Passion.

[Joel Klatt]

Passion. Wild tribalism.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yes. We feel regionalism.

[Joel Klatt]

We love it as fans, as members of those institutions.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah, we are.

[Joel Klatt]

Gators, Seminoles, Buckeyes, Wolverines, Buffaloes. Wherever you went to school. I don't even know.

[LeVar Arrington]

Screaming Eagles. Thank you.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah. See, there you go. You know why? It's because we feel like. Like part of our identity was forged at those places.

[LeVar Arrington]

That's right.

[Joel Klatt]

This is a real thing. This is a real thing. And in professional sports, you can't say that. You can't say like, I am a cowboy. I mean, there are some that try and they're lunatics. And that's what's so great about college football. And so here's the problem with that, is that it makes it an incredibly emot sport. Once it's emotional, then it can go right to the red line. In particular in rivalries. Now you've got like family rivalries, right? You got like blood thick rivalries going on. They go back decades and decades and decades. So if it overheats a little bit, I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. It's part of what is college football now. Do I love it? No. Do I wish that it would take. Do I wish that this would happen? No. Is it ugly for the sport? At times? Yes. However. However, if I'm going to love the sport because it goes up to that line, I cannot be upset when it inches over that line. And I'm not going to chastise the individuals for being emotional in that situation. I know what it feels like to lose to your rival at home. I know what it feels like to beat your rival on the road. It's. One is elation and the other is the depth of depression that you can't even fathom.

[LeVar Arrington]

Why?

[Joel Klatt]

Because it's tribal. That's how we identify. So, folks, if you're mad at 18 to 22 year olds.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah.

[Joel Klatt]

Being emotional about what happens at the end of the game, I think your, your anger is misplaced.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah. I, we agree on that.

[Joel Klatt]

So that makes me rethink my entire line of.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah. Hey, I know what it's like to lose an intramural game. Overtime.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah.

[LeVar Arrington]

See, I went sideways. It's.

[Joel Klatt]

I tell you what, I didn't sleep.

[LeVar Arrington]

For half a day.

[Joel Klatt]

I mean. And by the way, what's the fix? It's like, should we not have flags? Okay. But it's like Texas planted their flag on Michigan's field earlier this year. Baker Mayfield did it, you know, famously at Ohio State. This, this stuff happens.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay.

[Joel Klatt]

I don't know, man.

[LeVar Arrington]

So I was, you know, as I'm prone to do. I was at the big game, usc, Notre Dame, so. And sharing, you know, I try to add something. I just don't go to the game like you and then exit with a paycheck. I try to add something.

[Joel Klatt]

Oh, interesting.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yeah. Maybe get on A headset. So anyway here's my thing with Lincoln Riley it's not the 6 and 6 it's not that really I don't love that because I think life has momentum and inertia it could be six and six and you lost your star quarterback. Here's what bothers me. Today's recruiting day. Alabama is going to sign more kids from Southern California than usc.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah that's a huge problem that is.

[LeVar Arrington]

An issue is that there's this preciousness.

[Joel Klatt]

That'S to Lincoln Riley I'll just say it's like that is a way bigger issue than going 6 and 6 that's my point.

[LeVar Arrington]

It's. There's this thing, you know and again I don't want to bully people that are 6 and 6 I think Brian Kelly's a great coach Bad year.

[Joel Klatt]

Well and SC I don't like their.

[LeVar Arrington]

Lack of connectivity to the local dominant.

[Joel Klatt]

Great high schools I'm telling you man that's a problem. This is what's wild is that you could build a top four college football team probably the national champion and all you would have to do is go with a radius of I'll call it 50 miles from USC. Yeah and you can win the national.

[LeVar Arrington]

Championship I think you. I've always believed to get some of your. I think there are other parts of the country that deliver big defensive linemen. Yeah we eat too well out here or something I don't know what it.

[Joel Klatt]

Is that would be an area Although guess who just put together one of the great defensive line performances I've ever seen from an individual. Mason Graham from Servite from. From Servite California he was the LA county you know. I know player of the year in the heavyweight wrestling and had no interest in Houston playing here Michigan. Yeah and. And he almost single handedly along with Kenneth Grant the defensive tackle he almost single handedly beat Ohio State because Ohio State decided they were going to run the football right on. He was unblockable. Single teams, double teams didn't matter and he's from Servite and it's like what he wasn't interested?

[LeVar Arrington]

Smart kid.

[Joel Klatt]

That's a problem. Went to Jim Harbin but that's a problem. It is a problem.

[LeVar Arrington]

I'll throw this out. Let me, let me, let me end it here. Put a bow on it. It's good to see you.

[Joel Klatt]

It's great to see you because a.

[LeVar Arrington]

Lot of times you come here and I know I'm going to have to.

[Joel Klatt]

Be hard on you Was today one of those days?

[LeVar Arrington]

No I thought was pretty nice I.

[Joel Klatt]

Said when I agree with you. You think it.

[LeVar Arrington]

No. You and I disagreed a lot.

[Joel Klatt]

When?

[LeVar Arrington]

Well, when I threw that pretty accurate theory on Ryan Day. Midwest, we're soft. It got into his head.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah, but that was just wrong.

[LeVar Arrington]

Oh, okay. Sure, you bet. Okay. Well, it happens infrequently, but I'll own it. Okay, let's do this. Is that. Here's the best part. So you're not like this, but a lot of people are like this. They don't like change. I can remember when I was a kid and the speed limit was 55 to 65. Oh, I had somebody in my family, we're all going to die. And the manufacturer said, let's build better cars. No. Yeah. I mean, the Autobahn had a better safety record than our freeways and they're driving 100.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah.

[LeVar Arrington]

The bottom line is society changes. People overreact. Baseball, oh, you put in a pitcher's clock. Attendance up, ratings up, games faster. It's better for the sport. We just, Fox just broke records in baseball and they made a bunch of changes. They're going to make another one. The golden it back.

[Joel Klatt]

Yeah, I love that.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay, so my point is all this nil and transfer portal, it's a lot of motion for college football. But here's the great part about it. The unintended benefit that I didn't see coming, it eliminates great team.

[Joel Klatt]

That's right.

[LeVar Arrington]

Because Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, they get the, they stockpile talent. Well now, now all these, Georgia, all these Louisville's or Oregon's or Washington's, a UCLA or whoever it is, has money, goes. Do you want to be a backup left tackle? You're a five star kid. Come start for us in la.

[Joel Klatt]

This is exactly right.

[LeVar Arrington]

And it's great. It's an unintended benefit is that you're like the Bama stuff. Congrats to Bama. That's not happening ever again.

[Joel Klatt]

I don't think so either. I don't think so. I think the closest thing that we've got to a team that could really dominate for a few years is Texas right now with the way that they've, they've built their roster. But talented players are unwilling to be backups. That's, I mean, that's just the way college football is. And before they were forced to be backups if they wanted to play for the teams that could compete for and win the national championship because that was such a narrow scope of who could actually compete for and win national championships. So now you expand it out so I'm just talking about the expansion of the playoffs and how that drives parity. But then you also have now resources in terms of how teams and programs all over the country can spend money on nil.

[LeVar Arrington]

That's right.

[Joel Klatt]

The transfer portal allows for that freedom to go to different places. And now all of a sudden you've got teams like Indiana in the playoff and Arizona State playing for a right to go to the playoff, in Iowa State for the right to go to the playoffs.

[LeVar Arrington]

I watched 1300 overtimes in Georgia, Georgia Tech. I'm still not sure who the better team is.

[Joel Klatt]

That's 100%.

[LeVar Arrington]

Georgia Tech was an engineering school. And I'm like, I think they're better than Georgia.

[Joel Klatt]

There is the peak. So the best teams can be. Has been brought down just a little bit.

[LeVar Arrington]

And the middle.

[Joel Klatt]

And the middle has risen. And college football has never been better because of it. And now all of a sudden, the regular season has been the best regular season that I can remember as far as competitiveness. Now you can say like, well, there's, you know, Georgia's not great and this is, this is not good. Yes, it's fantastic, actually. It's fantastic that even Ohio State, with this roster that we all thought was the best roster that we had seen in a long time, is not infallible.

[LeVar Arrington]

Look at, look at Oregon is undefeated, narrowly beat Boise State.

[Joel Klatt]

That's right. Narrowly beat Idaho. It's true.

[LeVar Arrington]

It's great.

[Joel Klatt]

So I'm with you. That's why I look at this playoff. And I think that there could be some real chaos. I think there could be some real chaos. I think that there's going to be a couple of first round matchups.

[LeVar Arrington]

Yep.

[Joel Klatt]

Pending the way that this weekend goes. Think about this. If Oregon beats Penn State, they fall probably behind Georgia and Ohio State. If Texas beats Georgia, they probably sit in there, right there. That means, I think that we're likely to get. I think that there's a good chance that we get some sort of like Tennessee at Penn State, Alabama at Ohio State, probably Indiana at Georgia. That's the way the first round kind of looks. And if Clemson's able to beat smu, it would be Clemson at Notre Dame. I believe that's going to be the first round of the college football playoffs.

[LeVar Arrington]

I'm glad we ended on a good spot. You can be a bit of a grudge holder.

[Joel Klatt]

You know, we got there takes a while.

[LeVar Arrington]

But, you know, you dismissed about 30, 40, 50% of what I said. And yet, and yet look at us.

[Joel Klatt]

You know, it's like, disagree so. Well, I feel like we hugged at.

[LeVar Arrington]

The end of dinner. We arrive home in a good mood.

[Joel Klatt]

It's a model for America right here.

[LeVar Arrington]

That's a good way to put it. Yeah. This show is. And this segment, well, more so.

[Joel Klatt]

This segment.

[LeVar Arrington]

Okay, sure. But sure, even on the way out, it's got to be snarky. Hey, got a Costco greeter against the king of snark. You choose America, who you like, because I know I've made my choice.

[Joel Klatt]

Somebody walks in. Nice sweater. It'd be. Actually, we should film it. This would be amazing. Colin is a greeter.

[LeVar Arrington]

Let's not go there.

[Joel Klatt]

Okay.

[LeVar Arrington]

Live in LA the Herd this podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Now here's the kicker. The PayPal debit card earns you 5% cash back in a monthly category of your Choice. Up to $1,000 of monthly purchases. So groceries, health and beauty, gas, apparel, restaurants. On top of that, you can get cash back offers within the app from brands like Doordash, Instacart, Sephora. This month, it's all about that apparel. I got a crazy schedule. I shop online a lot. Snag a suit here, there's fresh gear. 5% cash back adds up fast, and signing up is easy. Just Download the new PayPal app to sign up and you're ready to start earning cash back on your everyday purchases. Pay Smart, Earn Cash Back. Enjoy peace of mind with a PayPal debit card. Don't just pay. PayPal terms apply. See PayPal app cash back earned as points you can redeem for cash and other options. This card, issued by the Bancorp and a person went to license by MasterCard International Inc. It's football season and Uber Eats is dropping undefeated deals on all your game day favorites this week. Score Buy one Get one Free World Famous Pangate Combos from ihop only on Uber Eats. Craving even more, we've got you covered with game day deals on pizza, burgers, tacos and more all season long. Uber Eats official on demand food delivery partner of the NFL. Order now for game day terms, taxes and fees apply. See out for details.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[LeVar Arrington]

Cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank. NA Member? Fdic. This is Malcolm Gladwell from Revisionist History. Picture this. You're halfway through a DIY car fix, tools scattered everywhere, and boom. You realize you're missing a part. It's okay. Because, you know, whatever it is, it's on ebay. They've got everything. Brakes, headlights, cold air intakes. Whatever you need. And it's guaranteed to fit. Which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing. All the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time. Ebay. Things people love. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's Levar Arrington here from up on Game, and I need you to listen for a moment, all right? And get serious. The hate in this country is getting out of control. It's at an all time high. It's going to take all of us to stop it. I mean, think about it. We're all on the same team in this country, right? Let's take a break from hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a time out against hate. Visit standuptolhate.org to help and join me in calling for a timeout against hate by following at what's up with Hate? Or posting the blue square emoji.