Hour 1 - SECond to the Big Ten

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: Hour 1 - SECond to the Big Ten

Date: January 2, 2026
Main Theme:
A seismic shift in college football: Indiana's stunning Rose Bowl win over Alabama signals fading SEC dominance, the rise of new power programs, and why conference realignment, NIL, and transfer portal reforms have made the sport more competitive and unpredictable. Cowherd also analyzes key NFL headlines ahead of the final regular season weekend.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Indiana’s Rose Bowl Stunner & The End of SEC Dominance

[03:03 – 07:23]

• Indiana overwhelms Alabama in the Rose Bowl: Cowherd declares it “a glorious beatdown,” and calls Indiana’s win a signal that “the SEC dominance is over.”
• Notes Alabama “can’t run the football, and Georgia can’t stop any good offense.”
• Praises the Big Ten’s resurgence: “The Big Ten, 4-0 head-to-head against the SEC in the last three years.”
• Attributes this parity to money flowing into Big Ten programs and NIL rules: “Everybody can pay players now. Alabama can’t stack a roster. Neither can Georgia or LSU.”
• “From pathetic to powerful, awful to awe inspiring, doormat to dominance. Great coach, the right boosters, remarkable quarterback.”
• Calls Indiana “the best tackling team... in recent years.”
• Celebrates the unpredictability: “It’s Miami, Indiana, at least for this year, who are the new bullies on the block.”

Notable Quote:

“The SEC dominance is over. The Hoosiers pushed around the Crimson Tide for three and a half hours.”
— Colin Cowherd [03:30]

On quarterback Mendoza’s performance:

“If he’s not the number one pick, I don’t even understand football. 14 of 16, three touchdowns, no picks.”
— Colin Cowherd [06:50]

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2. Rise of a New College Football World (Parity & Possibility)

[07:45 – 11:25]

• Draws parallels between the NFL’s unpredictability and the new college football landscape.
• “We really don’t know who the best football team is right now,” referencing both Miami and Indiana as contenders.
• Losses aren’t as season-crippling: Old system punished any stubbed toe; now, “you can lose even at home to a rival … but you can get in. You can grow. Just like people.”
• Teams are allowed to evolve over a season, using Miami’s midseason stumble and resurgence as an example.
• The expanded playoff means “the candidate pool is broad.”

Notable Quote:

“Mistakes when you’re 14 or 24 shouldn’t be punitive, mostly for life.”
— Colin Cowherd [09:45]

“The Hurricanes are precisely what’s right about the new system — the candidate pool is broad... you have to beat good teams. Miami is 6-0 against ranked teams.”
— Colin Cowherd [10:30]

Miami coach Mario Cristobal after beating OSU:

“Those are great counterpunches by our team… left hooks to the body and to the head.”
— Mario Cristobal [11:25]

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3. Individual Stars & Stories: Mendoza and Trinidad Chambliss

[11:49 – 13:58, 26:07 – 29:07]

• Fernando Mendoza (Indiana): Is he the surefire No. 1 pick? “I don’t know how you don’t love Fernando Mendoza in post-game interviews.”
• Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss): Wild story of rapid rise — drawing comparisons with Dak Prescott and Johnny Manziel but “a little smaller.”
  • “He did not start the season as the starting quarterback. He’s from something called Big Rapids, Michigan, which can’t be that big because I’ve never heard of it.”
• Debates whether Chambliss, fun as he is, is actually coach-dependent or just uniquely gifted.

Notable Quote:

“My takeaway watching him is he’s not coach-dependent... Impossible not to root for when you look at his story.”
— Colin Cowherd on Chambliss [26:29]

Chambliss on the win:

“We just want to play ball and have fun. A lot of people did doubt us before the season, and they still doubted us when, you know, our coach left.”
— Trinidad Chambliss [26:07]

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4. Oregon Dominates Orange Bowl; Small Programs Overmatched

[27:09 – 31:28]

• Oregon’s “ugly” 23-0 win over Texas Tech: Ducks’ defense steals the show.
• Consequence for the playoff committee: Inclusion of “little guy” programs like James Madison and Tulane results in blowouts and exposes depth gaps.
• Dan Lanning (Oregon coach): "These guys have shown and proven time after time... they're ready for big moments." [27:34]
• Cowherd: "Football is about depth, a regulated level of violence, elite players, coaches. The little guy got pummeled." [28:04]
• Discussion: Whether byes are an advantage, or if long layoffs actually make teams rusty (with Miami’s performance as a key example).

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5. NFL Storylines on the Eve of Playoffs

[19:41 – 24:52, 32:06 – 36:53]

a. Steelers vs. Ravens Preview

• “Steelers, Ravens Sunday night is going to be ugly, but the headlines... illustrate what’s at stake.”
• Steelers are continuity-driven; Ravens more comfortable with change.
• “Mike Tomlin should pull a Sean Payton … then do a reboot and find another franchise that needs your guidance.”
• “As far as Aaron Rodgers, on the possibility this could be his last game, it was a heck of a season for him.”

Mike Tomlin on Aaron Rodgers:

“He’s certainly been an awesome contributor to our efforts, not only from a talent and experience perspective, but just his professionalism, … his love for his teammates.”
— Mike Tomlin [22:16]

b. Eagles Resting Starters, Playoff Prospects

• Eagles resting Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley needs recovery.
• “A lot of new playoff teams... Peyton Manning used to always say there’s regular season speed, there’s playoff speed, and then there’s Super Bowl speed.” [32:22]
• Both hosts discuss if the Eagles can recover health for a deep run.

c. The Giants’ Coaching Search and Cincinnati’s Future

• Mike McCarthy is the bland but solid leading candidate.
• “Mike McCarthy may not excite you... But he’s a very capable coach.” [34:37]
• Discussion of the risks of the Bengals head coaching job: “If Burrow has one more injury, don’t you have to draft a quarterback?”

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6. Depth Charts and Matchup Analysis: Seahawks vs. 49ers

[37:52 – 41:36]

• Colin draws the “big board” to compare the best 10 players between the Seahawks and Niners.
• “In terms of highest end players, San Francisco’s got more of the 10 best players in this game.”
• “But the depth is not close. Seattle’s roster, defensively, this is a mismatch … in terms of depth and youth and speed and defense, it’s a little bit of a mismatch. This Seattle roster is stacked.”
• Darnold and Purdy “are on heaters with a lot of skeptics”—struggles and redemption as a theme.

Sam Darnold on the Niners matchup:

“At the end of the day, it’s just football ... we’re playing against the Niners, a really good football team... But other than that, it’s football and we’ll be ready.”
— Sam Darnold [39:20]

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7. Tradition vs. Transition: Why It’s Indiana’s Time

[41:36 – 49:03]

• College football’s older fanbase clings to traditions, but “what we’re watching now is unbelievable.”
• Indiana’s point differential, red zone offense, and defense have surpassed perennial powers: “They have a better record the last two years than Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State.”
• Counters skepticism about Indiana being the best team: “Hoosiers were totally prepared for it. So, Kurt Signetti ... is the best coach team I’ve seen in a long time.”
• Indiana as a case study: The power of organizational support (boosters, donors, staff-building) in NIL/portal era.
• “Indiana football is better than USC. Sorry. And Alabama and Clemson. I’m sorry, it is.”

Notable Quote:

“Indiana is now a beacon of optimism and a beacon of hope for the sport.”
— Colin Cowherd [48:30]

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “The SEC dominance is over. The Hoosiers pushed around the Crimson Tide for three and a half hours.”
  — Colin Cowherd [03:30]

• “It’s more even, it’s more unpredictable … What a glorious new world we live in.”
  — Colin Cowherd [05:20]

• “Mistakes when you’re 14 or 24 shouldn’t be punitive, mostly for life.”
  — Colin Cowherd [09:45]

• “The Hurricanes are precisely what’s right about the new system … you have to beat good teams.”
  — Colin Cowherd [10:30]

• “Indiana is the best tackling team that you’ve seen in recent years?”
  — Colin Cowherd [06:15]

• “He’s going to be up against it, against this Miami front. Little bit of a different beast.”
  — Jason McIntyre [13:58]

• “If he’s not the number one pick, I don’t even understand football.”
  — Colin Cowherd on Fernando Mendoza [06:50]

• "We just want to play ball and have fun. A lot of people did doubt us before the season..."
  — Trinidad Chambliss [26:07]

• "Indiana is now a beacon of optimism and a beacon of hope for the sport."
  — Colin Cowherd [48:30]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:03] — Indiana-Alabama Rose Bowl recap, fading SEC dominance
• [06:50] — Praise for Indiana’s Mendoza, “number one pick”
• [07:45] — New parity in college football; NFL-style unpredictability
• [11:25] — Mario Cristobal on Miami’s win over Ohio State
• [13:16] — Jason McIntyre on Trinidad Chambliss’s improbable rise
• [19:41] — Steelers vs. Ravens playoff stakes and Tomlin/Rodgers talk
• [22:16] — Mike Tomlin on Aaron Rodgers’ professionalism
• [26:07] — Trinidad Chambliss’s postgame comments after win
• [27:09] — Oregon vs. Texas Tech analysis; small programs outmatched
• [32:06] — Eagles resting starters, NFL playoff readiness
• [34:37] — Giants coaching search, McCarthy reluctance
• [39:20] — Sam Darnold on facing the Niners
• [41:36] — Indiana, tradition, and why it’s their time
• [48:30] — Indiana as a “beacon of optimism and hope”

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Memorable Moments

• Cowherd relishes Indiana’s victory and the symbolism of an “unsexy” program conquering bluebloods.
• Parallels between unpredictable NFL playoff races and college football’s new look.
• The rise of previously moribund programs (Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss) driven by the transfer portal and NIL.
• Lively debates over prospects’ pro potential (Mendoza, Chambliss, Dante Moore).
• NFL segment blending big-picture storylines (Ravens/Steelers, Eagles’ health, Giants’ head coaching search) with playoff anticipation and franchise futures.

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Overall Tone & Language

• Opinionated, energetic, irreverent: Cowherd repeatedly mocks “traditionalists,” celebrates chaos, and invokes business analogies.
• Analytical yet conversational: Fluid movement between statistical breakdowns and big-picture arguments, with pop culture and coffee shop metaphors.
• Engaged co-hosting: Jason McIntyre adds counterpoints and player comparisons; coaches’ and players’ post-game comments are cited for color and context.

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Summary

This episode of The Herd captures a potential “changing of the guard” in college football, as upstarts like Indiana and Miami supplant traditional SEC powers thanks to new roster rules, better coaching, and resource realignment. Cowherd’s tone is simultaneously triumphant, nostalgic, and provocative, urging listeners to let go of old paradigms and embrace college football’s newfound unpredictability—a message mirrored in his takes on the shifting fortunes of several NFL franchises on the eve of the playoffs.

Transcript

[Gisele Bryant]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Remember when people were nice? When we could occasionally stop fighting and come together? Well, here's some good news. The Ripple Effect is here. Hosted by comedian Jenna Kim Jones. It's a show about how powerful it is when we reach out to one another. It's the perfect weekly proof that goodness isn't gone. The Ripple Effect is more than a podcast. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Katie Couric]

If you only listen to one thing to make sense of the news this year, make it this the final episode of this season of Next Question pulls together the most important conversations of the year. You'll hear David Graham on Project 2025, Liz Oyer on the plethora of presidential pardons, Tina Brown on the year's biggest scandals here at home and across the plus, much, much more. It's a crash course in the last 12 months, how we made it through the year, and a look at what might be coming in 2026. Listen to next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

What's up?

[Cam Jordan]

It's Cam Jordan. I'm back with season three of your favorite podcast, the off the Edge with Cam Jordan Podcast. Tap in every Wednesday to hear conversations with my friends and stars from the NFL, the sports world in general, and entertainment about everything from teams and players making waves to pop culture. And I'll take you inside my journey through my 15th season in the NFL. Looking forward to you joining me this season. The season of More on the off.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Edge with Cam Jordan Podcast.

[Cam Jordan]

Catch new episodes every Wednesday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Katie Couric]

So.

[Gisele Bryant]

So come Be reasonable or shady with us each and every Monday. Listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. 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. Thanks for listening to the Herd Podcast. We go it is a Friday Wow. Wow what a day. Yesterday in college football. Major major NFL games this weekend. Hawks, Niners, Steelers, Ravens. One hour from now, our final regular season Blavy Blazing Fives. I like it. Last week dogs this week favorites wherever may be. However, you may be listening. Happy New Year to those tuning in listening whatever platform it is. Well, I have nothing against Alabama football, but that was a glorious beat down yesterday, was it not? In the Rose Bowl, Indiana sent a sport wide message. The SEC dominance is over. The Hoosiers pushed around the Crimson Tide for three and a half hours. The new reality is Bama can't run the football and Georgia can't stop any good offense. It's Miami, Indiana, at least for this year, who are the new bullies on the block? And the harsh truth to all you traditionalists, of which I am not one, you are. And you were wrong. Dead wrong. Conference realignment, Nil Transfer portal. What a glorious new world we live in. It's more even, it's more unpredictable. Alabama can't stack a roster. Either can Georgia or lsu. There are more paths to viability now. We had a 15 year run on this sport, maybe 20, where at this time of the year it was Georgia, it was Ohio State, it was Alabama, it was Clemson. You choose that. Give me more. Miami, Indiana, Oregon, Ole Miss. I mean I love it. In fact, to put a stamp on it in the last three years, the Big Ten four zero head to head against the sec. We sort of predicted it. Couple years ago we said there's a lot of money in those Big Ten schools. There's a lot of money in those cold weather legendary universities. It's going to start pouring in now. Everybody can pay players. The sec, Georgia's defense, come on. It can't stop a good offense. Alabama got pushed around by Indiana. People often ask is the American dream possible. Damn straight. It's called Indiana. Who's your football? From pathetic to powerful, awful to awe inspiring, doormat to dominance. Great coach, the right boosters, remarkable quarterback. They play real defense. Is Indiana the best tackling team that you've seen in recent years? I mean, they were a dog with fleas my entire life. Even in the Lee Corso days, everybody loved him. They weren't very good, but I watch Indiana. You just change uniforms. This is a better college football. This is a much, much better college football. Not because Alabama got housed, because Ole Miss is now representing the South. Not Michigan or Ohio State or Penn State. Indiana is representing the Midwest. Impossible not to root for unless you're playing them. We still have a West coast power. We still have an SEC team. I don't know the Mendoza line, by the way, if he's not the number one pick, I don't even understand football. 14 of 16, three touchdowns, no picks. And I don't know how you don't love Fernando Mendoza in post game interviews.

[Cam Jordan]

First of all, my team, and I want to give all the glory to God. What historic venue, the Rose Bowl. One of the best venues in all of sports. It's just a great conglomerate of individuals coming together and really forming complimentary football. Coach Zig has hit on us. No complacency. And especially when you have a buy, it's tough to get in the rhythm of football. But once we got our feet on the ground, we knew that we're going to stick together and come out with.

[Colin Cowherd]

This W. I mean, I. I know what you're saying. It was a little cringy. I don't know. I don't want my quarterbacks to be cool. That was Johnny Manziel. I like that number one pick. Congratulations, Raiders. Try not to screw it up. All right, I want to talk about Miami beating Ohio State because again, on a macro level, the best part of the NFL to me is that we really don't know who the best football team is right now. We may not know until two and a half minutes left at the Super Bowl. And that's what college football is becoming. I think Indiana is the best team, but maybe it's Ole Miss. The Buckeyes, last season they lost at Oregon. They lost to Michigan. They were the best team in the end. And this year, the Hurricanes, yeah, they lost at Louisville in mid October. It no longer wrecks your season. In the old system, if you were ranked like 9th in like week 9 or 10, get ready for the Citrus Bowl. Season over. No, Natty, not Anymore. I watched Miami play Pittsburgh in like week 13 14, beat him 38 to 7. I came on the next day, I'm like, whoa, yeah, Notre Dame can't get in. Miami's getting like really good and bullying people. In fact, Indiana is the only team in the country 6, 0 against ranked teams. But it took a while to figure that out. And they were almost left out because they lost to an 8 and 4 Louisville team. That's won a lot of games over the last six or seven years. College football today and all the old timers push back. It's a little bit more like the NFL. You're allowed to stub your toe more than once. You can lose even at home to arrival Ohio State last year. But you can get in. You can grow just like people. Mistakes when you're 14 or 24 shouldn't be punitive. Mostly for life. And I mean the Steelers and the Ravens play Sunday night. You talk about flawed teams. I can't wait to watch the winner gets into the playoffs. That's not a weakness. It's a strength of the NFL. Miami, the Hurricanes are precisely. What's right about the new system is that the candidate pool is broad. For a very long, long period, you have to beat good teams. Miami is 6, 0 against ranked teams. We're going to count every game. But you can lose to Louisville, you can lose in conference, it's okay. Those weird conference games mid season, these kids are going to class. There's only 20 hours a week you can practice. All these teams are flawed. Michigan last year, Ohio State's a 20 point favorite, loses to rival Michigan. That point forward, they bulldoze people. It takes a while. And we know this in the NFL. We thought the Rams were the best team three weeks ago. I hope they beat Arizona Sunday. You don't know until you know. And it used to be like week eight, week nine, week ten, you're like, well, maybe we'll get to the Fiesta bowl, maybe the Citrus Bowl, Alamo Bowl. It's not the way it works anymore. Super Mario Cristobal after that loss to Louisville, just like in life, it's a lesson. He took a negative, he made it positive. He embraced the team. He didn't bark. He said we need to be relentless. And that's exactly what they were in their win over Ohio State. And here's Super Mario after.

[Cam Jordan]

We don't think we have arrived by any stretch, but we certainly think we're getting better. And when you play a team like that, that's been the number one defense in the country the entire year. You have to. After they converted to third and 18 and then the touchdown drive at the end and then to, you know, finish it off with an interception. Those are all, those are great counter punches. Those are just really like left hooks to the body and to the head. Those are great, great counterpunches by our team.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think Indiana is going to, I think meet Miami in the national championship, but like the NFL, I'm not sure. I think Indiana by a field goals, probably the best team in the country. But Miami, who stumbled mid season, has not lost to a ranked team, won a road game against A and M and I mean they didn't just beat Ohio State, they beat up Ohio State. So I love where we're at in this sport. Give me more of Indiana. Oh, missing a shootout. Oregon. That's always entertaining. And the Canes. Canes are always good for college football. Got a personality. J. Mac that was, I'd like to say it's crazy, but it's not. After watching last year where Ohio State loses a huge favor to Michigan, you're like, is Ryan Day going to get fired? And they just, I mean, they just rolled through people until this year when they lost to Indiana and they lost to Miami. By the way, Ohio State lost to two teams that had a similarity. Great defensive fronts that pressure the quarterback and push you around. Indiana is a, is a tough team. First of all, they're so well coached, they make no mistakes and they run the ball. So they're very physical. And then they have the best quarterback by a stretch in college football. Indiana is going to be a tough out.

[Jason McIntyre]

Very tough. I was blown away by the Trinidad Chamberlain story last. I mean, I can't stop reading about this kid. A year ago he's playing, you know, division two, winning a national championship now he's doing unbelievable stuff. I don't even have like a comparison for him in the NBA, in the NFL. I was thinking Johnny Manziel, like he's running around doing wacky stuff and it all works.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I, I said, I don't know. It was week eight or nine. I remember either going to X or going on the show. And I said, I get Dak Prescott vibes a little smaller. Dak Prescott vibes where now, Now Dak moved very, very well in college and wasn't as big and bulky as he is now. He didn't have a very good old line at Mississippi State. I get a little Dak Vibes, but.

[Jason McIntyre]

He'S going to be up against it, against this Miami front. Little bit of a different beast. Georgia. What happened to the Georgia defense? Colin? This is Georgia defense. It's all in the NFL. I saw no pass rush. I mean, and anytime they blitzed, he's out running. Guys, that was a fun game last night.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, it was a great game last night. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod, pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sportsbook and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight fire with Jason McEntire on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Katie Couric]

As we head into 2026, it's safe to say that 2025 was a year like no other. So much news, so much disruption, and yes, so much division. That's why we're wrapping up this season of Next Question with a look back at everything that's happened. Things are coming at us with such a velocity, we thought it was important to take a moment, connect the dots, and explore what it all means. We're summing up the first year of Trump's second term with David Graham on Project 2025 and how many of the goals have been implemented. Richard Haass on foreign policy and the changing world order. Jessica Valenti on reproductive rights and the terrifying consequences of abortion bans. Tina Brown on the year scandals here and across the pond. The president has upended everything from pardons to the press, so we're covering it all. Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Gisele Bryant]

You know the shade is always shadiest right here. Season six of the podcast Reasonably Shady with Gisele Bryant and Robyn Dixon is here dropping every Monday as two of the founding members of the Real Housewives Potomac. We're giving you all the laughs, drama and and reality news you can handle. And you know, we don't hold back, so come be reasonable or shady with us Each and every Monday, I was going through a walk in my neighborhood. Out of the blue, I see this huge sign next to somebody's house. Okay, the sign says, my neighbor is a Karen.

[Colin Cowherd]

No way.

[Gisele Bryant]

I died laughing. I'm like, I have to know you are lying. Humongous y'.

[Jared Goff]

All.

[Gisele Bryant]

They had some time on their hands. Listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Katie Couric]

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[Cam Jordan]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Gisele Bryant]

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[Katie Couric]

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[Jared Goff]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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[Jared Goff]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Cam Jordan]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Steelers, Ravens Sunday night going to be ugly, but the headlines I'm reading this morning illustrate what's at stake. Here's one of them. Aaron Rodgers anticipates having options if he wants to play next year. The Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers for games like Sunday. Are Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh's jobs at stake? Here's another one Lamar Jackson says he'll play Sunday night. You'd hope it's like a season finale of your favorite TV show. All the storylines and all the plot lines are coming to a conclusion. Wrap a bow on it Sunday night. I do think if the Ravens lose, the world doesn't necessarily end. John Harbaugh comes back. Lamar Jackson gets healthy. Derrick Henry still productive. I like their defense when healthy. You can just chalk it up to, you know, Lamar wasn't right. But if the Steelers lose, it's more like that Sopranos ending Fade to black with a lot of ambiguity. The Steelers are just not comfortable. The Ravens are, but the Steelers are not comfortable with big sweeping changes. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, a New Year's resolution would be I'm going to get a haircut this year. They're not risk takers. They don't take big swings. They keep paying their defense. I feel like every season's the same for the last seven years. The offense is outdated and dull. They don't have a quarterback for the future. They have a winning record, but they're not really super bowl viable. So I just don't see a path forward for Pittsburgh. I do think Aaron Rodgers, I mean if I had a comeback player of the year based on how he played with the Jets, I'd give it to Aaron Rodgers. They got nothing to work with because DK Metcalf because of that issue with a fan, he's not going to play again. They don't have a number two receiver and now Washington. The big tight ends hurt, so it's a little worn at running back. Aaron trying to stay away from turnovers. Can you win 14 to 13? Kudos to Aaron. I think he's had a really good year. So I think Mike Tomlin to me should pull a Sean Payton. Wrap it up with a team. You did very well, Super Bowls and then go broadcast for a year. You'll be great at it like Peyton was. And then do a reboot and find another franchise that needs your guidance, your mentorship, your toughness, your resilience, and your leadership. But as far as Aaron Rodgers, on the possibility this could be his last game, it was a heck of a season for him, all things considered. Here's Mike Tomlinson.

[Jared Goff]

You know, I don't know that I've taken time to ponder that. I'm just committed to making sure that it's not. He's certainly been an awesome contributor to our efforts, and not only from a talent perspective and an experience perspective, but just his professionalism, his relationship with the game, his love for his teammates, and his willingness to help them grow and get better and gain better understanding each and every day has been. Has been cool to be a part of.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it will be really ugly. It'll be low scoring, I think, because it's the Ravens and the Steelers. It will be close. I think if Lamar plays. It's hard for me to see the Ravens losing, though. They get sloppy. And the Steelers with Aaron, don't turn it over. So I think, you know, if Pittsburgh, you told me right now, picked up a fumble and ran it in for six to keep it close, that would be their route to win. They've done that on more than one occasion this year. They gave Drake May, if I recall, his worst effort. So Pittsburgh's got a shot, a puncher's chance. A puncher. A tough puncher's jaw. But I like Baltimore in this spot. But if the Ravens lose, I feel better about the future, and I feel the last seven years for the Steelers, it's basically been a rerun. J. Mac with the news.

[Jared Goff]

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is the Herd line news. Got it there. No, the mic won't work. That's okay, buddy. Just more of me talking, I think. All right, let me do a story before we go to Herdline. And I was gonna put this instead of the Raven Steelers, but the whole thing about Georgia losing late, I thought Georgia would win, and I thought they were the better team for chunks of the game. But I will say this. When Lane Kiffin left, my take was, well, like a lot of us, he's mobile and he's taking a better job. I was okay with that. I did ask the question, are you sure you can't get to the natty with Trinidad Chambliss, who didn't start the year as the starting quarterback, But I watched this kid, and all I'm saying is Lane Kiffin has value, but he's a little small for the NFL, right? He's a little slight, only 200 pounds for the NFL. But my takeaway watching him is that he's not coach dependent. And I don't think Fernando Mendoza is necessarily coach dependent, but he's better at Indiana that he was at Cal. But I love watching this kid play, and it's going to be very interesting to see if the Sunday people like him. I get Dak Prescott vibes, but small quarterbacks don't last long in the NFL. But my takeaway on this game was I don't think Ole Miss is as good as Indiana. I don't think they're as good as Oregon. I don't think they're as good as Miami. I think the SEC team that got in has the worst defense of the four teams and is the worst of the four teams. But this kid's a remarkable story. He did not start the season as the starting quarterback. He's from something called Big Rapids, Michigan, which can't be that big because I've never heard of it. So I thought it was interesting. Before the game, the sideline interview, they asked him, how do you stop Chambliss in this offense? And he kind of rambled on. And at the end of it, I was thinking, that's not really an answer on how to stop him. And then you watch the game and you're like, because he didn't necessarily have a solution to stop him. So here was Trinidad Chambliss, a remarkably fun quarterback to watch. Impossible not to root for when you look at his story. Here he is after the win.

[Cam Jordan]

We're not really focused on, like, destiny or anything like that. We just want to play ball and have fun. A lot of people did doubt us before the season, and they still doubted us when, you know, our coach left. So we just want to play ball and have fun. And I think that's showing right now. So I know everybody else was doubting us this season, but the goal of this season of why Trinidad came was to compete for a championship. And that's something that we're going to do around here on a consistent basis.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I can. I can defend Lane Kiffin moving. But I do wonder. And we. And I watched enough old mister in the season, I'm like, they could score their way to the Final Four. I don't think they're good enough defensively to win a national championship. Oregon, Indiana, Miami, all significantly better defenses, but they're an easy team to root for because of that kid who does give me dak vibes. I don't know how it translates to the next level, but 71% completion percentage, five touchdowns, no picks so far in the College Football Playoff. And here is J. Mack with the news.

[Jared Goff]

No, no, no. Turn on the is the herd line news.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, let's start with the Orange Bowl. Colin. Fun game between Oregon and Texas Tech. If you like sloppiness and defense, it was kind of an ugly one. Oregon comes out on top, 23 nothing. The Ducks force four turnovers held Texas Tech to 215 yards. Here's Dan Landing afterward.

[Cam Jordan]

We've talked to our guys about being battle tested all year and having to win in different ways. You know, that game went back and forth in a lot of ways. You know, struggled at times to go score points. And our defense did an unbelievable job getting the ball back. And then our offense showed up when it mattered most. There at the end of the game, proud of our players, the resiliency that they showed, their ability to stay calm and poised and collected under pressure. It's not easy in big moments, but these guys have shown and proven time after time, these two guys up here, that team in that locker room have shown time and time again that they're ready for big moments.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, Finney had quite a game. I think Oregon's really good. I. They could have just kicked field goals and won. And it should be, it should be noted, James Madison blown out, Tulane blown out, and Texas Tech from the weakest conference totally, absolutely dominated. I hope this is a little bit instructive to the committee that you can want to be inclusive, but football is about depth, a regulated level of violence, elite players, elite coaching staffs. The little guy got pummeled. Three little guys got absolutely pummeled in this playoff and were left. Now, the uniforms may be different, but Miami's got NFL dudes everywhere. So does Oregon, so does Indiana. Ole Miss offensively does. So I, you know, it's just like watching this game, you're like, okay, this is the worst of the final eight teams. They went and bought a defensive front, but they, offensively, they're just not competent. They're not good enough to be here.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, they, they might have beat Alabama yesterday. Alabama was terrible. I'll just say this. Did you notice that the three teams, of all the teams that played last week, three of the four. One, Colin. And last year it was four of four. So a big edge is not sitting out and not getting the buy. And if you bet. By the way, the first quarter, a clean sweep. Easy money on the teams that played the week prior. And I wonder if the committee's going to think about changing that because you know, if you think the buy is some big edge, it's not, I don't know, Texas Tech look asleep for most of that game.

[Colin Cowherd]

Could you, could you make the layoff less? Could you move the college football up like eight to nine days? So you don't have 18 days off, you've got 10.

[Jason McIntyre]

It was close to like 22.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think that's, I mean football, we've talked about this in pro football there is no edge. The only edge to having a buy now in the NFL there's only two afc, NFC is you're at home, so you're more comfortable. But football, unless you're an old team like Philadelphia and you've got some O line injuries, by and large like the Seahawks, the Ravens, the. If you start looking at all these teams, I guess the Ravens, if they could get a day off or a week off with ball, you know, Lamar's injuries. Most football teams in the NFL, Seattle's young, the Rams defense is young. You want to play New England's young, you don't want time off. And for these rosters that are 20 year old kids, I don't need. If you give a 20 year old kid 23 days off, they're going to lose focus. I think it's pretty clear.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'm just curious your thoughts on Dante Moore who didn't light the world on fire. I know you think there's a blowout. It was 13 nothing with like 12 minutes left. Well, Texas Tech just couldn't generate offense.

[Colin Cowherd]

But if you.

[Jason McIntyre]

I didn't see an awesome game from Dante.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay. If you put Ty Simpson, Dante Moore and Fernando Mendoza up against each other, there is a massive gap. Yeah, I mean I think Fernando Mendoza, regardless going forward, he is the number one slam dunk quarterback. Size, accuracy moves better than most people think. I think Dante Moore is just a kid. I think he needs another year. I think the Texas Tech defensive front's good, but it was sloppy and ugly and penalties. And this is what we predicted on Wednesday. I said it's going to be an ugly game. Dante Moore is going to probably struggle a little with that defensive front and that's what happened.

[Jason McIntyre]

So do you if he comes out jets at three.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, that's going to that.

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean I like Dante more. I'm here at Jared Goff comparisons. By the way, Ty Simpson moves better than Dante Moore. He's not like this scrambling, fun, fast quarterback.

[Gisele Bryant]

He's.

[Jason McIntyre]

It wasn't a great game. Let's see what he does in the rematch against Indiana. All right, let's move on to the NFL. Eagles are resting a lot of starters this week. Colin against the commanders in week 18, including Jalen Hurts. Phillies offensive strategy this year has been kind of touch and go. It just hasn't been working. Left tackle Jordan Mylotta still believes despite the ups and downs, confidence is high.

[Cam Jordan]

God, we have, I think we've been.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here before, we've been down here before. We've had these same questions heading into playoffs last year, you know, so like.

[Cam Jordan]

For us it's just, we welcome that challenge.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's not like we're just pushing it under the carpet.

[Cam Jordan]

We're doing everything we can.

[Colin Cowherd]

We've been here before, we've been doubted and every time we've proven them wrong. So that's why I have confidence. That's what everyone does. Yeah, it's a, it's. There's a lot of new playoff teams. A lot of the AFC where you get like a Jacksonville, you're like, you know, or, or like New England or now NFC at Chicago. It is different. Peyton Manning used to always say that there's regular season speed, there's playoff speed and then there's super bowl speed. And like playoff speed is different. It is really, really intense. As you pointed out, when you have a buy you in the College Football Playoff, that first series or two, that team that just played last week or, you know, did not have a buy, they're playing at a different speed. In the first, Miami was playing at a totally different speed than Ohio State. So I, Philadelphia, I think this is their, their, their. They're built to win games. In this postseason. I, I think that would be a bad early round matchup for the Rams. I think Seattle matches up with them pretty well, but outside of that, they, they have a matchup advantage on a lot of these NFC teams.

[Jason McIntyre]

You talk about teams that could use a buy. I mean, they can't get the buy. But Saquon Barkley could use the rest. He hasn't been getting anything. Lane Johnson coming off injury. Jalen Carter, who's going to sit this week, he had the shoulder issue. Like the Eagles are a beat up team. Remember the long playoff run last year? I think they're going to be fine and I'm starting to lean toward them coming out of the, out of the nfc. Colin, I know you're a Seattle guy, but this Eagles team, man, if they get healthy. Final story is the New York Giants head coaching search. Let's just say it's swinging into high gear under Joe Shane, Colin. Prominent reporters who are credible are putting together a list of guys. Are you ready for this?

[Katie Couric]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Mike McCarthy, a name we've been talking about on the show for months. He's at the top. The rest of the guys, defensive guys, Jeff Halfley of the Packers, Chris Shula of the Rams, Jesse Minter of the Chargers, and former Raider head coach Antonio Pierce, who pretty clearly is going around telling everybody, see, I wasn't the problem last year. They stink. I don't know if you're a Giants fan. Are you kind of inspired by. By this list? Sorry.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think Mike McCarthy may not excite you. You're not going to win the press conference. But won a lot of games when dak was upright. 12 wins a year in Dallas. When he had Dak and he was winning a lot of games, he and Aaron Rodgers went sideways. Some of these coaches, you know, lane Kiffin at LSU is going to win the press conference. Mike McCarthy is never going to win a press conference, but I think he's a very capable coach. I really do.

[Jason McIntyre]

McCarthy is definitely not taking this job before finding out what's up in Cincinnati.

[Katie Couric]

Okay.

[Jason McIntyre]

Because you get the chance to coach Joe Burrow. Should the chief Bengals run off their head coach. That's the most prominent job on the market. And who knows, just Buffalo flame out in one round.

[Katie Couric]

And.

[Jason McIntyre]

And would you rather coach Jackson Dart or Josh Allen? Like, come on. I think McCarthy is gonna wait.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think the Cincinnati job is more perilous than you do. Burrows health upstairs beyond frugal. They don't make free agent moves. Everybody feel even their star players who they drafted, there's always a holdout outfield to it. I. I think Cincinnati is. I mean, if you look at the Bengals history, they've actually been so good drafting the most important position. Go back to Kenny Anderson, to Carson Palmer, Boomerson and Andy Dalton and Joe Brook. They always, always every decade the Bengals get quarterback, right? And what do they have to show for May that. What's the, what's the common thread in that upstairs? So I don't think the Bengals job is one I would take. I love Burrow, but you and I have talked about this. If Burrow has one more injury, don't you have to draft the quarterback? Don't you have to think about it?

[Jason McIntyre]

I think you probably got to do what do that anyway. But I'm curious. Jackson Dart, is he appealing and you got the number two pick.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, the Giants roster isn't bad. Scatter boo comes back. Jackson dart a lot of energy. I've been arguing this for years. I've been proven wrong. But I think the Giants actually have some good players. I just, just. It's just a weird franchise.

[Jason McIntyre]

Who has more better players, Giants or Eagles?

[Colin Cowherd]

Eagles by a mile.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay, good. Giants or Cowboys?

[Colin Cowherd]

Giants. Oh, you just know the Cowboy players. You know CD Lamb, you know Dak. I I do like the Cowboys O line in run blocking. They're not good in pass pro but they're good run blockers.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, Jay McElveness. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news blazing five A lot of favorites. I like a lot of favorites. Four out of my five picks I like favorites. Also some thoughts on Caleb Williams. Tomorrow night in what could be one of the games of the season, I think it's going to be the Seattle Seahawks at the Niners. Darnold and Brock Purdy. We're going to go to our big board. You always do. We always do this in the biggest of games. 10 best players. Think you'll be surprised by that. Next, be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Jason McIntyre]

There's some more great football coming your way in the Trust. And will Holiday Bowl Noah Fifita in Arizona take on SMU. It's a can't miss showdown in San Diego tonight. 7:30 Eastern, 4:30 Pacific on Fox.

[Colin Cowherd]

I trust you will be watching. I'm going to watch the Niners Seahawks tomorrow night. I think it's going to be great if Sam Darnold beat San Francisco and the Seahawks get the number one seed in the nfc. I am smoking a cigar on the set in LA Monday with the I told you so budget. I like Sam a lot. I and it's really more the journey than the quarterback. I think he's a very good quarterback. Bit reckless at times but a very a very good quarterback. But a lot about quarterbacking in the NFL is survival. Just sort of like all of our 20s, right? Like Mahomes gets Andy Reid out of college and Bo Nix gets Sean Payton. That's like being bored into a trust fund. It's hard to screw it up. But Sam Darnold, 20 year old, goes to the jets, bad head coach, front office over at Skis. That's like the rest of us when we're 20. We've got student loan debt, our boss is a jerk, car keeps breaking down. That's like that's a real 20 year old experience and that's what Sam Darnold had. You know what I mean? Your mom and dad get divorced. That's how a lot of us were in our 20s. And so I think Darnold's an easy guy to root for and I think Brock Purdy's got a little bit of that. Although he got Kyle Shanahan being the last guy drafted. Iowa State, he's easy to root for. But I think it's a battle of two quarterbacks, Darnold and Purdy on heaters with a lot of skeptics. And here's Sam Darnold on the showdown.

[Cam Jordan]

At the end of the day, it's just football, you know, And I think that's the best part about it is, you know, people want to make it a little bit bigger than it is, but we're just going out there. We're playing against the Niners, a really good football team, a team that we're going to be prepared for. And you know, it's going to be great though. You know, the fans are going to be into it, it's going to be a great atmosphere. But other than that, it's football and we'll be ready to go for it.

[Colin Cowherd]

So in big, big regular season games, I pull out the big board and I say, let's see who's got the 10 best players. You cross your fingers if Trent Williams and George Kittle can play. I think they will. I think in terms of highest end players, San Francisco's got more of the 10 best players in this game. I think Christian McCaffrey is the best, JSN is second. Then George Kittle and Trent Williams. All three of those Niners are Hall of Famers. Then Darnold and Brock Purdy, 5 and 6. I don't care who you put in front. If you like Purdy, put him five, Darnold six. But I do think the depth is not close. I think Seattle's roster, defensively this is a mismatch. Byron Murphy, Devon Witherspoon, Nick Emanwari, Demarcus Lawrence. If I went to 15, it'd be mostly Seattle players. So I think if Kittle and Trent Williams play this a really, really good football game. Blazing five, it's one of my picks, but I. We got to be honest here. In terms of depth and youth and speed and defense, it's a little bit of a mismatch. This Seattle roster is stacked. I want to. And again, I love Darnold. I think it's the journey is the part that I appreciate because I, you know, I hear all the time about 20 year olds. It's hard for 20 year olds to get jobs. It's hard for 20 year Olds. In my generation, it's hard. 20s are hard. You don't make a lot high expectations. Your first job usually stinks. But I think what, what, what Darnold's been able to do, it really proves the quarterbacking in this league. A lot of it is not how you start, it's how you finish. It's survival. Can you overcome that first awful boss, that first awful job? And that's what Darnold's done. I want to go back to Indiana beating Alabama. One of the things that is really hard is that college football has always been sort of a tradition sport. It's got an older fan base. The, the NBA fan base is much younger than the college football fan base. And tradition is incredibly powerful. That's why these fans have so much trouble letting go of unwatchable, awful bowl games. Well, I've been watching the Citrus bowl and they're unwatchable. There's nobody at these games and the ratings have gone into the tank. But I think people forget this. Indiana, the last two years in college football, not Alabama, has had the best point differential. They've been beating the crud out of everybody the last couple of years. They have the number one red zone offense, the number one number two scoring defense. They have a better record the last two years than Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State. Yeah, Indiana. But it's like the Coke Pepsi taste test. Pepsi won it forever. But you know, you've always been drinking Coca Cola and your parents did, your brother did, everybody did. You see the commercials? And so it's like, Coca Cola is better. Yeah. I remember years ago, Pepsi was winning all those taste tests consistently. And you know, it's funny. I live in a neighborhood that's got a Pete's Coffee and a Starbucks. I like Pete's Coffee. Starbucks is packed. I can get a coffee at Pete's in 30 seconds. Starbucks. I'm sitting, waiting in line. You know, marketing is powerful. Indiana is really good. I think Indiana is the best team. I had predicted Wednesday, I said, they're going to blow Alabama out. Indiana, I told Urban Meyer, Indiana is going to blow Alabama's doors off. Because I watch a lot of college football and I'd watched Alabama play six or seven times. They couldn't run the football and you never knew what you were going to get. I've watched Indiana five or six times this year, 10 times last couple years when Indiana went to Oregon and thumped Oregon, that game was not as close as the score. They thumped Oregon. Ohio State went to Oregon last year and lost. Oregon is always good, always top six or seven. And Indiana went there and thumped him. It was like, oh, this, this isn't a good story. This is a really good team. In fact, the only team I think matches up with Indiana is Miami. I don't know if Oregon matches up. They didn't earlier this year. And Ole Miss does not match up at all with Indiana. I think Miami does. I think the way to beat Indiana, you gotta stop the run game. You gotta make Fernando Mendoza really uncomfortable. And I think Miami has the ability to do that. But it's, it's a brand thing. It's just, it's hard to get over Indiana Hoosiers thumping Alabama. They didn't beat Alabama. They impose their will. They humiliated them. You can blame Caitlin DeBoer all you want. Indians have a much better team. And I gotta tell you, Indiana is the best coach team I've seen in a long time. When, when Bama went to try to pull them off sides on the fake punt, when Ty Simpson was in the game, went to the line, tried to try to fake Indiana out. Hoosiers were totally prepared for it. So, Kurt Signetti, the other thing I love about the Indiana story, and this is why I gave Belichick a fighting chance at Carolina. It used to be I always thought college football was a young man's sport because you were on the road, going to all these high school games, recruiting. But college football now, this is why Whittingham at Michigan, I think he'll be pretty good. Great. I don't know. He'll be pretty good. A lot of college football now is staff building and administrative. I mean, you're writing your check, you get out the checkbook. If you got the right donors, you're buying seven or eight starters, high end starters. So Indiana's got good business school, a lot of graduates, made a lot of money. They're giving back. They found a coach, he's a good administrator, he's got an excellent staff. His offensive coordinator probably in the next couple years, gets a big job. But it's. I think this is just so good for the sport. Everybody in college football, and I understood it. I was talking to somebody last night about this. College football fans are older and older. Americans love their traditions and a lot of traditions. Augusta, it's great. There's a lot of old stuff I like, but college football traditions Were. I mean, really outside of the Rose bowl, you could have most of them. Yeah, I don't, you know, give me Michigan, Ohio State, give me a Rose Bowl. A lot of this stuff was. You were, you were. You had to force yourself to really argue. It's really fascinating. I. What we're watching now is unbelievable. We just. Indiana, it's. I know you're all going like. Because even Miami, you've seen Miami be like, physical and great. You know, you Ole Miss has had some with Lane Kiffin last several years. You've seen ole miss drop 40 on people. You've seen Oregon now since the Chip Kelly, Mike Bilotti days. You've seen them in big games, rolling people. Indiana's like, what? And all Nick Saban's buddies are telling him, yeah, you guys are going to crush him. No way. Indiana's way better. Way better. I think everybody. When I said the other day, I said, indiana's going to blow Alabama out, people are like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I would have gotten less pushback if I'd have said, bama's going to blow out Indiana. In fact, I told a buddy who bet a lot of money on this game, I said, I cannot believe how many people are online or on TV saying Bama is going to win comfortably. Have you watched, have you watched Alabama play? Indiana is so much better than Alabama. Forget the coaching. It's got better players, way better at quarterback. Their receivers maybe aren't quite as good, but front end, back end of the defense, the old lines, much better. So college football has never been more transitional. And that transitional nature of it, the portal is. I think Indiana is now a beacon of optimism and a beacon of hope for the sport. I mean, when you think about Indiana, most of our lives it was Bobby Knight. I mean, that was it. And if you really followed academics, you're like good business school. Oh, Bloomington's kind of a cool town. You never thought football. Well, those days have changed. And I really am. I don't necessarily think people are saying, ooh, Kurt Signetti, take another job. This is what I said about Lane Kiffin. I'll defend you taking lsu, but if Ole Miss has the right boosters, you're watching Ole Miss with his coaching staff. I don't know. I don't know if you can win a natty at Ole Miss, but if you could win one at Indiana and they're favored to, then you probably can the old traditional great jobs. Right now, Indiana football is better than USC. Sorry. And Alabama and Clemson. I'm sorry, it is blazing five.

[Katie Couric]

Next.

[Gisele Bryant]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.