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Colin Cowherd
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Oh, here we go. It'll be a rambunctious Wednesday show. We are live in Chicago. It's the Herd.
Wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Joel Cladden. One hour to try to unravel the 2025 latest edition of the College Football Playoff. The 12 team playoff. Now, again, you have an ACC championship game, an SEC championship game, a Big 12 championship game to be played. But I gu to talk about this for a second. It's so confusing. March Madness has 68 teams easier to explain than this. I can explain over the next five minutes. The blockchain easier than I can the College Football playoff. Miami is 10 2, has beaten Notre Dame head to head and they're not in the ACC title game. You know who is? 7 and 5? Duke. And if Duke wins the ACC title game over Virginia, it blows up the ACC and nobody gets in from the conference. How do you, how do you make a conference championship game? And if you win it, a heroic seven and five teams in the ACC Championship 10 and 2. Miami's not. And if Duke wins, nobody gets in from the acc. Basically what we learned yesterday, the committee said, yeah, I know Miami, that you beat Notre Dame, and I know that you're 10 and 2 and have impressive wins. You're not in. And hammering Pitt in cold weather up north, that didn't impress us either. Okay, this is a perfect time to go Back to my 10 to 20 year rant on the ridiculousness of college football. $8 billion industry, no centralized figure, no CEO, no Dana White is ridiculous. And whenever anybody says college football is better than the NFL. No, it's not. You can't have a great movie with a bad ending. You can't have a great movie with a bad ending. Once again, we're left with this nebulous cloud trying to decipher what matters. I thought scheduling big, tough road games matters. Yeah, Texas did. See ya. I thought winning big games mattered. Well, Texas beat Oklahoma. That was a pretty big game. Texas has three wins. Beat Texas A and M. Beat Vandy. No, that doesn't matter because they lost at Ohio State. I thought bad losses punished you. Well, last year Notre Dame made the Natty. They lost in Northern Illinois at home. I mean, it's unbelievable. It's just unbelievable. Um, I mean, ask yourself, have you Ever watched the NFL playoffs and said, I like it, but I can't quite figure it out. I mean, occasionally in the NFL you'll have like a team with a losing record, have a home playoff game. But we all know why. We don't have to like it, but we know why. Because they won a division and they're playing a team that was a wild card team with a better record. That happens occasionally. But the simplest way to explain what happened last night, and again, we still have championship games to be played. The simplest way to explain last night is Notre Dame is in and Miami and Texas are out. And Miami has an impressive win, Texas has several.
But I guess Notre Dame doesn't have a really, really bad loss. So Texas and Miami have, you know, I mean, Texas has multiple big wins, but that Florida loss, that's the capper. And Notre Dame doesn't really have a great win. You could say usc, but USC has not played well the last two years in the Big Ten on road, cold weather games. They just haven't. So it's funny, the last 30 years in college football, first we had the media select who played for the Natty, then it was the computers, and now we're down to an arbitrary committee where it's math meets selective feelings. Again, whenever you argue college football is better than the pros, what you're saying is.
NFL great beginning, great middle, great end is not as good as a movie with an atrocious ending. Even the Lane Kiffin saga, they can't even get their calendar right. And I love college football, so I'm not going to hyperventilate too much on the rankings. I'd put Miami in. I think Texas deserves a shot. I don't have a problem with Notre Dame being in, but it is remarkable that Duke, at 7 and 5 is in the ACC championship game. And if they win, they not only don't get in, nobody in the conference does. That is absolutely ridiculous. That's why Urban Meyer came on my show earlier this week and said, get rid of the committee. I think the committee's got to go away. You have Chris Felika, you got the Bear, you got Mark Ingram, you got Matt Leiner, Brady Quinn, Urban Meyer. There's a bunch of national titles. Heisman's a bunch of football guys. That's what they do. I mean, we're damn near in fist fights in that green room, getting ready to go on Big Noon because everybody's got. And we, we can't agree. So how in the world are athletic directors, conference committee, how are they Coming up with who's going to be in this in the playoffs. So I'm a big believer in the 442211 that was presented earlier about the committee goes away. The conferences take care of it. I agree. The ACC is this weird, convoluted Ponzi scheme that I'm almost rooting now for Duke to beat Virginia. So nobody gets in from the acc. We know Miami should. And then everybody has to sit down and go, this is ridiculous. I mean, it's been ridiculous forever. It used to be computers. Now it's math and selective feelings.
Take a deep breath. We still have championship games coming up.
Maybe it'll get better. Okay, so Ben Roethlisberger, who carries a lot of weight with the Pittsburgh Steelers, his voice carries. He is now joining the fans and the media. And privately there is a discussion, there's tension between Tomlin and the ownership. Here's Big Ben on the Mike Tomlin future discussion. It's being talked about around here a lot. Maybe it's time. Maybe it's a clean house time. Maybe it is. Maybe it's time. And I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it's best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what's best. This is what I agree with. Big Ben's right. Ask yourself this. Sometimes people, I would include myself in this. I like fresh starts. Some people have to be pushed into them. But a lot of times, be honest. Did your wife, your kids, a friend convince you? You know what? This job, you need a fresh start. You're kind of getting tired. You lost your energy and you do it, you got to be pushed into it. It ends up being the greatest movie your career. I think that's what Mike Tomlin needs. Think about this. Since Mike Tomlin's last playoff win, his last playoff win, Donald Trump hadn't been inaugurated the first time. Shohei Ohtani was still playing baseball in Japan.
Sam Darnold just beat Penn State in a Rose Bowl. Kevin Durant, it was his first season with the Warriors. Sean McVay had not coached a single game for the Rams.
This isn't like just happening or in the last couple years.
Sam Darnold was in college.
I mean, come on, it's time. And I'm, I've said in, in my career, I'm not out to fire people.
But when somebody's going to get a job pretty quickly after, I don't have a problem with it. It's time. I mean, this has been like A seven year leaky roof and Pittsburgh just keeps putting buckets all over the living room and kitchen. This offense has been dreadful bottom 10 for years. Aaron Rodgers, he'll save the day. Arthur Smith, he'll save the day. It doesn't matter. You can keep running through great receivers. NFL coach is not a Supreme Court justice. It's not a lifetime appointment. Mike Tomlin is not a college professor. He's not tenured. Whatever is happening in his personal life, I don't know and I don't care. But what I know right now is this is a seven to eight year leaky roof. Fix the roof. Stop just putting buckets around the house.
2025 Pittsburgh Steelers once again feel out of touch with the league offensively and kind of outdated defensively. Old defensive coaches, Belichick, Pete Carroll, Mike Tomlin, few years ago, Ron Rivera, Levy Smith. Those defensive coaches do not age as well. You can. I tend to think offensive coaches tend to be more curious their play designers where you have to be. Current defensive coaches tend to be about brute strength and aggressive which doesn't always necessarily for people or businesses or teams age well. But if Big Ben's entered the fray, you got to take it seriously. J. Mac, Joel Cladden, one hour. Albert Breer, Alexi Lawless. We're going to have the World cup draw on Friday, which is going to be unbelievable. Can't wait for that.
Joel Klatt
And can I ask you real quick about this Tomlin stuff because I'm kind of on the other side. Colin. I've seen some of these franchises. You move off a good coach and it may take you a while to find a great replacement. I mean we've seen this for quarterbacks. Yeah, I mean, I hope you can't just say, mike, we're done.
Colin Cowherd
You need a game plan.
Joel Klatt
Who you got?
Colin Cowherd
I.
Joel Klatt
Give me five names. Who you think we could realistically get to shape the franchise going forward?
Colin Cowherd
They would all be offensive. I. You know, Brian Dabel is somebody I would strongly consider. I mean, remember firing Tomlin to hire.
Joel Klatt
A guy who couldn't get his act together in New York?
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, but New York's got worse ownership. New York's front office has been wonky. Contextualize it. The Giants have run through everybody. The Steelers generally aren't chaotic. They underperform. But they haven't had a losing season in 21 years. When's the last time the Giants had a winning season? So Brian D. Would be. I mean, Brian D. Won a playoff game in the last eight years with Daniel Jones. Who Indiana or the Indianapolis Colts may regret now with the sauce Gardner move.
Joel Klatt
Oh yeah.
Colin Cowherd
So I Brian D would be the at the top and again I there's always a Liam Cohen out there hunt around. There's always a Ben Johnson somewhere. But I Brian D's the obvious one to me that just jumps out and.
Joel Klatt
Do you think Tomlin goes back into coaching because the Titans have an opening? The jets could have an opening. The Browns could have an opening in the division. I think people would be really interested it Tomlin's not quite in the variable Harbaugh boat, is he? Of like that guy's going to work. Remember those guys when they were on the market it was like that's a slam dunk.
Colin Cowherd
Let me throw this one out. Mike McCarthy, all he does is win 12 games in green Bay and in Dallas.
Joel Klatt
Like him.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. I mean Mike McCarthy, Brian Dable offensive guy. Whether you like them or not, it is in undeniable. I mean Brian Dabel is the one that pushed for Jackson Dart in New York. And you're watching Jackson Dart and it's like, oh, that's a franchise quarterback. Nobody the rest of the league wasn't clamoring for Jackson Dart. So if you look at Jackson Dart's completion percentage is running. If he can stay out of the blue tent, which by the way Drake May 1st year was in the blue tent. A lot guys are in the blue tent when they're young, then they get hit a few times. End of year two they're out of it. And I and I think Jackson Dart after that hit against New England in the first quarter but may be avoiding hits from this point forward. But the point is Brian Dable won a playoff game. Brian Dable like Jackson Dart, Brian D. I think can coach in the NFL and he would get a less chaotic ownership group. I think you have to consider him. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live.
Daniel Jeremiah
Weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on.
Colin Cowherd
Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show. That's right. You can now watch the Odd couple live on YouTube every day. All you got to do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube again. YouTube just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe.
Daniel Jeremiah
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Colin Cowherd
Is on, and it's only on Prime Video this week, the Dallas Cowboys take on the Detroit Lions in a new rivalry with lots of heat. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with football's best party TNF Tonight presented by Verizon. Not a Prime member? Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Cowboys and the lions Thursday at 7pm Eastern only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. The holiday season can be exhausting with all the parties and the end of year celebrations, but don't forget to take care of yourself by stocking up on your favorite nutritional products. Now through December 30th. Shop in store and online and save on items like Cliff Snack Bars, Luna Bars Boost Nutritional Energy Drinks, Premier Protein Shakes, Z Bar Variety Packs, Open Nature Powder and Body Fortress Protein powder offers end December 30th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
Daniel Jeremiah
This is the story of the One as head of maintenance at a concert.
Colin Cowherd
Hall, he knows the show must always go on.
Joel Klatt
That's why he works behind the scenes, ensuring every light is working, the H Vac is humming and his facility shines with Grainger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces.
Daniel Jeremiah
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Joel Klatt
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Daniel Jeremiah
For the ones who get it done.
Colin Cowherd
Hey, what's up everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here and I'm Bucky Brooks. If you love breaking down football from every angle, you're in the right place. Every week on move the six, Bucky Brooks and I dive deep into the game. From the X's and O's to the front office moves shaping the league. We kick things off with Brian Balinger.
Daniel Jeremiah
Breaking down what really went down on Sunday.
Colin Cowherd
It is as good a timing rhythm offense as there is in the league right now. Then Rhett Lewis joins us for our rookie draft and coordinator of the week where we highlight the rising stars and the masterminds calling the shots. DJ talked me into a Ronde Gadsden Jr. He had a monster game. Monster. A monster game. And you hear from the voices who actually build the game, GMs, coaches and players who gave give you insight you won't get anywhere else. High standards and high care. That's the right combination. So whether you're studying tape or just love great football talk, subscribe to Move the sticks on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
So there is a lot of consternation, a lot of question by Bears fans and Bronco Bronco fans. Are we any good?
And there's a lot of questions about their quarterbacks, Bo Nix and Caleb Williams. And so in Chicago they have quarterback.
It's like quarterback derangement syndrome. Like they get very defensive if you criticize Caleb Williams. And this week Ben Johnson addressed the fact that his quarterback has a bizarrely low 58% completion percentage.
I know what the stats say. Throw those out the window. He's doing a really good job managing the ballgame and that's, that's step number one for the quarterback. And so he's, he's going to continue to get better. He's doing the process is, is really good right now with how he approaches the week, the way he's taken the coaching, the way he's applying the coaching. I'm very pleased with that and I think we're going to continue to see him asce whether the stats tell the story or not. So I mean here's the thing with Caleb. He is a big play quarterback. Bears lead the NFL in big plays, so his ceiling high. And he's also really inaccurate. But instead of just talking about Caleb Williams, I'm going to combine Caleb Williams and Bo Nix because they're very similar. Both talented, both in a rookie contract, both uneven, both miss on some layups, both make big plays, right? Both have offensive coaches, Sean Payton, Ben Johnson.
And yet there's a lot of criticism of both. How are they winning? Does quarterback play even matter anymore? How is Denver a number two seed? How is Chicago a number one seed. How is Bo Nicks 10 and two quarterback? Just doesn't matter. It's overrated. How is Caleb Williams nine and three, a number one seed? It's all very explainable. Go look at their old lines, the top 4o lines in the NFL. None have a quarterback that's making the max money. There's two ways to win big in this league. Superstar quarterback mostly taking a team friendly deal or a really talented quarterback. Bo Nicks. Caleb Williams on a rookie deal. So I'll give you an example. I think what's underrated is how good Chicago and Denver's rosters are. If you're wondering how Bo Nixon, Caleb could potentially end up as number one seeds and be so uneven, let me give you an example of how good the Bears and Broncos rosters are. Here are the 10 best players.
Okay. And there are excellent players. I'm not including and I don't care what the order is, but I'm going kind of close. Nick Bonito, Denver. Patrick Surtan, three time Pro Bowler. Denver. Joe Tuney, Pro Bowler three straight years. Darnell Wright, Chicago. Drew Dahlman, number two ranked center, pff, Garrett Bowles, number two ranked left tackle, Denver Hufanga, the safety, unbelievable player. Usc, San Francisco. And now in Denver, Montez Sweat, seven and a half sacks, game changer since he arrived. Defensively in Chicago. Quinn Miners. Right now the number one guard on PFF, Kevin Byard leads the NFL in interceptions. I am not including in the top 10. Do you see how many offensive linemen were on that? Bears in Denver arguably have the best offensive lines in football. Detroit's up there. I didn't count Jalen Johnson, who's a Pro Bowler, but he's been hurt most of the year, so I won't count him. He may be the most talented defensive player. I'm not counting Zach Allen for Denver, who would start for every single team in the NFL. Every single one. So when you're like, well, how does Bo Nix, how does Caleb Williams rookie contract, really, really high end, offensive coaches, unbelievable offensive lines. You don't have to complete 67%. You can be uneven. Now what you hope is over the next two to three years, Bo gets up to 66, Caleb gets up to 61 and a half, 62 and a half. And all the bumps in that uneven quarterback play. I mean, when Brady was at his best, you got the same Tom Brady literally every Sunday. He would throw picks, but it was the same guy, it was the same Peyton, it was the same breeze. It's mostly the same Mahomes. But with these guys, you're not quite sure. Quarter to quarter, half to half, what you get, if that evens out. And it needs to, because as you get paid more, think about this.
How are these guys number one seeds? Caleb Williams cap hit is only 15% of Dak Prescott's BO. Nick's cap hit is only 8% of DAX, which is a compliment to Dak because Dak has the number one offense and he's gobbling up so much of the money. So when you. Great offensive coach, great offensive line, fairly underappreciated, stacked rosters, that explains it. And they're both good. Bo and Caleb are really talented guys. They're uneven. You just got to iron out the bumps. And that's when the super bowl happens, eventually, potentially, for both. J. Mac with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.
Joel Klatt
This is the Herd line news. All right, let's start in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Colin Cowherd
Colin.
Joel Klatt
Obviously, Bill Belichick's first season did not go as expected. However, reports indicate that the school will keep him, quote, for at least one more season.
Colin Cowherd
Who?
Joel Klatt
Not a resounding vote of confidence. But Carolina went 4 and 8, 5 double digit losses. Reports claim it would be about 30 million, 3, 0 million to buy out Belichick and his staff. I don't. I don't mind admitting I was way off on Belichick. I had faith in the old man. I thought he could deliver. Then he got sidetracked by the young lady.
Colin Cowherd
Now, J. Mac, there's only one. There's only one old man. You can count on me.
Joel Klatt
In a football sense. I mean, yeah, maybe. Belichick's been disappointing, Pete Carroll's been disappointing.
Colin Cowherd
I don't know.
Joel Klatt
It kind of. Kind of feels like the last ride for both those dudes, right?
Colin Cowherd
No. Yeah. I mean, I think one thing, their offense was really bad. Well, so was New England's and the two carryovers. Bill knows offense, but he's not good at diagramming it, calling it or drafting it. So what did you notice about Carolina that you noticed about New England the last several years? There's no playmakers. I don't think Bill has an eye for it, a touch for it, a feel for it, or a sensibility for it. I think his sensibility and touches, defense and leadership and culture. And I do think they got better. But the offense for Carolina, I watched them twice early in the season and I'm like, this is a bad team. They got no playmakers. And I watched Carolina. I watched New England last four years. When Brady in law left and Josh McDaniels, he has no feel for offense. He had a great feel, maybe the best ever for defense. And the world has pivoted away from Bill. It's an offensive sport, college and pro.
Joel Klatt
And remember, this is in a league, the acc, where like the conference championship game is Virginia against Duke. Like this was a weak league and Belichick only went 4, 8. Not great at all. All right, let's go back to the NFL and the New York Football Giants. I think they're a disaster this season. They fired Dable Kafka. Seems like he doesn't know what he's doing yet somehow Colin GM Joe Shane is still employed. He had a press conference yesterday and he was grilled about how he still has a job. Here's what he had to say.
Daniel Jeremiah
This is in place.
Colin Cowherd
Dan and I, and I understand the question and I do have confidence in our ability and our process to find the next coach to lead the organization. And again, I truly believe in that process and I know we're going to get it right.
Joel Klatt
He looks the part, hair combed. We're in the quarter zip. And just his history in New York has been a disaster. From Saquon Barkley, by the way, did you see his first round pick, Abdul Carter? He got benched again against the Patriots. I don't know what's going on with that guy in the locker room.
Colin Cowherd
He's a good player, but New York, New York seems like a knucklehead. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. He's a very, very good player. I have told you this before. I do not think the Giants are miles away. I don't. I think their receivers, even without Malik neighbors, have been kind of surprisingly good. They need to go out and get Scatter Boo back and probably get another, another back. I, I think their offensive line's better. Jackson Dart appears to be a franchise guy. They've got a couple of rush ends I like. Wow. I think if they went out and nailed their first two or three picks, I think if they went and got a number one corner, a number one defensive tackle, they got to add somebody along with Scatter Boo at running back because I don't think Jackson Dart's going to be a guy that throws it 40 times a game. He's a little dangerous. He's a little cocky, a little too confident at times for me. He's going to throw picks if you can give him help. Like the Bears have given, by the way. Like the Bears have given Caleb Williams great run game. So I get Scoo back I would go third, fourth round pick. I go another Remember Scaboo was not a first round pick. They're not paying him anything for several years. So I, I don't think they're miles away. And in that division. Where's Washington? I mean Philadelphia may have a new coach by next year so I, I, I don't, I don't think the Giants are miles away. I, I now New England, they got hammered. I watched them previous three or four weeks and they were frisky. They came. I mean they're playing hard.
Joel Klatt
Okay, you've taken me for a loop here. I was going to trash Shane because he's been awful as I mean from paying Daniel Jones which, which they regretted instantly. So moving off Saquon Barkley. But fine, let's move past that right now. Do you believe ownership will keep Joe Shane after the season?
Colin Cowherd
Yes.
Joel Klatt
Oh my gosh. Well you know what, that's great news for the jets because I'll tell you right now, the New York jets are in a better spot football wise than the Giants are. This, this Giants are close. The jets have so many draft picks, Colin.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, what's it matter when you get them and don't know what to do with them? You had Sam Darnold.
Joel Klatt
You mean like the, the Giants? I mean listen, we had Sam Darnold way back in the day but wow, you're optimistic on the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys. Washington has Jaden Daniels. You got the worst quarterback in the division.
Colin Cowherd
We'll see. Good luck.
Joel Klatt
Oh my goodness. I can't believe there must be a Jets thing. I that's what it is. Final story Colin. Mike Vrabel, your boy, he had an awesome quote yesterday. He was talking about that hit that Christian Ellis laid on Jackson dart. Oh God, watch 37 times it. Hard to watch. I love that. That's football right there, baby. Anyways, here's Vrabel talking about this hit not being dirty and he's coaching his players to keep an eye on quarterbacks in bounds.
Colin Cowherd
We show that to Drake and our defenders are being coached the same way. When I say we better not get queued over there by the sidelines because this is legal, I turn around and tell the defense if this is happening, we need to try to knock out of them as legally as possible.
Yeah, that's right.
Joel Klatt
Damn. How the Patriots fell backwards into Vrabel is just so unfair. They're not going anywhere for the next decade. Vrabel and May.
Colin Cowherd
How about that division? Josh Allen, Drake, May Good luck if you're a Dolphin or a Jet fan.
Joel Klatt
Well, we got Aaron Glenn. So so far that's a start. And then maybe we'll get Mendoza. Maybe a little Ty Simpson. I've worked jets into two stories in this hour.
Colin Cowherd
How about that?
Joel Klatt
That's a win.
Colin Cowherd
J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news.
Joel Klatt
And thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.
Colin Cowherd
So tomorrow, Thursday, Thursday Night Football is a great one. There's a lot of stinkers on Thursday Night Football. Tomorrow is a great one. Dallas at the Detroit Lions. And it is a. This is what I love about the NFL. I think this is one of the NFL strengths, maybe its greatest strength. It is a great reminder how fast, how quickly things change in the NFL. Last year, Lions win 15 games. They may miss the playoffs. Dallas a month ago, tire fire. They may make the playoffs. No sport gives you this. Last year the Lions were an offensive juggernaut. 17th now on third down and can't pick up fourth down. That was their culture.
It's unbelievable. So you know there's the old people were banging on Lane Kiffin this week and lsu, but it's always been the truth. Strike when the iron is hot and, and never settle. Ole Miss Lane Kiffin's like, I'm settling. LSU is not settling. So this goes back. Why is Detroit going backwards? Did the players get worse? No, they settled. They had the best offensive coordinator in football. He left. He's now got Chicago as a elite team. And they settled on an in house candidate who may be more than capable, but he's not Ben Johnson. And I've said the greater the coordinator or coach you lose, the, the broader the search has to be to replace him. You know, we all know that Steve Jobs force him out of Apple. You better get the next Steve Jobs or you're going to be begging 10 years later for Steve Jobs, the late Steve Jobs to come back, which Apple was doing. Like I said, if you're going to, if you're going to fire James Franklin at Penn State, I said okay. Won a lot of games. Now they can't find a coach. Be very careful. The answer for fans is fire everybody. And the answer for fans in the media is hire the friendly guy. Everybody likes Michigan football did that. Doesn't quite look the same, does it? Two years later. And Detroit had great coordinators. Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson and they stayed in house. And so, you know, 90% of Americans, I think, and it's not a bad thing, but are very content being good. But if you want to be great if you want to hoist trophies, there's two things you have to do. You can't settle and you have to be aggressive. Because if you're not aggressive, you're like 90% of Americans who aren't aggressive. And you'll be somewhere in the pack, slightly below, middle of it or slightly above. And Detroit settled. And Dallas, by the way, took massive swings.
Dallas plays, they traded Micah, it gave them flexibility. Jerry, the dealmaker, Quinn and Williams, that's a huge swing. So Dallas and Detroit are different. Dallas settled. If they lose, they're not going to make the playoffs. Detroit settled. If they lose, they're out of place. Dallas took huge swings in risk. And if they win, start looking at their schedule, guys, start looking at Dallas's schedule. And, and I think Jerry is a deal maker. And when, and I said this for years, when he traded Micah Parsons, it was so easy. And 90% of the media, 95% said, Ah, Dallas, terrible move. I said, you got to give deal makers the opportunity to make deals. This year the Rams, the Eagles and the Cowboys have made huge moves, aggressive acquisitions.
Two are doing really well, two will make the playoffs and Dallas may. So it's really interesting the, the you juxtapose the Lions and the Cowboys. One settled, one took a huge swing. And who would you rather be today? Ask yourself, who would you rather be over the next two years? I got back Prescott, George Pickens, I got CD Lamb, I got a run stopping defense with an elite defensive tackle and Kenny Clark as well. DeMarvi and Overshone has emerged as a stud. And I have two first round picks and I'll probably go get a Caleb Downs and an edge rusher.
And my coach is overachieving at this point. I mean, so I think it's a fascinating game and it's a reminder of why the NFL is king. It is the league of optimism and the league of Hope. Four weeks ago, one of these teams was circling the train. Four or five weeks ago and before the Quinn and Williams trade, Dallas defense didn't look like this and Detroit was humming. Now look at it.
Oh, and don't forget this. Here's another thing that Tyler Booker remember, everybody made fun of that Tyler Booker move that trade by Dallas or not trade, he was the 12th pick in the draft. Everybody's like, whoa, what a reach. You see a match up against Jalen Carter, pretty good as a Rookie, as a 12 pick. So things are humming for the Dallas Cowboys. Okay, I do it about every five weeks, about once a month, maybe once every five weeks. I do a Super bowl bubble.
And this year's bubble is our strangest and skinniest ever. And we'll talk about that next.
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
Daniel Jeremiah
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Colin Cowherd
Is on, and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the Dallas Cowboys take on the Detroit Lions in a new rivalry with lots of heat. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with football's best party TNF Tonight presented by Verizon. Not a Prime member? Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Cowboys and the lions Thursday at 7pm Eastern, only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. The holiday season can be exhausting with all the parties and the end of year celebrations.
Joel Klatt
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Colin Cowherd
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Daniel Jeremiah
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Joel Klatt
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Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
Hey, what's up everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here and I'm Bucky Brooks. If you love breaking down football from every angle, you're in the right place. Every week on Move the six, Bucky Brooks and I dive deep into the game, from the X's and O's to the front office moves shaping the league. We kick things off with Brian Balinger.
Daniel Jeremiah
Breaking down what really went down on Sunday.
Colin Cowherd
It is as good a timing, rhythm offense as there is in the league right now. Then Rhett Lewis joins us for our rookie draft and coordinator of the week where we highlight the rising stars and the masterminds calling the shots. DJ talked me into a Ronde Gadsden Jr. He had a monster game. Monster. A monster game. And you hear from the voices who actually build the game. GMs, coaches and players who give you insight you won't get anywhere else. High standards and high care. That's the right combination. So whether you're studying tape or just love great football talk, subscribe to Move the sticks on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Joel Klatt
Saturday for the first time in conference history, number one and number two collide in the Big Ten title game. Heisman front runners collide as Julian Saiyan leads number one Ohio State against Fernando Mendoza and number two Indiana. Coverage begins Saturday at 6:30 Eastern on Fox.
Colin Cowherd
I like Ohio State by 10 points. The two touchdowns let me stay on college football for a second.
So the College Football Playoff, it's not finished the 12 teams yet. So we've got multiple conference championships. But I think the thing most troubling I'll talk to Joel Cloud about this is the messages sent. So like Miami does not get in, but Miami's got like a quality win over Notre Dame and Miami. You'd say as a bad loss to Louisville. Yes, bad loss. But the SMU loss is not a terrible loss. SMU made the playoff last year. SMU was 8 and 4 this year. SMU beat Miami and Clemson this year. SMU is a fine football program. It's not great. It's pretty solid. 8 and 4 and it was a close game. 26:20 Miami is getting punished for a really bad loss to Louisville. Okay, Notre Dame doesn't have a bad loss. They've got losses to Miami and Texas A and M. But what's their quality win to 16th ranked USC, but it was at home, that, that matters. USC is two different programs. There's the NLA Trojans, right? Like in LA, hammered Michigan. And then there's the on the road Trojans who last year lost to Maryland, could struggle with Rutgers and kind of get blown out a lot on the road in the Big Ten. Get, get handled. So what's the messaging? Like? Texas has multiple excellent wins, throttled Texas A and M throttled Vandy, throttled Oklahoma, and they lost three road games. The closest loss to Ohio State. Losing to Georgia is a game they don't match up well with. Yeah, Florida's an ugly loss. So what the messaging to me says is you can't have a really, really bad loss. But Notre Dame last year lost at home to Northern Illinois. That's an atrocious loss. Made it in and made it to the Natty. So it's. I just think, you know, there was a coach named Mike Leach. He was a very funny guy. He was very unique, clever guy. And he has passed away. But before he did, when he found out college football, you know, was going to go to this playoff and it was going to be selected by a committee and Mike Leach understood what was going to happen down the road. We're so smart. Wouldn't all the other sports say, I don't know what? Let's have a committee. You know, because. Why not? Because, you know, we're American, we love committees. Let's get us a committee. Well, who should be on the committee? Well, I don't know. This guy's a good guy. Let's have him on the committee. I mean, it'd be fun. We'd go to that resort. We could talk, we could hang out at dinner and then we'll decide which four teams should go. Because you know why we don't need to solve this on the field? Because we're the ones that know. And that's the problem with committees. There's a lot of cronyism. I mean, you can have relationships with people for 20 years and not favor them, right? Like, that's just not the way the world works.
So I think the messaging bothers me. I am not anti or pro, Miami or Notre Dame. But if you both have two losses, at least Miami is a complete ACC member. You know, Notre Dame is still like, all right, we'll kind of, we'll kind of play in the acc, but we want to do our own thing. I mean, couldn't I argue if Notre Dame and Miami are tied and Miami won head to head, that because you're a full member, that's an advantage. You have to play more games that you don't control. Notre Dame controls a bigger percentage of their schedule. Miami doesn't. They're a conference member. You get stuck some years with tough schedules. I mean, let's face it, if Miami plays SMU at home.
Instead of the road, they probably win that game and they're in. So. And I don't think head to head is the only thing. But I said yesterday, Miami's got the better defense. Miami's got a better passing game. They have four common opponents. Miami beat three worse. So, I mean, it's. I feel bad for Miami. I really do. I. Because I like the program. I like the spirit. It's a flashy program. Not a lot of flashy college football programs. Miami, USC are kind of flashy. It's not anti Notre Dame. I. I said if they played today, I'd probably take Notre Dame. But I don't think you should allow people in based on what Colin thinks would happen if they played again. Right. That's not the right way to do it. Okay. So I do a Super bowl bubble every four or five weeks, and usually the average has been through the years. I have about seven or eight teams late in the year that I think can reach the Super Bowl. It's not about winning it. It's reaching it. So I did this morning. I did it. And there's only three teams that I feel real strongly about that they're going to reach the super bowl, potentially. Rams, Green Bay and New England. Denver. I've got in the bubble, but bumping out of the bubble. I just don't know if I trust him. Can you be a team that's that uneven offensively and get there? Philadelphia is actually in the bubble. They are touching the bubble. They are making slight contact with the bubble. So they're in the bubble. But I would just say if Congress voted on it, nobody would like them. They would be, you know, kind of a Marjorie Taylor Green feel like nobody's quite sure what's going on there. In, out, we're not sure. Maybe out in a week. Nobody really knows. Phillies in the bubble. There's contact with the bubble. They're kind of the bubble. So I want to concentrate on the four teams I put just outside of the bubble. Chicago, Seattle, Buffalo, San Francisco. I believe there are fatal flaws that eliminate you even if you have a good record. So let's start with the 49ers. The 49ers have a fatal flaw. They don't sack the quarterback. They are last in Defensive sacks this year, 13 games, only 16. No team has ever won a Super bowl last in sacks. And Fred Warner and Nick Bosa are not coming back. The Bills. The Bills can't defend the run no matter who gets healthy. They're 30th in run defense. Only one team, Peyton Manning's 2006 Colts, have won a Super Bowl. Being a bottom five run defense, I think it kills you. Josh Allen sitting on the sidelines. Let's talk the Seahawks. They turn it over too much. No team has ever won a Super Bowl. Bottom three in giveaways, Seattle's number two. Only the Vikings have given away the ball more, and that's because of quarterback play. Seattle is just too reckless. And the Bears. You have to go back to Eli Manning 2007, when a quarterback had a completion percentage at 58% or lower.
And. And won a Super Bowl. Now, it was a different time. 56% didn't sound as bad as 58% does now. Now, Caleb Williams could get up to 60%, which is kind of the threshold I'm looking for in his last several games. But I think the strangest team in the league is Philadelphia. We love their roster. They should be a Super bowl team. I'm not sure what to do with them. They're playing terribly on offense. They've got incredible personnel at wide receiver, at corner, at defensive line, at linebacker, at running back, at tight end. And they're a mess. And I'm not sure their head coach can fix it. So. J. Mac, am I missing anybody here? Count the Eagles in because they're making contact with the bubble. Anybody I'm missing here?
Joel Klatt
Well, I like to come in fresh, so. I didn't see this before it was posted, and my eyes popped when I saw that the two AFC teams in the super bowl bubble are Bo Nicks and Drake May. Like, I'm. I'm stunned. No Ravens. I cannot believe nobody in the building had you force feed the Chiefs onto, like, touching the bubble. I mean, these are some bad teams, Colin, but I think Buffalo should be touching the bubble. By the way, nice political analogy there earlier. There's just not enough AFC here. I mean, I can't envision a world I don't. Denver's in the Super Bowl. I just can't. Well, like, it's a. It's a hurdle.
Colin Cowherd
Okay. For the previous five years, we thought the AFC was better. It's not.
Joel Klatt
It was.
Colin Cowherd
The NFC now is better. I think Seattle could get to the AFC Championship game. I think Chicago could. The Niners could. The Eagles could, the Rams could, the packers could. I mean I just, I cannot. I think the team that people think I'm hard on is Buffalo. But you can't struggle against the run because the way Buffalo is going to beat you is Josh Allen and James Cook. If you're sitting on the bench and losing time of possession, that's the killer. That's always been the way to beat Mahomes. It's that and that's why Kansas City is generally by the way, why is Kansas City losing all those one possession games this year? Nick Wright said it yesterday, they can't stop anybody on third down. That's what Buffalo struggling with on third and three people just like we're running it. And a lot of the teams that they could play in the I mean Buffalo's got one advantage. They do run the ball very, very well. That usually helps in December, January football. That, that's really. And Denver's run game is hit and miss and New England's run game is hit and miss. But if you love Buffalo, this is the one thing you like well, football. The next six weeks run games matter. Bears, Niners, Seahawks.
Joel Klatt
But again, Colin, remember, you've got to walk before you run. In all the sports, especially in the postseason. We've never seen really Bo Nicks outside of one playoff game. Drake May. We don't know what these guys are going to look like in the playoffs. So that's why it's difficult for me to envision.
Daniel Jeremiah
Boom.
Joel Klatt
You get in the playoffs and you go to the Super Bowl. It's just hard. I don't see it with those guys.
Colin Cowherd
All right, there you go. Kansas City was not force fed by management.
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Daniel Jeremiah
You're thoughtful about where your money goes. You've got your core holdings, some recurring crypto buys, maybe even a few strategic options plays on the side. The point is you're engaged with your investment and public gets that. That's why they built an investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can put together a multi asset portfolio for the long haul. Stocks, bonds, options, crypto. It's all there plus an industry leading 3.6% APY high yield cash account. Switch to the platform built for those who take investing seriously. Go to public public.com and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com paid for by Public Investing. All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for U.S. listed registered securities options and bonds in a self directed account are offered by Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. Crypto trading provided by Zerohash complete disclosures.
Colin Cowherd
Available@Public.Com disclosures okay, only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line. But first.
There the last one.
Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that refreshes.
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Colin Cowherd
Guaranteed Human.
Episode Date: December 3, 2025
Main Theme: Examining the chaos and lack of leadership in college football’s playoff system, plus a deep dive on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ need for a reset with Mike Tomlin, and broad NFL analysis.
Colin Cowherd opens the hour with a passionate critique of college football’s playoff format—highlighting the confusion and lack of centralized leadership. He underscores the $8 billion industry’s absence of a “CEO” and draws contrasts to the NFL. The second major topic is the growing call, including from Ben Roethlisberger, for the Pittsburgh Steelers to “reset” and possibly move on from Coach Mike Tomlin. The conversation also covers the present state and future prospects for rookie quarterbacks like Caleb Williams and Bo Nix, the New York Giants' situation, and a unique view on which NFL teams can realistically contend in the postseason.
(Timestamped, 36:43–50:55)
This episode of The Herd is a sweeping, passionate critique of college football’s chaotic postseason and playoff selection, juxtaposed with the NFL’s orderliness. Colin rails against college football’s absence of leadership and clarity, using the exclusion of deserving teams like Miami to illustrate the playoff committee’s failures—calling for a systemic shakeup.
He then pivots to the NFL, zeroing in on the Steelers and Coach Mike Tomlin. With former franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger now joining public calls for a “fresh start,” Colin builds a strong case for the Steelers to move on—contrasting Tomlin’s lengthy tenure with the need for bold, new offensive leadership in today’s league.
The discussion turns analytical as he examines why young, inconsistent quarterbacks like Caleb Williams and Bo Nix can thrive—crediting strong offensive lines and roster builds made possible by rookie deals.
The hour closes with a unique “Super Bowl Bubble” segment, narrowing the legitimate contenders more than ever due to apparent fatal flaws in many teams—including Chicago, Buffalo, and even San Francisco. Colin and Klatt face off on whether the AFC or NFC is now the stronger conference, and what it takes for NFL teams to be truly great (hint: don’t settle, be aggressive).
If you missed the episode, you’ll come away clear on Colin’s central opinions: College football needs a leader, the Steelers need a reset, super teams are defined as much by their O-lines and playcalling as by the QBs themselves, and the NFL is a league where fortune favors bold, aggressive risk-takers.