The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 2 (Dec 3, 2025)

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This episode dives into the chaos around the latest college football playoff rankings, debates the fairness and design of the selection process, speculates on coaching changes (notably Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU), examines Penn State’s struggles post-coach-firing, and features a segment on evaluating the current crop of young NFL quarterbacks. The tone is lively, analytical, and characteristically opinionated.

1. College Football Playoff Rankings: Confusion and Controversy

A Flawed System

• Opening Frustration: The hosts, especially Rob Parker, vent about the “wild” and confusing nature of the college football playoff selection process, even with the 12-team format.
  • “We didn't like when the computers did it. We didn't like when the media selected it. We don't like the rando arbitrary committee doing it.” (Rob Parker, 03:11)
• Quality Wins vs. Bad Losses: Rob argues for emphasizing quality wins over penalizing teams for “bad losses.”
  • “I don't think bad losses should be the be all, end all. … You're going to have a stinker.” (Rob Parker, 04:19)
• Who Deserves In? Major debate over whether Notre Dame, Miami, or Texas deserve playoff nods. Texas, in particular, is seen as getting snubbed despite several statement wins (beating Oklahoma, Vandy, scheduling Ohio State).

Subjective Criteria and Lack of Transparency

• Kelvin Washington highlights the lack of a clear, ranked criteria for selection:
  • “It's subjective and there's no way that you can rank the criteria or at least they don't rank the criteria and tell us which one is going to take precedent.” (Kelvin Washington, 05:44)
  • The current process is called “arbitrary” and “frustrating.”
• The Head-to-Head Debate: Kelvin notes that in every other sport, “head-to-head” is the default tiebreaker. He details scenarios where Notre Dame could still miss out, depending on BYU’s Big 12 championship result.

Notable Quote

• “I would make the argument that in college football for the last 10 and 20 years, we have done a really poor job of trying to protect and value things that are obviously going to die, like amateurism and bowl games.” (Kelvin Washington, 10:29)

Proposed Fixes

• Play-In Weekend: Kelvin’s big idea is a "play-in weekend" for the playoff with automatic berths per conference, directly settling it on the field.
  • “I'd rather have a play in weekend ... more access and control at the bottom.” (Kelvin Washington, 12:59)
• Clarity of Rules: Rob advocates for a clear, ranked value system: “If I was commissioner, I would say head to head one, quality wins two.” (Rob Parker, 12:42)

2. Coaching Carousel: Lane Kiffin to LSU & Penn State Drama

Lane Kiffin’s Departure from Ole Miss

• Mixed Feelings: Rob and Kelvin agree Ole Miss “signed up” for this outcome with Kiffin, a “rock star” coach with a track record of messy exits.
  • “Ole Miss would have signed up for where they're at today five years ago. ... he’s gonna burn you on the way out.” (Rob Parker, 15:22)
• Impact on Players: Kelvin takes it from the players’ angle:
  • “If you're one of those players ... and they're talking about team first …Well, he just left that team. And...we feel pretty, pretty betrayed by Lane Kiffin and rightly so.” (Kelvin Washington, 15:58)
• LSU Opportunity: Heading to a “crazier” environment, Kiffin opts for more resources but possibly less stability.
  • "At lsu, it's like, listen, you know, you can go with a six to prom and that six is going to be committed to you. You take the nine. She might be crazy." (Kelvin Washington, 17:44)

Penn State Coaching Search

• Chaos Post-Franklin: After firing James Franklin, Penn State struggles with replacement—the search is labeled as “mismanaged.”
  • “I'm surprised they haven't called me. ... Montana is going to have a better recruiting class today than Penn State.” (Rob Parker, 18:20)
• Candidates & National Signing Day: Kelvin reports Penn State likely targeted a coach "still playing this week" (possibly Kaylin DeBoer at Alabama), leading to a delay even on signing day.
  • “It speaks to the possible mismanagement ... or at least it's going off the rails and they don't have a coach.” (Kelvin Washington, 19:10)
• Humorous Closer:
  • "That's clap. That's pretty good closer right there. You just went Mariano Rivera on us." (Rob Parker, 20:35)

3. NFL Quarterbacks: Judge Cowherd Presides (40:32–51:02)

“Court of Opinion” Segment

Colin hosts a mock-court discussion, ruling on whether various young QBs are true franchise quarterbacks.

Franchise QBs (Judge Cowherd’s Verdicts)

• Caleb Williams: YES
  • “One of the best passers on third down … fourth highest touchdown interception ratio 37 TDs to 11 picks since he entered the league.” (41:13)
• Jaden Daniels: YES
  • “Highest completion percentage by any rookie quarterback ever. … highly mobile, highly accurate, highly coachable.” (41:40)
• Drake Maye: YES
  • “Arguably the best quarterback out of the 2024 draft class. ... Greatness in a league of mediocrity is easy to spot.” (42:06)
• Bo Nix: YES
  • “He leads the NFL the last two years with eight game winning drives. … He can struggle early. He and Caleb both can. They rise late. That’s a franchise quarterback.” (43:45)

Uncertain or NO

• Michael Penix: NO
  • “Third major knee surgery ... no, not a franchise quarterback.” (42:36)
• JJ McCarthy: NO
  • “His completion percentage is rough. … No evidence to support he's a franchise quarterback.” (43:12)
• Spencer Rattler: NO
  • “12 touchdowns, 15 giveaways and a passer rating under 80... He reminds me of Drew Locke.” (44:17)

Discussion Nuances

• Salary Brackets & Value: Colin and Rob Parker debate what constitutes a true “franchise” QB, especially in the era of giant contracts. They suggest some QBs (Bryce Young, Daniel Jones) qualify at the $33–35M range, not the $45–54M superstar tier.
  • “I think there's three kind of quarterbacks in the NFL: franchise, bridge and backup.” (Rob Parker, 49:07)
• Draft Realities: Quarterback is the hardest position; sometimes franchise guys emerge beyond round one: “It's not easy. Quarterback is leadership and toughness and guile and, and pre snap.” (Colin Cowherd, 49:20)

4. College Football Coaching Fallout: “Weird” Transitions & Player Impact (32:19–33:39)

• Charlie Weiss Jr. Dilemma: He leaves with Lane Kiffin to LSU but will call plays for Ole Miss in the playoff—creating loyalty and trust issues for players.
  • “All I know is if I'm a top four seed, I want to see Ole Miss in, in my first round game. I think that's an easy dub for whoever Ole Miss …” (Colin Cowherd, 33:17)
• Player Backlash: Reports of locker room disappointment and social media criticism toward Kiffin and those leaving.

5. NFL News & Analysis: Cowboys, Packers, and Eagles Segments (27:05–36:16)

Dallas Cowboys Roster Improvements

• Jerry Jones Praised: Rob Parker recounts how the Cowboys’ recent trades and picks improved their pass rush and run defense, even after moving on from stars like Micah Parsons.

Packers vs. Bears Preview

• Spread Discussion: Rob calls it a “close game,” but Colin notes he bet the Packers at –6.5.

Eagles’ Struggles & Coaching Importance

• Super Bowl Hangover: Nick Sirianni acknowledges the need for introspection; Colin and Rob argue coaching coordinators matter as much as head coaches, pointing to the Eagles' and 49ers' changing fortunes due to staff movement.

Notable Quote

• “Great coordinators change outcomes. That’s why I said Robert Sala has to be the assistant of the year in the NFL.” (Rob Parker, 35:22)

6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the playoff committee: “I think that's the arbitrary nature of it is what's frustrating.” – Kelvin Washington (05:44)
• On Lane Kiffin: “He's got the five messiest exits in maybe football history.” – Kelvin Washington (15:58)
• On head coaching rumors: “That's clap. That's pretty good closer right there. You just went Mariano Rivera on us.” – Rob Parker (20:35)
• On QB labels: “‘Franchise, bridge, and backup.’ I think Bryce Young is a guy that you get a favorable deal on and then you start drafting quarterbacks in the third and fourth round...” – Rob Parker (49:07)

7. Timestamps for Important Segments

• Playoff Rankings Debate: 03:09–12:59
• Proposed Playoff Fixes: 12:08–12:59
• Lane Kiffin’s Exit & Coaching Drama: 15:12–20:35
• Penn State’s Coaching Search: 18:20–20:35
• NFL “Court” on QBs: 40:32–51:02
• Charlie Weiss Jr./Ole Miss Fallout: 32:19–33:39
• Cowboys/Packers/Eagles Analysis: 27:05–36:16

8. Original-Tone Highlights & Final Thoughts

The episode blends irreverent humor (“don’t marry the rock star and be shocked when he goes on tour”) with sharp analysis and listener-friendly explanations of complex sports topics. There's frustration at college football’s systemic problems and a recurring call for putting more results “on the field” and less in the hands of committees.

Judge Cowherd’s QB evaluations deliver a mix of stats and gut-feel scouting, keeping things accessible for casual and hardcore fans alike.