The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Hour 2 – NFL Week 13 Blazing 5, Joel Klatt Talks Ohio State vs. Michigan, Thanksgiving Quarterback Tables
Date: November 26, 2025
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd (iHeartPodcasts & The Volume)

Episode Overview

This action-packed Thanksgiving Eve edition of The Herd focuses on:

• Colin Cowherd's Blazing 5 NFL Picks for Week 13
• A deep-dive CFB discussion with Fox's Joel Klatt previewing Ohio State vs. Michigan, examining the CFB playoff committee's logic, and the Lane Kiffin coaching carousel
• An engaging Thanksgiving-themed quarterback segment, ranking NFL/CFB QBs going from "kids table" to "adult table"

The episode delivers opinionated, lively, and sometimes contentious sports talk, with memorable takes, debates, and a few good laughs along the way.

Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. Blazing 5 – Colin's Week 13 NFL Picks

[04:23 - 09:30]

• Colin's picks and reasoning:

  • Packers at Lions: Lions -2.5
    "Listen, two good teams. I'm going to take the home team on Thanksgiving. Historically, home teams do well."
    Prediction: Detroit 28, Green Bay 24

  • 49ers at Browns: Browns +6.5
    "The Browns at home, excellent defense, most underrated roster in the league... It's going to be windy and snowy conditions [trouble for Purdy]. Niners win late, but I like the points."
    Prediction: San Francisco 24, Cleveland 20

  • Saints at Dolphins: Dolphins
    "I really like the Dolphins here. They're coming off a bye... Miami got rid of their GM, they didn't lose their fight."
    Prediction: Miami 33, New Orleans 23

  • Cardinals at Buccaneers: Buccaneers
    "Tampa gets Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin back... Cardinals 1-8 since week three. Arizona's got some quit in them."
    Prediction: Tampa Bay 27, Arizona 20

  • Vikings at Seahawks: Seahawks
    "Seattle is going to win. It's in the Pacific Northwest, 30 to 13, actually."

  • Key stat: Colin's record this season at 60%.

• J. Mac’s reaction: Grimacing at Colin's picks, especially Seattle’s sizable win prediction.

2. Joel Klatt Joins: Deep Dive into Ohio State vs. Michigan and CFB Playoff Debates

[09:30 - 25:32]

Ohio State vs. Michigan Preview

[09:30 - 14:44]

• Colin: “Last year, I thought Ryan Day out-thought the room... just play your game! Be aggressive.”

• Joel Klatt:

  “They got sucked into a game that was Michigan’s game... Ohio State gets into the red zone five times last year and comes away with ten total points. That was the game.” (10:08)

  • Key point: Mistakes, not a lack of talent, cost Ohio State last year.
  • Joel believes OSU must attack downfield with their elite wide receivers, noting health is a concern but expects them available:

    “Their effectiveness is more the question than their availability.” (11:16)

• Colin confident: “I think Ohio State is the significantly better team here... Do you believe that?”

• Joel admits OSU is better “but they were, I would think, better by a wider margin a year ago.” (09:51)

CFB Playoff Committee & Rankings Logic

[11:34 - 14:44]

• Colin: On committees favoring Notre Dame over Miami, and value of tough scheduling.
  • “If it’s close, I don’t care who wins... My biggest knock on college football has always been a lack of people willing to play [tough non-conference].” (11:34)
• Joel:

  “If the committee’s objective is just to give us the best teams... I’d pick Notre Dame. But the committee is setting themselves up for a bit of a trap.” (12:40)

  • Argues for honoring head-to-head wins and giving proper weight to tough non-conference games:

    “If we’re not honoring games on the field, then what are we doing?... Michigan scheduled [Oklahoma], did not buy out of that game and played it, and the committee is not honoring that.” (13:56)

  • Joel recommends an “access-based playoff” to remove ambiguity.

Lane Kiffin Coaching Carousel Debate

[14:44 - 21:17]

• Colin: On Lane Kiffin’s repeated job moves:

  “His reputation has always been, you have a job, I’ll travel... College football has become more NFL. It’s cutthroat... I don’t think it hurts Lane Kiffin.” (15:13)

• Joel (calling Colin out):

  “Let me ask you a question. In all of your movement... did you leave in the middle of a contract?... You’re just revealing your character to all of America here.” (15:59)

  • Joel: Lane has “agency,” but leaving mid-playoff run damages coach-player credibility:

    “When you stand in front of your players, your currency is your credibility. If he does this, he will destroy his credibility... what if something better pops up for you, Lane?” (17:57)

  • Admits college football “calendar is broken,” but says Kiffin’s not forced—“the calendar is the same for all the other coaches.”
• Colin: Pushes back, saying that CFB is now transactional—coaches handing out “envelopes full of cash.” (19:47)
• Joel: “It has become more transactional. But at the end of the day, he’s the one that has to stand and look in the mirror... He will be authoring one of the 5 messiest exits in football coaching history.” (19:58)
• Memorable moment: Colin: "You can’t go rob the Chiefs of Andy Reid during the playoffs. College football has needed a czar." (21:06)
• Both agree: System needs reform, but Joel won’t excuse what he sees as “a poor decision.”

USC, Lincoln Riley, and Defensive Struggles

[21:17 - 23:56]

• Colin: Defends Lincoln Riley’s record if USC ends 10-3, but criticizes defensive/special teams:

  "Four years in... the offense was clever with Lincoln the first day he was there... But the defense and special teams in big games feels below average. Is that a fair criticism?” (21:17)

• Joel: "Totally fair... At the top end, they're not competing like you would hope they would. They've got to get better, more physical and more stout in the middle of their defense."
  • He does see “an upward trajectory,” but says linebacker play is a glaring weakness. (23:02)
• Colin: “That’s a huge mark of demarcation in college football. That still means something and certainly would mean progress at USC...” (23:17)

Predictions and Rivalry Hype

[23:56 - 25:32]

• Colin: High on Ohio State’s defense, calling it "a top five college defense... this is an all time defense." (24:31)
• Joel: Excited for OSU-Michigan, noting the “prototypical weather, 30s with snow flurries.” (24:38)
• Personal banter: Colin: “I am now only committed to Fox, iheart, and Joel Klatt!”—Joel retorts he feels “cheated on” seeing Colin host other analysts. (25:03)

3. Thanksgiving Quarterback Tables: Kids’ Table or Adult Table?

[42:16 – 51:27]

Colin and Jason McIntyre run through a lively Thanksgiving analogy, ranking rising NFL/college QBs as either ready to “graduate” from the kids’ table to the “adult table.”

Quarterbacks Discussed:

• Drake May: Adult table

  “He’s better than even people who liked him thought. Leads the NFL in completion percentage at a remarkable 71%.” (43:26)

• Jackson Dart: Kids table

  “He’s a risk taker. He moves well. Probably one more Thanksgiving from moving to a glass of wine.” (43:58)

• Caleb Williams: Adult table

  “One of three QBs with 30 touchdowns and 10 or fewer interceptions over the last two years... Caleb Williams is comfortably sitting next to Grandpa.” (44:41)

• Bo Nix: Adult table

  “Not even close. Nine total touchdowns in the fourth quarter, ranked second in the league... He’s getting the leg.” (45:06)

• Bryce Young: Kids table

  “Too inconsistent... 90 or worse passer rating in nine of his 11 starts... Kids table.” (45:39)

• J.J. McCarthy: Kids table

  “...In the second and third quarters this year, he has a 27 passer rating... He’s struggling. I feel bad for the kid.” (46:14)

• Cam Ward: Adult table (borderline)

  “I think Cam Ward’s good. I see some potential stardom... I’m not saying he gets the stuffing last but I’m gonna put him there.” (46:34)

• Shedeur Sanders: “Legendary table”

  “Neither. We’re putting him in a new table. The legendary table... I think Shedeur throws an NFL ball... I think his athletic ability is understated.” (47:23)

• Philosophical moment:

  • Colin argues NFL QBs need extra maturity, likening them to surgeons and pilots:

    “Quarterbacks... you have to be more mature. Surgeon, pilot, quarterback.” (51:19)

4. NFL & QB News, Thanksgiving Previews, and Notable Quotes

[31:18 – 38:52, interspersed throughout]

• Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving: Mahomes’ first Thanksgiving game, playing at home in Texas with 50+ friends/family.
  • Colin: “It’s a good game… one really, really good defense, one emerging defense, one excellent offense, and one offense that’s pretty good at home.” (32:22)
• Lane Kiffin Job Rumors: Urban Meyer weighs in, with Colin and J. Mac debating whether a playoff loss would make Kiffin more likely to leave Ole Miss.
  • “If they win this game, the Egg Bowl, I think he stays. If they lose, it makes it much easier to leave…” —Jason McIntyre (34:34)
• Lamar Jackson’s Rushing Slump:
  • J. Mac: “In eight starts, he’s averaging 29 rushing yards per game... is it less about he doesn't want to run or is he just not as fleet of foot?”
  • Colin: “He is hurt and players don’t like to advertise they are hurt... Brock Purdy is not 100%... Lamar, same thing.” (36:36)
  • Colin predicts Ravens-Bengals stays close, "I’d take the dog [underdog]."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ohio State’s strategic blunder vs. Michigan:

  “They got sucked into a game that was Michigan’s game. Ohio State got into the red zone five times last year and came away with 10 total points.”
  —Joel Klatt (10:08)

• On Lane Kiffin’s mobility as a coach:

  “You have a job, I’ll travel. You can fire me on a tarmac, I’ll leave you on one.”
  —Colin Cowherd (15:13)

• On player/coach credibility:

  “Your currency [with players] is your credibility… and your credibility is tied directly to your character… they’re going to be like, ‘what if something better pops up for you, Lane?’”
  —Joel Klatt (17:57)

• On college football's playoff ambiguity:

  “If we’re not honoring games on the field, then what are we doing?”
  —Joel Klatt (12:54)

• On Thanksgiving Table QB ranking:

  “[Shedeur Sanders] – Neither. We're putting him at a new table. The legendary table.”
  —Colin Cowherd (47:23)

• On quarterback maturity:

  “Quarterbacks — you have to be grown ups. Surgeon, pilot, quarterback…”
  —Colin Cowherd (51:19)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|--------------| | Blazing 5 NFL Picks | 04:23–09:51 | | Ohio State–Michigan Preview | 09:51–14:44 | | CFB Playoff Committee Frustrations | 11:34–14:44 | | Lane Kiffin Debate | 14:44–21:17 | | USC/Lincoln Riley Criticism | 21:17–23:56 | | QB Thanksgiving Table | 42:16–51:27 | | Chiefs vs. Cowboys Thanksgiving | 31:18–32:58 | | Lamar’s Running Decline | 36:09–37:12 |

Episode Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Spirited, humorous, and unapologetically opinionated, with healthy disagreements—especially between Colin Cowherd and Joel Klatt.
• Utility for Listeners: Whether catching up on the Blazing 5, following the intricacies of the OSU-Michigan rivalry, or enjoying Thanksgiving quarterback banter, this episode is a feast of football insight with classic Herd personality.

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