THE HERD - Hour 2 - The new Blazing 5, Ben Johnson is exactly what the Bears need, Dave Wannstedt

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 2 (December 5, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Herd dives into Colin Cowherd's latest Blazing 5 NFL picks, discusses why offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is exactly what the Chicago Bears need, and features a detailed conversation with former Bears and Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt. The hosts also break down the fallout from recent NFL games, dig into problems and solutions for teams like Dallas and Kansas City, and wrap up with lively debates about college football playoff scenarios.

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Key Segments & Insights

1. Colin Cowherd’s Blazing 5 NFL Picks

[04:16–09:36]

• Theme: An unusually underdog-heavy week, reflecting unpredictable late-season dynamics and winter weather.
• Cowherd recounts his season performance: “At one point I was up to 62%. Last couple of weeks I've been one under .500. So at 58%, which I would keep, I would sign off on today if I could get 58 and a half percent. This is the strangest blazing five ever.” (04:16)
• Picks:
  • Bengals +6 vs. Bills
    • Cites Burrow’s streak and Buffalo's persistent turnovers. “The Bills have not been good. McDermott's one for four against the Bengals. Multiple giveaways in four straight games.” (04:48)
    • Prediction: Bengals win outright, 30–28.
  • Jaguars +1.5 vs. Colts
    • Historical dominance and rushing advantage at home.
    • “They’ve won 10 straight games against the Colts in Jayville.” (06:07)
  • Jets +2.5 vs. Dolphins
    • Leans into Jets defense and Tua’s cold-weather performance: “No touchdowns for Tua in three of his last four games, leaves the NFL with 14 interceptions. Tua. Something’s off. It’s getting cold.” (07:06)
    • Jets to win and cover.
  • Texans +3.5 vs. Chiefs
    • Houston’s D-line vs. KC’s banged up O-line: “Five of their six road games this season have been one score games... three of five [KC] O-line injured.” (07:49)
    • “I don’t know who wins, but I’m taking the points and the hook.” (08:36)
  • Eagles -2.5 vs. Chargers
    • Eagles as sole favorite pick. “Jalen Hurts for some reason is often a better road quarterback... I think the best O-line and unquestionably the worst O-line.” (08:43)
    • Eagles to win 24–20.
• Cowherd comments on betting against his preferences: “I don't like to bet games like the Jags, Colts, which I find hard to watch. But I'm taking the underdog Bengals. I get the Jaguars. I'm taking the Jets.” (09:36)

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2. NFL Headlines: Cowboys, Standalone Games, and George Pickens

[10:12–14:00]

• Cowherd notes the tendency to overreact after prime-time games: “Everybody tends to overreact... Standalone games get a lot of discussion. Beating the Chiefs...did not mean the Cowboys were a Super Bowl threat.” (10:15)
• On the Cowboys’ defeat and George Pickens’ effort:
  • “They also held Detroit under their average running. I honestly think Dallas going forward, maybe not this year, has got a lot of things working in their favor.” (10:54)
  • On Pickens: “That’s the Pickens in Pittsburgh. That’s why they moved off him... whenever there’s a great player traded...you can see why.” (11:13)
  • Dak Prescott and Brian Schottenheimer comments on Pickens’ performance/attitude, concerns about “effort” (11:57–12:33)
• Dallas draft priorities: right tackle and edge rusher.
• “I thought you saw a shootout. And I think the better overall roster today is Detroit.” (13:24)

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3. Coaching & Team Philosophy: Ben Johnson and the Bears

[18:06–20:52]

• Dave Wannstedt praises Bears OC Ben Johnson’s play calling: “Ben is mirroring the run with a pass and motion and shifting. The guy’s doing a phenomenal job... And let’s give this offensive line some credit.” (18:39)
• On the Bears’ O-line: “Four of the five starters on the Bears offensive line are new starters from a year ago... These guys have just gotten better every week.”
• Colin wonders about the reason for the Packers' historic edge: “I had six starting different quarterbacks. Six. Good luck... the consistency at quarterback has been the difference.” (20:02)

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4. League Trends: Coaching Longevity and the Offensive Pivot

[20:52–23:24]

• Cowherd: “You can be a really good coach, but the league has pivoted offense. I mean...it’s overwhelmingly offensive coaches.” (20:52)
• Wannstedt shares Al Davis’ insight: “Ten years would be the maximum that [he] felt a coach could be in one position...before it gets old.” (21:38)
  • Notes Tomlin’s deep ties in Pittsburgh but questions how long he’ll tolerate current pressures.
• Discussion of the Steelers’ future: “Where are they going next year? You tell me where they going to be picking. They’re going to be in the middle of the pack and they’re right back to the quarterback scenario.”

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5. Roster Management, Player Attitude & Free Agency Risks

[23:24–26:36]

• On George Pickens:
  • Cowherd references Jerry Jones’ willingness to move on from talented but unfocused players. “Jerry has shown if you’re not committed or focused, DEZ Bryant, he’ll move off you. Zeke, he got tired of him. Micah, the podcast, the celebrity. Dak is always football first.” (23:49)
• Wannstedt cautions on acquiring talent other teams give up: “There’s a lesson to be learned here. Those guys are out there for a reason...Mike Tomlin, if he’s going to be as patient with a player as anybody...free agency can be a little bit of a used car lot.” (24:33, 25:11)
• Importance of players rising above the season’s ups and downs and the pitfalls of chasing talent over temperament.

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6. NFL & College Football Quick Hits

[26:36–35:27]

• Eagles at Chargers:
  • Both hosts note Jalen Hurts’s superior road record and Saquon Barkley's strange decline: “Saquon Barkley looked like next to Barry Sanders...the best running back I’d ever seen. And this year, nothing. Did he just lose his fastball?” (27:02)
• Penn State’s reported hire of Matt Campbell; lauded as a “good hire” for the school. (33:31)
• Nostalgia: Wannstedt recounts his last Bears playoff win, how they beat Warren Moon’s Vikings with “field goals rather than touchdowns in the red zone.” (34:37)

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7. College Football Playoff Debate: Miami vs. Notre Dame

[31:26–33:31, 39:29–41:25]

• Cowherd and Wannstedt argue that Miami deserves a playoff spot over Notre Dame with better defense, more NFL talent, and a head-to-head win. “Miami’s got great receivers. What Notre Dame has is a terrific coach, so does Miami. And I love the running back.” (32:31)
• J. Mac joins later, pushing back, “Notre Dame team. Marcus Freeman could take them to the national championship this year...you can’t score on this team.” (40:54)
• Colin: “I don’t care about prospect. I care about today...I mean, it can’t be about the spread.” (40:34)

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8. NFL News Roundup: Injuries, Quarterbacks, and Chiefs Troubles

[41:31–49:47]

• Chargers weighing risk of playing Justin Herbert injured with big KC matchup looming.
  • J. Mac: “The season’s over if Herbert goes down and can’t play for the next couple games. So that’s why I would sit him.” (42:43)
• Minnesota’s QB struggles affecting star WR Justin Jefferson; discussion of possible future QB fits (Kyler Murray, Mac Jones): “I think Mac Jones is the play. I really do.” (45:06)
• Chiefs’ struggles in close games, aging stars, and O-line woes:
  • Cowherd: “They have got to attack it in the off season. It feels like the last three years, once they moved off Joe Tuney...look what it’s done to their interior O line.” (48:20)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colin on Blazing 5 unpredictability: “I'm taking games I don't want to watch necessarily. And I'm also taking underdogs. I've been heavy favorites this year because the market called for it.” (04:22)
• Wannstedt on player risk: “Free agency can be a little bit of a used car lot. The owner knows what the Odometer is you got to buy on.” (25:32)
• Colin on Dallas’ future: “I honestly think Dallas going forward, maybe not this year has got a lot of things working in their favor.” (10:54)
• On standalone games: “Standalone games, they just get talked about differently and with more vigor and enthusiasm and excitement.” (13:03)
• On Chiefs’ dynasty: “If you look at the history of dynasties, the windows close pretty quick.” (47:37)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Blazing 5 Picks: 04:16–09:36
• Cowboys, Standalone Games, Pickens: 10:12–14:00
• Ben Johnson & Bears: 18:06–20:52
• Coaching Longevity, Tomlin: 20:52–23:24
• Player Attitude & Free Agency: 23:24–26:36
• Eagles, Chargers, Barkley: 26:36–28:48
• College Football Playoff Debate: 31:26–33:31; 39:29–41:25
• NFL Quarterback Carousel & Chiefs’ Issues: 41:31–49:47

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Flow & Tone

• The episode carries Cowherd’s signature blend of data-backed opinion, storytelling, and lighthearted banter with guests and co-hosts.
• Wannstedt’s segments offer grounded, old-school coaching perspective, while J. Mac brings lively, occasionally contrarian energy—typical of a Friday “Blazing 5” show.
• College football debates are especially spirited, with both sides citing stats, eye tests, and “who would you pick today?” scenarios.

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This summary covers the essential discussions, arguments, and memorable moments of The Herd’s second hour, delivering a comprehensive snapshot for anyone who missed the original broadcast.

Transcript

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Sophie Cunningham]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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Now, let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

All sorts of stuff going on. Mario Cristobal, coach of the Miami Hurricanes, last hour, former Bears and Dolphins coach Dave Wanstadt in 15 minutes. It is a Friday. It is great to have you here.

Cowboys get beat 37, 30 late, lost. Get to that in a second. It's been a strange year for the blazing five. At one point I was up to 62%. Last couple of weeks I've been one under.500. So at 58%, which I would keep, I would sign off on today if I could get 58 and a half percent. This is the strangest blazing five ever. I'm taking games I don't want to watch necessarily. And I'm also taking underdogs. I've been heavy favorites this year because the market called for it. The winter weather is moving in. I like four underdogs this weekend. And here's the Blazing five. That's a hot one. Let's blaze it up. Fire it up. It's Collins, Blazin fire. Bengals and Bills. I like Cincinnati. Getting t. Higgins back plus six coming off extra rest 19, nine last five years, December, January. That's Burrow. By the way, what's Burrow in his last eight starts. Eight and oh he is back. The Bills have not been good. McDermott's one for his, one for four against the Bengals. The offense now for Buffalo, multiple giveaways in four straight games. They can't stop the run. And the Bengals three straight games rushing for over 100 yards. T. Higgins is back. Joey Bosa out for Buffalo. Joe Burrow. More time to throw upset. Take Cincinnati plus the six to beat Buffalo outright. Joe Burrow. T. Higgins. Here they go. 30:28. Colts at Jaguars. I'll take the Jaguars at home plus one and a half. They've won 10 straight games against the Colts in Jayville. They own them in Jacksonville and they're on a three game winning streak. And they have the number one rush defense that will force force the Colts to throw. The problem is Daniel Jones has a fibula fracture not moving particularly well. And over the last couple of games games he's completing 57% of his throws. The offense feels a little broken since week nine. These are two different teams. Jacksonville, very good. The Colts average at about 22 a game. One and three. Jaguars always good against the Colts in this spot. Win it 30 to 24.

Dolphins at jets. What am I doing? I'm taking the jets as a home dog plus two and a half. Tyrod Taylor. I'm gonna go with him. AD Mitch, that wide receiver that came over from the Colts. You see what he did last week? Yeah.

Got some good numbers. Eight catches. You see that top 10 pass defense without Sauce Gardner. Listen, the jets are playing their butt off. They've won three of five and they're scoring points and they're at home and they're a dog. And did you watch Tua over the last month? I don't know what's wrong. First of all, he's terrible in cold weather. No touchdowns for Tua in three of his last four games leaves the NFL with 14 interceptions. Exception. Tua. Something's off. It's getting cold. The jets are playing hard for Aaron Glenn. Not a great team. Playing hard. I take the jets to win and cover 2724. Take them in the point.

[J. Mac]

Texans at Chiefs.

[Colin Cowherd]

I have to take the hook. I'm taking the Texans plus the hook. Three and a half, four game winning streak. Five of their six road games this season have been one score games. Number one scoring defense held opponents in five of their last six games under 20 points. Hunter and Will Anderson against a beat up Kansas City offensive line that three of their five starters on the O line are injured including left tackle, guard, right tackle. I'm sorry, it's A low scoring game. I've got to take the hook here. Chiefs have been outgained in three of their last four games. By the way. In 12 games they have 22 sacks. Kansas City's 27th. So C.J. stroud gonna have a little extra time. I don't know who wins. I don't know who wins, but I'm taking the points in the Hawk 24, 23. Kansas City in the last second field goal. I am taking Houston, though. Three and a half points.

Eagles at Chargers. I'm gonna take the Eagles minus two and a half is my only favorite. They're four and two on the road. They beat Kansas City, Bucks and Green Bay on the road. Number one red zone offense, number five offensive line. And Saquon Barkley may not be running, but Jalen hurts for some reason is often a better road quarterback. The chargers have faced two teams with a winning record over the last 10 weeks. They got hammered by both of them. And the offensive line, it's not good at all. So Jalen hurts last two years on the road. I'm telling you, he's better away from Philly. And I think. I think I have maybe the best O line and unquestionably the worst O line. I think it's close. I think the crowd is 65, 35. Philadelphia feels a little bit like a home game.

I'm going to swallow the two and a half. I'm going to take Philly 24 to 20. J Mac a reaction. I. I don't take dogs. I don't like to bet games like the Jags, Colts, which I find hard to watch. But I'm taking the underdog Bengals.

I get the Jaguars. I'm taking the Jets.

[J. Mac]

I know, but I love the jets call. By the way, you know what? They're calling Tyrod Taylor. Ty. God, Taylor. Because he's 70 and 1 against the spread in his last eight starts. All he does is cover. And it is cold in New York this week. I like that call, buddy.

[Colin Cowherd]

I will say this.

Whenever you get a standalone game. Last night was a standalone game. Everybody's watching it. Everybody tends to overreact.

[Sophie Cunningham]

And.

[Colin Cowherd]

And I mean, that's just the way we do it. Standalone games get a lot of discussion. Much more discussion than the average game. Beating the Chiefs on Thanksgiving did not mean the Cowboys were a Super bowl threat. It meant they can go toe to toe now with a lot of teams. We don't even think Kansas City's great. They're.500. I don't think losing to the Lions last night means they stink. It was 37:30 with about 2 1/2 minutes left. It was a shootout and George Pickens was pouting on prime. Not a good headline. They also held Detroit under their average running. I. I honestly think Dallas going forward, maybe not this year has got a lot of things working in their favor. They it's a great offensive tackle draft and a great edge rusher draft, at least in the first round. That's what I would do with their first two picks. So I think the George Pickens performance late when CD Got hurt, that bothers me. That's the Pickens in Pittsburgh. That's why they moved off him whenever there's a great player traded. I mean Pittsburgh moved off.

A.B. antonio Brown. You saw why. You can see why George Pickens is too good to get rid of unless it's worse than you even see on tv. Mike Tomlin has a high threshold for drama. They moved off him. So I, I was hoping you wouldn't see this. Here was Dak on Pickens last night. I'm sure Georgia tell you what, his best game. That's tough when you're playing the way that he's played when you're the type of player that he is.

[Rob Parker]

I'll be the first to say it's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hard to do that week in and week out. But I think George can. I know George believes he can. And I think he would just say that this game wasn't up to a standard and I'm sure he'll own it and I know he'll be better. I believe. I believe words gotten to George Pickens maybe through an agent or, or a representative or a friend. They're going to franchise tag him and he's last couple games not giving it his best effort. Here was Brian Schottenheimer on Pickens.

[Rob Parker]

Was it they wanted Pickens. It didn't seem like he had the same energy tonight. No, I don't think so.

[Colin Cowherd]

I want to look at it. I mean he was being doubled.

[Rob Parker]

You know, minute CD Went out they.

[Colin Cowherd]

Just decided to play everything two man over there and try to double him and take him away. But I don't think so. Yeah, I, that worries me a little. But I think Dallas, the two first round picks. Dax playing well. The O line. They need a right tackle in the draft. There's. There's three of them. They, they need a right tackle with one of their draft picks. They don't have to draft an edge, but it's a great edge draft. And if you look at where they're picking, they'll probably have, they'll probably be able to draft the second or third or fourth best edge rusher. But I don't think beating the Chiefs on Thanksgiving meant they were a Super bowl team, and beating Philadelphia didn't necessarily mean that. But these standalone games, they just get talked about differently and with more vigor and enthusiasm and excitement. I thought you saw a shootout. And I think the better overall roster today is Detroit. And Detroit was at home and their running game was rolling. And I mean we've said this. I mean, go look at what Detroit's done now. They did it when they had Ben Johnson. It felt like every Sunday. But Detroit's had several games this year. Go look at what they did to the Bears early in the season. Look what they did to the Cowboys. Look what they did to the Commanders. I mean, this is what they did to the Ravens. Detroit right now is a better overall team than Dallas. They were at home, they felt desperate and they want to track me. But it was 37, 32 and a half to go. Here's something Dave launched that around the corner. One more herd the herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

[J. Mac]

Within the iHeartRadio app.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[J. Mac]

Demand whenever you'd like.

[Rob Parker]

Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to.

[Colin Cowherd]

Announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.

[Rob Parker]

That's right, you can now watch the.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Rob Parker]

All you got to do search Odd.

[Colin Cowherd]

Couple FSR on YouTube again YouTube just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

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[Sophie Cunningham]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Sophie Cunningham]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Sophie Cunningham]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Last time the Chicago Bears won a road playoff game, Dave Wanstadt was the coach. He's now joining us live here in the studio in Chicago. 39 years College of pro coach. So you must love Ben Johnson because last week they ran it, what, 47 times. And I, my argument is we always think of physicality with defense. Actually, Kyle Shanahan, his physicality is with defense and running the football. So your thoughts on Ben Johnson's willingness, even with Caleb and all those receivers to run it?

[Rob Parker]

Well, I got fired for running the ball too much. Okay. So, I mean, I was the extreme, but I didn't have a quarterback. Right. So I love what he's doing. And when you really think about it, you mentioned Kyle Shanahan when we were working together at Fox on the pregame show. I was assigned once to do a study when the Niners and Shanahan were going to the Super Bowl. And the thing that jumped at me, they were shifting in motion. And Colin more than anybody in the NFL and they had runs and passes that as you were watching that tape and if the play first started with the line stepping in the back, you couldn't tell if it was a run or pass. And that's what he, Ben's doing. I mean, Ben is mirroring the run with a pass and motion and shifting. The guy's doing a phenomenal job. And let's give this offensive line some credit. Four of the five starters on the Bears offensive line are new starters from a year ago. And I'll tell you what, Ryan Poles, the general manager, you know, people have been on him, but they, they sign the center and two guards. No one's been hurt. And these guys have just gotten better every week and every week. So combination of Ben with what he's doing on offense and I'm going to give the offensive line credit for how they've come along and stayed healthy.

[Colin Cowherd]

This rivalry has been one sided. Did Packer games feel different?

[Rob Parker]

They do now. I mean, you know, I mean they too now. I mean, but the Bears beat him in the last game of the season last year, you know, and it was just a mess here with everything going on. But I think the biggest difference has been the quarterback. I mean, the six years that I was with the Bears, I had six starting different quarterbacks. Six. Good luck. Okay. I don't care how much you run the ball. And that's when Brett Favre was starting and then it was Roger. So, you know, I got to believe that the consistency at quarterback has been the difference with the packers over the years. And you know, I don't see it changing right now. And, and this is talking about Bears quarterbacks now. Mitch Trubisky, first round pick. Justin Fields, first round pick. So it wasn't a bunch of Free agents that they signed off the field. It just hasn't worked for Bears at the quarterback position till I think this year with Caleb.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Mike Tomlin, former player, Big Ben saying things this week, the fans chanting, fire Tomlin. My take has always been with Pittsburgh. I mean they haven't won a playoff game in eight years. You can be a really good coach, but the league is pivoted offense. I mean if you start looking now who. Who ends up in Super Bowls and conference championships, it's overwhelmingly offensive coaches. I mean Chicago turned it around. Offensive coach, Denver's got a young quarterback. Offensive coach you look at, I mean Jacksonville's good again. Offensive coach. Is it possible that Tomlinson. The message gets lost? It's an old team. They've heard the stories and the motivational tactics. Is it possible it's time to just good coach, get a different environment?

[Rob Parker]

Yeah, because there's not as much turnover in college. You're turning guys over two or three years so you can have college coaches that last a long time. Al Davis. Al Davis used to always say, I remember when we were working against the Raiders, I was at the Cowboys and he was talking to Jimmy or Jerry or someone and he was always talking about 10 years would be the maximum that he felt that coach could be in one position and one just for what you're saying. I mean. And yeah, players move around a little bit more now than they did back then, but you know, you got to have a special group of guys before it gets old. And you know, you talk about the Steelers and the standard. I mean, you know, it's. I think now that the fans have turned, ex players have turned. And I was back there in June for the US Open and I had lunch with Art Rooney and Mike Tomlin came in and we were sitting there talking. Those guys are connected to hip. I mean there's not going to be a problem there. But I just wonder how long Mike really wants to put up with that type of approach because I don't see it getting any better. I mean, I don't, you know, I mean, Aaron is what he is. The defense is getting old. So I mean it's a tough situation. I mean looking back on it and I was curious when, when it was going back. It was June and they hadn't signed Aaron Rodgers yet. You remember, it was late.

[Colin Cowherd]

Who's the quarterback?

[Rob Parker]

I was waiting for them to trade TJ Watt for a couple ones and go with Mason Rudolph the backup quarterback for this year because where are they going next year? You tell me where they going to be picking. They're going to be in the middle of the pack and they're right back to the quarterback scenario. It's tough to get out of that cycle unless you do something drastic, you know, And I know it's all hindsight, but I'm sure they're thinking about that now.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I suggested it a couple years ago. Is that with T.J. watt? The defense hasn't been very good for the last three years. Not nearly as good as what they're paying for it. So go get a quarterback. So, you know, listen, the Cowboys lost the track meet last night. They need a right tackle. They have two first round picks. It's a good tackle draft to replace Micah. It's a good edge draft. I like where Dallas is going to. The George Pickens thing is interesting.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Jerry has shown if you're not committed or focused, DEZ Bryant, he'll move off you. Zeke, he got tired of him. Micah, the podcast, the celebrity. Dak is always football first.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah, I've gotta love Dak. Right?

[Colin Cowherd]

He always football first. Those offensive linemen, Tyron Smith, Zach Martin, football first. The Pickens thing would bother me.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah. You know, and I remember when we first went to Dallas, we were going to be. We were trying. We had no players. We were turning everything over. I mean, from the ground floor, you know that. And we signed a couple free agents that were out there and people were. And they have talented guys.

Like Pickens. And after it didn't work out, I remember us all sitting around and Jimmy making the comment, you know, there's a lesson to be learned here. Those guys are out there for a reason.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right.

[Rob Parker]

And the team that they're coming from knows a lot more about. Look at the Steelers.

[Colin Cowherd]

Mike Tomlin, very tolerant of drama.

[Rob Parker]

Coach. I mean, Colin, I mean, it's. You know, I used to call Colin coach all the time.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, I'm the coach of FS1.

[Rob Parker]

Okay, yes, you are. You are. You are the head coach. But. But when you look at Antonio Brown, the Bears made a trade for Chase Claypole. Remember the receiver not long ago, gave.

[Colin Cowherd]

Up a second round and then he.

[Rob Parker]

Got to Chicago and they got rid of him in five weeks or a half a year or something. So my point is, Mike Tomlin, if he's going to be as patient with a player as anybody, as anybody in the league, and you jump up there and you grab them, free agency can.

[Colin Cowherd]

Be a little bit of a used car lot.

[Rob Parker]

Oh, 100%.

[Colin Cowherd]

The owner knows what the Odometer is you got to buy on.

[Rob Parker]

There's risk involved 100% and you know, they were. And it's not about talent and it's, you know, but it's just the long season. You want guys that during the ups and downs of a game are going to be able to stay at that high level. And obviously Pickens, and I'm not putting the game last night on him. I mean, they turned the ball over three times. And that defense. Matt Eberfluss is really. Matt Eberfluss is a good defensive coach, trust me. I mean, I know Mat was here at the Bears. I sat with him, we talked football. He knows what he's doing. They got some players. They're improving.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, Detroit's got explosive players. We've seen the last four years. They have. They have games like this at home especially.

[Rob Parker]

And. But when you're an average, when you're a defense that's coming along, you can't turn the ball over on the other side. You know what I mean? And. And three turnovers to none last night.

[Colin Cowherd]

You got one. A lot of the stats. Time of possession, first down. Dallas was fine. Turnovers and they couldn't make one big stop late.

[Rob Parker]

If I said to you One team had three turnovers and the other one had zero, there it is. It's a 14 to 21 point loss.

[Colin Cowherd]

Look at the Rams in Carolina last week. If you turn the ball over, especially on the road, good luck. Philadelphia plays on Monday night. We're going to get to a couple college topics. Philadelphia is interesting. Jalen Hurts strangely, is actually better on the road sometimes than at home. He gets away from the pressure.

It is strange that Saquon Barkley, there's no juice. Is it fatigue? Is it the oc? Is it the offensive line? Saquon Barkley looked like next to Barry Sanders and Walter Payton, the best running back I'd ever seen. And this year, nothing. Did he just lose his fastball?

[Rob Parker]

I don't. I think it's a little bit. A combination of a couple things. One little bit of super bowl hangover. Okay. With the team. That's real. That's real. And I think the other thing too is. I think the Dallas Cowboys tore their heart out the week before. They were up 21 nothing against Dallas and Dallas beats him 23, 21. I think that because the look on that sideline was bad. Look. Why isn't Barkley running it more? Jalen Hurts is running the ball now about seven times a game on an average. When they had that super bowl run A couple years ago, he was 10, 11 runs a game. And anytime you're threatened by the quarterback running it, speaking from a defensive standpoint, you have to take somebody off the running back and be accountable for the quarterback. And right now they're not doing that. They're putting everything on Barkley and they're saying Jalen hurts. If you want to run it, prove it, that you're going to run the ball. But I don't take Kevin Patola. I worked with him at Buffalo. I know him, he's a good coach. This Nick Sirianni is an offensive guy. You know, I'm not up to him.

[Colin Cowherd]

To solve the problem.

[Rob Parker]

Coach tell. I know. I mean, it's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Iwer's offense was broken a month ago. He solved it.

[Rob Parker]

Thank you. I mean, dude, take, take it over. You're the head coach. You're an offensive guy. You and Kevin have been together forever. Don't let the guy's house get egged. Yeah, yeah, right. It might be better for Philly to get on the road, get out of Philly.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think getting out of town actually helps them. Plus so by crowd will be by 65, 35. Philadelphia.

[Rob Parker]

Oh, absolutely.

[Colin Cowherd]

Let's do some college. Big Ten championship. I worry a little bit about Ohio State off the Michigan win and looking at the playoff being, you know, dipping a little bit. But I, I was told this by a coach who has been on the sidelines for Ohio State and Indiana. Ohio State looks like bigger it. They look like they got 15 NFL guys. Ohio State's got better players. Their coaching staff's excellent. Julian sand is. Oh, my. He is. I like Ohio State here. I, I think it just comes down to they've got.

Indiana beat Oregon at Oregon, but Oregon doesn't have, as we saw at the end of last year, Ohio State guys, yet. I like the Buckeyes.

[Rob Parker]

You? Yeah. Two things here that Ohio State had. Ohio State has not been behind in a pressure situation at the end of the game. And you've got Julian saying, who's playing leading the country 70. How do you complete 70? Almost 79% of your power.

[Colin Cowherd]

Incredibly good and accurate for a kid.

[Rob Parker]

Oh, it's unbelievable. And he's got two receivers. He's leading. You know, both Tate and Jeremiah Smith are leading the nation in plays over 40 yards. So he's got weapons with him. Yes. But here's what I think this game comes down to. You got Saiyan, who's a freshman. Okay. And you've got Mendoza, who's. Who's a five year senior. Okay. He's been around. So you got a little bit more experience, obviously a lot more experience with Indiana. And Indiana has been battle tested. And by that I mean they have been behind its final drive against Iowa, it's end of the game. Against Penn State, it's Oregon at the end of the game. I mean, and they have found ways. When they look up at that scoreboard and there's six, seven minutes left or less against a talented team, they have found ways to win the game. Ohio State hasn't yet, you know, so I don't know. I'm not selling Indiana short by any means. I think, you know, think about this. You said Ohio State's offensive line, they looked apart. They've given up the fourth top 10 in the least amount of tackles for losses. Guess who's number two in the nation? Indiana. As far as making tackles for.

[Colin Cowherd]

There's your battle.

[Rob Parker]

It's going to be a battle up front here. And then if it comes down to a close game at the end, what quarterback can make a play? I mean, this. And saying this could be the first game that he's going to have to win the game. Yep. For Ohio State.

[Colin Cowherd]

I've already seen Mendoza do it at Penn State. That was one for the ages. Finally, you know the Miami Hurricanes, well, they beat Notre Dame head to head. They had four common opponents. They were better against him. Miami's got the better defense. Miami's got the better passing game. And again, once the records are the same head to head, we know this in the NFL, that's the first thing they use.

[Rob Parker]

Absolutely.

[Colin Cowherd]

I have Mario Cristobal on last hour. I, I, and I'm a Notre Dame. I love Notre Dame and I think they'd be favored if they played. But that's not what this is about. I think Miami's getting hosed here, don't you?

[Rob Parker]

Oh, 100%. 100%. I mean, I.

Yeah. If you look at both teams, everybody keeps saying, well, Notre Dame would be favored. I would say, why?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, they were favored the first time.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Why?

[Rob Parker]

Why? I mean, you know, what defense would you like?

[Colin Cowherd]

Miami.

[Rob Parker]

Thank you. What quarterback would you like?

[Colin Cowherd]

Miami, probably. Now Miami.

[Rob Parker]

Oh, absolutely. Do you see the in the pit game against my Alma water last game of the season, those receivers made some catches, you know, NFL catches for Miami's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Miami looks the part. We, by the way, they have the best edge rusher in the sport right now. Bane. That kid could be on the second, third pick. So Miami's got the great edge rusher, Miami's got great receivers. What Notre Dame has. Is a terrific coach, so does Miami. And I love the running back. He is a great player. But again, I, this can't be about the spread and it can't be about what I think. Four common opponents head to head matchup now. And people have said, well, I mean, it was a first. And I said this, I said, you got to contextualize that first game. Well, when I watched the pit game, it did make me think differently and it made me get a microscope out and go look at their standings, the ncaa, the head to head.

[Rob Parker]

I'm sorry, let me ask you this. What about if Texas didn't go play Ohio State the first game and lose by.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, they did though.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah, they did. We're talking about. You know what I mean? I mean, if so, I, I don't know, I. You shouldn't get penalized. Miami shouldn't get penalized for playing Notre Dame. That's what I'm saying.

[Colin Cowherd]

Finally, Penn State, little bit of a circus, you know, it well, reportedly finalizing a deal for Matt Campbell, according to Yahoo. Give Yahoo credit. That's a pretty good get, is it not for late in the process.

[Rob Parker]

It is for what, what you're working with at Iowa State. I've been there, I've coached up against them. That, that's a tough job. And he has done a very good job. He's, you know, he's a smart guy. He's got a good staff. Yeah, I don't know, you know, where it fits, but recruiting and stuff. He's kind of a good recruiter, east coast guy, so. So he'll tie in there. I think it's a good hire for him. I really do. I know everybody's up in arms and stuff, but yeah, it's a good hire for him. And how do you know Colin? You know, everybody wants to hire the, the name guy. That wasn't going to happen.

[Colin Cowherd]

Brian Kelly didn't work at lsu. No.

[Rob Parker]

So I mean, you know, hire the guy that, that you feel good about, that you can communicate with and I think that's what they've done.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Dave Wanstap. Last time the Bears won a road playoff game. Wow, those are hard. Who did you beat?

[Rob Parker]

We beat Minnesota in Minnesota. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

That was hard as a quarterback for them.

[Rob Parker]

For them it was Warren Moon.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, my.

[Rob Parker]

I believe. Yeah, Warren Moon, Chris Carter, Robert Smith.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, that was a good offense.

[Rob Parker]

Coach, remember the game? Do I remember the game? Third? Yeah, I remember the game. We blocked the punt.

[Colin Cowherd]

We. Oh, you blocked the punt we had.

[Rob Parker]

Steve Walsh was our quarterback. And we were, you know, Warren Moon coach. We ran the ball, as you can imagine, and we had the little boots and waggles, the movement passes that Chicago uses and, and, and then we forced them to kick field goals rather than touchdowns in the red zone. That was the difference in the game. Field goals.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Nobody wants to kick those anymore.

[Rob Parker]

Go for it. Go for it.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Rob Parker]

The Detroit go for it last night.

[Colin Cowherd]

Did Detroit scale back a little bit in the go for it stuff?

[Rob Parker]

Thank God.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, thank God.

[Rob Parker]

Damn, Campbell. Oh, for seven. That would make you think twice about it, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

Good seeing the coach. Thanks. All right, Herd line on the other end. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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Funny how that works.

[Rob Parker]

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[J. Mac]

Tomorrow for the first time in conference history, number one and number two collide in the Big Ten title game. Heisman frontrunners collide as Julian Saiyan leads number one Ohio State against Fernando Mendoza and number two Indiana. Coverage begins tomorrow at 6:30 Eastern on Fox.

[Colin Cowherd]

Let me tell you something. If Miami Mario Cristobal next hour. If Miami doesn't make the College Football Playoff, I would not want to face them in a bowl game with a.

[J. Mac]

Pool on weed eater bowl game, they're.

[Colin Cowherd]

Going to be in a bad mood. I'm telling you right now that that freshman receiver, their edge rushers. I mean Miami is more impressive if you take Love out for Notre Dame, the great running back. Miami's more impressive on television to look at because I think now defense no question. Miami defense, no passing game. Miami head to head. Miami common opponents. Miami. If you I've watched Miami play five times. Notre Dame five times. Love is unbelievable for Notre Dame. I mean you could make an argument he's the fourth or fifth best player in college football. The running back Jeremiah Love, he's unbelievable. Their run game's really good. They got two running backs.

[J. Mac]

Price is awesome. What is this Miami lobbying?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean Malachi Tony, that receiver good. I, I Good, good.

[J. Mac]

He's really good. But the Notre Dame quarterback is a better prospect than, than the prospect. Yeah, Miami quarterback.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't care about prospect. I care about today.

[J. Mac]

Oh yeah, you care about today. How did Beck do against Louisville as a double digit favorite? He vomited all over himself. Had like six interceptions. Fine, not six, but like three. He was terrible. Come on, stop the Miami lobbying. Notre Dame team. Marcus Freeman could take them to the national championship this year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Year.

[J. Mac]

That's how good this team is. Have you seen how many second half points they've given up in like the last eight games? No, no, you can't score on this team.

[Colin Cowherd]

Marcus Freeman's great.

[J. Mac]

Yeah, their resume says.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, what's their big quality win?

[J. Mac]

They don't have any bad losses.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, all right. I mean, you can say Indiana schedules week they went to Oregon and hammered the Ducks.

[J. Mac]

Well, okay, we, I mean, listen, we. You want to do that now or get their headlines? Line, Herd line.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm just saying I need some time.

[J. Mac]

To operate on this stuff.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, J. Mac with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news.

[J. Mac]

This is the Herd line news. Let's get to the NFL. Justin Herbert. Colin. He will play. Likely.

[Rob Parker]

Likely.

[J. Mac]

Not a lock. Likely to play on Monday. He only missed 10 snaps after busting up his hand against the Raiders. And he did operate exclusively out of the shotgun in that matchup. Here's the bad news for the Chargers. If they decide. Hey, Herbert, sit this one out. Let's. We want you as close to 100% next week against the Chiefs. That's a huge game, Colin. Much bigger than this non conference.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right. That, that's one of the reasons in the blazing five that Eileen Philadelphia. Jalen Carter may be out.

[J. Mac]

No, he's out. He's out.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, but they have other. I mean their defense is not a concern. Herbert, I mean, ask yourself this. With the Chiefs coming up, what if Herbert in the first quarter gets hit a couple times and you're like, I, you could see the Chargers going timeout, get him out of there. That we're get. I mean if Philadelphia in the first quarter starts winning the line of scrimmage and Herbert gets whacked, which by the way, this year he and Cam Ward have been hit more than any other quarterback. You could see the Chargers saying, enough, let's keep him for next week.

[J. Mac]

The season's over if Herbert goes down and can't play for the next couple games. So that's why I would sit him now I know that Harbaugh is a tough guy. Herbert's a tough guy. He's going to want to play. But just remember, the Chargers don't have their starting tackles, okay?

[Colin Cowherd]

And their interior line is the lowest rated in the league.

[J. Mac]

This is not a smart decision. Again, maybe it's just me. A Trey Lance would give them no chance. This line probably balloons to 7 and a half if it's Lance, maybe more. I mean, Trey Lance is. He's not an NFL quarterback. So tough one for.

[Colin Cowherd]

For the Chargers.

[J. Mac]

And that's more bad news for the Cowboys, who. Who will be very upset if the Eagles win. All right, let's move on to more quarterback issues. And that's my guy, J.J. mcCarthy in Minnesota. I don't want to take credit for him as my guy. He only has six starts, but he's been terrible and it's really impacted Justin Jefferson. Colin, I don't know if you saw this. Justin Jefferson did, like, nothing last week. Two catches for four yards from Brosmer, but he hasn't done well in the McCarthy starts. Here's one of the best receivers in the league. This is not diva behavior, but he's just a little upset, which is understandable. Here we go.

[Rob Parker]

Now, I wouldn't say wasted.

[Colin Cowherd]

Obviously, it's a difficult season.

[Rob Parker]

You know, it's probably one of the.

[Colin Cowherd]

Most difficult seasons just off of the.

[Rob Parker]

Circumstances, having a young quarterback, having a different team, having young players on the. On the team. So it's just, you know, one of those years.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, not every year is going.

[Rob Parker]

To be, you know, a top tier year for me. You know, it's really a part of the game. So it's just all on me to, to, you know, expect a lot from these guys and to improve on anything.

[Colin Cowherd]

That we need to improve on.

Yeah, this was going to be one of my picks until I heard Jaden Daniels was going to play. Then I backed out of it.

[J. Mac]

I'm not a chicken like you are. So I will be talking about this game in the headlines final hour. Just a quick note on Jefferson. There was news today elsewhere in the league that could impact Minnesota for next year. I'm sure you saw Kyler Murray done for the season, even though I did not.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thank you. I did not see that even the.

[J. Mac]

Kyler put a cryptic thing on Instagram stories like, what a weird way. It was just odd. Something's amiss. It sounds like Kyler's done. I think you got to give McCarthy another chance. But I'm curious, do you think Kevin McCarthy and the brain trust not Kevin McCarthy. Kevin O' Connell in the brain trust in Minnesota says, do we kick the tires on Kyler Murray?

[Colin Cowherd]

I do. You give them all. I think you can get Mac Jones for a much cheaper price. Not a lot of drama. I think Mac Jones, remember Kevin o' Connell wants you to run his play. He doesn't want you to ad lib out of it. So I think Mac Jones is the play. I really do. And by the way, bring Mac Jones in if you get a, again, if you get the Baker number, if you get the Sam number, you can keep all your other great players.

[J. Mac]

That sounds good. I need to check his contract. I think he signed a two year deal with lynch and Shanahan, so I don't even know that he. I mean you don't trade him if you're the Niners, right? Yeah. Kyler Murray though his market, Colin is going to be real interesting because I again you cold weather division, just forget about it.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[J. Mac]

You don't want him going outdoors twice a year in 30 degree weather.

[Sophie Cunningham]

Right.

[J. Mac]

So I think that removes like half the league. And then you're like Pittsburgh, you're like, oh, maybe Pittsburgh. Really? You want him outdoors in Cleveland and Baltimore?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean Pittsburgh needs to solve their quarterback position for the next 15 years. They've been duct taping it for too many years.

[J. Mac]

Yeah, this Minnesota, we'll see. McCarthy will get another shot. Final story. Colin is the Kansas City Chiefs. They have arguably the biggest game of the weekend, Sunday Night football against the Texans. This number had dropped to three. It's back up to three and a half. Listen, the Chiefs were dominant in one score games last year. They have been less so this year. Here's Travis Kelce talking about these close games.

[Rob Parker]

I'm sure everyone's sick of us saying.

[Colin Cowherd]

It, but we're a few plays away.

[Rob Parker]

From, from being a, you know, a one seed. If I mind. All the losses are within one score and there's a handful of plays within those games that are determining the outcome. It's crazy that you, you watch the film and you see what's real and what's real is that we're this close, man. We're this close.

[Colin Cowherd]

I, I think there's two issues. One, the O line as of this morning is a mess. Going up against Houston, that is bad. That is whatever the under is, go, go below the under. And the second problem is, and it's fair to say Chris Jones, Jason has not had a great year. And they just don't get people off the field on third down. And as you know, I mean, there's never been more talented receivers, never been more talented quarterbacks. They're not getting people off the field. And now in their division, Denver and the Chargers have elite coaches and really talented quarterbacks. So I think it just. If you look at the history of dynasties, the windows closed pretty quick. Even the Patriots closed. They had two different dynasties. The early one in, the late one. For 10 years, they didn't win a Super bowl, so. And that's why you didn't like him to make the playoffs. I did, but I didn't. I said, I think the dynasty part is over. And it's just age. Chris Jones is older, Travis Kelce older. Can't get people off the field. This is what it looks. They haven't fallen off a cliff in terms of performance. They were in close games last year. One of them. They're in close games this year. They're losing them. So they haven't gone. They're not getting blown out, but you can tell they just. They're just the O line. They have got to attack it in the off season. It feels like the last three years, once they moved off Joe Tunney, you're like, oh.

Joe Tuney. Chicago picked him up. Boom. And look what it's done to their interior O line.

[J. Mac]

No, that's a good point. I just looked and it looks like a gentleman named Wanya Morris maybe starting at one of the tackles this week. Colin, don't look at his pro football grades. You will go blind from all the redness.

[Rob Parker]

This.

[J. Mac]

It is very bad. This guy's not good. Remember, they went and addressed the offensive line with, I think Jaylen Moore. Is that who they got? The kid from San Fran, He's. It's not really working out. He was a backup with the Niners, so again, Kelsey could talk about being close. By the way, how about the pass off Kelsey's hands at the goal line against the Eagles that results in an interception going the other way that changed the game. He's not wrong about that. I just don't see how they turn it around this quickly.

[Colin Cowherd]

I agree. I totally agree. J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news.

[J. Mac]

And thanks for stopping by the Herd lie news.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, we can put the schedule up. It's a very interesting weekend. I mean, there are games that don't feel high profile, like Colts at Jags. That's going to go a long way in determining playoff seedings. Yeah. Thank you for the staff. They just put this up. Chris Jones, PFF, ranked this season's 37th. Last year it was first. And that's, that's one of the reasons Chris Jones has always been a big, big play guy in big moments. He's like, he's like, like Aaron Donald was like this. Like if it was a big third down in a Super bowl or a playoff game, you had to triple Aaron Donald. That was Chris Jones. You don't have to anymore. So they can't get people off the field like they used to.

There are some interesting games and I think there's all sorts of potential upsets. I already told you, I think Cincinnati upsets Buffalo. I, I do.

I think the jets upset Miami. I, you know what, you talked me out of taking the Bears in Green Bay. You singularly did it. And then I started. Once you did it, I went and listened to people who I respect and a lot of people like the Packers.

[J. Mac]

Oh, interesting. Real quick on that. Browns Titans. I kind of want to call the Titans outright dubbed. And then a Shador loses to the Titans and now it's like oh well we gotta get.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here we go.

[J. Mac]

We gotta get. Who's he got from Oregon? What's his face? We gotta get Dylan Gabriel.

[Colin Cowherd]

No Dylan Gabriel.

[J. Mac]

Yeah, we gotta get him back in starting next week. That would be a bad loss for Shador if they lose to the Titans at home. It's, it's gonna be a great Sunday. Saturday's phenomenal with the college football game. Dude, you gotta be careful with the gambling this weekend. There's so many good games and you feel capella. I started the week with a loss last night.

[Colin Cowherd]

How about Georgia? Bama?

[J. Mac]

Yeah, a lot of injuries popping up in that. I don't know if we'll get to.

[Colin Cowherd]

It in final hour but I like Georgia. But Bama has absolutely had Kirby Smart's numbers. That is a great coaching matchup. Kaylin DeBoer and Kirby Smart, those are good staffs. Forget the NFL guys. Great staffs.

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[Sophie Cunningham]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Colin Cowherd]

So why not make the next ad about you? Get started today. Call 844-844-IHEART or go to iheartadvertising.com that's 844-844-iheart or iheartadvertising.com this is an iheart podcast.

[Sophie Cunningham]

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