The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3

Air date: January 20, 2026
Main Theme:
A celebratory and insightful reaction to Indiana’s stunning College Football National Championship, with Joel Klatt joining Colin Cowherd to dissect the Hoosiers’ remarkable season, the rise of parity in college football due to NIL and the transfer portal, and Fernando Mendoza's high-level play—plus analysis of crucial NFL coaching moves and a look at the future of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

1. Setting the Stage: Indiana’s National Championship Upset

Segment Opening (02:14 – 08:14)

• Colin opens in disbelief and admiration for Indiana’s 16-0 national title win over Miami, calling it both a personal and historic moment for college football.
  • “For the first time I can recall watching a title game in college football, to me it felt 50% NFL and I am absolutely here for it.” (02:35)
• Emphasizes how older rosters, NIL, and the transfer portal created more mature, disciplined teams.
• Coaches can now build competitive programs without relying solely on five-star recruits—“Why not us?” is the new rallying cry for overlooked programs.

Notable Quote:

“The Indiana football story was not possible pre-portal. It was not possible pre-NIL. You couldn’t have done this. Now you got to get the coach right.”
— Colin Cowherd, 06:50

2. Impact and Meaning: How Indiana Changed College Football

Joel Klatt Joins Live (08:14 – 12:58)

• Klatt agrees this is the “most consequential national champion” in decades, possibly ever, due to what Indiana’s win demonstrates for college football’s parity and accessibility.
• He connects the older, experienced rosters to rising play quality and program opportunity.
  • “Now Indiana is winning a national championship after coming into the season as the program with the most losses in the history of the sport. To me, it’s remarkable, it’s profound.” (10:02)
• Klatt and Cowherd both stress that recent changes (NIL, portal) have ushered in a "golden era" for college football.

Notable Quote:

“Every fanbase in America can wake up this morning and say, ‘Well heck, why can’t we do that?’”
— Joel Klatt, 16:35

3. The NFL-ization of College Football

Schematics, Sophistication, and Veteran Leadership (10:49 – 12:58)

• Both speakers highlight how more mature rosters (“grown men… 24 year olds”) allow college football to mirror NFL strategies.
• Indiana’s win attributed to matchup-driven, NFL-style playcalling—especially in clutch moments targeting Charlie Becker and utilizing QB Fernando Mendoza in big situations.
  • “That’s what felt NFL to me—the matchup-oriented, situational calls. That’s what we see in the NFL playoffs… It’s about players and not plays.”
    — Joel Klatt, 12:31

4. Power Balance: ACC, SEC, Notre Dame & Recruiting

Next Season’s Landscape (12:58 – 17:17)

• Miami and Notre Dame forecast as next season’s powers due to aggressive recruiting, big NIL investments, and savvy use of the portal.
  • “I wouldn’t be shocked if they bought Duke’s quarterback and we’re back here next year.” — Colin Cowherd, 13:51
• Joel Klatt details Miami’s exceptional reload potential with the portal, and praises Mario Cristobal’s progress.
• Both note the SEC’s inability to place three teams in the preseason Top 10 is a major shift from recent history.
  • “It’s very difficult to get even three SEC teams in that top 10.” — Joel Klatt, 15:11

5. Parity is Here: No More Blue-Blood Guarantees

Parity and Program Investment (15:48 – 19:59)

• Wide-open field now: 8–10 programs with legitimate playoff chances, compared to the era of Alabama/Clemson inevitability.
• Investment in coaches and facilities is becoming the great equalizer; every program, from Texas Tech to Ole Miss, feels “one portal and coach away” from a title shot.
  • “I think we’re entering what will likely be considered in history as the best period of college football ever.”
    — Joel Klatt, 19:46

6. Deep Dive: Fernando Mendoza’s Grit & The Indiana Story

The Mendoza Moment (19:59 – 21:36, calls back at 38:34 – 41:41)

• Colin draws comparisons between Mendoza and NFL greats Andrew Luck and John Elway:
  • “That touchdown run, it looked like Luck and Elway. He’s not Andrew Luck or Elway as a prospect, but there are similarities… humility, the toughness, great story.” (20:25, 38:34)
• Mendoza’s Heisman-winning play comes from rising to huge moments: “There are two types of quarterbacks… Mendoza rose to the occasion when his best was needed. He was at his best. That’s why he won the Heisman and that’s why he’s a national champ.”
  — Joel Klatt, 21:20
• Vivid description of Mendoza’s bloody lip and battered arm, reinforcing his physical and mental toughness.

7. Kurt Signetti: The (Humorless) Architect

Coach’s Impact & Personality (07:42, 39:23 – 41:41)

• “He is dead serious. He is all business. Saban got funnier and more charming after the rebuild was complete at Alabama. This is probably right now, for this time, what the Hoosiers need.” (07:15)
• Amusing montage of “Signetti faces”—a comedic highlight lampooning his legendary lack of outward emotion (scowling, yelling, ‘sassy Signetti’ and more).
• Credit given to Indiana’s “senior leadership” and disciplined approach: mistake-free football, minimal penalties, and a physical defense.

8. Philosophical Takeaways: The ‘Why Not Us?’ Era

Implications for CFB (16:35 – 19:59, 41:41 – 45:18)

• Indiana's win proves with the right coach, portal recruiting, and NIL, almost any school can rise.
  • “The danger is for Indiana… let’s go get five-star guys. That’s not what it is.” — Colin Cowherd, 41:55
• Mark Cuban’s pregame remarks add wisdom about NIL culture: build identity, don’t just “pay everybody more.”

9. NFL Coaching Carousel & Quick Hits

NFL and NBA News (26:40 – 38:13)

• Quick coverage of NFL head-coaching vacancies, praising or dissecting key hires (Stefanski to Atlanta, Salah to Tennessee, and the possibility of Belichick in Buffalo or Philadelphia).
• Discussion of Philly’s head coaching search and the pressure-cooker environment: “It is the biggest pressure cooker in the league. Not just for head coach, but for coordinator.” — Nick Wright, 32:11
• Kansas City OC shuffle: B. Enemy rumored to return, Nagy’s future, and skepticism about those changes’ impacts.
• NBA: Warriors’ dynasty deemed over after Jimmy Butler’s ACL injury and Golden State’s aging roster, likening them to late-career Lakers with Kobe. “Wine ages well. NBA rosters do not.” — Nick Wright, 36:02

10. Final Notes: The Changing Sports Landscape

On Where CFB and Baseball Succeeded (41:41 – 48:36)

• Colin draws parallels to MLB’s recent resurgence after rule changes, crediting CFB for embracing “portal, playoff, and maturity of rosters.”
• Urban Meyer calls this “a phenomenal story” with far more graduates, grown men in locker rooms, and higher-quality play, hinting college football’s best era may be beginning.

Notable Quote:

“College football arguably has never been better for a lot of the reasons you just said. I want to say it’s an 80% jump in kids graduates playing college football. They are graduating. It’s a phenomenal story.”
— Urban Meyer (via earlier segment), 45:18

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps):

• “This is the greatest script ever written in the history of college football. It was so totally cool.” — Colin Cowherd, 07:17
• “To me, this is the best thing that’s happened to college football in a long time.” — Joel Klatt, 08:51
• “Every fanbase in America can wake up this morning and say, ‘Well heck, why can’t we do that?’” — Joel Klatt, 16:35
• “There are quarterbacks that rise to the occasion when their best is needed and there are guys that shrink…Mendoza rose to the occasion when his best was needed.” — Joel Klatt, 21:20
• “Wine ages well. NBA rosters do not.” — Nick Wright, 36:02
• “I think we’re entering what will likely be considered, history will look back on as, the best period of college football ever.” — Joel Klatt, 19:46

Important Timestamps

• 02:35 — Colin’s opening monologue: Indiana’s rise and the NFL-style National Championship
• 06:50 — How NIL/Portal made Indiana possible; “you gotta get the coach right”
• 08:32 — Joel Klatt joins, big picture impact of Indiana's win
• 12:31 — Klatt breaks down Indiana’s NFL-style adjustments and Mendoza’s play
• 15:48 — Parity: previewing next year’s top teams outside SEC
• 19:46 — “A real golden age of the sport”—Klatt on college football’s future
• 20:06 — Replay and analysis of Mendoza’s iconic TD run
• 21:20 — Mendoza’s Heisman moment: “rose to the occasion”
• 39:23 — Fernando Mendoza and Signetti’s emotional postgame reactions
• 41:55 — Warning against “just buying five-stars” via the portal

Tone & Style

• Conversational, lively, and slightly irreverent—balanced between deep analysis (Klatt) and impassioned, big-picture commentary (Cowherd), with occasional humor (Signetti face montage).
• Mix of awe, nostalgia, and optimism about transformative changes transforming college football’s landscape.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode:

This hour explored how Indiana’s stunning championship isn’t just a Cinderella story: it’s proof of a paradigm shift in college football. Thanks to NIL and transfer rules, the gap between blue-bloods and underdogs is shrinking. Players and coaches are sticking around longer, leveraging new freedoms to build smarter, more professional teams—and suddenly, any fanbase can dream big.

Add in a compelling quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, a no-nonsense coach in Kurt Signetti, and the most consequential title game in decades, and you’ve got a moment that, as both Cowherd and Klatt repeatedly argued, marks the dawn of college football’s new golden age.

NFL and NBA stories round out the hour, but the heart of the discussion is in Bloomington, Indiana—the unexpected center of the football world.