The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3 Summary

Episode Date: September 26, 2025
Theme: What’s Wrong with the Chiefs? Urban Meyer joins on CFB, Trouble Brewing with CJ Stroud and the Texans

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into pressing NFL and college football storylines, led by Colin Cowherd and Jason McIntyre. The discussion centers on the Kansas City Chiefs’ ongoing struggles, power dynamics within NFL organizations, and crucial college football matchups. A featured segment brings on Urban Meyer, who provides high-level insights on Ohio State, USC, conference realignment, coaching adaption, and the state of the Big Ten. The show wraps with speculation on CJ Stroud’s future in Houston and Jason’s picks for the weekend’s NFL and college games.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Diagnosing the Offense (02:48—08:28)

Key Points

• Power Structure in the NFL: Colin explains that in the NFL, the owner, star coach, and star quarterback hold the power—contrasted with college football, where the coach or boosters tend to run things.
• Defining Problems, Not Just Power: The NFL’s biggest challenge isn’t deciding who’s in charge—it’s clearly agreeing on what the problem is within struggling franchises.
• Chiefs’ Specific Woes:
  • Offense struggling due to personnel issues, not coaching, scheme, or internal discord.
  • Receiving corps has been a miss: Rashee Rice (smart but now suspended), Xavier Worthy (talented, but undersized and injury-prone), Travis Kelce aging and expensive.
  • Loss of guard Joe Thuney has hurt the offensive line and run game.
  • Chiefs’ leading rusher is currently Patrick Mahomes—not sustainable.
  • “You pay the QB, you pay Chris Jones, you pay Kelce, and sometimes you just don’t have the cash for everybody…” (Colin, 06:45)

Notable Quotes

• “Our problem is here. We don’t have good enough players.” — Colin Cowherd (05:14)
• “When you have one of the two or three best interior blockers in Joe Thuney… I don’t think they can run the ball.” — Jason McIntyre (05:52)
• “Watch their games—there’s no juice.” — Colin Cowherd (07:30)

2. College Football Preview: Ohio State, Washington, USC & More (08:28—19:47)

Key Points

• Ohio State vs. Washington Preview:
  • Unranked Washington faces #1 Ohio State; potential for upset due to inexperience at QB and a hostile Husky Stadium.
  • Ohio State lost offensive firepower from last season; new QB less experienced, less dynamic skill-position depth.
• Urban Meyer’s Insights (11:21—19:43):
  • Hostile Environments: Emphasizes sustaining early drives to quiet energetic hostile crowds: “Understand the hotspots—third down, red zone, field goal. That’s when it gets electric.” (Urban, 11:25)
  • Ohio State Evolution: Not as explosive; losses at RB and WR have changed the dynamic.
  • USC’s Transformation: Lincoln Riley’s Trojans have bulked up in anticipation of the Big Ten. “This is a playoff-looking team to me… The other ones were not.” (Urban, 14:37)
  • Practice and Preparation: For Oregon at Penn State, game prep must address stadium noise: “You practice, put speakers behind you in the red zone…” (Urban, 15:22)
• On Coaching Adaptability and NIL/Transfer Portal Usage:
  • Mike Gundy/Tulsa and Dabo Swinney/Clemson—both criticized for rigidity and not adapting well to NIL or portal realities, affecting depth and talent.
  • “Nothing punctures brilliance like rigidity and stubbornness.” — Jason McIntyre (16:24)
  • Urban believes Clemson can still rebound in a weaker ACC.
• Big Ten Transformation: Addition of Oregon, Washington, USC, and others has made the conference deeper, more exciting, and possibly “the number one conference in college football.” — Urban Meyer (19:40)

Notable Quotes

• “Get two first downs… crowd goes away in the second quarter.” — Urban Meyer (11:31)
• “They realized against Penn State, Ohio State… you’re going to get punched in the face, you better get big.” — Urban Meyer on USC’s recruiting shift (13:31)
• “A physical offensive line changes your program. If you’re a finesse team, your program becomes finesse—and that gets you only so far.” — Urban Meyer (13:50)
• “The style of play … the Big Ten, I think it’s the number one conference in college football.” — Urban Meyer (19:40)

3. NFL Storylines: Lamar Jackson, CJ Stroud & Texans Drama (20:08—25:16)

Key Points

• Lamar Jackson Watch: Jason recaps Chris Jones’ praise of Lamar, but Colin sees uncertainty in Jackson’s pocket presence and expects him to run more vs. the Chiefs. (21:00)
• CJ Stroud & Texans Unrest:
  • Texans’ offense is stalling, Stroud not living up to last year’s hype.
  • Diana Rossini hints at “things behind the scenes… we’re going to find out about soon.” (22:18)
  • Speculation arises around Stroud’s future—possible dissatisfaction, agent connections (same as Micah Parsons, who forced trade), and wild suggestion of a move to the Rams.
  • “CJ Stroud… you think he’s locked in in Houston?” — Colin (23:34)
  • “Not after your two-minute segment there, no.” — Jason (23:39)
  • Colin and Jason debate what Stroud would fetch on the trade market (“Two firsts? Three if he was playing well…”)

Notable Quotes

• “He shares an agent with Micah Parsons… do you think CJ Stroud is long for the Texans?” — Colin Cowherd (23:04)
• “There’s some things going on behind the scenes that I think we’re going to find out about soon.” — Diana Rossini (22:18)

4. Jason McIntyre’s NFL and CFB Picks Segment (30:13—39:34)

Key Games & Insights

• Picks for key NFL matchups, quick takes and rationale.
• College slate highlights: heavy focus on Alabama–Georgia and Ohio State–Washington.
• Jason avoids games where betting is one-sided; leans on Denver over Cincinnati due to “exceptional roster and altitude.”

Notable Quotes

• “I like Alabama to win outright in Georgia.” — Colin Cowherd (37:32)
• “No game screams upset to me.” — Jason McIntyre (38:03)
• “Double-digit spreads are dangerous, you know.” — Colin Cowherd on heavy favorites (39:10)

Notable Moments

Urban Meyer on hostile college atmospheres (11:25)

“The best thing to calm down the stadium is a sustained drive… get two first downs. That way you automatically flip the field and can slow everything down a little bit.”

On the Chiefs’ offensive struggles (05:14)

“Our problem is here. We don’t have good enough players.” — Colin Cowherd

On USC’s makeover for the Big Ten (13:31)

“This is the biggest and most NFL draft picks in the offensive line that they’ve had probably since the Pete Carroll era.”

On stubborn CFB coaching (16:24)

“Nothing punctures brilliance like rigidity and stubbornness.” — Jason McIntyre

Spicy Texans drama (23:04)

“He shares an agent with Micah Parsons… do you think C.J. Stroud is long for the Texans?” — Colin Cowherd

Timestamps & Segment Guide

• 02:48 – 08:28 | Chiefs Discussion
• 08:28 – 11:21 | College Football Transition (Ohio State/Washington)
• 11:21 – 19:43 | Urban Meyer In-Depth Interview
• 20:08 – 25:16 | NFL News: Lamar Jackson & CJ Stroud
• 30:13 – 39:34 | Jason’s Game Picks Segment

Tone & Takeaways

The episode features Colin’s trademark blend of analytical skepticism and open speculation, with Jason playing the pragmatic, numbers-conscious foil. The conversation is opinionated but thoughtful, drawing on both strategic football knowledge and a keen sense for behind-the-scenes drama. Urban Meyer provides a seasoned coach’s perspective, especially strong on game environment preparation and college program evolution. The tone is lively, sharp, and sometimes conspiratorial—particularly around CJ Stroud and NFL trade rumors.

Summary prepared for listeners of The Herd who want key insights, notable quotes, and the storylines that matter—no ads, no fluff.