CFP First Round Live Reactions: Miami, Alabama, Ole Miss and Oregon Advance | The McShay Show

Summary

The McShay Show: CFP First Round Live Reactions

Podcast: The McShay Show, The Ringer
Date: December 21, 2025
Host: Todd McShay
Episode: CFP First Round Live Reactions: Miami, Alabama, Ole Miss and Oregon Advance

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Overview:

This episode captures Todd McShay and co-host Steve’s immediate, in-depth reactions to the opening round of the College Football Playoff. The hosts break down a lopsided day of action, analyze Miami’s upset in College Station, Alabama’s wild comeback in Norman, and provide draft nuggets and rapid-fire power rankings for the remaining playoff teams. Their signature sharp, energetic banter blends analysis, draft buzz, and inside jokes, making the hour-long discussion both insightful and entertaining for college football diehards.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Quick Recaps: Ole Miss & Oregon Routs

• Both Ole Miss (41-10 over Tulane) and Oregon (eventually 48-20 over JMU) dominated, echoing similar regular season results.
  • Todd McShay: "It’s a home game, as it should be… but it’s boring football and you don’t take much away from it." [03:29]
  • Both analysts agree: nothing from these games meaningfully shapes their playoff outlook.

Notable Incident:

• Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy and teammate Trinidad Chambers both left briefly with injuries, but returned.
  • Todd: “Thank goodness they both came back. Lacy does have a shoulder injury. It seems like Chambers is going to be good to go.” [05:11]

Draft Note:

• Steve highlights Oregon’s Kenyan Sadiq: despite drop issues down the left sideline in-season, he made a tough catch on a deep ball today.

2. Miami’s Slugfest Win at Texas A&M (10-3)

Game Analysis:

• Gritty, defensive battle in brutal wind conditions; both teams showed flaws but fought hard.
• McShay loved how Miami committed to the run and won the turnover battle.
  • Todd: “Mark Fletcher had 172 yards on 17 carries… halfway through the game I was like, I don't understand why they're not running the ball.” [13:04]
  • Steve: “Miami's defense... that defense is outrageous. I think they got players on all three levels.” [19:30]

Key Storylines:

• QB Play:

  • Todd heavily critiques Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed, calling his turnovers the fatal difference.
    • “Three turnovers from Marcel Reed…he has been, for an A&M team that was undefeated…always tenuous.” [11:09]
    • Reed’s inexperience and mistakes cost Texas A&M a shot at advancing.
  • Miami QB Carson Beck:
    • Did little statistically (14-20 for 102 yards, 1 TD), but avoided major errors and kept Miami in winning position.
    • Todd: “He did absolutely nothing. He’s not wrong… but the absolutely nothing was he didn’t turn the ball over.” [16:32]
    • Steve: “That was a big part of it. He took care of the football, he avoided the mistakes.” [14:49]

• Freshman Performers:

  • Steve: “Miami’s freshman, I mean, Malachi Tony... was awesome... and then the safety, Bryce Fitzgerald, another freshman, two picks in this game.” [14:49]
  • Tony’s clutch play, including the winning catch, stood out despite an earlier fumble.

• Coaching/GAME MANAGEMENT Question:

  • Did Malachi Tony do the right thing scoring late, rather than kneeling and running clock for a field goal?
    • Steve: “Would you feel about Crystal Ball's game management there? My feeling is they told Tony to score.”
    • Both agree: given Miami’s shaky kicker and windy conditions, scoring was correct. [22:54]

3. Alabama’s Comeback at Oklahoma (34-24)

Momentum Swings & Mental Toughness:

• Oklahoma jumped out 17-0, but Alabama capitalized on a muffed punt and a pick-six to claw back.
  • Steve: “It was this big swing in momentum…Oklahoma, that had been so mentally tough all year, all of a sudden just…it wasn’t there anymore.” [33:01]

QB Analysis:

• Oklahoma’s John Matier:
  • Showed improved health and arm strength after a midseason injury. “Matier throws for 307 in a loss...I was thrilled to see Matier back up and running.” [42:40]
• Alabama's Ty Simpson:
  • McShay defends Simpson’s “encouraging” performance given lack of run game/weapons.
    • Todd: “Ty Simpson without a run game, without a star wide receiver against that defense. Now go ahead and tell me he was just average.” [45:14]
    • Steve: “I thought he played better…I just think that earlier in the year he was surgical…he sets the bar so high…” [47:19]

Alabama’s Run Game:

• Remains a major concern; outside of one late 30-yard run, production was minimal.
  • Todd: “They had 25 carries for 28 yards against Oklahoma.” [43:35]
  • “People after the game: well, the run game, it seemed like they started to get the run game going. I’m like, no, it didn’t.” [44:01]

4. Looking Ahead: Power Rankings, Spreads, and Draft Watch

• The hosts riff on potential point spreads for upcoming games, with Oregon vs. Texas Tech and Ohio State vs. Miami featured.

  • Todd: “Ohio State is minus nine and a half… Miami certainly talented enough but…did the conditions lead to all the passing game troubles or is that a problem that’s going to rear its ugly head…?” [28:52]
  • Both agree Miami’s defense gives it a puncher’s chance vs. Ohio State, but see the Buckeyes as clear favorites.

• Notable subplot:

  • Playoff could feature mano-a-mano matchups between top draft QBs Ty Simpson, Fernando Mendoza, and potentially Dante Moore.
    • Todd: “Three quarterbacks could wind up…like play-in situations…Ty Simpson, Fernando Mendoza, and who would have ever guessed, Mendoza.” [48:46]

• Draft Watch:

  • Both hosts stress that Simpson and Moore have not yet decided on the NFL Draft—playoff run could impact their choices.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Thank goodness they both came back. Lacy does have a shoulder injury. It seems like Chambers is going to be good to go.” – Todd McShay on Ole Miss RB injuries [05:11]

• “Three turnovers from Marcel Reed... he has been, for an A&M team that was undefeated…always tenuous. And it came down to that final play.” – Todd McShay [11:09]

• “Miami’s defense... that defense is outrageous. I think they got players on all three levels.” – Steve [19:30]

• “He did absolutely nothing. He’s not wrong… but the absolutely nothing was he didn’t turn the ball over.” – Todd (on Miami QB Carson Beck) [16:32]

• “Oklahoma…mentally tough all year, all of a sudden just… it wasn’t there anymore.” – Steve [33:01]

• “Ty Simpson without a run game, without a star wide receiver against that defense. Now go ahead and tell me he was just average.” – Todd [45:14]

• “Three quarterbacks could wind up...like play-in situations...Ty Simpson, Fernando Mendoza, and...Dante Moore.” – Todd [48:46]

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Important Timestamps

• Ole Miss & Oregon Recaps: [01:54]–[06:00]
• Miami–Texas A&M Reaction: [07:22]–[23:45]
• Game Management Debate (Malachi Tony): [19:30]–[23:45]
• Previewing Ohio State–Miami, Spreads: [25:00]–[29:30]
• Alabama–Oklahoma Deep Dive: [32:51]–[48:46]
• Quarterbacks Playoff Subplot / Draft Decisions: [48:46]–[52:10]
• TMS Final 8 Power Rankings: [54:16]–[58:31]

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TMS Final 8 Power Ranking (Live On-Air Consensus)

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Georgia
4. Oregon
5. Alabama
6. Texas Tech
7. Miami
8. Ole Miss
   (Argument over Indiana/Ohio State order; hosts agree any of the top 4–5 could win it all.)

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Tone/Style:

Fast-paced, candid, and sharp—heavy on inside references, playful barbs, and an expertly informal breakdown of both X’s and O’s and the sport’s storylines. The mood shifts from dry sarcasm about the early blowouts to animated debate regarding playoff coaching decisions and QB draft stock.

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For New Listeners:

• The show excels at blending instant live analysis with draft implications and college football narratives.
• Deep dives on quarterback play, coaching moves, and playoff scenarios are a signature.
• The chat and community (referenced throughout) provide a lively backdrop, mirroring the sport’s online culture.

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Next Up

• The Monday episode will feature the “All-TMS Team”—the hosts' picks for the best performers by position—plus deeper playoff previews and more draft insights as the playoff narrows.

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“Things are getting really interesting with these quarterbacks … and we have an opportunity … the three quarterbacks could wind up almost like a play-in situation. Welcome to 2025. I love it.” – Todd McShay [48:46]

Transcript

[A]

Foreign, But we got plenty of great college football to talk about. Mench is already getting nervous because there's just 124 days until the NFL draft, but I'll ask you anyway. Men, you good?

[B]

I'm good.

[A]

All right. For real this time. Tucker, roll the damn thing. I'm just letting everyone know on social media. For real this time. Let's go.

[B]

Let's go.

[A]

The McShay show is presented by FanDuel. FanDuel's got it all. Same game parlays, quick bets for jumping in live and your way so you can build the bet that fits your play. Plus, don't miss out on holiday offers and surprises all month long. Download the FanDuel app or head to FanDuel.com McShay to get started, must be 21 and older and present in select states or 18 and older and present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut. Let's go. All right, here we go. Yeah, I mean, I. I don't want to spend a lot of time on Ole Miss 4110 over Tulane. We literally saw this game earlier in the season. It was just 41 to 15, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or 45 to 10. I forget. Whatever it was, it was, yeah, a lot identical to this mess. And now we're watching or here. I want to give you a quick some quick numbers before we get to the two big games that happened. And they were awesome. They were a lot of fun in very different ways. 21, 349 9. This episode is brought to you by Scout Motors. One thing I love about sports, celebrating the togetherness that happens around the game. The all new Scout Terra and Scout Traveler bring that same energy. Iconic in the 70s, reimagined for tomorrow and built around a community, they're designed for the seasons ahead, no matter what the weather. With plans for advanced four wheel drive available, locking differentials and optional 35 inch tires. Join the wait [e-mail] concept vehicles not available for sale. Features and performance specifications are preliminary and subject to change. Joining the wait list does not guarantee purchase. Visit scoutmotors.com for more details. In 21 plays, Stevie Boy, Oregon ripped off 349 yards of total offense. 21 plays. I don't have my calculator in front of me. That's an absurd. Yards per attempt or yards per play average.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And they did it in nine minutes. I mean, the problem with both of these scores, right, as Oregon now 8, 8 0, 7 remaining, up 41 to 13. We already told you 41 to 10 was Ole Miss earlier today. And it's wonderful. It's a home game, as it should be, and so great. It's a celebration. It's the last time you get. You get to see the seniors and guys that are moving on to the NFL. You get to celebrate what they've done this season. But it's bigger than this, man. I get the home crowds love to see a win. And this is the final time on top of it not being overly helpful in terms of like a preparation. I don't think we as analysts or anyone, like, it's boring football and you don't take much away from it. You know, that's the problem I have. And so it could have been an Oregon, Texas or an Ole Miss, Notre Dame or what. Like, we could have had unbelievably good matchups in Austin in the Grove, but we didn't. And so I'm not here to over spill milk. I'll open the floor to you. The only thing I could take away from was, my goodness, at one point on that final drive in the second quarter against for Ole Miss, against Tulane, at one point, Kewan Lacey, the star running back for Ole Miss, was in the tent with a bruised shoulder. And all of a sudden, Trinidad Chambers head smashes against the turf. And I'm saying, Ricky Waters, remember Ricky Waters, famous quote back in the 90s?

[B]

For who?

[A]

For what? For what? Yeah. Yep. You know, and I'm not making light at these injuries. Thank goodness they both came back. Lacey does have a shoulder injury. It seems like Chambers is going to be good to go. And. And when Austin Simmons came in, threw a couple nice balls, but then fumbles, they couldn't finish that drive. The point is that was probably of these two games, the most, like, newsworthy breaking, you know, information that came out of them. Other than that, again, I opened the floor to you, Steve. Like, what. What have you taken from either of these two games?

[B]

Not much in terms of what the College Football Playoff is going to look like in the second round. I mean, I'm with you on that. There's just not much I'm taking from it. There's a couple. Couple notes, I guess. I got a draft note on Kenyan Sadiq. You know, he has six drops this year and three of them are tracking the ball down the left sideline. I think his ball skills are outstanding other than that. And Then tonight he had to track a ball down the left sideline and made a great catch. So that's. I guess that's one thing I got out of it. The other thing that I. I will kind of circle back to some of the things you were saying. This is not a great night for ucla. You know, your head coach is coming over from JMU and you have fans, they're trying to get a feel for who this guy is, and they're watching JMU in the playoff tonight. And I know, you know, this isn't the most important thing, but that's. That' kind of a rough start to get. Get off to is that you're getting crushed by a Big Ten opponent, a old Pack 10 rival. I don't know if it's a great night for ucla, and I know the JMU fans don't really care about that, but I'm also not sure how great this is for the JMU program either. Like, this is just. It's not. It's not a good situation overall, in my opinion. Are you muted? I can't hear you. As.

[A]

As if we don't have enough problems. I get real pressing mute when I, When I talk. It's one of those nights where like, like, I don't even want to move and I. I won't press mute again. I don't care what's going on here. What was good for college football was the first two games.

[B]

Agree.

[A]

We'll get to last night, which was awesome. I had a hard time falling asleep after that game. It was like there was so much to it, so many layers that I want to peel back on. Today was a totally different experience. The wins, the field goal kicking, trouble, all of. Still was an awesome game.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, there were two teams that absolutely deserve to be where they were. You could talk about Miami, the ACC and all that, but, like, talent wise, you looked at it like, oh, this is pretty evenly matched. They're both dealing with the elements. Neither team is perfect. We can see the flaws, but they're battling. They're playing their asses off. And it's a lot of. It's like there's still a lot of good ball out there, even though the score doesn't indicate it. 10, 103 was the final. Miami wins at Texas A and M. I There were so many elements early in the game that that kind of told us where it was going to go. Like the Aggies 13 play, drive, couldn't convert, kind of start backtracking, wind up having to punt. It's like, how did that even happen? Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Miami, I, I started taking these notes, right. Ready? After the second time they stalled. I went back and looked. Miami, first two drives, I wrote third and longs. You can't let A and M get you in third and longs because it got Miami the first two times. So I feel like you're being way.

[B]

Too conservative on second down and just happy with these third and long situations where Texas A and M defense thrives. I, it was driving me nuts.

[A]

I had a little different view on it, but I'll get to that in a second. And I'm not saying you're wrong.

[B]

No, it actually paid off. If you, if that's what you're going to say. It actually paid off because they didn't make a big mistake and they established the run game by staying committed to it. But it was in the moment. It was killing me because I was like, you're not, you're not getting anywhere with this.

[A]

Third and five, third and six, third, third and seven, third and six, third and 13, which was actually a third and eight and then a delay of game, which Crystal Ball didn't call a timeout because he didn't want to lose his, his, his time. His one remaining timeout. Crystal Ball is always a. It's a roller coaster ride. Now Oregon just, Oregon just blocked a JMU punt and now it's going to be 47 extra point pending to 13 and then third and eight. And then I literally, literally just stopped tracking them because I got bored. I was like, the audience will get the point. They got themselves in too many third and longs. And so even if they. They picked up a couple first downs and they started. And gradually over time, they started to flip the field a little bit and they had better field position. They were now putting like the third long would. Would create an opportunity for a missed field goal or so. It was just. But I'll say this, I felt like they got the memo early in this game. Like, we are, we're gonna turn over Marcel Reed. And I promised you, like, I, I'll tell you when I'm wrong. In fact, we're getting ready to write an article that we're gonna drop Christmas Day where I'm gonna tell you three things that I was dead ass wrong about and I already know in the NFL draft. Okay, I'm happy to, but I, But I promise you the Texas A and M was going to get got, and when they got got, it was going to be Marcel Reed. And they did for a half against South Carolina. They did against Texas, and they did again at home today. Three turnovers from Marcel Reed. He's an unbelievable young man. I don't wish him any ill will. I think he'll continue to develop. I think all these negatives will be turned into positives a year from now. I recognize all the athleticism and everything else, but he has been for an A and M team that was undefeated. Hanging around the top three for a while, they. They kind. They were up and down on. You know, the defense really struggled early in the season. They got better. The offense, we kind of, you know, hit peaks and valleys, but it was always tenuous because of Marcel Reed. And it came down to that final play. And once again, late on the reader balls thrown behind, interception, third turnover of the game. You can't overcome that in a defensive struggle against that kind of defense. And so that was an element of it. Okay. There were two other elements for me. Fletcher was flat out awesome. Okay, Fletcher Jr. Great story, by the way. Absolutely great story. And they. They did a tremendous job, as McDonough always does, and with. With Roy and. And. And like the whole crew. I and I worked on that crew for a long time with different members of it, and they just, like, they're the best in the business. And Molly, like, Molly's is unbelievable of a human being as she is a sideline reporter and she's great. Obviously phenomenal at that. But Mark Fletcher had 172 yards rushing on 17 carries. And I'll be honest with you, about halfway through the game, I was like, I don't understand why they're not running the ball. If one store one part of the. There were three parts to this game, in my opinion. One was Marcel Reed and the mistakes that were inevitable because we knew. Because we studied the tape and we knew the history. Two was Fletcher's role in man, and this offensive line is actually leaning on and wearing down this fast, but not massive defensive front for A and M. Lean on it. I thought Fletcher should have had 30 carries, but then I went back and I looked, man, 17 for 172. That's 10 yards per carry. 10.1. Miami only had 47 offensive plays in this game. And so. And they. And they only threw the ball 20 times. So, like, while it felt like they should have run the ball more, they really. The percentage was pretty good run to pass. And then the third thing was Miami's defense. I mean, my gosh, you talk about having your finest moment in the most important spot. And they've had a lot of fine Moments. But Keante Scott in that hybrid defensive back role with Muhammad Tor and Wesley B. Basseinth, they're all over the field, 26 tackles between them. Scott alone had 10 tackles and two, two sacks. And then Reuben Bane had three sacks. And I get news for you, he was the second best edge on the field today.

[B]

Macedore was all over the place.

[A]

Macedor was everywhere. Five tackles, a sack and a half. And he handed Bayness at least one sack that I saw. And maybe so it was just awesome to watch. And I'm curious but like to me those were the three things. It was the defense for Miami, like even when they gave up yards, locking it down. It was the run game for Miami carrying it. And then it was as, as both coaches alluded to. And we talked about pregame, like which quarterback is going to limit the mistakes and they schematically and give the experience. I know you and Stanford, Steve and everyone else like to yell at me about the 2,881 career snaps for Carson Beck, but he knew his role today and he, he played the part.

[B]

Yeah, that was a big part of it. He took care of the football, he avoided the mistakes and now that was a big part of it. One other thing I'd point out is Miami's freshman, I mean Malachi Tony, we've talked about all year when it, man, when they didn't score after that punt return, when, when Tony got tripped up on that punt return, he didn't get in. Then they, I think there was a turnover down or whatever it was, but they didn't score after that punt return. I thought Miami was in trouble. I was like, you're playing with fire when you're not bet, you know, making the most or capitalizing off those kind of plays. But Malachi Tony was awesome in this, at, at times in this game. The game winning catch, I'd call it a run, but it's a catch. The punt return, like he looked really good. I know he lost the fumble, but he came back and played really well. And then the safety, Bryce Fitzgerald, another freshman, two picks in this game. He had a monster game for them, you know, including the game ceiling pick. So that was something that jumped out to me. I, it's been driving me nuts all year why Miami doesn't run the ball better. I don't understand it because I love Mark Fletcher. I was very eye on him coming into the year. And then that offensive line and they were like the seventh best rushing attack in yards per game in the acc. This is a team that's built to do that. So it's very encouraging to me that they were able to go into to Texas A and M and do that today. It's, it's encouraging for what they're going to have to do in the next round which is going to be quite a mountain to climb.

[A]

Yeah. And X Factor C12 on the chat just said and he and he kind of put it well and he's he's ingest there's truth right. We said Beck did his job. He did absolutely nothing. He's not wrong.

[B]

Like no he's not.

[A]

He was 14 of 20 with 102 yards passing. He threw for a touchdown but the absolutely nothing was he didn't turn the ball over right. And you and they knew in this game they didn't. No one knew. No one knew that it that Miami could win this game with their quarterback and those weapons at receiver. And we talked about Daniels coming back and and and and Tony kind of reemerging after a mid mid season SL. No one knew that 102 yards passing would get it done. But everyone knew the best chance at Miami had of winning this game was if if Carson Beck didn't have one of those games. And you just like I allude just like I like I I made I got out. I don't want to got out in front. I'm not trying to like take any credit for bully like Pinpoint after doing a deep tape study like Marcel Reed is the reason that why they're going to lose if they lose you you were very astute in pointing out early on this season like they come in batches with Beck and it's not just a single game. Sometimes it's multiple games and that's exactly what happened. And when they lost a couple games in the middle of the season but he's capable of all of a sudden a 23 interception game. He's capable of that despite those 2,881 snaps and all the experience. So playing within himself in this situation. Wendy circle like he missed that throw early second quarter deep shot to trainer down the right kind of left left throw it back to the right down the right rail. It wasn't even the rail is like it was kind of a crosser. I'd have to go back and watch the tape but it was along the right sideline where the incompletion happened and that's when I was like I I don't know if, I don't know if we can lean on this today because that's a wide open receiver, you know, and the wins were, were brutal as, as witnessed in the both passing games. And quite honestly, Marcel Reed, for all of his flaws, I thought Marcel Reed managed the wind as a passer better than Carson Beck today.

[B]

I really did.

[A]

But I also thought that, that Miami got itself into all those third and sixes, third and sevens, third and thirteens, third and eights, where for his big and his physical and as strong and as capable as that group is up front. I'm talking about from Miami of pass protecting on early downs when it's not, when it's not an 80, 20, you know, maybe 90, 10, that the, the opponent is going to throw the football when, when you got Cassius Howell and the crew like ganging up, they, they do a pretty good job. But, but circumstances, both the wind and the downs and distances and everything, it's just, it prevented Miami from getting anything going through the air and it turns out they didn't need it.

[B]

Yeah, I mean that's the, I think that's their recipe for success going forward is they, that's what that team is built to do. That defense. We, I, I now can say that that defense is as good as we thought it could be. And it's, I think it's peing at the right time. That defense is outrageous. And I think they got players on all three levels. I really believe that. And then if they can run the ball, if that offensive line plays the way that it can play. I do want to ask you about this because it came up in our chat and I think Connor and Dan were talking about it. Should Malachi, Tony have kneeled the ball at the one at the end there and they just try to kick a chippy field goal and not give Texas A and M any time? Because it did get. It got a little sketchy at the end there when Texas and AM drove and you know, Miami had that late hit that gave him another 15 yards and all of a sudden the Aggies were in position to score at the end there. Would you, did you, would you feel about Crystal Ball's game management there? My feeling is they told Tony to score. It doesn't look like anyone had a conversation with that young man of if you get close, get down.

[A]

If it's like the night, the night before and it's 34, 24, you gotta understand, not a human being had crossed a goal line with the ball in their hands.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

Do you know what I mean?

[B]

Like it was three, three at the time, right?

[A]

Yeah. Yes. So I get it And I'm. First of all, why is Dante Moore still in the game for Oregon?

[B]

I don't, I don't know.

[A]

Honest to God. And he just threw an interception. Could have been a pick six, but it was returned like 60 something yards.

[B]

Like.

[A]

I get so angry in situations. Do you know, do you understand what's on the line for that young man? If it's not enough for your program, how about for the. Like, I just. And, and I only say that because, yeah, I get. These aren't valuable reps at this point. They're not. And secondly, jmu, I'm sure there are a bunch of really good young men, but at some point, and I'm sorry, I'm talking. It's three minutes left. It's 48 to 13 and Dante Moore is still in this Oregon game. I know we're jumping around, but there might be a bad seed or two on that JMU defense and someone who's just pissed off enough just lost their cool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because this is an embarrassment and all those things. So I hope that that's the last we see of Dante Moore. Yeah, I know. I hear you. I'm. Here's what I know. And here's what does transition with us translate to the rest of the College Football Playoff For Miami, it's hard. They're going to have to overcome some questionable decisions and it's not going to be the best game management. And I say it all the time, like, here they are, second round of the playoffs and like, and they, and they finish strong. That's. That's your first complaint about crystal ball in this Miami program in recent years is yeah, they're great in September and October, but they fall apart in November and they really crash in December. So I get it. But like, yeah, you'd like to think that he would have someone on staff that's absolutely brilliant that they would have hired and paid somebody who's absolutely brilliant managing these certain things. Right.

[B]

I'll say this for what it's worth. I think they should have scored. I think they should have let Tony score. I think you have a field goal kicker who missed three kicks that day. Who knows?

[A]

It gets. I'm actually agreeing with them, but I wanted to. I did.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I did. I did. I, I actually think in. Because it's not 34 to 31. It's not some high scoring game where, where like we trust things that we're doing offensively. Like you're in that game, that situation. No one has scored a touchdown score.

[B]

Score.

[A]

And, and, and our Defense is playing that good. You know what if they drive down the field against this defense the way we've played and for the first time all, all game long they're able to do what we just did to their defense which held us out of the end zone all day, then God bless them and if they get the two point conversion that they move on, we don't deserve it. And if they it's overtime then let's re rack the thing and go.

[B]

So I, I, I just want to say this quickly. Analytics are, are an interesting thing and I think they're very helpful for coaches and I'm not anti analytics but you have to, you have to use them appropriately and understand the way the game is unfolding. And, and for me this showed up in two of in, in both the Alabama Oklahoma game and the Miami Texas A and M game because I think the analytics people might tell you to get down and kick the field goal there. But that's ignoring the fact that the wins were the way they were. It's ignoring the fact that your field goal kicker has already missed three field goals and he probably hits the chippy. I'm not saying that he doesn't but, but it's ignoring those facts. It's just looking at the, at the paper. I also think if you're Oklahoma last night and you get into that situation, they're going to tell you to, to try to get the field goal and then get the onside kick. Well, the first time I got it. The second time after your kicker's already missed one, maybe you, maybe that's not the right call at that point because your kicker just missed one 5, 10 minutes ago or whatever it was. You have to play it. I thought crystal ball did a good job of that it and you have to like understand how the game is being played out that day. It's not all black and white on paper. This is what you do every time.

[A]

Yeah, I guess. Let me just ask this before we move on because that was a good way to transition to Friday night's game. Alabama, Oklahoma and we won a minute I'm looking at these odds, right? And you've got Georgia six and a half point favored already over Ole Miss. Well, when this game comes to a close and JMU just scored a touchdown, they're looking to make it 20 or 21 to 48 to 19 right now a minute 15 left in the third quarter. But when this game wraps up, we'll get FanDuel to give us updated odds on the Texas Tech Oregon game which Will be held. Let me. Let's do this real quickly. What do you prediction for the odds in that game? Don't say. Yep, Oregon, Texas Tech. I want a prediction and I'm going to count backwards. I'm going to count three, two, one, and then we're both going to say it. And everyone on the chat, I want you to. I want you to put it up real quickly. I'm going to buy you 15 seconds right now. Texas Tech, Oregon. It's at the Orange Bowl. Okay, what is the spread? Is it Texas Tech favored? Is it Oregon favored? You think Texas Tech would be as the team with the buy we saw last year? Sometimes playing the first round was helpful, but it's playing this competition helpful. No one in the entire chat is actually listening to our show. They're talking about Cincinnati and Sorsby. It's kind of why I love them. All right, here we go. Pre war dreams. Oregon minus five. No. Texas minus two. Maybe Oregon minus three and a half. Oregon minus three and a half. Oregon. A lot of Oregons.

[B]

I got Tech. Tech money.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. I'm just. I don't know what it is. You told me you're literally like my children.

[B]

Well, you're blurting them all out.

[A]

I'm reading all the chat answers.

[B]

All right, what do you have? Do you know?

[A]

No, I've. I have to talk this whole time and then I take five seconds to pause and think.

[B]

What?

[A]

I think it was too much. What I think it is is. I think it's Texas Tech minus. It will start low. Texas Tech -2 and a half is my guess. What did you say? I think that's three and a half. I said three and a half.

[B]

I think it's good.

[A]

I think it will go down. I don't know. I think it could go down as the week progresses, but we'll see. Okay, so. So that's that what I was trying to get to. We took a little detour and that's fine. Ohio State is minus nine and a half according to FanDuel. That's in the Cotton Bowl. My against Miami, obviously. Ohio State, I don't want to say they caught a break. They would much prefer to play Miami and it's not disrespectful to Miami, but my goodness, like they play off the college football playoff committee. Putting the number two seed or three seed, right? Three seed. No, the two seed. Are they the two seed? Yeah.

[B]

Oh, how. See, it's a two seed.

[A]

Yeah, the two putting the two seed in a spot where they're they're opening game in the playoff because they have a buy could be against a Texas Texas A and M program right down the street, the Cotton Ball or Jerry's World. So it feels a little bit more fair fair and balanced. Feels like honestly like an old Orange bowl game. Miami versus Ohio State. That's nine. That's nine and a half without doing a deep dive into this. Is there anything you see from my like do you give Miami any shot to by the way I my plus 650 to get to the semifinals looks a little bit better now my fanduel futures bet here we go but go ahead.

[B]

I I think that Miami defense is for real. We just saw the Indiana defense which is for real hold Ohio State to 10. I think that they could keep this game close. I really like Ohio State in that game though. I think that yeah I mean that defense is for Miami could could make it a game but I don't I think that offense is going to have a hard time moving the ball against.

[A]

The Buckeyes and it will be the largest spread of the of the four with Indiana favored by seven and a half over Alabama and I mentioned Georgia six and a half and that Texas Tech Oregon spread is going to be I would be surprised if it's more than three and a half so that will be the biggest spread. Miami certainly talented enough but I act like while it was an awesome win did the conditions lead to all the passing game troubles or is that a problem that's going to rare. Its its ugly head against that that Ohio State defense. And can Carson Beck with all that experience handle all the stuff that's about to get thrown at him Because Patricia's had a lot of time to prep for both, you know and he's got all these multiple hat wearing weapons on the defensive side from Arvel Reese to Sonny Styles to Caleb Downs. It could be a it's going to be a challenge, let's put it that way. And we'll get on Monday in our.

[B]

Show because backs played like two how many snaps?

[A]

2881, 493 passes that was coming into the College Football Playoff on Monday. I I will get he's got even more snaps now.

[B]

He's got more snaps.

[A]

I will get you the updated snaps when I need to. This episode is brought to you by Scout Motors. As we get closer to the playoffs, everyone's focused on the future. Who's advancing, who's not. Scout Motors is focused on the future too. The all new Scout Terra and Scout Traveler will combine iconic Heritage with reimagined engineering and design with plans for advanced four wheel drive and optional 35 inch tires. They'll be ready for whatever challenges come next, whether that's winter roads or no roads at all. Join the waitlist@scout motors.com concept vehicles not available for sale. Features and performance specifications are pre launched, preliminary and subject to change. Joining the waitlist does not guarantee purchase. Visit scoutmotors.com for more details.

[C]

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[A]

Well at 45 snaps he had today so 45 to that total. We're over 3,000. No, no, we're over 2,900.

[B]

I'm obviously vegan. I'm.

[A]

I know you are. I know you are needling you but it is a thing.

[B]

It is.

[A]

I do think it's a thing.

[B]

I think the experience is a thing. I just love that you're like hammering at home.

[A]

ATB host Dwyer Garden Saints chair Matthias and everybody else in the chat know that you're. You're busting balls right now. Okay. Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24. My gosh. This was fun.

[B]

I. I have a different feel on it, but go ahead. I want to hear what you I, I like.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no. I want to hear yours first this time. You show me yours.

[B]

I I just feel like it was this big swing in momentum and this Oklahoma team that had been so mentally tough all year all of a sudden just it wasn't there anymore. And I don't feel like Alabama just had this great game. I felt like right after the punt, the, the, the muff punt, snap, whatever you want to call it, the turnover and downs, Alabama scores, and then the pick six at the end of the half from a tier, all the air goes out of the building. I mean, it was just, and all of a sudden it was just, here comes Alabama and it wasn't even. I, again, I never felt like, well, Alabama's playing much better all of a sudden. It didn't even feel like that to me. It just felt like Oklahoma, out of nowhere had just had the wind taken out of its sails. They didn't respond well, which is, which again is really surprised me based on what this team's had to go through to get there.

[A]

They had to go through so much.

[B]

Just to get this opportunity and they showed so much mental toughness for so long and then it felt like they just, they didn't have enough to come back and maybe they just ran out of gas at the end and maybe this is just that Oklahoma program, which has been historically really good, but this is kind of a different animal now, learning how what it takes to, to win in the playoff and they'll be better the next time around. But, but to me, it just, I don't know, it wasn't really a back and forth game. It was, you know, Oklahoma jumped them and then Alabama took advantage of mistakes and then it was. The first half was a lot better than the second half, in my opinion, let's put it that way.

[A]

I had the good pleasure of going to the Bills Patriots game last week. Right. And I appreciate similarities there.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Stacy James and everyone with the Patriots, I can't thank you enough. It was an awesome opportunity. My entire family, all six of us went. It was AJ's birthday. We had an awesome time. But just the football guy in me, more than just like the dad and the family guy, like I'm watch. And you would, you would think that I would kind of learn from that because it was like 21, nothing like this game's. It feels over. It feels like, like a changing of the guard and all. And then so I'm watching the, I'm watching the other night and, and it was kind of that similar thing home, everyone's going crazy. And in this case it was, oh, Al, you got to remember when we came into this game, man, we spent all that time last week, Alabama, there's a groundswell, something's wrong, and, and even the folks on Game day that are very careful about these sorts of things, like openly. Thammel. Openly. They lose tonight, the entire college football landscape could change because. Because Caleb DeBoer could legitimately be looking at Michigan, right?

[B]

He's gonna be in Ann Arbor by morning.

[A]

And then Alabama, the most coveted job in college football has been. It just is. Right now. It would be. Is open. Is. The portal opens on January 2nd.

[B]

What.

[A]

You know what I mean? Like, but they're talking about, like, there's real. And I told you, I'm talking to people in Tuscaloosa and there's something going on, right? And they're coming off of losing by 21 points, negative three rushing yards to Georgia. An embarrassment of a game. And if you're pro Bama, you're looking at this thing and you're like, well, we had like, 14 guys who didn't play. And Cuevas is back and Jim Miller's back. I said his name, right?

[B]

And. And.

[A]

And got a minute to regroup. And. And we knew we were in the playoff. But then it's 17 nothing. And you're like, oh, this thing might be fucked. Alabama might be a mess, but you also had Saban being like, hey, like, look at. Like, give me a single. I want. Give me. Cameraman, Come here. Alabama wants Deborah here, so it's up to Caleb. Calen doesn't want to be here, which was a weird thing too. Yep. So Kaylin DeBoer just doesn't want Alabama. Like, I don't know, like, none of it was making sense. And so now it's 17 nothing. And you're like, oh, they're. They're cooked. But I didn't learn from the Bills thing. And it just. It was fascinating to watch because. And I. I don't want to miss this part of it. Okay. John Matier is a show favorite. It started with Connor Nevins talking about us, about the. The. The snack in the. Wasn't even the snack in the pack at that point. The pack 12, you know, Pac 12 after dark.

[B]

And.

[A]

And. And we'd be doing a show till 2 in the morning. He's like, material again. And I'm like, all right, I gotta watch tape on John Mater out.

[B]

And you guys gonna go watch the batir game. You're gonna go watch?

[A]

Yeah, no, I'm gonna grab a half a slice of pizza and go to bed. Connor. And then I start watching his tape. I'm like, oh, there's some stuff here. And then he goes to Oklahoma, and I just. I love the way he plays the game, because I'm not saying it's going to translate perfect to the NFL. And there's all sorts of stuff to get in that conversation, but it looks like we're postponing it to next year. But he comes in and he rips apart Michigan a little bit, and he. That Auburn defense was awesome. And especially early in the year, there's everything to play for. And this plays he made late in that game. But then the thumb injury and then Texas, and then seven interceptions in seven games, which is four touchdown passes. And you're like. I was like, I know it'll get better, but hopefully this isn't like a permanent thing, because he's throwing the ball funny. The ball's come not coming out the right way. He's almost gripping it here and it's coming out there. Even though he does some sidearm stuff. I've seen this stuff, and I'm only seeing this stuff, and it's not coming out with the same. And then he comes out the Friday night and he's just ripping it. And, yeah, there were a couple throws where you could see the elbow dips and the ball's under, and he overshot that one to the left by, like 12 yards. I don't know what. You know, And I. They. They showed a great camera view from the. Behind the. The end zone, looking at him where the ball. And you could tell, like, he's gripping it here. Not here. Yeah, kind of. But for the most part, all night, ripping the ball. And he's looking more like Matier. And I'm like, this is. This is interesting now, because, you know who else looks like the guy that we thought he was going to be? Dion Burks, the wide receiver. Over 100 yards. Yep.

[B]

He looked quick, too, man.

[A]

Yeah, maybe that week off, maybe they. This is what the doctor ordered. A couple weeks to get right. And Satania didn't even do that much. But they're rolling and. And mater throws for 307 yards. And so, like, I. I don't want it to be lost that, like, Matier should be back. I can't imagine he won't be back, but it was from one perspective. It was like. It was. I don't know, I felt this sense of, oh, the world's right again. Matier's making mistakes, but he's doing it aggressively. And the ball's firing off his hand, you know, And. And by the way, up 17, nothing on Bama. I'm like, all right, so who's next, huh? I don't know. Like why. Why can't they beat Indiana? Honest to God. Honest to God. 7, 17, nothing. That defense, with this John Matier, one game, I'm here for it. But then we kind of saw the. I don't want to say the true colors. We saw the surprising element that you just talked about. We saw something that no one could have predicted. And I, I don't. If you go back and watch the TV copy, I remember feeling it in the moment. It was one of those weird things. I don't. And, And, And I respect Oklahoma's fans so much that they. They did their job. There should be kind of silence when you take offensive snaps and when you go to punt the football, the less chaos, the better. But it was like this weird silence. Like, almost like everyone's like, hey, what's going on? If you guys could get your tickets for. For, for the New Year's, you know, like, it just got so silent in there. And then this punter who's been amazing all year, one of the best special teams groups all year long, and the kicker, Tate, like, he, He. He's been awesome all year long. But that punt, when he just flat out glitched and dropped the punt, it was like, wait, what? And now we go into halftime and it's like, we got a game. That was the first part. As you said it, obviously a tale of two halves, and it really wasn't even a full first half. I was thrilled to see Matier back up and running, and it gives me so much hope for him and next year and everything else. Okay. Honestly, I like. And. And had.

[B]

Had.

[A]

We sat down and. And Tucker gave us like a. And Dan gave us like a rundown and said, all right, here, I'm going to give you. I'm. Let's do scenarios. Matier throws for 307. What's the outcome of the game? We're like, oh, yeah, Oklahoma by double digits. There's no way.

[B]

No problem.

[A]

He can't. He's not healthy enough, guys. He's not now. It's cute, but he's not. He throws for 307 in a loss. Like, no, that. Right. That's not. But then the other part was, it's good to see Ty Simpson back, too, man. We hadn't seen that Ty Simpson in a while.

[B]

I thought he played better.

[A]

I. I'm not saying perfect.

[B]

Yeah, I thought he played better. I thought it was encouraging.

[A]

I don't why. I hope before you. I'm going to allow you to go here, but I do want to remind you, still an Offense that did not have. They had a great run game by their standards. This run game rushing attack is like 120 something in, in the college football. And I want to remind you that's Oklahoma's defense. Okay, well, they, they, they had 25.

[B]

Carries for 28 yards against Oklahoma. They ran Daniel Hill at the end of the game when they needed it.

[A]

He had one carry for 30 yards. Yep.

[B]

And he had that one carry for 30 yards and then he had that tough run at the goal line to seal the game. So when they really, really needed it, they got it from their run game. So you're right. I mean, Ty Simpson's still doing it without a run game. I mean the run, by the way.

[A]

And I want to tell you another stat again before you, before you.

[B]

I know where you go, but go.

[A]

I want people to have this perspective when they say this is it.

[B]

One for five.

[A]

It is. So you take, you take away that, that one shining moment for the Alabama run game, which because I heard a lot on the broadcast and I heard a lot of people after the game. Well, the run game, it seemed like they started to get the run game going. I'm like, no, it didn't, it actually didn't really. They had that long run. If they, you know, that, that, that Danielle Hill and, and Jam Miller combined for 24 rushing yards on 14 carries. That's not like that doesn't cut it. So my point is against that defense with your top two backs, fine, throw in the 30, 54 on 14 carries for the, your top two running backs. And this star wide receiver who I get has not been a big part, glitches out again. It's twice I've used that word. I'm not trying to but, but the drop, like it's, it's be. And now I'm reading all this stuff about transfer portal. So something's going on there too. And, and they try to go to one of the key third down drop, Ryan Williams, one catch, five yards last night.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And it's a continuation of what we've seen for the last few games of the regular season. SEC championship and here. So Ty Simpson without a run game, without a star wide receiver against that defense. Now go ahead and tell me he was just average.

[B]

I thought he played better. I love him too. I just thought, I just think that earlier in the year he was surgical and I thought last night was really encouraging and he played well. But I mean like Jeremy Bernard had to make an unbelievable. He did have a drop that he should have caught earlier in the game. But he made an unbelievable Randy Moss type over the back of the. The defensive back made a play. I mean, that was, that was a great play. I, you know, there was things.

[A]

I get it.

[B]

It's not that I thought. I didn't think Ty Simpson played poorly, but we're still talking about a guy that was, you know, 18 for 29 for 232 and two touchdowns. It wasn't like he went out and lit the world on fire.

[A]

I mean, nobody doesn't have a run game, Steve. I understand star wide receiver. He's got a tight end who's limping around and is not that effective.

[B]

I'm not saying he played poorly. I'm not saying he played poorly. I'm just saying that I don't watch. I didn't watch that game last night and think to myself, wow, Ty Simpson's back. I was like, this is better.

[A]

And I want to remind you, this is Brent Venables. The pressure packages and everything. How about the. How about the throw? 11:23, third quarter, Lottie Brown back left the end zone. Or Lonnie Brooks. Yeah, yeah, I got. I got Jam Miller's name, right? So now I gotta go screw up Lottie's back, left corner of the end zone. 1770. At the time, there were onions all over the field on that throw.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

14 minutes, fourth quarter, right rail shot, teardrop outside shoulder, shoulder. Lottie Brooks. Brilliant. There were some throws, man.

[B]

There were. Maybe, you know what? Maybe this is the problem with, With Ty. With me and Ty Simpson right now. Is that his bar?

[A]

He sets.

[B]

He set the bar so high that if, if he doesn't play to that. Because I'm telling you, in those three games, the, the three or the four games, they beat those ranked opponents, Ty Simpson was playing quarterback better than anyone in the nation.

[A]

Yes. Not even close.

[B]

Without question. Okay, so when I was like, I was encouraged last night, I thought he played better. I thought they played better. Like, I, I get all of that. I'm encouraged. I, I still. That that team that we were seeing earlier in the year, that was the team where you were starting to say to yourself, maybe this Alabama team can win it all. When you have Ty Simpson playing at that level and that passing attack operating at that level, then I do think they're, They're. They are a legitimate contender. I still don't know if I saw that. I think Ryan Williams has to play a bigger role for. For them to really get there. And, yeah, I guess it's maybe the passing game over Just Ty Simpson's performance. But that's what I'm comparing him to. I'm comparing him when he was at his absolute best earlier this year and now and last night was good. And it was against a really good opponent in a really tough situation. Not only game wise, not only being at Oklahoma at a play in a playoff game, but also all the noise surrounding the program. Like I get that. And he deserves a ton of credit. He's got another level he can go to. We've seen it.

[A]

Yeah, they're text. I guess there's some. All right. So I do want to say this though, as I, as I look ahead to this because apparently we've had some technical difficulties. That's fine. You know, in the next this, this is the point I wanted to make. In the next two, we could see the top three quarterbacks dance it off. I don't know that we've ever had a situation like this to end of the season so good. There are three quarterbacks. We talked about it the other day. I think this is important for people who like this show and are in the draft and college football as passionately as we are, we have an opportunity. The three quarterbacks could wind up almost like a play in situations like mano a mano. And then winner gets to play mano a mano to go play for the national championship. Ty Simpson, Fernando Mendoza, and who would have ever guessed? Mendoza comes in with the chip stacked in his favorite Indiana over Simpson does it Alabama. But welcome to 2025. I love it. And then the winner could. If Dante Moore carries this over, this momentum over and they knock off Texas Tech, which you and I both think that they're capable of doing. In fact, you picked them to do that. I did, yeah.

[B]

I still feel good about that.

[A]

I, I actually, yeah, I, I, It's a toss up to me right now and I'll, I'll get, we'll get into more of that in the next couple shows. But the, the winner of Mendoza vs. Simpson gets to go play Dante Moore. If Dante Moore can take care of his business. That's pretty awesome, man. And by the way, kind of wouldn't matter most years, but we started this whole College Football playoff last week by telling you things are getting really interesting with these quarterbacks. Ty Simpson's got a massive decision to make and it's beyond just the 17 starts. What or whatever it will be when I'm done. The 13 starts he had plus 14 now and it'll be 15 starts. Right. It's. Yeah, I'm 24. I'll be 24. I get that part of it. But there's a five star coming back. The DeBoer stuff, maybe that's cleaned up. He and he and Caleb. Caleb, look. Caleb DeBore look like this, you know, Seriously. No, no, they do, though. And I've heard that. And so I don't know. There's just a lot of factors there. And then you got Dante Moore, who everyone's like, this guy's mature beyond his years. Middle of the season, it was he. He. He is in no rush. He's 20 years old, man. Cool it. He's gonna be back next year. But then Will Stein leaves, so there's just a lot of things going on. Right. And so now, and we said coming in, if Simpson makes a run and, or if Moore makes a run and things go really well, they have not. I talk to people who know they legitimately have not made their decisions. They want all the information and all the information doesn't come out until their College Football playoff season or their college season and the College Football playoff run for them, respectively, is over.

[B]

That should be the process. Right? They should not be making up their mind.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Absolutely. You get. It's more time, more data, more talk to more general managers. Have your people, you know, like. Absolutely. And, and most of all, the last thing you should be thinking about while you're preparing for jmu, if you're more. And then now Texas Tech for Oklahoma, if you're. If you're Simpson and now Indiana is. Well, let's weigh these pros and cons and all. Like, and you don't want to be in that head space where you've made a decision. You know what I mean? You want that, that, that's something you deal with later. Right? So with all that said, it's. It's a subplot for us to keep an eye on in the next couple weeks in all of this. All right. They think we should get out of here. And I don't disagree.

[B]

By the way, really quickly, I may have spoken too soon about Chesney. I mean, they, they are, they've put up JMU's, put up 20 second half points here and kind of showed a little bit of a. A compete level here that I did not expect. So good for them.

[A]

Like, yeah, it's 46, 906 remaining.

[B]

Oregon does not change my feeling on whether or not G5 schools should be in. That does. If you're ranked high enough as a G5 school, you should get in. It doesn't change my. On that. But, you know, this wasn't. This is not the dumpster fire that I expected coming out of half.

[A]

No, no. And it shows. It shows a guy who's capable with this personnel. But quite honestly, I don't know that the personnel's any better. In fact, I would argue JMU's personnel currently, as is situated, is better than UCLA's. Maybe. I mean, I'd have to really sit down a deep dive.

[B]

But it.

[A]

There's not a big difference right now.

[B]

Right. But he'll change. Okay. You can get, in theory at least you can get a better player to UCLA with a guy with like Chesney there. You know what I mean?

[A]

That's. I totally agree.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. Yeah. Yeah. What do you want?

[B]

Do you want to rank the eight teams that are going to be left in this thing or what?

[A]

Let's do it. A tms. TMS Final eight Playoff power racking.

[B]

That's what we do.

[A]

I know. It's what Dan and Tucker want because apparently, like, the world is collapsing. Give him what they want. It may be a. This is where I get in trouble. I'm going to shut my mouth for once. I'm actually going to shut my mouth.

[B]

Good for you. Look at the growth. Look at the growth.

[A]

I want people to look at me right now. This is what growth looks like. I'm proud of you because I have so many one liners right now that I want to drop in behind the scenes to get people riled up, but I won't do it. Yeah, go ahead.

[B]

You want me to go mine or are we doing a consensus or you just want me to roll mine out?

[A]

I'm gonna go roll yours out and I'll tell you and then we'll create a consensus quickly.

[B]

Just off the top of my head, I'm going. Ohio State 1, Indiana 2. Georgia 3. Oregon 4, Texas Tech 5. Make sure I'm not missing anyone here. Texas Tech 5, Ole Miss 6, Miami 7. Who am I missing?

[A]

Well, here's the problem I have with this. We need. We need some. We need some qualifiers here. Okay. Are we saying this is Alabama? You can't rank Ohio State ahead of Indiana given that neither program is played and the last time we saw one beat the other. So you. You're telling me even after the. You know what I mean? I hear you. I'm fine with if you want to do.

[B]

In a rematch. I like Ohio State, but then.

[A]

But you have Oregon winning it all, so Oregon then would have to be number one. And so. So Pick or choose. But it's got to be one or the other.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

All right. And by the way, FanDuel agrees. Ohio State, I believe, is the confidence ranking. That's what they want. Which one do you think you have the MO on to win on a neutral field? So it can be Ohio State. It can be Ohio State.

[B]

It's Oregon's path. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna go Ohio State.

[A]

No, no, no. Not path. Not path. Neutral field. If you line them all up, who do you like?

[B]

I got you. I'm going Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Oregon, Texas Tech. That gets me to five, Ole Miss, six, Alabama.

[A]

You know what?

[B]

I'm going to Alabama, six. Believe it or not, Ole Miss, seven, Miami, eight.

[A]

I'm going to Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana, Oregon, Alabama, Texas Tech, Miami, Ole Miss.

[B]

I don't hate that. I hate that. Yeah, I'm a little worried about Ole Miss if kiwan Lacey's not 100, like, he's a big part of what they do. Yeah, I don't hate it. Indiana is getting a little bit of disrespect there, but I. This has come up with a little bit of our brackets, man. A lot of feelings about our brackets on X, which I love. I love the reaction, but I hope people understand they're the top five seeds in this thing are, like, legitimately. Any one of those five, I think could win it. And, like, there are. They are. It is.

[A]

It's fun. It's funny. I think. I think four of them can, but I.

[B]

Is Texas Tech the one you think Maybe.

[A]

I think Texas Tech can beat anyone. I don't think that they can run the whole thing. That would be. Of all the top teams of. Yeah, of all the top teams.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

In a weird way, I almost think Alabama could make a run before Texas Tech could. Actually.

[B]

I thought we were done with this. I thought you would.

[A]

You'd fixed it.

[B]

I thought you were over it. What I hate is now they're gonna make. Then now they're gonna make the run, and I'm gonna have to. You. The stuff I have to deal with from you.

[A]

I will be absolutely, absolutely insufferable. And mind you, I picked Oklahoma to win last night. Okay? But I will be insufferable if Alabama is in the national championship game, because you'll have to listen to me for weeks. Or two weeks, Whatever it is.

[B]

I can't wait to get a text from you in about 20 minutes, too, when we get off this thing and jam you backdoor covers for your FanDuel pick of the week.

[A]

Oh, yeah. What was it? 20? 21. 21 and a half. So it's 47. Was it 21 and a half? I. I did 21 and a half, posted it. It was like minus one hundred and twenty one, 26 or something like that. Oh, they're a half point off the COVID.

[B]

They're gonna backdoor cover at the end. They're gonna get some, like, ball.

[A]

Who's got the ball right now?

[B]

It's fourth and forever. Fourth of 21. Oregon's got it. I don't know if they're in field goal range, but they're close. Yeah, it looks like they are.

[A]

They're not gonna kick a field goal, are they? All right, this has been fun. We'll be back on Monday. What are we doing on Monday, men?

[B]

We've got. I don't know which one we have.

[A]

First for next week.

[B]

We're gonna. I mean, we'll be letting them behind the curtain a little bit.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

What show is airing on Monday? We're gonna try to tape some things it. So that we don't screw it up.

[B]

Damn. What are we doing on Monday? What's. What's the Monday? The all show team.

[A]

Oh, the. Yeah, the all the. All TMS team. Well, I gotta get some work done on that. All right, that's.

[B]

Yeah, that's a big one. A fun one, but a big one.

[A]

Yeah, the inaugural.

[B]

I got a couple guys.

[A]

Show team. I haven't even started now. I'm gonna. Now I can't sleep tonight. All right. This has been fun. Hey, we appreciate everyone in the chat. Thank you for being there, obviously.

[B]

Thank you, guys.

[A]

Kind of a disjointed because the. The games kind of sucked. But we're gonna. We will be back live for. Oh, which one is it? It's a stand. Help me out here. One of you. Let's tell the. Let's tell all the people we're gonna be back on. Oh, it's the. That's the 29th. That's the 31st. So it's new Year's Eve and it's new. Yeah, the first. We'll be back the night of the first. We're not gonna break into New Year's Eve. Like everyone go have fun. Even. Even you, AP and ghost of Steve Adasio. I know you guys have plans. Go out and have fun. Best handle Jeremy Godden X Factor. All you guys, we appreciate you always.

[B]

Trade back Cole Marie, but Jan. Jan first.

[A]

Everyone's licking wounds. We get. We have some awesome games that day, three games that day. And then we'll, we'll jump in the last game, probably, what, five minutes left, and we'll watch it together. And we will. And we'll review all those. And now we get the semis from that point on, so we'll have a ton to cover there. But in between, we're back on Monday as we always are, and we're fired up, getting ready for the holidays, getting ready for Christmas. And we will, but we'll be back before then. And men might even get us draft Santa, man, you know he's gonna get his suit on at some point. All right, we love you, we appreciate you. We'll, we'll see you on Monday. But buy five Star and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 + and present in D.C. gambling problem. Call 1-800-Gambler or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit MD gamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text Hopeny in New York.

[B]

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[E]

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