The McShay Show – College Football Playoff Selection Show Live Reactions! Miami Makes It!

Podcast: The McShay Show
Host: Todd McShay (with frequent co-host Steve)
Date: December 7, 2025
Theme: Live reactions and analysis to the just-released College Football Playoff selections, with fiery discussion of systemic problems, Miami’s controversial inclusion, the fate of top teams, and passionate debate over what’s best for the sport.

Episode Overview

This special live episode of The McShay Show sees Todd McShay and Steve reacting in real time to the College Football Playoff final rankings and field, breaking down why Miami’s inclusion is historic, the controversy over Notre Dame’s snub, and the broader flaws and future of the playoff system. The conversation pivots between immediate bracket analysis, existential frustrations with the sport’s governance, and rapid-fire reaction to surprises as the field is revealed.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

College Football Playoff Systemic Flaws and Frustration

• McShay opens hot: Years of experience…but angry this year about the system’s lack of foresight. Why isn’t there a centralized commissioner? Why do changes always lag disaster?

  • “Why is it there's no vision in this sport sometimes and it's frustrating?...Why can't we have…a governing body that actually looks over this sport and has vision to what the problems could be?” (03:13)

• Discussion of the automatic bid structure and its drawbacks:

  • ACC collapse led to a five-loss Duke as champion – highlighting that the rigid automatic bid system is flawed.
  • Group of Five auto-bids (e.g. Tulane, JMU) sometimes push out vastly stronger major programs, which is “bad for the product, television, and fans.”
  • Should be a “magical year” for a G5 team to get in, not just the default—must be ranked high enough or have signature wins.

• Steve agrees: “The ACC is a joke right now. This has been as mismanaged as, as it could possibly be.” (11:49) He adds the committee needs to “protect the product,” but ACC rules exacerbated the problem.

Revealing the Field: Controversy, Surprises, and Logic

Framing the TMS Top 12

• McShay and Steve’s ideal top 12 would have Miami and Texas both in, with only the genuinely strongest teams, regardless of (sometimes hollow) conference auto-bids.
  • “We would just have the best 12 teams in the College Football Playoff…We wouldn’t have Lane versus Ole Miss or JMU versus Ole Miss…” (17:59)

The Actual Bracket and Live Reactions (26:00–41:00)

• Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas Tech take top 4 seeds.

• SURPRISE: Ohio State placed at #2 despite losing, reflecting high committee regard for their resume and tough loss to Indiana.

• Big reveal and controversy: Miami IN, Notre Dame OUT.

  • “Oh, I’m stunned. I’m absolutely stunned.” (35:03, McShay)
  • Steve less so, but disagrees with the logic; thinks committee “crumbled under the pressure of a, of a head to head movement in the national media.”
  • Head-to-head precedence: The committee sided heavily with Miami’s head-to-head win over Notre Dame, despite nearly identical metrics.
  • “I do give the committee credit here…There are very few things more sacred than head to head competition.” (36:56)

• Notable stats/reasons:

  • Alabama had 10 key players out in the SEC championship (factored in by committee)
  • Miami and Notre Dame close in all metrics; strength of record actually favored Notre Dame, but Miami beat the Irish.
  • “Miami was 14th in strength of record. Notre Dame was 13. …But Miami beat Notre Dame and that's why we are where we are.” (41:41)

• Chat poll: 66% of listeners supported Miami’s selection over Notre Dame at the time.

Systemic Critique Continues

• “We’re arguing and yelling about the wrong thing, but it’s too late” (53:05). McShay insists JMU and Tulane shouldn’t be in at the expense of Miami, Texas, Notre Dame, or Alabama; the system needs changing.

Notable Quotes

• Todd McShay [03:13]:
  “Why is it there's no vision in this sport sometimes and it's frustrating?...Why can't we have…a governing body that actually looks over this sport and has vision to what the problems could be instead of us always being like, well we'll get them next year.”
• Steve [11:49]:
  “The ACC is a joke right now. This has been as mismanaged as, as it could possibly be.”
• Todd McShay [17:59]:
  “We would just have the best 12 teams in the College Football Playoff…We wouldn’t have Lane versus Ole Miss or JMU versus Ole Miss or…Oregon…and Tulane and JMU, and whatever matchup it winds up being.”
• Todd McShay [35:03]:
  “Oh, I’m stunned. I’m absolutely stunned.”
• Steve [35:22]:
  “…the head to head is, is getting overplayed here. … I think the committee got it wrong.”
• Todd McShay [41:41]:
  “Miami was 14th in strength of record. Notre Dame was 13. ...But Miami beat Notre Dame and that's why we are where we are.”
• Todd McShay [53:05]:
  “We’re arguing and yelling about the wrong thing, but it’s too late.”
• Steve [53:16]:
  “You are 100% right. Now we can move forward. I got it all off my chest.”

Timestamps of Essential Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:05 | Show opens; playoff system flaws and McShay’s frustration | | 03:08 | Lamenting lack of vision/governing body in college football | | 05:50 | Outlining the auto-bid problem; Group of Five issue | | 11:11 | Steve blasts ACC tiebreaker; both hosts critique conference rules | | 12:39 | TMS Top 12 and philosophy: best teams vs. auto-bid loopholes | | 17:06 | Dream matchups if best 12 chosen; what the system should be | | 26:38 | Live playoff reveal: Ohio State at #2 seed is a shock | | 35:03 | Miami gets in over Notre Dame; panel reactions and reasons | | 41:41 | Miami-Notre Dame decision, head-to-head vs. overall resume debate | | 49:53 | Notre Dame’s case, systemic unfairness, and “right teams” argument | | 52:40 | Spreads: Oregon a 21.5-point favorite over JMU, Ole Miss -17.5 vs Tulane | | 57:47 | Bracket breakdown and first-round matchup anticipation | | 62:01 | Spreads: Miami vs A&M, Alabama vs Oklahoma; matchup analysis | | 67:42 | Matchups to watch; defensive lines, quarterback battles | | 71:57 | Hosts make (preliminary) final four and title predictions |

Bracket Breakdown

• 1 Indiana (Big Ten champ)
• 2 Ohio State
• 3 Georgia (SEC)
• 4 Texas Tech (Big 12)
• 5 Oregon
• 6 Ole Miss
• 7 Texas A&M
• 8 Oklahoma
• 9 Alabama
• 10 Miami (controversial in over Notre Dame)
• 11 Tulane (G5 auto-bid; heavily criticized)
• 12 James Madison (G5 auto-bid; heavily criticized)

Notable Matchups:

• Alabama vs Oklahoma (8/9): “That’s going to be awesome…that pass rush for Oklahoma.” (58:05)
• Miami vs. Texas A&M (10/7): “That might be the best game of the first round, to be honest…” (57:50)
• Ole Miss vs. Tulane rematch (11): “rematch 45 to 10.” (56:13)
• Oregon vs. JMU: “Oregon favored by 21.5 and they should be over JMU.” (53:01)

Playoff Futures and Predictions (71:57–79:38)

Both hosts make quick, in-the-moment picks:

Steve’s Final Four/National Title

• Semis: Indiana vs. Oregon, Georgia vs. Ohio State
• Final: Oregon vs. Ohio State
• Winner: Oregon

McShay’s Final Four/National Title

• Semis: Alabama beats Indiana (calling the upset); Ohio State beats Georgia; Oregon advances too
• Final: Alabama vs. Ohio State
• Winner: Ohio State (back-to-back national champions)

Memorable Moments & Tone

• Repeated lamentation: “What are we doing?” – Todd’s catchphrase for system flaws, an exclamation used after every major decision he deems suspect.
• Miami-Notre Dame debate is the flashpoint, with Steve emotional for Notre Dame, McShay emphasizing policy and precedent.
• Both agree: The true injustice is allowing two-loss G5 teams in at the expense of deeper at-large pools full of top Power teams.
• Long-form analogies by McShay (e.g., the “patch the wing, forget the engine” airplane metaphor at 51:19) to hammer home systemic issues.

Overall Takeaways

• Hosts’ tone: Passionate, candid, occasionally exasperated but always invested in the long-term health of college football.
• Biggest storyline: Miami’s controversial selection over Notre Dame AND the uncomfortable reality that the CFP’s rules still allow clearly inferior auto-bid teams to push out elite contenders.
• Action items: Both call for off-season reform, smarter leadership, and a playoff structure that truly delivers the best games.

For Listeners/Newcomers

This episode is essential listening for understanding the 2025 College Football Playoff selections, the underlying controversies, and the urgent need for systemic change—filtered through Todd McShay's fiery, fast-paced, and deeply knowledgeable lens.