Ohio State’s Title Case, Colorado’s Closing Window, and SEC Playoff Scenarios

Summary

Podcast Summary: The McShay Show Episode: Ohio State’s Title Case, Colorado’s Closing Window, and SEC Playoff Scenarios
Release Date: November 24, 2024
Host/Author: Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr.
Presented by: The Ringer

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1. National Championship Contenders

Todd McShay opens the discussion by narrowing down the teams he believes are capable of winning the national championship.

• Todd (02:04): "In my opinion, there are just four teams that are capable of winning the national championship."

He lists his top contenders:

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Texas
4. Georgia

Mel Kiper Jr. concurs, emphasizing the resilience and talent of these teams.

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2. Ohio State’s Dominance and Upcoming Challenges

Ohio State is a central focus, with Todd highlighting their battle-tested nature.

• Todd (43:32): "Ohio State comes into the playoff the most battle-tested team."

He praises their ability to bounce back from losses and their performance in high-stakes games, including their rivalry matchup against Michigan.

Mel adds that Georgia has also been through the gauntlet similar to Ohio State, reinforcing their position as top contenders.

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3. SEC Standings and Playoff Scenarios

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is in a state of flux, with multiple upsets altering the playoff landscape.

• Todd (04:13): "The SEC deserves five teams in the College Football Playoff is dangerously on thin ice."

Key points discussed:

• Alabama’s Struggles: Despite a strong defense, Alabama lost to Oklahoma due to poor offensive line performance.
  • Todd (09:35): "Alabama's offensive tackles... could not protect Milro at all."
• Florida’s Performance: Florida remains strong but inconsistent.
  • Mel (23:32): "He's inconsistent, but he just seems to know how to make plays in big moments."
• Ole Miss and Indiana Out: Both teams are deemed unworthy of playoff consideration.
  • Todd (03:42): "Indiana does not belong in the playoffs. Get out of here."

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4. Big 12 Conference Chaos

The Big 12 is highlighted as an unpredictable conference with several teams vying for playoff spots.

• Todd (52:06): "The Big 12 is an absolute mess."

Key discussions include:

• Kansas’ Resurgence: Kansas has overcome a poor start to win consecutive games, defying expectations.
• Colorado’s Decline: Once a strong contender, Colorado has faltered, failing to control their running game.
  • Todd (56:46): "Colorado's defense... absolutely failed out of position."

Mel commends Kansas for their unexpected turnaround, especially considering their basketball-centric reputation.

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5. Ohio State vs. Indiana Game Analysis

A detailed analysis of the Ohio State vs. Indiana game reveals strategic adjustments and key performances.

• Todd (29:10): "Jim Knowles... recognizing that the four-man rush just ain't going to work today."

Key Takeaways:

• Ohio State’s Defensive Strategy: Shifted to a five-man pressure, resulting in five sacks and putting constant pressure on Indiana's quarterback.
  • Todd (30:17): "They got home five times today. And it wasn't just the sacks."
• Indiana’s Offensive Struggles: Despite a strong start, Indiana couldn't sustain their performance against Ohio State’s aggressive defense.
  • Mel (33:05): "Rushing numbers look bad because their punter had negative rushing yards."

Notable Quote:

• Todd (07:22): "This was not like routine. It was not Oklahoma."

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6. Heisman Trophy Predictions

The discussion shifts to individual accolades, focusing on potential Heisman Trophy candidates.

• Todd (63:22): "Travis Hunter is going to be the person who gets his name announced."

Highlights:

• Travis Hunter: Viewed as the frontrunner due to his exceptional performance and impact on games.
• Caleb Downs: Praised for his versatility and potential to become one of the best safeties in the NFL.
  • Mel (37:08): "Caleb Downs could be the best safety in the NFL."

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7. Special Teams and Game-Changing Moments

Both hosts emphasize the critical role of special teams in the outcomes of games.

• Todd (19:32): "Why are we running? Peggy's off tackle. That is weird."

Key Points:

• Ole Miss’s Short Yardage Issues: Multiple failed attempts due to ineffective running strategies.
• Significant Plays: Highlighting Clemson's Travis Hunter’s impactful plays, despite overall team inconsistencies.

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8. Upcoming Week’s Games and Playoff Implications

Looking ahead, Todd and Mel analyze the implications of upcoming games on playoff standings.

• Todd (62:30): "Colorado's got Oklahoma State on Friday night."

Key Matchups:

• Arizona State vs. Arizona
• Iowa State vs. Kansas State
• BYU vs. Houston

Playoff Spots:

• Big Ten: Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and potentially Indiana.
• SEC: Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida.
• Big 12: Arizona State, Kansas, Iowa State, among others.

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9. Final Insights and Conclusions

Todd concludes by reiterating his belief in the four main contenders, emphasizing Ohio State and Georgia’s readiness for the playoffs.

• Todd (46:20): "My four... Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, and Georgia."

Mel supports the tiered approach to playoff predictions, backing Ohio State and Georgia as primary contenders with Oregon and Texas as secondary options.

Closing Quote:

• Todd (75:36): "You can't give up return and you still can't watch that."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Todd (02:04): "In my opinion, there are just four teams that are capable of winning the national championship."
• Todd (07:22): "This was not like routine. It was not Oklahoma."
• Mel (23:32): "He's inconsistent, but he just seems to know how to make plays in big moments."
• Todd (43:32): "Ohio State comes into the playoff the most battle-tested team."
• Todd (56:46): "Colorado's defense... absolutely failed out of position."
• Todd (63:22): "Travis Hunter is going to be the person who gets his name announced."

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Conclusion

In this episode of The McShay Show, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. provide an in-depth analysis of the current college football landscape, focusing on national championship contenders, conference standings, and pivotal game performances. Their discussions emphasize the volatility of the playoff race, the emergence of unexpected teams, and the critical impact of individual performances and coaching strategies. The episode serves as a comprehensive guide for listeners to understand the complexities and dynamics shaping the end of the college football season.

Transcript

[Todd McShay]

The McShay show is presented by FanDuel. College Football Saturdays are packed with action and FanDuel is where you can score every game day. Let's face it, November is everything in college football. The playoff picture is starting to become more clear. This is the first year with the 12 team playoff and we have some critical matchups throughout this month. Why we love fanduel there's so many markets like spreads over unders, national championship futures going to get a part of that and so much more. This app is safe, secure and easy to use. When you win, you'll get paid instantly. Visit FanDuel.com McShay to download America's number one sportsbook. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and help lines available and listen to the end of the episode for additional details. Must be 21 and older and present in select states. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit RGH help.com this.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

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[Todd McShay]

We're live. Mensch. There's no turning. No turning back now. Have you caught your breath?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

No, my head is spinning. It's spinning.

[Todd McShay]

Smokes week 13. What a mess. All right, here we are. So let's just full transparency. It's 11:30pm Eastern time. I'm, I'm looking over, over the camera here. I get Texas AM, Auburn, second overtime right now. 38. 38. And there's some sort of mess that they're, they're figuring out. We've had about 95 messes that have to be figured out today in college football. All right, so make sense of it. This is this, you know, like when, when Spotify came to me and said, you know, do we think we should have like a professional host and someone who can handle the trap? Like, so far so good. But tonight we definitely need one. But we'll do our best. Okay? So thank you everyone for joining Us, we got a lot to navigate here. And I also want to thank YouTube Television today because that four box saved me. I mean, without that four box. Yeah, it was like remotes and, and notes and it was wild. All right. So I just wanted to rip through a few things. Mensch. Just to get us started of thing of what I think I've learned today. Okay. Here's what I've learned today. 10 different things. I'm going to rip right through them. In my opinion, there are just four teams that are capable of winning the national championship. Okay. Mark that down. We'll come back to it.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

Number two, Ohio State is one of them. Number three, Penn State is not. Number four, Indiana does not belong in the playoffs. Get out of here. I saw that look.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, we'll get into that one. Listen, you're on a roll. I'm gonna let.

[Todd McShay]

Not number five. Same for Ole Miss don't belong in the playoff. Number six, Florida is the SEC terminator right now.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And as a. As a 6B might be the fourth best team in the SEC.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Interesting.

[Todd McShay]

Okay. Number seven. My claim that the SEC deserves five teams in the College Football Playoff is dangerously on thin ice.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yes.

[Todd McShay]

In fact, I don't even believe it anymore. We'll get to that. Number eight. We all, we all appreciate what the service academies and what our military does for us. Everyone in America does. Notre Dame owes the service academies a special gift this Christmas for getting two ranked wins over Navy and Army at the time. Teams that were right. I mean my goodness.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

That.

[Todd McShay]

What a gift they. They owe. Number nine. We have an absolute mess in the Big 12. I don't.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

We won't even. We'll. We'll discuss it. We won't sort it all out tonight because it's not sorted out. And then number 10. Are you ready for this?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I. I hope.

[Todd McShay]

We've been clamoring for this 12 team playoff.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yes.

[Todd McShay]

How about this thought maybe we don't have 12 teams worthy of making a 12 team play college football playoff.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Interesting. All right. I. Yeah. A lot to say. Can I add. Can I add a 11 that you. Maybe you. Boise State better. Better stop messing around or Tulane's going to jump a man.

[Todd McShay]

Well, I mean let's just throw it. Ashton Ginty, Heisman Trophy candidate.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

First running back off the. Off the board. When we get to. When we get to next April. Something crazy is going on this game. It's 4138 Auburn over Texas A and M. Coaches are screaming. Hughes Freeze is going nuts. Ashton Ginty Left the game against Wyoming, 2 and 8 Wyoming, I believe, coming into the day. And, and it was a screeching halt. Screeching halt was the Boise State offense. He came in and played Superman in the fourth quarter. Let him. It was a key part of that, that fourth quarter drive. They get the win. Boise State still absolutely in contention to be the, you know, the fifth conference champion to make it in the College Football Playoff. But there is a growing push. So our boy Stanford Steve, today, notice what, what jacket he was wearing. Tulane. A growing push for Tulane. Yes. So anyway, all right, so we got, we got Boise State out of the way at least. But that's, that's certainly a, an interesting discussion that we can have throughout the week and, and for the next couple of weeks as we get closer to the College Football Playoff. So those is my, Those are my 10 things that I think I learned today. Okay. Okay. I thought we were going to kick things off just a couple hours ago, like three hours ago. I thought for sure we kicked things off with Ohio State, Ohio State, Indiana. Biggest game of the day coming into the day. Can't do it. Got it. Look straight to the sec. We got to go. Alabama, Oklahoma, five and five. Oklahoma one in five. Oklahoma and the sec. We said it early in the week. We talked to Bear. Remember, that line is fishy.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

And it was 13 and a half. Oklahoma, Alabama's rolling. And. And I truly thought it was going to be a battle. I knew Venables, Brett Venables, the head coach, defensive mastermind, was going to have something up his sleeve. I knew he was going to make it difficult sledding for Jalen Milroy. I don't think anyone saw this coming, though, right?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

No, no. I mean, listen, we can get into the Milrose stuff, which we probably will in a minute here. But the more concerning thing for me, Oklahoma, who couldn't run the ball all year, really, 50 carries, 257 yards and two touchdowns against that Alabama defense today. And that Alabama defense I've looked at all year. And I've said they don't have the pass rush that they've had in years past. This has been one of the worst pass rushes they've had in years. But I thought they could stop the run. And when you're looking at, you're looking at that Oklahoma team running for 257. I mean, obviously they're out at this point. Right? Like, I, I just don't see any way that they, they get in.

[Todd McShay]

They just lost 24 to 3.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

I mean, this was not like routine.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

That South Carolina handled, by the way. This was not Oklahoma.

[Todd McShay]

It was, this was not a fluky play. Something. So, I mean, let's just get into it, right?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

And I wrote it in my notes as I was watching this game and this is early on when I thought we'll touch on this game. But, but certainly Alabama is going to, going to battle back. It's ten three at the half. Ugly half. We've seen Alabama have ugly halves before, but we've also seen them kind of, you know, sort things out. They bottled up Jalen Milro in the first half. He had nine carries for negative two yards. Mensch.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Venables had a, I mean Venables and his defensive staff had a great plan. This is a championship caliber defense. If you match this defense for Oklahoma with, with a great offense, you'd be in business.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right?

[Todd McShay]

We've seen that. We saw him against Tennessee battling, you know, hanging around, but all the turnovers and just. You have no chance after a while. But I, I guess my biggest. Well, there's, I have two huge takeaways from this game. Okay. And they're both Alabama related. First of all, Alabama's offensive tackles, Proctor and Pritchett. Pritchett had, I mean, nightmares is putting it kindly. This was like devastation type level of performance from them all night long. All night long. Holding penalties, sacks allowed, pressures. They could not protect Milro at all.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

At all.

[Todd McShay]

Number two takeaway. I mean, I remember back seven, eight weeks ago and I'll reference it again. Greeny coming on Sunday countdown in the morning and talking about why, why isn't Jalen Milro QB when Rex Ryan's screaming, that guy I watched last night, who's better than him in college football? And Field Yates. I met Field Edge Green, he said in the, in the makeup room and he said absolutely could be in QB1. I get it. We get excited and I get it. He's a phenomenal athlete and throws a beautiful deep ball. You're telling me that guy we watched tonight is ready to go play in the National Football League?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

No. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Okay. And I love Jalen Milroe. I got to better days. I went with a bunch of guys who know him this summer down at Gymnagy for the, the Senior bowl. And they, they worked with Milro and they rave about him as a human being. You talk to people in that program. Jalen Milroy is a wonderful guy, a leader, tough competitor, great athlete, phenomenal runner and outstanding deep ball and has the arm, but he's so much developing to do and you watched him tonight and yes, the protection was terrible but when you, when you chop off his legs, what is. What. You know what I mean?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Alabama, let alone what is he. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Yes. The whole thing. And it's not. This isn't just. I'm coming on to rail Milroe. I'm coming. I just. I started with the protection because that even if Milro was, was an elite level pocket passer.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

You didn't have anything to work with tonight. But you do see the decisions. The, the errant throws just. It just. It was not a brand of football that, that was sustainable when, when you, when he can't run. And, and, and what Oklahoma did, don't take a thing away from what Oklahoma did. Their ability to bottle him up, ceiling off the edges. The discipline they play with, the tackling in space like they were awesome tonight. But, but that was a tough watch. That was a tough watch.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. I mean I was stunned. I was stunned because like, I mean you had kind of. You were onto it earlier in the week that this could be a much more of a closer game than we thought going in. Never could have seen this. And again, I know all those things you talked about and I'm just going to go back to it again quickly. Oklahoma just controlled the game with their running game. It just again 50 for 257. 50 carries, 257 yards. Against Alabama. Against Alabama.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And again defense. No. And this is the defense that I thought was strong up front. Could stop the run but couldn't get after the quarterback. If you can't stop the run, you. I mean I don't know what, I don't know what the identity of that Alabama defense is. And we could talk about more and you're 100 right? The picks are ugly. I mean he, he looked like he was making a pre step read. He was very mechanical. I'm just going to throw the ball here. Based on what I saw, not reading the defense after the snap and how coverages were rolling, it just looked, it did not look good. And then again, can't run the ball. I just. If you can't stop the run and you can't run the ball, you're not going to win a lot of football games.

[Todd McShay]

I mean I, I think, I think A M just went for two. Not. I'm not ignoring you but I mean we're doing this live. A and M, I think just went for two or they're. I don't know. We're in.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, we're like in the Conversation looking. I think it's.

[Todd McShay]

I figured out yet.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

All right, so. So I. And I want. The reason I looked up is because I want to get into the SEC standings. We'll have to do in a little bit. Yeah. I mean, Jackson, Arnold, they. They. It was 80, 20 run pass. I. I believe it was somewhere in that range. So what do we. I mean, where do we go from here with the sec? Well, let's, you know, let's just transition. I mean, there's not much more to say in that game.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

No.

[Todd McShay]

Absolute domination, both sides of the ball. They. They stuffed it down Alabama's throat. Defensively, Milro was ordinary because he was bottled up, and when he was bottled up, he didn't have protection, so it didn't even matter if he was Joe Montana.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Like, there was nothing to work with there. One unbelievable play. He had that touchdown throw that he had to. Ryan Williams got the foot in, like, just phenomenal play.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And. And it was called back because. Because of a penalty that they confirmed in. In with her being Fowler in the booth and that it was. It was the wrong call, but it didn't matter. You know, I thought it was going to be that kind of night where it did matter, but it didn't even matter.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So that leads me to the next. The other huge upset today. Florida Ole Miss.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. Should we seen this one coming a little bit?

[Todd McShay]

24, 24, 7. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we. Yeah, we touched on it. Hindsight a little bit, but I didn't. Man, I, I didn't buy it. I didn't buy it. Too much. Too much to lose. Here's what I thought. I. I thought Ole Miss had had gotten that. That Kentucky game out of its system, looked great against lsu, but we. We've come to realize that lsu, just like I said last week, is a splintering team. And George, Georgia, not almost Georgia. I'm sorry, George. The Georgia game, but Ole Miss just. They came out in this game and they couldn't. They couldn't get it going. Montreal, Johnson for Florida was awesome against this defensive line to run for 127 yards and a touchdown. I thought that that was huge. But let's face it, like, as great as Florida has been the last two weeks and, and they've played great. And I already said that there. I would put them at number four, arguably, in terms of the SEC and like the, the teams on the field right now, the way they're playing with. With Lagway in there, and Lagway didn't even have a Great game. He was okay. He didn't have a great.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

He was.

[Todd McShay]

It wasn't like having Lagway in there was, was a huge difference maker in this game. It just wasn't. It was all about Ole Miss and a couple things jumped out. No run game. We've said it all along and remember. Do you remember like just a couple years ago this was a. It was weird to see Lane Kiffin with such a run oriented football team. Everything was about the run. They had, they had really good backs. They had adept at the backfield and, and now you watch them, they just, they can't, they can't run the football. Jackson's done.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

They're running back.

[Todd McShay]

Sean Judge a couple years ago was like, was the backup when he was a freshman, you know. And now, and now they just, they don't have any dudes and yeah, they let Judkins go in free agency as we talked about and they took that, that nil money and they got that defense, this defensive line that's phenomenal. But they can't run the football. And so Jackson dart wound up leading them in rushing today. Their leading rusher at the running back position men was Micah Davis with 27 yards.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So. All right, so now, so now we're going to put it all on Jackson Dart. I thought this was interesting. Okay, two things were interesting. Trey Harris and I, I don't know if there was an injury again bouncing around four different games at a time. All three different win.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right, right, right.

[Todd McShay]

Trey Harris had that 43 yard touchdown catch early in the game. Right. And it was like, oh, Trey Harris is, you know, they're going to be rolling and, and now maybe he's 100 now. And then I didn't hear from him the rest of the day.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

He was hurt.

[Todd McShay]

Oh, he got hurt. Okay, so, so that's what happened.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

So unless I'm mistaken, but I'm almost 100 sure.

[Todd McShay]

No that that would line up because I, I just didn't see him the rest of the day. Right. I never heard an injury.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

He was on street. He was in street clothes later on. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

By the way, Auburn just upset A M. Unreal, man. 43, 41 in four overtimes. This is live right now at 11:45pm Eastern Time. And I know most people will watch and listen to this after the fact, but it's kind of fun just getting our reaction to this.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So now, so now. So now we've got Ole Miss number nine going down to Florida. We've got Alabama number seven going down at Oklahoma and then another five and five team just like Oklahoma was coming into the day in Auburn, who's been playing better ball recently. Another five team knocks off 15 Texas A M, three SEC ranked teams in week 30.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I don't want to mess with your role in your format, but I'm just going to say it to you. How are you keeping Indiana out now?

[Todd McShay]

I'll get.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Are you keeping them out?

[Todd McShay]

I'll get there. Let me turn off this TV so I'm not distracted again.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I can't wait to hear this because I'll say this really quickly before we, we go back into whatever you want to do. I felt the same way after watching that early game, Ohio State, Indiana. I was like, yo, Indiana's out. But after watching everything else it's unfolded, I think Indiana's back in.

[Todd McShay]

I'll counter with winner of South Carolina. Clemson. South Carolina, Clemson should go in. We'll get to that. Get to that. Okay, but yeah, I hear you and this certainly didn't help my argument. I, I got. But so, so the run game, it's not there. It's non existent for Ole Miss. It's all on. It's all in Jackson. And by the way, J.J. pegis, your boy who's who was 12 for 12, I think on short yardage and goal line situations, I see that people not watch. Yeah. Two failed short yardage attempts today really were critical.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Why?

[Todd McShay]

Why?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Why? Everyone's heard at running back.

[Todd McShay]

I get it. That Florida's got a 430 pound defensive tackle in the middle of their defense. I get that. But why are we running? Peggy's off tackle.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, that's weird.

[Todd McShay]

That is weird.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And it looked like he had a seam, didn't it? Like he looked like he had a scene between the tackles.

[Todd McShay]

They were usually the strength of their offenses is short yardage with piggies and they were terrible today. And it was, it was costly. But the most costly thing in this game. And then quarterback gets too much credit, gets too much blame. I get it. I thought this was interesting. I was watching the game, right? And Greg McElroy, friend, very respected, totally get what he was doing. Not even sure he, he totally picked up on what the, what the truck was trying to do when they threw up the graphics. I don't remember the exact graphic, but it was something along the lines of when, when Ole Miss got the ball late in the game, it was like. And they were trailing. It was a graphic that popped up about Jackson dart. Remember this guy's played a lot of ball and they've Won a lot of games. And he's right. May go down as. As the. Or one of the most accomplished quarterbacks at Ole Miss. And his legacy will always be that he was part of this rejuvenation of Ole Miss and what they've done. Right. Bringing this program back to life and some consistency with it. But this graphic pops up and it's like. And don't quote me exactly but it was. It was less than 6 in. In situations. Fourth quarter when, when leading his team and trailing, trying to make a comeback in the fourth quarter. It's like 56, 57. It was less than 60%. I think it was like five touchdowns, three interceptions. It was not. The graphic was put up there by the truck to basically state like he's not always been awesome in these situations.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Okay. And Greg went on to talk about. I don't know that I'd rather. You know. Not many guys I'd rather have, you know, ahead of Dart in this situation. Love having a veteran who's been through a lot of wars, which I totally understand.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Fair point.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. I think the truck was trying to point out something a little different. So. So that register like three or four plays later Jackson Dart throws into triple coverage and throws that an interception beyond tough. And then. And give give McElroy all the credit in the world. He's like. He. He called it and it was absolutely true. And the camera angles that they had showed it. He just. He is. And I. I've been guilty of this many a time and I did not play at the level of Ole Miss and. And all of that. But I, I understand how it happens. You make a determination pre snap where you're going to the football in hell or high water. I'm going there with the football.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Problem is when you do that and all of a sudden you don't make the post snap read correctly then you can throw. You can throw in a triple coverage.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

And it killed them. That was. That was probably, probably the interception in the single play indecision that decided the fate for Ole Miss. But three timeouts left, defense does its job. Get the ball back. He threw two more interceptions. But I know and I don't mean to be laughing and I know the press conference after apologizing to everyone. I can't even imagine the weight of the world on that young man's shoulders. And I've met. I've sat in a room with him for an hour two different times. Love them. Like just. There's nothing not to like about Jackson Dart as a Human as a competitor, as your quarterback. Except the decisions he made late in this game and he threw it through one interception, got lucky that the ball was bobbled a little bit. They called that back. And then he comes right back out and throws another interception.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

That one, I wasn't sure that was as much as his fault, I thought.

[Todd McShay]

No, no, the, the third interception, the second of which that counted actually wasn't that. That one wasn't his fault. Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

In fairness.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Can I say something about leg way real quick?

[Todd McShay]

Yep.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Inconsistent. The Florida quarterback, he's inconsistent, but man, he just seems to know how to like he just has a knack for making plays in big moments.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I mean this is a tied game and he throws that 41 yard dart that gets Florida down there and it's just, it's impressive. The other thing I will say, and I think this was a.

[Todd McShay]

Even at one point they were in like their own end zone. He dropped into their own end zone. Instead of like handing the ball off to get out of their, like the trust that Napier showed in him and, and, and he completed that pass to get him out of their own, you know, backed up in their own territory. That was the confidence that Napier showed in him. And then, and then to pay it off the way he did. Yeah, it was not a great game from, from DJ Lagway, but there were moments that they needed.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

And he stepped up.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. He played well enough for them to win. And the other thing I will say there was the muff punt and special teams this time of year, man, if you, if you, if Ole Miss had the muff punt and when you do that, your margin of error, it was, I think it was the very beginning of the first half. They had a. Florida had a three and out muff punt. Florida gets a field goal. They go up three at that point. It's, it's one of those things, man. You're, you, you're banged up at running back. You're not having a great day. You're on the road. Special teams, and I think that that played a role in other games too. Special teams can have a big impact on a game this time of year and on, on a race, on a, on, on a playoff standing.

[Todd McShay]

I'm just looking at it. I didn't pause for the awkward effect or because I wasn't listening. I'm just looking at the, I'm just looking at these SEC standings.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. Good luck.

[Todd McShay]

Texas is now six and one.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Think about coming into the day, Texas is six zero and our, our producers are wonderful people in our truck, if you will, all across the country. Pull up the SEC standings just as we call for it. 6 and 1 Texas, 10 and 1 overall. A M was right behind Texas. It was supposed to be. I mean, we're supposed to have the showdown next week, right? Two, one loss. SEC teams, Texas A, one loss overall. A&M, two losses overall. Now they go from. They go from contender. A M does to spoiler. Really.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

But. But still, like, still, you go beat the number three team in the country in the final week of the season and we've got a jumbled mess.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

You can make up for this, this Auburn loss pretty quickly. But. But who's. Who's betting on A and M going to do that? But anyway, so there's still something in front of A and M, let's put it that way. But now they drop down from number two in the SEC behind Texas to number four behind Texas, Georgia and Tennessee. All three of those teams, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A and M have two losses in the conference. A and M is the one of those three teams with three losses. The rest of these teams all have three losses in the SEC and three losses overall. That is. That includes South Carolina, my wild card team that I've been talking about for three weeks now. Bench, followed by now Alabama dropping to that spot, Missouri and then Ole Miss. And that's why I said at point 3 or 4 in my topics off the top, Missouri. I mean, Ole Miss is out too.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, I agree.

[Todd McShay]

Not because I don't believe in a playoff that they're capable of. Of beating a team or two, because I do. But. And I don't believe that with Indiana, but I don't. I don't. Here's where I stand with Ole Miss. They don't deserve to get in at this point there.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I mean. Yeah, well, no, I, I think Florida's a much better team than they were, but ultimately they're a 6 and 5 team and a 5 and 5 team. I think coming into this game, like you have to.

[Todd McShay]

You have to as well.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So. So this is. I mean, this thing's a mess. Mansch.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It's a mess. How you like me now? Georgia? I mean, Georgia's got to be.

[Todd McShay]

They're the best. The biggest.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

The two weeks Georgia has had.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Two weeks of George has had is. Is amazing and good for them because I do think after watching that Tennessee game, I mean, George is one of the top probably three teams in the country. Right. So good for Georgia.

[Todd McShay]

That's.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

That's Interesting that they benefit so much. And you know what's even more interesting about this is what if A M beats Texas next week? Texas has to get in.

[Todd McShay]

Right.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Because there'll be a two loss SEC team. So I think Texas is kind of a little bit more insulated where if they had lost, if, if these games weren't upsets today, Texas I think was real danger of maybe not making it if there were a bunch of two loss SEC teams.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

So I think they're maybe a little more insulated.

[Todd McShay]

That's actually a really good point.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

The biggest winners in all the Texas, Texas and Georgia.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And then obviously Tennessee is still sitting in a really good spot. All right.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

I guess now we make a transition to the. What was supposed to be the biggest game of the day, the big noon kick. Indiana, Ohio State. I felt like, you know, you know me well enough. I felt like we did a good job of explaining to people earlier in the week after our film study of Indiana why they're 10 0. If by some crazy chance they were able to pull off an upset, here are the reasons why. And I thought we were kind of dead on the first drive.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And even, you know, through the first quarter or so, that first drive in NE looked great. The wide receivers were a problem. The Ohio State cornerbacks were in trouble.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Like the Igbonosa, Davidson, Igbonosa number one. He actually got bench for a minute because he had two penalties. And we've always said, and you were the first to point out, he's handsy, he's right. He grabs too much in the NFL. He's not going to be able. And so you love him in press if he can be physical, but only within the first five yards. The problem is he doesn't have those great, you know, change of direction skills. And so against quicker guys who are great route runners and we talked about it, Indiana's got three really, really good receiver college receivers. Guys who can get in and out of breaks, leverage their routes, know what they're doing. And it was a problem for the first drive. But honest to God, the coaching decision, and it wasn't like brain surgery. This was not. But, but Jim Knowles, the defensive coordinator for Ohio State, recognizing that the four man rush just ain't going to work today.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

We need. But, but as we talked about leading up to the, to the game, Rourke does not have a monster arm and he does not have mobility. He's not a threat. So you. So what's our job? Like hell in high water. We better we better affect the quarterback. We better, if we're not even getting home, we better get him off his spot, make them uncomfortable, make him throw on the run. That's because you let him sit in the pocket with those skilled receivers who are outstanding route runners, outstanding contested catches. They catch everything. We talked about it. You're going to be in for a long day. And that's what it kind of looked like it could be right after the first drive. But now all of a sudden it went to five man pressures and it was, it was six or seven guys that were hot at the line of scrimmage that, you know, that the quarterback had to account for. He's having to overthink. He doesn't know where the pressure's coming from. The offensive line struggling and my goodness, did it pay off. T.J. tui moya, lala. Tui moyala. Sorry. Tui moyala plus Jack Sawyer plus Cody Simon equals five sacks. Yeah, they got home five times today. And it wasn't just the sacks, it was the constant pressure. Roark never looked comfortable after that first drive. So, so Jim, no recognizing that we've got to, we got to dial it up. Don't care if we're vulnerable, our corners suck right now, but I'm still going to take a chance. And, and we're, we're going to gamble on that because, because number one, if we don't get to Rourke, we're going to be in for a long day. So let's figure that out right away.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It was really disappointing that Indiana couldn't figure out a way to shore that up a little bit because there, it wasn't like they were getting beat up in one on one matchups. It was more like they were turning guys loose. I felt there was and we'll see when we go back and watch tape. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm watching on TV and I'm thinking scheme wise they didn't have, and this should not have happened because Ohio State's blitzed a lot more since the Oregon game. We know this and it just seemed like scheme wise, like they were trying to block JT with the backside guard on these play action. It was like, what are we doing? Like you can't like their scheme wise. It didn't seem like they had a great answer for how they were going to block up these pressures. So that, that was tough. But I mean it's. Anyone who watched the game knows that's exactly what happened. As soon as Ohio State dialed it up that often started to shut down which is also, you know, the other thing about it is you look at the rushing numbers and they look bad because their punter had negative rushing yards and their quarterback got sacked five times or whatever the number was and negative yards, they actually, the two backs kind of ran the ball well, you know, so they could, they weren't like gashing Ohio. Yeah, they did, they were, they were, they could have been balanced and more consistent. They just could not block or they couldn't, couldn't figure it out to hold up for the pass direction long enough to make plays in the passing game.

[Todd McShay]

17 does have some juice. Yeah, that was fun to watch, you know, when he, when he got a chance but it just, it wasn't going to be enough today. I mean the other, the other thing.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And listen, we knew they were going to be bigger, bigger, faster, stronger. There was no question Ohio State was bigger.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Stronger. We all like didn't take a super scout to figure out the talent level difference. But to your point, in a couple different areas, I, I listen, I, I can't respect Ryan Day more than I do. I can't respect Chip Kelly more than I do. And Jim Knowles proved his worth. Jim no proved, proved his worth once again. And you know, some, yeah. People have different differing opinions on how great he is or just okay, whatever that is. He had a hell of a day today. But I did think coaching, not that they were going to get out coached but I did think Indiana's coaching was going to be at that level because it had been all season.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

And they were, they were playing better than their talent level would indicate all season long. And we watched the tape on both sides of the ball hat on hat in the offensive line, receivers running great routes, the timing, the precision, defensive side gap discipline, you know, understood all the things that you look for in a well coached team. They were check plus plus okay.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

But they didn't make adjustments on the offensive side. They didn't have the max protection to do the things. They didn't get that figured out. And then in special teams you can't go into the shoe.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

That big of a talent discrepancy and botch that punt that led to seven and then give up the, the punt return. I like Caleb Downs is superman to.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Me he is amazing. I mean two returns before today, had two returns. He had a couple returns last year at Alabama and then he had two.

[Todd McShay]

Returns, third punt return of his, of his season. He goes for six in, in the biggest moment.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Caleb Downs is different on a bouncing.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Ball by the way he didn't even field it clean. It, like, bounce, and he scoops it. And.

[Todd McShay]

What a great story.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Like his.

[Todd McShay]

His brother, obviously. Josh Downs, we knows with the Colts. His dad, you know, it's just a football family, like, studying tape when he was, like, 8 years old, 4 years old, like this. Like, he's just. He's born for this. And even not knowing the story we taught, we did a whole, I don't know, 10, 15 minutes on. On downs the other day. I wasn't even watching. Remember, we were doing an evaluation on the Ohio State defense, and I know Caleb Downs. Like, I know who he is.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

But I'm not studying him like an NFL draft prospect because he's not eligible in 20, 20, 25. But there are certain guys you just can't help.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

And I came away from studying that Ohio State defense trying to. Early in the season, trying to get ready and, like, oh, no, no, no. Like, he would be. He would be the top safety in this year's class. And we've got a great safe. Great couple, great safeties. Malachi Starks. Mel, some people think Malachi Starks could be a top 15 pick. This guy's significantly better than him.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Oh, yeah, Yeah. I agree with that.

[Todd McShay]

Like, I would put him up there. Like Will Johnson, Michigan cornerback Travis Hunter. If you could only draft him as a cornerback, I would still take this guy. He's that special.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, I. I don't disagree. I mean, there's. What.

[Todd McShay]

Check.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Tell me a box that he doesn't check. Smart, versatile, fast, physical, could cover plays, the run. I thought he set the tone. Even though that Indiana first drive was. Was really good for Indiana. He was setting the tone on defense early. The way he was coming up and hitting guys, you can't turn on the Penn State tape without just seeing him everywhere. I just. I don't know what box that he doesn't check.

[Todd McShay]

How high would he go in this draft?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Top five, Top ten? Top five. Maybe it wasn't a safety top five, but definitely top ten because he's that talented.

[Todd McShay]

Like, I. Derwin James. I'm just, like, going through, like, Derwin James, Antoine Winfield Jr. Like, I think he's got a chance to be. I'm not saying that those are the NFL cops. I'm saying, like, who are the best in the league. I think he's up. Like, I think he's got a chance to be at that kind of level. I truly do. I. I think Caleb Downs has a chance to be a. Like, one of the. One of if not the elite, at some point in his career, I think Caleb Downs could wind up being the best safety in the NFL.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I don't disagree with that.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, like that's.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

But he's a sophomore, right? I mean he's a true sophomore. That's what we're talking about and that's how impressive he is now at Ohio State. I mean I don't know what else we can say but with all that.

[Todd McShay]

Said, all, all the heaping praise on Caleb Downs, you still can't give up return and you still can't watch that. So like, so that was it. So like we kept saying and listen, Will Howard was efficient. 22 of 26. I just like his fit in this offense. He's, he understands that. He operates it efficiently. He's not going to make big, big mistakes. They want to be a run first team. All the passing game works off the run game. They've got, you know, one of the best, the, arguably the, I mean Ryan Williams for Ohio State. But Smith is up there with the elite. True freshman Jeremiah Smith, an absolute star. And they, it's hard to get him the ball sometimes as much as maybe that kind of talent should get it right now. But.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

But Will Howard isn't going. It's kind of like the Jackson dart thing with Trey Harris. Like he's not going to force feed that player because it's about running this system for what's best for this team. And Will Howard puts the team in front of him and he's going to put everybody, he's going to put team in front of everybody else.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

And, and that's why he works so well because they've got so many stars. They've got two stars in the backfield. They've got a, they get two stars at wide receiver and it just so happened. And by the way, watch it, go back and watch the tape because I, I saw enough today on, on replays and I was really looking for it. Number four was getting double covered like Indiana was going to take him away. And they were like fine, take him away. We got Judkins, we got Henderson, we got a mobile quarterback and we got this guy who's probably going to be a second round draft pick in a Mecca Abuka and he went for seven, 80 and one today. Yeah, Mecca had seven catches, 80 yards and a touchdown. So I, I just think Will Howard continues to be what they need from him at the quarterback position.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

This episode is brought to you by Vitamin Water Food Entertainment Sports Teams.

[Todd McShay]

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[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It's got something for every taste.

[Todd McShay]

So it's fitting that Vitamin Water was born there. It's a product of its environment. Colorful, flavorful, anything but boring.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Vitamin water injects a daily dose of vibrancy into a watered down life. So grab some Vitamin Water today.

[Todd McShay]

Today NYC style. Vitamin water is a registered trademark of Glasso. So you want to be a marketer? It's easy. You just have to score a ton of leads and figure out a way to turn them all into customers. Plus manage a dozen channels, write a million blogs and launch a hundred campaigns all at once. When that's done, simply make your socials.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Go viral and bring in record profits.

[Todd McShay]

No sweat. Okay, fine, it's a lot of sweat. But with HubSpot's AI powered marketing tools, launching benchmark breaking campaigns is easier than ever. Get [e-mail] marketers and when it's all said and done like you want to see in games like this, do championship teams show up and do what they're supposed to do and make it emphatic. They did that against Penn State. They showed up and the score wasn't as big as it could have been. And, and Howard, that was the game.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

We said the comments it could have been bigger.

[Todd McShay]

Oh that they could have won that game by Ohio State. Could have beaten Ohio State by 21 had not been for three plays.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Were the three plays.

[Todd McShay]

Well the touchdown that he fumbled out of the back of the end zone.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Oh, you're talking about the Penn State game.

[Todd McShay]

Yes, the Penn State game.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I thought you're about talking about today. Yeah, I agree with that.

[Todd McShay]

It's been a long day.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I guess we get into that. No, no. Yeah, my bad.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. They could have won the Penn State game by hold. Okay.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

So and, and they did it again today against against Indiana who's a lesser version of Penn State. Right. And Oregon was on the road early in the year, had a chance late in the game and Will Howard made a critical mental error. But he's learned from that. He didn't go in the hole he didn't like that's an easy place Columbus to. To kind of lose confidence and and start to hear hear all the outside noise. Hasn't has not let anything affect him. And now they're rolling. They got Michigan obviously rivalry game. Michigan's not to the level but we've seen crazier upsets than that. But I expect them to come out and take care of business again.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And, and I want to say this about Ohio State and put a wrap on this and you can, you can put a period on it, but I, this is what I want to finish with. You can argue Texas is more talented or is up is just as talented. You can argue Oregon deserves to be ranked number one ahead of Ohio State. And I would argue with you, but going into the playoff in terms of confidence battle tested, where they've been and how they got here, I would argue Ohio State comes in kind of like, like built, built for tough, if you will. They're right because they lost their game. They lost their game against Oregon on the road. They bounce back from that. They've. They just finished their third top five matchup. Right. Then they've got to go beat the rival Michigan that has owned Ryan Day. And I get it, Harbaugh's not there.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I get it.

[Todd McShay]

Michigan's not that good. But I promise you it's the only game that matters in, in that state. Okay. And so they've got to exercise that demon. Okay. And so they, assuming they will have done that, then they go and play in a big Big Ten championship. That will be their match. That will be their fourth. Find me another team because it doesn't exist. I mean another team that has four games, I don't even care if they lose that game. I'm saying having to play and fight in four top five matchups and I think they can win that game. But bottom line, Ohio State will go into this college football playoff the most battle tested team. And I think we'll have like what is it? Iron. Iron. Strengthens iron.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Like yeah, just.

[Todd McShay]

I think, I think they go in with like they've been through the most and they're like ready to go.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Georgia would like a word.

[Todd McShay]

Okay.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I think, I think George would like a word and I think that. But I think to your point, those two, it's Ohio State.

[Todd McShay]

Yep.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And it's Georgia that have been through the gauntlet. So you, you led this off by saying there was four teams that you thought could, could get through the gauntlet and win the, the national championship. That correct. Am I right about that?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. Let's just go.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Okay.

[Todd McShay]

Perfect. Time to go there.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Okay, go.

[Todd McShay]

My. My four. And, and I want you to do this while I'm listing him off. It will only take a couple seconds and I'll. True serum. Always transparent on the show. Before, before 7:00 kicked off, through the first quarter, there was, it was five teams in. Alabama was one of them.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

They're not on that list anymore. I, I saw things tonight that are absolutely frightening and it's, it's too late. It's too late in the season, though. And quite honestly, had Old Miss rolled against a good Florida team, it could have been six. It could have been six. But it's four now. And that's like late in the season, handling the week in, week out grind. And, And I. The cream rises and here's the cream to me. And I want to know how deep you'll go, because you, you may say eight, that's fine. But I want to know, like, in your mind, if you're betting your life on it, like, these are the teams that I have. I have to have the confidence level and I only have to go two if McShay's not forcing me. I can, I can do two, I can do three, I can do four, I can do eight. As many teams as you want.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

But, but truly that you are going to place all of your confidence points on these amount of teams. I can only go four deep. It's Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Georgia.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Is that, is that an order for you or is that you.

[Todd McShay]

Actually.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Maybe not. Can I tell you something that really bothered me?

[Todd McShay]

Probably. Yeah, for right now, I'll say. Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I. Something that's sticking in my mind about Oregon really quickly. Do you remember they went into the Pac12 championship game last year against Washington? Do you remember the lead up to that game and they were nine and a half point favorites going into that game?

[Todd McShay]

Yes.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And I thought they were going to win that game even though they had lost to Washington earlier in the year. I thought they kind of were on a roll that they were going to go in. I wonder. I'm sitting here asking myself, same with Utah, too.

[Todd McShay]

What do you mean previous years in. Previous.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Okay. Right. So in my mind, do you think that Oregon team is better than. Which Oregon team is better? Last year's Oregon team or this year's?

[Todd McShay]

This. This year's.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Really?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I think it's a debate. I think, I think it's. I think it's a debate. And I wonder how. Well, they just haven't had the adversity that Georgia and Ohio State has. And it kind of scares me. I. So when I, I could go for. But If I'm being 100 honest, it's Ohio State and Georgia. Texas scares the hell out of me. They. Are they. Yeah, because the defense is so good. But I'm not convinced.

[Todd McShay]

So you. You'd rather have more, let's say you had a hundred dollars, right? I'm gonna bet $25 on. On those. I get. I get a hundred dollars to disperse between those. My four teams. Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Georgia. This is a better way to do it.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

I give you a hundred dollars. You're willing to take. Take out. So you're Ohio State.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I go. I go 50 Ohio State and 50 Georgia.

[Todd McShay]

So you don't even want 10 bucks on. Or you. You would rather more money to stand. More money because of confidence.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I shouldn't say that because that's. That's kind of where I was hedging a little bit. I feel much. So I would go 44. I'll go 40. 40 on Ohio St. Georgia and then 10 on the other two. Because I do think those. I think there's another drop after those two. Right.

[Todd McShay]

All right, so let's do this. So. So we agree that those. You're putting a tier within the. My first tier. My first tier would be Oregon, Ohio State. All the time always tears. You're taking it. The first tier would being Ohio State and Georgia and then the second tier being Oregon Texas.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yes.

[Todd McShay]

All right. So we both. There's a line after those first four.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I definitely think so after that.

[Todd McShay]

And I haven't thought of this. I'm doing this on the fly after that. Who's your next. If you got one more team you can put. Put money on.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Not. I'm telling you right now, again, this is the gauntlet to run, like, to. To make a run. Right. I might.

[Todd McShay]

To win.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Like.

[Todd McShay]

There's nothing else. There's no. Like, oh, you get some points or you get.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Oh, they had a great game.

[Todd McShay]

They. They won two game. No, like, they. If they don't win the national championship, you get nothing for it.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I'm not putting any money on them, but I might.

[Todd McShay]

No, I know, but I'm giving you 10. I'm giving you $10 additional and I'm getting $10 additional or 100 or. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I'm gonna take that FanDuel money and I'm gonna put it on Tennessee probably.

[Todd McShay]

That's funny. That's the same team I was gonna go with agreeing so much ahead of Pen. That's all right. I'm sure everyone listening and watching disagrees anyway, so it. You know, I don't want to play. Not Penn State, who is ranked fourth. It's not Notre Dame who is ranked. Ranked six. And we'll probably bump up one spot. It's not Miami.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

It's not. Yeah. I mean, there's nobody else. Everything else is ravaged right now. Yeah. That's interesting.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I don't want to play Notre Dame in the first round, by the way. Don't want to do it. They run the ball so well. If you play outside, too, if you're going to play an outdoors game against Notre Dame in the first round, because those are all home games. I don't want to play that game.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I think between Love and Leonard, that that team can be a handful on any given night.

[Todd McShay]

I agree. Love is. I mean, we don't. There's nothing to get to in that game because they just ran through another service academy and there is a different.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Running back to talk about every single week. I mean, we could talk about love tonight or we're gonna. I'm guessing we're gonna. Devon Neal when we get into the Kansas. The Kansas.

[Todd McShay]

Colorado game. You bet your ass we are. And I already talked about Montreal. Johnson. Montreal Johnson from. From. Floor. From. Yeah. Florida.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Hunter for Auburn. I mean, it just.

[Todd McShay]

And we talked about 17.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. Was it Ellison?

[Todd McShay]

Is that. No, Ellison's six. It's.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

How am I forget his name?

[Todd McShay]

John Tay or. No, I'll get it.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I have it right here.

[Todd McShay]

Tyson Lawton. Thank you.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So anyway.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

All right.

[Todd McShay]

So, I mean, I think. I think that's a good way to kind of contextualize this whole thing is to look like the confidence thing to me. While everyone's been screaming for a 12 team playoff again, I go back to my initial statement. I don't know that there are 12 teams currently that you feel truly deserve to be in there. But more importantly, I only. I truly only believe that four can win the national championship. And that's.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. What do you mean they don't deserve to be in there? You don't think that.

[Todd McShay]

We'll get to that. We'll come back. We'll come back.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Okay.

[Todd McShay]

We're almost there. I want to tease you and the listener the whole. The whole time.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. You don't deserve it. Who are you to say.

[Todd McShay]

Go make love to yourself, Mensch. Bad time guy. All right, so. So I do think it's worth, like, we got to get to the Big 12. And I know it's not. It's not the SEC. I know it's not the Big Ten, but I feel like we covered that as much as we can. I. The Big 12 is an absolute mess.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It's fun though, too, right?

[Todd McShay]

Like, it's awesome.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

You had a locked up. BYU was right. BYU was a 4 seed like 2, 2 ranking reveal shows ago. Right.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Done and done.

[Todd McShay]

Now look at the four way tie. Four way tie. We've got Arizona State six and two in conference, nine and two overall. Byu, Iowa State. Do you remember Iowa State still plays football?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

They got some guys, man, they're pretty good.

[Todd McShay]

I know, I know. Their receivers are going to the Senior Bowl. They're gonna be in the NFL. I'm not. I'm just saying like no one would. This was Colorado and BYU before Colorado got back in it. It was BYU's. Arizona State was like a cute party school. You know, like let's go have fun there. Arizona State's not now they've ripped off four in a row.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So let's, let's get in the two games that kind of made things presented some clarity. But actually it's the opposite of Claire presented this mess that we have. Kansas, Kansas, Colorado. And we knew it. What did we say? Watch out for Oklahoma. That line's fishy, but I don't think they'll lose, but they'll hang. And then, and then Colorado, Kansas. The play of the week was take Kansas. Just like the play of the week last week was take Kansas. Two weeks in a row they have had the fishiest line and fanduels, you know, fd, FD sports book of any game out there. And both weeks they've come through. Kansas, Colorado, 3721 was the final. It wasn't even close. They tried to make it close. At the end they were playing. The Buffs were playing catch up the whole day. They didn't realize. They did not realize the fight that they were in. I want to, I want to make two points and you can go where you want with this. Okay, three actually they're going to be quick. Travis Hunter, it was his show. He's wide receiver one. Doesn't need to play cornerback. He's wide receiver one. And if he's the number one overall pick and he's the first one since keyshawn johnson In 1996, I'm fine with that too. In a class that's not loaded with elite players at other positions, including the including and especially the quarterback position. If you're just taking the best damn football player and a player in a league where the receiver position continues to rise in terms of its positional value, I think now's the time. I'm not saying he's going to be, you know, one of the best five receivers in the league, but maybe he can be. And I know this. He's Just explosive. And it, when they needed it, did not. It was not an offense. It was how do we get the ball to Travis? And that got him back in the game. The third touchdown. Did you see what. Did you see what he did to that poor. And that cornerback's going to be in an all star game and get drafted on a day three. I think it was number two. Was that Brian? Was that Kobe Bryant or the other guy?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Let me see.

[Todd McShay]

Doesn't matter.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Well, you know what?

[Todd McShay]

Let's not bring up his. Let's not bring up.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, why are we gonna do that?

[Todd McShay]

Embarrassing. He broke his ankles off in the shortest area. So that, that was almost. Aside from this game. Like.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Everything we knew about him, we just did a full breakdown on him. But Travis Hunter was just. He's since played well. Yes. Shador held on, holds onto the ball too long. Still the problem. Yeah, still a problem.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

But.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, but the. But at the end of the day, Colorado's defense, which has been much improved this year, absolutely failed.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yes.

[Todd McShay]

I was ringing the endorsement. That's my guy, Silman Craig, the safety, number seven. Of course, he comes out and has the worst game that I've seen him on tape.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Missing tackles, overpowered at the goal line, made mistake. Several mistakes. But that. It wasn't on him. I'm just mentioning him because I just, I just highlighted him. The defense failed out of position, couldn't stack up at the line. And. And Devin Neil was sensational. 207. Seven Russian yards, eight. I think it was 80 receiving yards. Bottom line, 287 yards from scrimmage with four touchdowns.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, that's it. I mean, that's the bottom line. I mean, and then you look down and you're like, oh, that's why Kansas had the ball for more than 40 minutes in this game. I mean, again, like, keep it simple, man. Like, there's just certain things you. If you tell a coach, hey, the other team had the ball for 40 minutes, they're gonna be like, yeah, well, probably gonna have a hard time winning that game. You tell the coach that you gave up, you know, a 200 yard rusher. Oh, well, good luck winning that game. Like, it's just. There's just things that are really difficult to overcome. Right. And these are, these are red flags, man. If you cannot get them off the field, you're. It doesn't matter that that Shadow Sanders completes 23 out of 29 and that Travis Hunter is the best playmaker in the country because you can't get them the ball enough you can't get the possessions. I mean, it was unbelievable. And Devin Neal, 41 touches today for almost. Oh, my goodness, almost 300 yards and four touchdowns.

[Todd McShay]

At the end of the day, he's so tough.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I mean, it was. It's fun to watch that kid run, by the way. And how about Kansas?

[Todd McShay]

Go ahead. Sorry, Kane.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Sorry. I'm gonna rant now.

[Todd McShay]

No, no.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Kansas, the last three weeks, a team that was basically written off as dead after this terrible start, after going 1 in 5 and then 2 and 6 to beat Iowa State, BYU and Colorado in three consecutive games. It says a lot about that program and the pride that that program has when you look at this. You know, traditionally a Kansas, you know, it's a basketball school. They're not that great at football. Those kids deserve those, the coaching staff, those kids deserve a ton of credit for the way they've showed up the last three weeks.

[Todd McShay]

Weeks. I'll tell you, a basketball school. Indiana.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Oh, here we go now.

[Todd McShay]

Here we go. Two. I mean, two teams you don't want to play in college football right now. Florida and Kansas.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

And three weeks ago, if we had said that, it would be a laughing stock.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right. So, I mean, it's, it's amazing. It's amazing how, how it changes, the landscape changes week to week.

[Todd McShay]

It really is. I don't really want to go anywhere with this, but I can't help but just. Colorado is just the, the Mountain west version of Miami.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Oh, yeah.

[Todd McShay]

I mean, Miami has more. Miami doesn't have Travis Hunter, but they probably have more. Like if you stack the skill guys and weapons, maybe. Although I, I do like Colorado's receivers, but I do think like talent wise, they're. Yeah. Deeper. They're more guys in Miami. I think the offense. The offense is a little. The offense is better in Miami. The defense is better in Colorado. Has been. But what's the difference? There's. I don't. They're both, they're both dangerous teams on a given week, but can't trust them because their defense isn't good enough. And they've got flaws. They got flaws up front offensively. Right.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. So, I mean, I, I don't hate it. I like the running game for Miami a little bit better, but I guess.

[Todd McShay]

The line is better. They're Miami's offensive lines better.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. I don't hate the comparison. But you know what else is funny? Like, it's funny how expectations change, right?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

If you had said that Colorado was going to be a three loss team at this point in the season, and have a chance to go to the Big 12 championship. Everyone be like, wow, huge success for coach. What a. What a year for Colorado.

[Todd McShay]

Won four games last year. They won one game two years ago. Now they lose. Massive turnaround, right?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And then now it's like, one. Yeah, this guy stink. It's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You know, like this. This team's had a hell of a year, and I loved. I don't know if. Do you see Coach Prime's speech after the game?

[Todd McShay]

I did.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I thought it was dead on. It was. What do we do now? Like, you guys, you read all the press, and we got caught.

[Todd McShay]

He pulled. He pulled a line from Nick. From Uncle Nick, St. Nick.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

The. The success is intoxicating. You got intoxicated by success. He pulled that line on Nick's playbook.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And what do you do now?

[Todd McShay]

They're good friends, and why wouldn't you?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

But, yeah, he's got Oklahoma State next week, and, you know, that looks like an easy game based on what Oklahoma State's done this year. But don't mess around. You take care of business. And you. You've got a shot to still get. You still have a shot to get in the playoff, man.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. Two teams. Two. Two out of the four teams of the Big 12 are gonna wind up, and honestly, we. We can sit here and try to sort it all out right now. It is. It is complicated, I think. Daniel, our producer, Simplest Big 12. I'm just going to read it. Simplest Big 12 tiebreaker scenario. Arizona State at Arizona next week will Host Iowa State vs Kansas State, who. Which is against Kansas State next week in conference title game if all teams win out.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right. So Colorado doesn't control its destiny.

[Todd McShay]

No. So Arizona State and Iowa State, too.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Who's Iowa State got next week?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I'm looking right now.

[Todd McShay]

Thank you. This is like breaking news just for us.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Iowa State is at Utah. Oh, Arizona State.

[Todd McShay]

Utah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

No, hold on, hold on.

[Todd McShay]

No, no, no, no.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Iowa State this weekend.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. Iowa State. Just Utah. Yeah.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Apologies.

[Todd McShay]

It's not the best in the business for. For nothing, folks.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. All right. This is right now. So Colorado's got Oklahoma State on Friday night.

[Todd McShay]

Okay.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

BYU hosts Houston, Arizona State at Arizona, and Kansas State at Iowa State. I mean, this is still wide open. Yeah, it's wide open, man.

[Todd McShay]

Kansas State. All right. So. Yeah. So it's a huge success for. I mean, you. You're probably gonna have the Heisman Trophy winner. Oh. Oh, FanDuel. I. I love our guys at FanDuel. It's 1228 Eastern. Updated Heisman odds just popped up. You ready? This is breaking news.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It's a blast.

[Todd McShay]

This is after Travis Hunt Hunter. This is after Jinty came back and played Superman. All that. You ready? Top four. Yeah. It's an absolute blowout. I overhyped this.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It's like Jud over William and Mary.

[Todd McShay]

We'll. I guess we just got to it. Although happy birthday, Dave Cooney, who we played with the University of Richmond. Joe Douglas flew in from New York. Elio in Bernoni, who's Mr. Iceman to set to Many of you people with barstool does all the. Yeah, hockey, gambling. Kerry Goodwin, who's a linebacker for us. They're all out in Boston, 12 miles away from me. You know what? I'm doing this with me talking. I'm talking to your ass instead of partying with those guys tonight. But happy 50th birthday, Dave Cooney. All right, Travis Hunter minus 750. And then look at the difference. Ashton Ginty plus 600. Then talk about another drop off. Cam Ward plus 1200. And then all the way down to plus 6000 for Dylan Gabriel. So this thing's in the bag. If we didn't already know that, we know it now.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, I agree. It's interesting too, because I wonder how many.

[Todd McShay]

Can we just get to Arizona State for a second?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, go for it.

[Todd McShay]

No, keep going. I mean, I always had a couple of things. I was impressed.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

How many Heisman Trophy winners were on three loss teams?

[Todd McShay]

Oh, I don't know.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

You know what I mean? I want to look into that. I don't know either, but I'm guessing not a lot. And it's an individual award and it should absolutely be Travis Hunter.

[Todd McShay]

No, I love where it's going this year. Where. I mean, not. Dylan Gabriel is the only one there like legitimately with a chance to win a national championship and he's at plus 6,000. So. Yeah, no, I, I love. And, and I don't think it's because of voters or it's just because of the situation. Yeah, you know, because. Because Quinn, yours hasn't played that great for Texas and he got injured and came in and came out of the game and, and Will Howard is, is operating in offense very efficiently, but he's not a superstar. And Notre Dame doesn't have a superstar quarterback. And Alabama has a superstar quarterback some weeks and this quarterback is very average other weeks and they just lost their third game. Like the whole thing's a mess. And so the Heisman is going to be a Mess. And so let's just focus on the best player. That's absolutely what it is this year. And Travis Hunter is going to be the person who gets his name announced and he will be the next Heisman Trophy winner. But I, But Ashton Ginty being there is honest to God, like I, you would love to see a guy like that win. But, but just being there is a huge honor as well.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Dan just hit us. It was Caleb Williams in 2022.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, he had to really. McShay. What way to think Arizona State. Why. Why are they there? I. I'm just like Kenny Dillingham. He's. Man, he had a day with some quotes and some behavior and. But how bad are those kickers?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

His kickers must be the worst kickers ever. I mean, come on, bud.

[Todd McShay]

Let's focus on the positive. Arizona State's won six of seven. They had a weird loss at Cincinnati. They've run one four in a row since that loss. Sam Levitt keeps getting better every week. Cam Scatterboo is a team. I mean, we featured him. He was a. That's. That's my guy. I told. And I talked to an NFL scout. I told you this out of the blue, out of nowhere. Said like we were talking about all these different players and high profile guys. He's like, I just got to tell you, like, don't sleep on Scattaboo. This guy translates. And, and he is. Since then, like he got injured, he got nicked up a little bit, came back. He's been highly effective today. He finished with 147 more rushing yards and three touchdowns. He was just. Yeah, he's just a workhorse.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And how about the storm storming the field early? That's becoming a new. Was that South Carolina?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

We stopped doing that. Yeah, South Carolina. Then they did it tonight.

[Todd McShay]

It wasn't on them this time. Like the game was over. Like the refs called it. And then all of a sudden there was a review after the fact. But, but ASU, man, 28 to 9. They were leading late in the third quarter and almost gave this one up. But, but hats off to Dillingham, to Levitt, to Skataboo in Arizona State. That's. And he's an Arizona State guy. Like he grew up in that area. So like, it's always cool to see the coach who's alumni, who has roots there, kind of bring. Think about what I mean. My boy Herm. I love Herm Edwards. I truly love the man. But that thing, that thing turned good and then it turned Ugly. Fast.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Fast. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

See how quickly he's turned things around there is really cool. And. And listen, we're here for the chaos. And there's chaos in the SEC, there's chaos in the Big 12. We'll see if Kansas State can. Can pull off the upset next week and give Colorado a shot to get in back in the Big 12 championship. They don't. I wouldn't say that they definitely deserve it anymore, but we all kind of want to see it just because the story and everything that will go. And there's got to be a Big 12. There has to be a Big 12 champion in there, given the current rules. And. And I understand why. But. But let's just look at it and I guess we'll wrap it up here. Notre Dame's in, the ACC gets one in. But that. That one's going to be interesting. Okay, 12 is going to get one in. And then there's the Boise State or Tulane, the fifth conference conference chain.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right?

[Todd McShay]

So that's five spots. Okay, Notre Dame, ACC, Big 12, and fifth conference champion, Boise. So that leaves us with. No, that's four. Sorry. Notre Dame, ACC, Big 12, and then five.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

The Power 4, plus Notre Dame is what you're saying, right? The conference winners plus Notre Dame.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, but I'm just saying the ACC and the Big 12. I'm leaving out the SEC. Okay. And the Big 10 for now.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I got four.

[Todd McShay]

So eight spots are remaining after Notre Dame, the ACC champion, Big 12 champion, and either Boise State or Tulane as the fifth conference champion.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Got it.

[Todd McShay]

So now we get eight spots left. I was huge on it. Has. Has to be 5sec and should be 3.3big 10. I'm still not backing down totally from that stance, but I will throw in there. There's a scenario in which Clemson goes and kicks the living daylights out of South Carolina and gets in having not played in the ACC championship game. Or there's a unbelievably tight game between SMU and Miami, and SMU still sneaks in, but I think it's more likely that we're good. Things are going to just be sloppy and slushy in the sec, or you can take a lousy Indiana football team. I don't mean truly they're lousy. I just. They haven't played anyone. They had the 106 strength of schedule, and I just. South Carolina's strength of. Strength of schedule is 8.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

Indiana's was 106 prior to this week. It obviously would go up having played Ohio State. My point in all of this is. You've got four teams. We just talked about Notre Dame, ACC, Big 12, and the fifth conference champion occupying four spots. We know for certain it's going to be at least three from the Big Ten, and that is Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Okay.

[Todd McShay]

We know at least three from the sec. That's Texas, Georgia and Tennessee as of right now. Right?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Right. Correct.

[Todd McShay]

So there's two more spots.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. Let me. Let me ask you something. What's so great about Penn State?

[Todd McShay]

Oh, I don't talk. I don't think.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

We just talked about how they could have got blown out in that Ohio State game. Game. And they barely beat us.

[Todd McShay]

But they're in. They're. I, I already said, like, they're absolutely overrated. I don't. Like, I don't buy. Like, I, I just got done watching Ohio State just demolish Indiana and then I turn. You gotta remember the time window like that was. That was noon to 3, 3330 kickoff. Now I'm watching. I'm watching Penn State and I can hear James Franklin now it. And by the way, onions James Franklin. Hats off. And I'll. I'll take my shots when I can take my shots. But I also wanted to be very clear. Penn State survived in large part because he made some really ballsy decisions in that game. The fake punt to extend that drive that could.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

That three minutes left on your side of the field.

[Todd McShay]

Menchie. That ends their season. That ends their season. So credit.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

So you're saying that because Penn State's more talented roster wise are. They played Ohio State close on paper. They did. You know, like, I'm like, so what are you talking.

[Todd McShay]

So you are two from the Big Ten now?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

No, no, I want four. I think Indiana's in. And I didn't think Indiana was in after the game. But it has to count for something. It has to count for something that they blow out all those teams. They play the schedule. It's not their fault that Washington sucked this year. It's not their fault that Michigan sucks this year. Like, you can't. It's not like they were ducking guys. They still play a Big Ten schedule. They played the schedule that was in front of them.

[Todd McShay]

All right. Fanduel. So. So now, now I have to know. Indiana neutral site. This will be Tuesday show. Neutral site. Indiana versus Clemson. Much more importantly for me, Indiana versus South Carolina.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

Indiana versus A M. You're gonna take.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

But you're.

[Todd McShay]

Then you're talking about Indiana versus Ole Miss.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I get the odds. I get the odds. I Understand that. But that's. That's not what this is about, though, is.

[Todd McShay]

I know. I know that.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. Okay. I want to say those odds.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. Yes and no. I'm not conceding that. I'm not conceding that. Mensch. I'm really not. I. I get. It's not about what, what FanDuel is saying or what odds makers are saying. I understand that. That's not, that's not what the committee is discussing, but I am saying that the committee is there to provide us with the best 12 teams.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And so if.

[Todd McShay]

If FanDuel comes back in any outlet, any. Anyone comes back. If FanDuel comes back and says they're six point favorites, they're a touchdown favorite. Well, isn't it our job is committee members to put in the best 12 teams?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. Give me the Penn State odds that gets those same teams.

[Todd McShay]

Okay. All right. So now we got some stuff to get to on Tuesday.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

We always have stuff to get to, man.

[Todd McShay]

I know.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

And I know Penn State's going to look better. I think Penn State's the more talented team. I think the, the odds are going to favor them more. But I just. I have a hard time. I just don't know how you leave them out. But again, I didn't think they would leave Florida State out last year, and they did.

[Todd McShay]

I watched SMU recently against bc. Like, I'm sorry, I. I guess I have SEC bias, but I'm talking about. And Clemson hasn't been great and they almost lost a pit. No, I get all those things. But, like, I know talent.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

You know, and SMU's, they're, they're. They're a good team and they've got some athletes and they do some good things and they're explosive. But like, I watched them trudge through that game against bc.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

They lost the byu.

[Todd McShay]

They lost the BYU is losing to everyone now.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yep. That win doesn't look like what it used to.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. So I don't know.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

But out of the ACC championship game right now.

[Todd McShay]

No. Why are you reading something that I don't know about? No.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

In the standings, it has SMU and then Clemson.

[Todd McShay]

No Clemson.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

That must be wrong.

[Todd McShay]

I believe so. I mean, we need to double check.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Probably wrong.

[Todd McShay]

But my understanding was Miami and then. And then the tiebreaker there was with Clemson and Clemson and smu and because SMU beat Louisville and Clemson lost to Louisville. That was the difference. But that.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

I think you're right. That's what I remember hearing, too. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. All right. It's off The Rails.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It's.

[Todd McShay]

It's now 12:43am Eastern Time.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

We also know that Clemson's gonna get their doors blown off by South Carolina, right?

[Todd McShay]

No, I don't know that. I love. I, you know, I'm a, you know, I'm a South Carolina like.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Apologist this year and I believe in them, but I, I don't. Door's blown off now. I mean.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, you're right because South Carolina's a little inconsistent. I like South Carolina in that game, though.

[Todd McShay]

It's gonna be an awesome. It's gonna be an awesome game.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yes. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

You have a great defense for South Carolina. You've got a high powered offense at times for most of the season for Clemson. And then the other side, you got Sellers, Lenore Sellers, who's. Who was great last time out against Missouri and they needed him to be. He's kind of like a role reversal both games. I mean, if you think about both their. Clemson. I know Clemson beat up on was a Citadel today. Yeah. Clemson in their last competitive game against pit, it was a role reversal. The, the defense saved them against Pit and their offense struggled and for. For South Carolina, it was their offense that saved them and their defense had struggled. So I'm, I'm just excited to see that game. I'm telling you right now, with as crazy as things got. I told you. What did I tell you this week?

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah, you did.

[Todd McShay]

Tryptophan. Yeah, Tryptophan time. You're on campus. Where's everyone? When's everyone leaving? Going home. Are you coming back on Sunday? You leaving on Tuesday? Things. The schedule changes. There's people in your ear, there's just noise. And then you smell the tryptophan and starts to get weird this time of year. It always does this week and next week.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Always.

[Todd McShay]

There's always weird upsets, always weird games. And we saw a bunch of them today. Today was awesome.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

It was awesome.

[Todd McShay]

We're all over the place. I apologize for our, you know, we don't have a performance. Professional host here mentioned. I are doing the best we can. We covered a lot. Head is definitely spinning. We'll. We'll talk on Tuesday. We'll be back on Tuesday. Hey, live viewers, thank you. You hung in there. It's 12:45am Eastern Time.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Yeah. It's no joke.

[Todd McShay]

And we appreciate every week it's been kind of a, you know, the numbers have gotten a little better. But what I, what everyone tells us at Spotify is the people who come on are staying on. So we appreciate you truly and we'll get to, we'll get some questions on Tuesday. We got a lot to cover. We're not gonna have a show on Thursday, so we're gonna, we gotta fill a lot in. It'll probably be like a 2 hour and 40 minute show. And, and we'll go from there. So if you're there, if you could do us a favor, subscribe, like, review, pass the word along. Trying to make it in this crazy world, but don't like begging. But we appreciate you being out and listening and watching and we will. We'll check you out on Tuesday. Mensch. Get some sleep, bud.

[Mel Kiper Jr.]

Thanks, man.

[Todd McShay]

All right. Must be 21 plus and present in select states. For Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18/ plus and present in D.C. gambling problem. Call 1-800- GAMBLER or visit rgh-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.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 HOPE NY in New.