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A
You know what, man? There's 187 days until the NFL Draft. Why are we tiptoeing around? Yeah, let's do this thing the right way. We got week eight. We've got upsets. We've got top 10 teams, four of them, I believe, getting knocked off. And it's about time that we reset this whole thing and we get into it. Men, are you good?
B
I'm great, man.
A
All right, Tucker. One time now, kid. All right. As we do every week in this live reaction show, we break into games. The games kind of had just duds of endings. And that's fine. Nothing's gonna change. We got Alabama up by 17 with just a couple minutes left. No, Notre dame is. Is 10 points ahead of USC and about just under a minute left. So it's time to do our show and I'm excited for the show because. Because a lot happened in week eight. This episode is presented by Duluth Trading Company Ready to give rival tailgates the foam finger. Duluth Trading Co. Crafts hall of fame game day gear to help you grill hotter, cheer louder and tailgate longer. Bibs loaded with pockets, gusseted pants so you can crouch without snuffing out your coals. And free swinging shirts tailor made for cornhole tossing. Stay comfortable from preseason to playoffs in the toughest tailgate attire around. Only at Duluth Trading Company. Best and worst thing if you have the first time you're joining us, we appreciate you joining. The chat is growing every time I look over to my left. We'll get to all of you. Cole, Marie, and we all always trade back. And Haas is back this week. Where the hell have you been, hoss? We're going to get answers tonight before we get off air. You have weddings in in the fall, but you're firing everybody, Evan, Holly, and the whole gang. Okay. But we always start the show off with our favorite or we call it best, best things we saw today. The Internet wasn't that funny today. I don't know if it's changed.
B
It wasn't a great day for the Internet.
A
It wasn't a great day for social media, the Internet and the funny stuff. So we're going to call it today the best and worst things that we saw today. All right, let's start number one here, Tucker. Let me. Let me pin this thing so I can actually see it. I'm not doing my job. There we go. Well, I think we categorize this as worst thing we've seen all day. While I love you, Lane, and he's.
B
A physical Mental health. He's just taking care of his physical. Mental health.
A
We were chatting a lot. Here's the. So I had someone ask me today. Marissa was like, I don't understand. Why. Why would you put that up there? Like, what's wrong? You know, she asked all these questions. I'm like, no, you don't get the trolling here. Like, he was on game day this morning, and they're at this, like, really nice resort, and they were messing with him because they know he does the hot yoga thing, and it's been part of his, like, you know, changing of his life, which has been a wonderful thing to see. Okay. And we can get to all of those things, but they're kind of needling him a little bit about you going to do your hot yoga at the spa and. But meanwhile, during the week, he made a comment. Something I forget exactly. Something about.
B
But how shirts fit.
A
No, no, Kirby's smart. It was something about Kirby smart. And he's like, well, I'm walking. Walking in the offices today. I saw him in the press conference, and clearly he's not. Something about, like, losing weight or something, you know?
B
Right. Yeah.
A
Yeah. And so he hasn't done that. And so he posts this today to kind of troll the whole thing. And it would be hysterical if they. If what happened in the first three quarters and certainly the first half of that game was the end result, but it wasn't. So now the Internet stuck forever. Has a picture of Lane that he posted with. It looks like maybe a mom and a daughter, whatever it is. But he's got his shirt off. Look great, Lane, you look great. However, just not a good look today. Right. But worth.
B
I love that he leans into it. I love that he knows, like, what the reputation is and he doesn't run from that stuff. I think it's great.
A
I lean more Lane than I do the rest of them in terms of, like, we work hard, man. Everything's so serious. We all focus. But there is a human side to this. And so if I can get under someone's skin a little bit, then I did that at ESPN for 17 years.
B
Right, right, right.
A
Little. You know.
B
I think almost everyone knows this, but Kirby and Lane have a really. A long standing relationship. I mean, it's not like he was. He was poking fun at someone he didn't really know. You know what I mean?
A
I'm gonna see my remote control. Like, this is why. This is why we do the chat.
B
What's happening?
A
So I didn't realize. Evan, way to have my back Man.
B
Evan Holly, we're talking about the BYU game.
A
No, no, Missouri.
B
Oh. What's going on there?
A
I thought that they had, they had a little bit of a le. It's tied up, so let's put that on. Let's have that in the back.
B
What happened to BYU game 17?
A
Hey, Evan. MVP. So they say you're number three with the crown. Right now you're number one in our hearts. This episode is brought to you by Vuori. As an analyst, I'm a rankings guy. I scope the landscape, look at all the prospects, and then make the call. And looking at the Vuori Sunday performance jogger, it's safe to say I found your new favorite jogger. Soft, lightweight, four way performance stretch. The Sunday performance jogger moves with you. No restrictions. And get this, we just landed a deal for friends of our show. They're offering 20% off your first purchase. Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet@viori.com McShay exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions. 17. 17-07-19. I think it is. So let's keep an eye on this match as we're going through even though we've reset and we're in our actual recap show. All right, so that's number one. Tucker, what's. What do you got next for us? Pavia. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt quarterback We couldn't show you. Apparently there's all sorts of restrictions and also rules. Yeah, we're having to be careful and, and we're going to Netflix soon. And we got like the F was the fcc. It's checking in on us and some of the rights and stuff. But there was. Someone had a great. You'll find it on social media. It's basically, it's this, but it's, it's, it's Manzel. And what's interesting is, I don't know, like, I've had a couple thoughts about it and then, and then Manzel, Johnny Manziel was at the, on the sideline pulling for Pavia against Alabama. Right, right. And that, and that was a loss. And I'm talking this year's game, not last year's. And we'll, we'll break down that whole game. He's become the most exciting player I think we can all admit in college football. But I'm watching. There were a couple specific plays. That one where he was like rolling back to his left and through. I'm like, my gosh, this reminds like that same feeling and the vibes when I was watching Johnny Manziel do this to lsu, to Alabama back in the day, you know, and we didn't know all that. We kind of. I had stories, but like, we didn't know everything else was going on in his life. And now we know. And it's a wonderful thing that he's, you know, that he's recovering and in a good mental health state. But do you not watching him get those same vibes or like that same.
B
Not only, not not even. Not only like within the plays, which is obvious, like when you're watching him play. But the way they carry themselves. I mean, Pavi's got some swagger to him. I mean, some swagger to him. And he's not afraid to say things he's not, not afraid to, to say. If we play our game, we're gonna route Alabama. I mean, that's a wild thing for a Vanderbilt quarterback to be saying, but he goes out there and balls every single time. Like, I mean, he just lays it on the line. So it's. Yeah, I mean, it's not only just the style of play, but the way.
A
They carry themselves and like the victory formation. Practicing that pregame against Alabama was like, maybe a step too far. But the psychology of it, first of all, it's good. It's just fun for college football. But more importantly, everyone in that locker room believes, you know, and there's, there's a value to that. So I don't know. I just, just watching him today, it like, brought me back to the same feelings of like, he ain't tall, he doesn't have a big arm, apparently he's fast, he's out running Carol Perkins, who supposedly runs in the four fours, but he doesn't look the part like it, it doesn't add up. And that's part of what makes it awesome. Right. So there's that. And then the final thing, we're going to classify this as worst. That on that last play, that last interception, were you not expecting that defender to be there? They're running that kind of sim pressure and they're popping out the snap. I mean, we have a perfect play for it. We just, we had a miscommunication with the, with the route and what we were doing. So. Yeah, just, just sort of ran the route wrong and I went to go throw it because we're hot off of a. A pressure and again, it, he, he made a good play on it, so. But it definitely didn't help that we ran the wrong play. That's Carson Beck answering a question after A devastating loss to Louisville and. And we'll get to that game and, and dive in. But like losing at home, extra time to prepare a team that you're more talented than. Top to bottom. I literally learned. I think it was like. I think it was like 11, maybe 12 years old. Like, the value, the importance as a certainty that is not like, non negotiable. It can never and will never happen or else you will not play that position in this town, Todd, where you ever stand up or, you know, turn your back, drag one of your own teammates, and especially with your body language, your tone, you know, like, and like, certainly not your words, but I wasn't doing press conferences 12 years old. But, like, I would. I wasn't even allowed to, like, put my hands up in the air if a receiver dropped a ball or.
B
Oh, no, no. Yeah, yeah. Can't do that.
A
You learn that in football. Like day one, you don't do it. No teammate. But the quarterback has a different level of responsibility when it comes to that. And I talked all off season, actually, it started last season with the why. What's going on with Beck? And there's the injury, then there's like kind of these, the reports, and then why wouldn't Georgia, with all the money and the resources in the world want this guy back who at one point was considered a top 10 quarterback? And then the Ferraris, the Ferrari stolen and the cabin twins and then the breakup and then all this stuff and I. I don't bring it. Yeah, we get a little laugh because I go through that whole thing every time. Yeah, but I love it. I know, but. But I wouldn't say it if, if none of it was. No, there's something to being brought to me by NFL scouts and, and people kept asking in the off season, why. Why isn't. You know, you're doing Arch Manning, even though you're not really calling him a prospect for 2026. You're. You're doing Club Nick and Nussmeier and Sellers and Levitt and some underclassmen and some seniors and all these quarterbacks. Where's Beck? And I said, like, I just need to take a break from Beck because there's a lot of negativity. I want to give him a fair shake, you know, clean break and then like, revisit later. And I'm not saying that this means he's a bad guy or this means he can't be an NFL quarterback or he's not going to, like, everything's not just going to be fine next week. And they went out the rest of their games. I'm not saying any of that stuff. I'm just saying you never do it. A B. Now you got to go back in that locker room and deal with what you deserve. Whatever it is he gets from that receiver, the receiver room, his coaches, you know, you've been taught you don't do that. And then on top of all of that, I'm certain somebody in the scouting community has talked to him about, like, maybe what the concerns are, because that's what scouts do. They kind of work as liaisons. To be honest, at times it's not their job, but, like, what we're looking for, what are teams looking for? And that's not it. So that's that. It did shock me.
B
Yeah.
A
I mean, because all the other stuff's been, like, private or behind the scenes.
B
And that's the first. This is the first bit of adversity he's had in Miami. Like, the first sign of adversity, and this is what we revert to, like, right away. We're. We're into the guys running the wrong routes.
A
Yeah.
B
So. Because everything's been going well. Everything's been going well in Miami. So maybe that's why everything's going well. The Carson Beck. I don't know. It's concerning.
A
It is. So the clock's ticking down under 10 seconds. Auburn just put a knee on it. They're going to overtime. 17. 17. We'll keep an eye on that. So this is. This is good. Plus, we've got byu, Utah, obviously, heated, heated rivalry between those two programs that we'll keep an eye on. But this. This show now is about. About the reaction to all the unbelievable stuff that went on today. Two things before we get into the actual games. Bench and I'll flip for flip flop. The order in which I wanted to. And. And I didn't tell you I'm gonna do this. It's just kind of. It has been weighing on me, but it's just like, I want to get it off my chest, and I kind of. And I want to get your reaction. I want to see what the folks in the. In the chat have to say. I mean, Evan Holly already got us on this Missouri game, so, like, the value's there for. For everyone who's in the chat. We appreciate you being here, and we're gonna have fun tonight. Two things that I wanted to lead this show with. One. And the second one will bring us to the next game. But the first one is, wouldn't it just be nice And I'm gonna preface this by saying I'm not starting a conversation of conference versus conference. I'm killing me. I. I understand the logistics of scheduling, and it seems to be changing. And it's nine games, it's 10 games. It's conference divisions within the conference. It's all of that. But wouldn't it be nice in a utopian society.
B
If.
A
Like nine. Nine weeks of the college football season, you and I and everybody else who loves this great sport got to see Ohio State play LSU and then next week play Tennessee, and then the next week play Ole Miss, and the next week play A and M and then next week play Oklahoma and then some shitty school, and then the next week play Florida and then to have. And then to have like a couple non. Another non conference game and then have to play Georgia and then the following week have a letdown game and they get to play Vanderbilt, followed by Kentucky.
B
I hear you.
A
Some rotation of that. And throw into South Carolina in a certain year. What. Do you hear what I'm saying? And so everyone, everyone's going to jump me and be like, well, the big toads better and they've got this team in the right. No, I understand. I'm just. And I'm. I'm not slighting one conference over the other. All I'm saying is I'm looking. And we've done this. We've done this with different programs at different times or quarterbacks looking ahead to what's upcoming. And it's like, oh, this gauntlet. Oklahoma's got. Oh, my gosh, look who Alabama's got to play. Oh, my Lord. How's Texas gonna get through this? Oh, my. Like, right. Yeah. And like, what? Texas A and M today. A and M today. Right. Arkansas's 2 and 4, I think, coming.
B
Into the game, got all they could handle.
A
And they had to score 45 to win that sucker.
B
Yeah, they did.
A
Do you know what I mean?
B
Arkansas wouldn't die.
A
I only say this. I'm actually saying this weirdly as a positive because that defense might historically be good, might be historic historically good. Ohio State's defense might just be, after losing eight stars to the NFL, historically good. Then I keep waiting for proof. I keep waiting for proof otherwise.
B
Yeah.
A
And I hate. I'm just not seeing it. This defense is outrageously good. It is by far the best defense in the country. And A and M before this week, I thought was really, really close. Miami, there's some people who thought that they were on that level. Like, but, like, Ohio State is at A different level. And here's why. Here's what brought me to this, Steve. Don't look now but this super talented YouTube, YouTube TikTok star. All the highlights we saw, quarterback with the arm angles, the flicking, the throws and all this stuff before he became a starter at Ohio State from like high school days. Don't look now, but he's developing into an asset. There's never a liability. It was Arch that was a liability in week one. It wasn't. It wasn't Julian Saying, but Saying was just kind of, you know, doing his job.
B
The training a little bit.
A
Now I'm looking up and he. Where is. I mean, the receivers are starting to put up big numbers. The offense is opening up. I think he went for 300 or 290.
B
Carnell Tate's on a tear all of a sudden.
A
Absolutely. Tayton Smith had 15 for 208 and two touchdowns today. Julian Saying was third. Listen to me, 36 of 42. And I get it, Wisconsin's defensively isn't what Wisconsin has been, but they're still like. And, and I know there's some injuries, like, I know all of it, but 36 of 42 can be hard to do in seven on sevens. 393 yards, four touchdowns, no picks. And this is now stacking games. But then, but then I had to put the press the brakes and say, my gosh, wouldn't it be nice if like a down week, you're playing Vanderbilt or Missouri, both ranked.
B
Yeah.
A
A down week, like an easy week. You're playing Arkansas, like ask Texas tonight, just an overtime one. Kentucky's not very good, but you don't show up. You know what I mean? So I'm just.
B
I don't know.
A
I just. That was the first thought. The second thought was Ty Simpson is a assassin. Here we go.
B
Can I address the first thing really quickly?
A
Yeah. Sorry.
B
I don't want you. I don't want Ohio State in the sec. I want. And I'm not saying that. You're saying that. I want the Big Ten to get better. I want it to get deeper. They're very top heavy. The Big Ten is very top heavy. I would like to see them get deeper and there's no reason they can't. I don't understand why. What Signetti is doing in Indiana, like, they can't get better players be more competitive. I don't understand why. That's not a thing. I don't understand why they don't. Why, you know, whatever program I. Wisconsin just pick Wisconsin because they're so down right now that they can't build an identity, get players in there and become a better program. I just wish that it was deeper. But I will say this. You can't like you can say those things about the defense and I, and I, and I agree with you and you can say those things about Julian S. And I agree with you, but it's a little concerning that iron sharpens iron and these guys are going to go into the playoff and they're going to be, I mean they, the if, let's see where Texas ends up. They might, they might end up with a schedule that does not have a ranked opponent on it right now. Like right now it's only Texas at 21. You look at their entire schedule. Penn State's out of the top 25, Michigan's out of the top 25.
A
So they can now. But yes, right, whatever they could end.
B
The regular season with, you know, with their best opponent being in 20 to 25, that, that could happen. And that's, you know, for them. I don't necessarily know how good that is for their team because then you get into a playoff situation and you on all sudden, let's say you get a buy now you haven't played a tough schedule, now you have a buy now you, that first, that first week you don't know who's going to show up. Maybe it's a, it's an SEC team like a Georgia and all of a sudden things get real, real quick. And do I still think Ohio State's the best team in the country? Yeah, but it's not about the best team in the country. It's about the best team that day. So it's just, I, I don't know if it really helps them. I think it's a little bit concerning to be honest with you. But yeah, all those things are true. Julian S. Is turning into a dude and it helps that he has those receivers, but he's still taking advantage of it. And again, I'll say this again. Brian Hartline is a first year play caller. Things seem to be going pretty well. Yeah, he seems to have a good feel for what his team's good at.
A
So that was just a thought. And then the second thought. I, I told you we, we did the quarterbacks on Thursday, right? Dante Moore, Lenora Sellers, Fernando Mendoza have the three upsides, the ceilings. They have the physical traits that you look for, right. Different. Varying, varying traits and levels and all that. But they're the guys that you look at and say like it's what the NFL is looking for in this day and age, right? And Diego Pavia is the most exciting player and quarterback certainly in college football. All those things can be true. I'm just like I am now, like I am past the point of no return because we're stacking games against good opponents week in and week out. I promise you on 25 years of experience, this guy, Ty Simpson is an absolute anomaly. He is, it's borderline not possible. The level in which he's playing the quarterback position. He is the best quarterback in college football right now. And it's not close because it's week in and it's week out and it's controlling the line of scrimmage. It's pre snap reads, it's checking it's kills, it's post snap, identifying the changes in the disguises in coverage. It's knowing where the pressures are coming from. It's the poise in the pocket, negotiating safeties with his eyes, maneuvering inside the pocket, the subtleties of the position that have, like, there's no way in six starts in college football you can play the quarterback position at this level. It doesn't happen. So we're watching something that like is so special, man. And then I heard some things on the broadcast tonight and McDonough is in. McDonough, I trust, when it comes to broadcast. The stories he tells, the information he gets, like he, he brings you into those meetings. I felt like I was there with him during the week, which I was for probably 10 years of my career. Fly in on Thursday, meetings on Friday, discuss those things. Put it like he's, he's a stickler with all of it, but there's a reason. And the reason is he can. So when he starts telling a couple behind the scenes things tonight, the first one was I knew his dad was a coach, right? And you hear that about a lot of quarterbacks, like, yeah, son of a coach, you know, all that stuff. But his dad being there and hearing the story, he's been an 18 year head coach at Tennessee. Yeah, UTM, Tennessee. Martin, Jason Simpson. And his brother's there, by the way. This is a side note. It doesn't matter, brothers. There is a recruit. But it actually does matter for, for one thing I'll get to in a second, his brother's there's recruit. So when you see him as six starts and you see the level he's playing with and remember I said to you he's doing the, that I expected to see from Garrett Nussmeier this year except I didn't know Nussbauer was going to be behind. If I listen to Brian Kelly, he's behind a very functional, maybe the great.
B
Offense, the best offensive line ever.
A
Right. But he's not. And Brian was wrong. And Brian has been around a lot of great offensive line. He got that part right in the quote. The other part was that this is a good offensive lineman. Trust me.
B
Wrong.
A
Because I'm watching. It's like, it's like a tree.
B
What do you mean?
A
It's like a triage on the field and on the sideline. Every people didn't realize late in that game against South Carolina he's limping and being like carried off the field. He's already dealing with an ab injury he had with the knee tendinitis that we talked about. It was kind of news to us in the off season today every time they went to him after a completed pass or an incompletion, someone's having to drag his half dead corpse up off the grass. But so what I expected to see from Nussmeier is not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing it from Ty Simpson. Yeah, I thought it was gonna be.
B
Batman, first year starter.
A
It's Tuscaloosa. I thought it was the second year guy. It's the first year guy. And so hearing. Yeah, his, his coach, his dad wasn't an NFL quarterback and an NFL quarterback coach and an NFL now an OC for the Saints. Nuss Meyer's dad, his dad though is an 18 year head coach and 20 years I guess he's been at the Tennessee Martin program. Makes sense. Connect the dots. The other thing that was really interesting in the broadcast, I heard his best friend is Ryan Williams. Ryan can't come out in this year's draft.
B
Brothers are recruit, they're doing big things.
A
And so maybe, maybe you want to be there for the one year lap over, you know, overlap. Just a couple things to think of as we're, as we're saying he's the most NFL ready quarterback in this class after six, now seven starts. Right?
B
Yeah, I would agree with that. Yeah.
A
But maybe he wants to come back anyway and history told you and I'm not, we're not going to do another quarterback draft show here. But history tells you this may be year one of a two year stint in Alabama and if, and if that's the case, you're thrilled. And then the side note, the side note and the funny part of all this was the story, I don't know if you heard the story that McDonough told when when Jeremy Bernard, who's one of my favorite under the radar players in the entire draft. I don't. He's awesome. I'm not going to say he's going to be the next Mecca Buka. I thought a Mecca was going to be the next Terry McLaurin. And that's proving after, you know, not even a half of a season like that might be the trajectory there. I'm not saying he's going to be that, but I'm saying he's going to be the slot receiver who's underrated, who maybe doesn't have the workout numbers, goes in the league is ready and he produces right away and he does for a long time. But Bernard, he goes to in the offseason. Bernard had a decision to make. He's a Washington transfer a year last year had a good year. Scouts I talked to were like day two. But maybe he got to go back to school. Great. Maybe he got a second round grade. I don't know what the advisory committee told him, but he's talking. Ty goes to, goes to him and says, hey, let's talk. I've been thinking about this and it's not just selfishly. You're. You were at Washington, remember, like Roma Dunes a your guy. He, he came back for a year that final year.
B
Yeah.
A
He went from, you know, maybe a day two to a first rounder and you had a Jalen Polk and Jalen McMillan. They all benefited from the final year. So I want you to think about that before you make your final decision. We could take you from a day two to a first rounder and Jeremy Bernard, if I didn't love the guy enough, quietly turns to him and looks in the eye and says yeah, but they had Michael Penix. How great is that? That's awesome.
B
That's awesome. By the way, we're double overtime now. I know his field goals in that game.
A
Walk the, walk the folks through it who are, who are going to be listening to this after the fact. Like give us a. We call it. We used to call it in. In network television or whatever you call it. Broadcast television. A scene set.
B
Missouri's the first one on offense for the second overtime. Now it's I'm on third and 10. I don't know where you're.
A
Yep, me too.
B
Auburn. The crowd is going absolutely ape. Been a tough year for Auburn. This is a huge win for them.
A
So just call the timeout. Double overtime. Third and 10. Missouri's got the ball. Defense feels like it's rolling and the crowd is going crazy, and this is a classic sec. Yeah.
B
They called timeout, right?
A
Yes. Yeah.
B
Okay, so they call it timeout. I feel like, why aren't you ready to commit to Bernard? I'm ready to commit to Mornard. I feel like you're, like, he's.
A
I'm not saying he's going to be this. And I'm.
B
I think the more I watch him, the more I'm like, I think he's gonna be. He's gonna be really good in the NFL, man. I think he's going to be really good in the NFL. And today he was. I love the way he wins at the line of scrimmage, man. He had four carries today for 49 yards. I think he was. I just to. He was all over there. The field today. A huge part of their game plan.
A
I love this. I love this about you because you're, You're. You're taking a page from my book, and I think I took it probably from Kuiper or somebody else at some point. There's like this passing of the baton, flipping the script. Turn it on. Turn it on the guy. All right, all right. Mother. Mother. Bleeper. Yeah. You called him first, but now I'm gonna double down on you and see if you're ready. See if you're ready to push your chips in. I want you to quickly. I'm not saying he's not going to be. I'm saying I'm not ready yet. Like, let. Give me the end of the season. Let me, like, dive into the tape more. But I. But I want you to think about how good Terry McLaurin has been for the Washington Commanders throughout his. The entirety of his career. And I want you to think about how good a Mecca Buka has been. He's an immediate star before this hamstring injury that may or might. May not keep him out a week or two. I'm saying he's tracking towards something like that. And the similarities are he's not going to run super fast. He's a slot receiver. He's never. He's never the star. That's the big similarity to me. Not super fast, not going to win the workouts. And he was. And it's probably why they overshadowed because. Because just like a Mecca had with. With star wide receivers there at Ohio State. Yeah, he's got Ryan Williams there, so he's never going to be the guy. But this transition, all this talk is beautiful because it transitions us into the Alabama Tennessee game. And it turned out to be not much of a game. But I do hope people understand that what we're seeing with Ty Simpson is absolutely special. And, and right now, here's where I want to go. I picked them preseason to win the national championship. Kaylin DeBoer.
B
I know. I know you did. You won't let me forget.
A
I know. But, but I, but after week one, I was like, oh, man, what was wrong with me? Right now I'm looking at them and I'm saying, I, I think I'm, I'm almost positive Ohio State's a little bit better, but I'm not really positive anymore. And in a week where we've seen a lot of four teams in the top 10, I believe we'll get to this in a little bit, get knocked off, including Miami sitting there at number two. There's not many kings of the Hill left. No, it's an empty. It's.
B
It's this at the end, though, I feel like.
A
I feel like you're, you're spoiling. I'm just saying I want you, by the time we get to the AP Top 25 discussion at the end, to truly think about this, because I'm watching Alabama tonight. Truly think about how many more team, how many other teams in the country you believe in more than Alabama, because I'm going to tell you that that list for me is so short right now, and so much of it is because of a guy who's, who's going to be next week making his eighth collegiate start.
B
Yeah, I'm with you on all of it, man. I am with you on all of it. And they just, it just. Alabama feels, it just feels like there's something going on there, too. Like that's a pretty good Tennessee team. And it, they just never really let it get close. They just handled their business against a pretty good Tennessee team today. Like, it was just. It never felt like it was really close. The defense made enough plays to slow them down. It was just. I don't know. It feels like something's happening there right now. Jan Miller didn't have a great day, but the kid Daniel Hill came in and, and played well. I think the offensive line starting to come together. There's. It's Simpsons the reason to believe in that team, but it's, it's a good team. It's not just him.
A
It's first and goal for Missouri. Hardy just got the ball. He got stopped for a 1 yard loss. I'm torn in this as someone who's obviously has no. This is Missouri, Auburn still talking double overtime. I'm torn because I want and I don't care. I don't have a dog in either race. I don't it. But. And I don't obviously I'm not rooting for anyone over anyone, but I'm just saying like. But part of me is like, Missouri is a really good team. I think this is like they're closer than the typical good Missouri team is. And then on the other side I'm like, my gosh, this Auburn defense, man, every single week this group shows up and just plays its ass off. And wouldn't it be nice to get a win like this as. As Prabula goes diving into the end zone. Touchdown. So now Missouri's up by a touchdown and Auburn has a chance to respond. They've got to go for two, let's not forget. Anyway. Yeah, I didn't get a sense too in this, in this. What was the final score? Let me pull this up. The final score now that we're here.
B
37, 37, 20.
A
Yeah, I didn't get a sense that Tennessee was even playing that bad.
B
No.
A
Do you know what I mean?
B
They were throwing. That's the other thing about it. They were throwing some big punches. They came out, if you remember, they came out of the first half and it was 23 to 7. Tennessee broke that 45 yard run. It, you know, Alabama had a three and out and then Tennessee broke that long touchdown run. I think it was 45, it might have been longer. And it felt like wow, maybe the momentum shifting. No, not really. It was like, yeah, that was a nice punch. We'll take that punch and. And now we're going to punch back. You know what I mean? It felt like that if that they might were maybe going to make a move there and then didn't. And by the way, the absolute. You talk about teams of destiny and making plays in key, key moments. What about the pick six at the end of the first half?
A
Yes.
B
You just can't do it, man. You can't do it in Aguilar, like try to force that ball to the flat. I thought it was a questionable decision even to go for it. I mean there was no time. It was, it was shaky the whole way through that. It was pretty clear they're gonna have to throw the ball in that situation and to take it back with the. I thought he was gonna get tackled too by the way. And he threw the Hesi, Brown, the defensive back, Brown to the Hesi on whoever, whoever was left and was able to get all the way down. But it was, it's another one of those things. You look back on that on a season and you're like, man, that was a big play at a key moment. And it's, and it's your defense coming up with it.
A
It's. Yeah, it's, Yeah, I think, yeah, I think we, we both agree. I, what I don't know is, you know, he, ty Simpson's thrown one interception compared to 16 touchdowns. It's just wild.
B
And there's not a lot that I feel like he's getting away with. Those numbers can be misleading. Sometimes you throw in the tape and you're like, oh, well, that was a drop. And you know, I probably wouldn't advise him to do that again, but it doesn't feel like he has a lot of those, what do they call them on pff, Turnover worthy plays.
A
Yeah, yeah.
B
I don't, I want you. I wonder what the number is for him. I haven't looked at it, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of those when you're watching the tape.
A
So it's south at South Carolina next week, then schedule wise it's lsu, Oklahoma, then you get Eastern Illinois, and then you're obviously the rivalry game of Auburn.
B
That's what I'm saying.
A
Like, wouldn't it be nice if Ohio State had that coming up?
B
I hear you.
A
Or, or, or had had a stretch with Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Tennessee. Anyway, I, I, I, I just think it's attainable. I don't know the way they're playing right now. All right, let's move on. Next game. Oh, by the way, that Alabama freshman Yanz Pierre, he had two sacks in the first half and one of which was a safety.
B
Remember?
A
I, I brought him up like, I didn't even know who that count was. Yeah, yeah, because they've had injuries at that edge position. Usc, Notre Dame, I mean, I, offense, we touched on it before we reset and started the show. This is the Jeremiah Love that we all signed up for. And I'll be honest, I've been doing this long enough, man. Like, I've seen so many times where the, Every single year there's a superstar or two or five. And this year it's been some of the quarterbacks. Why is an Auburn offensive lineman dragging the ball down the field right now? That's it. Ball game. No, yeah. Final double overtime. But now that always something. Refs are huddling. But I've seen so many times where the star player, whether it's a quarterback or running back, a wide receiver, and Just think about like. Like Derek Stingley is an example. Like, it always feels like there's a few guys, they're coming back for their final year and it's like, I'm kind of in, I'm kind of out. I'm going to protect myself. And I saw that opening night against Miami for Notre Dame, and they weren't giving him the ball much and he wasn't having a huge impact. And I was like, oh, no. We spent. We did a whole show this summer on Jeremiah Love and how he's. How he's different and he's special and all the like. And. And is this going to be the guy? And now to watch him tonight, he was on a mission. He was absolutely possessed. After every run, he was getting in someone's face. It's like someone had stolen his girlfriend from, from the UFC and, and. And moved her stuff from South Bend out to la and she was out clubbing in the Hollywood scene. Like he was that pissed off all night long and. And I'm here for it.
B
You looking for his numbers?
A
Yes. 24.
B
24 for 228 and a touchdown. He averaged 9.5 yards per carry.
A
No, he didn't.
B
Yeah, it was insane. It's insane.
A
Say those again.
B
It's everything, right?
A
Say those again.
B
24 for 228 and a touchdown. He averaged 9.5.
A
Oh my God.
B
What I didn't know back.
A
And he had like five catches too, right?
B
Five catches for 37.
A
So he had like 260 total yards of offense.
B
Yeah.
A
Wow.
B
Yeah.
A
And he's not even my spotlight player this week.
B
Nope.
A
I should already thought that.
B
What's really interesting to me about this game is I thought it was going to be closer. 10 points. I think the spread got up to 10 and a half, by the way.
A
And the kicker gave away four. Four gimme points too. So the. So the kicker.
B
We missed the field. The kicker missed the field goal. Notre Dame missed the field goal. They missed an extra point. So there's four points there. They. I think that C.J. carr, who I talked about, the quarterback for Notre Dame, who I talked about glowingly after watching his tape of his fourth, was not. Did not play well pressed is I think the biggest concern for that team going forward. I also think that something's wrong with Christian Gray. The corner. He can't run. I mean, he can't run. I mean, he had a pick tonight, which was a big play for Notre Dame because it was a. It was a badly thrown ball, but he cannot run. Right now he looks like a shell of the player that I've seen in the past. So that's interesting to me too. And Notre Dame still won fairly comfortably, which says to me that team's damn good, man. If they can still beat that USC team like they did tonight with all of those things, it seems to me that that's a really good Notre Dame team. And if they can get Car to play like he does against the teams that maybe aren't ranked as high and get them not to press and make ridiculous situations in the red zone, I mean, decisions in the red zone, then they could have something. They could really have something. And Jajarin Price might be the second best running back in the draft, by the way. Kickoff return for a touchdown. At a huge moment in this game. Huge moment this game, it looked like USC was turning the corner and turning the tide and Jadarian Price takes one back to the house and quiets everyone like and just calms everyone down. It's. It was an interesting game to me because I really thought us, USC was going to throw a big time punch at them and it looked like they were going to. And Notre Dame just weathered it. Just weathered the storm.
A
This is a huge. I. We also don't. Let's not forget we were here last Saturday night and then Monday again Monday morning. And the epiphany came as we looked at the schedule. This is literally the Super Bowl. The, the, the regular season super bowl for Notre Dame.
B
Is it.
A
This was not only an elimination game, this was if you lose, you are eliminated. Like they're out.
B
Yeah. If they win, they can't lose again. They can't lose again if they win.
A
But, but they're going to be favored double digits every game moving forward.
B
Yeah, true. Boston. Boston College, Navy, PIT. Syracuse, Stanford.
A
PIT. Is your PIT's the only one. It's at this new quarterback. Pitt's the only one that posts anything. It's at pit and it's late in the season and we see kind of those. Those Thanksgiving ish time. You know, weird things happen. Weird things happen. But like they are tracking. This was a huge win for Notre Dame and it was against a. A ripe worthy opponent. UFC came to play tonight. I. I came. I'm more. I am more of a believer in USC under the. I've always been a believer in. In. In. In Riley Lincoln Riley, but I haven't always been a believer that it's going to necessarily work there. I'm more of a believer now than I have been since he took that job. Like, I, I really see the direction. So to get that kind of win. And it should have been at least 14. I don't know. It was impressive. And you get like, if you're a Notre Dame fan, think about the way this season started. Mensch.
B
Yeah.
A
Oh, and two injuries. Where the hell is Jeremiah Love? Why is our defense suck? Is this the right quarterback? Like, everything that's important was, like, up in the air. Give Marcus Freeman a lot of credit too, you know.
B
Yeah. Two years in a row now he's been able to, you know, calm everyone down and write the ship.
A
Yeah. I mean, I guess that's the extent of it. Yeah.
B
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A
This episode is sponsored by American Eagle. So it's official. American Eagle just launched their exclusive limited edition collab with true colors by Travis Kelce and we could not be more excited to check it out. From sweater polos to loose and baggy pants to comfy sets, there's literally something for everyone. They also dropped a handful of incredibly comfy graphic tees that you can easily wear on repeat with relaxed cargoes or with jeans. If you're a huge fan or just love the collab, shop the first drop now before it's gone. You can check it out on AE.com or just go to the store. All right, I did get a. I did get a question here and the questions are coming in fast and I love it. Someone just asked about Gunner Stockton for Heisman and I lost the spot. So if you sent that in and, like, I'm not ready to go there yet. I. I will say this. I. I think. I think there's, like, legitimately, I think Ty Simpson should be top of the list.
B
Yeah. Who do you guys right now?
A
Good question. Let me start with Ty Simpson.
B
Yep.
A
I think Jeremiah Love just put his ass inside that conversation, like, right in the mix of that conversation.
B
100%.
A
And it's probably not going to slow down against those opponents.
B
He's got to be there. Mendoza.
A
Mendoza, Absolute. Do you see what he did today? Because I don't plan on covering Indiana. Michigan State.
B
He barely missed. Like. Yeah, I mean, it was.
A
It's getting kind of weird because it doesn't mean anything for draft stock necessarily when you. But, like, it's kind of hard to complete that high a percentage of throws and like, in some of these games and Michigan State's not very good, but, like, they feel the team. They have scholarships.
B
Yeah.
A
They're better than they have been the last a couple years. He was 24 of 28 for 332, four touchdowns, no interceptions.
B
Ridiculous.
A
If it's not like last week with Surat, this week is. Is Cooper, and they're always combining for like 200, 200 yards receiving. All right, so. So that's that. So I. So Ty Simpson would be my one after that other guy's invited would be. Oh, and I am a Heisman voter. So as we get closer, I'm not gonna tell you who I'm voting. I'm. I. That's part of the contract, if you will. Ty Simpson. I would say Jeremiah Love. Mendoza. I think Pavia at this point, really right now.
B
Okay.
A
Like, what is Vanderbilt without Pavia? I'm not saying. I'm just saying, like, I would keep him in the. In the conversation, but I think Gunner, he keeps this up. And if they find a way to keep winning, ugly, like, yeah, we got to start talking about him a little bit. A little bit disagree. Who else would you have?
B
I struggle with because I think Ohio State's got to have a rep, but maybe they don't. And I would think it would be Jeremiah Smith. And then I think the fifth is.
A
But I don't even think Jeremiah Smith's having that kind of year.
B
40 for 505 and seven touchdowns.
A
That's not with the year as a wide.
B
I know, I know. But if you look at Pavia stats, they're not going to.
A
Devonte Smith was the most recent wide receiver, Right? Am I. I mean, yeah. Travis Hunter, bro, that was Two ways that was different. If we're being honest though, I think.
B
It'S a three man race right now. I think it's, it's the Love Mendoza Simpson race.
A
I agree.
B
I'm not sure there's two other serious contenders.
A
It was Dante Moore was, was king of the hill by a long shot.
B
Could get back in the mix.
A
He could get back in the mix too. He had another monster day today in a game that I thought. I'm glad to see that Oregon came out and played. Yeah. You know, I thought that that could be.
B
Is there going to be a hangover?
A
Yeah. Texas on the other hand, had exactly what I said. I've been fooled by this before, so I'm not going to do it again. And, and fool's gold, which is appropriate for that area of the country. Fools, you know. Well, I guess oil. Fool's oil. So. Yeah. So this brings me to the spotlight. Player of the day. There were so many, like, how do you not have Pavia McJ what's wrong with you? Jeremiah Love had two, almost 260 yards in total yards from scrimmage. There was something special about what Gunner Stockton did today. Man. I went from like, yeah, he's competitive, he's a good runner, he's making some throws to like, oh, this guy carried. He absolutely carried. I mean, I couldn't believe when I first of all, they're down 10 and I think it was 10 in the fourth quarter, right?
B
Yeah. They scored 17. He completed nine in the fourth quarter. They scored 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter.
A
Gunner Stockton, who's our running quarterback, who we're going to, you know, try to kind of supplement the pass with the extra man in the run game and all that stuff. And who makes some throws here and there. He completed. And I know Ole Miss isn't great, but it's still, it's Ole Miss. They have players. 80% passing, 289 passing yards, 59 rushing yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions. And get this match. This is what turned me on him. 12 for 12 in the second half. Yeah, games on the line, our receivers are better than they were a year ago. But this isn't Alabama. This isn't Ohio State. 12 for 12. Spreading it around the tight delp into the outside guys like, I don't know, I, I. There are certain games that you always look up back on in players where it's like, oh, my opinion changed today. My opinion changed on Gunner Stockton.
B
I couldn't agree more. Today was the first day that I was like, I Get it. I understand why they made the move. I understand why they think this guy can. They can compete for a championship with his quarterback. I just. It was clear, clear as day to me that this guy, this was different. This is different than any other performance that he's had. And I'll say this too, getting off on this a little bit. There's the office corner of Georgia. Mike Bobo. I love it when he uses the tight ends and I feel like he doesn't do it enough like last year. If you look at the Tennessee game, Georgia used their tight ends a lot. That was. I thought that was a great game for them. And tonight the lost and Lucky and Oscar Delp had nine for 80, 85 and three touchdowns. And I love when that. Because that's Gunner Stockton's game a little bit. Like it's great when you got Colby Young and he wasn't healthy tonight, by the way. Gunner Stockton did most of that with Colby Young. I think for one drive, Colby Young had the one catch for 36 yards and looked awesome, but then had to come out. And then they really started getting their tight ends involved. And when you get stocked in making plays on the move and these rollouts and play action and all of that, man, he was just lights out, did not flinch. He is. He is a. In many ways mirrors Kirby in their ability not to get caught up in moments. It feels like Gunner Stockton is. Is the. The epitome of the next snap, next series mentality.
A
Yeah, he changed the way I think about him. He really does. And. And they've got something rolling now. It'll be interesting to see. Maybe pull up their schedule if you got a second. It'll be interesting to see. Was this an Ole Miss thing or is this like a coming of age of Gunner Stockton? You know, is this like something we can start to. And I'm just watching the highlights. It happens to be on the SEC network. I think it is after that Georgia Missouri game. And it's like. It's like Del Pierre and it's lucky there and it's why notes here and it's a back here like just spreading the ball around. And here's the part two. Lane Kiffin was in his bag today, man. Lane. Yeah, they. They score was the first seven times they scored. They didn't score. They scored touchdowns or six times.
B
Georgia didn't. Georgia didn't get a stop until 12:49 left in the fourth quarter.
A
I think, I mean, no, no stops. I mean, I think it was the.
B
First time that Kirby as a defensive Coordinator or a head coach had not had a stop in the first half. And it went like all the way to the beginning of the fourth.
A
So this is like, this is an era. This is an era low pro point for the program defensively. But the other side is. This is also like, I don't know that I've seen Lane more in his bag and he's been in his bag going all the way back to usc, back in the glory days. And then you talk about like taking Alabama to this new, you know, the millennium of. In college football and getting him out of the old, you know, previous decades with Nick and into the new. And so he's done it at a high level in different, different ways. The west coast and then the power game and the spread and then back to the west coast with dart. Now this and the RPOs and the tempo all like, he's done it in all different ways. Shape, Shapes or forms. I don't know that I've ever seen him more in a play calling rhythm than I did in the first three quarters of this game. And you could tell when they, when they, how they get. Georgia went for two and they didn't get it. And he was celebrating because he knows we're going to keep scoring. All I need to get is right.
B
At the end of the first half.
A
All I need to get is this like slender little point advantage and like, you've got nothing to stop me. And then you saw D2 quarterback, fourth quarter, crowd tightened up a little bit, throwing that fastball. So like, but. But for three quarters, Ole Miss outplayed them and Elaine Kiffin out coached him. Yeah, but Gunner never stopped, man. Gunner knew it was his responsibility. He had to bail out the defense and he, I don't know, I. It was just, it was something different that I'm not used to seeing. And, and even Herby said on the broadcast, like, we've seen them behind before, right? That we saw him behind Tennessee two touchdowns. What was the other.
B
Was it Auburn?
A
Auburn, yeah, yeah, Auburn. Right. But this one feels different because it doesn't. And he didn't say this, but I was like, I, I agree with you in my mind. Yeah. I'm like, I agree this does feel different. And it's because I don't know that he has the answers. Because even like the X's and O's and fill in the right, this with a safety insert here and gap and like. And now it's instead of like doing the hands or the chalkboard, like he's over there with The. With the iPads. And he's like. He's coaching him in game as well as this is Kirby now in game as well as any defensive coach in the country. The adjustments. Because they're. They're getting out Jimmy and Jode on that side of the ball, which I'm like. It's mindblowing to see.
B
Unheard of.
A
Like think about just a couple years ago, like the Philadelphia Eagles are the Geor. It's George. It's so like.
B
Yeah. The world champion Philadelphia Eagles.
A
Yeah. So to see in him in that. But. But he's had answers to fix the problems. He didn't have them today. And so it had like handcuffed. Kirby Smart is a weird place for me to be as a viewer and someone had to step up and do this. And it was Gunner Stockton today.
B
So something. If you're concerned and you already hinted at it. They've had two away games. What do you think the two away games have been? Tennessee and Auburn. They'd be 10. They beat Auburn by 10 and had to come back in that one. And they beat Tennessee by three. So they've had these away games also. They're impossible to beat at Georgia unless you're Alabama. They're impossible to beat at home and they only won this game by 8. There are some things here still. Still. And again, Gunner Stockton convinced me. Convince me that he's a different dude than I thought he was after this game. But that being said, defense still a concern. They've only had two road games and both of them are really tight and both of them. They looked vulnerable.
A
I thought today. And I want to ask more questions, but we don't. We can get it. I want you to think about this for Monday. Where are you with Ole Miss? Is this something they can. They can slash. Will recover from.
B
From.
A
But I. I don't know that we have that answer tonight. Let's like really like, is this defense capable of getting to a level where they can win out and. And legitimately play in the SEC championship game? But I thought today was the first time all season as a whole as I was watching the landscape and maybe it's like the weather's starting to change. Maybe it's the wear and tear on the players. Maybe it's like the. The Big Ten is now traveling this coast, that coast, this. Whatever it is. Today's the first day because if you go back and look at some of the upsets they've been at home or on the road. Like if you look at like Notre Dame with The weather, turning the second half at home against a west coast team. You felt that home field advantage, Alabama, better team than Tennessee. But you could just feel it. Like Aguilar has been through so much, but like it got overwhelming. Right. We talked about a Division 2 quarterback elevating and playing at an awesome level this year for Ole Miss. But fourth quarter between the hedges, you felt that.
B
I felt it.
A
I don't know if you did, but I felt it.
B
I did, yeah.
A
And so it brings me to everyone's favorite segment of the, of the Saturday night reaction show and our favorite partner. And we're excited to have them as partners. But it's time to get into the special segment of the show. It's called Home Home field Advantage. Brought to you by our good friends at Home Depot. The place to go to build your dream game day setup on your own home field, whether it's a tailgate, your backyard or your living room. And like I said, if you think creating a home field advantage is an important like, look no further than week eight in college football. I just mentioned all of those games, but the one that stood out to me the most, and I'm going to ask you this question, match as part of this. Is Vandy becoming a place you kind of don't want to go play?
B
Because like, are you asking me right now?
A
I'm just saying, like, and, and I want to get into this segment and obviously the tie in with Home Depot and it's building a home and the importance of home and, and home field advantage. But Vandy now, like, I know it's not the crowd, it's. But like there's this like passion brewing that I'm feeling. I can remember watching Vandy on tape and like, and they'd go from, you know, show the scoreboard and like a third of the stadium would be filled.
B
Right.
A
And I feel like there's been a flash here and there over the years, but I feel like Diego Pavia has, has like brought life to this program. And I think they have a head coach that they actually can build, like is building something. And you know, they're in a fertile recruiting hotbed in that area of the country. So it's like, I don't know, this thing's getting interesting in Vandy. LSU can't protect and, but LSU had every opportunity to lean on as the bigger team, the faster team. What were your takeaways from this game? But I, I guess my first was like this is. It was Alabama last year, it's LSU this year. When is it not like. And I appreciate they didn't. I don't think they rushed the field. Right.
B
They didn't rush the field.
A
I appreciated the hell out of that because they've built the field where it's like an expectation. Right.
B
What, what a, what a statement to lsu. You're not Alabama.
A
Yeah, right. I love that.
B
I love it too, man. And it just goes to show that they've got something going. I think they were favored going into that game. I mean there's, I mean there's clearly something going on there. I think they were favored against LSU and I think they should have been. I expected. Yeah, like you could say this was an upset, but based on where the teams were ranked, I don't think it was very much of an upset at all, to be honest with you. I just didn't. I think that lsu.
A
Well, it wasn't. Yeah. Yeah.
B
I mean, LSU can't run the ball. I think Nuss Meyers hurt. He, by the way he gutted it out today again. Felt like he gutted it out and then they just couldn't make enough plays when it mattered. And the, the defense still can't figure out how to handle a mobile quarterback. It's the same, the same thing that's haunted them for the last two years continues to haunt them. I mean, Pavia was killing them with his legs. So it was, it was not that surprising. And what's even better about that is they, it shows that their fans have an understanding of that. It shows that they're. That Vanderbilt fans get it, that they get that they're supposed to be better than LSU in that game. And it doesn't matter what history says. And to me, I mean those are all, I mean, huge green flags for that program going forward.
A
You know who also gets it? Cole Murray. The football tie ins to the Home Depot segments are, are Oscar worthy. Todd, I just see the tie in. I'm, I'm the guy out there grinding with the pea gravel and grinding with the porch and getting heaters delivered and, and taking advantage of this. So let's get to the outro here, right? Those stadiums, talking about all of them from today, from George, from Georgia to Alabama to, to Notre Dame to Vandy especially, that's the one I wanted to focus on today. Like you could tell the difference today in the home field advantage and. But if you create your own home field advantage, whether you're tailgating at the stadium, watching from your backyard or your living room, the Home Depot has everything you need for a game day setup that brings the energy from grills and smokers to top brands like Traeger Next grill or Weber to fire pits to two and smart lifting speakers, outdoor TVs and more. Fast free delivery. I'm telling you, I am, I am now like completely sold on the delivery at Home Depot. Okay. Fast free delivery. Over 2 million online items delivered free to your door, subject to availability. See home depot.com for details. The Home Depot how doers get more done. There we go. I do want to get back to the Vandy though, real quickly.
B
Go.
A
Yeah, they're not as talented, they're not as fast. I watched him in that tape getting ready for. For Alabama and I told you, like, I just can't see it because I saw such a significant difference when watching the Alabama tape. Right? But I watch him against an lsu. Lsu you mentioned. It's always been the Achilles heel and all that. The thing that I'm most convinced of offensive, like defensively, when you're facing Vandy, there's a lot of teams that force you to play with discipline in certain fashions or like maybe like you'd be better be sound with this thing. They test your discipline all three levels for four quarters and eventually they find something or you better just be so damn disciplined. That was the thing with Alabama that surprised me the most because it's been just like lsu. It's been a problem of theirs. But if Vandy can find a just one little crack in what you're doing, they kill you. Yeah, that's why I look at the schedule for Vandy. No one wants to do a Vandy show. I get it. Like I truly do.
B
I'm here for it.
A
Good. Well, the mensch wants to do a Vandy show. But I look at.
B
Do you want me write them off for you?
A
Yes, please.
B
Missouri at home at Texas, Auburn, Kentucky at Tennessee.
A
They could be.
B
I think they're in competitive. They're competitive in all those games. And look, man, confidence is a dangerous thing. This. There are, I think, a lot of parallels between what's happening at Georgia Tech and what's happening at Vanderbilt. And these teams are. Both have really good head coaches. They both have gritty quarterbacks that make plays. I like Vanderbilt a little bit better in some ways, but I, I shouldn't even say that. I love Georgia Tech too. They both have gritty quarterbacks, they have great coaches and they've gotten a little taste, a little taste of what it's like to beat the big boys. And they now know that they can run with them. They know that they can hang. They've had enough success over the last couple years to be a dangerous team. And you look at that schedule and it sounds in the be. You know, if you said this a couple years ago or a few years ago, Vanderbilt, you know, at Texas, there's no way. I don't know, man. Like, I think they're competitive all the way through.
A
I do, too. And they just. They add a problem to the sec, you know.
B
That'S why the SEC is the sec, though. And people get mad about it. But that's just. That's just the reality.
A
And the sec. The SEC wasn't the SEC last year. I'm here to admit it.
B
It wasn't.
A
But it's back this year.
B
The pro.
A
The problem is the best team in the country is in the Big Ten as of right now.
B
And that's again. It's again that that's happening.
A
So I want to get to a few other games before we get to the AP top 12 and. And just tear that thing up. Oh, I should mention a lot of people have asked. I wish I wrote it down to give you credit. Including Tucker, by the way, during the day. And a lot. Two things. Now all of a sudden, everyone's talking about Clark Lee from Vandy going to Penn State. The funniest line on our. On our. Go ahead. What?
B
Here we go.
A
What?
B
Go ahead. Sorry, just every name is coming up now. Of course, Frankie from Georgia Tech's going to.
A
It's no. You know, and I saw Port and I was talking about the army coach today. Like, come on. The best line someone on. Oh, no, it was. It was always trade back. Dude, just now, Hugh Jackson. What?
B
He just said Hugh Jackson to Penn State.
A
No, but he had the best line earlier. There was some. There was some chat on our chat chatter on our chat. The. Someone wants Brian Kelly out of lsu, which I know you're all for.
B
Oh, here we go.
A
And they were. And someone was saying, well, maybe, maybe, maybe you could ship them off to Penn State. They're looking for anybody right now. And always trade backs. And said something along the lines, I'm paraphrasing. He said, I just. I just am dying to hear Brian Kelly fake a pa. Like a Western PA accent. He wants Brian Kelly to go full yinzer.
B
We need the AI for that.
A
We got to get some AI.
B
Oh, I'm sure I'm not smart enough to do it.
A
That was awesome, by the way.
B
By the way, Matt Mateus coming off the top rope.
A
He really re.
B
Listened to every podcast McJ can confirmed that men found Mendoza.
A
Really?
B
That's, yeah, that's. He, that's. Check the tape. Check the tape.
A
I, I, I'm gonna check Matt Matus. I hope you did. But you can't have Jeremy. And honestly, you can kind of have Mendoza.
B
I won't.
A
I, I, I, I, I want Tyson.
B
Oh, here we go.
A
You can't, you can't fire me.
B
I quit.
A
No, I'm just, it's never you versus me on this stuff. It's the all the other riff raff in this space.
B
It's never coming that.
A
Oh my gosh. Couple other things. I want to get to Texas Tech. All right. No, go ahead. Hey, speaking of, you were. I was first on. I would strongly consider Will Hammond starting after what I saw him from one game. You then did the whole Kuiper double down. I'm going to move him up from 50 on my board to 9 to let everyone know that I like him more than McShay. So you pulled that. You went in on Will Hammond harder than I went in on Will Hammond. And you went in on this past week. So how say you Mench answer to yourself? Because he got the start, which I, I just love that like deep Texas stuff. All of a sudden Baron Morton's like, emergency status. He can play. It just felt kind of like we kind of want to start Hammond, but.
B
Then he wasn't in pads, I don't think. I think he was in street clothes.
A
It just felt like a lot of drama. But the bottom line was Hammond started this game under the, the strict order that their starter, Baron Morton, the veteran.
B
Right. It wasn't a person. Yeah. It wasn't a decision.
A
It wasn't a decision. It was medical.
B
Right.
A
And so Will Hammond got the start and at one point he was like 11 of 21 for 88 yards passing. And when I say one point, I mean like going in the fourth quarter.
B
Yeah. I saw his numbers in the first half and I watched a little bit of the first half and I didn't think it wasn't that bad. I mean, it was, it was a lot of short stuff, but the numbers weren't that bad. And then the third quarter was a nightmare. But I don't, I say that only statistically because I didn't see all of his tape. I'm. This will be interesting to talk about on the Monday show because I want to go back and watch it. I'm not really, I'm not, I'm not sure I'm backing off of it yet. I'm just going to be 100 honest. I'm not sure I'm backing off that he's the best quarterback for them. If you look what he did at the end of this game where he rushed for a touchdown when he was getting tackled in the backfield where he threw an absolute dart to go for the, to go ahead on a touchdown with all the pressure in the world with an undefeated team. I mean, this kid made some plays today and I know the numbers don't.
A
Look, I promise you that Steve. And, and I hope the tape says that he was better than, than the numbers said and the result. But I promise you when you're six zero and you've. The Matador Club has rolled in around $50 million to buy this team.
B
Here we go.
A
And, and the, and one quarterback takes over for one start and loses. It doesn't matter. Like, doesn't matter. He's never going to start a game again if Morton's healthy this year. But he's super interesting.
B
They did not have the. I'll say this about Texas Tech Skyler Gil Howard is a defensive tackle for them who's been lights out and is out until at least the playoffs. Won't be back. Okay, so before we start throwing the quarterback under the bus, maybe we worry about our defense not being able to field.
A
Get the out of here. Arizona State scored nine points in the first half.
B
Arizona State had the ball for 37 minutes and 12 seconds. 37 minutes and 12 seconds. I get that they only had nine points for that, that period of time. I get that. But they weren't getting off the field. Like, I, I don't know. I think there's, I think there's more at play here. They didn't run the ball. You still have Will Hammond as our top rush. I'm not making excuses. I know it looks bad. We'll see. We'll see. When I look at the tape, I will.
A
But I'm not sure. I'm not pinning this on you. I, I was dying.
B
Oh, no, no, no, no.
A
But if Baron Morton was the quarterback.
B
For Texas Tech, I mean, we're taking a little bit away from how good of a team Arizona State can be with Sam Love a quarterback. If, if Baron Morton starts this game, I'm not sure Texas Tech wins it. I don't. I'm not sure it was the quarterback that lost in this game.
A
And I know, I mean, I know, like you've got all this stuff going on the Big Ten. You got all this stuff going on the sec and I know the ACC now is Kind of like, what the. What do we do now? But it's still going to be. Miami versus one of a couple teams in the AC is a mess.
B
Yeah.
A
It's probably. Right now it's tracking Miami, Georgia Tech. If Miami doesn't have a residual effect from this last one.
B
Right.
A
And then you look at the Big 12 and it's. It's just not a great conference. We thought Texas Tech was at that level. Doesn't mean that they're not going to be who. They may run this thing and look great the rest of the way out and it's no problem. But Arizona State now with that win today, one loss in conference. Texas Tech won. Loss in conference.
B
You know, byu. BYU beat Utah tonight by a field goal.
A
They did.
B
So they're in it. Yeah.
A
I might have won my pool. Let's look at my pool real quick. And it's not on. It's not on. You're ridiculous. Let's just do it. You ready? List me.
B
Yeah, go ahead.
A
So I had three points on LSU plus two and a half over Vanderbilt lost that one.
B
Yep.
A
Georgia minus seven and a half. Got it. Four points. They won by eight. Arizona State. I had plus nine and a half for two points. That's six points. Now it's out of total of 28 points. Penn State plus two and a half. Seven points. Nailed it. Barely. Alabama minus eight and a half covered that one. That's five points. Notre Dame minus nine and a half. Stuck that one in. Should have been 14, though. And then BYU plus three and a half. So 3:20. I got 25 out of 28. I might have won that sucker this week.
B
There you go. Can we talk about the Big 12 now or.
A
Yeah.
B
Because BYU is undefeated. Seven zero. Cincinnati with Brendan Sorsby at quarterback is. Is four. Zero in the conference. Six and one overall. I mean, there is. I mean, Houston's three and one in the conference and they're six and one overall. It's. It is. And there are five teams right now that could. Could make a run for it. I think legitimately too.
A
People still are wanting to talk about the. The James Franklin stuff. I guess it's moved on from Frank. It's Penn State. Yeah. It's sell. It's pet. They want to know who the coach is going to be. So it's interesting because Greg McElroy came out this week and. And said Fitzgerald. Yeah, I. I sent a text to our group on Sunday saying Pat Fitzgerald's in play. The two names I heard from a really good source were they're going to try Urban Meer. Don't think it's going to happen. And then Pat. Don't rule out Pat Fitz. Then I had a follow up conversation with someone who said like here are some reasons why from the finances to can get started now.
B
Yeah.
A
To there's been some stuff behind the.
B
Scenes.
A
And Pat Fitzgerald was. Was basically shipped out of Northwestern under false pretenses. Everyone owes him in the Big Ten apology. Northwestern and the Big Ten, I think have given some sort of apology.
B
That's my understanding too. It was at least Northwestern did.
A
So that is the name I keep hearing.
B
He was at their. He was on campus at Northwestern this weekend for reunion. So it can't be that bad.
A
Oh, it's not that bad. Right. So just keep the Matt rule thing. I mean you don't. The thing I think is crazy. I don't want to get into this tonight at all. Like at all. I've done enough on it. People understand. I even set out a tweet and everyone's going getting mad at me. But like I told you in advance, the whole deal with James Franklin was image messaging, great at it. And so of course while everyone else in the community of coaching and he's got Nick Saban covering his, getting his back and I get it, like this is a coaching community but just about everyone else, when you get fired, like you spend time with your family, you make sure everyone around you is taken care of. You get out of the limelight for a little bit and you don't need to go on and explain your side. But when the obsession is. And I'm not even just talking about James Franklin, I'm saying like when people are driven by image and messaging and that things like today happen and I'm sure every mother in their living room and father in their living room was like, oh, I like this guy. And he did. But he. This came as a surprise. Well, people don't know that. And just go watch if you don't trust me and my sources. And I don't want you to. I don't want to be in this lane at all. Go listen to Bruce Feldman and what he's uncovering. And I haven't talked to Bruce, but I read something. He's going down the right track and I know. So I'm telling you to go read it. Like going behind people I want to raise knowing that this season might turn it to be something like I've heard that. Yeah, no, I know that. And so. And then I have my own experiences there. And then and then go just Google some of the stuff that's going on in Vanderbilt and they're like, in Penn State. So, like, there's just a lot of stuff. So out with that. Go ahead.
B
I just understand what he's like, how is he defending himself? Like, the idea that, I don't know, I'm not in it.
A
Not how, not how, not how. No, no, no, not how. Why do you feel the urge two.
B
Right.
A
Why? But. But to go out there and say.
B
Things like, I was stunned that I was fired. You.
A
You were.
B
You were stunned. You were stunned that you were fired after losing the last big game of all the big games that you've lost, and you were stunned that you were fired after you losing the UCLA into Northwestern. Like, how are you stunned that you were fired? Like, you could be upset about it. Like, you could say, you could come out and be like, I really wish. Most coaches come out and say, I really wish we could have done more. Instead, he's talking about where he's going to win. Like, and maybe he did do that, but, like, he's talking about getting excited to coach again and winning a national championship somewhere else.
A
Like, what are we talking about? Great. But take a breath.
B
Take a beat.
A
It doesn't need to be six days later.
B
No.
A
Because. Because the people who yell the loudest and who get their message out first, there's a history there. Study the psychology of all of it.
B
Yeah.
A
And so when you get all this, the other information that you have, the people who have to yell the loudest and get their information out the fur first. Go think about what I'm saying right now.
B
Yeah. They want that. They want the messaging. They want to take control of the messaging before someone else does. Right. It's just. Yeah.
A
Yeah. So anyway. But can I say something else? Yeah.
B
He did a lot of good stuff for Penn State. I mean, I don't want to get lost in the mix of all this.
A
I don't. He did a lot of good stuff.
B
For Penn State that doesn't. Like doing what you. Actually.
A
Not a personal man. It's not a lifelong job. And. And he has a lot of players that, will, like, die on the cross like, that they like. And he's done a lot of great things for. For a lot of young men and like. But. But certain people should be in power to run these. These programs and those. Those people should be driven by. Not the messaging, not the image, not. It's important that I'm the only voice and that my voice gets out there first. And the Loudest and is the most authoritative. Right?
B
Yeah.
A
Because when that's the importance, the importance isn't on the young men you're developing. I'm not saying a lot of importance wasn't put into them and a lot of good things weren't done. I'm not saying any of that. I'm saying choose your leadership. Okay. And again, I want to move past and if we're going to talk about it for the next two minutes, what's done is done there. I'm just saying I wanted to let everyone know. Not surprised he's coming on game day. Go back in the history of game day and find me how many other head coaches that were fired from major programs six days later were sitting on that set doing an interview. Okay. Now, moving forward, Pat Fitzgerald makes a lot of sense. This is. They want. They. On one end. You'd like someone who can come in and start now. Right.
B
Find. I've heard it's not going to. I, I talked to Craig Hobart, who does like the ESPN top 300, about the recruiting stuff, and I guess it doesn't really have a big impact. They've lost two recruits, I think. But he said, you know, Hobart was telling me that, that they, they recruit slip all the time, but in the NIL era, it's less likely for guys to flip when coaches leave because there's money involved. So it's not a, it's not a tremendous. Like, it's. They're not overly concerned about losing recruits because Franklin's left. And my understanding is that, you know, they're usually a top 10 class and they were not a top 10 class this year, that the recruiting was not. It hadn't fallen off the, the table or anything, but they were, you know, went from 10 to 17 or something like that.
A
So the, That's a great point. And it's actually information. I, I didn't know you've got Adidas coming in next summer, apparently, and there's all sorts of stuff going on behind the scenes that I don't know it or care about, but like Nike and some issues there. You got a stadium that you put, whether it's 700 million or 900 million, whatever the reports are, there's a lot of money that's gone in there. You've got fans that are now getting frustrated because the prices are really high there. But then you get the, the messaging coming out from the people in. In power there of like, it's never been better. And McAfee's down here and we're celebrating and everything's good and the fans are thrilled and the stadium's getting better and, and all this has been done and their program is better than it's ever been and all that stuff. Right. So now the tricky part is the people who are making the decision still currently are going to make a decision based off of that sort of stuff. But can they bring in something like, ideally, at the end of the day, this is a results business. What Penn State has been for entirely too long under Franklin's leadership has been a good program that has not played the brutally hard schedule but has won all the games. And I give them credit, like, it's hard to do that when all the games that are in front of you that you should win. Until ucla, this was a program that won all of those, but they couldn't win the big one. So how do we maintain that level of work? Consistent. We're going to handle our business. We're a Penn State program rich in traditional, all of that stuff. But find someone who can take you to another level. One of two things. There's one or two routes to take. One is a proven coach and leader who's won big games. That list is small in terms of availability. And it's like almost nil. Unless you're bringing in Saban. Mr. Mrs. Terry, told you it's not happening unless you're bringing in Urban. I can check with the. But I'm pretty sure that doesn't feel.
B
It doesn't feel right. Yeah, yeah.
A
I'm actually talking, talking to Urban on Monday. But yeah, then, then that group of guys who could be available now who are proven winners at a high level. It's like that's. You're out most. I'm missing somebody. Okay, so now it's. Are we going the route of. And you've heard like Marcus Freeman's name and you've heard some people who have won big games and like, can you think can take you to another level or in waiting until January, which is a hard thing to do with recruiting and with the nil period. Like, that's hard.
B
And the transfer portal.
A
Transfer portal, sorry. So you get the portal and recruiting periods and now we're going to bring them in in January when they're fresh off of winning, presumably a big game here or there to get to that late portion of the season and we got to buy them out. So now we got a money problem and a time problem for someone like that. Or is there a Pat Fitzgerald or someone else like a Pat Fitzgerald who could be available sooner so that's what they are. That's my information on where they are.
B
I get it. Here's what bothers me about that. You shouldn't be.
A
You shouldn't be.
B
It's not that I don't like Pat Fitzgerald. I want to be very clear about this. I think he should be a strong candidate for that job. I think what he did with at Northwestern, how competitive they were with the resources that they had, is notable. I'm not saying that he's a bad candidate. I don't want to hear about money. I don't want to hear about recruits. I don't want to hear about transfer portal, because this should not be a hire that makes you competitive in 2026. This should be a hire where you expect this guy to be there for the next 10 to 20 years and make you a national championship contender and be able to win those big. And when you think about it that way, when you look at it that way, I think it should. When they interview these guys, it shouldn't matter their resume necessarily. And I know that's hard for Penn State fans to hear, and I know that's hard for the university because you want someone to come in like a Saban or a Meyer. But if you have a feeling about a guy and you bring in a coach and you look what's happened at Vanderbilt, at Georgia Tech, and I know those are alumni and all that, but if you have a feeling about a coach and you feel good about that coach, you should be pulling the trigger. Because it shouldn't be about a guy like, again, I like Matt Rule. He has not won a lot of big games. I like Manny Diaz. He's not won any big games as a head coach. It shouldn't be about who's there, who you know. It shouldn't be that. It's about the guy you feel best about ushering Penn State into the next era. And you. You gotta have some onions, right, McShay? You gotta have some onions and pull the trigger on the right human being and not worry about what's going to happen in the next two months.
A
And I'm telling you, it can't do it. I'm telling you what? You tell me what I'm telling you.
B
You're going to tell me that I live in a bubble and there's no.
A
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
B
Okay.
A
I'm telling you, you're actually right.
B
Okay.
A
I would have two or three or four candidates just like that, Steve. Just like that. I would narrow them down And I wouldn't give a fugac about what anyone on campus thought about what like anything. I want the right man to lead this program. But. But what did I just tell you this? The leadership here has been driven on.
B
What messaging and that were you saying and what. I don't know.
A
Imaging. Imaging messaging.
B
The what looks right right brand and yeah, all that.
A
So it is that kind of leadership going to go out and get the right get. Not. Not necessarily. And, and you know what? Maybe you. Maybe you talk someone special into coming here and you pay them the right money and it all works out and hopefully for Penn State fans that are loyal and are awesome and tailgate hard and are365 got people, men and women. The women fans for Penn State are just as crazy and awesome as the. As the guys. I like it is an awesome, fun community of people who. But I just hope that it matches up because I don't know that. I just don't know that they have the right person that's going to ultimately make that decision that's going to do that unless they find someone that they can woo to come because it is Penn State and Adidas.
B
Maybe that would be interesting too. I'm. I'm here to see what happens. But like I'm. I keep getting confused about where Kurt Signetti coached before Indiana. Like, apparently he was a Hall of Fame head coach from. Oh, that's right. Jmu. Like, if everyone's looking at Signetti as the model for all of this, why aren't they looking at at programs like that that have won at a high level, like a. A Summerall from Tulane? Like, I mean, I don't understand why they're. They're not looking at. At coaches like that.
A
Yeah, I got some really good stuff on Signetti. Like positive, really cool stuff we shared at another date. And it was cool to see that Indiana stepped up. As I mean I said right away, like iu like you're on notice everything.
B
Timing is everything in life, right? Timing is everything.
A
Yes, yes. And that worked out well for Signetti. But you know who it worked out even better for? The people who wrote that check.
B
Oh yeah.
A
Because whatever every dollar they spent, they'll get back in X. You know, times. Times something. All right, we don't need to get to Miami was yesterday two days ago. Now it's 12:35am I do want to say that Chris Bell, you are on him first. He's your guy. Lock him into the first round with our Jeremy Bernard with some of these other receivers and And I gotta. You know what, subscribe to the McShay Show. I've got a whole thing in personnel notes and a few other things coming out tomorrow. So you can get dive deeper into that and. And Bell will be in there and some other receivers, some other edge rushers that really stood out to me this week. But Bell is on an absolute heater, man. Yeah, I do find it funny. One draft person writes one draft person and I don't know who did it first but one draft person, what do you call it? The Twitter mafia.
B
Yeah.
A
Writes he's. He's AJ Brown. And like I literally saw five others today. AJ Brown like okay, maybe it's a decent compl. He's AJ Brown's an inch shorter than this guy's. Verified 220. 15 same weight. You got that one 226 at the combine for Brown. 227 was verified this summer. So they're same weight estimated 445 for Bell. AJ Brown. Brown run a 449. Like yeah, that's.
B
I hate when it gets like. I'm not saying this in this case like it's a fine comp but like I hate when people start plugging numbers into a computer and don't really watch like the players game. And I'm not saying that's happening in this situation but no, it has happened in the past.
A
The only thing I'm talking about is like how many times you just comment on a player and you either throw around on him or you talk about I think he's going to be a good day. One starter or here's the skill set I like. Or did you see this catch? Did you see this run after catch and you just don't stick a name on him?
B
Yeah.
A
Like a comp is like not a rarity but like not every tweet or post has a comp on it.
B
And then all a sudden now all.
A
Of a sudden I see AJ Brown comps on every. It's like come on man, let's be better. But devastating loss for Miami and. And we'll get to. I'm sure we'll with the ten tape truths coming on on Monday and we'll get to that. I do want to just get to the AP top 12. I feel like the whole show has been kind of waiting for this. Yeah, it's a mess. Mench. Yeah.
B
I don't know what to tell you.
A
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of the half of the top 12. Half of the top 10. Miami at two loss at home. UGLY 1 Four interceptions from your quarterback. Extra time to prepare. You were out coached and outplayed by a. A good Louisville team, but a team with less talent, period. Ole Miss played their asses off. It was a road game, all that. I thought the inexperienced quarterback came late in the defense. Like neither. Both teams deserve to lose defensively in that game. But you're the number five team in the country and you. And you suffered your first L of the year. So things are going to get shuffled. Texas Tech, like that's going to knock them back. Arizona State's better than the record. Got their quarterback and all that stuff. But that's a game. Texas Tech, if Texas Tech was one of the real ones and I thought that they might be. That's a game you gotta.
B
Yep. I agree.
A
And then LS lsu. We saw this on the. The writing on the wall. It's just the offensive line play is just not what it needs to be. And the. The defense is. Is good, but there's. There's some holes. So here we are, Stevie boy.
B
There we go.
A
Ohio State clearly won.
B
Yep.
A
Can I say this? I'm gonna actually say this. Alabama 2.
B
Dude, that's recency.
A
Because I'm like. Because I. No, that's the thing. It's actually not. Alabama's a better. I think Alabama is a better team than Indiana, but I think Indiana deserves to be at number two. I'm just saying if you said. If you drop me in. No, if you said, Todd, you are charged with. Give me the best two teams.
B
Yeah, I hear you.
A
Regardless. I would probably say those two.
B
Right.
A
Right now. But that's like. That's asinine.
B
Forget.
A
Forget it.
B
It does feel like that. Hold on though.
A
We kind of don't.
B
We had this discussion last week and it felt like Ohio, Ohio State, Miami and Indiana and then everyone else. Right. And Ohio State was kind of on the higher pedestal. I feel like it's the same way. But now Alabama's replaced Miami.
A
The new Miami feels like it's those.
B
Three and everyone else.
A
So I'm getting my pen and paper up. It truly is those three and A&M. 45 points allowed from the unit that I was actually counting on to be the stabilizing unit against Arkansas. That. That adds a seed of doubt that did not exist last week.
B
Yep.
A
Because Ohio State is actually incapable of giving up 35 points. Or was it 40?
B
Yeah, they won't. It was 42 to Arkansas.
A
42 points to Arkansas. I don't know that any team in the country could score 42 points on them in double overtime.
B
Yeah.
A
Have they given up 42 points off season?
B
I don't know. They. They've definitely not.
A
Okay. So my point is, I love what Elko's doing. I. I like some of the growth with Marcel Reed. The wide receivers, Craver and Conception have been awesome. I think their run game at times shows up a little bit better than others, but, like, they got it rolling this week. Elkos. You know what? I'm not saying anything. If Elko got what I'm saying right now, he'd be throwing. Thrilled that I'm saying it. I heard Elko give a halftime. No, a postgame speech where he said, do you understand how good we could be if we actually played our best games? Like, both sides of the ball at the same time? We are. Like, we're one of. We can be one of them. We're one of the best teams in the country, and we've yet to play our best game, and that's exciting, but we got to figure it out where we're playing the best game on both sides, and it's all coming together. That has not happened yet. For A M. They're my.
B
They're my.
A
Doesn't mean it can't.
B
They're my favorite team to watch because I just think it's like, it is a. Oh, I love it. It's a wild ride. It's like they're the John Matiere of teams. You know what I mean? Because you don't. You don't know what you're getting. Like, you're going in and you're like, oh. And they haven't. It feels like they should have lost one of these. They haven't lost yet. Like, they just keep. And then. And Marcel Reed goes on these, like, runs where you're like, you know, like, this is kind of why you don't think they can be national champions. And then he goes on another run. You're like, yeah, maybe the best college quarterback of all time.
A
Like, he does these.
B
These, like, runs where you're like, what is happening right now? And then the defense. The defense could give up 42, but the next thing you know that, like, they've got a game ending sack. And it's just. I love watching. I bet for Elko, it's. It is nothing but heartburn and sleepless nights, and it's probably not that much fun for him. And I get where he's coming from, but as a fan. Oh, God, they're electric. It's. They're electric. And it's. You Just don't know what's gonna happen.
A
So I think we're agreeing on this. And I love that. That was beautifully booked. Ohio State 1, Indiana 2, Alabama 3A and M4.
B
Okay.
A
Then it gets interesting because, like, the. The other three teams, the Miami, Ole Miss and Texas Tech all lost. And I'll be honest, like, that Texas Tech is like a double L. And. And honestly, you know what that Texas Tech dig lost did? It means the Big 12. And we thought this. But definitively, he's only getting one team.
B
No way this was gonna be the.
A
Winner of the conference champ. It's only going to be the conference champion. And so it kind of doesn't matter where we put them. Just make sure when you do your top 12, as you're getting ready, as we get closer to the college football play, that one team is represented by the Big 12 because the rules say that they have to be. Yeah, that's where we are now. After this Texas Tech loss, the committee.
B
Will put one of those teams in the top, like, just to make it look good when they come out with or whatever. I don't think there'll be a top 12 Big 12 team in the. In the AP, though. I don't think that'll happen.
A
So now you've got. Do we bump? Like, where does. How far. I guess my point is this. Now we're at that. That threshold. We got 1, 2, 3, 4. Does Miami, like, do they fall back to just five?
B
No.
A
Does Oregon pounding Rutgers put them ahead?
B
Yeah, I mean, Miami, first of all. All of Miami.
A
Georgia. Go ahead. Of Miami. Yes.
B
Yes.
A
And how high does Georgia Tech go, bro?
B
I know that's a really tough one for me because that comes down to what they've earned and what I think they are. I have.
A
I think Oregon becomes five.
B
I agree. That's where I have Oregon, and I.
A
Don'T have a problem with that. And I think Georgia goes to six.
B
I have Notre Dame at six and Georgia at seven.
A
I'm going Notre Dame at seven. I like that Oklahoma win today.
B
I do, too. I think they sneak back into here.
A
Was not brilliant, but he looked a little bit more like himself. And I think that defense was absolutely awesome. And it was great to watch our Mason Thomas with a sack and a half, but I think Miami would probably go eight.
B
Yep.
A
And the weird part is noted, they beat Notre Dame, but that was a while ago. And this is Notre Dame team feels different from that one.
B
Yep.
A
But at the head. The head. And Notre Dame has two losses. I'm going Miami Seven.
B
You went not seven, right? Oh, no, you're flipping them.
A
I'm going Notre Dame 8. Yeah. Notre Dame's got two losses. They're both great losses, supposedly, but that Miami loss now is worse. And they went head to head and Miami won.
B
Whatever.
A
I know. You're a Notre Dame homer. I don't need LSU in my top 12. They're out. I don't need Tennessee in my top 12. They're Out. I don't need Texas Tech in my top 12. They're out. Ole Miss. Ole Miss is still in my top 12. Yeah, absolutely. So I'm going eight. I'm going nine. So now who are the teams I want in my top 12? We've got Ohio State, Indiana, Alabama, Texas A and M. Top four. Five is Oregon for me. Six is Georgia for me. Seven is Miami for me. Eight is Notre Dame for me. I know that's not the exact order for you, but it's the same eight teams, correct?
B
Yep.
A
So we have four teams remaining. Ole Miss is going to be one of them. Georgia Tech has got to be one of them. Great win for Georgia Tech today. I think Oklahoma should be one of them. And then, like, if I'm just. If you're asking me honestly, like, I think Missouri is one of the best 12 teams, even though they had that. That's a tough spot. But is Vandy not in the top 12 after beating LSU?
B
It's interesting, man. In Virginia, I don't think Virginia's in the top 12. But they're not. They're knocking on the door, man. They just keep winning games.
A
They do. I give them a lot of credit, and we obviously, you know, but, yeah, college and all that.
B
I can't in good faith put them ahead of a Vanderbilt or Missouri. I think that's. That's your 12. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Vanderbilt.
A
You got to put Ole Miss in still.
B
Yep.
A
I'm putting ole miss in nine. Georgia Tech at 10.
B
Yep.
A
So now it comes down to Oklahoma.
B
Oklahoma's 11.
A
UIU.
B
And then I think Oklahoma's 11.
A
Yeah.
B
Vanderbilt's 12. Because I like their quarterback situation a little bit better than Missouri's.
A
Okay. I can live with that. And then Oli outside looking in is byu. Is Missouri then byu?
B
Yes.
A
And then lsu, Tennessee, Texas Tech, all that. Okay.
B
All right.
A
That was fun.
B
We figured it out. It's all set now.
A
We did.
B
Is everyone.
A
Let's give our. Let's give our friends a. Why can't I? I hate when my chat goes.
B
Some people Want Oklahoma out.
A
Why can't I see my. This is. This is great live tv.
B
You can't see the chat.
A
There we go. No, tell me. You, you, you tell me what's going on while I figured out the. The technology.
B
Got some Notre Dame love. We got. What about South Florida? Do you think they're a top 12 team?
A
No.
B
No, they're not a top 12 team. What's wrong with J. Not. That's a good question. I don't know, man. I just don't know.
A
I mean it was some injury stuff. Like we've seen a couple running backs in the country.
B
Am I a hypocrite?
A
The two lane.
B
Am I a hypocrite?
A
Two is too too lane. Who's a two lane running back who went.
B
Oh, Makai Hughes.
A
We just talked.
B
Yeah. Now he's gonna. Yeah, he's gonna transfer out of Oregon because those freshman running backs are so filthy.
A
I'm closing out of this and going back in. I'm raw dogging it, man. Raw dogging it live on our show.
B
There we go. A lot of people want Brian Kelly fired, huh? I guess it's just.
A
Oh, Jeremy Godden. Jeremy Godden. Send me a dm. I'm gonna give you some Cape Cod spots. You got a big. What is it, your fiance or, or your anniversary, right?
B
Yeah, that was last week. It's still not. He hasn't gone yet.
A
Jeremy Godden's number one. He's sending me a dude.
B
He earns it.
A
Do I follow you? Yeah. Well, let's make sure that happens. Joseph. Rolling is ready. He's ready for the night to be over. He's exhausted. He gave the five star men.
B
Oh, dude.
A
I'll tell you when the five stars go out.
B
By the way, always trade back. I can't pronounce that guard's name.
A
He though.
B
Ohio State guard though, is. Is one of the few weak links on that team. 77.
A
Okay. Yeah, we covered it all. Dan's. Dan's got to go clubbing. Did everyone get to see Dan on Thursday or did they? Could those cowards cut that out? Did you notice?
B
I didn't. I didn't actually go back and look at it.
A
We gotta find out. I want everyone on this chat. Everyone on this chat. Almost a thousand deep. Still here. Go back to the. Watch the whole show. Please give us a five star thumbs up. All that stuff. Go to the very end. Go to the very end of Thursday's show. This is a little nugget, a little treat for you. Everyone wants to know, like Tucker's behind the scenes. Dan behind the scenes. Connor. Well, for some reasons, my. Our good friends who are, like, the. The lifeblood of this entire show, Steve and I just come on and talk. They make everything else work and come up with so much of the creative and all of it, but they're all cowards.
B
I wouldn't say. I wouldn't say that.
A
Also, they don't want to come on the show. They saw Dan.
B
Dan was on.
A
Oh, they saw him.
B
Yeah.
A
Dan made it. What do you guys think of Dan? Dan was pissed because, like, Dan wanted to have, like, a, you know, Hollywood entrance, right? He wouldn't have a Hollywood entrance. Like, a nice backdrop and, like, he's been working out. He's getting a little ripped up. You know, he's single guy out in la, and we just caught him. He's, like, down in Texas somewhere visiting a friend on, like, a picnic table, like, with a tree behind him. And he's comes on like. Like, his mom's probably mad at him. Wonderful Southern. Southern woman. He comes on with a trucker's mouth. Jeremy. God, we saw Dan.
B
All right. Yeah. Let's get Tucker. Jeremy Gunn wants to see Tucker, so.
A
Tucker's got to be there. So. So we're start lining this up. But that was, like. I think it almost had to happen by accident before. Some of the executives are gonna be like, all right, like, I don't care, as you well know. And so now that we've decided we're doing this thing, we're gonna make it, we're gonna start rolling it up.
B
We need.
A
And I'll get y'.
B
All. We need to get, like, some merch going. Evan, Holly wants a Perons Gourmet Italian hat. We got to get some, you know, some show merch. Merch.
A
I mean, go. Go to the website.
B
Hats on the website.
A
Peron's Gourmet Italian.
B
Okay.
A
Dot com, I believe.
B
Yeah, actually, I think they have a.
A
Pull it up.
B
They have a black one, too.
A
I have the white one.
B
They have a black one.
A
Oh, they've got, like, five different colors.
B
Okay.
A
And my. My Michael will send you a nice note. Just. Just when you make an order, tell them that you're a friend of the show. Okay. Because we're literally family. Perrones, the McShays, and now the match. We're all family.
B
And Tucker and Dan.
A
But. But we're also talking about merch for the show, and Mensch has got some really good lines that we got to get in there, and it's good. Mensch is Going to be one of them. But we need.
B
We need a five stars at.
A
We need five stars mention good five stars. But what. But I have very specific table I don't want like that this could take.
B
This could take a while because you. You like this stuff is important to you.
A
No, I like clean.
B
I know clean.
A
But we're gonna. We're gonna find the right partner with this and we'll get that rolling. Hey, if anyone on the chat has people that they. They work in the industry, I've got a couple people. But let's find the right corner in this and let's get out some good.
B
Can we also ask for some help with the best things we saw. If you guys see things like over the week like next Saturday if you send them to me and I'm at you good manuench that's you know at michae 13, right?
A
Yep yep.
B
Send them to us like if you guys see stuff we can't use stuff that's just so everyone knows we can't use stuff that's part of a broadcast. But anything other than that it's all fair game. Anything you guys think is funny, like shoot to us.
A
Yeah. And it doesn't have to be from Saturday. It can be best things we saw the week.
B
So yeah.
A
Stuff during the week at McShade 13. Good call match at McShade 13 and at you good mensch. M U E N C H if you don't know already and send us some stuff during the week. Funny stuff only like like I'm. We're gonna test the. The sense of humor which I know is really good from our core group and but like we want some interesting stuff and then we'll share it and we'll. We'll give credit where credit's due. I had fun tonight, man. It was dud ending for the two games, but thank goodness for it was Evan Holly for getting us on the Missouri game. Apparently Florida State's in a battle now.
B
Stanford. What's happening?
A
Stanford. Stanford is like a. Yeah. So it's time total chaos. Mensch. 5 stars 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. kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-Gambler or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit MD Gambling Help.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gambling helpline ma.org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts. Or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text Hopeny in New York.
C
Tonight's the first date that's been weeks in the making. Hair done, nails done done, every square inch of your body exfoliated. Then you see it A pesky pimple the size of a respectable mountain. The good news? Mighty Patch Pimple patches can absorb gunk in just six hours, patch the problem area, and shrink the look of whiteheads faster than your makeup skills could anyway. Shop Mighty Patch at all major retailers.
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Date: October 19, 2025 | Host: Todd McShay et al. | Podcast: The Ringer
Week 8 of the college football season delivered upsets, breakout performances, and significant shifts in the college football landscape. Todd McShay and team provide immediate, informed reactions to the week’s biggest games, analyze draft stock trends, and debate the evolution of top contenders. The show focuses on the emergence of several key players, analyzes coaching storylines, and breaks down the changing hierarchy in college football’s playoff race.
Lane Kiffin’s Social Media & Trolling
The crew discusses Lane Kiffin’s hot yoga trolling, his dynamic with Kirby Smart, and the human side of coaching personalities.
Performance of Key Figures Off the Field
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
Compared to Johnny Manziel for his moxie and improvisational skills; Pavia provides the Commodores with legitimate punch vs. blue bloods like Alabama and LSU.
Ty Simpson, Alabama ("Alabama’s Assassin")
Simpson is lauded for rapid development and NFL-caliber poise, checking protections, reading defenses, and operating at an unprecedented level for a first-year starter.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Identified as quietly transforming from liability to asset as a high-efficiency quarterback—with a "historically good" Buckeye defense behind him.
On Ty Simpson’s ascent:
“We’re watching something that is so special, man. The level at which he's playing the quarterback position… it doesn't happen. He is the best quarterback in college football right now.” – McShay (24:41)
On Diego Pavia’s impact at Vandy:
"He’s become the most exciting player… everyone in that locker room believes, and there’s a value to that.” – McShay (08:15)
On Gunner Stockton’s growth:
“There are certain games that you always look back on for players… my opinion changed on Gunner Stockton.” – McShay (51:49)
On Alabama's transition:
"It just feels like there’s something going on there, too… Alabama feels like something’s happening right now." – Co-host (33:19)
On coaching hires:
"You gotta have some onions… and pull the trigger on the right human being and not worry about what’s going to happen in the next two months." – Co-host (88:22)
The episode retains a conversational, irreverent, and analytical style, with McShay and the panel offering a blend of expert insight, banter, and passionate takes—enlivened by honest, sometimes raw reactions to the latest happenings in college football.
This week’s McShay Show is a comprehensive, high-energy deep dive into a wild week of college football—balancing sharp draft analysis, player evals, and real-time reactions. Listeners receive a clear sense of which teams and players are rising (Ty Simpson, Diego Pavia, Gunner Stockton, Jeremiah Love), which programs face questions (Georgia’s defense, Texas Tech’s viability), and the turmoil/turnover as the playoff and coaching landscapes shift heading into November.