The McShay Show – Week 9 Reactions: Alabama Escapes, Chambliss Shines + Brian Kelly OUT?!

Date: October 26, 2025
Host: Todd McShay (A), with Co-Host (B) & occasional guest voices
Podcast: The Ringer

Brief Overview

This packed Week 9 reaction episode of The McShay Show blends on-the-ground family updates, signature college football analysis, and real-time banter between Todd McShay and crew. The meat of the discussion covers wild finishes, quarterback breakouts (notably Trinidad Chambliss), playoff implications after some dicey SEC showdowns, and the ripple effects of this week’s results for draft prospects and coaching reputations. The top-12 ranking debate bookends the show, while listener chat is a constant presence for humor and hot takes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Standout Stories & Family/Life Updates

• Drew Messmaker’s Zero to Hero Story

  • [01:20] McShay highlights North Texas QB Drew Messmaker, a true freshman walk-on, who “never started a single varsity game at quarterback in high school… decided to walk on at North Texas. The freshman now leads the country in passing, just threw for a school record 608 yards and has the mean green 7–1.”
  • Messmaker’s high school resume: punter, safety, third-string QB—never a starter.
  • Quote (A): "It’s one of the cool things about college football that I didn’t want to skip over." [04:07]

• Personal Context – Studio Changes

  • [05:00] McShay explains broadcasting from a makeshift spot due to family travel, embedding a mini “Friday Night Lights”–esque breakdown of his blended family’s football routines across Nantucket and Cohasset, MA.

2. Best Things Seen All Day — Game Reactions and Social Media Moments

• Lane Kiffin’s Viral Momentum

  • [08:16] After Ole Miss’ big win, Kiffin wasting no time starting up social media trash talk with OU players and rivals.
  • Quote (A): “Kiffin, like, fresh out of the locker room… gets right on his phone, gets his thumbs working and finds some fodder. This guy is absolutely feeling himself every single week.”
  • Lane jabs back at an OU defender—hosts agree it’s all fair game given the player “wanted that smoke.” [09:12]

• Indiana’s Vibes

  • Old fans (literally) in the stands: “you get old men getting naked at football games,” a sign something’s shifting at Indiana. [07:17]

3. Saturday Night Spotlight: Trinidad Chambliss

Biggest Game, Breakout Performance

• Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss:

  • 24/44, 315 yards, TD; 12 carries, 53 yards rushing
  • Quote (A): “He’s a Division II player who, if you’re Brian Haas type… a lot of people who like to point out the negatives… He came out early on against Georgia, he looked great for three quarters, but the pressure… got to him in the fourth quarter. Will he ever recover? Well, he comes right back out this week at Oklahoma… No turnovers in Norman… OU defense was second in the country… and they dropped 34 on that group. Chambliss was the reason.” [12:11–13:31]
  • Hosts note the human side—unexpected, raw talent shining under pressure.

• Game Atmosphere – Lane vs. Venables

  • The “split screen” of both coaching staffs frantically signaling, treated like “air traffic controllers.” Adds drama to an already intense new SEC rivalry.
  • Quote (B): "It should be sponsored by Red Bull… they are going bananas with all the signals… it was awesome to watch." [15:45]

4. Deep-Dive: SEC Showdowns & Playoff Implications

Ole Miss at Oklahoma – Coaching Chess Match

• Quote (A): “This is the best coaching job Lane Kiffin has ever done. Lane has won national titles as OC… but every week, X’s and O’s, he’s one step ahead.”

• Reflection: Lane at Ole Miss “feels like he’s found his best version of himself there… why would you go anywhere else?” [17:35]

• OU’s John Matier isn’t right post-injury ("not the same guy with that thumb injury"); hosts hope he comes back for another year to defend his draft stock:

  • Quote (A): “I’d really like to see him back in Norman next year because I don’t want him going in the NFL draft with this being his... tape that the NFL scouts are.” [24:57]

• Ole Miss is positioned for the playoff—with only South Carolina, The Citadel, Florida, and the Egg Bowl (Miss State) left.

Alabama at South Carolina – Survive and Advance

• [31:32] Alabama wins 29–22 in a scare—South Carolina played them tough throughout.
• Quote (A): “I felt like they got controlled a little bit in the line of scrimmage… I want to give Ryan Grub a lot of credit, man… when you’re coaching at Bama, the OL’s improved, but today… South Carolina, we’re not pushing them around.” [35:35]
• Jeremy Bernard becomes Bama’s most trusted receiver
• Playcalling: Alabama leaned on misdirection, trickery with Jeremy Bernard in the backfield; Grub “as good a job as any offensive play-caller… maybe outside of Lane Kiffin this year.”
• Quote (B): “Survive and advance, man, survive and advance. And they did it… They are still very much a contender.” [39:20]
• Lenore Sellers, SC’s QB: Hosts praise his grit and upside ("top-five pick when he comes out"), flaws are “correctable,” want to see him stay and develop.

5. Big 10, ACC, & Mid-Major Notes

Missouri vs. Vanderbilt – Ugly but Pivotal

• Defensive slugfest, Vandy “the Cinderella story continues.”
• Missouri’s defense regarded higher, but Vandy scrapes out another win—setting up a key late-season matchup with Tennessee.

Texas Survives, But…

• Arch Manning: 29/46, 346 yds, 3 TD, Wingo goes for 184—yet, Texas only survives in OT after a 24-pt fourth-quarter rally.
• Quote (A): "Texas is 6–2… but I feel like Texas is a dead man walking." [50:40]
• Looming: Showdown with surging Vanderbilt.

Georgia Tech’s Undefeated Run

• Quote (B): “Just another day at the office for the number seven team in the country.”
• QB Haynes King quietly torching defenses, not an NFL prospect but a CFB star.

Indiana Dominance, Mendoza Brothers

• Indiana pounds UCLA; Fernando and Alberto Mendoza combine for nearly 300 yards—“I can’t remember a brother tandem at the same position, same school, playing in the same…” [55:07]

6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lane Kiffin:

  • “This is like the advanced, much more sophisticated version of what Spurrier was in the SEC. And Spurrier was an absolute gem that, like, you thought we’d never have another one, but we got a better one, a more sophisticated version, in Lane Kiffin.” (A) [21:18]

• On Alabama’s Playcalling:

  • “To have that in the bag, to be able to pull it out in like the 16th, 17th hole, even though it’s a shot you haven’t used all season… that’s impressive.” (A) [36:27]

• On playoff chaos ahead:

  • “This is SEC, right? A&M’s undefeated. Bama’s 5–0. Georgia, Ole Miss, Vandy, Texas—all with one loss. And unlike the Big Ten and ACC, they’re all playing each other—it’s like two degrees of separation.” (A) [53:46]

7. TMS Top 12 Rankings Reveal & Debate ([62:50] onward)

Agreed Top 12 (as of Week 9):

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Ole Miss
7. Oregon
8. Georgia Tech
9. Miami
10. Vanderbilt
11. Notre Dame
12. Texas Tech

• Ole Miss Rises: “[I’m] buying more than I ever thought I would this season. Take them in a rematch over Georgia at a neutral site.” (A) [66:03]
• Vandy’s Respect: Now No. 10, with hosts agreeing on Miami at 9; BYU, Notre Dame, Texas Tech round out next tier.
• BYU as a "First Date": McShay: “I’m willing to go on a date… let’s grab a drink before I commit to dinner.” [69:04]
• Contender Parity: Tighter gap than ever between Top 4, any could beat the others on a neutral field.

8. Closing Rapid-Fires/Other Notes

• Cincinnati – “Watch out for those Bearcats”
  • Hosts credit QB Sorsby’s development; Bearcats riding a 7-game win streak, “on scouts’ radars” as a surprise.
• Memphis Bounce-back
  • Big second-half comeback vs. South Florida puts Memphis in the G5 driver’s seat.
• Michigan’s RB Justice Haynes is “the truth,” while QB Bryce Underwood remains streaky.
• Chat Community Shout-Out: Regulars and “Draft Santa” get praised for show spirit.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:20 — Drew Messmaker’s zero-star story
• 05:00 — McShay’s family background, why out of studio
• 08:16 — Best things seen: Lane Kiffin’s social media win
• 11:05 — Saturday Night Spotlight: Trinidad Chambliss’ performance
• 15:25–22:00 — Deeper Ole Miss/Oklahoma/Lane vs. Venables chess match
• 31:32–39:20 — Alabama vs. South Carolina, playoff path, trust in Grub
• 41:41–42:29 — Evaluating Lenore Sellers; potential as top-5 draft pick
• 44:58–47:22 — Missouri–Vanderbilt recap and implications
• 50:16–51:16 — Texas avoids collapse, but criticisms persist
• 55:07–55:45 — Mendoza brothers historic Indiana moment
• 62:50–66:27 — TMS Top 12, playoff calculus, closing humorous banter

Overall Tone & Style

• Collegial, conversational, equal parts insider and everyman
• Frequent listener/chat interaction—hosts riff on “Mensch” and regulars
• Irreverent (show references old men going shirtless at IU, Lane Kiffin’s antics, college football as controlled chaos)
• Deep football insight but seamlessly blends in personal/family context and lighthearted shots at one another

For Listeners:

This episode provides a front-row seat to the chaos and uncertainty that define college football in late October—major personalities emerge (on and off the field), coaching reputations rise or fall, and playoff dreams take shape or shatter in real time. Whether you came for analysis, culture, or comedy, you’ll come away with both insight and explanations for why this sport is “so damn fun to follow.”