The Pat McAfee Show 2.0 Episode 1465 – NFL Week 14 Preview, TNF Recap, CFB Championships, and Chris Henry Jr. Commitment

Date: December 5, 2025
Host: Pat McAfee (from Atlanta), with A.J. Hawk (in studio), the Toxic Table, Tone Digs, Ty Schmidt, Stanford Steve, special guests Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban, and more.

Episode Overview

In this jam-packed, high-energy episode, Pat McAfee and the crew preview NFL Week 14, break down last night’s pivotal Lions-Cowboys Thursday Night Football game, and dive deep into one of the most anticipated college football Championship Weekends ever. The episode also features an exclusive on-air commitment from five-star WR Chris Henry Jr., interviews with Notre Dame AD Pete Bavacqua and coaching legend Nick Saban, and sharp insight from Kirk Herbstreit and Stanford Steve.

The show is loaded with analysis, authentic locker room banter, and inside stories from football greats—delivering a blend of serious insight and the infectious ridiculousness that defines PMS.

Main Segments & Themes

1. Week 14 NFL & Thursday Night Football Recap

• Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys
  • Foxy (Lions fan) and the crew celebrate the Lions’ dominant 34-27 win, praising big-time performances by Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and rookie RB Jameer Gibbs.
  • Injury concerns linger for Detroit, but the belief in Dan Campbell’s “bag” and the offense is high.
  • The Cowboys drew shade for not making “big plays when it mattered,” and their playoff legitimacy was questioned.
• Brandon Aubrey’s Record Night
  • Ty Schmidt: “Brandon Aubrey is the greatest kicker of all time...they're calling him butter.” (11:12)
• NFL Week 14 Preview & Gambling Tactics
  • Deep dive into favorites, underdogs, and betting trends—reverse line movement in the Lions game is discussed.
  • Tone Digs: "They do not lose two in a row. They always bounce back." (63:27)

2. College Football Championship Weekend

A. Big Ten Championship (Ohio State vs. Indiana)

• Indiana’s rise from “cute story” to legitimate threat under Coach Signetti, with grit on both sides of the ball.
• A.J. Hawk: “You can’t. I don’t think you can doubt [Indiana] anymore. They put on another unbelievable performance.” (2:36)
• Kirk Herbstreit: “The line of scrimmage, they’re tough to run the football on,” highlighting Indiana’s all-conference defenders and their evolutionary jump year-over-year.
• Both teams can win in the trenches; atmosphere in Lucas Oil is expected to be electric (“the Loud House”).
• Pat: “I think Indiana can really do this thing, especially with what Lucas Oil is going to be like.” (6:15)

B. SEC Championship (Georgia vs. Alabama)

• Live from Atlanta, Pat sits down with Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, and others to break down the perennial clash.
• Nick Saban: “Winning the SEC is a really significant accomplishment…You get to walk around the SEC in full strut and say, you won the SEC.” (75:14)
• Saban discusses the evolution of the game, pressure of sustaining excellence, and offers coaching advice for Matt Campbell (the new Penn State hire).

C. Big 12 Championship & CFP Implications

• Texas Tech vs. BYU looms with playoff stakes. LJ Martin (BYU) and the Texas Tech D-line get in-depth analysis from Stanford Steve.
• Stanford Steve: “Texas Tech is stacked…if they were an SEC or Big Ten team, they’d get way more chatter.” (193:08)

D. College Football Playoff & The Notre Dame–Miami Debate

• With playoff expansion and cluster at the bottom seed, Notre Dame and Miami’s futures spark fierce debate.
• Pete Bavacqua (Notre Dame AD) defends his team’s resume: “With the exception of [Ohio State and Indiana], we’re the hottest team in the country.” (43:23)
• Gumpy (Hurricanes fan) and Tone Digs argue the case for head-to-head, with the committee’s process scrutinized.
• Strong discussion on the future expansion to 16 teams and the “5+11” (auto-bids plus at-large) format’s politics.
• Kirk Herbstreit: “Fans...just want to see the best. Let’s give us, the fans and the players, the next best 11.” (47:07)

3. Exclusive Commitment: Chris Henry Jr. Live on Air

(Starts ~14:10 – ends ~19:12)

• Five-star WR Chris Henry Jr., son of the late WR Chris Henry, reaffirms his commitment to Ohio State after much speculation following Brian Hartline’s departure.
• His decision is guided by fit, comfort, and dreams of being an NFL first-rounder:

  “For me it was just being at a place where I feel comfortable at...it was never really about the money.” — Chris Henry Jr. (17:22)

• Celebrated and questioned by the hosts and guests, A.J. Hawk welcomes him “to the family.”
• Pat: “This is a big statement...about who Chris Henry Jr. is as a whole.”

4. College Football Coaching Carousel

• Penn State’s prolonged, chaotic coach search is unpacked, leading to the likely hiring of Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
• Nick Saban on expectations at “blue blood” schools:

  “Creating that expectation is actually not favorable to being able to do it…Only one team wins the national championship…” (138:45)

• Discussion on NIL, transfer portal, the current climate for coaches, and Saban’s advice for Lane Kiffin moving from Ole Miss to LSU.

5. Locker Room Banter, Memorable Moments & Fun

• Saban shares stories about Roy Kramer (R.I.P.), BCS creation, and the true pain of loss over joy in winning (“A win was relief, a loss was devastation”—echoing Mack Brown’s words).
• Pat and Nick Saban joke about Saban’s accordion playing on his family Christmas card (“You don’t see me playing...enjoy yourself!” —Saban, 162:27).
• Lighthearted ending with "U Ball" (office basketball) stories and more.

Notable Quotes

• On Indiana:
  “This isn’t that way this year. I think it’s a different Indiana team. And I…think the atmosphere in there is going to be electric.”
  — Kirk Herbstreit (3:12)

• On College Football Playoff Expansion:
  “There’s almost unanimity…that we should be at 16 teams with five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large. I think it would be perfect.”
  — Pete Bavacqua, Notre Dame AD (46:19)

• On Matt Campbell at Penn State:
  “Matt Campbell did a great job at Iowa State because he won more there than most…he’s won consistently at a place…not a place people would recognize as someplace you should win all the time.”
  — Nick Saban (141:35)

• On Chris Henry Jr.’s impact:
  “I think it sends a very loud message to future receivers and future recruits that Ohio State's gonna continue.”
  — Kirk Herbstreit (21:06)

• On Championship Pressure:
  “How do you enjoy accomplishing something when the expectation is you were supposed to accomplish it?...The only joy is when you accomplish the goal of winning the championship.”
  — Nick Saban (89:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–07:14: TNF Recap (Lions-Cowboys), Detroit’s playoff hopes
• 07:14–15:00: CFB Championship Weekend Preview (Big Ten, SEC)
• 14:10–19:12: Chris Henry Jr. interview & college commitment
• 25:52–30:25: Penn State coaching search, Matt Campbell discussion
• 31:25–41:51: College Football Playoff scenarios – Notre Dame, Miami, BYU debate
• 42:11–54:28: Pete Bavacqua (Notre Dame AD) Interview
• 70:04–92:23: Nick Saban Conversation—SEC Championship, expectations, Lane Kiffin/Lane at LSU, and lessons learned
• 94:24–96:44: On Jameer Gibbs, Lions, number 0, and Saban’s player stories
• 125:30–126:50: Gambling talk—why the books loved Lions-Cowboys
• 183:47–200:46: College Football Playoff chaos, Notre Dame/Miami, coaching carousel, wrap-up with Stanford Steve
• 200:46–203:43: Lane Kiffin’s “choked up” presser, coaching authenticity, and wrap-up banter

Episode Highlights

• Chris Henry Jr. Commitment Live
  “Even though Brian Hartline is not going to be there, I still feel strongly about [Ohio State]... this isn’t just about Chris Henry…this is about a message being sent to other receivers and other recruits down the line.” — Kirk Herbstreit (21:06)

• Nick Saban Music Banter
  “I started playing ball when I was nine years old was to get out of going to accordion lessons.” — Nick Saban (161:30)

Tone & Style

True to PMS style, the episode is fast-paced, irreverent, and hilarious even when analyzing serious topics. Guests are treated like family, and the show balances locker room jokes (“he’s a dog, dog”) with sharp football insight. Big news (like coaching hires and five-star commitments) is broken live, and every conversation is authentic, passionate, and laced with one-liners.

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Summary for First-Time Listeners

This episode is a showcase of everything The Pat McAfee Show does best: breaking sports news, unfiltered analysis, real-life perspectives from football legends, exclusive interviews, and a ton of fun. From a Lions playoff post-mortem, through the messy Penn State coaching search and high stakes of the CFB playoff, to Chris Henry Jr.’s commitment and the joyful chaos of office U ball, this is a definitive listen for sports fans craving insight, authenticity, and laugh-out-loud moments.

Be a friend, tell a friend something nice—it might change your life. And as Pat says, play ‘Dookie’.