Podcast Summary: The Pat McAfee Show PMS 2.0 #1480 – CFP Quarterfinal Recap, NFL Week 18 Preview/Picks, Adam Schefter, Pete Thamel, Peter Schrager, & AJ Hawk

Date: January 2, 2026
Host: Pat McAfee (plus AJ Hawk, "The Toxic Table", Tone Digs, and guests)
Main Theme:
A high-energy, insider-driven breakdown of the College Football Playoff (CFP) quarterfinal action, the landscape of the National Semifinals, NIL and transfer portal chaos, and a comprehensive preview of NFL Week 18 with expert guests delivering news, rumors, and old-school banter.

Main Topics and Segments

1. CFP Quarterfinal Recap and Semifinal Set-Up

• [00:17 – 13:24]
• Pat, AJ, and the crew relive a blockbuster CFP quarterfinal, featuring underdog stories, seismic upsets (Ole Miss over Georgia, Indiana trouncing Alabama), and the improbable rise of once-forgotten programs.
• Emerging theme: "Toughness and grit" define this year’s CFP – all semifinalists (Indiana, Oregon, Ole Miss, Miami) are “physical, sandpaper, jam, and grit” teams.
• Historical uniqueness: First time in CFP history that neither Georgia, Bama, Clemson, nor Ohio State made the semis.
• NIL era analysis: Northern programs leveraging vast alumni networks and deep donor pools, flipping the traditional SEC power script (Pat: "When the NIL era kind of came in…all these northern schools, state schools, whatever it is—they got a lot of those people. If there's a little bit of success, they're going to keep going" [09:03]).
• Transfer portal chaos: Over 4,000 players in the portal; staff and rosters in constant flux.

2. Spotlight on Indiana and Ole Miss Cinderella Runs

• [02:25, 13:29 – 17:16]
• Indiana’s meteoric rise under Kurt Signetti, moving from “castoffs and misfits” to a Rose Bowl rout of Alabama, now prepping for a “red hot” Oregon.
  • “This Indiana Hoosiers team is excited for a rematch against the Oregon Ducks down there in Atlanta...” [03:57]
• Ole Miss’s gritty grind, managed by Golding amid coaching exodus and transfer portal drama; kicker nailing 55+, 56+, and then the 47-yard game-winner.
  • “You gotta be one of the mentally toughest teams that ever existed to go through everything that they’re going through...all he's done is manage a team in the most difficult situation…” [04:49]

3. Big Ten and the NIL/Transfer Era

• [08:01, 10:11, 15:30]
• The Big Ten’s resurgence: three straight years with a team in the championship.
• “It’s just different down here [SEC]?” AJ & crew note—it’s different in the Big Ten too, thanks to rabid fanbases and deep pockets in the NIL age.
• Pat on Indiana’s support: “$2 million was donated to the football team from a very famous alum last week...another one comes” [09:41].
• College football’s “house of cards”—the sport is riding unprecedented TV ratings and drama, but everyone’s waiting for the fiscal/ethical shoe to drop in NIL.

4. NFL Week 18 Preview with Adam Schefter

• [25:03 – 56:15]
• Key Schefter Segments:
  • Chargers tanking in Week 18: resting Herbert and key players; playoff matchups likely reshuffled.
    • “Trey Lance now stands in the way of Denver Broncos clinching the number one seed in the AFC…” [26:29]
  • Patriots’ playoff scenarios and injury update—key players ruled out for the Dolphins.
  • NFC #1 seed battle: Niners-Seahawks Saturday night, key injury updates (Kittle in, Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall game-time decisions).
  • Coach and GM hot seats: Steelers and Ravens; “melting point” moments for Tomlin and Harbaugh depending on Sunday’s results.
    • “Heavy is the head, brother. That’s just part of being an NFL head coach, especially in a football town like Pittsburgh and Baltimore...” [37:26]
  • GM searches: Why teams are hiring “search firms” instead of making their own decisions; McAfee’s rant on leadership by committee.

5. The Transfer Portal – PortalPalooza (with Pete Thamel)

• [71:33 – 91:14]
• Thamel delivers the “PortalPalooza” state-of-the-union: 4,000+ transfers, chaos at all levels, and no post-spring window this year.
• Insider scoop: “A third of the quarterback market is probably done or close to done at this point.” [76:34]
• College football’s lack of a central authority (neither NCAA nor any other governing body really “in charge”), infuses complexity and constant uncertainty.
• Big names in the portal, and which programs are likely aggressive (Miami, Indiana, Texas Tech, LSU, etc.).

Notable Thamel Quotes

• “There is, there's 91 pages...of medical documentation about Trinidad Chambliss and why he didn't play that year. The early inclination from the NCAA as they communicated to Ole Miss was that they were not going to grant him the medical red shirt waiver.” [88:28]
• “It's a mad scramble for rosters...by the 16th [of January] when the portal window closes.” [83:09]

6. NFL Coach of the Year, MVP Debates, and Week 18 Matchups (with Peter Schrager)

• [97:42 – 147:15]
• Schrager and the crew bounce around NFL award debates (Shanahan, Vrabel, Ben Johnson, etc.), with a major focus on Drake May (Patriots) for MVP vs. Stafford/McCaffrey.
  • "Drake May is 23 in his second year and even with this 32nd ranked schedule...what he has done against common opponents with Matthew Stafford...It's like, and you can't really name...okay, Stefan Diggs. Okay, keep going. Exactly." [111:01]
• Coaching rumors: NFL teams possibly poaching Signetti, debate over Giants' next coach, speculation on Tomlin and Harbaugh’s futures if they’re ousted.
• Playoff scenarios for NFC South, Steelers/Ravens, and broader playoff seeding.
• Hilarious asides about post-New Year’s travel, rose bowl traditions (“sucking on Granddaddy”), and wild broadcast stories.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Indiana Football’s rise (Pat, [03:57]):
  “This Indiana Hoosiers team is excited for a rematch against the Oregon Ducks down there in Atlanta...”

• On NIL Impact (Pat, [09:03]):
  “When the NIL era kind of came in…these northern schools, state schools, whatever it is—they got a lot of those people. If there's a little bit of success, they're going to keep going.”

• On the sport’s shifting power (Pat, [15:30]):
  “This is not a flash in the pan here. This is a new football powerhouse. As long as Sig is able to continue to go ahead and get the right talent, which we think is his superpower.”

• On the transfer portal (Pete Thamel, [74:02]):
  “It is just a, like completely ridiculous free for all right now. And yeah, it's a. It's a mad scramble for rosters.”

• On Mike Tomlin’s value (Schefter, [40:32]):
  “Mike Tomlin can work in TV and take just about any TV job he wants tomorrow. And if he decides he doesn't want to coach there, he could pick his opportunity…”

• On NFL MVP Arguments (Pat & Conor, [111:19] & [113:59]):
  “It feels like you do understand that Drake's had a year that he's had. Although your vote is not final until all 17 games are played.”
  “Drake May is the first ever quarterback with 4,200 pass yards, 30 plus pass touchdowns, 110 plus passer rating, 400 plus rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.”

• On Rose Bowl traditions (Toxic Table, [121:01]):
  “The granddaddy of them all was inside…this year I put a lipper in…I was sucking daddy.”

Key Timestamps

• 00:17: Pat on new year, wild CFP outcomes, Indiana/Ole Miss/Miami/Oregon stories.
• 09:03: NIL effect, Big Ten alumni network strength.
• 13:29: Indiana’s “new powerhouse” status.
• 17:16: NFL Week 18 hype, fantasy football, Adam Schefter joins.
• 25:03: Schefter drops AFC/NFC playoff scenarios.
• 35:03: Coaching hot seats: Tomlin, Harbaugh, Vegas, Cleveland.
• 45:49: Consultant/GM search firm rant.
• 49:19: Schefter injury/activation updates for Ravens, Steelers, Dolphins, etc.
• 71:33: Pete Thamel discusses “PortalPalooza.”
• 97:42: Peter Schrager, NFL awards debates, Coaches of the Year, MVP, playoff seeding.
• 121:01: Rose Bowl rituals with the Toxic Table.
• 147:15: Week 18 picks and hilarious odds/prop banter.

Distinct Podcast Features and Tone

• Language/Tone: Fast-paced, irreverent, deeply inside-football, with a blend of genuine football affection and loud locker-room comedy.
• Host dynamics: Pat as ringleader—commanding, goofy, and passionate; AJ Hawk as football lifer; guests swing between hard analysis (Schefter, Thamel) and joining the inside jokes.
• Recurring motifs:
  • Old-world football toughness vs. the new NIL/portal era ("parity," "team of destiny," "alumni money," "buy-in").
  • Satirical references to consultant/racketeering culture in GM hiring.
  • Running jabs about life on the road (rose bowl grass-eating, 27-hour New Year’s).
  • MVP debate shenanigans (deep nerd stat vs. “eye test”).

Conclusion

PMS 2.0 #1480 delivers a riotous, in-depth breakdown of a historic college football playoff round and looks ahead to unexpectedly wide-open semifinals, pulls back the curtain on the transfer portal frenzy, and takes a comprehensive look at NFL playoff positioning and the evolving dynamics of coaching and MVP debates. Through it all, Pat and the gang remind listeners that football is both chaotic and magical—and that 2026’s football landscape is being shaped by shifting power, money, and, above all, dramatic stories on and off the field.