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Ryan Russillo
What's up? It's Friday. We've got Booger McFarland with us. We'll talk a lot of college ball, including some of the rankings discrepancies that he sees and why he thinks the committee really likes the Big Ten. And also a little on the two point conversion decision from Cincinnati. But that will pivot into what I've done earlier, and that is I look at college football system with 12 teams now and try to figure out a way to seed a 12 team NFL playoff bracket. We've got the alliance. I know. And we've got life advice. We've got one that's unsolvable. Enjoy. So we had the results on Tuesday night and I wanted to give it a few days so that we were all ready to talk about it. And I don't do this often, but I wanted to do it this year because the playoff committee has 12 teams the next two out and I do it usually when it was the four team deal. So we're kind of like the halfway point of the NFL season. Let's look at finding the best 12 teams. If we were going to apply the same kinds of standards to college football teams for NFL teams and put them in the playoffs. So slightly different. So there's a few things that you have to like, remove from the comparison. They're going to have some teams with some losses here. It's not just going to be about record the way it still is for a lot of the college football rankings by record. If you look at every team right now, there are 18 teams that are four and four or worse. All right, so the top 12 teams actually would be covered by three or less losses. And then you have Arizona and Denver at 5 and 4. And then you have my favorite team, the Cincinnati Bengals that lose again last night, who are four and six. I did not get Cincinnati in the playoff despite their losses. Other than the New England thing, which feels like outer space because you're like, what the hell is going on there? Kansas City, Washington, Baltimore, Overtime, Philadelphia, Baltimore again. Some nice losses in there. Some really nice losses, and I think they're a really good football team. Burrows just been on a tear here again. I don't know if TV shows are still doing what's wrong with Burrow after a loss the way that we do with quarterbacks or why is a quarterback really good after a win when the quarterback wasn't really that good. But Lamar looks like the mvp. Cincinnati gets, gets down in the field, gets the touchdown, tries to go for two. I feel like I'm a big opponent or big proponent of not going for two in big spots. But in this case, when you're the lesser team and you really kind of need it and it's the division, I don't have a huge issue with it. And look, the last play was just didn't work out like Baltimore was ready for it. They covered the routes really well. I know people think that there was interference on the inside guy, but I don't know, whatever. It's not where the ball was thrown and just wasn't going to matter all that much. So Baltimore gets another win and I've seen, I don't know if it was ESPN or even if we're doing it here on the ringer because I know we do quarterback rankings like every single week, which look, we can sit there and say what's the point of any of it? I could say that about my entire career. All right. So the reason we do the quarterback stuff, whether it's us or someone else, it's just kind of fun. But I do think they like should be some standard with Mahomes. As great as Lamar has been this year and Lamar has been the better quarterback. I just think it should be Mahomes 1 and then you figure out what you want to do with the rest of the guys because I did see some kind of discussion of like, should you still put Mahomes at top five? I, I think it should be Mahomes one and then you can start talking about it and in that case it'd be Lamar too. Even though again, if you want to change what the conversation is, Lamar has played better quarterback this year than Mahomes has. And Baltimore, even with their three losses, as we segue into this, even with their three losses, like I'm going to have them higher in my playoff rankings because of the opponents, because of the resume and all that kind of stuff. So let's dig through it. All right. So these rules are basically mine. I'm going through the best wins, the worst losses and all that kind of stuff. We'll go through the best records that I have here and then I'll put them in my 12 team playoff system. All right. Kansas City's 8 0, but they're 8th and point differential. Some of the strength of schedule stuff is all over the place, but theirs has not been great. Their best win is week one against Baltimore. That's probably because I like Baltimore so much. I think you should too. I think at 49ers is still a nice win. They've got the win at Cincinnati. And again, they haven't lost. They have six one score wins. If you wanted to be a little, a little difficult about it. Detroit is 7 and 1, their number one in point differential. Their best wins at Minnesota, when Minnesota was undefeated 3129 at Green Bay is a good win. At Arizona, I think is a good win. Destroying Dallas, when you beat a team in the NFL 479 with Dallas talent. So that's some nice stuff there on the resume. The worst loss, it's their only loss, Tampa Bay. Remember they were 1 for 7 in the red zone on that one. So Detroit in the conversation for the number one overall seed. Buffalo is at 7 and 2. Their best win is Arizona, maybe at Seattle. You could say their losses are actually pretty good. But they did get housed by Baltimore and they lost in the fourth quarter at Houston after being down early. They tied it up 20 apiece there. They're number two in point differential. Promise I won't do point differential for every single team here. Washington 7 and 2. Best wins at Cincinnati. Kind of the Jane Daniels coming out party. The Week 1 loss, Tampa isn't terrible. And then losing to Baltimore, Y1 scores a good loss. Pittsburgh at 6 and 2. Best win Week 2 at Denver, 13 to 6 at home against the Chargers 20 to 10. I think it's probably the Chargers worst loss at the Colts by a field goal. Dallas by a field goal. It's only two losses. So be kind of curious where Pittsburgh is in comparison to maybe some teams that have worse records. Minnesota at 6 and 2. Good after the amazing start. Everybody loved it. The Darnold reclamation project on top of that. Floors and defense just finding ways every single week to disrupt everything. They've got a Houston win that was dominant. 34 7, the Niners win. I'm going to bring up Niners results because I just respect. I just, I don't know, whatever. Respect the shield at Green Bay with Jordan. Love the losses. Lions, Rams. And it just feels like. It feels like with Minnesota it's slipping a bit because of a one score game against the Colts. All right, Philadelphia, 6 and 2. Week one win against Green Bay. That was a nice win. It was a good game. Felt like it was. Two really good football teams that night at Cincy two weeks ago. 37:17 turning out in the second half. There's a reason why I talked up that win. I thought it was the best win of the week. Despite Cincinnati's record here. Worst losses. You know, these aren't bad losses necessarily. To lose by a point to Atlanta. The 3316 loss earlier in the year against Tampa was the one where people were ready to say, hey, this Philly thing. Remember when I did the buck segment of like you don't really know when a team dies until years later as opposed to a person. You're like that guy, dog, he died on August 14. It felt like maybe we were going to start leaning into that with Philadelphia a little bit. And no, that's not really the case. So I think we're okay with that. I feel a lot better about Philadelphia than I did a month or so ago. Baltimore, record wise behind all these teams, what are we going to do? Are they going to be this low in the ranking? No wins against the Bills, Cincinnati, twice, Denver because of the record. Is that a good win? Well, 4,000, 110 is pretty impressive. Losses, really good losses. Kansas City. Oh no wait, that's the only good loss. Because as great as I think Baltimore is, these are bad losses in comparison to potential first round by NFL team seating. Raiders and the Browns, both bad losses. If you were in the committee, what would you say? You'd say, okay, well the Raiders game was really weird. Million penalties kind of falling apart there at the end. Browns was just facing the Jameis Winston vibe fest for a week and they caught him that week. Then somebody be like, do you work for Baltimore in the room? Atlanta sneaky six and three. Atlanta first in the NFC South. Do they get extra points for leading the division? Best win, Philadelphia. We just covered it. They've got two wins in the division against Tampa. Those are good wins even though Tampa's only 4 and 5. The losses, not bad really. Week one against Pittsburgh, they lost at home against Kansas City. And yeah, they got dump truck by Seattle, but Seattle's not a bad football team. So this isn't like some of these other ones that we have to compare it to. Houston hasn't been mentioned yet. They're 6 and 3. I really like Houston. Best win, Buffalo win. Right, we've covered that one. The loss is pretty rough. Look against Minnesota there a last second field goal against Green Bay. But then they've got the jets loss. Like what does a Jets loss mean right now? Because if the jets go on some kind of run like that early non conference team that you lose to where you're like I can't believe you lost those guys. And all of a sudden you're like no, we're really good. Because that non conference loss isn't that bad. Cause that team ended up at 8 and 4. Green Bay hasn't been mentioned yet. 6 and 3 Best win, Houston, Arizona, the Rams, their losses are all pretty good here. Philly, Minnesota, Detroit, you could say, well, they lost a quarterback. They were disrupted a little bit. But with Malik Willis, if they'd had losses, Willis starting, maybe their playoff ranking is higher. But in this case, they won both their games against Tennessee and the Colts when he was the main guy. Last record team worth mentioning here before we get to some of the outsiders. The Chargers, 5 and 3. The best win is at Denver by a score. Three good losses. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Arizona, maybe. And then you've got five and four Arizona, you've got five and four Denver. Yes. I probably try to find a way to get 4 and 4 San Francisco in here to disrupt it a little bit, but I wasn't able to do it. All right, so here are the seatings, the four first round buys. Detroit is my number one overall seed. Kansas City is at number two. Even with the perfect record. Some of you may have a problem with that. Some of you may admire the fact that I'm such a pioneer. Number three, Buffalo, Philly, Minnesota, Washington. I'm doing it. I'm doing it for Baltimore because I think Baltimore is the best team in the NFL. I would lose the argument to the Detroit argument, but I do. I probably still even as much as we touched on Goff and who he is now and that you expect really good things from him, were past all of the unknown with Goff, I would still take Lamar over Goff. All right, so I'm going Baltimore, the three seed. I'll go Buffalo, four seed. And the only reason I didn't have Buffalo as a three seed here is because I just think head to head, that should have mattered even though Baltimore has the extra loss. 5 seed. Philly or Minnesota? Philly or Minnesota? Well, Minnesota's wins, Niners, Houston, Green Bay, three straight weeks. That was a fun three weeks, huh? Minnesota obviously slipping a bit the last three momentum wise. I can make the argument for Philadelphia over Minnesota, but we still have to. I'm going to go with Minnesota, five, Philadelphia six. Washington is my seventh seed. Houston is my eight seed. Yes, the jets loss is about as bad as you're going to find on any of these teams that I'm looking at here. But would you allow me in the room if we were all part of the committee, if I said, yeah, but the good Rogers week, although they wrecked Stroud in that game, I mean, that was rough for our man, C.J. all right, Green Bay is my nine seed. Better wins than Pittsburgh. Again, we touched on the QB thing, but you couldn't use that in the room when Malik was undefeated as the starter. But I just like Green Bay's wins better than Pittsburgh. That puts Pittsburgh at 10, Atlanta two wins against Tampa at six and three better than Arizona's wins. Let's give it to Atlanta. Arizona is my 12 seed. Chargers, Denver, Niners, Cincinnati all out. What's better than touchdowns? 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Booger McFarland
No workout is done. Just got off the peloton. Big, big peloton day today. Got a good sweat and decided to do the pod outside today and enjoy this great Florida weather, buddy.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, no, it looks good man. All right, so I watched the playoff ranking reaction show with you guys. I I thought it was great. You know, it's. I mean, it's a different format now, so there's different discussions. I don't really think I saw anything. I felt like this is egregious. I know there's different discussions, debates, whatever. Where are you with the first rankings?
Booger McFarland
Well, it's a couple things, although they weren't egregious. Couple things that stood out. The Indiana, Penn State thing to me is just mind boggling. Here you have two teams that are in the same conference. Indiana is undefeated. I get it. The strength of schedule is 103. However, Indiana and Penn State are in the same conference. Indiana has zero losses. Penn State has won. Penn State is ranked the head of Indiana. Like that doesn't make sense to me. Okay. Especially when you look at the one common opponent that they have, which is ucla. UCLA came to Happy Valley. Penn State, it was a struggle. They pulled away late. Indiana went to Los Angeles and beat the brakes off ucla. So like, when you factor all that in, how Penn State could be ranked ahead of Indiana is mind boggling. And then the second thing is, you know, when you look at this committee, they have Ohio State ahead of Georgia. So they're clearly valuing the one point loss that Ohio State had at Oregon over the way that Georgia lost Alabama. I look at it the opposite way. I think Georgia's victory over Texas may be the most dominating performance of the season. How they won that game and in the dominant fashion. So although they weren't egregious, I thought those two things stood out. And if you're going to be upset about Indiana, you kind of got to be upset about BYU also being undefeated in the Big 12 rank where they're ranked.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, I totally agree. Like I had Big Cat on Tuesday night for Wednesday's episode. And if you're arguing about Indiana, like, what you really are doing is arguing about BYU being in front of them because all of the same standards. I mean, unless you think the Big Ten is so superior to the Big 12, which, you know, at this point, I think the gap is closer than I thought it would be, but it's just kind of hard to even figure out. Like one team's experience in a conference can be completely different than another team in the same conference. And that's certainly the case for, for what we've seen from some of the Big Ten stuff and the acc, I would say this year. So let's stay with the Georgia part of it because I completely agree that win at Texas, no one else has anything else like that on their resume. It might Just be that Georgia looks so terrible for 30 minutes. And credit for them to getting back into it where Ohio State's best performance is, their loss, like that's the game I felt the best about them. It's the game I felt. It's like the best I've ever felt about Will Howard was after the loss in Eugene, despite the mix ups on that last possession. And clearly the committee had said, you know, looking at those things, that it was an Ohio State loss to Oregon, like it was pretty clear. And I was kind of surprised that Ward was so clear about it being like that. That loss is the difference and why they have it there, which, you know, I, I'm not even saying that they're necessarily wrong. I think I would just give them more credit, meaning Georgia for that win against Texas, because what they did that night.
Booger McFarland
Yeah, I completely agree with you. See, I don't like when the committee looks at quote unquote, quality of loss. Like this is supposed to be about who you beat. Especially in this day and age when these conferences are so big and everybody's not going to play everybody because the schedules are not balanced. And so therefore you really can't go abide by the loss. You got to go by who you beat. And I think again when you look at Georgia schedule, they beat Texas, they got Ole Miss this weekend, they got Tennessee coming up. I get it, it'll play itself out in the end. But these rankings are a week to week snapshot based on how you feel. And a couple of things stood out about the Indiana and the Penn State and clearly they value Ohio State and Penn State. It's almost as if they're saying the Big Ten this year. If you just look at it from a macro point like the 10,000 foot view, they like the Big Ten this year more than the SEC based on what I see. I don't know about you.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, I was wondering, and it's a really good question because I was wondering if we were going to see a different version of the rankings than we see from the ap. Because what will happen is the committee will do something different. Then the AP catches up to the committee like a week later, Right. And this time, other than flipping Ohio State and Georgia, it was basically the same rankings. And I was wondering about that block of SEC teams. If the committee, because the committee in the past has liked the SEC more. But I would argue, who are they supposed to like more than the sec? There's no other option. I wondered if the block of all those teams like of a couple of Them would sneak up ahead of some of the teams, you know, 11, 12 or whatever. I mean, look, there's probably a better argument about SMU being left out than some of the two lost SEC teams. But, yeah, there wasn't some SEC moment with the rankings or I went, oh, like everybody's going to be so mad because the committee still really likes this conference that I still think is better than everybody else. I want to jump back to Indiana and Penn State, though, because I think it's a really good point. We didn't really touch on it this week. This is difficult because no one's going to want me to. To defend a Big Ten team that's 2 and 5 and Big Ten play and 4 and 5 overall, and they've just gone through another quarterback situation in usc. But do you think Indiana has a win that's as impressive as what Penn State did at usc? Because for three hours on a Saturday, I thought that was an incredible win, but I'm not allowed to now because of USC's record and the fact that, again, they're 2 and 5 in this conference. Do you think Indiana has a win that's as good as that?
Booger McFarland
No, not on. Not. Not when you look at it from a singular standpoint. Although I will say what Penn State did. And see, this is why, if the committee is really watching these games, they got to look at what Penn State did at Wisconsin. And I get it. Wisconsin is Wisconsin. But when you lose your quarterback, your backup quarterback comes in and you still figure out a way on the road in a hostile environment to get it done at Camp Randall, I'm going to give you credit. Now, I get it. Indiana season is coming up on November 23rd, when they go to the Horseshoe. I get that. But if you. If you take the emblem, Ryan, off the side of the helmet and you just say, okay, if I just told you, if you just parachute it and I say, hey, there's a Big Ten team that's undefeated, that's not ranked in the top four, you'd be like, are you kidding me? Because the respect that that conference has, and it would be this. It would be the same for the sec. Take. Take the emblem off the helmet. And I said, there's a Big Ten or an SEC team that's undefeated in week 10 and they're not ranked in the top four, you'd be like, no, that's impossible. And so that's kind of the way I look at it. I don't think the committee is giving Indiana the love, not necessarily because of 103, strength of schedule. But because of the brand, they're not used to seeing Indiana being good and they're going to use the strength of schedule as an excuse.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, I have a hard time believing there'd be an SEC team nine games through that would be at 103 in strength of schedule. I think it's damn near impossible. I'm not saying it's never happened. And to credit to Indiana, like I do think they're good watching. I've probably watched three full games and then pieces of others, you know, because you knew as the season progressed you're like, I gotta get them on the radar. I gotta make sure there's a screen up on them. And you know, for some of these teams that would be critique. And you're like, oh, they pulled it out again and they're still undefeated. I mean, I mean hell, I remember like Florida State the year after they won the title, like all of us kind of knew like something's wrong with this team, but they kept winning and you know, you could talk about opponents and all that stuff, but at least Indiana is destroying these teams. But we'll see. Do you think they get in at 11 and 1? What if they're trounced by Ohio State? You think they're in the 12?
Booger McFarland
I think the committee has clearly stated that if, if Penn State and Indiana end up with the same record, they're going to take, they're going to take Penn State. And if, if, if they get trounced really does to me, it doesn't matter if they, if they lose by 1 or lose by 25. The committee has clearly said that they like Ohio State, they like Oregon, they like Penn State. I think those would be the three teams in this scenario that would get in. I think it would probably be three, maybe four from the sec. I don't think there's going to be a three loss team that gets into the College Football Playoff, do you?
Ryan Russillo
Well, I think we'll have it some years. I mean we got it. I don't know that it's going to happen. I could see maybe, you know, there'd have to be like a really big win from an SEC team and then the Big 12 teams cancel each other out. You know, let's not rule out just the weird upset that's going to happen to a couple of these teams anyway. It gets an opponent that they're more than a double digit favorite. I mean it's going to happen. We should learn our lesson through this. I do, I push back on this A little bit. I think if Indiana plays them really close and you're running out of options for like, 10, 11, and 12, then they'll probably be in. But it also, you know, in comparison, it's like the Heisman vote every year. It's like, okay, well, this guy. Well, who. Who am I voting against? Right? It can't just be. This is your resume in 2024. What is the resume of everybody else that Indiana is compared with? And I do think there's a lot of value for them in a very close loss to Ohio State, because I think it'll get more people to buy in and they'll have more momentum.
Booger McFarland
So let's play this out, okay? It's 12 teams. One's the group of five. And if notre Dame wins out, one's Notre Dame. So that's two spots. You got the four conference champs. That's six. So there's only six spots left. So let's just say that it's Georgia, Texas again in the SEC championship game. I think both of those teams are in. Okay, so that's the SEC champion. And then there's the loser of that game. I think he's in. All right. I think if Alabama. I think if Alabama beats LSU and wins out, even though Alabama is not going to play for the SEC title in that scenario, I think Alabama still gets in. Okay. All right, so now you go to the Big Ten, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State. Do we have any spots left? Like, it's. It's not many spots left. Like, 12 goes by super fast. When you add the group of five, you add Notre Dame in. Okay, if Notre Dame wins out, because Notre Dame is going to be in, even though they can't be ranked any higher than five. So, like, these 12 spots go by really, really quick in that scenario.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, it's a great point when you start doing the math and looking at all of it, but I know that we have to factor in. We have to factor in two, maybe even three losses where you're like, how did that happen? When the pressure cranks up, like, it just reminds me the end of some of these BCS years. I can even go back further than just the 14 playoff, where you think you have it lined up, and then we've had these chaotic weekends where everything fell apart, and now you're arguing for a team in the two spot in the BCS system where two weeks ago, like, you weren't even thinking about him. So it's just a nice reminder. All right, I'm in Baton Rouge. I'm ready to go. Made this trip, whether it's in Tuscaloosa or Baton Rouge, every year now since 08, except for I think there was one Connecticut travel issue and then a Covid year in there. So I wanted to keep the street going and never miss it for the rest of my life. But you know how I feel about this game. It's a. It's a weird one going in. Usually there's like a lot of doubt and then there'll be like every five years there'll be this massive spike of confidence. Like certainly 19 when I was on the sideline for Tuscaloosa, like, I've never seen the LSU group like that, where they're just coming out and they're like, we got this. And it still was, you know, they were in control of the game, but it was still like a really good game. This is a huge one because both these teams in this system are still alive. What are your leans on this game?
Booger McFarland
Well, obviously you know where my heart is, but I look at it from an analytical standpoint and try to analyze this game. The thing that LSU wants to do with the stro the football, can they protect against this Alabama front? Nelson, if he gets shaken the pocket and he gets under indecisive like he did against A and M, he's shown the propensity to throw the football to the other team. LSU either can't run the ball or doesn't want to run the ball. I haven't figured that out. For a team that has two tackles that are. That are going to go in the top 50 picks a pretty good offensive line, they either can or don't want to run it. You're not going to beat Alabama by throwing the football exclusively. If you look at the two losses, if you look at how they've lost, okay, teams have ran the football against them. If you look at what Vanderbilt did, they ran it with a mobile quarterback with Diego Pavia, like they ran the football. You got to keep this team off balance. I don't know if they can do that. And then when you flip it over, Ryan, the biggest question mark, I think in college football weekend and week out is the LSU defense. Because of where they were last year, they've made a massive improvement this year. But just when you think they got it figured out, you have a second half like you did against A M. So can they tackle Miro? Can they get Jalen Mural on the ground? To me, that's going to be the key to the game. And when you look at it from the Alabama side, which Jaylen mural you're going to get because Jayla mirror the first part of the season. Mel Kip, number one pick. Jayla Miro. I'm like, okay, pump the brakes a little bit, Mel. And now he's kind of reverted back. I mean, seriously. I mean, mail was.
Ryan Russillo
Don't even get me started. Do not even get me started on when the week after the Georgia game, they were saying Milro. Like, I wish. I mean, we're all talking betting now. I was like, can I get a market for that to not happen and how much can I risk? But anyway, I mean, look, people think I, like, hate Milroe. And it's not that. I just. When that part of it happens, when he has the really nice weeks where he puts it together, it's like, man, you are eliminating a lot of the other stuff. And I just thought, like, it's been such a weird quarterback class, right? It's been such a weird class for the 25 draft that I. Look, I'll admit, I think I've watched the clip three times, so. Sorry, I'll just. I gotta move on from it. Cause then it's gonna sound like I'm just jumping on a kid in college and I don't know, it might be too late.
Booger McFarland
Well, if the Jayla Milroe that shows up the first half against Georgia, then Alabama's tough to beat. But you just don't know which Jayla Mural you're gonna get. And I'm just hoping that this game on both. Either way, that we get a game late in the fourth quarter where that stadium can come alive. I think the college football fans deserve that. They saw it against Ole Miss. I think they deserve to see that it's going to be a national stage. I'm hoping for college football that we get that atmosphere late Saturday night.
Ryan Russillo
Who do you think is better, Penn State or Miami?
Booger McFarland
Miami. Miami is way more explosive, like Penn State. I think you and Cerro could start a wide receiver for Penn State. Like. Like that was the biggest issue against Ohio State, Ryan. They got no explosive plays. And we can talk about the tight end, Tyler Warren, and he's great and all this good stuff, but the reason James Franklin can't beat Michigan, excuse me, Ohio State, they don't have enough explosive players. You can change the offensive coordinator. I love it. Andy Coltonick, he's come in, he's changed everything. But they don't have enough explosive plays like Tyler Warren in the Wildcat running the football. Come on, man. Like, if you're Penn State, where are the dudes on the outside that can go win one on one battles? Because all Ohio State did was play man to man coverage. Like when the game was on the line, they played man to man and they dare Drew Aller to make a play and they couldn't. So I think Miami is better because Cam Ward has shown you the one thing Miami can do. They're going to score 50 and if you can't get to at least 40 to make them nervous, you got no shot.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, it's a really good point because I mean Miami had a few moments this season whether it's the Cal game, it's a Virginia Tech game and I'll admit last week against Duke, like there's a couple moments early in the game being like, okay, is this finally going to happen? Despite you know, wow, how ridiculous I think the schedule is going to be for Miami, the explosiveness from them and its Cam Ward. So it's not, there's, there should be no doubt about like who he is or what he's capable of. I mean that Cal game, we can laugh about it being Cal, but it was a tough night there. Like they were hyped up. That day went forever. Game days there, like I thought Cal was in it. There was moments with Cow I was like, hey, this is a good football team. And I know that sounds ridiculous, but there's just not a lot of guys in the. There's just not a lot of guys in the country, I think that stay in the game and on the road that far away the whole deal. And, and there's just Cam has these moments where you're like, all right, yeah, you may be right. Maybe it doesn't matter if they give up 35 because they're going to put 45 on you. And you know, when you compare it to the explosiveness of, of Penn State, just think about it. It's so much better this year even than it was last year. And yet some of the problems are still there. Yeah, right. I mean Harrison Wallace is, is second in receptions and Tyler Warren has more than double the receptions than the next highest catch total of any receiver for Penn State. I mean Wallace has 24 catches this year, Clifford has 14 and Warren's a beast like he should be a first round pick and all that. But I was, I was curious on that one. Okay. Do you think that there's a real ewers post torso abdomen injury here? Like a different, like the statistics tell us we see a different viewers. Do you see it being a long term different viewers from the guy in the first month.
Booger McFarland
Well, I think there is a, I don't know if there's a physical long term effect. I do think there's a little bit of a mental effect because Sarge Sark pulled him in the game and I think in the back of his mind he knows that he's got to be. He doesn't have to be perfect, but he's got to play well because there's always that thought in the back of his mind that his coach is going to pull him for this other guy. And, and I think that plays an effect on a quarterback especially. Think about this. Juxtapose that to what you see from Kirby. Kirby when Carson Beck comes off to the sideline, you look at Kirby, they start hugging. I'm like, what is going on? Like Kirby's hugging him and talking in his ear and, and rubbing his head. I'm like he's chewing everybody else's ass out, but he's coddling Carson Beck. You juxtapose that to Quinn. Yours thought just kind of said, all right buddy, go go grab a seat for a couple series. I'm going to put this other guy in and we'll figure it out. Think about that. And so I think that plays in Quinn yours mind.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, I don't, I can't imagine Kirby not going to start yelling at Beck at some point here. I mean this is, this is bad football for a month from him. And yet, you know, I'm still sitting there like, think of how many times you'd be arguing the team in Georgia as it sounds like we both probably would both have Georgia ahead of Ohio State because we appreciate that Texas win more than Ohio State's best win. But yet I'm arguing for Georgia going. You realize like this Beck thing is a real problem now. It just, there's, it's not just, hey, he had a couple picks, tip ball or whatever. There's just second, second defenders where I'm like, is he not seeing these guys now for a month?
Booger McFarland
The Beck thing is a real issue. But the one thing that's in the back of my mind and in your mind, Jalen Walker, Michael Williams, that defense is nasty. And you know there's not a better big game coach than Kirby. Smart, regardless of the situation. Dude, think about, think about the game against Alabama. They were down 28 nothing and Kirby just kept coaching and kept coaching and kept coaching and kept coaching. And after the game, I thought he said the single thing that I've heard since Nick Sabre retired, the thing that I've heard from a coach. That was the single most poignant thing he said, yeah, we didn't play well and we lost. But I tell you what, I learned a lot about my team tonight. I told those guys they were so resilient and he just kept fighting and kept fighting and I learned a lot about this team.
Ryan Russillo
It.
Booger McFarland
When you're down 28, nothing. I've been there. Okay. You start taking the tape off and like, hey, man, let's. Let's not get hurt tonight and let's keep it moving. They kept battling back and took the lead. That's like, that team is so mentally tough. And that defense is the reason why Kirby feels that way.
Ryan Russillo
Okay, a couple more things here. Is there a team from the group of, say, BYU, Notre Dame, Boise, SMU that you like better than the other three?
Booger McFarland
Man, SMU's got a lot of team speed. I don't know how good they are on defense. Notre Dame, Riley Leonard, he can run it, he's athletic, but his propensity to throw the football down the field is not where it needs to be. Boise, I love Gentee. I would probably lean toward Notre Dame. I like their defense. They got a really good secondary. I think if Notre Dame plays Miami, that would be a really good matchup. Maybe not on paper, but I do think what Miami wants to do, which is throw the football. I think Notre Dame has really good corners, really good secondary. They can rush the passer. So it would just depend on the matchups. And that's what I think this playoff, this 12 team playoff is going to be. I could care less about rankings. If you get in, it's going to be about matchups and matchups only, regardless. Like, we're going to look at a team that seated four and a team that seeded nine and say, well, the nine team is, is an, is a, is an underdog. It may, it may not be. It's going to be about matchups. But back to your original question. I like Notre Dame, man, because I think Riley Leonard and Mike Denbrock, the offensive coordinator, Notre Dame, are starting to figure it out. I would choose Notre Dame because at the end of the day, man, it's about dudes. And I think Notre Dame would have enough dudes offensively to be able to score some points. I like Jaden White House. I like the receiver. Yeah, I would go with Notre Dame out of that group. Yeah.
Ryan Russillo
And look, Riley's been really clean. I mean, he had one against Georgia Tech that I don't think really ended up mattering all that much. And I'm with you. I really like their secondary, even though they lost one of their first round defensive backs with this, with the injury that led to surgery. So look, I guess there's, there's part of me that looks at the BYU wins and goes, those are really. And it kind of gets back to like, our Indiana argument. And argument for Indiana is kind of like, well, if you're, if you're complaining about where they're at, when you look at the wins for byu, you kind of have to jump them ahead of Indiana, if that's your premise of the entire thing. Unless you just rule it out and think that there is this massive gap between the Big Ten and the Big 12, and certainly at the top for teams contending for a national championship. The Big Ten list has, like, real viable guys where it looks like, I mean, would anybody say, hey, this Big 12 team has a chance to win this whole thing? Like, I, I think that's a fill in the blank that stays blank before we finish. Before we finish here. Cincinnati going for two last night. I'm in the supper club with Brandon Landry last night. LSU people all over the place, people care about Burrow more than. I mean, it's hilarious. It's all Cincinnati fans down here because it's Joe Burrow and their love for him five years later. And then they hit the late touchdown. He puts up a huge number. Did you think they should have gone for two against Baltimore?
Booger McFarland
Yes, because when you have a quarterback that's at that level, which is top three quarter three quarterback in football, and you can win the game and you can put the game in your quarterback's hands. Yeah, I think you do, because. Because their defense hadn't shown, they could stop Lamar now. You could go back and say the officials missed two calls on the play, and that's, that's part of life. So is. But yes, to answer your question, yes, you go for two, you try to win the game. And that's what Zach Taylor said. They asked him after the game, he said, we came here to win. Like, we didn't come here to, like, just have the game handed to us. We wanted to take the game. They tried to, and it failed.
Ryan Russillo
I still think Cincinnati's good. Like, they are. Yeah, I know. I mean, the record, they're a college football team. It's almost like my USC position. You're just not allowed to. But I give all the teams that beat Cincinnati credit. I mean, eventually the defense has to figure out a way to match what they're doing with their offense. But I don't know. I don't know that you can change it that quickly in the NFL. Like, there's college teams where, you know, LSU is probably a good example of this. You watch the secondary beginning of the year, you're like, oh, you know, going into that Ole Miss game, I thought it was a bad matchup for them. I'm like, they're going to take deep shots, this guy's going to mess it up. And it looked like that was going to be the case in the first half, and then it looked like they'd settled things down. And then Marcel Reed happens in the NFL. Can you become an entirely different defense? Can you find a way with the same personnel to be competitive enough to match what you know is an offense in Cincinnati that's really up there with anybody?
Booger McFarland
Yeah, I think you can. And I would use our 06 Indianapolis code team. If you remember, they traded for me to help stop the run. And probably a month after I got there, we gave up like 370 against the Jaguars. And everybody's like, man, this team can't win with the defense. We can't win. We can't win. And Tony Dungy came in at our team meeting right before the playoffs and simply said this, hey man, we're not changing the defense, we're not changing the scheme. We're grown men here. Everybody's got to do their job a little bit better, take responsibility to do your job, and the rest is history. We won the super bowl because everybody took on us to do their job better. That's what has to happen in Cincinnati. They got good players. Like, it's going to turn over. Like anytime you have a quarterback that's making 275 million, like you're going to have younger guys playing in different spots. So Cincinnati's got good players. They just got to do their job better.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, everyone always points to that team as the example of the question I'm asking. And it's funny because historically you were one of the worst. And again, I can't put it all on you, but it was the worst rush defense in like a 20 year span. And what happened in the regular season, I mean, the numbers were horrible. And I realized like whenever I brought it up, people point to Bob Sanders coming back and being healthy and it's like, okay, but as great as Bob was, and there's a, there's a few year window in there where that guy was like my favorite player in the NFL. Okay, I don't think just Bob Fixed, correct everything. And I love the guy, so we'll see. And look, I probably shouldn't say Cincinnati's offense is up there with anybody when Baltimore exists and they just played him last night. But yeah, I mean, Burrow has a cooking. And here they are sitting at their record because of the defense and some of the other stuff. Hey, man, enjoy the rest of your floor today and enjoy Saturday. And I'll give you some updates from Baton Rouge if you need them. All right, Booger.
Booger McFarland
We'll do. Have fun, man. Enjoy Baton Rouge, buddy.
Ryan Russillo
It is the alliance. It sure is. I don't know, man. Guys, are. You want to talk about, like, clarity? Sometimes when I would look at the numbers and be like, I like that. I like that a lot. That looks really, really good. We get a little audio in the background. What's going on right now? That's fine. Doesn't matter. Keep it going. Maybe it'll help. All I can see right now are colors, Distortions of colors. A helmet here or there, a number that looks like it doesn't. I have no. Nothing makes sense. Nothing works. I don't like any of them. That's how. I've never had a worse run than this. Am I in last now? Am I in last by.
Kyle
By a bit? Yeah. Oregon is. Oregon's been. He's been hot. He's seven and three. Kyle and I are five and five and you are three and seven.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah. All right, well, so we're 500 overall.
Kyle
Five game losing. Yeah, 500 overall. You're on a five game losing streak, so.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, but I'm not supposed to lose. Like, I'm clearly. I pay it. Right. I pay a different tax for this. It was funny when you guys were losing. Now it's not. And I'm not even talking about myself. I'm talking about, like, here we go. All right, so I'm straight up not.
Kyle
Having a good time.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, I'm not having a good time. So let's. I almost thought about giving you an NBA pick just to what, Like a win's a win, right? What's the real rule in here? Yeah, I've got a wood card I.
Saruti
Could throw out if you want.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, you go bucks plus seven and a half against the Knicks. Like, you're not going to be mad if it's a winner at me, right? You can't. So I. I thought about just doing that. Then I thought about doing that for couch money, research. So whatever. Here's my pick. Hurricanes. The line is minus ten and a half. I refused juice before we did this. Not deserving of juice. Juice free. Saruti's, like, we're not letting you do that. So it sounds like we're moving that to minus.
Kyle
We need the juice.
Ryan Russillo
All right. I don't think I deserve.
Kyle
Just went by a touchdown. That's it. That's all they got to do.
Ryan Russillo
Yep. Minus six and a half at Georgia Tech. All right.
Kyle
Yeah, I got to talk. I'll go next. I got to talk this out. I've been kind of back and forth. I'm going. I'm going to take Maryland and I'm going to. I'm going to. They're at Oregon coming off a buy. Oregon coming off a big win at Ann Arbor. Maybe a little bit of a letdown spot. I'm going to just don't lose by four touchdowns. Can they not lose by four touchdowns? I'm going to take plus 20 and a half.
Ryan Russillo
Maryland.
Kyle
I know it's on the road, but again, coming off a buy, I think they could score a little bit. I even liked, like, there was the over 13 and a half, you know, just individual points for Maryland. But I'll. I'll take the spread. I feel like this has backdoor cover all over it, too. So even if they're getting blown, they're going to get blown out. But don't. Don't lose by four touchdowns.
Ryan Russillo
There you go. Those are your instructions. Terps, you heard it here first, by the way. A big, big Van Pelt contingency heading out to Eugene, I think for the first time ever. Van Pel can't make it.
Kyle
Wow.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, because, like, I was walking around New Orleans this week and I ran into some dudes and a guy pulled me aside and he was just like, hey, what's up? I was like, cool. SVP and Russell, awesome. Love. Thank you so much for saying hello. No big deal. And he's like, man, he goes. Van Pelt doesn't miss this one. Is that why you're in town for lsu, Bama? It's like he's been once. The guy was like, what? Yep. Branding. Branding war gone. It matters.
Kyle
There we go. All right, I'll jump in next. So I got Colorado alt team total over 30 and a half. They've gotten this four of their last five weeks. Texas Tech's defense stinks. They're. They're terrible. They give up 59 points to Baylor. Like Shadur, Travis Hunter, like 30 and a half going over.
Ryan Russillo
That was the most confidence anyone has had on the alliance all season long. He's given us team Totals. He's given us research. He's given us breakdowns.
Kyle
When you're 7 3, you get to. You get to do it.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah. It's like, I don't even want to pick just a game. That'd be easy.
Kyle
Got his light good shirt on. He's feeling good today. Got that dog.
Ryan Russillo
Oh, my.
Saruti
Wait, I don't know how I missed that one when I was looking on the site. That's a great one.
Kyle
A little dumb looking dog.
Ryan Russillo
You bought a shirt of a dog that says got that dog in me, but you bought it from Life is good with the discount codes.
Kyle
Oh, yeah.
Ryan Russillo
Jesus Christ. You're the best.
Kyle
Life is great.
Saruti
Can I.
Ryan Russillo
Can I pass?
Saruti
Or is that only for life advice? I'm just kidding. I'm gonna take byu.
Kyle
From the alliance.
Saruti
I'm gonna take byu. I said minus three. I'm dropping the snark, Serudy. Just tell me what I can do.
Ryan Russillo
It's fucking. So you guys fighting again? Are you guys fighting again?
Saruti
I'm dropping the bit. It's so sad now. So I said minus three. What'd you tell me? Money line. Minus one.
Ryan Russillo
52.
Saruti
All right. BYU moneyline at Utah. They're favored by three.
Ryan Russillo
We just want safe moneyline and that.
Kyle
Those. Those four. So BYU moneyline over 30 and a half. Colorado all total. Maryland not losing by four touchdowns and Miami to win by a touchdown is plus 500.
Ryan Russillo
There we are. Awesome. Back on our plus 500 vibes. Okay, real quick, Couch money and research here. Let me see if I can find the latest lines because I need the help. Let me. Let me double check the old sportsbook FanDuel.com all right, gimme bears minus six and a half. That's couch at home against New England. The money that we are going to fade, I'm going with Tennessee plus seven and a half at the Chargers. That is right in the window of percentage of money that is highest on the public play. And the research pick for you, a couple different options here because you just looked like when I was going through it, trying to figure out a couch one like Bills at Colts minus three and a half. That is sucker bet written all over it doesn't make any sense. So you can't take the Bills in that one. Do you take the Colts? But then again, it's like, hey, when I give you a bad pick, at least it's a cool pick where the sharp research people like Raheem Palmer will think my pick is cool. So I'll do that one. Like, awesome. Another loss, but I'M just staying away from that one because that line is just a little too sketchy. So let's go. Niners as a favorite, minus six and a half at Tampa as the research pick. And that record is also terrible so far in 24. But man, our 25 picks. I can't wait for him. I can't wait for the bounce back. Except for Wargon, who may have his own FanDuel pod by December. All right, there you go. You can check out all the lines on sportsbook.fanduel.com youm want details?
Saruti
Fine. I drive a Ferrari 355 Cabriolet.
Booger McFarland
What's up?
Kyle
I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork.
Booger McFarland
I have every toy you can possibly imagine.
Saruti
And best of all, kids, I am liquid. So now you know what's possible.
Ryan Russillo
Let me tell you what's required. Life advice the email address lifeadvicerrmail.com for those that missed Friday Feedback. You can also send those questions in. But I'm Friday feedback rr Gmail.com. that's two emails for you to keep track of. That's a lot to ask on Friday, so we don't expect you to do that. But that is posted. I'll post it on my X account here shortly. Then we'll see what kind of feedback we get on the Friday Feedback where you sort of ask a bunch of random questions. The funny thing is, as I was going through life advice questions, I was still on the Friday Feedback tab and I was like, these questions are so weird today. I was like, what? How can I not find? And it was like, no, that's because you're getting feedback on feedback. But this is a little feedback that I thought Kyle would appreciate that the Frolic Room is now famous in Sweden. Hi, guys. I'm really not a longtime listener. Four years. Well, thank you, though. That's pretty good. It's an entire term and my stats are not that impressive with American standards. But sure, I've learned listening to the segment, lightweight still takes you quite a bit in Europe in regard to females, women, short and lightweight still takes you quite a bit in Europe. All right, let's. Is that good or bad?
Saruti
I don't like that's a ideal archetype. What is that?
Kyle
I'm confused by the American standards thing. Are Swedes not strong?
Ryan Russillo
Like.
Kyle
Swedes are strong?
Saruti
Yeah, they're like the Vikings, bro.
Kyle
Yeah.
Saruti
Might be a language barrier.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah. But I don't, I don't know. I don't know. I think that could be a really, you know, generalization by Americans. Like when I went to the gym in Iceland in one of the towns. I went in there just thinking it was going to be on. I was like, I can't wait to see these beasts. And guess what? It's like some fucking normal guy stretching, you know. I was like, where. Where are the freaks? You mean like, oh, like the seven guys named Thor that compete in the world's strongest Man? Yeah, the rest of us aren't like that. So I don't know. I'm still not even sure what the hell the sense means. And I've gone too deep on this one. I think he's saying again, but short and lightweight. I've learned listening to segment still takes you quite a bit in Europe in regard to females. Women. All right, anyway, he doesn't even have a question. He just wants to let us know. And this is for Kyle. I wanted to enlighten you guys in the fact that the Frolic Room got a big shout out of one of the most popular podcasts in Sweden. The Philip and Frederick podcast.
Kyle
Checks out okay.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah. I almost jumped out of my seat hearing this. Imagine the meme with DiCaprio pointing at the screen. As it turns out, the Frolic Room is famous for being Charles Bukowski's favorite watering hole. I don't know a lot about this author poet, but my mind wants to think that this is a fact that potentially could lure Ryan to take a seat next to Kyle in the near future. Is this possible? Is this a possibility for us listeners to look forward to? And Akyle, did you know this about your beloved bar? I know this isn't a life advice question, but humor your Swedish fan base. And we love our Swedish fan base. That's why we're doing this. Thanks for all the episodes. You guys are great. Listen to everyone since 2020. Oh, you jumped in on 2020. All right, Kyle.
Saruti
I mean, I know there's like a handful of heavy hitters that. That was their spot, but. But that's really all I know. Like there's really not. Like, I'm not. I'm not counting 3:11 in that bucket, but. But I just. I know, I know, I know. I probably should.
Kyle
Yeah, I'm just.
Ryan Russillo
When's the last time 3:11 was at the Frolic Room? Does anyone have that stat?
Saruti
I don't know. There's a photo on the wall of them and. And that's kind of what I know. But I just know like old old timey Hollywood and, and even. Even getting a little closer. It was just the spot of, of some people that matter. But yeah, I can't. I don't. I don't keep like a list in my head. I could ask around, but I'm sure he's probably not even the most famous one in that bucket.
Ryan Russillo
What if you had a Bukowski night?
Saruti
What would that look like?
Kyle
Guys just reading poetry.
Ryan Russillo
There's a bunch of horny younger guys being like, I think I read the pamphlet wrong.
Kyle
Yikes.
Saruti
Speaking of horny, I'm all horny for golf and my buddy canceled today and I'm like, I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do.
Kyle
I was like, where was that going?
Saruti
I was so ready to do like early golf today and he canceled. I guess the kids have a half day at school and. Which just. Just ruined it. Thinking I'm looking up driving ranges. Not loving what I gotta scramble tomorrow.
Kyle
Kyle, if that makes you feel any better. Probably doesn't. But how about this out there?
Ryan Russillo
You know, Kyle, I know this is, this is obviously like one of those open ended invites in LA that especially. They're even more worthless in Los Angeles. What if you come down, we play the par three at night after the NBA games. That don't matter. We do it. We do it on a non school night. So I'm not taping in the morning. And then you and I play the nighttime par three. Maybe even throw a couple high noons. Of course. Lights in the mix, like two in the bag.
Saruti
Whoa, this is so great. I feel like I'm going to be like. And then you sleep over Pesci afterwards or something like it. That sounds so great. It's like I'm just going to get whacked right after.
Ryan Russillo
Yes, yes, I'm in. Hard guesses. The problem is we have the big Denver thing. We've got Thanksgiving.
Saruti
I know.
Ryan Russillo
Here we go. This feels like a March thing. Yeah, but just put in the old calendar. Would your wife let you sleep over?
Saruti
Dude, she is well aware what's going on here. Yes, she's well aware.
Ryan Russillo
Am I the only person that would let you like stay out and be like, I didn't come home last night. Be like, where were you? Ryan's.
Saruti
Great, no more questions. Yeah, I can't think of it. Unless I was like, bill said I had to. And then she'd be like, all right.
Ryan Russillo
But other than that, it's a pretty good alibi. Things ever go south? All right, let's get to a couple questions here. All right, let's help out in the relationships. How to get girlfriend to like solo travel. All right. 24, 5 9, 165. Basketball comp is Jake Laravia. It's not that I'm very good at basketball, but I enjoy shooting an unwise amount of threes. Laravia has a little bit more shit to his game, but again, I think you knew that he was probably a little bit better at basketball than you are. So. I recently graduated college in Maine. Before entering the job market, I decided to take three months for myself and solo travel in Europe. During that time, I worked a contract job in the Netherlands. Dude, I love you guys. Today we're just getting out there, reaching out globally. Needless to say, it was the three most rewarding months of my life. I consistently found myself stepping out of my comfort zone. And because of it, I made amazing memories and friends. Living experience I don't think I'll ever forget. You made friends in the Netherlands? Who are you? Here's the issue. My girlfriend, who I've been dating for two and a half years, did not deal with my solo travel very well. She's always been supportive of my adventures, but while I was gone, she constantly expressed that she was struggling with me abroad. Obviously, we both missed each other, so I made it a priority to call her and talk almost every day. So since I've returned, she's continued to make it a point to tell me how my leaving hurt her and that she's still healing from the three months that I was gone. Things seemed good before I left and she didn't really object to the idea when I planned it. I guess I never really understood how much she was hurt by my absence, but it seemed as if she was pretty emotionally affected by the distance. The problem is, unfortunately, that I want to go abroad again. Don't we all, dude? I work a full time job now, but I hope in two or three years to take a month away from work to travel to the south, to Southeast Asia or South America. I love my girlfriend, really could see a future with her, including marriage. But traveling is important to me as well, as I found the solo aspect of it to be particularly rewarding. To which I think Ryan can relate to. Based on our conversations, I do not think my girlfriend would like the idea of me traveling for an extended period. You think again. This is insane. How do I go about telling my girlfriend that I want to solo travel again? Is there a way to frame it that might get her on board? You guys sound like you're ready, so.
Saruti
I think you have to say, I think we should see other people. That's the only way you can do this.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah. Like, who do you think you are, dude? Houdini? This is going to. I know you made some friends in the Netherlands, but this is such a hard no for so many people in relationships. And I don't know that there's a real fix to this one. Like, what's the compromise? I'll only go to Asia for six weeks by myself.
Saruti
I promise I'll be good.
Kyle
Yeah. Like, the whole point, I feel like when you date someone is that you travel together, too. Like, do you. You just can't have. This is like, a guy being like, hey, you know, let's move in together. But I'm going to be playing Xbox every night. And so, yeah, like, I'm not really going to be around. Like, that's not how it works there.
Saruti
You move in with a girl, see what you're doing. Ugh. This is. I mean, did he get the idea from you? I don't think so. Right. He said he just did it.
Ryan Russillo
Like, no, I don't think he.
Saruti
The solo travel thing is cool when you're solo, but you are, by definition, not solo. Everything costs more, all right? You're in a relationship. Dinners cost more. Movies cost more. Paintball costs more. Just kidding. I think this is. This is what it is. You can't have both of those lives. You just can't.
Kyle
Correct.
Ryan Russillo
So, yeah, I think there's a reason why, you know, one of the things that you'll have so many. College. I couldn't afford it. I mean, when guys were like, hey, do you want to maybe look into backpacking through Europe? I'm like, well, I still haven't graduated, so I don't know that I need, like, deserve the reward. That would have been classic. Maybe, like, you backpacks through Europe before you graduated. Like, yep. And then I went back to school. But when guys were doing that, and I think a lot of people listening, no matter what age you are, it's an incredible experience. Especially at that age. You're a little bit more, you know, I just think you're ready to compromise a little bit. It kind of gets back to, like, Saruti. And I was like, when's the last time I slept on a buddy's couch? And then when was the last time I slept on a buddy's couch? Where I go, this will be the last time you sleep on a buddy's couch. Like, I don't really want to do this. There was a time where I just folded up, like, old laundry that my friend said was clean, and it probably Wasn't. And at that point I was like, oh, I crashed at so and so's house. Like, not a big deal. I think I was like 23 or something, and that's where I slept for the night. And it sort of sucked. But I wasn't waking up in dirty laundry after a night out visiting my friend going, I need to make adjustments. If I did that at 30, certainly 35, I'd go, we need to make some adjustments. We need to go in halftime and drop some stuff on the whiteboard and never be sleeping in your friends. Maybe not clean laundry again because you're desperate for a bed. So, look, the reason I bring up the post college time, which is what you did here with the Netherlands thing, and you got into a program, is like, that window is sort of like a socially acceptable window. You don't hear about a lot of guys getting to do it multiple times.
Kyle
Yep.
Ryan Russillo
All right, Now I do it. And I'll even admit there's been a few trips where I was like, this Santorini solo. I don't know. A lot of people are built for it. You're looking around being like, oh, that probably be a nice little place to get some bread and maybe a little basket. And then you walk down here to the beach, and it may be a couple, you know, Spanish wines over here, the whole deal. Maybe it'd be nice to go into a fancy restaurant and not have them to tell you no. But it could be the mesh shorts and not your headcount. So I don't have advice for this. I don't have advice. If this is a priority in your life, you would have to find somebody that's totally okay with you doing this. And I don't even know that it's a male, female thing at all here. I think there's a lot of dudes that if their wives were like, I'm going to go to Spain and then hook it around the Med this summer, I'll see in September, those guys would be like, you're out of your fucking mind. You're not doing that. And it's not even about, like, a lack of trust or all that stuff. It's just you have to find a very, very specific partner. And that is a low number of opportunities out there for a partner that's going to let you do this multiple times in your life, even if you find it therapeutic.
Kyle
It's also, I mean, just to put yourself in her shoes, it's kind of embarrassing, right? Like, oh, yeah, here's my boyfriend.
Saruti
Where's Brian?
Kyle
Traveling alone.
Saruti
I haven't seen Brian for a while. What's going on?
Kyle
I want to bring you along. Like, what? That's like that. This is insanity. Like, this is actually insane. And there's no offense to the emailer, but like, you just have to at some point, like, you can't have it all. You got to give some stuff up in life. Like, this is almost. It would be. This is worse, I think, for her, for your girl than you like going on a two week bender trip with your boys. Like, this is more embarrassing. At least that's like, hey, this, that's like a bad guy thing. This is just weird and like, you can't explain it to other people. Like, I think you're totally off here and I understand. Like, maybe like, I love alone time. I love going to movies alone. I love being alone at the house doing my thing. Like, I like to play video games, but you can't do it all the time. There's like, I wake up early to.
Saruti
Be alone for an hour. I like it.
Kyle
There you go. But yeah, exactly.
Booger McFarland
Yeah.
Kyle
You got to find your spots. You can't just say, hey, I'm gone for six months. Like, that's just.
Booger McFarland
I don't.
Kyle
I don't even know that you could find a person that would be okay with that.
Saruti
Yeah. Have you thought about going with her? I mean, have you taken a trip outside of like a weekend in the mountains? Like, I'm. Is it. Are you just. Are you just not know what you don't know, or were you like, this is not a trip person? I mean, did you just have so much time being free and anything could happen in the Netherlands today sort of deal that you're like, I want. You're chasing that. Yeah. Either way, it's. Have you thought about asking her? I would just say, like, would it really sour the trip if your girlfriend that you see a future with went with you?
Kyle
I don't know, separate honeymoons. He just goes on a honeymoon solo.
Saruti
We felt like spade is more your speed, but I watched so good and I just got to see Japan.
Ryan Russillo
See Shogun got renewed. There's more research to be done. I got to tell you, dude, this is rarely do we get the email where it's like, this isn't going to happen and it's fucking impossible. There's like, her words were, I still need to heal from the last time you left. Yeah.
Saruti
She's not the needle in a haystack who was like, yeah, you know, I see both sides. It's like, I'm still healing.
Ryan Russillo
So looking at Disney World, buddy. That's all I got for you. All right, let's name some babies. Wife and I disagree on baby's middle name. Hey, guys. 510, 190, no gym, stats, beer, league, hockey. Once a week, my wife and I are having our first child, a boy, in February. Congratulations.
Kyle
Nice.
Ryan Russillo
We have the first name picked out, but we are disagreeing on the middle name. I want it to be after my grandfather, who I was very close with, and it's his past. She wants it to be after her dad, who passed when she was 20 and before we had started dating. Well, I'm going to tell you where this advice is going to go. I'm aware enough to understand her wanting to use her deceased father's name is a better reason than me wanting to use a grandfather's name. And I'm perfectly okay with using her father's name. Yeah. And I think. I think that is the right move here. Well done. Like, I don't know that the tie should. I mean, should the tie always go to the pregnant person?
Saruti
Pretty much.
Ryan Russillo
Well, I know what I'm supposed to say, but when it comes to naming. Yeah, I think the tie can go.
Saruti
Unless. Unless this is like a just all time terrible name, right?
Ryan Russillo
Well, I don't know.
Saruti
Did he. Did he name the two names?
Ryan Russillo
Here's the deal. Great instincts, Kyle. Just on it today. God, you're on it for a Friday. Here's the twist. My wife has offered and now wants to use two middle names, making sure neither gets left out. And while I think that's nice of her, I would really not. I would really rather not give our child two middle names. Malcolm Jamal Warner. Was that two middle names or is that just his middle name? Is that a hyphen? Soleil? Moon Fry? See, I'm only coming up with three. I'm just trying to. You know, it's just like there was a. It was like a weird kid thing back in the day, or I guess it was three names, but I don't know if some of them had four. All right, I know they don't use their middle name a lot, but when they will, it's just going to be an extra pain for them. For added context, my first name is spelled different as it's Jeremy with an A and not Jeremy, like the common way. Yeah, no, no. Jeremy Grant's got an eye at the end of it, I think. So I can relate to how time consuming it can be to having a quote unquote unique name. I'm sure Ryan also gets it, brother. Do I. I mean, look, I don't dislike my name. It's my name. I actually catch from it from people that don't like me, which I think is really weird because it's like, I didn't have a lot of. Say that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I changed it because I wanted to be unique when I was 24 and was starting a television career. That's why I did. It stayed. But, yeah, I mean, literally every day of my life. If you want to name your kid something, but you want to change the spelling and make it really unique and you think it's going to be fucking cool when you post your baby pictures on Instagram and stuff, just understand that kid the rest of his life every single day. And that's like, I'll check in to a hotel. Oh, that's an interesting way to spell it. It's not like I'm checking to a hotel every single day. But you call something on the phone and be like, oh, the credit card didn't go through, or this didn't go through, or that didn't go through. Oh, did you get the email? No. I mean, it's every single day. The E gets in the way of efficiency. And I'm not mad about it. I don't, like, resent my parents for doing it. It's just something you should think about when it's like, hey, we found this cool spelling of a name. Okay, Cool spelling.
Saruti
But you figured out you and Jeffrey.
Ryan Russillo
Nice.
Saruti
Awesome.
Ryan Russillo
It's Russian. And I know, like, Russians aren't super popular right now, but it just looks so cool, you know, the rest of this might be like, you know, first day of school. Jehofre. No, it's just Jeffrey. It's just. You're right. All right, so double middle names. Anybody? Any of you guys got double middle names? I found.
Saruti
I've got, like, some Dominican friends that have, like, maybe more than that. I don't know if they're. I don't know if they backload the last names or the middle names. Never really asked. But I just know that, you know, there's sometimes, you know, five or six words in there. So, I mean, maybe I think culturally it's not as crazy as you think. Can. Can you just concede, like, you said you're happy. Is it. Is it fine to just be like, let's go with yours? Is it too late?
Kyle
Yeah.
Saruti
Did you put up such a stink that she's like, no, no, now it's. Now it's a Hyphen or can you just back off and be like, you know what? I really think I thought about it and he really is more of a Walter. I don't know.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, I remember Mutombo, rest in peace. He had like six names. Remember Stuart Scott used to say him all the time during the highlight. Yeah, but I think that's. I think that's probably a cultural thing.
Kyle
Probably, I would guess. Yeah. I don't think I know anybody with two middle names. You kind of have to be. You have to be cool and like, you know, you have to like, know your kid's gonna be cool or like somehow famous or you have to be cool to pull off some of those things.
Ryan Russillo
How do you know if your kid's going to.
Kyle
That's what I'm saying. That's why it's really hard. Like if you name, if you name your kid, like a try hard thing, whether it's like a special, like Ryan, you are, you know.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, go ahead. Not. I'm not offended.
Kyle
So it works like, it's like, oh, that's Ryan with an E. He's a podcast host. Like, there you go. A lot of actors, actresses, I feel like, have kind of like weirdish names or multiple names. But like, if you're just a regular dude or girl and you have this like, kind of name, like, people just kind of be like, what? And a middle name is like a little bit less. I always think, I feel like in sports, like, do all of the athletes because I watch a lot of soccer. It feels like all the British guys, all of them have double hyphenated last names. And it's like, when did this happen? Like, why does this happen? You know, Dominic Calvert, Lewin, or, you know, too powerful.
Saruti
British don't want to let it go away.
Kyle
I know, but it, like, why? It's, it's kind of. That seems like it would be a burden on your life.
Ryan Russillo
Michael Kidd. Gilchrist.
Kyle
Kid Gilchrist. Tough one. Yeah, it just. Although that actually kind of flows off the tongue. I don't hate that it does. But the other thing I was going to say. Go ahead or go ahead.
Saruti
I was just going to say I've got, you know, got a decent sized pool of friends. I think I maybe know two of their last names or their middle name. Sorry, two of their middle names. It's like, it just doesn't. Doesn't come up. Like, I could. I'm racking my brain. I'm like, I know that one for some reason and outside of that, I really, I really don't know.
Kyle
Well, if you were born between, I feel like 1985 and 1995 and you're a dude, there's a good chance your middle name is just John or Joseph. Right. Like, I feel like all my friends names are either John or Joseph.
Saruti
Sounds good. But you talk about middle or first.
Kyle
Middle.
Saruti
Yeah, I don't. I just don't know. It's a blind spot for me.
Ryan Russillo
I remember, like the first time of being around money, and it was some of the summer guys I would run into in Martha's Vineyard. And then when I got to Vermont and everybody thought like, I had money because I was from Martha's Vineyard, which was not the case. But then there was a dude that had a middle name that didn't. Wasn't. It was a name, but it wasn't a name. And I was like, what's up with that? And he was like, oh, it's a family name. And like, through every group, there has to be one that has this, like, as their middle name. It was like this. Like there's. You have to be anointed. Like, what are we talking about here? Like Caesar type shit. I'm on this wrong kick right now.
Saruti
Start again.
Kyle
Yeah, yeah.
Ryan Russillo
So it's like it has to. They're always. And I was like thinking to myself, what does your net worth have to be to have like a name that isn't even a name in someone's name and it's accepted? Like, that's going to be a high number. I'd like to get my number one object. Like, no, it's not like Lamp. Like Dave Lamp Jones. Yeah. It's just. No, it was like a last name. It was a last name that kind of made no sense within the full name. Right. So it wasn't the double hyphenated. Like, sometimes it's as simple as the athlete in particular wants to honor both sides of a family. Right. Sometimes it's like really cool and there's. There's a reason for it. I think with the actor part of it, it's usually like just, hey, you have a weird name. And this makes more sense. Again, the audience kind of getting what they want. If Tom Cruise is named Tom Vita Pelli, is he still Tom Cruise?
Kyle
Yeah. Like, if Daniel Day Lewis wasn't an actor, his name is just Dan Lewis. Right.
Saruti
That's a great. That's a great poll.
Ryan Russillo
Really well done. Really well done with that. We've gone a bit on a tangent here, but that's all right. It's Friday. I. I think I know what you're saying. You're just not into it. I think most guys would go, I don't think I want my son to have four names. Why are we throwing in all this extra stuff? I am a little like as an aside, kind of fascinated with Cerudi's. Is your kid cool projection and could you open up cool camps for kids with strange.
Kyle
No, but you know.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, go up to that little kid and call him a nerd.
Kyle
But you know how like, like he did great today. Some parents are just like kind of artsy and you know they're going to have kind of a unique cool kid and they can give their kid a cool name. And there are other kids whose mom's, you know, and his dad's an accountant. His mom works, you know, the town hall or whatever. And like they're probably not going to be able to pull off the cool kid name thing because they're. It's just not, you know, that's.
Ryan Russillo
What are you saying? Town hall children more likely to be nerds?
Kyle
Yeah, probably. To be honest with you.
Ryan Russillo
I don't know if you may have to come back with some data to support that.
Saruti
I like the camp ideas. Just like you go for two weeks, like you're going to live up to Michael Jason Robinson Banks. You're going to leave here a true Michael Jason Robinson Banks.
Ryan Russillo
This is Thor Sword Nyquist. They're like, okay, we have our work cut out for. We have a seven day retreat for Thor. And he's like looking back as he's being dropped off with his Lego backpack. Like I don't. I didn't sign up for this.
Saruti
Here are your dice are coined. Let's go.
Ryan Russillo
Yeah, right. That would have be. I bet you there's probably a market for this though. Like we put your kid. It's not reading, it's not vocabulary. It's not cognitive things. Like we have teach you how to.
Saruti
Do a backflip off a wall. You're going to be that guy.
Ryan Russillo
You'Re gonna steal, but in a funny way. And then you'll get phase out of it. All right. I don't think we have anything else. Good luck, man.
Kyle
Boys names are tough though. I will say.
Ryan Russillo
What would you name your son?
Kyle
Well, this is actually interesting. My. So my grandfather who was awesome. His. He has a wild name. His name was Cataldo Ignatius Marisola.
Ryan Russillo
And was he awesome? I hope so.
Kyle
He was fucking awesome. And I went to cool camp. I if I ever had. I don't like any. He probably did or he should have Taught at Cool Camp. Founder. He. That's an intent. We used to call him Kai. Now Kai is a very popular name these days. But not Cataldo and I. We don't have a son. TBD future on that, but I would. I think there's like, literally no boys names that I like. I think they're all kind of. I don't really like my name that much. I think most dude names just kind of suck. And I kind of was like trying to pitch my wife on, like, could we name our son Cataldo? Like, would that be most?
Ryan Russillo
I love how Serudi dances between, like, the people that don't like. You will have such a problem with that. Oh, I don't care. Soft Gen Z or, you know, doesn't boys names. I think that's an aggressive assumption.
Saruti
I like Jack.
Kyle
What's a cool boy? Everybody likes Jack. That's like the only one everybody likes. What else? Name another one.
Saruti
What the fuck? I like Kyle's name. I think Kyle's pretty cool. I actually. Kyler. I mean, I hope he.
Ryan Russillo
What about Henry Robert?
Saruti
Rob's good. You got variations of Rob. I like that.
Ryan Russillo
Is it?
Kyle
I don't know.
Ryan Russillo
What about Bobby?
Kyle
Mm, I don't like any rendition of Robert Bob.
Ryan Russillo
Jeez.
Kyle
Funny. I don't know, just how I feel. So I'm not alone, though. I've talked to other dads who are like, yeah, man. My buddy's having a son, a second son. Named his first one Leo. Second one, he's like, we have no names.
Saruti
They're all bad. Tank's pretty cool.
Kyle
Tank, Leo and Tank.
Ryan Russillo
They're all taken. I don't know. I'd start speaking about the Romans now. I want to have a couple boys naming them after different soldiers. I don't know, like Sula Rossello. Does that work? He was pretty aggressive there, but you could say he stabilized things for a few years. All right, that's another piece of history lesson. That'll do it for the pod. Thanks to Orgon. Thanks to Srudy. Thanks to Kyle. Make sure you check out our YouTube page again Friday. Feedback. We get some video up there. You know, mail it in, mail it in Thursdays. I would be back on Monday. Please subscribe to the ryan Russell podcast. Ringerspot. Must be 21 and older, present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18/ plus and present in D.C. gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com, call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-87-7-8, Hope NY or text Hopeny in New York.
Podcast Summary: The Ryen Russillo Podcast – "Ranking NFL Teams Like the 12-Team CFB Playoff. Plus, Booger McFarland on Big Ten > SEC and the Bengals Going for Two"
Release Date: November 8, 2024
In this engaging episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast, host Ryen Russillo teams up with ESPN analyst Booger McFarland to delve into the complex world of sports rankings. The duo explores an innovative approach to ranking NFL teams by applying the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFB) model to the NFL's current season. Their conversation spans team performances, playoff seeding, conference strengths, and strategic game decisions, offering deep insights for both NFL and college football enthusiasts.
Ryen Russillo introduces the episode by outlining his attempt to rank NFL teams as if they were part of a 12-team college football playoff. He emphasizes the differences between the two leagues, noting the NFL's emphasis on record versus the CFB's broader evaluation criteria.
Key Points:
Team Records and Losses: Russillo highlights that in the current NFL season, 18 teams boast four or more losses, making it challenging to solely rely on win-loss records for ranking.
Top 12 NFL Teams: The top 12 NFL teams, according to Russillo’s analysis, manage three or fewer losses. Notably, Arizona and Denver stand at 5-4 records, while the Cincinnati Bengals, despite a 4-6 record, are excluded from the playoff consideration.
Notable Quote:
“All right, so the top 12 teams actually would be covered by three or less losses.” – Ryen Russillo [04:21]
Booger McFarland joins the discussion to critique the College Football Playoff committee's rankings, especially focusing on perceived biases favoring the Big Ten over the SEC.
Key Points:
Indiana vs. Penn State: McFarland expresses confusion over the ranking of Indiana ahead of Penn State despite their similar conference standings and head-to-head performance.
SEC vs. Big Ten: He suggests that the committee appears to favor the Big Ten conference this year, a departure from their usual preference for the SEC.
Notable Quote:
“If you just parachute it and I say, hey, there's a Big Ten team that's undefeated, that's not ranked in the top four, you'd be like, are you kidding me?” – Booger McFarland [21:02]
Ryen and Booger dissect several NFL teams, evaluating their playoff potential based on factors such as strength of schedule, point differential, and key victories.
Highlighted Teams:
Kansas City Chiefs: With an impeccable 8-0 record but a weaker point differential, Kansas City remains a top contender.
Detroit Lions: Russell positions Detroit as the number one overall seed, lauding their dominant win over Dallas (49-7).
Buffalo Bills: At 7-2, Buffalo's solid performance, including a significant win against Arizona, secures them a high playoff seed.
Cincinnati Bengals: Despite a sub-.500 record, the Bengals' offensive prowess led by Joe Burrow garners respect, though they fall short in playoff contention.
Notable Quotes:
“I probably still even as much as we touched on Goff and who he is now and that you expect really good things from him, were past all of the unknown with Goff, I would still take Lamar over Goff.” – Ryen Russillo [12:34]
“The committee has clearly stated that if Penn State and Indiana end up with the same record, they're going to take Penn State.” – Booger McFarland [22:25]
The conversation shifts to strategic decisions in critical game moments, particularly Cincinnati's choice to attempt a two-point conversion against Baltimore.
Key Points:
Decision Analysis: Russillo defends Cincinnati's decision, citing their offensive strength and the necessity to seize control in a division-deciding game.
Outcome and Impact: Despite the bold decision failing, Russillo appreciates the team's effort to take ownership of the game's outcome.
Notable Quote:
“I think you do, because their defense hadn't shown, they could stop Lamar now.” – Booger McFarland [36:09]
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the performances and rankings of top quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
Key Points:
Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes: Russillo argues that Lamar Jackson should be ranked higher than Patrick Mahomes due to his superior performance this season.
Impact of Quarterback Play: The duo debates the influence of quarterback performance on team success and playoff potential.
Notable Quote:
“I think Mahomes one and then you can start talking about it and in that case it'd be Lamar too.” – Ryen Russillo [16:50]
Booger McFarland provides an in-depth analysis of the Big Ten and SEC conferences, arguing that the Big Ten teams are currently more deserving of higher rankings.
Key Points:
Competitive Balance: McFarland points out the competitive balance within the Big Ten, contrasting it with the SEC’s performance later in the season.
Strength of Schedule Metrics: He critiques the committee’s reliance on strength of schedule, suggesting it may disadvantage deserving teams like Indiana.
Notable Quote:
“It's almost as if they're saying the Big Ten this year. If you just look at it from a macro point like the 10,000 foot view, they like the Big Ten this year more than the SEC based on what I see.” – Booger McFarland [18:20]
The episode wraps up with both hosts reflecting on the complexities of team rankings and the subjective nature of playoff selections. Russillo emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between statistical analysis and team narratives, while McFarland reiterates the need for the committee to maintain consistency and fairness in their evaluations.
Notable Quote:
“It might Just be that Georgia looks so terrible for 30 minutes. And credit for them to getting back into it where Ohio State's best performance is, their loss, like that's the game I felt the best about them.” – Ryen Russillo [17:29]
Innovative Ranking Approach: Applying a 12-team CFB playoff model to the NFL provides a fresh perspective on team evaluations.
Conference Bias Concerns: The Big Ten's current strength may be overshadowing traditional powerhouses like the SEC in playoff considerations.
Strategic Decisions Matter: Bold in-game strategies, such as two-point conversions, can significantly impact playoff trajectories.
Quarterback Influence: Elite quarterback performances remain a critical factor in determining team success and playoff eligibility.
This episode offers a thorough examination of NFL team rankings through the lens of college football's playoff system, enriched by expert analysis and spirited debate between Ryen Russillo and Booger McFarland. Whether you're a die-hard NFL fan or a college football aficionado, the insights shared provide valuable perspectives on the intricacies of team evaluations and playoff dynamics.