The Triple Option – Episode Summary

Podcast: The Triple Option
Hosts: Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone
Episode: Brian Kelly Fired at LSU, Alabama's Kalen DeBoer Joins, CFP Rankings, and Week Ten Picks
Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This week’s episode dives into one of college football’s biggest bombshells of the season: Brian Kelly’s firing from LSU. The panel scrutinizes the unconventional (and politically influenced) circumstances behind Kelly’s dismissal and explores why his fit at LSU never quite worked. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer joins to discuss the Crimson Tide’s resilience, locker room culture, and the high-pressure grind of the SEC. The hosts also break down their current top-three teams, discuss the growing pressures and instability of the modern coaching landscape, and serve up spirited picks for Week 10’s biggest games.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brian Kelly Fired at LSU: Context, Money, and Political Meddling

[02:39 – 18:57]

• LSU’s Decision and the Price Tag:
  LSU let go of Brian Kelly after a home loss to Texas A&M, making it three losses in four games. Despite a strong overall record (34–14), administration and fans wanted more than single-digit win seasons; LSU expected “multiple SEC and national championships.”

  • Buyout: Kelly leaves with a ~$53M buyout, likely pocketing around $30M after taxes.

• Political Involvement:
  Hosts focus on the involvement of Louisiana’s governor, Jeff Landry—that the firing was orchestrated in the governor’s mansion with his heavy sway over the university’s Board of Supervisors.

  • Urban Meyer: “As a person that’s gone through the circuit, I have very strong opinions about non-football people making football decisions.” [12:11]
  • Mark Ingram: “The governor definitely has caught some backlash ... They love them some LSU. That’s the heartbeat of the state. Really.” [08:39]

• Culture Clash & The Not-So-Perfect Fit:
  The panel agrees Kelly never seemed a culture fit.

  • Rob Stone: “It never seemed like the right fit ... this is a guy born in Massachusetts, coaching lineage entirely Midwest and Notre Dame. It all started to smell bad.” [14:25]
  • Recap of Kelly’s well-memed faux Cajun accent at a basketball game and awkward photos with recruits as symbols of his lack of authenticity.

• SEC Standards:
  LSU is a top-tier job but the expectations border on unrealistic.

  • Urban: “If LSU was something I was looking at, I’d be like, wait a minute, let’s review this again. How did this happen and exactly what is my job description?” [16:52]

• Ranking of SEC Jobs:
  Hosts debate if LSU is a top-three position (Georgia, Texas, Bama, Florida, A&M cited as equal or better spots).

2. The Changing Landscape: Coaching Instability and NIL

[19:27 – 20:40]

• Massive, simultaneous job openings at top programs is labeled “insane” and is linked to the high-stakes, high-expectation world fostered by NIL, new money, and media pressure.
  • Mark Ingram: “When’s the last time we’ve had this many premier programs with openings for a head coaching job? This is crazy.” [20:01]
  • Urban Meyer: “There’s a lot of reasons why the Southwest conference and the Pac-12 are gone...not made by football people.” [12:17]

3. Deuce Deuce Dog of the Week

[21:07 – 22:21]

• Mark’s Pick: Drew Mestermaker, QB, North Texas
  • 37/49, 608 yards, 4 TDs
  • Most passing yards by any FBS player this season
  • Mark: “If you ball, you get the call.” [22:21]

4. Inside the Locker Room: A&M’s ‘Revenge’ Motivation

[23:06 – 24:32]

• Texas A&M Strength Coach Revenge:
  Texas A&M’s win over LSU had special motivation for strength coach Tommy Moffat, allegedly fired by Kelly; players practiced tackling a dummy with Kelly’s face taped to it.
  • Marcel Reed (A&M QB): “We all just started kicking and stomping and stuff like that.” [23:34]
  • Urban: “How many people will play for the strength coach? All of them.” [24:08]

5. Featured Interview: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Head Coach

[28:32 – 45:24]

First Impressions & Handling SEC Pressure

• Mark Ingram opens by gushing over Bama’s big win at South Carolina, citing resilience and team fight.
  • DeBoer: “It’s been a build up ... you can learn from adversity and grow, become better ... when you’ve got high character people.” [30:10]

Locker Room Culture and Keeping the Edge

• DeBoer: “I’m not gonna let myself get comfortable ... That’s the way you gotta keep attacking it.”
  • On Alabama’s expectations: “Everyone wants to take down Bama ... we use that as our edge.” [39:30]

The Ty Simpson Discussion (Heisman Hype)

• Urban: “I don’t see a player out there that means more to his team than your guy, Ty Simpson. ... At some point, you have to fight for your guy.” [36:30]
• DeBoer: “He’s making throws at critical times, leading on game-winning drives, just a genuine leader ... He stuck it out here because he believes in this place.” [37:29]

Managing the Week One Loss & Turning Point

• DeBoer: “After that loss, I wanted us to have that edge ... when people doubt you, use it as motivation.” [39:30]
• He refuses to let the team “get comfortable” and signals continuous internal motivation.

Coaching Instability and Empathy for Coaches

• DeBoer: “I feel bad for the players ... who they wanted to play for has changed.” [41:42]

Notable Locker Room Moment

• DeBoer describes Tim Keenan’s halftime speech: “He was on another level ... Tim’s got some preacher in him, man. He’s got a wisdom ... and he brought it out.” [43:17]
• Post-victory celebration had “as much energy as I’ve seen here ... a character win.” [44:53]

Roll Tide Moments

• Mark Ingram: “I’ll give a piss about none but the Tide, baby. Roll damn Tide.” [24:52] / [45:29]

6. CFP Top-3 Rankings: Host Debates

[46:42 – 54:10]

• Each host gives their current top-3:
  • All agree: Ohio State #1 – “To be the man, you got to beat the man.”
  • Debates between Indiana, Texas A&M, and Alabama for the other spots.
    • Mark: “I’ve gotta put the Crimson Tide in there. You know why? Because I don’t give a piss about nothing but the Tide.” [49:02]
    • Urban: “The win over Washington — Indiana has the best win of the season.” [49:24]
    • Rob: “If you can put your Bama blinders on and forget week one existed ... They have the best wins on paper.” [52:49]

7. Week Ten Picks & Preview

[56:10 – 61:44]

• Tennessee vs. Oklahoma
  • Rob: “I like the Vols to cover.”
• Utah vs. Cincinnati
  • Urban: “I think Utah’s on a roll ... going to be a two-to-three score win for the Utes.”
• Texas vs. Vanderbilt
  • Mark: “If Arch [Manning] is healthy, Texas wins ... the difference is the Texas defense.”
  • “Vandy lost on the road to Bama, I think they’ll lose on the road to Texas.” [60:45]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Urban Meyer:

  • “As a person that’s gone through the circuit, I have very strong opinions about non-football people making football decisions.” [12:11]
  • “There’s a reason why the Southwest Conference and the Pac-12 are gone ... those weren’t football people.” [12:17]

• Mark Ingram:

  • “The governor definitely has caught some backlash for what’s been going on ... they love them some LSU. That’s the heartbeat of the state, really.” [08:39]
  • “If you ball, you get the call.” (Dog of the Week) [22:21]
  • “I’ll give a piss about none but the Tide, baby. Roll damn Tide.” [24:52, 45:29]

• Rob Stone:

  • “It never seemed like the right fit ... This guy born in Massachusetts, all Midwest and Notre Dame. It’s not that people can’t adjust, but in this case, it all started to smell bad.” [14:25]

• Kalen DeBoer:

  • “I’m not gonna let myself get comfortable.” [35:15]
  • “He [Ty Simpson] stuck it out here because he believes in this place.” [37:29]
  • “After the game, there was as much energy because that was one we had to fight. A character win.” [44:53]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Brian Kelly Fired & Political Intrigue: [02:39 – 18:57]
• Coaching Landscape/NIL: [19:27 – 20:40]
• Dog of the Week (Drew Mestermaker): [21:07 – 22:21]
• A&M’s Revenge Motivation: [23:06 – 24:32]
• Kalen DeBoer Interview: [28:32 – 45:24]
  • Locker Room/Culture: [29:00 – 44:53]
  • On Ty Simpson: [36:30 – 37:29]
• CFP Rankings Debate: [46:42 – 54:10]
• Week Ten Preview & Picks: [56:10 – 61:44]

Tone & Style

The episode is spirited, insider-driven, and candid, with plenty of locker-room humor and good-natured SEC bias. Urban Meyer brings the administrator/coach’s skepticism, Mark Ingram provides the player’s pulse and bravado, and Rob Stone steers the show with topical focus and quick wit.

In Summary

This episode captures the stress, drama, and cutthroat expectations that define college football’s new era—where even 70% win coaches lose their jobs, politicians meddle in program decisions, and locker rooms are both battlegrounds and brotherhoods. The Kalen DeBoer interview provides high-level insight into how to survive and thrive at the sport’s mountaintop, while the weekly debates and picks keep things grounded in the weekend’s action. The message: To win in today’s college football, you need resilience both on and off the field—and “if you ball, you get the call.”