Podcast Summary: The Triple Option
Episode: Transfer Portal Tampering, CFP Format Remains, Prime Time Fines, & 2026 Heisman Picks
Hosts: Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone
Date: January 28, 2026
Overview
This episode dives into the rapidly changing landscape of college football, focusing on the escalating issue of transfer portal tampering, the permanence of the 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) format, Deion Sanders’ “NFL-style” discipline at Colorado, notable coaching hires, and early predictions for the 2026 Heisman trophy.
The hosts leverage their insider experience—as a legendary head coach (Meyer), Heisman-winning player (Ingram), and veteran broadcaster (Stone)—to provide nuance, firsthand perspective, and humor.
Key Discussion Points
1. Transfer Portal Tampering Chaos
Main Issue:
A high-profile tampering case involving former Cal linebacker Luke Forelli, who committed to Clemson, attended classes, then was allegedly approached and lured by Ole Miss while already enrolled at Clemson.
Dabo Swinney’s Rant
- Dabo called the system “broken,” blaming lack of consequences for rampant tampering (01:51).
- “If there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules and we have no governance. It’s really just that simple.” — Dabo Swinney [01:51]
- He blames adults, not the athlete.
Host Analysis
- Urban Meyer: NCAA is effectively powerless and laughable at enforcing existing rules.
- "Law and order without consequence is not law and order. It's chaos.” — Urban Meyer [04:17]
- predicts infractions will skyrocket (“90 last year...I estimate there’ll be 460 next year”) due to inaction.
- Mark Ingram: NCAA has a chance to take a stand with clear evidence.
- The Forelli case has direct evidence: text messages from Ole Miss coaches to Forelli while he was at Clemson [05:34-06:24].
- Penalties: Previous tampering (Southern Utah, 2024) yielded a “$5k fine, 1 game suspension, 2-year show cause”—a mere slap on the wrist for a big program [07:54-08:23].
NCAA's Role: Broken Policing & Lack of Power
- Meyer and Stone both agree the NCAA’s lack of enforcement and subpoena power leads to utter chaos, encouraging more tampering.
- Suggestion floated for a college football “commissioner”—but Meyer is pessimistic:
- “You don’t need more rules… You need to enforce the rules.” [15:35]
- “I’d love to get the president of the NCAA on here and say, what the hell you doing?” [16:01]
Long-term Player Impact
- Meyer laments this teaches the wrong lessons, as short-term gains may hurt players' future networking and careers [18:21].
- “At some point, that linebacker… he’s got to rely on the college network, the collegiate experience.” — Urban Meyer [18:44]
2. College Football Playoff (CFP) Format: Notre Dame’s Unique Advantage
- The 12-team CFP format is now permanent.
- Notre Dame Clause: If Notre Dame finishes in the final top 12 ranking, it gets a guaranteed playoff spot, regardless of being independent or ACC-affiliated [32:23-33:12].
- “That’s a win for Notre Dame… They just drag them on everybody.” — Mark Ingram [33:53]
- Teams like Alabama could theoretically finish ranked above Notre Dame and still be left out due to the group of six/conference champ clause [36:09].
- Discussion covers the Irish’s softening schedule, clever non-conference scheduling against power programs, and their ability to operate outside a conference due to brand muscle.
- Meyer predicts broader trend of teams scheduling easier non-conference slates to maximize playoff chances:
- “Getting ready for the worst non-conference schedules in the history of the sport.” — Urban Meyer [39:53]
3. Coaching Carousel: NFL Influence Grows
USC Hires Gary Patterson as DC
- Patterson’s experience as former TCU head coach and as an advisor at Texas and Baylor praised.
- Lincoln Riley hires “a big bonus” for defense but not threatening as a head coach [24:21-25:10].
Ohio State Hires Arthur Smith as OC
- Former Falcons HC and Steelers OC joins Matt Patricia (DC), making OSU's staff loaded with NFL experience [25:37-27:02].
- “Now you have two former NFL head coaches as your offense and defense coordinators. That’s a hell of a deal.” — Meyer [27:06]
- Discussion on shift away from traditional college recruiting to “NFL model,” where strategic scheming is prized over recruiting skills.
- Mark Ingram: “What’s your ultimate goal? …Who better to learn from than Matt Patricia, than Arthur Smith?” [29:17-30:35]
Playbook Continuity
- Meyer expects a blend of Ryan Day’s system and Arthur Smith’s input, not a total overhaul [30:55-31:43].
4. Prime Time Fines: Deion Sanders’ Boulder NFL-ization
- Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders institutes NFL-style fines for tardiness, absence, and conduct issues [43:17].
- Examples: $500 late to practice, $2,500 no-show, $1,500 missed treatment, $2k-5k for team rule/public conduct violations.
- Mark Ingram sees this as proof of “an issue within the locker room, within the culture.”
- “If that wasn’t going on within the culture of your locker room, you wouldn’t have to address it.” — Ingram [44:29]
- Meyer: If fines are needed, there are bigger problems than the dollars.
- “If you’re fining people a lot, you got bigger problems than collecting a couple thousand bucks. You got a serious issue.” [45:14]
- Contrast with old-school punishment (“running the ski hill”); new rules prohibit punishment by physical exertion [46:43].
5. 2026 Heisman Trophy: Way-Too-Early Picks
- Favorites per FanDuel: ND's CJ Carr & Texas’ Arch Manning (+800), Indiana's Josh Hoover (+1100), OSU WR Jeremiah Smith (+1300).
- Mark Ingram's Pick: Malachi Tony (aka “Baby Jesus”), for his versatility and playmaking as a true freshman [49:09].
- “He’s a shot-caller. I’m a big fan of him and I think he’s gonna have a huge sophomore year.” — Ingram [50:14]
- Urban Meyer’s Pick: Dante Moore (Oregon QB) — “statistically had a hell of a year… I really respect this kid.” [51:18-52:25]
- Rob Stone’s Pick: Arch Manning (Texas):
- “It feels like he’s finally being allowed… to get out of that cocoon, right? …Let him be Arch Manning.” [53:30]
Notable Quotes & Moments
- Meyer on NCAA’s irrelevance: “The NCAA is gone. It’s over.” [02:34]
- Stone on Dabo's courage: “It’s about damn time that somebody at a higher level, a big boy in college football, stood up and said that’s enough.” [08:25]
- Ingram on Notre Dame: “I respect Notre Dame because they just drop their nuts. They drag ‘em on everybody.” [33:53]
- Meyer on college football’s downward spiral: “You’re getting ready for the worst non-conference schedules in the history of the sport.” [39:53]
- Meyer on Prime’s leadership: “If you’re fining people a lot, you got bigger problems…” [45:14]
- Ingram on locker room culture: “If that wasn’t going on within the culture of your locker room, you wouldn’t have to address it.” [44:29]
- Name Drop: “Young Money” pops up repeatedly regarding NIL collectives and deals (11:19, etc.).
- Joking closing: Ingram and Meyer tease Stone for missing the upcoming live show: “It’s not a triple option podcast without Stone.” [55:04]
- Malachi Tony’s nickname:
- “He goes by the name Baby Jesus, AKA Malley. Tony. Malachi. Tony.” — Mark Ingram [49:09]
- “I love Baby Jesus. Baby Jesus can play at any age.” — Stone [50:30]
Timestamps by Segment
- Tampering & NCAA Discussion: 00:20 – 19:36
- USC, Ohio State Coaching Hires: 24:21 – 31:43
- CFP Format & Notre Dame Clause: 31:56 – 41:23
- Deion Sanders Prime-Time Fines: 42:21 – 48:40
- Heisman Preview / Picks: 48:40 – 55:01
Overall Tone & Flow
Conversational, irreverent, strongly opinionated, with a blend of deep football insight and locker-room ball-busting humor. The hosts don’t shy away from controversy, take direct aim at the NCAA, and offer practical and sometimes pointed fixes for the broken college football world. Their chemistry and firsthand experience make even complex topics accessible and fun.
For Further Listening
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