Bartsool's Dave Portnoy joins, Lane to LSU, Disband the CFP Committee, and Championship Picks

Summary

Episode Summary: "Bartstool’s Dave Portnoy joins, Lane to LSU, Disband the CFP Committee, and Championship Picks"

Podcast: The Triple Option
Hosts: Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone
Guest: Dave Portnoy (Barstool Sports)
Original Air Date: December 3, 2025

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Overview

A pivotal episode that captures a new era in college football, dissecting playoff implications under the expanded format, high-profile coaching moves—including Lane Kiffin’s shocking jump to LSU—critique of the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee, and the game's ongoing transformation toward professionalism and the NFL model. Guest Dave Portnoy brings a fan’s electricity to hot-button issues such as Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), conference realignment, coaching contracts, and the brutal reality of Michigan’s letdown against Ohio State.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. CFP Playoff Rankings & Format Critique (00:10–06:15)

• Latest Rankings: Big Ten dominance with Ohio State and Indiana topping the list, major shakeups in spots 10–6, with Notre Dame, Bama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, and Oregon moving positions.
• SEC Runner-Up Debate: Mark Ingram stresses that the committee must respect the SEC runner-up for playoff inclusion, especially Alabama, if they finish strong. But if Bama gets "beat on" by Georgia, that might prompt reevaluation.
• Committee Frustration: Urban Meyer rails against the CFP committee’s subjectivity and calls for its disbanding:
  • “The committee’s got to go away. ... We can’t agree on everything. ... You cannot penalize Texas for losing at Ohio State. ... You cannot do that.” (06:15, Urban Meyer)
• Scheduling Incentives: Indiana’s “chess, not checkers” approach—scheduling weaker non-conference games for playoff ease—sparks fears of increasingly diluted schedules.

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2. Championship Paths & Playoff Scenarios (06:32–12:12)

• Play-in Structure Advocacy: Mark Ingram wants a more objective, NFL-style divisional structure—win your division, get an auto-bid, remaining slots go to teams with best records to eliminate bias.
• Implications for Teams: Miami, Texas, Notre Dame, and Duke’s odds discussed in relation to opponent rankings, head-to-heads, and conference championship outcomes.
• Bracket Preview:
  • Sun Belt champion James Madison could face Oregon.
  • All-SEC first-round Bama-Oklahoma.
  • Notre Dame needs Texas Tech to win for a clear playoff path.
  • Big 12 could land two teams in the playoff if BYU wins.

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3. Lane Kiffin’s Move to LSU & Repercussions (12:12–21:09)

• Immediate Fallout: Kiffin leaves just after an Egg Bowl win, Ole Miss elevates Pete Golding to HC; Charlie Weis Jr. will handle play-calling in the playoffs.
• Host Perspectives:
  • Urban Meyer: Initially concerned for players, but acknowledges in modern CFB, rosters flip so rapidly that the HC's playoff presence may be less critical.
  • Mark Ingram: Disagrees with barring Kiffin, since players already have relationships with him and can transfer regardless.
  • Rob Stone: Sees the move as a betrayal, likens it to “major league villainy,” and questions the wisdom of the mid-postseason jump.
• Money & NIL: Discussion on the ever-growing NIL/booster budgets:
  • “Apparently not because Texas Tech went 28 [million]. Texas is over 30 Ms ... money makes it go.” (18:26, Mark Ingram)
• LSU as "Sleeping Giant": Mark dubs LSU’s hire of Kiffin a “power move,” predicting LSU will “be a damn problem” with Kiffin’s resources.

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4. Is Lane Kiffin College Football’s Greatest Villain? (18:50–20:54)

• The panel half-jokingly crowns Kiffin the sport’s ultimate antagonist for his head-coaching carousel (USC → Tennessee → Ole Miss → LSU), with Ingram noting, “Lane gonna Lane. ... I like Lane.”
• Stone: “I don't like how this weekend played. ... It’s still the wild, wild west.”

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5. Transition Toward the NFL Model (21:09–23:32)

• All hosts agree college football is inexorably moving toward a professional/NFL structure with real money, contracts, free agency-like transfer rules, and, soon, an objective playoff model.
• “Committee out. Everybody out. ... Let’s start modeling after the best professional sports league in the world.” (21:23, Mark Ingram)

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6. Dave Portnoy Interview (26:58–49:53)

CFP, NIL, and Michigan’s Future

• NIL Wild West: Portnoy recounts his $3M NIL pledge tale (“We’ll never not have a quarterback”) and says of player movement: “Anyone can do anything ... there’s no rules.” (30:29)
• Coaching Movement & Contracts: Surprised there’s not more legal fallout over coaches bailing and NIL deals—“Do contracts become void? ... anyone can do anything.” (30:29)
• Michigan’s Reality Check: Portnoy takes his lumps after OSU thumps Michigan:
  • “We just got to get a lot better right now. ... We have no business beating Ohio State or any of these good teams.” (35:46, Portnoy)
• Best/Worst Betting Moments: Portnoy wagers $50K/game, describes a streak that netted him $8M over four months (46:05–47:27), but also relives some tough losses, like a million-dollar bet on the Bills.

On Playoff Neutrality and Big Ten Loyalty

• Portnoy will begrudgingly support Big Ten teams (Oregon, Indiana, OSU) in the playoff, noting, “Of course. Big Ten. I root for this conference of ours.” (38:06)
• Fears of “worst non-conference schedules in history” if the subjective committee-style persists: “Give us Old Dominion ... as long as there’s subjectivity.” (39:13, Meyer & Portnoy)

Rapid Fire: The Future of CFB

• Portnoy’s Fixes as “Lord of College Football”:
  • Lock transfer portal/coaches until season’s end.
  • Salary cap with set-length contracts for players.
  • More structure, less circus—“Get the circus part of it out. ... You can’t move till things ... everyone moves at once.” (44:09, Portnoy)

Most Memorable Quotes

• “As long as we have the subjectivity, as long as we have the subjectivity. For sure.” (39:30, Portnoy)
• “That’s the solution, right? Committee out. ... This is a professional game.” (21:23, Ingram)

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7. Championship Weekend Picks & Analysis (52:45–66:20)

Top Three Games to Watch (53:26–59:13)

Mark Ingram’s Picks:

1. Big Ten Title: Ohio State vs. Indiana — “The two Heisman favorites ... Can Indiana get over the hump?”
2. Big 12 Title: BYU vs. Texas Tech — “If BYU wins, they get in. If they lose, could open door for Notre Dame or Miami.”
3. SEC Title: Georgia vs. Bama — “They're our little brother. 10–1 ... the last 11 times.” (56:01, Ingram)

Urban Meyer’s Picks:

1. Mountain West: UNLV at Boise — Showcasing UNLV’s offensive transformation.
2. Big Ten: Ohio State vs. Indiana
3. Big 12: BYU vs. Texas Tech — “Texas Tech has a chance to be the national champion of college football.”

Rob Stone’s Chaos Bracket:

1. ACC: Virginia vs. Duke — "If Duke wins, ACC could get shut out."
2. American: North Texas vs. Tulane — Both HCs have accepted new jobs but will coach title game.
3. Big Ten: Undefeated 1 v 2, a Heisman at stake.

Detailed Game Analysis

• Big 12: “Hard to beat a team twice in a season. ... The heavy lifting is done by their defense. … Red Raiders, but don’t see them covering.” (61:59–62:25, Stone)
• SEC: “Whenever we play Georgia, just like Space Jam … That’s what we do when we play Georgia. But … Ty Simpson, our passing game hasn’t looked like it did early in the season … Kirby Smart … best coach in college football.” (63:33–64:13, Ingram)
• Big Ten: Meyer predicts Ohio State covers versus Indiana; lauds Ryan Day for overcoming Michigan curse (“Now they can enjoy a dinner in Columbus…”). Indiana’s QBs need to play the game of their lives for a shot.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Urban Meyer on CFB committee:
  “The committee’s got to go away. ... You cannot penalize Texas for losing at Ohio State.” (06:15)
• Mark Ingram after Alabama banter:
  “I got too much Bama in me.” (09:26)
• Mark Ingram on Kiffin’s impact:
  “LSU let their nuts hang and they pulled a power move … Lane to LSU is a problem for everyone, not just SEC, but in the college football world.” (17:47)
• Portnoy on NIL:
  “Anyone can do anything … there’s no rules.” (30:29)
• Portnoy on the current state:
  “Get the circus part of it out … You can’t move till [the season’s over].” (44:09)
• Rob Stone on Kiffin legacy:
  “Lane feels much more like a betrayal rather than moving up and doing what’s best.” (15:12)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• CFP Playoff Rankings Breakdown: 00:10–06:15
• Committee Critique / Subjectivity: 05:12–06:15, 39:08–40:42
• Lane Kiffin to LSU Fallout: 12:12–21:09
• Is Kiffin the Ultimate Villain?: 18:50–20:54
• NIL/Portnoy Interview Starts: 26:58
  • Portnoy’s NIL insights: 28:10–30:29
  • Michigan reflection: 30:58–35:46
  • Betting stories: 46:05–47:35
• Championship Weekend Game Rankings: 52:45–59:13
• Deep Dives: Big 12/SEC/Big Ten analysis: 59:13–70:16

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Episode Flow, Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is rapid-fire, good-humored, brutally honest, and full of inside jokes and candid player/coach perspectives. The hosts move seamlessly from deep structural critique of college football’s future to trash talk and analysis, with Portnoy injecting irreverence and fan sensibility. The episode is invaluable for listeners looking to deeply understand the evolving landscape—including the real-world stakes of postseason, the irrepressible power of NIL, and the emotional rollercoaster that defines both the fans and the game’s new era.

Transcript

[Rob Stone]

With three Big Ten teams looking like they're headed to the college football playoffs, are you going to cheer for Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State in the postseason?

[Dave Portnoy]

Of course.

[Rob Stone]

That's it. I don't buy that. The Triple Option is presented by Wendy's. Join Team Tendies and enjoy a lineup like never before. Crispy juicy Tendies now at Wendy's. Hey, welcome to another live edition of the Triple option presented by Wendy's. Deuce Deuce in the house. Coach Meyer, Rob Stone here with you. We are going to react to the fifth playoff rankings that just came out and what the bracket looks like. A lot to get towards, a lot to talk about, including Lane Kiffin's exit from Ole Miss as well. Please rate us. Subscribe over to Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Wherever you get your podcasts, you can find us on 3X option show over there on social media. New episodes coming your way Every Wednesday on YouTube, wherever it is you find your podcast. So a new full edition coming your way on Wednesday. Dave Portnoy joins the conversation as well. Pretty interesting talk with him. All right, let's get right to the rankings here with any given Saturday and so much took place last week, of course, the Buckeyes getting that Wolverine off their back. The Longhorns and Arch Manning getting an upset win over Texas A and M. Lane Kiffin gets the win in the Egg bowl and then bolts Oxford for lsu. How did that impact Ole Miss? Time to look at the top 25 rankings right now, guys, and we're going to go down low there. James Madison at number 25 from the Sunbelt. First time they have been ranked. If you look at 20 and 24, Tulane, North Texas, both of those programs obviously ranked. They meet each other on the the weekend for the American Conference championship game. Right now the winner of that game is absolutely going to the playoffs. Virginia at number 17. They are up one spot. They are in the ACC championship game against Duke, who is nowhere to be found in this top 25. We'll talk why that matters. Vanderbilt fourth straight week at 14. Texas up three off the win over A and M. They are at 13. Miami second straight week at number 12. BYU sitting there at number 11. And then that essentially is your cut line. We'll show you the bracket in a second. Notre Dame at 10, Bama up one at nine. Texas A&M plunges four. They are down to seven. Ole Miss raises themselves up one spot to number six. Texas Tech and Oregon both move up one, as does Georgia. And as it's been all season long, Ohio State One Indiana number two. So before we throw the bracket out, Mark, I'll start with you and let's talk about Alabama sitting there at number nine, up one off that win over Auburn. Does that feel right for you and do you feel secure that they're going to be in the final bracket come next Sunday?

[Mark Ingram]

I think it just depends on how they perform, but I think you have a hard time knocking out the SEC runner up. So I think that they're kind of situated right there at number nine and. But what stands out to me is BYU up here to 11. They win and I think the Big 12 gets two in. So that really standed out to me because I think they were, they were a little back last week.

[Urban Meyer]

Right.

[Mark Ingram]

I don't know what their previous week ranking was, but right now, BYU, they played Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship.

[Rob Stone]

If they straight week at number 11 for BYU. So they stayed packed.

[Mark Ingram]

So. So they win, they get in and who would that push out? Notre Dame. Yeah, so that's something to keep an eye on. But I think Alabama at 9. I think that's right. I think you'll have a hard time having the SEC runner up out, but I think they have a good shot to, you know, compete in this Jordan in this SEC championship and win. If they win, they probably go up to a top four in a first round buy. So a lot riding on the SEC championship. A lot riding on the Big 12 championship. Texas at 13, three losses. They'll need some chaos. Miami needs something to happen for them to get in. They, they beat Notre Dame with the head to head. So they're sitting outside right. 12. I know there's a lot of noise about Miami should be inside that cut line.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, there's, there's not that much chaos to be had just because not that many teams are playing this week.

[Mark Ingram]

Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Bama, Texas Tech, byu.

[Rob Stone]

But regardless of those results of those programs, you said they're all going to fall inside the group that's going to go to the playoffs.

[Mark Ingram]

If Bama gets one, drop them out.

[Urban Meyer]

You can't do that.

[Mark Ingram]

If they get, if they get beat on by Georgia, which I don't see happening, but if they did, then you would have to have the discussion. But to me, the precedent that was set last year in the ACC when Clemson beat SMU and they still put SMU in, there's no way you could do that to Alabama or any of the teams that are playing in the college championship.

[Rob Stone]

Good point, Coach. What jumps out to you?

[Urban Meyer]

I just, I mean, I Was. I just wrote this down at Mark Ingram, Urban Meyer, Brady Quinn, Matt Leinert, obviously Rob and then Bear, who studies this stuff. Like, I'm not sure what else he does. Be honest with you. The committee's got to go away. It's got to go away. And I, I said that earlier today. And I'm not saying the commit. I mean, if the, you know, there's, there's 40, 50, 60 years of experience between us and we can't agree on everything. I mean, I, I just can't understand how you can penalize Texas for losing at Ohio State. If Bama loses in that game. You cannot penalize them. That's. That's a reward. What they. That it's season's over unless you win. You cannot, you cannot do that. You know, I don't understand, like if BYU beats Texas Tech, of course Texas Tech is in. They're going to be too. So, you know, a lot, a lot of things come across my mind. I'm just worried about the future of our game. And I know we're talking about this.

[Mark Ingram]

What needs to happen, Coach, is in the NFL, you have a division, you win the division, that gets you automatic bid. The next three best records get in. There's no bias. It's straight. You know what it is. And college football needs to come to some type of structure where it mirrors that.

[Urban Meyer]

But Mark, Mark, the NFL is all, you know, equal. You can't, you can't have Old Dominion.

[Dave Portnoy]

Kenneth.

[Urban Meyer]

Right now, Indiana is the smart. Indiana's playing chess. Everyone else is playing checkers.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah.

[Rob Stone]

Because of their scheduling.

[Urban Meyer]

Old Dominion. If, if Texas played this, Texas would be in the playoffs for college football. Indiana, Indiana State, Kennesaw State and Old Dominion, you're going to see the worst non conference schedules in the history of our game.

[Mark Ingram]

As it should.

[Urban Meyer]

You saw Alabama just dropped usf, which.

[Rob Stone]

You know, it's not, it's not as it should. And I understand your point. Right. If, if, if the ultimate goal, which it is, is to get to the playoffs and play for national championship, you're doing what's best for your program, but you're not doing what's best for college football. That's what hurts me.

[Urban Meyer]

And they can't play in the SEC championship. They're in the playoff.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, I understand. Both sides start coughing a lot.

[Urban Meyer]

Start coughing a lot.

[Rob Stone]

I don't want to see meaningful out of conference games go away. And that coach. But that goes to your point about the potential of the expansion and making this weekend essentially play in games via the conference Model.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah. Here's what Jerry DiNardo, my great friend from Big Ten Network, former coach, head coach at LSU, Vanderbilt in Indiana, and he made this. I hope this runs as a headline that is the only multi billion dollar industry in the history of the United States of America that is run by volunteers. Think about that for a second. Just digest that one for a minute. So get rid of the volunteers, make this a play in. And you know, you went on the field and if, if I. I'd actually. I'm looking at James Madison. I looked at their schedule. The only team that, you know was. I. I shouldn't say that because I coached a Bowling Green. All that. There's good players everywhere. But James Madison lost to Louisville by 14 points. Louisville's not ranked. Put them in the SEC for what, five, six games mark and oh my.

[Rob Stone]

God, I don't know if they need to be in there for that many games.

[Urban Meyer]

Maybe one, maybe two.

[Rob Stone]

Understand your point. The committee did say that teams do have a chance to move up or down. If they don't play this week is something to keep in mind. None of Miami's opponents have a game this weekend. Miami sitting there at number 12 and kind of trapped, handcuffed, if you will. Notre Dame, though, remember Boise State is in the Mountain west championship game against UNLV coach. So a Boise State win and they're the Mountain west champs. That makes the victory by the Irish over them makes their resume look a little bit better as they sit there at number 10. Right on the cusp of things again. Notre Dame is off this week. They don't play in a conference. That's a whole nother conversation. By the way. I see Xavier over there saying, roll Tide, roll.

[Mark Ingram]

Damn. Tie. We don't give a piss about nothing. But the tire say what they want. We don't give a piss about none.

[Urban Meyer]

But.

[Mark Ingram]

But they tied. I got too much bam in me.

[Rob Stone]

I. Texas. There's a question about Texas. Do they have a chance to get. No, it's.

[Mark Ingram]

They're not getting in.

[Rob Stone]

They're not getting.

[Mark Ingram]

Unfortunately, they scheduled Ohio State, so next time, schedule. Who? Somebody else.

[Rob Stone]

Ohio University. Go Ohio University rather than Ohio State and.

[Mark Ingram]

Or Grambling. That's what Ohio State play, too. They play gram.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah. So Texas did get the bump of three spots courtesy of the win over Texas am. But they're sitting there with three losses and nine wins. Of course, one of those three losses, week one at number one, Ohio State by touchdown. Yeah, Texas. It's not going to happen. They're done. I think Miami explain To me that.

[Mark Ingram]

The next, the group of the next two that are getting in. So there's a champ that might not get in.

[Rob Stone]

It's the highest ranked conference champions. So Duke beats Virginia. Duke is nowhere to be found in the rankings right now. That's why James Madison being ranked at the Sun Belt as a Sun Belt conference champion and being ranked would trump Duke winning the acc.

[Urban Meyer]

This is wild, man.

[Rob Stone]

Crazy. Here's a look at the bracket right now guys. And, and you're looking as one of the conference potential conference champions, Sunbelt or American could be taking on Oregon. We got Bama at Oklahoma. So in all SEC showdown, another conference champion taking on six seed Ole Miss. And then how about a rematch? Notre Dame and Texas A M and then you move on to the next stage and Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana and Texas Tech. Right now the Red.

[Mark Ingram]

So every Notre Dame fan should be rooting for Texas Tech this weekend.

[Rob Stone]

Yes, yes, yes. If you're, if you're the Irish, you are, you are not Provo Dave.

[Mark Ingram]

Right, Provo Dave.

[Rob Stone]

You are all all about Joey Maguire, who by the way got a seven year contract extension today. Congratulations to Coach McGuire and Texas Tech again. Having them move up one spot to number four gives them just, I think a greater buffer zone. And if the Big 12, I, I, I don't like to pat myself on the back often, but once in a while I, I should do it. Big 12, I've been saying it for months now, like they're on the cusp of getting two in. They're on the cusp of getting two in. That's going to show how strong this program, this conference is and its growth. BYU wins.

[Mark Ingram]

There's 2 in 2 in 100.

[Rob Stone]

Fight me, fight me on it. There's no way BYU in Texas Tech.

[Mark Ingram]

There is no fight.

[Rob Stone]

Debate your granny.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, debate your granny. Yeah, debate your granny. BYU wins. They're in and Notre Dame is out.

[Rob Stone]

Yep. Yeah. So, and again, there is still one more playoff ranking coming your way on Sunday and there's still a lot to talk about. But first, that was your fresh take of the week presented by Wendy's. Join team Tendies and enjoy a lineup like never before. Crispy, juicy Tendies. Now at Wendy's, there's one name we got to talk about. Lane Kiffin. All right, so Lane Kiffin leaves Ole Miss. And again, Ole Miss up one spot to six. So they did not ding Ole Miss for their head coach leaving which there was frankly a potential for, that. He goes to lsu. He will not coach the Rebels in the playoffs. Pete Golding, the defensive coordinator, given the head coaching job on a full time basis.

[Urban Meyer]

Right.

[Rob Stone]

That's a lot going on in Oxford in just a couple hours. Do you think it was the right decision, coach, by Ole Miss to not let Lane Kiffin coach his former team essentially in the playoffs?

[Urban Meyer]

You know what? You're seeing Tulane right now in North Texas. They're allowing their coaches to come back and coach in the, the conference championships. I, I had that experience when I was at Utah. We were the first non BCS to go to the BCS Bowl. They allowed me to come back and I actually spoke with coach Kiffin or we texted back and forth about this that he really wanted to coach that team, of course, and that's admirable. Of course he did. You wanted to finish what he got. And here, here's what someone brought up to me, that with the transition of players that there's at times 40 to 50 new players every year now. You know, my Dan Mullen took over UNLV, he had seven. I think it's 70 new players and they went 10 and two. So do you allow the coach to finish because that's going to be a new team anyways next year with the transfer portal and all that. So your question was did they do the right thing? At first I thought man, let them go. I don't care about anything other than those damn players. The ones that throw their bodies around and you know, know the defensive lineman, offensive lineman and guys running down at kickoff. It's a. Football is a nasty hard sport and the players are the ones that do it. Then all of a sudden the off the offense coordinators on Baton Rouge. Mark. Yeah, the two play colors, by the way, they're very Good. Charlie Wise Jr. And, and Lane Kiffin. Do you really think they have a chance to win? I mean maybe they do. I don't know who's calling plays. Yeah, there's a reason why Charlie Weiss was, you know, so I, I, I just go back.

[Rob Stone]

So Weiss is going to call the place. He is going to stay and call place for Ole Miss going forward. Yeah. Oh, that's, they did come, they did come to a resolution with that. It's weird though because there's a lot to get to on this one.

[Mark Ingram]

To me though, Stone, they said the reason they didn't let him coach is because he's going to be recruiting their players. He already has a relationship with those players. They're already recruited. The ones who want to go to LSU are already going to be on the way to lsu whether he coaches them or not. Like he already has a relationship with those players. So if that's the reasoning, that doesn't make sense to me.

[Rob Stone]

For me, again, I agree with you guys. It should be about the student athletes first and foremost. The fact that the way the Lane situation went down and going to a rival school and let's be honest, it's a bit of a parallel move. Right. Like you can say LSU is this and Ole Miss, but it's going to be a parallel move when you hear my next point. Right. So that, that would frustrate me when you're talking about the head coaches at North Texas, in Tulane, leaving their programs that they built and they put blood and sweat and tears into and they are clearly making an elevated move. Right. I don't, I don't begrudge those guys. I would let them stick around. I, if I was an ad, if I was a parent, I'd feel better with those coaches sticking around. Lane feels much more like a betrayal rather than moving up and doing what's, what's.

[Urban Meyer]

So let me ask you a question, because I did not know that. Are the assistant coaches allowed to coach in the game?

[Mark Ingram]

Weiss Jr. Is.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah. Yeah. So they're still there, I think, I.

[Urban Meyer]

Think that's, that's a. I didn't know that because at first Lane Kiffin said, get on the plane or I'm leaving you. I think.

[Dave Portnoy]

Yeah, correct.

[Rob Stone]

There was that. There was that report I saw.

[Urban Meyer]

I saw Charlie Weiss Jr. Get on a plane.

[Rob Stone]

So.

[Urban Meyer]

But that is public now that Charlie Weiss can coach is going to call play.

[Rob Stone]

That is what I saw. Yeah, that is what I saw.

[Urban Meyer]

That's a, that's a very, that's a big positive. Yeah, because the head coach this time of year is a little overrated. Head coaches are the ones that build. It's the coordinator's game when that, when the foot hits the ball. The head coach is a manager, game manager, he's fourth down and all that stuff. But the play caller, and I know it's Charlie White, Charlie Weiss is the play caller. Now Lane has some input. Coach Kevin has some input in that.

[Rob Stone]

So, Mark, you saw the movie Major League, right? Charlie Sheen. Right. And the Indians, and they're getting kind of pounded on and they set up that picture in the, in the dugout, in the clubhouse.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah.

[Rob Stone]

Attractive owner. And they started peeling clothes off her. How much you want to bet there's a, there's going to be a life size Lane Kiffin in that locker room right now and they're going to they're going to reel off wins. Like, let me tell you, Ole Miss could be a team of destiny right now. Right? Like that. That's going to bring. That's either going to divide them or that's going to bring those cats together. And I think there's a great opportunity that Ole Miss comes together even stronger, better, nastier, and with a whole lot of chips on their shoulder to prove their old coach wrong, if you will.

[Mark Ingram]

I don't care what nobody say. LSU let their nuts hang and they pulled a power move and they are going to be a damn problem. That's coming from an Alabama guy. Lane to LSU is a problem for everyone, not just sec, but in the college football world, they're giving that man the resources to build a crazy roster. LSU has always been one of them elite programs. They're a sleeping giant. They went and got their guy, who's going to awaken that program, and they are going to be a damn problem. And I hate.

[Rob Stone]

So.

[Urban Meyer]

So what happens? You guys ever. I keep hearing that they give them all this money. You can only go 20.5 million mark.

[Mark Ingram]

Apparently not because Texas Tech went 28.

[Urban Meyer]

Back in the old days of.

[Mark Ingram]

Apparently not because Texas Tech went 28 M's.

[Urban Meyer]

Oh, my.

[Mark Ingram]

Texas is over 30 M's. So I don't know what this nil and what this cap means. And all this because Mugs is going over to 20 million. So the money matters. Money make it go.

[Urban Meyer]

Woo. Woo.

[Rob Stone]

All right, let me throw one last question at you guys.

[Urban Meyer]

Here we go.

[Rob Stone]

Is Lane Kiffin college football's greatest ever villain?

[Mark Ingram]

Might as well be. From how he went from USC to Tennessee to Ole Miss to now lsu, the man gonna do what's best for.

[Rob Stone]

That and a little Alabama in between.

[Mark Ingram]

Oh, you know, but he wasn't the headman of Alabama.

[Rob Stone]

I know, but still, he.

[Mark Ingram]

He got booted off the team before the national championship at Bama.

[Rob Stone]

Right? Right.

[Mark Ingram]

But yeah, Lane is Lane. Lane going Lane. I. I like Lane. I ain't. I. I like Lane.

[Rob Stone]

I'm not knocking him. And. And I was actually kind of falling back in love with Lane. I don't like how this weekend played. I don't enjoy it. I don't know what would have made it better. People want to say, oh, change the calendar. I. I don't care what calendar is out there. And I understand the NFL abides by a calendar, right? And dealing with head coaches and talking to them for vacancies and coordinators, but it's college football, man. It's still as much as people want to kind of ring it in, it's still the wild, wild west. And the first time, you're talking about.

[Mark Ingram]

The first time Coach Saban said he was retiring, I immediately thought of Lane. I thought of a saving tree. I thought Lane, I thought Sock, I thought Landon. I'm like, go try and get one of them dudes. But this is all about lsu. Everyone wants to say what Lane did. LSU went and they let their nuts hang and they went and they got they guy. They sick and tired of being sick and tired.

[Urban Meyer]

This is after the governor. This is after the governor elected governor said, we will not have those contracts again. Lane, I looked it up. It's a guaranteed contact. Same agent. I mean, my guy. This is.

[Mark Ingram]

But hey, the governor where all that money at in Louisiana?

[Rob Stone]

So they.

[Mark Ingram]

He had him ponying up. He had him ponying up. Hey, did you hear Lane? No, he talking about. I didn't. Don't even show me the numbers of the contract. He said, I don't want to know the numbers. Like you knew them damn numbers.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, he's got somebody. He's got somebody to worry about the numbers. He got the highlighted numbers right? The numbers that he said.

[Mark Ingram]

He said, give me the numbers of the team. That's what he said. Give me the numbers. I want to see what numbers of the team. And they giving him the numbers. But Coach, I'm like you, man. I. I thought it was a 20 million cap, but it ain't. It ain't. You got to have money to be able to play in this, in this day and age.

[Rob Stone]

Cap. What's a. What's a cap, man? What's a cap, right?

[Mark Ingram]

Everybody got money. Everybody operated in the deficit, huh, Mark?

[Rob Stone]

All we're doing is taking, taking steps. Some are babies, some are big towards the NFL model. I mean, every day college football just gets closer and closer to it. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I'm just saying that that is the next inevitability.

[Mark Ingram]

That's the solution, right? That's the solution. Committee out. Everybody out. This is a professional game. Let's start modeling after the best professional sports league in the world, the NFL.

[Rob Stone]

So next week we have not one, but two chances that you might be able to see us in Baltimore. We're going back, of course, guys, to the Army Navy game. You can join us live show of the TTO presented by USAA on December 12th. And this year, you can join us on site in Baltimore at the USAA. We'll rendezvous point located at 201 East Pratt street at 2 Eastern. I think everybody knows where the USAA rendezvous point is. If you can't make that, you can follow us on YouTube. You can follow us at 3X option show for the live stream as well. Then later that night, head on over to the Horseshoe Casino for the tailgate tour at 5:30. We've got live music, food, beverage, live question and answer with the three of us. So there it is. Five playoff rankings are in the books. One more, the final one to come out next Sunday. Coming up next on the triple option, the one, the only, Dave Portnoy joins the show. College football not feeling as juicy as it once did. Let me put you on to something that'll shake up your Saturday and every other day of the week. Because now that Wendy's has crispy chicken tendies and a powerhouse lineup of new sauces, it's time you transferred to the hottest team in the league.

[Urban Meyer]

That's right, Rob. Team Tendies. Wendy's Tendies. They're making the their undeniable rookie season one for the books. Enjoy first string flavor from some five star recruits. Rep your new favorite team everywhere you go. But make sure to cheer with your mouth closed.

[Mark Ingram]

Take it to the end zone of savory sauces like honey barbecue, Creamy ranch and the new Wendy signature sauce to experience a total taste bud blitz of flavor. It's time to join a team that won't upset you with an upset. Taste the phenom that's gracing the gridiron with its juicy, crispy and tendery tendencies. Don't fumble the bag. Commit to a team Tendies and call the most delicious plays in the playbook. All right, huddle up. Tendies on three. Tendees on three.

[Rob Stone]

One, two, three.

[Mark Ingram]

Tendies. Let's do this.

[Dave Portnoy]

Oh, no.

[Rob Stone]

Rehearsal Wendy's Chicken Tendies. Now at participating us Wendy's, the game of the week. It's the Big Ten championship between the two lone undefeated teams left in college football, Indiana and Ohio State.

[Mark Ingram]

Coach Sig and Fernando Mendoza will have their hands full with this incredible Buckeye defense. And this could also be the defining moment in the Heisman race.

[Rob Stone]

And there's nothing like our favorite college football matchups, especially when you make them even more epic with FanDuel. And right now, all customers on FanDuel can score a 50% profit boost for this week's big match on campus between Ohio State and Indiana.

[Urban Meyer]

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[Rob Stone]

So don't wait. Secure your chance to score a 50% profit boost for this week's big match on campus between the Buckeyes and hoosiers, just visit fanduel.com triple option that's fanduel.com triple option must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 + in present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Opt in required vs bonus issued as non withdrawable profit boost tokens. Restrictions apply including any token expiration and max wager amount. See terms@sportsbook fanduel.com gambling problem call 1-800-gambler or visit fanduel.com rg call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call Amazon 327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY in New York. We're counting down the days to one of the greatest clashes of the college football season. The Army Navy game presented by USA.

[Mark Ingram]

This year marks the 126th meeting of the Black Knights and Midshipmen and both will be going all out and their quest for victory and the chance to sing second.

[Urban Meyer]

As a proud presenter, USA knows this game is about so much more than football. It's a time for fans to come together, recognize the commitment, teamwork and sacrifice our service members that make for our country.

[Mark Ingram]

And USAA, founded by a group of soldiers over 100 years ago, stands with the military community taking care of those who served and their families with insurance and banking backed by award winning service wherever life takes you.

[Rob Stone]

So whether you're rooting for army or for Navy, USAA is proud to join you in honoring and celebrating one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. Visit USAA.com to learn more. Welcome back to the Triple Option presented by Wendy's Deuce Deuce. Rob Irvin back here with you and let's bring in our teammate from Big Noon Kickoff. Dave Portnoy from Barstool Sports joins us right now. And you knew he would still be wearing the gear, right guys? We knew.

[Mark Ingram]

I didn't know if I didn't know if he was going to get Michigan Dave or or, or by or Provo Dave.

[Rob Stone]

Provo Dave.

[Dave Portnoy]

Yeah, listen, Provo Dave's alive and well following the coaching search going on there or whatever's going on with Kalani. But good and bad, ugly Michigan men, we answer the bell. So, I mean, urban, I saw him smirking there and it is what it is, so here I am.

[Urban Meyer]

We appreciate you, so just get it quickly out of the way. And the. Was it ten grand or was it just one grand?

[Dave Portnoy]

Like true one grand?

[Urban Meyer]

You could.

[Dave Portnoy]

I would have done anything. But it's a thousand bucks. You gotta tell me how.

[Urban Meyer]

I'm a cheap ass, man.

[Dave Portnoy]

Yeah, you can tell me how to pay that. Who's the check going to, whatever it may be.

[Urban Meyer]

All right. Make it out to my daughter. Nick. No, I'm just kidding. I'll find out. We got plenty of time. Hey, hey. Real serious question, because I've been waiting to hear ask you this, because I don't think people out there actually know. Tell us about the whole Nil, because I know you. It's, it's well documented. Involved with Bryce Underwood. And do you renegotiate? Do you negotiate or is it just set or you do, do, like, like, obviously you've done contracts, I've done contracts. You have people sit back and go back and forth.

[Dave Portnoy]

To me, it seems like anything goes now. I, I, I mean, I think nil, I think coaching. I, I, I, it seems like there's no rules, there's no contrast. Not like professional sports, the NFL, or anything like that. It really seems to me like if somebody came along and like, hey, Bryce, here's 20 mil. I think you could bounce if you wanted to. I don't, I don't think there's any rules or anything going on with that. As far as I can tell. I wasn't, I was involved in the Bryce stuff, but I wasn't involved in, like, pen to paper. So I don't know what the actual contractor, whatever they call it, looks like now.

[Urban Meyer]

Will you hear, I mean, will someone say, hey, Bryce wants to renegotiate or something like that? Or you, Are you out of it?

[Dave Portnoy]

I'm out of it. He'd have some big balls to say, wants to renegotiate now, I don't, I, I don't think that's coming down the pike. That would be, that would be surreal. But I'm out of it. So, like, my involvement in that was. I've told this story a little bit. I, I was on one of our podcasts, and after watching the Michigan quarterback play, I was like, we'll never not have a quarterback. I will go get us a quarterback. I'll pledge like 3 million if I have to, to go get me a quarterback. And I got reached out to like, hey, there's a woman who wants to talk to you. I'm like, I'm not interested. I don't want to go through the nil. I want to do this through barstool my way. Like, we'll use them in our podcast. And again, asked, will you please talk to this woman? Turns out the woman's name is Jolin. She was married to Larry Ellison. I know Larry Ellison. And I got put in contact with her and she was basically like, it's about time somebody, like, came forward feeling how I am. Like, we gotta do something here. And the next day I was on a conference call. Larry Ellison, Joel. And two days later, we're on a conference call, Larry Ellison, Joel, and Bryce Underwood and his family. And after that, I was pretty much out. I wasn't like, hey, this much, that much. That was my involvement. That was really the end of it.

[Urban Meyer]

I'm surprised we've not heard more stuff about, I'm sorry, Mark. About the, like, legal action. Like, you know, Lane Kiffin. I'm sure they had a pretty, pretty expensive roster. He leaves now. Do those contracts become null and void? I mean, I, I, there's, I'm surprised we've not heard more dynamics about the whole legal piece because you're talking about some serious cash getting thrown around.

[Dave Portnoy]

Totally. Totally. I, I mean, I've heard people, I, I, Obviously, I don't think it's going to happen, but, like, you know, no, it would be funny if Underwood now went back to LSU with Lane. I don't think that's happening, but I, I think my impression of this world we're in is anybody can do anything that, that really seems to be what is happening here.

[Mark Ingram]

You're Dave. Michigan man. I know we're not feeling great about the loss last week, but what's next for Michigan and Bryson?

[Dave Portnoy]

Well, it's a great loss and, you know, it couldn't go on forever. So you needed, you needed a, A game that you look in the mirror and you're like, hey, we got to get better. These guys, these guys from Ohio, they're, they're playing real deal football. So I, I've now looked at it as, it's the best thing that could have happened to us. Like, you know, you saw me all season. It's like, oh, we're going to roll through. These guys. Easiest game on the season, easiest game on the schedule.

[Urban Meyer]

Schedule.

[Dave Portnoy]

They're much better than us. It takes a Michigan man to Admit that obviously. And maybe you know, the fact we beat him last year when we had no business beating them, it like hid some things and then you get the quarterback. But we got to get much better. Everyone's asking what I think about Sharon. I think you give him one more year. Like Michigan, we don't play for nine and threes. That's not what we do. In Ann Arbor. We played three teams that were underdogs to this year and we really got squashed by all of them. Oklahoma, usc, Ohio State, killed by all of them. Never in any of those games really beat all the teams we should beat better than we were the year before. I think you give them one more year and you got to get better. But it was eye opening. Now what would have happened if they called that a fumble and that touchback on Jeremiah Smith and that was a fumble.

[Mark Ingram]

I thought it was a touchback.

[Dave Portnoy]

Me back, no doubt. He jumped, never regained, he fumbled, never got possession till out. Would have that put the boo bugs into Ohio State like, oh my God, here we go again. Because I was thinking it in the first quarter, they have the false start at the inch goal line. They don't score. They have the interception right off the bat. But if you guys remember in an early meeting I said, I'm scared of Julian saying I said it. I'm like, this guy is making me very nervous. I think he's the best quarterback they've had in a bit. I want him to graduate and get out of there. Like he, he. I was more impressed with the way he bounced back after that interception. So he's a problem. But Michigan's got to get much, much, much better. That was.

[Urban Meyer]

Let's dig, let's dig into that game a little bit. So I, I think there are a couple backbreakers. The one was, that was a fourth and five. The one to Jeremiah Smith, if that's a touchback, it's going the other way. And the Buckeyes are down 6 nothing. So I agree. When I first saw the ball moving, I said that's a touchback because he didn't get this foot down. The second one is he throws a pick. And this tells you a little bit about the quarterback. He throws a pick and he has three incredible third downs and then he throws the fourth down. Touchdown pass. But the backbreaker, the score is 10 to 9 and they get the ball start the second half and they threw that little slant the pick route at the goal line with 20 seconds left. To me, I was on the field and just felt and I Made the comment in the, in the big Noon, you get three touchdowns, it's a wrap. I just don't think the Wolverines right now have the power on offense to score more than three touchdowns against that defense. Those are the two moments of my game. The, the fourth down and then the third down and three. Twenty seconds left.

[Dave Portnoy]

The fourth down was interesting because they look like they're playing kind of like a bend don't break type situation, which I was fine with because you don't want to get beat deep. And then so they gave up a bunch of third downs like third and seven, third and five. And they were easy first downs. They were like they're throwing the ball for seven yards saying was taking what we were giving them. And I think they changed in fourth and five. It's like get them off the field. They bring pressure and they, they kill us deep on that. To me the game was over. It was at half after halftime. We need to come out and get the ball back. And we did. And, and so you're down eight, you get a stop and we just had a pathetic series. We just absolutely pathetic. Our punt went two yards and we went from getting the ball, hey, we can go in and potentially tie the game to we're ball at the 40. I think we gave him at the 40. The bad punt killed it. Now they rammed it down our face the entire second half. So I don't know that any of these things outside of maybe that juggle fumble in Ohio State. Just think, oh my God, here we go again. Like everything that can go wrong is going wrong kind of like the year before. But no, they, they, they kicked our ass.

[Rob Stone]

They.

[Urban Meyer]

I have one more question before I turn it over. So in Columbus, you. We've all witnessed it. It's the. The state dies when you lose that game. You have security around the head coach's house. You have. I. It's the ugliest, nastiest. I mean I've seen. I've witnessed it. When, when we all have. When the fans are walking out of that damn stadium. What's it like in Ann Arbor? Because we, we just gtfo we got out of there afterwards. Is that. Is it a wait till next year or is it just misery for a while?

[Dave Portnoy]

It varies year to year. I think this year it's. We could just got to get better if. When I, when we were losing to you seven times in a row and you're getting your butt kicked. It's really bad. It's not as bad. I mean you never want to lose but this was a thorough ass kicking, and to me, it's more. All right, we got to get way better. We were not even close to the level we have to be at, and we saw it three times. It wasn't just Ohio State, so there wasn't like, nerves. There wasn't anything that went wrong. It's just we're not on a level to compete on the highest level right now. And that really has to get better, and it's got to get better fast. So I'm not sitting here being like, oh, my God, the. The world is ending because he lost to Ohio State. I'm like, we just need to get a lot better right now. We have no business beating Ohio State right now or any of these good teams. I mean, we got whooped by everybody decent we played, and it was all similar. Like, they rammed it down our throat. We couldn't stop them. So we just got to get a.

[Urban Meyer]

Lot better coaching talent or both.

[Dave Portnoy]

Definitely talent. You know, it's hard to. It's hard to tell you. Look, there's so many people complaining about the way you have this $12 million quarterback. You let him throw the ball four times, like, and you can you even attempt to win. It almost looks like they're trying to hang around. I would rather him throw eight interceptions and you're playing a win like you're trying to throw the ball downfield. He had one nice throw, and you see the flashes. Like, he had that one completion, which was beautiful. Like a. I think that was actually right before they did the punt. And like, okay, here we go. And they don't let him. I mean, how many times do they throw a ball more than 10 yards down the field? Not a lot. So you can't keep them in bubble wrap. Now, the flip side of that, from the coach's perspective, they're like, well, we've seen what he've done in practice every day. We know we can't do it. But then you see him make throws. So I'd rather go swinging than not swinging. So I'd say it's a combination of everything right now.

[Rob Stone]

You're a self professed Big Ten man, right? We've seen that all season long. So with three Big Ten teams looking like they're headed to the college football playoffs, do you cheer for the Big Ten? Are you going to cheer for Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State in the postseason?

[Dave Portnoy]

Of course. That's it.

[Rob Stone]

Of course.

[Dave Portnoy]

Big Ten. I root for this conference of ours.

[Rob Stone]

So you'll be chasing Ohio State against an SEC team in the national championship game, should that happen?

[Mark Ingram]

Of course. Of course he doesn't want to know.

[Rob Stone]

I don't buy you buy that, Mark.

[Mark Ingram]

I do. I do. I know he doesn't want no sec, byu, Provo, Dave. Provo, Dave.

[Dave Portnoy]

Now I'm thinking they're in. I'm seeing a lot of people agree that they're in no matter what.

[Mark Ingram]

So no matter what.

[Rob Stone]

That's a tough one. That's a tough sell. SEC is going to be banging on that door hard all the way.

[Dave Portnoy]

These things combo out Alabama, byu. There's too many conflicts of interest with all the other teams like Notre Dame. Miami has a conflict. You can't put in Notre Dame without Miami, you have like Vandy can't get in. BYU is the only one in Alabama where you can kind of have an answer for, well, what about that? You are like one loss, one loss on the regular season. So they trump everybody else. You shouldn't be penalized for postseason games. Your season's over. An extra game shouldn't be able to drag you down.

[Urban Meyer]

Are we headed to the worst non conference schedules in the history of college football? Because Texas.

[Mark Ingram]

You just heard what I said.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah. I'm Ryan Day. I go in and I meet with AD and I says, we're getting out of the Tech. I'm not taking this team to Texas next year. Give us Old Dominion. Old Dominion is going to be like the most cherished spot right now scheduled team in America. Yeah.

[Dave Portnoy]

As long as we have the subjectivity. As long as we have the subjectivity. For sure.

[Mark Ingram]

There is no subjectivity though, because they're not really. Like Texas went to Ohio State and like they're getting punished for possibly taking that game, you know.

[Urban Meyer]

Right.

[Dave Portnoy]

Well, that's what I'm saying. As long as you're. As long as like human error.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dave Portnoy]

You don't. People are voting. I mean, that's the schedule. I mean, Notre Dame had the chance to beat two teams. They lost them both. They have no win like Notre Dame. They look great. Like, I actually think Notre Dame can win a national championship.

[Urban Meyer]

Dave, Dave, let me throw something at you. I said this on call and coward the other day. I say the committee goes away next year. You go to the 442211 and they're all playing games. The conferences decide who goes in, they play on the field. Plus there's playing games. Three play six, four plays five. One place two, one and two are automatically in. But it's, it's. First of all, it's a cash generator. It keeps all the teams alive that may get hot at the end of the season and you do not get punished. For now you'll see the Alabama against usc, you'll start seeing. Because if I'm a coach and I know what I'm going to play those games because I want to know where we're at. Right. I want to toughen my guys up now. No, no, I got Old Dominion, I got Miami, Ohio and, and Florida A and M. That's who I'm going with.

[Dave Portnoy]

Yeah. 100%. 100%.

[Mark Ingram]

I.

[Dave Portnoy]

That that's what they. A thousand percent should do the plays and I mean, I promise every year so different and like last year you had teams with more losses. There were way more. Three more lost teams and two. But the like the five school and like do you want to see them in? I don't recruit.

[Urban Meyer]

No.

[Mark Ingram]

That has to, that has to be done with, right, Dave? Yeah.

[Dave Portnoy]

It's not college basketball.

[Rob Stone]

It's.

[Dave Portnoy]

It's college football. So. College basketball, yeah, you can get that crazy upset the tournament, but these teams are just going to get slaughtered.

[Rob Stone]

And there might be two group of six teams this year, by the way.

[Dave Portnoy]

Two.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, for sure, for sure, for sure. American and Sunbelt might both send a team to the college football playoffs because the ACC is so down. If Duke wins the ACC championship game, there may be no ACC team heading to the playoffs.

[Dave Portnoy]

But if Duke win. Yeah. One Duke didn't get, I was looking at, I think then Duke would be like ranked higher if they won that. If.

[Rob Stone]

That's a big if. And the acc, you know, would be pushing behind the scenes really, really hard for that to happen. But man, right now, all those programs, North Texas and Tulane, so Duke and James Madison, all above them. All above them. Right. As of now. As of now, Duke is not acc. ACC could be out. For sure. They could be out. And they don't really deserve to be in right now. Unless you're talking about Miami. All right, Dave, so we're talking about not complaining, but just, just some things that we can do better in college football. So beyond just the college football playoffs, if you were a college football commissioner right now, actually, let's make you the lord of college football. What is something that you're going to change, tweak or alter in college football?

[Dave Portnoy]

The number one thing is what everybody's saying right now. You get the timing of when coaches bounce, players bounce, keep the portal locked, keep the coaches locked, like until the final whistle of national championship or we got whatever, put everybody the same playing field. So you don't have the Lane Kiffin situation. That just happened. You don't have what's going on. BYU just happened. You. I also you. Which I think they're going to do. Turn this into a salary cap situation and treat this like major league sports. Like, all right, Bryce Underwood, you come out of college, I don't care. Let's say 20 million. You got a three year deal, four year deal, 20 million. You're under contract. You're not. These players can't be bouncing around year to year. You're signing contracts like in major league sports. I can't. You can't go from the Yankees to the Red Sox to the Orioles every single year based on it. You sign your contract and that's what you do. Too much movement. And obviously this fiasco is in a weird way, I think it's good for college football. Like, a part of me loves Sing Lane at the airport getting booed. And you feel like you're on Friday Night Lights. And it's like for me, which likes the theatrics of it all. I'm glued to it. People are saying, juice, Kiff and his dog isn't. Isn't even his real dog. Like, I love that stuff. Like I'm locked in on it.

[Rob Stone]

But so college football, right?

[Dave Portnoy]

It is.

[Mark Ingram]

It is.

[Dave Portnoy]

But it's bad for the kids going to a playoff. Not all of them. It's kind of crazy. You want to see Ole Miss at its best. So I don't like, I love it and I hate it all at once. But as long as it's rules, that's what I would do if I was a commissioner. Like get the circus part of it that out. You can't move till things. Everyone moves at once. You know, there's no advantage. There's no, no, no early movement like what we saw. I mean, Elaine Kiffin stuff.

[Mark Ingram]

I'm. I'm about it because LSU is about to be a problem.

[Dave Portnoy]

He's perfect there.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, LSU is really about to be a problem. I've been known they were sleeping. A sleeping giant. And they really just flexed their muscle.

[Dave Portnoy]

Did you see the story? Well, it's actually my buddy McShay, who I grew up with, went to high school. He said the reason Lane was waiting so long is because if Alabama lost the Iron bowl, he was thinking that job may open and that's actually the job he wanted.

[Mark Ingram]

I think that's why he was waiting.

[Rob Stone]

Assuming Alabama wanted him, though that might be a big assumption.

[Dave Portnoy]

Mark, isn't him and Saban like, super close?

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah.

[Mark Ingram]

He was waiting on that result. I know because, yeah, he was waiting on that result, but hey, no, you're a gambling man, Dave. We saw Ohio State. I think they, they proved to be. They're the most complete team in the country. You're a betting man. Who are you putting your money on right now to win that?

[Dave Portnoy]

I mean, I, I would never put it on Ohio State. I think they're, I, I think, I.

[Urban Meyer]

Think secretly you are. I'm going on record. You are.

[Dave Portnoy]

The quarterback's so good. He reminds me like Brady Drake May. He's just so quick and smart with his decisions. Not that we got pressure on him. I think Notre Dame is maybe the second best team. I don't think they're getting in Georgia. I'm curious to see what they do, but I think Ohio State is head and shoulders above everybody else.

[Mark Ingram]

Do you have a futures on you? You have any money on this thing? Coming up, man.

[Dave Portnoy]

I, I, I did an early, like, parlay. Notre Dame, Patriots, super bowl, but I don't think Notre Dame's getting in now.

[Mark Ingram]

Notre Dame Patriots and byu.

[Dave Portnoy]

I'm gonna root for byu. I think BYU gets in. I think I like Provo Dave.

[Mark Ingram]

I ain't gonna lie. I like Pro Dave.

[Dave Portnoy]

I think they beat Texas Tech.

[Urban Meyer]

All right. I'm a novice with all this. I just love seeing you in Austin. Stare at your damn phones. And I ask, I say, hey, man, are you bet so, like, you might not share this with us on a good weekend. Are you dropping 25, 50? I mean, what do you.

[Dave Portnoy]

I bet like 50 grand a game.

[Urban Meyer]

A game?

[Dave Portnoy]

A game.

[Mark Ingram]

That boy, he getting to that money.

[Dave Portnoy]

So when you see me on my phone and I'm like, sulking and being like, what's going on here? Yeah, 50, 50 grand a game. About. I mean, I, obviously, the more successful barstool has become. My units go up.

[Urban Meyer]

So what's the best weekend you've had? When you walked away in A plus.

[Dave Portnoy]

Honestly, the best I've ever done. It was Rose bowl, which I said Mark and I had met. We're in the same suite. I had a million bucks on the, on Michigan in the Rose bowl against Alabama.

[Urban Meyer]

Oh, a mill.

[Mark Ingram]

I, I, I went out and came back in. I just. Now I just hear you talking about Alabama in the Rose bowl. Like, what?

[Dave Portnoy]

Yeah, yeah, we were, we were in the same suite for a minute.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah.

[Dave Portnoy]

We hadn't met yet. Yeah.

[Mark Ingram]

So there was, there was a million Michigan people in there. I'm like, I gotta get out of here and go down to the Sideline.

[Dave Portnoy]

Like that led to my best streak of gambling of all time because I won that bet. And I'm like, all right, I won it. And then I believe I took Washington against Texas. They won that game for another million. Then I put like half a million on Scotty Scheffler to win the masters at like 4 to 1. He won that. And then I had Yukon to win the national championship in college hoops. They won that. I was up 8 million in like four, four, three or four months. That was my.

[Rob Stone]

I give.

[Urban Meyer]

All right, now the, the opposite mark. All right. The worst day when you walk out to your car and you drive home, you're like son of a.

[Dave Portnoy]

So I mean I've lost, I've lost. I, I, my lucky, my big bets, I've won. I had the Bills for million dollar to go to the Super Bowl. So the Chiefs game last year when they couldn't get the QB sneak, that was bad. That was a really bad one. But I only would bet that much if I'm like up or the Michigan Rose bowl was a special game for me. So I'm going there. I was talking but I that like I usually bet the same amount no matter what. So you don't get into that seven figure stuff.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, Provo Dave was one of the great revelations of your time this year. Year one with big new, they offered.

[Dave Portnoy]

Me to be like the grand marshal of upcoming parade.

[Rob Stone]

I, I would take it. I would take it all. All the sugar you want. All the sugar you want. So you know, I spent multiple weeks kind of sending it to you with your rant. Right. So. So our time is up here on big noon kickoff and on. I'm not. Your time's not up on big noon kickoff. I'm just saying your time is done this season on big noon Kickoff. Our time is up here on the triple option. But I want to send it to you, close us, take us home with one last Dave rant for the season.

[Dave Portnoy]

Well, yeah, and off the cuff. I mean I listen, I, I'm a Big Ten guy, Michigan guy. The Big Ten's gotta get tougher. Like they, it's crazy that the Big 12 embraced us so much and the Big Ten seemingly did not in terms of like the media. But this is college football. Like the Lane Kiffin stuff, the fan base, the trash talk. It's what makes the sport so unique and so great. So that would be my last rant and people are like, oh, I like trolling people if you guys haven't noticed. So like when I said I'm not going. It's actually worked out twice this year. Michigan lost. I had Pizza Fest already scheduled so I wasn't going to be on Big Noon Kickoff. That was the only one I missed. And big new kickoff is officially like over. The Big Ten championship is something else. So just the way the contract came out, it's like Dave's doing Big Noon Kickoff contract end. So I knew that the whole year happens to be Michigan loses so I don't have to go face the music on on which I'm fine with, but it just worked out. But I like just getting people going the second after we lose. I just put out that tweet. I will not be appearing at the Big Ten championship in Ohio, people. Oh, you're such a loser. But hey, contract is what the contract is.

[Rob Stone]

Dave. It's been awesome, man. It's been great. Great to run with you for the last couple months. We loved having you on Big Noon Kickoff. Thank you for joining us on the triple option. Good luck to your Patriots. You can pivot, by the way. Michigan hoops, man. Oh my goodness. Get on board.

[Mark Ingram]

Hey, he's a smart man. Michigan loses. He pivots to Provo Dave. He pivots to Patriot Dave. He can't lose.

[Dave Portnoy]

That's the question. Is this a if the Patriots win the super bowl, is it a continued contiguous dynasty? Is it one huge dynasty? That's the question on my mind today.

[Urban Meyer]

I love it.

[Rob Stone]

There is only one Dave Portnoy. Dave Portnoy from Barstool Sports from from Big new kickoff from our family man. Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great holiday season. Coming up next, we go three and out. We make our championship game picks. Support for the triple option comes from Google. Being a college football fan these days means you're part analyst, part GM and part rules expert. The game is just so much more complex than it used to be. Coach.

[Urban Meyer]

One minute you're trying to decode the X's and O's, the next you're debating the transfer portal. This is what college football fandom is all about. And AI mode in Google Search is perfect for it. It's built to handle all those nuanced, complicated questions that go way beyond a simple stat.

[Mark Ingram]

You can ask it to do a deep dive on strategy like break down how the spread offense compares to the pro style offense based on philosophy and pace. Or then you could pivot to more off the field elements and ask what are the main reasons why there are more college football player transfers in recent years. You can even get Real time analysis, like asking how have this year's college football rule changes impacted the season so far?

[Rob Stone]

AI Mode pulls all that info together for you. So whether you're wondering about a complex scheme, a new rule, or why your favorite team's roster looks so different every year, you can just ask Google Coca Cola for the big, for the small, the short and the tall. Peacemakers, risk takers for the optimists, pessimists for long distance love for introverts and extroverts, the thinkers and the doers for old friends and new Coca Cola for everyone. Pick up some Coca Cola at a store near you.

[Urban Meyer]

This episode is brought to you by Jack Daniels. Jack Daniels and music are made for each other. They share a rhythm in the craft of making something timeless while being a part of legendary nights. From backyard jams to sold out arenas, there's a song in every toast. Please drink responsibly. Responsibility.org, jack Daniels and old number seven are registered trademarks. Tennessee whiskey, 40% alcohol by volume. Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee.

[Rob Stone]

Welcome back to the triple option.

[Dave Portnoy]

Yeah.

[Rob Stone]

Here we go.

[Urban Meyer]

Let's go.

[Rob Stone]

Urban Meyer, Mark and Rob Stone. We're going to make T shirts of that. Let's go, let's go, let's go. All right, time now for three now brought to you by Google as we take a look at what fans are searching for this week. Remember, no matter what question comes out, you can just ask Google. And we have seen a 350% increase in searches asking about conference championship games. So we're going to rank this weekend's top three championship games that we're most excited to see for whatever reason it is. All right, Mark, I'm going to start with you. I'm going to assume. I'm going to assume the SEC and Bam are somewhere in this list.

[Mark Ingram]

Okay, you know they're in the list. But course my number one, what I'm most excited for is the Big Ten championship. Why? Because I feel like there's a lot riding on this. Obviously they're both going to get in, but I feel like the two Heisman favorites are both in this game. Fernando Mendoza, Julian Shane, and can Indiana get over the hump? We've seen them have a great two year stretch, but they have not been able to beat teams who kind of are more talented than them over the last two years. We saw how they lost to Notre Dame. We saw how they lost to Oregon last year. I don't remember who, but whatever. Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State. And yeah, so I'm trying to see if they're going to get over the hump. I'm really interested to see the Big Ten championship. That's my number one most favorite.

[Rob Stone]

Hey, Mark, can I. Can I stop you there real quick? I'm curious because you and I, the last couple of years have been on the same page about Penn State. Right. Coming into the season, we're like Penn State. We like you to this point. But when it's. When it's the Ohio States or, you know, whatever, the next level type competition, you and I definitely did not have that faith, that trust in what Penn State was. Is Indiana kind of in that conversation right now, or do you think they've. They've taken at least a step beyond that and now they are this much closer to the Cusp?

[Mark Ingram]

Well, Indiana went to Oregon and won.

[Rob Stone]

Right. Changed things for me, too.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah. Penn State could never do that. That's why they're in a situation they're in. So Indiana is not on anywhere near the same conversation level that I have Penn State at. I truly do.

[Rob Stone]

Right?

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah. I believe in Cincinnati. I believe in the Hoosiers. But now they're going against the best, most complete team in the country. That's why I'm interested to see how they're going to respond. Is it going to be like, oh, this is Indiana again, like last year, or it's going to be like, oh, this team has a free chance to win a national championship. So that's why I'm interested to see that again.

[Rob Stone]

Year two under Coach Sig. This is remarkable. We're having this conversation. So we're all looking forward to the Big Ten and Heisman number two.

[Mark Ingram]

And a Heisman.

[Rob Stone]

Heisman for sure.

[Mark Ingram]

In the Heisman race, I think the winner of that game wins the Heisman trophy. Then number two, I'mma go BYU. Texas Tech out the Big 12, I think BYU, they lost one game. They're 11 and one. The one game they lost was to Texas Tech. At Texas Tech. Now you get them neutral. Kataki, he has this Penn State stuff going on. Let's see what's going on with byu. BYU wins. They get in. BYU loses. Does that open the door for someone like Notre Dame to get in or Miami to get in? We'll see. So a lot rides in the playoff picture with this game. And then number three, SEC championship. I gotta go Georgia, Alabama, they're our little brother. 10:1 versus them. The last 11 times we played, you.

[Rob Stone]

Just call Georgia your little brother.

[Mark Ingram]

They are our little brother.

[Urban Meyer]

O.

[Mark Ingram]

They are.

[Rob Stone]

Whoa.

[Mark Ingram]

10 and one. The last 11 games.

[Rob Stone]

Okay. Want to know this season?

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah.

[Mark Ingram]

So. Yep. All right.

[Urban Meyer]

Little brother.

[Mark Ingram]

His little cousin.

[Rob Stone]

I don't know. It just sounds harsh to say that to Georgia, man. That's.

[Mark Ingram]

It's just the truth. They lose their games to who? Alabama. So, you know, we're the underdog, which I love. Nobody expects us to win, which I love. Have we been playing great? No, but we drink.

[Dave Portnoy]

Michael Jordan.

[Mark Ingram]

Secret stuff. When we're about to play them.

[Dave Portnoy]

Right.

[Rob Stone]

Man, it's something about the team this season. Like, you don't believe in them, but, like. Well, look, they're getting it done, man. All right.

[Dave Portnoy]

All right.

[Mark Ingram]

So Big 10, Big 12. SEC. Yeah, man. We're. They're our little brother, man.

[Rob Stone]

The Big Three. The Big Three. All right, coach. Three, you're looking forward to this weekend?

[Urban Meyer]

Number one by far is the Mountain West Conference championship. Unlv, in a rematch at Boise, lost earlier, but the UNLV defense is playing much better. Coach Dan Mullen's got his hands on a little bit and Gunther, the D coordinator. They're doing a really good job. But there's the storyline at UNLV.

[Rob Stone]

It better be their office, their offense.

[Urban Meyer]

The number one. The number 12 offense in America, led by Corey Dennis. Yeah, they're fun to watch. They got.

[Mark Ingram]

Who that is, Coach? Who that guy is, coach?

[Dave Portnoy]

I don't know.

[Rob Stone]

He's a smart guy. He's got an act of talent, I'll tell you that.

[Mark Ingram]

He's a ball coach.

[Urban Meyer]

He got a Calandry, I believe his name is the quarterback. He runs about 22 miles an hour on the field. Little shit, but he's tough as nails.

[Rob Stone]

22 miles an hour.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, he's. He's fast. Fast.

[Mark Ingram]

That's getting down.

[Urban Meyer]

So that's a big one. By far the only one I really care about. The number two, Ohio State, Indiana. I just. It's down to four and a half. I just think they're. I stood next to both teams. I think the Buckeyes, they're going to look like racehorses after playing in that cold snow. Now it's controlled environment. The two best, those two receivers, they're better each week. I mean, those guys might be the top. I mean, Jeremiah's got another year, but Carnell Tate, my gosh, as I keep. And then it's either Georgia, Bama, but I'm going to go. I'm going to go with the byu, Texas Tech. I just think Texas Tech has a chance to be the national champion of college football. That's how much respect I Have for that coach and more importantly those players. Mark, you and I stood on the field and Rob and I looked at the. I walked through their bench. I wanted to. And that is an SEC looking football team in the Big 12 with a really good coaching staff. So that would be my third one.

[Mark Ingram]

They got everything you want, coach.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, they can. Yeah. How do you say it? They can give it to any way you want it.

[Mark Ingram]

They can give it to you how you want, coach.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, because they can't throw the ball.

[Mark Ingram]

They could run the ball. They could play defense. They could rush the pasture. They could turn the football over when.

[Urban Meyer]

You beat Utah at Utah like they did, they physically. I don't know. On my hand I can count last 20, 15 years that's happened. And Texas Tech at home in Salt Lake City, I mean they, they gave.

[Mark Ingram]

The mud hole in them.

[Urban Meyer]

Yep.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah. Thorough win. They're. They're an oppressive team.

[Urban Meyer]

Go ahead and take your NLV shot here, Rob. Go ahead. Better behind. I'll tell you what, you are out of my friendship circle if they're not in your top three. So go ahead.

[Rob Stone]

They are not in my top three. Because you know what I like, Coach. I like chaos. I like chaos. It's one of my favorite words in college football. And there's been no conference that's been more chaotic this year than the Atlantic Coast Conference, the acc. So will Duke win the conference championship and bring the whole group of six automatic bid and the rules of conference championships in the playoffs to a head? I think that's going to be a fascinating game. If Virginia wins, ACC can sit quiet and they're going to get one team into the playoffs. But if Duke wins, ACC might get shut out. That is fascinating to me. Number two, give it up for the American this season. By the way, we've got a ranked matchup in the American Conference championship game. Number 20 North Texas. One loss at number 21, Tulane. Two losses. Wild note about this one. Both head coaches have signed on to new programs. We're going to coach this game. So Eric Morris joining Oklahoma State, of course. John Sumrall taking the Florida job. Coach, you were down there a couple days ago to win. Welcome him to Gainesville. And both programs could find themselves with a win in the playoffs. Number one though, it's the Big Ten 1 versus 2. Second conference championship game in FBS history to feature two undefeated teams. It's the first 1 versus 2 Big Ten matchup since 06 when the Buckeyes took care of Michigan. The third all time 1 versus 2 matchup between Big Ten opponents, which is crazy. It's only happened three times in the conference. The number one seed in the college football playoffs, the number one individual honor in college football up for grabs, the Heisman. If you're not watching the Big Ten championship game live on Fox Saturday night, something's wrong with you, man. Something's wrong with you. All right. Time now for Two Minute Drill. It is brought to you by FanDuel. Visit FanDuel.com triple option to download the app and take advantage of a 50% profit boost. Today I will start with the Big 12 championship game. First time that both BYU and Texas Tech have been involved. Red raiders favored by 13 and a half over under 50 and a half. There's been, and you touched on it, that heavy chatter about Penn State in conversations with Kalani. Sataki, the founder of Crumble Cookie, a big donor for byu, took the social media trying to rally BYU nation to show their love and support for Kalani. So there is a real distraction in Provo, a real distraction in that locker room. I think Sataki is handling it as well as he could. But it's out there. What's one of the toughest things to do in any sport, guys? To me it's beating a team twice in a season.

[Mark Ingram]

Right?

[Rob Stone]

So you mentioned back on November 11, Tech at Home 29, 7 win. The big turnover stat in that game was 3 nothing, right? BYU coughed it up 3 times, Texas Tech 0. If BYU wins, the Big 12 wins because they would most likely get two programs into the college football playoffs. I can't see Texas Tech falling out. BYU may stay in it even with the loss, but that's, that's a tough one for the Red Raiders. Baron Morton, Cameron Dickey, I know we've been talking about them all season. What a great one two punch offensively and we expect offense from Texas Tech. But what's been doing it for them, the heavy lifting is done by their defense. Downright Zach Thomas like levels of defense down there. You like the Zach Thomas poll? I was hoping for reaction from you. I knew I would get that. They lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, total defense, rush defense, sacks on pace for the fewest points per game allowed by Texas Tech in a season since 1964. They've got the number one rush defense in FBS. They're allowing under 70 a game. Tech is playing in their home state. You know, Cowboys Stadium at and T, whatever you want to call it is going to feel like, like Lubbock, especially if they start throwing those tortillas Jerry's going to think of those tortillas are getting thrown in his. In his stadium. I like. I like the Red Raiders, but I don't see them covering a 13 and a half point spread. All right, round two. Georgia Bama in Atlanta for the SEC title mark.

[Mark Ingram]

Man, here we go again. I'm just so sick of Georgia and they sick of us, too. Like we always playing each other. But the last 11 games, you know what it is? I already told you 10 1. They're our little brother. Whenever we play Georgia, just like Space Jam. If you're too young to know Space Jam, Michael Jordan has some secret stuff and he gave it to the rest of the tune squad and they just boot up and they go crazy. And that's what we do when we play Georgia. But listen here, I am a little concerned, all right?

[Rob Stone]

Okay.

[Mark Ingram]

I am a little concerned. Why we haven't been playing well. Ty Simpson, our passing game hasn't looked like it did early in the season.

[Rob Stone]

He's not as electric as he once was. Is that what you're saying?

[Mark Ingram]

He does have some electricity ahead. Have you not seen some of his runs in the last.

[Rob Stone]

He just always made me smile because one week you're like the electric Tyson electric man.

[Mark Ingram]

Hey, go watch. Go watch the little sweep off the left side. Electric. No, but listen, Kirby Smart, I think he's the best coach in college football. He was defensive coordinator when I played Alabama. We're built from the same cloth. The way he builds this team of Georgia, they run the football well with Nate Frazier. They have an electric wide receiver, Zachariah Branch, gunner, Stockton, he makes good decision. He gets the ball to the right place. He doesn't turn the football over. They play tough defense. Their. Their linebacker, C.J. allen, he's the leader of that defense. 80 tackles leads the team, eight tackles for loss. But one thing that they do have problem with is they only have 17 sacks this year. That's the least in the SEC. So how do you affect Ty Simpson is by getting pressure. Oklahoma, they have pressure on them. That's the way you get to this offense. That's the way you disrupt the rhythm of the offense. So I do think Ty Simpson, I do think our passing attack, I think we're going to get back on track. I think we're going to the College Football Playoff. I think both these teams, the champion and the runner up, both go to the College Football Playoff. So I think both these teams end up in the College Football Playoff. But it's just going to be a dog fight, man. It always is. It always is. And like you said, Stoner, it is hard to beat a team twice in one season. It's hard to beat a team twice in one season. So we do have our work cut out for us. But minus two and a half, I'm going to take the points. You know, I'm a Roll Tide. I'm a Roll Tide for life. And I'mma think that we going to go to Atlanta. Atlanta's like a home game for us. Whenever we play in the SEC Championship, it's like a home game for us.

[Rob Stone]

You think Alabama is more at home than Georgia in Atlanta? Do you think that's the way it's going to be or kind of.

[Mark Ingram]

Do you not know how many? Do you not. Do you not know how many?

[Rob Stone]

Oh, I know, but I, I know how many Georgia people live in Georgia too.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, but it doesn't matter because we're living in their head rent free.

[Urban Meyer]

Rent.

[Mark Ingram]

No. You know how many SEC titles we have? More than anybody else. So it is our home. It is our home. So I'm going minus two and a half. I'm taking, I'm taking the points. And Alabama, we gonna roll Tide. We gonna start a run in the CFP to the Natty. I don't care. There we go.

[Rob Stone]

Okay.

[Dave Portnoy]

All right.

[Rob Stone]

All right. Go Tide. All right, coach. Big Ten champions game. Ohio State perhaps. So say that again.

[Mark Ingram]

Biased, perhaps.

[Rob Stone]

Bias maybe.

[Mark Ingram]

Little.

[Rob Stone]

Little. It sounded very day Port.

[Mark Ingram]

Hey, I got too much Bama in me, coach. I know I got too much Bama in me, coach.

[Rob Stone]

Never lose that Bama mark. Never lose that Bama in you. Big Ten championship game one versus two in Indy. Ohio State versus Indiana. The Buckeyes favored right now by four and a half over under 40. Eight and a half. Ooh, that seems a little low for two really good offenses. Coach, before we get to that one, what do you think Ryan Day is feeling like right now? Getting that Wolverine off his back and ending that four year losing skid to the Wolverines?

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, I know exactly what he's feeling. And I actually went up there. There was about two minutes left in the game and we came back to do post game. I actually walked right up to the sideline and gave a big hug and shook his hand. And I could see in his eyes. I mean, last year you could see the back of his head, you know, because it was just. He was in a coma. And so for, you know, I love the Buckeyes, but I, you know, I care about people more. And for him and his family now they can go enjoy a dinner in Columbus, Ohio. And I mean that's, I, I joke around sometimes but that's how serious. So very happy for him. The game though. I, you know, I, I know these teams really well. I've been watching on btn we covered them both. There's only one. You always look at matchups and you put a plus or a minus or a dash. Buy it. Dash means it's even. A minus obviously is a minus and then you + means you have a positive. The only one. There's only one dash. Everything else is a minus. Matchups and that's Indiana's defensive line against Ohio State's offensive line and I don't think that's advantage. I think Indiana's got a really good D line. But are they better than Ohio State offense line? The right side of the line's getting a little bit better. The left side. No, they're not better.

[Mark Ingram]

Left side played terrific and they played terrific last week. Coach.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, so I, I mean it's just minuses right across the board as far as matchups and I'm a little worried, I'd love, you know how I feel about Fernando Mendoza. You know he's had some really, I hate to say he had some bad games and so he was bad.

[Rob Stone]

The numbers weren't great last week for.

[Urban Meyer]

Was 11 and 27 or something.

[Rob Stone]

But it was so cold. The coldest game ever at Ross Aid Stadium and they leaned on the running game. But you're right, the numbers when he was this close to locking up Heisman, those numbers did not translate. Did not.

[Urban Meyer]

And even the Penn State one, which is the greatest, you know, I'm gonna, I keep saying it because I believe it was the greatest drive, I believe in Big Ten history when they took him down the field in the two minute drill at Penn State, you know, but he didn't play good in that game. You know he and you know Penn State but had a decent defense. So it's four. It opened at five and a half, now it's a four and a half. I Ohio State will cover that one. They're going to win the Big Ten.

[Rob Stone]

Championship and cover real quick any threat of a letdown. You know, so much has been put into that Michigan game and they throw.

[Urban Meyer]

That hump, you know, there's a threat of everything. But yeah, the one thing about the Big Ten championship game and I used to tell people the national championship to me was actually a little bit of a letdown from the SEC championship. When I coached in those SEC games, Mark, you can attest. I mean I've never seen anything like it. The buildup, the intensity, those bus rides coming into that stadium and then obviously we play Bama twice and Arkansas, Indiana, the Indianapolis and that. I love that stadium. Some people criticize. I love that stadium. I love the environment. Is it as big as the sec? It's close. But to answer your question, no chance of a letdown. Okay.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, I think that's something. Coach Days managed really well this season. He probably doesn't get enough credit for it. He has kept that team balanced and if anything, Coach, it feels like they are raising their game right now when it, when it matters most.

[Mark Ingram]

And I don't have the second coach. Real quick.

[Rob Stone]

We haven't seen the best of Ohio State, by the way.

[Mark Ingram]

No, no, they, they're the most complete team in football and they showed it last week. But I do have the second coach. Man, that SEC title game was a. Once you played the national title, it's hard to say the national title is a letdown from a conference championship, but in 07, 08, 09, 10, 1112, that SEC championship was the national championship. So I don't want people thinking that coach is crazy. Cuz he ain't. He ain't. He know what he talking about.

[Rob Stone]

That's why he's going to the College Football hall of Fame in a couple days. Ready for that party, Coach? So, hey, debate your granny, man.

[Mark Ingram]

Debate your granny. You see that coach right there? One of the greatest ever to do it. He ain't new to it, he true to it and he been doing it. And that's how we do it. So don't talk about my coach because if you got a problem with that, come see me. I'm about that right down here in Delray, Florida. If you got a problem with Coach Meyer, come see me. I'm about that.

[Rob Stone]

All right. Feels like a good way to end it. Follow subscribe rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. You can find us on social media at 3X option show. Leave questions Leave comments We'd love to respond to them. As always, thanks to our Wonderful sponsors Wendy's FanDuel USA and Google. Enjoy the championship weekend of football and we will see you again next next week. And Doug, here we have the limu.

[Dave Portnoy]

Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.

[Rob Stone]

Limu is that guy with the binoculars. Watch this.

[Urban Meyer]

Judging us.

[Dave Portnoy]

Cut the camera.

[Rob Stone]

They see us only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.