College Football Playoff Championship, Michigan's Kyle Whittingham Joins, and Top NIL Earners

Summary

The Triple Option — January 12, 2026

College Football Playoff Championship, Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham Joins, & Top NIL Earners

Hosts: Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone

Special Guest: Kyle Whittingham (Michigan Head Coach)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives deep into a transformative college football season, dissecting the upcoming College Football Playoff National Championship (Indiana vs. Miami), examining how Indiana engineered an historic run, and discussing what’s broken—and what’s thriving—in today’s NIL, transfer portal, and conference landscapes. The crew also welcomes new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham for a candid interview on culture, coaching transitions, and the essential next step for elite college programs.

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Episode Breakdown & Key Segments

1. Indiana’s Remarkable Rise: Maximizing Potential (00:00–13:00)

Key Points:

• Indiana's improbable journey to the title game, emphasizing culture, "maximizing" every player, and disrupting college football’s blueblood hierarchy.
• Urban Meyer describes being on the field pregame, evaluating Indiana’s players, and calls Indiana "fully maximized."
• Discussion of Indiana’s fan takeover at the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl.
• The hosts highlight how Coach Signetti focuses on experience, productive transfers, and maturity ("45 players... over half the guys playing are four-plus years experience" — Mark Ingram, 07:17).
• Concern over whether bringing in higher-rated recruits could challenge Indiana’s culture.

Notable Quotes:

• "I'm a straight shooter. I call it how I see it. And the SEC is not balling. They are not shot calling... man, we got some work to do."
  — Urban Meyer (00:00, 24:09)
• "You are witnessing one of the greatest phenomena in college football history."
  — Mark Ingram (04:04)
• "This team is... you're witnessing, when I hear the greatest team in college football history, potentially... plus 473 differential this season, highest ever mark."
  — Mark Ingram (09:39)

Timestamps:

• [00:00–06:23]: Fan takeovers, Indiana’s field-level physicality, pregame process.
• [06:43–10:39]: Signetti’s culture blueprint, recruiting veterans, maximizing teams.

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2. Miami’s Surging Momentum & Carson Beck’s Spotlight (16:09–23:00)

Key Points:

• Miami #10 seed's surprise run, led by transfer QB Carson Beck (Former Georgia starter).
• Praise for Miami’s O-line, D-line, late-season improvement, and swagger—a callback to early-2000s "The U".
• Malachi Tony (true freshman WR), and the impact of elite young talent.
• Penalties and discipline issues are flagged as key concerns for Miami in the title game.

Notable Quotes:

• "He's worth every penny that Miami has paid him in the portal."
  — Mark Ingram (17:11)
• "Miami plays football how you’re supposed to play football. They have dudes that have swagger and are straight dogs. The type of players you would have recruited, Coach."
  — Urban Meyer (20:10)
• "Is that enough for Malachi Tony in the championship game? Coach: I’d say 12 is a magic number."
  — [Discussion on Malachi Tony, 21:13–21:58]

Timestamps:

• [16:09–20:39]: Miami’s playoff path, Carson Beck’s emergence.
• [20:39–23:13]: Miami culture, youth movement, how the program got hot at the right time.

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3. Big Ten Ascendancy, SEC Regression, and Shifting Power (23:30–28:45)

Key Points:

• Third straight championship game for a Big Ten team; third straight year without an SEC finalist.
• SEC’s playoff and bowl record scrutinized; reality check on the league’s drop-off amid levelled "playing field" due to NIL and transfer rules.
• The importance of program alignment, culture, and the ability to "play as a team" over pure talent accumulation.

Notable Quotes:

• "The playing field is level now. You don’t have those first-rounders on third string anymore."
  — Urban Meyer (25:19)
• "Nothing’s above the culture."
  — Urban Meyer (28:35)
• "The team, the team, the team. Indiana has a football team. Miami has a football team. The team matters."
  — Mark Ingram (27:18)

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4. Special Guest: Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham (33:44–44:47)

(Urban Meyer interviews Kyle Whittingham, new Michigan Head Coach)

Topics Covered:

• Decision to leave Utah for Michigan: Still "juice in the tank"; Michigan among "a handful of places" he'd consider.
• Assessing/repairing the Michigan program after "chaos": Players uninvolved in prior issues, excited to move forward.
• Staff building: Retaining key Michigan assistants, bringing in trusted Utah staff (Jay Hill/DC, Jason Beck/OC, Tony Alford/RB coach).
• Building a bridge: Importance of staff cohesion and connecting the new with the old.
• Retaining QB Bryce Underwood and his development.
• The unsustainability of current NIL/roster money: Whittingham calls for an "overhaul" and compares future CFB to an NFL minor league.
• Non-conference scheduling: The disappearing importance of schedule strength as playoffs expand.

Notable Quotes:

• "Still got a lot of juice in the tank, man... Tons of energy and there were a handful of schools in the country—Michigan was on that list."
  — Kyle Whittingham (34:23)
• "We’ve had supporters step up... I don't think this model [NIL] is sustainable...It's going to have to turn into a sort of NFL minor league with a salary cap, collective bargaining, players becoming employees."
  — Kyle Whittingham (43:01)
• "[Bryce Underwood]? No dedicated quarterback coach... He’s the whole package. We just got to get him refined."
  — Kyle Whittingham (41:15)

Timestamps:

• [33:44–44:47]: Michigan’s new era, culture rebuilding, NIL realities, scheduling changes.

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5. NIL, Transfer Portal, and Locker Room Culture (46:13–48:29)

Key Points:

• Wild transfer portal tales: Washington QB Demon Williams nearly leaving after signing; "one of the worst things I've ever heard" says Coach Ingram.
• Rapidly changing norms for player loyalty and the "earn-your-way-back" environment.
• Nostalgia for old-school loyalty, but acknowledgment that adjustment is inevitable.

Timestamps:

• [46:13–48:29]: NIL/transfer drama, locker room implications.

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6. Fun Segment: Top NIL Earners If It Existed in the Past

Big Three: Who Would Have Cashed In the Most? (48:59–52:54)

• Mark Ingram's picks: Reggie Bush, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel.
• Urban Meyer: Tim Tebow, Cardale Jones, Ezekiel Elliott.
• Rob Stone: Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Randy Moss, Keyshawn Johnson, etc.
• Lively debate about who would have been a true NIL legend.

Notable Quotes:

• "Reggie Bush… the man already had it. So if he could have had the money, he would have triple, quadruple, five times had it."
  — Mark Ingram (49:07)
• "Tim [Tebow] would have set the record…"
  — Urban Meyer (50:27)

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7. Championship Game Picks and Predictions (53:17–57:27)

• Indiana favored by 7.5 over Miami; Over/Under 48.5.
• All three pick Indiana to win, but expect a close, hard-fought game.
  • Mark Ingram takes Miami to cover: "I think Indiana will win, but I am going to take those seven and a half points." (55:29)
  • Rob Stone predicts a "walk-off field goal" 24-21 Indiana (56:40).
  • Urban Meyer: "They’re the best team in college right now," leans Indiana but expects Miami to challenge.

On Coaching a Title Game:
"It’s an out of body experience...all you want to do is protect your players from the noise and focus on your game plan."
— Urban Meyer (55:35)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "You are witnessing one of the greatest phenomena in college football history." — Mark Ingram (04:04)
• "Their penalty mistakes...They can’t do that vs. Indiana." — Urban Meyer (20:54)
• "Nothing’s above the culture." — Urban Meyer (28:35)
• "Still got a lot of juice in the tank, man...Michigan was on that list." — Kyle Whittingham (34:23)
• "We've had supporters step up [for NIL]...but this model isn't sustainable." — Whittingham (43:01)
• "If you have the resources...you can compete. The playing field is level." — Urban Meyer (25:19)
• "Walk-off field goal. 24-21 Indiana." — Rob Stone (56:40)
• "I think this is going to be a closer game than we think." — Mark Ingram (55:29)

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Structure & Flow

• Opening: Indiana’s historic run; what maximizing potential looks like on and off the field.
• Heat of the Episode: Miami’s resurgence, the big conference picture, deep breakdown of Indiana vs. Miami.
• Middle Peak: In-depth with Coach Whittingham—lessons in leadership, roster transition, NIL vision.
• Closing Rounds: Transfer portal and NIL headaches, playful but insightful all-time NIL debate, championship picks.

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Conclusion

This episode blends championship preview, deep cultural analysis, and authentic locker-room perspective with perspective from top coaches and true legends. The show traces Indiana’s culture-driven rise, Miami’s last-gasp talent charge, Big Ten’s consolidation of power, and the complexity (and future) of modern college football—giving listeners an insider guide for both championship drama and the sport’s new age.

Transcript

[Urban Meyer]

As an SEC guy, you cannot defend the SEC right now. The truth is the truth. I'm a straight shooter. I call it how I see it. And the SEC is not balling. They are not balling. They are not shot calling the sec. Man, we got some work to do.

[Rob Stone]

What work do they have to do besides just win?

[Mark Ingram]

Light it.

[Rob Stone]

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. Time for another edition of the triple option presented by our great at Wendy's. Let's go for sure. Let's go to the national championship game. We are down to the final two teams in college football. He's the hall of Fame head coach Urban Meyer. Mark Ingram, the second Deuce Deuce soon to be a Hall of Famer. I'm Rob Stone. As always, thanks for joining us. Love it when you rate us, subscribe with us, share with us, give us the comments, give us the feedback, whatever it is. We are with you throughout the year. We're not just here during the college football playoffs. We are here throughout the year discussing college football. But right now, the discussion is all about the final two teams, Indiana and Miami. So let's get it going with any given Saturday. And let's begin in Atlanta, where once again, Indiana fans took over another city. Right. They did it at the Rose Bowl. They took over la Pasadena. It was. It was that crimson and cream everywhere. Same scene in Atlanta. Coach, I know you were there and you were at the Peach Bowl, A to see the game, but B to B honored having gone into the College Football hall of Fame with that honor came a little perk. They let you on the field for about an hour, 45 minutes before kickoff, and you went full coach mode, I understand.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, we got another honor for the hall of Fame. And Shelley looked at me, says, we're done. No more honors. It's over. So I said, how about one more? Send them one more, man.

[Rob Stone]

Keep it running.

[Mark Ingram]

So Mark, they. I was BTN and I love those guys. We had a great show. And they, they did. They gave us about an hour and a half and I grabbed another hall of Famer. Hello to Nagata. Do you know him at all Mart?

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, yeah, hello. T. Yeah, from the Ravens days. You know, he used to come in the building when we was with the Ravens, so.

[Mark Ingram]

And Ryan Yarborough from Wyoming. And we walked around and I said, come with me. And we had all access, so I could. I walked out on the field, said hi to Coach Lanning. And I said, we have got. This is historic. It almost doesn't make sense what's happening in Indiana. So I said, let's go. And I acted. You know, I was. I went everywhere. I want to say I was like the head coach. I walked right up to their linebackers, stood right there. I sized them up. I watched them move. I watched their acceleration. Then I went to the corners because they're right by me. Corner. I thought it was corners, linebackers, safeties. Then I went down the D line. Then I started wrapping around to the O line. And then I stood right next to Mendoza as he was warming up with the wideouts. I stood right in the huddle of the wideouts. I listened to what the coach was saying, watching these guys play, and I walked away. And I called Todd McShay and who was our dear friend. And I still think the best draft analyst guy out there. I said, tell me again now, who. Which one of these guys are going to be the first round or second round or third round? We kind of went through it. And the reason I bring that up, Mark and Rob, is this, is that I think the job of a football coach is to maximize. And I'm not talking about the head coach. All coaches, your trainer. And this is a lecture I would give my coaching staff and support staff. Our job is to maximize what's in that body and mind. So you have a player. I'm going to use Fernando Mendoza, whatever, in there. You get everything out of them. And I'm telling you, Mark, I have never witnessed a team that is fully maximized. I like to think we did a good job coaching. I imagine Nick Saban did a good job bringing the best out of his teams. And some of these great coaches, Ryan Day and Dan Lanning, et cetera. I'm telling you what I saw. The Rod receiver group, Charlie Becker, Cooper Jr. And Surat, they are maximized. The way they practiced, the way they warmed up, and then the way they played. Yeah, and then I stood next to Mendoza. There's not a whole lot left in his tank either. Now.

[Urban Meyer]

I watched him warm up.

[Mark Ingram]

I stood right next to him. I mean, you said you stood next.

[Urban Meyer]

To Ponds, the db. What, five, nine?

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, yeah. And.

[Urban Meyer]

And pick six, the biggest.

[Mark Ingram]

He's. He's guarding Jeremiah Smith during the. During the playoffs. And he's. And he jumps outside right before the snap and stops him on a fade route. And I guess I love the game so much, and I love coaching and I love players that much. I. This is absolutely amazing. They. They Put it to Oregon. I went down on the field closely and I watched and Oregon was defeated. They were beat. And that's twice in one year. Rob. They went to Oregon and they beat them on a neutral site. You're witnessing one of the greatest phenomena in college football history.

[Urban Meyer]

Look at their last three victories, Coach. We talked about all season, we talked about all season like, oh, they haven't been tested or who they haven't been played. Oh, they just beat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship. They throttled Alabama, then they throttled Oregon. So you talk about a team being maxed out, playing to the full center potential. That's exactly what Indiana is right now. They are playing to the fullest of their potential. And usually you hear teams that say like, oh. And then, and you keep hearing Fernando Mendoza. He's like, oh, we got to get better. We got to go back to the drawing board. He's excited about the opportunity to play Miami. But this Indiana team, man, is special, man. I don't think we've seen anything like it, man, in recent history.

[Rob Stone]

Mendoza.

[Urban Meyer]

And look at this and look at their, their, their following. They took over the Rose Bowl.

[Mark Ingram]

90, I'm saying 90 plus percent in that. I'm saying higher than 90% in Atlanta.

[Urban Meyer]

In back to back games now, in back to back playoff games against Belmont and then against Oregon. They are just overtaking the whole stadium. They say Indiana now has the largest living alumni base in the United States. It says surpassing Penn state with over 805,000 alumni worldwide as of late 2025, making a massive network. So they are coming together in droves and they are taking over to see.

[Rob Stone]

If that home field advantage is going to be tested in Miami. Right. We go see against Miami, but you're going to see a whole lot of crimson and cream there because this is a once in a lifetime event. If you're an Indiana fan, you may never see this again, but I would actually push back on that because what Signetti is building, coach right now, it's got legs now, right?

[Mark Ingram]

It really does.

[Rob Stone]

There's proof of concept here. He is going out and he is. And he's done this from, from year one in Bloomington. He's gone out and he's gotten production, right? He wants productive players, guys who have done it before and mature talent. What have we seen in the last two national champions? A, they were both in the Big Ten, but Michigan and Ohio State, what were they coaching? Experience, mature, experienced teams. There is a blueprint that has been written in the Big Ten and Signetti is Is. Is on that blueprint and I think he's adding some. His own twist to it right now as well.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah. Yeah. The numbers out there is 45 players, Mark, on their team. And that's, that's over half the guys playing are four plus years experience. I don't know if I've coached maybe 10 the guys.

[Urban Meyer]

No, because you guys, we were on that accelerated program. Guys were trying to leave in three years.

[Mark Ingram]

I want to go back. I hate to keep. But I just, I want to hit this again, Mark, because I want to hear your think about your teams. Think about your, your players on those teams. If they were maximized. Like, like I'm, I'm going back to when I coached against you. The Julio Jones and the linebackers, your backs, you guys had.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Yeah.

[Mark Ingram]

And you could say they, they were really good. Were they really maximized? I mean, nothing left. Well, I don't know. I don't know.

[Urban Meyer]

Because boys left to the NFL and got better. You know what I mean? So I think you saying these guys are maxed out to their fullest potential right now. Like.

[Mark Ingram]

And I take great pride in evaluating talent. I stood right. I mean, you would have laughed. I mean, they're right here.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah. I'm watching the perks of being a Hall of Fame coach. You know, I mean the perks of being a Hall of Fame watches.

[Mark Ingram]

I'm going to talk about these White House reminds. Watching Surratt Becker and Omar Cooper Jr. I had to hear it. I'm watching this coach coach the hell out of them. And I'm watching their demeanor and how confident they were. But I'm not seeing Julio.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah.

[Mark Ingram]

I'm not seeing Jeremiah Green. I'm not seeing Jeremiah Smith, Percy hard. Guys that are absolutely maximized play the game the way they're supposed to play it. They play so damn hard. Yeah, I get, I get fired up.

[Rob Stone]

So coach, break down how one maximizes a player percentage, percentage wise at certain point coaching. The other point is just DNA of that human being.

[Mark Ingram]

And I think it's culture. I, I think that's where the. So the head coach is not coaching that kid. Okay. I watch Signetti. Signetti is a CEO. You watch him during a game. But he is. Establishes the culture and the, the. It permeates down to the assistant coaches and then that permeates into the, the, the room. But it's also as a strength coach, the training staff. Alignment. So you're going to hear the word alignment because without alignment, you can't maximize. This is an absolute case study on how to maximize a player and maximize a team. I coach was a head coach, what for almost 20 years. How many teams were 100%.

[Urban Meyer]

Not just a head coach either. A Hall of Fame head coach.

[Mark Ingram]

But how many maximized. I don't know. I'm embarrassed. I not like this team. This team is. You're witnessing. When I hear the greatest team in college football history, Potentially there is a plus 473 differential this season. After that it says the highest ever mark. What the hell are we talking about?

[Urban Meyer]

A team who so cool. We said it. We said it. We've been saying it. They're a team full of Mendoza is best. They're a team full of misfits. A team full of misfeds. Guys who come together from all over the country of people who didn't believe in them. And now you get this coach who believes in him, who coaches him hard establishes this culture. And now you're seeing the effects of that man. And people.

[Mark Ingram]

I was one of them to say. I was one of them to say, when's this house of cards going to fall? Yeah, there's no house of CS here, boy. This is the foundation. That's why I, I don't think India is going anywhere. I know. Great team.

[Urban Meyer]

And you know why it's not going nowhere, Coach? Because now he's getting the resources to get the four star, the five star players that do fit his coach, which.

[Mark Ingram]

Will be fun to watch if they have the same mantra that misfit.

[Rob Stone]

So coach, that's an awesome point because I reflect back the Jay Wright Villanova basketball days when Jay Wright was still in charge. And Jay Wright did it kind of the Kurt Signetti way. Right? It was a bunch of three star, four star guys. It was guys who stuck around and he would just kind of rotate these guys through.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Right?

[Rob Stone]

All right, now it's your turn. Now it's your turn. When he finally dipped his toes into that five star world, it didn't work out, it didn't pan out. Those guys are, for whatever reason, they're different sometimes they're great and they can work out culture wise. But you're right. When you go to that next level of recruiting and it's going to be hard, that temptation is going to be there, right? Like, sure. Like wait, we have five star guys now answering our emails and phone calls and that never happened in Bloomington.

[Mark Ingram]

You know, guy on Mark Dantonio staff, the great coach, the hall of Famer also that he kind of made a living with the misfits or the three stars and made them high draft picks. But then they started winning, went to the Rose bowl. And this is. A guy on the staff told me that it became a whole different animal when you're now you're getting that four and five star kid that maybe won't grind like that other. So you're right. There's. This is going to be a really. This story is ongoing. Obviously we got to talk about this other team that they're playing because they're damn good too Miami. But this story is going to continue.

[Rob Stone]

We talk about Indiana sustaining this. Not only are they winning on the football field right now when it matters most in the college football playoffs, they're winning in the transfer portal at the same damn time. I mean, think about that. They pivoted from that quarterfinal game and jumped right into the portal hours later. What do they do? They secure their quarterback for next year. Josh Hoover from TCU, one of the best QBs. He's going to fit right in. He puts up huge numbers. He's a guy who's interested in Bloomington. Years back they got a stud wide receiver because they know they're going to be thin there. A stud running back From Boston College, BC's leading rusher last year they re fortified the defensive line. They are doing all of this at the same time.

[Mark Ingram]

And they kept their coordinators. You hear, you hear coaching.

[Rob Stone]

They're not losing anybody. Coach. They're not losing.

[Mark Ingram]

I was talking to Oregon. I was. I was with Will Stein before the game and Parker Fleming and you know, Tash Lupo, the defense coordinator. Those guys are gone. And then we were actually talking about managing their, you know, how they were here and how they're. But you can look on the other side. Stability, foundation.

[Urban Meyer]

But you also talk about Signetti and you listen to what he says and people think it's cliche. He talks about a process. He's talking about having a plan. He talks about having structure. He talks about having discipline.

[Rob Stone]

No, Mark, he's just talking about cracking open a beer, man. That's all he's talking about. After crack open a cold, after you.

[Urban Meyer]

Have your structure, after you have your process, after you have your discipline and you whoop ass in a college football semifinal, you deserve whatever your vice is. Go ahead and get it done.

[Rob Stone]

Have yourself a cold one, man.

[Urban Meyer]

Whatever your vice is yourself.

[Rob Stone]

Cold one. I felt it for him when he said that and he smiled. I was like, get that man. And I was.

[Urban Meyer]

You asking me all these questions. Where am I?

[Mark Ingram]

Where my beer? Where's my.

[Rob Stone]

Where's my beer? Man, like, is he an icy light guy from. From the Pittsburgh days?

[Urban Meyer]

What is it that he's cracking heavy beer like.

[Rob Stone]

No, he's.

[Mark Ingram]

No, I. Genesis cream ale.

[Rob Stone]

Oh, a Jenny cream ale, Coach. Out of nowhere, a Jenny cream ale. And with that, we move on. Indiana, congratulations. You are off to the college football national championship game. One quick word. Dante Moore. Stick around for another year, right? Don't let this be your last college game. Don't let this be the last taste in your mouth. Another year and I think Dante Moore could be a Heisman Trophy winner.

[Urban Meyer]

What if they tell you. What if they tell you he's the number two quarterback in the draft? He's going to go.

[Rob Stone]

I know, I know. I understand. That's.

[Mark Ingram]

You think he does, Mark?

[Urban Meyer]

I mean, if you're a quarterback, he's.

[Rob Stone]

Going to be a top 10 pick, don't you think? It's hard not to think.

[Urban Meyer]

You have to go. You have to go because stick around.

[Mark Ingram]

So many things can happen.

[Urban Meyer]

El guys are Manning, you know, saying. And others. We'll see, man. That's why Tyson.

[Mark Ingram]

I just hope if he goes somewhere, he can go sit and learn for a year. Yeah, I, I hate that when they throw the. I did it. You throw that rookie quarterback in there and it's just. Man, you just wish you had some veteran guy in front of him. You know, the, the Jordan Love learning from.

[Urban Meyer]

Shoe.

[Mark Ingram]

Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rogers. Aaron Rodgers. Learn, learning from Brent Far, number four, Brent Farve. So that was the perfect way. Well remember, for quarterbacks to have great success.

[Rob Stone]

Dante Moore learned from Dylan Gabriel, sitting out last year after transferring from ucla. So I, I think there is, you know, that is in the back of his head.

[Mark Ingram]

I think he's got a little, I think Dante Moore, he has. I don't feel, I don't feel a kid. That's. But I agree with you. You're top five, top ten.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, he, he, he gets the bigger picture of things. You know, we sat down, talked to him. Very humble, very well spoken, very thoughtful. So you know he's going to make the right decision, the best decision for himself.

[Rob Stone]

Oregon's a young team. Oregon's a young team. I think they were maybe a year ahead of schedule and, and to get to the semifinals.

[Urban Meyer]

What happened to all their damn running backs, bro? What?

[Rob Stone]

So thin. They got a bunch of defensive guys.

[Urban Meyer]

Who is running a ball.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mark Ingram]

They were worried about that before the game.

[Rob Stone]

Watch out for Oregon next year. That's all I'm going to say. A young team. I think a year ahead of Schedule, they're going to be back. Particularly sticks around. How about the team that a lot of folks didn't think belonged in the college football playoffs? Miami, your number 10 seed, last team in essentially. And here it is, Miami going to the national championship game for the first time since 2002 for the ACC, first time one of their teams have been in the championship game since Clemson back in 2019. Carson Beck has been a conversation point mark all season long around Miami, right? Kind of sat and watched Georgia win national titles, get to championship games, had his crack, didn't quite live up to the expectations of what is expected of you in Athens goes to Miami. All the stuff off the field between girlfriends and Lamborghinis and whatnot, and there was always this. Which Carson are we going to see? Good Carson, bad Carson? We have seen the best from Carson Beck through the course of these playoffs, Mark.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, I was, I was one of those guys who was kind of concerned with how Miami was going to be. I thought they would win like nine games. But the way this team has been playing football as of late especially is the reason I believe you win games like that. Tough offensive line, tough defensive line, but then you have a quarterback who you felt like they were protecting him. But last game, he put the game on his back. He put the game on his shoulders. He made several third down completions. He used his legs when he had to. He had him in third and manageable when momentum swung the other way. He had the fortitude, the mental fortitude to stay strong, to stay focused, to be a leader in the huddle, to be a leader on the sidelines. You see all these things that had Carson Beck as a highly touted recruit, as a highly toted person who won two SEC championships, who won two national championships at Georgia. You saw this guy, you're seeing this guy come to life right now, and he's a huge reason why they were able to defeat Ole Miss, but also why they'll have a huge. Why they'll have a chance to win this game against Indiana here at home at the Hard rock Stadium, about 35 minutes south of me here in about a week and a half. About, about what, 11 days. Eight days. Eight days. Yeah. So, man, Carson Beck, we, we, we didn't doubt him, but we had our reserves, our reservations, we had our concerns. But he's, he's, he has answered the call, he has answered the bell. He's worth every penny that Miami has paid him in the portal. And all that Lamborghini, all the twin girlfriends, all that whatever it don't matter because right now he's balling. He has Miami national championship.

[Mark Ingram]

You know, the first two playoff wins they did not lean on him. You know the A and M and the. Yeah, they kind of protected him. Yeah, they really protected him. This one they let the dog eat, man. And he answered that was the best drive I've seen him play. I think you said it was a 15 play. 15 plays, 11 runs and no, no.

[Urban Meyer]

11 passes, four runs. And one of the runs was his touchdown. The ball was in his hands making decisions.

[Mark Ingram]

Thirteen of those plays and they were really good throws. A couple of them he reset his feet and found the third, second, the third. Look in the progression. Things he didn't show, he. He scrambled on the, on the game winner. So Carson Beck, if he has one more game like this, he's going to make some money. I was worried about him. There was a time where he had as many interceptions as game when you. I think it was like 14 games and 14 picks and you, you know, you can't, you can't play quarterback doing that. And they lost. Two games. They lost. I think it's SMU and then Louisville and then when his guy's on fire with the run game and the dominant, you know, their old co. Their coach is a line coach. You can tell Crystal ball their defense just kicks the ass out of the other opponent offense line. It's fun to watch, man. This is going to be a great game.

[Urban Meyer]

And then they got Malachi, Tony. I mean this dude is just a dog. The one handed catchy they. That they call back because his heel touchdown. I would have just gave it to him, coach.

[Mark Ingram]

And then you see him blocking, bro. Yeah, he inserts his nose right in there.

[Urban Meyer]

Yes, bro. This kid is a football player.

[Mark Ingram]

The two right teams are playing.

[Urban Meyer]

He's supposed to be a senior in high school, coach.

[Mark Ingram]

He's the two best teams in the country are playing. Yeah, they are.

[Urban Meyer]

Yep. Listen, Miami plays football how you're supposed to play football. They have a tough offensive line. They run the football with Mark Fletcher Jr. And Charmar Brown. And then you have a defensive line who gets after the quarterback. You have guys who play hard. They have dudes that have swagger and are straight dogs. The type of players you would have recruited, coach. The type of players I played with at Bama. They have that swagger, that demeanor that the U has had that they have been known for in the early 2000s and they're playing like it right now.

[Rob Stone]

Dictating the game, dictating the tempo Dictating possession. They had it for 41 minutes and 22 seconds against Ole Miss. They were winning on first and second down. But, but there were some real issues with Miami in that game.

[Mark Ingram]

Their penalty mistakes.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah, the penalties and, and the timing of those penalties.

[Urban Meyer]

You can't do that versus anything.

[Rob Stone]

Targeting the personal foul for the late hit. They put themselves in a spot that I don't think they should have been in.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah.

[Rob Stone]

So they, they can't do that against.

[Urban Meyer]

They made the game closer than it should have been.

[Rob Stone]

Correct. I want to go back to Malachi Tony real quick. True freshman only had eight touches. One of them a two yard punt return, two rushes for 11 yards, five receptions for 81 yards and that touchdown. So eight total touches. Is that enough for Malachi Tony in the national championship game against Indiana? Coach.

[Mark Ingram]

I mean, they just scored a bunch of points against Ole Miss. So I think eight touches, you know, anytime you. Because it's hard to, it's hard to force a ball. Anytime you start saying 10, 12, 14, other than handing it to them. Because if you start telling the quarterback or designing plays to force it to a player, that's not good either. So I love the 8 to 10, 12. I'd like to. I'd say 12 is a magic number.

[Urban Meyer]

And you got to realize.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Yep.

[Urban Meyer]

And you got to realize the impact that he's having. Keelan Marion, the other receiver, seven catches for 114 yards, 16.3 a pop, a 52 yard touchdown. So now you got extra attention, extra eyes on, on Malachi Tony, your other receiver. Opposite society. He gets opportunities to capitalize. Your running back. Mark Fletcher has 22 carries for 133 yards. So his presence on the field is more than just numbers and statistics. It's opening up the entire offense.

[Mark Ingram]

And he should still be in high school.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah, yeah, he's. He's a scene. He. He reclassified up. All y' all are reclassifying y' all sons back. They remind me of dog reclass him up.

[Mark Ingram]

In 2006, we had a team that had an elite defense. Bunch of NFL kids on Florida offense kind of figuring our way. We had Tebow and Chris Leak rotating, weren't very good. We're just average on offense. But by the, we hit the stride. By the end, obviously we won it all. So I, I see this team, you know, you. Indiana is the best team in the country. But I think Miami right now is hitting its stride, obviously.

[Urban Meyer]

So I think you said Indiana is maxing themselves out and Miami is playing their best football when it matters. Most. So now you got this team that's kind of peaking at the right time.

[Mark Ingram]

And this team, you could say Miami was maxed. You could not have said in the. Because Carson wasn't. Carson Beck was not maxed. He maxed out the last week.

[Rob Stone]

So one quick.

[Mark Ingram]

I'll be there, boys.

[Rob Stone]

One quick theme.

[Urban Meyer]

You'll be there.

[Mark Ingram]

Oh, you're going btn.

[Rob Stone]

That's right. Another big.

[Urban Meyer]

So we gonna hang? We gonna hang or what, coach? Because I'm gonna be right here. You know what I mean?

[Rob Stone]

Great Segway, coach. Third straight year that a Big Ten team will be in the national championship game. Third straight year that an SEC team will not happen be in the national championship game. Remember, five SEC programs got the invite to the college football playoffs. So no SEC team in the national championship game. If you go outside of the playoff picture the record in bowl games less than adequate for. For the sec. What is your takeaway mark? I'll start with you for the sec. When you look back at what transpired this past season for the conference, well.

[Urban Meyer]

You really can't defend the SEC at this point. Like I'm a guy who really doesn't think bowl games really matter with as much as transfer guys. Much of guys app opting out. But at the end of the day, it's hard to defend the SEC. Right now as an SEC guy, you have three shots that past three years. The way you look in the playoff hasn't been great. Then your bowl game, like we're just getting dominated. So as an SEC guy, you cannot defend the sec. Right now the best conference in college football is the Big Ten. I said that on big new kickoff in front the whole country and people hated me for it. But the truth is the truth. I'm a straight shooter. I call it how I see it. Right now the Big Ten has the last two national champions. They have another one in the championship going for a third in a row. And the SEC is not, is not balling. They are not balling. They are not shot calling. So right now the sec. Man, we got some work to do.

[Rob Stone]

What work do they have to do besides just when it matters? Besides that? I mean that. That's the obvious. So why aren't they winning? What are they not doing when it matters the most right now? Does this go back to the playing.

[Urban Meyer]

Field is level now? The playing field's level now. You don't have, you don't have those, you know, those first rounders on third string anymore. You don't have those five star all Americans on Third string, no more. Because they're leaving. They're going to other programs like India. They're going to other programs wherever. You know the playing field is level these days. And if you have an alumni base, if you have the resources, you have the pride to, to put something towards your nil program and build a roster, you can compete. You see it with Texas Tech. They're in the playoff. You see it all around. So the, the playing field is level and SEC has to find a way to adjust.

[Mark Ingram]

So let's do this. So if you say let's, what's the variables that make one conference better than the other? Obviously the one loss record, but a deeper dive into it. Number one is players. So you're going to find out in spring on which rosters are the best. Because you're going to find out. It's called the NFL draft and it used to be. So the despair, it was so different. You had the SEC and I forget the numbers, we should have those. And then the Big Ten was way down here. And then the last couple years it came, but still the SEC has been number one. And the big, the ACC and Big 12 are way down below that. So I'm anxious to see if that's the case that you're still having these players drafted. Then you have to go to the coaches and right now which roster of coaches are better. And that's where you're going to say is a bielema in a. Who beat Tennessee and. Yes. And Iowa. Kirk Franz, who beat Vanderbilt, Indiana with Sig just beating a mess out of Alabama. Do you say Alabama's roster is better than Indiana's? Because probably an NFL draft mark? I think it will be, yeah. Then you have to say, okay, let's go to the roster of coaches. So I think there's got to be a. That's how you get evaluated, whether you like it or not.

[Urban Meyer]

Listen, this culture stuff is different, man.

[Mark Ingram]

It's real.

[Urban Meyer]

You know, you got to have players that want to play as a team who aren't so concerned about themselves. You know what I mean? Not saying that's the case because I'm not in locker rooms, I don't know. But I remember on the good teams I was on, I was on teams who put away their personal agenda aside for the betterment of the team. Obviously you had your goals, what made you want to drive, what made you give you passion, determination, commitment. You had things individually that you wanted to shoot for, but you didn't let it get in the way of the greater goal of the team. And essentially the team is what matters. The team, the team, the team. Indiana has a football team. Miami has a football team. The team matters. The team is what's more important.

[Mark Ingram]

Let's talk about Iowa. We were at Iowa, Big noon kickoff at Iowa State. I thought the team looked bad. I mean, they didn't look good, they didn't play good. I'm talking about Iowa. And they beat, they got beat up.

[Rob Stone]

Iowa State, they lost. Iowa State was that week.

[Mark Ingram]

Coaching. Week two. The coaching, the, you know, the improvement, the culture. Iowa football. You wake up and they're pushing around Vanderbilt. They almost beat Oregon. They almost beat Indiana. That's what, that's how you evaluate culture. That's how you evaluate coaches. That's why Kirk Franz is who he is and that's why Signetti is who he is. It's phenomenal. It's phenomenal. Watch.

[Urban Meyer]

You're not going to play at Iowa if Kirk Ferns don't like what you bring to the culture. You're not going to play in Indiana if Kurt Signetta don't like what you bring to the culture. So the cult, nothing's above the culture.

[Rob Stone]

Speaking of culture in the Big Ten, coming up in a moment here on the triple option, presented by Wendy's, the new head coach at Michigan, Kyle Whittingham, will join us. A fun little one on one conversation between the two coaches.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Coach.

[Rob Stone]

Coach. Did some heavy lifting in that one. Mark, we're going to make our picks for the national championship game coming up in a bit, but it is now time for the Deuce dog, courtesy of the College Football Playoff semifinals. Mark, who's the dog?

[Urban Meyer]

Hey, coach, man, you know who that dog is, man, we talked about him. It's your boy, Carson Beck. People said this, people said that, but your boy is balling at the right time when it matters the most. 37 attempts, coach, you talk about. They protected him. They ain't protect him. This time they let him go. 37 attempts, 23 completions, 268 yards, two touchdowns, the game winning touchdown run. So three total touchdowns. And this team, man, Coach, I'm telling you, he had them in the right positions at the right times all game long. 11, 19 on third downs, 2 for 2 on fourth downs. Carson Beck is commanding and leading this offense. He's commanding and leading his team like the player that we all know that he could have been. And he's doing it when it matters the most for the Hurricanes has him going to the national championship game at home. And Carson Beck, you got one more. You Keep playing like this, you're going to be the certifier, the certified dog.

[Rob Stone]

One more deuce deuce dog of the week to come up. Who will it be? Somebody from Indiana? Somebody from Miami?

[Urban Meyer]

That was the freshman week from the winning team.

[Rob Stone]

There you go. Presented by Wendy's. Join team Tendies and enjoy a lineup like never before. Crispy, juicy tendies now at Wendy's. When we come back, Urban goes one on one with the new man at the school up north, Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham.

[Mark Ingram]

Lady.

[Rob Stone]

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[Mark Ingram]

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[Urban Meyer]

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[Rob Stone]

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[Urban Meyer]

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[Mark Ingram]

Let's do this.

[Rob Stone]

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[Urban Meyer]

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[Mark Ingram]

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[Urban Meyer]

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[Mark Ingram]

All right, Kyle, the block am on your shirt. Great to see you, my friend.

[Kyle Whittingham]

There you go.

[Mark Ingram]

Real quick, couple questions. I know you're busy. I know it's portal season, whatever the hell that means. That's your business, not mine. So I'm going to go back to one month coach and that I see, which we talk quite often, and I see your name pop on my phone and I say, hey, what's up? And you said, hey, I gotta tell you something or I want to ask your opinion on something. I said, what's that? And he said, tell me about the Wolverines. And I was like, whoa. I had to sit down for a minute, but our conversation was really strong. I told you what I thought and the question I have for you is why? Why'd you do it?

[Kyle Whittingham]

Still got a lot of juice in the tank, man. You know, I had stepped down at Utah. We had a great run there. I wanted to leave on a positive note. So we ended up 10 and 2, 11 and 2 with the bowl game this year. And I thought, hey, this is a good time to exit. Don't want to overstay my welcome. But again, I felt like I had tons of energy and there was a handful of schools in the country where if they would have called, I would have been receptive. Michigan was on that list. They called or somehow them and my agent got together. I'm not sure exactly how it went down, but when I got the word that there was interest, you know, I jumped at that opportunity. That that's pretty much the long and short of It.

[Mark Ingram]

So you, you often hear the term right place at the right time. You know, here's, here's the Wolverines, a place that I know very well growing up as a fan of Bo Schembeck or actually became a friend of his. And I in, you know, you know, this. I was a Woody Hayes guy, Earl Bruce guy. And here's a place that has. Is incredible tradition and, and you know, most success. One of the most successful blue blood programs of all time. But the last few years it's been, there's been a lot of chaos, a lot of stuff I. Underlying stuff that's happened there. The further you dig into it, how much effort on your part will take to erase this stuff? Or is that just a known factor?

[Kyle Whittingham]

I think it's a known factor. I mean, we've obviously got to get, get back on track and as far as the, you know, getting rid of the drama, but as far as the players, I mean, they've handled it well. I mean it wasn't their fault. They weren't, they weren't the cause of anything. All they did is kept working through the whole thing, ended up, you know, 9 and 4 this year. So, so I think that, you know, they're, they're eager and we got a big team meeting tomorrow morning at 7am to get this thing started and they are, they want to go back to work. I had a chance to interview every player down at the Bull site. Took me 20 plus hours down at the Bull site in Orlando. And what a great group of young men, high, all tuned into their academics, knew when they were going to graduate, knew what they were going to do with their degree. It's just a great group of guys and I'm excited to get started with them.

[Mark Ingram]

So I go back to 2003, I get hired at Utah and without Kyle Winningham, there's no chance. First of all, I learned about the culture of Utah, which is a very unique culture. But without you constantly in my office, I'm in your office. Have you leaned on a former and Eric Jacobson's another one at Utah that really helped me. Have you leaned on a former player or former coach yet that has embraced the Kyle Whittingham program?

[Kyle Whittingham]

Yeah, we kept three coaches from the previous staff. I thought it was important to have a bridge between the last staff and our staff and those three guys. Tony Alford, first of all, the running back coach, terrific coach, outstanding recruiter. He's put together maybe the best running back room in the country. I mean, he's a guy that is A proven commodity. And then we had Lou Esposito, defensive tackle coach, who I really hit it off with. And then Kerry Combs, special teams coordinator. So those three guys, I've really leaned on them to, you know, to navigate things and, and figure things out along the way. But. And then by the same token, I've surrounded myself with, with guys I know and trust, you know, that I've worked with for, you know, a lot of them, 20 plus years.

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, that was our conversation. Is, is the first thing I remember saying is, you know, because I got stuck in a situation where you're with a bunch of new coaches that maybe don't exactly believe in the way you go about your business. You got Jay Hill, defense coordinator. You got Beck who came with you from Utah and you got a, you know, I think Lewis came with you. Lewis Powell, I read. So, so just tell us about your staff. Tell us about. I know you've been with these guys a long time, but to pick up and move Jay Hill, to pick up a move from byu, that was a great get. Jason Beck, I know they wanted him to stay at Utah. Tell us about your staff a little bit.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Yeah, well, first of all, fired up about what they bring to the table. I mean the offensive staff, we finished fourth in the nation last year in scoring in Utah and second rushing, fifth in total. And Jason Beck is the architect of that offense. It's a user friendly offense. I mean this day and age with the Portal and you're getting 40, 50 new guys in your team here, you better have an offense and a defensive scheme that these guys can adapt to really quickly and plug and play type of a situation. And so Jason, everywhere he's been, he's had great success. We brought Mike Assignment, the receiver coach, Corey Dettmer, the quarterback coach, Jim Harding, who's a real key piece to our staff. Our offensive line coach, one of the best offensive line coaches in the country, developed Spencer Fano who won the Outland Trophy this year. Both his tackles are going to be first rounders. So a lot of familiarity with the offensive staff brought my strength staff, Doug El Assaya and the strength staff from Utah who've been with me 21 years. And then of course, as you mentioned, Jay Hill, who did such a great job for us at Utah before he went over to Weber and resurrected that program. Then he went down to BYU and did a great job, coordinated that defense. So guys I trust and believe in all over the place here.

[Mark Ingram]

So let's. The question is going to get a lot of hits Here. So I used to tell people, when you asked Kyle Whittingham you played at BYU and then the rivalry game, I used to call him the team down south. Your eye. I would tell people Whittingham's eyes change color when you talk about the BYU game. How much have you. You probably haven't had time yet, but I'm sure you're making time. I remember they gave me the book the Holy War when I went to Utah to learn about that rivalry. And McBride really cranked that thing up. Coach McBride, what have you done to dig deep into the game?

[Kyle Whittingham]

Well, it's such a national game and has such prominence. I, you know, I feel like I know what. I've known it for years and years. I mean, it is the game in the country, the, the, you know, biggest rivalry in the country. And so it's not hard to be educated about that when it's, you know, it's been so front and center really, my whole college career. So it doesn't take much, you know, studying up on that game to understand what it's all about.

[Mark Ingram]

So Bryce Underwood's coming back. I remember watching him in live and in person last year, early in the season and, and once they started, they didn't run them the first two or three games. The third game I believe it was, they ran them. And I said this, it's over now. Now it's over because you got a freak athlete that can really throw it, but you throw on the tape week 10 and 11, it's actually not as good as it was early. You know, his development was went, in my opinion, and I watched him. I have a lot of respect for that player. What have you seen so far from him? And the skill set's there, but, you know, and I'm sure Jason spent some time with him back. What happened with his development?

[Kyle Whittingham]

You know, first of all, from what I understand, there was no dedicated quarterback coach working with him on a daily basis, which has to happen. You got a young man, 17 years old, he didn't turn 18 until like mid season. And so he's a guy that really could have been in high school last year as far as his age. But, you know, there's some things in throwing mechanics and the. Just things to smooth out in his fundamentals and technique. And we're already got a good start on that. And Jason Beck and Coy Detmer, outstanding quarterback developers and coaches. And so we're already going down that path. But you talk about a ton of upside. I mean, Bryce Underwood's got it all he's 6 foot 4 and 225 plus and has a cannon arm. And so he's, he's the whole package. We just got to get him refined.

[Mark Ingram]

Was it a struggle to keep him or was he pretty much, let's go, man?

[Kyle Whittingham]

You know, it was pretty, pretty much let's go. You know, there was, you know, maybe a little hesitation until he got to know me and the rest of the staff, but once he got to know us, it was on a good trajectory from that point. And then he announced a course several days ago and really helped our recruiting when he announced, and it was a stabilizing factor for us.

[Mark Ingram]

One last one before I let you go. So this whole world about salary cap and you're seeing, you know, tell us a little bit about. I mean, I've, I've talked to Coach Day, I've talked to other people, Coach Mullen, the guys I'm real close with about the salary pool. And that's legit, I guess. And, and I've heard a lot of comments about, you know, they're supposed to have this third party monitor every nil. They're saying they just approve everything.

[Rob Stone]

So.

[Mark Ingram]

Are the Wolverines committed to this? And can you go to war with anybody as far as your finances and going after players?

[Kyle Whittingham]

Absolutely. We've had some of our boosters and supporters step up and we have made a lot of progress in that regard. And, you know, you're right, it is a, it's a different world. I don't think this model is sustainable. First of all, I think it's got to have a complete overhaul. I mean, it's got to be a. It's going to have to turn into a sort of NFL minor league with a salary cap, collective bargaining agreement, players becoming employees. I just don't see any other way around it because the, you know, the roster money, I mean, it goes up 15, 20% every year and it's to the point now where it just cannot be sustained.

[Mark Ingram]

Last question. So the non conference schedule and you have a team playing for a national title that played arguably the worst non conference in college football history. I think it was Canada State, Old Dominion and Indiana State. You got the Buckeyes going to Texas week one. You sat. I would, I remember I asked you sit in the meetings with me and Chris Hill about scheduling. And ours is always big dog, medium dog, little dog, play a good one, play an average one, and play a team that you should, you know, beat up pretty good. What's your thoughts on that now that it, it Seemed like the committee. It doesn't matter. The scheduling doesn't matter at all.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Yeah, it seems to mean less and less your non conference and. And I think when you talk about the overhaul that I mentioned, I think you're going to see a super conference develop where they probably just play each other. They don't play anybody but the people at that level and they'll break away from the NC2A and they'll have their own commissioner. And so I think that's going to be a thing of the past. But still hang on to, as you mentioned, a game that is a very competitive game and then a game that you definitely should win and then a middle of the road game. And so I think that is still probably the best approach right now. But again I see that changing in the very near future.

[Mark Ingram]

So I beat you in a run, you beat me in tennis. We tied in golf. So I'm not going to play again and I'm not going to run with you again because that won't happen. Tennis, you're just so the only chance we have is golf one more time.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Oh, we can go up skiing. I can show you around the ski. Okay.

[Mark Ingram]

Hey, wish you best, brother. And love you, man. Love you and your family and go get them.

[Kyle Whittingham]

Appreciate you, Urban. Thank you very much. Appreciate you guys having me on.

[Rob Stone]

Welcome back to the triple option presented by Wendy's Rob. Mark Urban back here with you. Time now for three and out. Let's talk. The transfer portal, guys, closes on January 16th except for the players playing in the national championship game. It'll reopen for five days after that game. At the time of this recording, there have been over 4,500 FBS players in the portal. That's over 30% of all the players. And one of the most interesting players that has come up in this discussion of the transfer portal is at the University of Washington. Their quarterback, Demon Williams signed that deal with Washington to stay and then went and had a meeting with Lane Kiffin and lsu and then a whole bunch of lawyers started talking and agents left. It was Mark. It was one of the messiest situations in a brief little window that we've seen in this nil world.

[Urban Meyer]

Committed contract with Washington but end up talking about you're going to LSU but then ultimately going back to Washington with a whole bunch of mess in the middle. This is wild. This is man. Agent Severs ties with you. Yeah, man. What are we doing, coach? What's going on, man? What you think?

[Mark Ingram]

I read it and I know the ad very well at Washington and it's one of the worst things I've ever heard. And I don't want to overreact. I know people say, come on, Coach, what do you. It's one of the worst things because I love the locker room. I love culture. I love being part of a team. And I. I know he's invited back or he's going to go back, but. And I saw the statements by Coach Fish and by the athletic director where he can earn his way back, and I just don't know how it got to that. You know, you'd love to somehow find out, say, where his parents involved who. Who did this, you know, who. You sign a contract and who even started that. How's that start? And what. What's it like when you go back in that locker room? But I think, Mark, I hate to, you know, I'm so old schooled about that. You know, the loyalty to your teammates and all that. I don't know how you come back, but I think it's a much different era. I think they'd love to have him back and they're willing to move on quickly. I don't know. It's one of the worst things I read.

[Rob Stone]

And we know people move on in this day and age quickly. Right. There'll be a time, there'll be an ugly little stretch, but he needs to go to that locker room.

[Mark Ingram]

What do you say?

[Urban Meyer]

Inform me, though.

[Rob Stone]

I bet.

[Urban Meyer]

Inform me, though. So they said that. That he has to earn his way back. Like, they welcomed him back. Like, inform me exactly.

[Mark Ingram]

What? No, they did say the word earn again.

[Rob Stone]

Again. Words matter, right? So earning your way back. I think that's Coach. Talk of saying, hey, you need to.

[Mark Ingram]

Get in there and start to win. The bat repair, it was pretty tough.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah. Which he does. That's.

[Mark Ingram]

I think in this day and age, it repairs quickly. There was a time where. There was a time where I don't think it could be repaired.

[Rob Stone]

They'll be fine by February is my guess.

[Mark Ingram]

Might be fine by next week.

[Urban Meyer]

Yo, man, this is crazy, right?

[Rob Stone]

If. If it takes that long.

[Urban Meyer]

I'm trying to deal with you, Coach. Then I'm like, wait, no, I'm cold feet. I'm gonna go to lsu. But wait, no, y' all ain't gonna let me. Cause I got the deal. Oh, can I come back? Y' all gonna take me back?

[Rob Stone]

We're a team, man. The three of us. We're a team. We're the triple option team. We're going nowhere. Going nowhere.

[Urban Meyer]

Fast to the end.

[Rob Stone]

Going nowhere. Fast. All right, so all this nil talk got us chatting with our three and out this week. What three former players would have absolutely crushed it in this nil era.

[Urban Meyer]

Mark your big three, excluding your boy, the first Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama.

[Mark Ingram]

Hell yeah. Go with it.

[Rob Stone]

Can't vote for yourself.

[Urban Meyer]

Excluding myself, the first Heisman trophy winner at the University of Alabama. Excluding myself. I gotta go with Reggie Bush. Would have just been. Yeah, he would have killed it. You talking about the one of the best college football players ever in the history of the game in la. The man already had it. So if he could have been had the money, he would have triple, quadruple, five times had it. So I got to go Reggie Bush and then I got to go take it to my boy Scam Newton. You think that dude he played for coach down there in Florida. He, he what he did at Auburn, taking them undefeated. The, the, the personality that he had, the player he was. If he would have went to the portal, he would have commanded $10 million. You know what I mean? So nil. I'm gonna go Reggie Bush. I'm gonna go Scam Newton and then I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Johnny Football. I'm gonna go Johnny Manziel at a M. That year he had and he won the Heisman. He had to come back another year. His nil funds would have been off the charts. And I wouldn't dive into coaches list, but I know he got one that would have made that heavy pay. But that's my three.

[Rob Stone]

All right, Coach. Your big three former players that would have cashed in in this nil era. And I bet you're gonna.

[Mark Ingram]

I'm gonna focus on former players. Like you said. Number one is Tim would have set the record for 100% the, the amount of money that he earned. You know, Tim is such a. Probably gave it most away to charity and his foundation, but Tim would have been by far number one. I'm gonna throw a name at you. Number two, because I witnessed it. And Columbus, Ohio is so nuts about their, their players. I'm gonna throw car Dale Jones out there. He would have broke the bank big time. And my third one, I was going to be between Braxton Miller and Zeke. I will say Zeke Elliott just again because he won a national title and I saw what happened when, when he did. So those are my three Tebow, Cardell, Jones and Zeke.

[Rob Stone]

All great ones. I, I am committed to naming somebody you guys have not named already. You wait. So you wait. That's how I do it.

[Urban Meyer]

Do what you do.

[Rob Stone]

Here we go. So number one, I'm. I'm going back with my first couple picks.

[Urban Meyer]

Bo Jackson type of money back then that they do.

[Rob Stone]

Well, he would have had nil money for baseball and football. Right? Incredible numbers. Just. Just.

[Urban Meyer]

You got to say, Dion, bring me the check.

[Rob Stone]

Deion Sanders in there as well. You're playing my game, Mark. This is perfect.

[Urban Meyer]

Brian Ellsworth. Now you gotta say Charlie Ward.

[Rob Stone]

Charlie Ward. How about Keyshawn Johnson? Keshawn Johnson in Southern Cal would have cleaned up Randy Moss even though he was playing at Marshall. Randy Moss was a. Randy Moss would.

[Urban Meyer]

Have been in the portal when he was one of the mother teams would have gave him 17 million.

[Rob Stone]

He would have been in the portal like every other week. Every other week somebody be knocking on his door. Let's keep playing this. Warren Sapp would have cleaned up. Trevor Lawrence, Michael Vick. Vy.

[Urban Meyer]

Oh, Vince Young, incredible. Ricky Williams.

[Rob Stone]

Right, Ricky? I mean, we could go on and on. This is crazy, but I. I think I agree with you. I think Reggie Bush would have been number one on an elite.

[Urban Meyer]

You know what I mean? What you was watching. You know what I mean?

[Rob Stone]

For sure. Yeah, I. I think that's. That's fair to say. So regardless. And we didn't even give Matt. Maddie Ice would have done just fine. Maddie, listen. Matt. Matt did all right in hot tubs.

[Urban Meyer]

Brady would have killed him.

[Rob Stone]

Nice little hot tub deal.

[Mark Ingram]

Go.

[Urban Meyer]

Hey, Grayson.

[Rob Stone]

We could do this all day. We could do this all day. Time now for Two Minute Drill brought to you by FanDuel. Visit FanDuel.com triple option to download the app and take advantage of a 50% profit boost today. All right. College football playoff championship game in Miami on Monday. Number one, Indiana. Number 10, Miami. Hoosiers.

[Urban Meyer]

Who?

[Kyle Whittingham]

Who?

[Rob Stone]

Hoosiers favored by seven and a half. By the way, I love what Coach Signetti does that. Every time he's given a live microphone in the stadium, he. He barks out the Hoosier chant to his fans. So.

[Urban Meyer]

Hoosiers.

[Rob Stone]

Hoosiers. And then he walks away. Then he walks away. That's like his. His. Good night, everybody. Tip of the cap. Hoosiers favored by seven and a half over under Mark, which I know intrigues you. 48 and a half. How do you see it, Mark?

[Urban Meyer]

Listen, man, I'm excited to watch this game, dog, because we already talked about it. You got Indiana, who has maxed out their potential. They are playing lights out offensively. Fernando Mendoza, the way he commands the offense, he had more touchdowns than incompletions we already said that he, the way he is processing the game, the way he is putting his team in position to wins, the way he's using his legs when he needs to, this team is going to be tough to beat. Defensively they play extremely disciplined. They stop the run, they get after the passer, the their second door, their secondary can go. You talk about a secondary who can play ball, who's on the same page, they can go. I think this Indiana team I think is they're the best team in college right now. They're the best team in college right now. But Miami, how they play the game, they run the football, they have a tough offensive line, they protect the quarterback, they have a defensive line who can get after the quarterback. So Fernando Mendoza, is Akeem Messador going to be healthy? Ruben Bang Jr. We know how he gets after the quarterback. Got two interior D linemen. This team right here, they had little nick ups in the secondary but right now I think I'm going to take the points. I'm going to take the 7 1/2 points. Indiana has been stomping the dog pissed out of everybody they've played in the playoff but I'm going to take the seven and a half points. I think this is going to be a closer game than we think. I do think Indiana wins the game but I am going to take those seven and a half points that they giving me and I'm going to bet with Miami Hurricanes to take the points. So I'm going to take the points. I think Indiana is going to win outright but I do think Miami is going to play this game tough and closer than everybody thinks and that's why I'm taking the points.

[Rob Stone]

Coach, what's it like managing a team that week leading into a national championship game?

[Mark Ingram]

Yeah, we did it three times and it's, it's, it's an out of body experience because you think of all the, you try to, you try to focus on. I remember staring at my game plan sheet and staring at practice schedules because everything else is overwhelming and as a coach that's all you wanted to. And I would try to protect my players from all the media and all the, you know, I've never obviously been to super bowl and I don't think Marky won either because they say it's just insanity. But those are grown ass men. I was always worried about the young kids, the young guys that were in it because it is, it's college football, Super Bowl, I'm going to go, I go back and forth on this. But I witnessed what I witnessed. I'm going to. I'm going to say Indiana will cover at the end. I think Miami is going to play their ass off. This is. I'd go under two. They're not going to. It's going to be a low scoring game.

[Urban Meyer]

Yeah.

[Mark Ingram]

And unless Miami makes some mistakes like they made last week, this. They're going to be right there at the end of the game. But I think. I think Indiana wins by 9, 8, 9. I think Vegas is right on the point spread. But I think Miami plays their ass off at home.

[Urban Meyer]

What you got, Stoner?

[Rob Stone]

Walk off. Field goal. Walk off.

[Urban Meyer]

Taking the points.

[Rob Stone]

24, 21 Indiana.

[Urban Meyer]

That's what I got the under. I got the under and I'm taking the points.

[Rob Stone]

We've seen some amazing field goal kicking and players handling.

[Mark Ingram]

Carson Beck, take care of that ball.

[Urban Meyer]

It depends on what games you've been watching.

[Rob Stone]

Carson back.

[Mark Ingram]

Take care of that ball, man.

[Urban Meyer]

Well, because if you watch the packers, you're.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I did not. I did not watch the Packers. Extra point in field goals. Yes. I know. I've been watching college football. That's my focus, man.

[Urban Meyer]

College football.

[Rob Stone]

But guess what? We love college football.

[Urban Meyer]

We love football. So we do. I watch a flag football Friday night. You know what I mean?

[Mark Ingram]

I.

[Rob Stone]

You.

[Mark Ingram]

All right.

[Rob Stone]

So all three of us have Indiana winning their first national.

[Urban Meyer]

Me and you took the points.

[Rob Stone]

Yeah.

[Urban Meyer]

And coaches land.

[Rob Stone]

That always scares me when so many people are pushing in that direction because what Miami's been able to do is a 10C. They've surprised a lot of people already.

[Urban Meyer]

But guess what, Stone? They're home. But they in the away locker room. How that's going. How you like those apples?

[Rob Stone]

We'll see how much of a road team they really are. We'll see. There's going to be a whole lot of crimson and cream in south Florida. Make sure to follow. Subscribe rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. We are on social media. You can find us at 3X Options Show. We love our sponsors, FanDuel, Wendy's. Thank you and enjoy the national championship game and we will see you right after we crown our next college football national champion.