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The Triple Option
National Champion Head Coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes Ryan Day and USA v Canada Hockey Reaction
00:47:26
National Champion Head Coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes Ryan Day and USA v Canada Hockey Reaction
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- [00:00]
Rob Stone
I'm sorry, coach. I'm doing this. I got a prop for you here. Because there is only one team in hockey that matters. You see this logo, don't you? Can you see it?
- [00:09]
Urban Meyer
I do.
- [00:09]
Rob Stone
My beloved Hartford Whalers that were taken from us far too soon. There's only one song. Brass Bonanza, baby. The music means we're back. Welcome to the Triple option presented by Wendy's. Go to Wendy's and taste the difference in a hamburger. As always, thanks for joining us. Remember to rate, subscribe at Apple Podcast, Spotify wherever you find your podcast as well as across social media at 3X Option Show. Get new episodes every Wednesday on YouTube. Next week, Nebraska head coach Matt Rule joins us. Hockey this week makes its debut on the triple option. I've got a special sweater for coach or a jersey as we say in normal lingo. But we begin at the top of the college football food chain. Last week, coach and Mark Ingram chatted with national championship winning head coach Ryan Day. After that season in which the Buckeyes member ended the regular season with that stunning home loss to their rivals Michigan and then went on one of the most impressive four game runs in the history of college football. They took down number seven Tennessee, number one Oregon, third ranked Texas, and then finally number five, Notre Dame to win it all. And those wins are our fresh moves of the week brought to you by Wendy's. Go to Wendy's and taste the difference in a hamburger. So want to make a quick note before this interview happens? It was conducted before Matt Patricia was named the new defensive coordinator of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Here now, coach Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram and coach Ryan Day.
- [01:52]
Urban Meyer
Welcome back to the Triple option presented by Wendy's. It's my honor to welcome the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 202425 CFP National Champion, Ryan Day. You had about a month to sink it in, bro.
- [02:08]
Mark Ingram
So congratulations, coach.
- [02:10]
Urban Meyer
Real, real quick though. The cool thing is once you win a national championship, all problems go away. There will be none. None. Mark, you won one, I won a couple. And. And Ryan, it's over. You don't have to. No more problems.
- [02:22]
Mark Ingram
No more problems.
- [02:23]
Ryan Day
It literally lasted until the confetti hit the ground and then it's on.
- [02:29]
Urban Meyer
Well, thanks for, thanks for joining us. And I'm gonna hit you with a couple things and this is really cool to be able to do this with you, a guy that I love and I love your family and congrats. So people have asked me, so I'm gonna ask you There. There was a moment in the First 1 in 06 when Percy Harvin caught the screen pad. I mean, everybody. I was ripping everybody on the sideline. Everybody's, you know, because we're. We were up pretty good. And, you know, we don't. You know, I just kept thinking, not over till it's over. And Percy Harvin caught a bubble screen. He got the first down. I remember watching the official. They measured it, and he goes, first down. I look at the clock and I said, this sucker is over. And it's like, yep, it flushed me. Did you have that moment during the game?
- [03:15]
Ryan Day
I. I had two moments. I think the first moment was when in. In the Texas game on that fourth down when. When Jack had that sack and the ball bounced right up to him. That ball hadn't bounced that way in previous games, like, you know, in those moments for us. And when it bounced right up into him and he started running, it wasn't. Then. It was when I looked back to make sure there was no flags on the ground, and I said, you know what? I think we're gonna win the national championship. Because that. That. That ball just hadn't bounced for us. As, you know, you know, the Georgia game and the Clemson game, and just. And so there was that moment. And then in the Notre Dame game in the national championship, there. There was a moment where I was doing that we were up 31 to 7. And I'm doing the math on this saying. And as you know, when you get to that moment, you're like, okay, like, we just. Like, we got this game. We just have to eat up clock. We have to run the ball, and there's no way that they can win the game. Well, we. We called, you know, a reverse to a Mecca. And I. I mean, a Mecca is one of my favorite players of all time. And I just said, no, come back with that ball, and you hand the ball to the official, and somehow the ball got punched out. And I said to myself, oh, my gosh, like, now this thing's in the balance. And. And so then. Now. Now it's. Now it's panic mode. And, you know, we call the. The shot to Jeremiah. He catches it. But it wasn't then. It wasn't even, you know, after we kicked the field goal, it was, you know, when they ran that first down play and the clock kept running, and I finally just took the headset and said, get off of me.
- [04:49]
Mark Ingram
I love that, man. That's great. But, Coach, you know, you've had a lot of success at Ohio State, we know that's a high pressure job. A lot of wins, a lot of championships. What was it like taking over that program after Coach Meyer and like, how did he help you in that transition?
- [05:08]
Ryan Day
Yeah, I mean, it was, it was such a blessing to, you know, be able to, as a first time head coach, you know, step into a situation where there were so many things in place for us and what coach, you know, had. And, and first off, like, the first two years that I was there, it was like being an apprentice and, you know, I was learning from the best in the business. And I say this all the time, where do you learn to become a head coach? You go to med school to become a doctor, you go to law school to become a lawyer. Where do you, where do you learn to be a coach, become a coach, especially at Ohio State, because it's not like any other job in a country. And so to learn on a daily basis how that looked, you know, the ups, the downs, everything that comes with it, and then learning how to put it all together and the decisions on staff and recruiting and just all those things. And so when, when that all happened, you know, at the Rose bowl, you know, there was, there's a lot of emotion there. There was, you know, you're grateful for the opportunity, but you're also like, man, how am I going to step in these shoes?
- [06:09]
Mark Ingram
Right?
- [06:10]
Ryan Day
But, you know, you can't worry about those things. And you know, you talk about Mick Moratti and Mark Pantoni and all the pieces that are still here, but along the way, you know, you have to find your own voice, right? You know, you're talking about a Hall of Fame coach that you're coming behind. And so, you know, it was, you know, along the years, you learn a lot about yourself, you learn a lot about the position, you learn a lot about coaching, and you try to get as much advice as you can and you try to be yourself and. But was obviously, you know, very fortunate to learn from the best and, and have a situation where, you know, you make the transition with a lot of pieces in place.
- [06:47]
Urban Meyer
Let's talk for a quick minute about this. You mentioned the staff, and you've lost two coordinators and I think a line coach. And that's one of the things that really haunted me is that when, when players are fluid, you're going to lose good players. That's just the. What happens. And I started that system. I'm not sure if you still do it. The one through five where I would meet with Gene Smith every year and Said, these are my fives. Ryan Day's a five. You know, Greg Shiano is a five. Dan Mullen, you know, you know what a five is. We're not losing a five. You got to pay. You know, that's just Annie up and we got to do. We got to do the fours you'd like to keep. The threes are transitory. You know, whatever happens, happens. So a guy goes to Penn State and a guy goes to the NFL as a coordinator, and then I think Justin went to go to the NFL. Justin.
- [07:40]
Ryan Day
Justin went to the Arizona Cardinals. Yep.
- [07:42]
Rob Stone
So.
- [07:42]
Urban Meyer
So here you are, you know, regrouping and all that. Talk to us about, first of all, the process, how those things happen. You don't have to go too deep and then how you move forward.
- [07:53]
Ryan Day
Yeah, well, I think maybe it was Belichick or somebody said their champagne problems, you know, and when you win one, there's a lot that comes with that. And I think for us, because we ended the season so much later than almost everybody in the country, you know, so many stabs were set. You know, we missed a couple weeks of recruiting. You think about that Tennessee game was played on December 21st. We ended the season on January 20th. So that's a whole. That's different. I think that's significant. And so after, after, you know, the confetti falls and you know, there's going to be things like this that come up to your point, like there's going to be opportunity for guys and. But, you know, we have a core in place here that, to your point, you know, we want to make sure that there's consistency in all three phases and you know, when you talk about, you know, our offense and what Brian Hartline has done in recruiting and, you know, he was the coordinator and then Chip came in and then, you know, now he's the coordinator. You know, this is a guy who's paid his dues here. You know, he didn't just jump to the next job. He learned and grew and got better with every year. And I think his, you know, receiver play is the best there is in the country. And so, you know, you get guys like Keenan Bailey and different people within the program that, you know, you just want to work, work with. And then on defense, it's the same thing. You know, Tim Walton, Macareri, James Laurinaitis, Larry Johnson, I mean, they were integral parts of the day to day operation. And so we want to make sure that there's consistency in those things and we're not going to change. You know, the Ohio State defense is the Ohio State defense. The, you know, the Ohio State offense is the Ohio State offense. And we want to make sure that we bring folks in that, embrace that. And those are big decisions, as you know. I mean, these are the decisions that, you know, make or break where you're at. And it's the same thing with special teams.
- [09:46]
Mark Ingram
Coach. One thing I admire about you guys all season long was that when something didn't go as planned, you guys learned from it, bounced back from it, and got better from it. I mean, that comes from the head, man, and it trickles down. So that's one thing I admired the most. And I say, you probably don't say this, and nobody in Columbus says this, but I say the best thing that happened to Ohio State was losing that game versus Michigan. Because I felt like, you guys, I. I felt like it banded y'all together. I felt like y'all came out with a vengeance, with a sense of urgency, and y'all had an epic national championship title run. What was said after that loss in the game, in the locker room, that kind of galvanized this team together to get the mind set moving forward to go winning national championships like you guys did.
- [10:34]
Ryan Day
Yeah, when. When. When you don't win that game, you don't just wake up the next day and move on. I mean, literally, there's. There's like a mourning, you know, phase and grieving phase you have to go through. It's just the way it is, man. And there's a lot that comes with that, and you have to take a step back and let the emotion clear. And. And what we did was, you know, first off, we got everybody together, because at that point, there's narratives being thrown out everywhere. There's all types of things that are going on, and talking about players, talking about coaches, you know, what's going to happen, a guy's going to get fired, you know, who made mistakes in this area and who's to blame. And so the first thing you gotta do is bring everybody together to make sure that you set the narrative for what it is, the truth. And the truth is there were certain things that were done in that game that, you know, cost us to lose the game. And so we brought everybody together and identified what those things were. And guys have to take accountability. And there was. There was, you know, guys challenging each other. There was conflict. There was, you know, groups going at each other. But. But at the end of the meeting, you know, it was guys walking arm and arm outside the room because we talked about, here are the things that we're going to do to get these things fixed, because, you know, as players, they want to see their leader. Like, all right, so what are the answers? You know, what are we going to. What do we do wrong? What are we going to do to get this fixed? And then there was a bunch of dudes who stood up and said, man, like, do you still believe that we can win the national championship? Because if you don't, like, get out of this room, because we all believe. And so that was really the genesis of the conversation. And then we put that plan together, and then you put one practice in front of another, you know, you can't solve that. That problem. Two weeks, you know, before the Tennessee game, you just got to go back to work. And the biggest thing that I kept thinking about is, you know what? Bill Parcells just. They just coach the team, man. Like, just keep coaching the team. Don't worry about all the other things, and trust in the coaches and the players that are with you, and that's it. And I also told them that it was an opportunity to write one of the best stories in the history of college football. As hard as that was, you got the pen and you can do it. And. And they believed in it. And then once we got that Tennessee game going, we got some momentum. It went from there.
- [12:35]
Mark Ingram
Y'all did that, coach, for sure.
- [12:37]
Urban Meyer
You know, when you. When you win a championship or really the. The profession we chose, you seek counsel. You know, you want to run the spread offense, let's go visit the West Coast. We want to run the 4, 3, verse 3, 4. There's people to go visit, and you seek advice. All of a sudden you're. You're now dealing with expectations. And there's very few that sit. Sit in the chair that say 134 teams. There's one that lifts that trophy. At the end of the year, Mack Brown was my guy. You know, he was a guy that. I felt the weight of the world year after year, week, day after day of. If that doesn't look like a national championship, it ate me alive because I knew that was. That's it. Anything other than that, we screwed it up. Have you thought about that yet? Is it starting to hit you that, you know, when you walk in the weight room or you're looking at your players, you're looking at your staff, you listen to them say, damn, this just doesn't. You know, this is not the level. And then where do you seek that counsel? So two questions have. Does that hit you at the expectations and then where do you seek that advice?
- [13:42]
Ryan Day
Yeah. Yeah. So in the profession, you know, it's. It's guys that you've coached with, but. But also, like, you know, you know, we've had these conversations. Jim Trestle and even Coach Cooper, you know, just about, you know, living in this. This world and coaching at this place, because nobody really understands this place. And you. You've been here and coached here. And so, you know, certainly, you know, in the football world, that that's important also for me. Like, I. I have become really close with a guy by the name of Clint Bruce, who, you know, is in the Navy SEALs, and he's been, you know, really good for me and just, you know, the process and understanding what it means to be a leader. And, you know, the soldiers are, like, doing all the fighting. It's your job as a head coach and as a leader, as a captain to, like, look around along the horizon and figure out what's coming next. And there's just so many parallels to the military and to. To coaching that, you know, he and I would share a lot of conversations. And just by chance, we played down in Dallas, like, where he's stationed is like, five minutes from our hotel, and he just came over and gave our team an unbelievable talk about just how when they go to a certain hotspot, you know, in. In Afghanistan or different places, and they set up shop and they got a few days to kind of get, you know, regulated with the area, and then they create a storm, you know, wreck and then leave. And, like, that was. That was what we were doing, you know, and it was really cool. And so just trying to find as many people who live in this. This world, like, you're talking about of, like, being in the top 1% of 1%, you know, nobody. If you're not chasing that elite 1% of 1%, you don't quite understand what it takes on a daily basis and what comes with it. So try to find as many of those people in my life as possible. And then, like you said, yeah, the expectation, it comes from the players. And one of the things that we've done is, you know, we create this leadership committee that we vote on before spring ball, and then we revote on it after spring ball, and we let. We write the expectations up on the board. And Mick and I go through it with the leadership committee, and if they don't agree with it, like, we change it, we work through it, but they have to agree with it. And usually, like, they're the ones that want it harder so, like, if somebody's late and there's dawn patrol, like they get thrown out of the locker room, well, they want them thrown out for like two weeks. But as long as they're all on board with that and they're the ones that decide on that, then they take accountability, they take ownership. And the rest of the guys on the team, you know, they, they know that this was decided by the leadership committee and so that, that part of it is critical. Now we're going from winning one to now having to repeat and I know and I've, you know, done a lot of research on this on how we have to rebuy it a big, big time level and make sure that, you know, no one's taking a deep breath.
- [16:20]
Rob Stone
Coming up, more of our conversation with Coach Day with Urban and Mark, including the importance of mental health for his players and why the Columbus community is so important to him. That's coming up next on the triple option presented by Wendy's. When it comes to making the best hamburgers around, the basics matter. And Wendy's, well, they've really got those burger basics on lock and boy, does it show.
- [16:49]
Mark Ingram
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- [17:04]
Urban Meyer
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- [17:13]
Mark Ingram
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- [17:24]
Rob Stone
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- [18:34]
Ryan Day
At New Balance, we believe if you run, you're a runner, however you choose to do it. Because when you're not worried about doing.
- [18:43]
Urban Meyer
Things the right way, you're free to discover your way.
- [18:53]
Ryan Day
And that's what running's all about. Run your way.
- [18:56]
Urban Meyer
@Newbalance.Com Running.
- [19:01]
Mark Ingram
Coach, you talked about the leadership group that you have. Clearly you have a tremendous amount of leadership on your team and that's going to be leading. And you just signed, you just, you just signed a much deserved extension after winning the national championship. And I see right away you made a million dollar donation to the mental health programs at the Ohio State University Medical Center. Why is that important to you and what do you do to help support your players at place that stresses at an extremely high level to be able to perform? And how do you, how do you support them mentally throughout the process?
- [19:34]
Ryan Day
Well, Columbus in Ohio State is just known for philanthropy and the charities and you know, whether it's the cancer research hospital or children's hospital downtown, I mean, you know, you just kind of get indoctrinated into that here. And you know, I think it's important as the head coach to be a leader in that area and just to, you know, make sure that we're doing our part and giving back to, you know, all those who do so much for us. We have the best fan base in America and so we want to make sure we're giving back. And it's also a great example for our players to see how important it is because nowadays, you know, Nil's involved, you know, now guys are, you know, fans have to travel across the country to these playoff games. And so we just want to make sure that, you know, they understand how much we appreciate them. And I think it's a big part of giving back. And, you know, the mental health thing has always been, you know, important to me based on the way that I grew up and some of the things that, you know, I experienced growing up. So through Nationwide children, through osu, I think Columbus is, is the leader in the country in the mental health space. And I think it's good for our, for, you know, Buckeye Nation, for Columbus, for Ohio to see, you know, guys who are at the Biggest, you know, stage there. There is where they say, big, strong guys who are still willing to say, hey, man, like, yeah, I'm struggling today. I need a little help. But just like I do if I, you know, sprain my ankle.
- [20:53]
Urban Meyer
Let's move to the cfp. The first of all, the experience. What would you change? And then the, you know, if there's a critique, you know, I hear a, you know, the Indiana, the smu, and, what was it, Boise? The seating, and then, you know, do they get the same swing at the prize as a team that's playing, you know, a much more difficult schedule and conference? So, first of all, on the experience, what would you change? And then kind of talk about just do the. You know, do those guys deserve the same shot that a team that plays in the SEC or Big Tech?
- [21:26]
Ryan Day
Right. I think, first off, the experience is something we really got to learn from. You know, I think that the player experience can be much better. I think that the focus needs to be on the players, and I think we need to look at a lot of it because, you know, the national championship is not run by a bowl. The other ones are, but. But even the ones that are run by a bull. As you guys remember, there used to be events. There was a lot that came with that. Now that's no longer the case. It's just like being on a road game, except you're there a day earlier, but there's no events. Like, nobody going on any events. Nobody's leaving the hotel. I think that, you know, we need to consider moving the hotels outside of these big cities because we're not going to these events anymore. So I think being a little bit more secluded and looking at some of those locations is just better for everybody, especially for the players again. And I think that, you know, we need to pour into the players. I mean, these are the guys that are doing the work. So I think that we need, you know, the best food there is that could possibly be served to these guys. I think it should be the best conditions. I think we should try to find as many momentos for these guys that possibly can be done. Just little things that money can't buy, but it stays with them forever. And then. And then, in terms of the seating, I think it was clear this year that the, you know, the. The automatic buys, you know, were a little out of whack. You know, when you see kind of how it all shook out, I think they need to rethink that. I understand, you know, why in the first year, it was done that way, but yeah, I just, I think that, you know, if, if you're, if you win your conference, sure, you should get in.
- [23:09]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [23:09]
Ryan Day
That you get a buy. I think that's, that's a little much.
- [23:13]
Mark Ingram
It should go to the top four seeds.
- [23:15]
Ryan Day
That's right. And just, and rank those guys from there.
- [23:18]
Mark Ingram
Yes. All right, coach, you've done a great job. You're a former quarterback coach, you've done a great job of developing quarterbacks that you've recruited. You've also been able to identify, you know, quarterbacks coming in, in the transfer portal like Will Howard did. How do you balance developing quarterbacks while also keeping an eye on, like in the transfer portal as well?
- [23:40]
Ryan Day
Yeah, it's, it's, it's a great question. When you look at the quarterbacks who have had success in the last five years, I mean, there's a lot of them that have been older guys who have transferred from schools. Because I'd like to hear and tell you that, you know, transferring from schools isn't the right thing to do and you know, it's not going to help in your development. But, you know, the numbers tell you differently. A lot of these guys have found different places. You know, Will Howard's a great example of that, you know, and, but, you know, so was Penix and Bo Nix. And you start going through the list. There's a lot of them now. I, I believe in, in bringing in, you know, quarterbacks and developing them into your, your offense and keeping them for, for multiple years. CJ Stroud and Justin Fields, you know, both went to the NFL after three years.
- [24:30]
Mark Ingram
Right.
- [24:31]
Ryan Day
And so that was tough because you're playing against guys who are fourth and fifth year seniors, 22 and 23 years old, and that matters at quarterback.
- [24:38]
Mark Ingram
Yes.
- [24:39]
Ryan Day
So it's this balance that we're constantly trying to figure out of developing your own and having somebody there for multiple years, but also having somebody mature enough to be able to sustain a whole season and play at a high level.
- [24:51]
Mark Ingram
Thank.
- [24:51]
Urban Meyer
You know, you cracked me up and when you said, you know, about the player centric on those trips and I mean, they're getting paid now, so it's a little bit different. But back in the day I got so pissed off. We're playing Alabama and I look out, I, you know, I just look out the plane, I see who's coming on the plane and there's a majority of. I have no idea what they do. No. And I mean, all of a sudden I see their kids and every. Which is fine. I mean, that's none of my business, but that's. And then I remember talking to hiremen or talking to some of our players that just put in, they did not get a day off. There was no day off from July. You know, remember, we used to go away for the summer. Now there's no days off. I went through the calendar with their players one time. The only time they. I gave them a week off or spring break, that was it, when they're really off. And so we play Alabama. And I remember I'm walking up to the podium and I'm thinking about the majority of families can't afford to go to a Big Ten championship game, to a playoff game, a national championship game. They can't afford that yet. I'm seeing the assistant AD to the assistant AD to the assistant ad, the assistant to the conference commissioner to the assistant. You know. You know the point I'm getting to, right? I do all these people, and I'm looking at my boys over there. Their freaking parents and uncle or sister can't go to the game.
- [26:12]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [26:13]
Urban Meyer
And I walked up on the podium, and for 10 minutes, they kept asking questions. I said, oh, we got to change this. And they did. They change. They gave, I think, 2500 bucks for a fan, which is still not enough. Yeah, but I think that's a great point. I think that's your job. You know, I'm not preaching to you, but you got to push that, man. I mean, you got to put. It's got to be reasonable, but the player and their family has got to be number one. And then let's kind of start filling in the blanks after that.
- [26:38]
Ryan Day
That's it. Yeah, I totally agree. And I felt like while we were going through it, once the dust settled, that, like, you know, situations like this was an opportunity for me to speak up and to say that, no, I think we need to do better. And over the next few months, you know, for those who went through the different. The different games, you know, I think the way that we've historically done it, it's great. It's fine. But we need to really do a better job, because, like you said, the most important people here are the players. And I think it's easy sometimes, unless someone's advocating for them to forget about that, and they deserve the best of the best. And so, yeah, to your point, we got to make sure we're constantly ringing that bell.
- [27:15]
Urban Meyer
All right. As we close up, we're one and one in tennis. I'm never going to play again because I'm older. You're getting younger and have we played golf? We played golf, I think. Right? Can I kick your ass in golf?
- [27:26]
Ryan Day
No.
- [27:27]
Mark Ingram
He's a sandbagger anyway. Coach. I know.
- [27:29]
Urban Meyer
No tennis. Ryan's like, he's a country club dude, man. He was. He's got like a real tennis swing.
- [27:36]
Ryan Day
Although I will kick your ass. Give me another month, I'll get going. And what Either I say tennis and then we play golf and then we'll have to figure out a third one to break tie. The, to break the tie.
- [27:48]
Mark Ingram
Bowling or ping pong or something.
- [27:50]
Urban Meyer
So you're playing. I didn't know you're playing golf much.
- [27:53]
Ryan Day
Not. But I think out there. Mirfield coach possibly play a big time course here in the next couple months. So I gotta get my game going.
- [28:01]
Urban Meyer
A little like the one down in Georgia.
- [28:03]
Ryan Day
Yeah, it looks like maybe there might be an opportunity. So I can't screw that one up.
- [28:06]
Urban Meyer
No.
- [28:07]
Mark Ingram
Coach Dave, before we let you go, man, on the, on the podcast we do one thing where we let the guest picks who they want to ask a question to. So we've been showering you and peppering you with questions for 27 minutes. Now's your time. If you want to throw one back at either one of us, man. It's your opportunity. Don't speak now. Forever hold your peace.
- [28:26]
Ryan Day
No, I, I caught me off guard. I think it's probably just for both of you guys is like as you guys watched this from your guys perspective this year because when we're in it and I said like we're like train rats. We just went from game to game to game and, and then, and then it's over. And like I don't even think it's, it's sunk in yet that we won the national championship. You know, I almost wanted to keep playing.
- [28:50]
Mark Ingram
Right.
- [28:50]
Ryan Day
But, but I guess from your guys perspective, as you watched the playoffs and you watched the season, what, what was probably the biggest thing that you guys saw in, in the last, you know, from November all the way to, to the last, to January. That was different this year than the last few years because I think, all right, we went through it all and now we're trying to adapt because spring ball for us might be different because we played 16 games. And so I guess just from your perspective as you guys covered these games, what did you notice significantly about this season as opposed to maybe the seasons in the past?
- [29:24]
Urban Meyer
I'll jump mark and then let you close up. So the first thing is that I think it was phenomenal. I think the fact that the Greatest players in the country kept playing.
- [29:32]
Mark Ingram
Yes.
- [29:33]
Urban Meyer
That would break my heart. Back in the day, the Mark Ingrams of the world, you know, these freaking phenomenal players would sit out the outback.
- [29:39]
Mark Ingram
Not me, coach, I didn't know.
- [29:42]
Urban Meyer
But I mean that, that just juiced in the first happened at the Cotton bowl when Jen Z award came out to me and his family said we're not going to play. I said, what do you mean? I'm going to play. So that number one and then the fact that you're still alive, you know that, that, that game at the end of the year that history used to say you're done. You got to eat that thing for 365. You don't anymore. Now you just rally up and keep going. The thing I am worried about, Ryan, is this, is that why would you dare play? You're open and I think with Texas next year. Why? Yeah, you know, other than, other than it's good for the game, it's great for the fans, it's good for the player. It's, it's good, good, good, good. Sure. But once again you're, you're evaluated on one thing. Not good. You're evaluated at the end of the season. So I'm worried that these teams play these just God awful schedules, horrific schedules.
- [30:33]
Mark Ingram
Somewhere in the playoffs and then, and.
- [30:35]
Urban Meyer
You'Re like, no one's talking about that. So there's got to be some kind of an analytics done to say, okay, this game is worth this.
- [30:43]
Ryan Day
Yep.
- [30:44]
Urban Meyer
So you play it. You know, Boise State, SMU can solve all those problems. They can go schedule the big dogs.
- [30:49]
Mark Ingram
Right.
- [30:50]
Urban Meyer
And go play four. You know, there'll be no more conversation about are they worthy. You know, same with maybe in Indiana, you know, which, I mean they all had great years. But go, go play Tennessee and, and you know, the Wolverines and, and whoever. Texas.
- [31:04]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [31:04]
Urban Meyer
And then so that, that, those are the two thoughts. Number one, I thought was fantastic. Number two, I just, I'm worried about the non conference games.
- [31:11]
Ryan Day
Yeah. Just to go back to that point and I think it's, it's, you know, we play nine conference games in, in the Big Ten. You know now when you add Texas, now you're talking about 10 real games on the schedule. Yes, like that, that's, that matters.
- [31:23]
Mark Ingram
Yes.
- [31:24]
Ryan Day
One less loss by somebody in the league and you know, the wear and tear, tear of the season as well. Go ahead.
- [31:31]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, but, but for me, coach, it was, I think that in the previous years when there was 14 playoff or the BCS were only two, you had teams that weren't fighting for anything towards the end of the year. I felt like there was. We, me and coach and everyone on the show, we talked about this, that there was probably in the last two, three weeks of the season, there was 20 teams, you know, that had life. You know what I mean? You talk about the Big 12 with Arizona State and BYU and Colorado. You talk about people in ACC. You had all these teams that still had hope, they still had a belief that they had a chance to get to the College Football Playoff and continue in the post season. So I think that was what was most exciting for me was that more teams had a belief, more teams had something to fight for towards the end of the year. So the games and the product that was being put on the field was, I thought, I thought it was really good. So I thought that was something that I noticed towards, like November, towards the end of the year, that there was just so many more teams that had something to fight for. There's something to believe in. I think that made a great product for us, you know, in the later stages of the season. So that's something that I really noticed.
- [32:41]
Ryan Day
I think the other thing that I felt was that this format allows your team to grow.
- [32:46]
Mark Ingram
Yes.
- [32:48]
Ryan Day
And you know, coach, you remember, like every game, like you lose this game, like your whole season's ruined.
- [32:53]
Mark Ingram
Yeah.
- [32:55]
Ryan Day
It's just, I mean, it's a hard way to live now. Try losing a game in Columbus, Ohio. I mean, the world's coming to an end. I get it. But like, you still allow your team to grow as the season goes on, looking to peak towards the end of the season. And I think overall it's just, it's a healthier approach even though there's a lot more games.
- [33:12]
Mark Ingram
Yeah, I agree.
- [33:14]
Urban Meyer
Well, thanks, brother. All the best to the day, family and great hanging with you, man.
- [33:18]
Ryan Day
Yeah, much love.
- [33:19]
Mark Ingram
Appreciate it, coach. We appreciate you, man. And good luck. Good luck, man. Keep going.
- [33:23]
Ryan Day
All right, thanks, lady.
- [33:28]
Unknown
I can say to my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, hey, find a keto friendly restaurant nearby and text it to Beth and Steve. And it does without me lifting a finger so I can get in more square anywhere I can. 1, 2, 3.
- [33:43]
Urban Meyer
Will that be cash or credit?
- [33:45]
Rob Stone
Credit.
- [33:45]
Ryan Day
4 Galaxy S25 Ultra, the AI companion that does the heavy lifting. So you can do you get yours@samsung.com compatible. Select Apps requires Google Gemini account. Results may vary based on input. Check responses for accuracy.
- [33:58]
Unknown
This episode is brought to you by Allstate. Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking Allstate First. Like, you know to check the date of the big game first before you accidentally buy tickets on your 20th wedding anniversary and have to spend the next 20 years of your marriage making up for it. Yeah, checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate Savings. Vary terms apply. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois.
- [34:28]
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- [35:00]
Rob Stone
The triple option presented by Wendy's Rob Stone. Urban Meyer here with you. Mark Ingram on assignment somewhere in Africa chasing down the big five. He's out on a safari. I cannot wait.
- [35:11]
Urban Meyer
I hope we get some pictures of that.
- [35:12]
Rob Stone
Oh, you. He's got it. He's got it. You know, we're going to dial him up here after this and we'll see if he's got something for us. It's time now for pick six, brought to you by our great partners at BetMGM. Now, each Wednesday throughout the season, we're going to pick a skater. Now, coach a skater. We're talking hockey that you think will light the lamp first in the game. If it's not your player but he scores the second goal of the game, you get your stake back. You only get that here with the sports book. Born in Vegas. These lines, as always, are subject to change. We're going to talk hockey right now. And it's amazing that hockey has seized the spotlight as of late. And I give him a ton of credit right now. The Four nations championship game between the U.S. and Canada the other night had not one, not two, three fights. Coach in the first nine seconds of the game. It was proper old school. Put on the foil. Hockey.
- [36:05]
Urban Meyer
You know what's great about hockey? And coming completely clean with you. For 50 years of my life, I couldn't spell hockey. I knew it was a game played on ice. That was about it. I moved to Columbus, Ohio. Mirfield. And there's three or four hype to Dubinski, Wisniewski, Scott Hartnell Jared Bowler. So I just became friends with these guys, and they're complete, absolute whack jobs.
- [36:31]
Rob Stone
In a good way. In a good.
- [36:33]
Urban Meyer
No, in a great way.
- [36:34]
Rob Stone
Yeah.
- [36:34]
Urban Meyer
And their families are awesome. And so I said, I got to go watch these guys. And I got invited to the owner's suite, Mr. McConnell, a couple times, and it's fantastic. And they went to the playoffs. They beat the Penguins on my. I met Mario Lemieux, which, by the way, is a 6 a giant. Usually hockey players aren't that big. But then I got invited down to the glass, and that changed my. For that point forward, I really can't watch hockey. I watch it, but I want to be on the glass. Rob, I'm telling you this. The toughest, most athletic guys in all sport might be hockey players. When I saw what they're doing on ice, you can't do that on. On firm ground. And to see that also this. Think about this, where NBA and NFL, they're all star games, you really can't watch. They're not really all star games anymore.
- [37:21]
Rob Stone
No defense, basketball, nobody cares.
- [37:23]
Urban Meyer
I can't watch that.
- [37:24]
Rob Stone
A bunch of buddies hanging out.
- [37:25]
Urban Meyer
Yeah. And also hockey makes a decision to do what they're doing, and then all of a sudden they boo the national anthem. And I'm a strong patriot. I love our country. And to see the guys. There's three fights, and I read about it. The one guy said, the other guys, we're throwing gloves right before they do the. The. They throw the. The puck in the face off. We're throwing gloves.
- [37:50]
Rob Stone
Yeah, you and me.
- [37:52]
Urban Meyer
They throw the gloves down. The two officials are standing there watching it. They beat the brakes off each other. I might add the American one or the USA guy was on top. And then they go to the penalty box three seconds later, Rob, what happens? They do it. Two other guys, his brother, drop them.
- [38:09]
Rob Stone
Let's go.
- [38:10]
Urban Meyer
The third time again, they haven't happened. So I'm a huge hockey fan. I'm a huge patriot. I believe in our country. And if someone booze our national anthem, they should get. Throw the gloves off. I have a flag out back. Someone's going to touch that flag. So I'm a big fan of hockey players of the sport. And I don't think they get the respect they deserve now.
- [38:32]
Rob Stone
100% and also some of the nicest human beings you'll ever work with in this business. When, when I was a cub reporter in Tampa, I would go to the Tampa Bay Light locker room and work with these guys. And they, they couldn't have been nicer. And you're right. These dudes grind. I mean, it's. They're not walking right. There's no, you know, breaks in action. It is full on.
- [38:52]
Urban Meyer
There's no floppy rob. There's no flop.
- [38:54]
Rob Stone
There's no. No. They're taking pucks to the face. They're like, oh, how many teeth did I lose? You know, whatever. Stitch it up. Put some. Put some gauze in there. Let's go.
- [39:02]
Urban Meyer
Now, the one thing you have to be aware of, you have a cocktail with a couple of them and they.
- [39:06]
Rob Stone
Go for a while, they will put you down. Yeah. You will not win that one if that's. Yeah, yeah. They're going to win a lot of mats. They're going to those. Those Matt contests go to the hockey guys. All right, so kudos to NHL, kudos to hockey overall for making the sport, I think, come into a lot of living rooms that, frankly, it probably wasn't in as of late. This four nations face off, it is an All Star game, right? They. They have national teams of US, Canada, Finland and Sweden replacing the NHL All Star game. Coach, can you remember an All Star game where there were fights ever, Right? Like, no defense.
- [39:39]
Urban Meyer
The last one.
- [39:40]
Rob Stone
Flag football.
- [39:41]
Urban Meyer
The Last one was 1970 when Pete Rose hit Ray Fosse. It took him out at home plate. Yes. That's the last time you saw that kind of action in an All Star game. God bless him, man.
- [39:55]
Rob Stone
It's awesome. So here we go, Coach. We're going to actually pick the final of the four nations championship. The United States versus Canada. The US Is favored by one and a half goals. The game in Boston. Who do you like, Coach?
- [40:12]
Urban Meyer
Oh, what are you talking about?
- [40:13]
Rob Stone
I know, I know. I know who you like.
- [40:15]
Urban Meyer
Yeah, I know. I like. I'm pro American and I'm pro hockey and I'm pro. What those guys did. So I hope someone boo. It's not in Canada.
- [40:26]
Rob Stone
They're not going to.
- [40:26]
Urban Meyer
Probably not going to boo the national anthem, but I hope someone does something that gets their hair up a little bit. But I'm going to USA all the way. What are we talking about?
- [40:34]
Rob Stone
US is injured. A lot of their stars were banged up and had to sit out their last game. But again, this goes back to that hockey mentality, right? If it's not broken, they're going to be out there on the ice. They're going to figure it out representing their country. That. That crowd in Boston is just like the one is going to be coming off. It's going to Be amazing. So I'm with you. I like the US By. By two in that one. All right. So right now, you can bet on future Stanley cup champions, Coach. And here we are, the rooting interest as it starts to build to the final stretch of the season. And we're going to talk about who you think is going to win the Stanley Cup. But number one. I'm sorry, Coach. I'm doing this. I got a prop for you here because there is only one team in hockey that matters, right?
- [41:23]
Urban Meyer
Wow.
- [41:23]
Rob Stone
Only one. Coach. You see this logo, don't you? Can you see it?
- [41:28]
Urban Meyer
I do.
- [41:29]
Rob Stone
I'm putting on my sweater of my beloved Hartford Whalers that were taken from us far, far too soon. And. And if you're. Yeah, here we go. If you're talking the Hartford Whalers, coach, there's only one song. Only one song. Oh, Brass Bonanza, baby.
- [41:50]
Urban Meyer
Wow.
- [41:52]
Rob Stone
Have you ever heard this song before? Greatest song ever.
- [41:54]
Urban Meyer
Hold on.
- [41:55]
Rob Stone
Here comes the kick. All right, that's it. That might. Legally, that might be all I'm allowed to play. Brass Bonanza, the greatest sporting song in the history of the world. Love you, Hartford Whalers. All right, so, unfortunately, my Whalers will never win a Stanley cup because they no longer exist. Who is your favorite right now, Coach? To win the Stanley Cup? I'll give you a couple favorites. Here's some of the best odds per bet. MGM. The Oilers at + 575. The team formerly known as the Hartford Whalers. The Carolina Hurricanes at plus 650. You can't say them, Coach. Sorry. Florida Panthers. Boy, Florida. The state of Florida has been so good at hockey lately. The Panthers at plus 850 and the Dallas Stars at plus 900. Who you like, Coach?
- [42:41]
Urban Meyer
Well, I'm a big Rain. Wayne Gretzky fan, and ever since him, I've been following the Oilers. I just, you know, if I don't get to watch them, I check their scores and I want to see and. It's been a while, man. It's been a drought. Last 1990 with the great One. And by the way, the Great One and his wife, Janet Jones, are great golfers.
- [42:57]
Rob Stone
Name droppers.
- [42:58]
Urban Meyer
And they're good people. Absolutely. She's more competitive than he is on the golf course, by the way. But I'm going to go with. The Edmonton Oilers are their favorite. They're led by Dry Sit Tall. He's the leading scorer in the league. And I'm going to Edmonton Oilers just because I just have visions of Wayne Gretzky. I know he wasn't with it with the team in 1990. But ever since Wayne Gretzky played, I've been following the Oilers.
- [43:25]
Rob Stone
Five time champs and as you mentioned, their last title came in 90. That was without Wayne Gretzky. He was in LA, the Oilers. This is fascinating to me, Coach, because hockey is, let's be honest, it's a Canadian sport, right? Without Canada, there, there really isn't. Isn't hockey. The Oilers trying to become the first Canadian team to win Lord Stanley's cup since 1993.
- [43:48]
Urban Meyer
That's when I read that. That was shocking.
- [43:50]
Rob Stone
Amazing. No idea. No idea. So, yeah, we love our friends to the north, Canada. We'd love to see them get a title. And you're right, those iconic colors, the blue and the orange of the Oilers, I mean, not as great as the blue and green of the Hartford Whalers. Coach, do you know what's beautiful about this logo? What do you see in the logo?
- [44:11]
Urban Meyer
Is that a whale?
- [44:13]
Rob Stone
Yes. So there you go. You got the tail for the Hartford. You got the whale tail and then the W for the whale.
- [44:18]
Urban Meyer
They're gone, man. They're the hurricane.
- [44:20]
Rob Stone
No, man, they live forever, baby. They live forever right here.
- [44:23]
Urban Meyer
Right here.
- [44:23]
Rob Stone
To me and my Connecticut residents, the Hartford Whalers Brass bonanza, baby. All right, tune in for our episode next week. What a guest we got. Coach Nebraska head coach Matt Rule joins us. It's going to be a great conversation with him. Make sure to follow. Subscribe rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast as well as across social media. You can find us at 3X Option Show. As always, thanks to our sponsors Wendy's and BetMGM. And let's go, big whale. All right.