Podcast Summary: The Triple Option

Episode Title: The Game, Lane Kiffin Drama, Michigan's Jake Butt Joins, CFP Rankings, Rivalry Week Picks
Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Urban Meyer (Coach), Mark Ingram II, Rob Stone
Special Guest: Jake Butt (Former Michigan TE)

Overview

This episode dives headfirst into the most compelling week of the college football season with deep analysis of the current playoff picture, ongoing coaching drama—especially Lane Kiffin’s future—and a robust rivalry week preview capped by a lively interview with former Michigan All-American tight end Jake Butt. The hosts blend inside-the-game perspectives and real locker room stories with fresh debate on rankings, coaching legacies, and the unique pressures players and coaches face during rivalry week.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. College Football Playoff (CFP) Rankings Breakdown

[00:17]–[13:41]

• Michigan's Position (No. 15): Discussion centers around the Wolverines' path to the playoff. The crew agrees a win over No. 1 Ohio State would launch them five or more spots, possibly into the playoffs.
  • Mark Ingram: “They put them there with the idea. If you beat Ohio State, you're going to jump five teams. … They win, they'll be the best one of the year of anybody.” [03:08, 08:38]
• Group of Six Automatic Bid: The hosts question whether a 24th-ranked team like Tulane deserves an auto-bid.
  • Mark Ingram: “I understand, but you're the 24th-ranked team. How do you automatically get in?” [09:50]
  • Rob Stone (on expansion): “I like 16. I think that seems like a safe, fair number, Mark. I think that's going to appease the big conferences.” [13:02]
• Miami, Alabama, and Playoff Fluctuations: Complex playoff scenarios are hashed out, touching on the potential for three-loss teams, the role of conference title games, and dangerous “precedents” being set.

Notable Quote:

Urban Meyer:
“I think their job is to just get the best in order.” [05:27]

2. Lane Kiffin Coaching Drama

[13:41]–[22:12]

• Speculation Heats Up: Lane Kiffin’s possible moves to LSU or Florida spark deep discussion about the college football coaching carousel, player exodus concerns, and the “circus” vibe around Kiffin.
  • Rob Stone: “If Lane wanted to solve it right now and say, I'm staying at Ole Miss, this would have been done.” [14:34]
• Moral Dilemma: Urban and Mark debate the impact on players and program should Lane leave Ole Miss during a playoff run.
  • Urban Meyer: “How do you walk into a team that's done everything they can? … That might haunt you.” [16:42]
  • Mark Ingram: “He's a wild card of wild cards, man. … I can't imagine being a player … and just knowing … our leader is out here, family, on recruiting trips to Gainesville and Baton Rouge.” [17:51]
• Predictions: Both Mark and Coach lean toward Kiffin landing at LSU, citing winning opportunity over money.

3. Rivalry Week & The Game: Ohio State-Michigan Preview with Jake Butt

[38:48]–[62:07]

The Rivalry’s Meaning

• Jake Butt on growing up in Columbus and playing for Michigan:
  “You're literally born into this rivalry. … It's the greatest rivalry in all sports.” [39:45, 40:31]
• Locker Room Culture: Detailed breakdowns of how both Ohio State and Michigan build year-round focus on this one game.
  • Jake Butt: “We ended every meeting with Beat Ohio. … After every lift … strength staff say, remember, they didn't want you.” [43:00]
  • Urban Meyer on his approach at OSU: “Took the game … 365 game. Clocks all over the facility. Practiced Team Up North days during training camp.” [42:08]

On-Field Matchup

• Where Each Team Stands:
  • Jake Butt: “Michigan's strength is at the line of scrimmage, but Ohio State … has taken major steps forward [on defense].” [47:26]
  • Blueprint for Michigan: Get after Ohio State’s QB Julian Sayan, force turnovers, and hope for a momentum-shifting special teams play. [55:13]
  • Urban Meyer: “If [OSU receivers] Jeremiah Smith [and] Carnell Tate play, they cover. If not, they won’t.” [73:26]

Culture Conversations & Harbaugh Stories

• Jim Harbaugh’s Leadership:
  Jake Butt details Coach Harbaugh's eccentric yet effective methods:
  • Four-hour practices (“He said you only get better at playing football by playing football.” [57:23])
  • Ranking players from best to worst at every stage (“You knew if you were the worst player on the team.” [58:49])
  • Nutritional quirks—banning chicken as “the nervous bird” [60:36–61:09]

Notable Quotes:

• Jake Butt (on rivalry legacy):
  “The first thing you're asked when you say, hey, I played … at Michigan or Ohio State: what was your record in the game?” [46:02]
• Coach Urban Meyer:
  “Took a garbage can … just everything blue went in the garbage … I wanted to make sure that was an absolute priority.” [42:08]
• Jake Butt (on Harbaugh):
  “He eats a ton of red meat and steak and drinks whole milk. … He tried to get chicken banned from training. ‘It's the nervous bird.’” [60:36, 61:06]

4. Rivalry Week and Schedule Softness: Dan Lanning’s Call-Out

[30:15]–[35:59]

• Dan Lanning (Oregon coach): Critiques schools for scheduling “Chattanooga State”–type cupcakes late in the year, implying SEC avoids tough November tests—but Mark Ingram defends the SEC’s tradition.
  • Dan Lanning: “We didn’t play Chattanooga State today—like some other places.” [30:15]
  • Mark Ingram: “Everyone else schedules them the first two and three weeks. … There is no comparison between Oregon's schedule and Alabama's schedule …” [31:19]
• Player Safety & Money: Urban adds context, noting risk for overmatched opponents (and how the “guarantee game” payout doesn’t protect those players).
  • Coach Meyer: “I always worry about player safety … I promise that three technique's not getting any of that money.” [33:44, 33:47]

5. Three and Out: Best Coaches in College Football Right Now

[63:11]–[68:41]

• Mark Ingram’s Top Coaches: Kirby Smart, Ryan Day; next tier includes Dan Lanning, Kurt Signetti, Kalen DeBoer.
• Urban Meyer’s Top Coaches: “Until you’re the man, you ain’t the man”—Ryan Day, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, with nods to Kiffin, Lanning, and up-and-comers.
  • Meyer: “It’s so hard to win a national title. … Until someone beats the man.” [64:38]
• Rob Stone’s Shoutouts: Applauds Clark Lee (Vanderbilt), Kurt Signetti (Indiana), coaches thriving without blue-chip recruits.

6. Rivalry Week Picks & Key Games Analysis

[68:41]–[76:23]

Georgia vs. Georgia Tech:

• Rob Stone: “It means more right now for the Bulldogs this weekend. I like the dogs to cover and I would say take the under as well.” [70:59]

Texas A&M vs. Texas:

• Mark Ingram: “I'm laying the points … I think the Aggies, it's their time this year.” [71:00]
• Rob Stone: “Can you even remember a time when an unbeaten SEC program … is getting as little attention as Texas A&M?” [72:12]

Ohio State at Michigan (The Game):

• Coach Meyer: “If [Smith and Tate] play, I think it's 2 score, 14, 15 plus game. If they don't, … it's going to be a little tighter. But the Buckeyes still win.” [73:26]
• On Bryce Underwood (Mich QB):
  • Rob Stone: “[With] the up and down and the inconsistency, I'm hoping in the game on Saturday, we see the best.” [75:17]
  • Mark Ingram: “If I'm a Michigan fan, the one thing I can't have is him turning the ball over and it's over.” [75:45]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “How do you walk into a team that’s done everything they can [and leave] … that might haunt you.”
  – Urban Meyer on Lane Kiffin drama [16:42]
• “It’s the nervous bird.”
  – Jake Butt on Jim Harbaugh’s ‘ban chicken’ policy [61:06]
• “The first thing you’re asked when … I played football at Michigan or Ohio State: what was your record in the game?”
  – Jake Butt [46:02]
• “Until someone beats the man, you ain't the man.”
  – Urban Meyer [64:38]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | Details | |------------------------------|--------------|-----------------------------------------------| | CFP Rankings & Playoff Field | 00:17–13:41 | Michigan’s path, expansion talk, Miami, Tulane| | Lane Kiffin Coaching Drama | 13:41–22:12 | Kiffin’s future, SEC impact | | Rivalry Week: The Game Preview w/ Jake Butt | 38:48–62:07 | Living rivalry, behind the scenes culture, Harbaugh stories | | Coaching Carousel/Best Coaches | 63:11–68:41 | Debating top coaches, AD perspectives | | Rivalry Week Picks & Game Previews | 68:41–76:23 | Georgia/GT, TAMU/Texas, OSU/Michigan analysis |

Conclusion

This episode captures the incredible tension, comedy, and tradition pulsing through college football’s biggest week. From playoff permutations and coaching intrigue to firsthand tales of rivalry culture and the quirky brilliance of Jim Harbaugh, Urban, Mark, Rob, and guest Jake Butt deliver an unfiltered, insightful insider’s experience just ahead of The Game.

“This is the greatest rivalry in all sports. … It’s a 24/7, 365 day a year job to prepare for this game.”
— Jake Butt (39:45)

“It’s not about the money, it’s about winning national titles.”
— Urban Meyer (19:22)

Listeners hungry for drama, insight, and laughter will find this episode delivers on all counts, setting the stage for a pivotal weekend in college football.