Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 118.5 - "The Heidi Game Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NCAA: News & Storylines - - 2025-26 NCAA College Football Playoff Quarterfinal/Semifinal Round Catchup & National Championship Game Preview & Predictions Segment: No.10 Miami Hurricanes vs. No.1 Indiana Hoosiers (-8.5) O/U47.5 - "NFL > NIL:" Massive NIL offers from others schools couldn't delay QB Ty Simpson's NFL dreams, he told ON3 on Tuesday evening - Per multiple reports, Simpson rejected millions in NIL deals from programs, such as Tennessee & Ole Miss - who were offering an NIL deal worth $4M - as well as Miami, who upped the NIL offer to approximately $6.5M. . ."Everybody would just remember me as the guy who took all this money and went to Miami or Tennessee for his last year. But I was a captain [at Alabama]. I put my hand and footprints in the cement at Denny Chimes. I would have lost everything that I built at Alabama," per Ty Simpson on his decision to reject the NIL deals to remain the 2026 NFL Draft. . .Q: Where are other "Ty Simpson's" of college football with this level of loyalty? What are your thoughts on Ty Simpson rejecting millions of dollars in NIL deals for the 2026 NFL Draft?. . .As Wednesday was the official deadline for underclassmen not playing in the College Football Playoff championship game to declare for the NFL Draft, a decision loomed over Oregon Ducks QB Dante Moore -- On Wednesday per ESPN's "SportsCenter," Moore announced his decision: he has decided to return to school for the 2026 season -- By going back to Oregon, Moore gave up a chance to make nearly $50 million in guaranteed money (i.e., 2025 No.2 pick Travis Hunter made $46.65 million fully guaranteed and that number projects to go up this year) -- By returning to Oregon, Moore gave up a chance to be one of the top overall picks in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, however, it's presumed that he will project near the top of a loaded QB class for 2027. . .Moore's return makes Oregon one of the favorites for the College Football national title in 2026-27 - - as the Ducks also retained multiple key pieces on the defensive line and a strong nucleus of young WRs & tailbacks -- In his first season as the Ducks' starter, Moore threw for 3,656 yards passing and 30 TDs for the Ducks, and he also completed 71.8% of his passes and threw just 10 INTs -- Moore's decision also comes after former Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola announced that he would be transferring to Oregon, and TE Kenyon Sadiq & safety Dillon Thieneman are a few Oregon players to have declared for the NFL Draft -- Raiold is expected to serve as Moore's backup QB for the 2026 season, after which point, he potentially could be named the Ducks' starter. . .QB: Do you believe that Dante Moore, 20, made the right decision to forgo the 2026 NFL Draft and return to the University of Oregon next season?. . . - NFL - - 2026 NFL Playoff Wild-Card Round Review: In the following segment, JD & Spencer provide in-depth analysis & breakdown each of the NFL Playoffs Wild-Card Round games from the past weekend as well as discuss many of the notable storylines surrounding each of the games; the following NFL games from the NFC and AFC are discussed within this segment: NFC Wild-Card Playoffs: No.5 Los Angeles Rams at No.4 Carolina Panthers No.7 Green Bay Packers at No.2 Chicago Bears No.6 San Francisco 49ers at No.3 Philadelphia Eagles AFC Wild-Card Playoffs: No.6 Buffalo Bills at No.3 Jacksonville Jaguars No.7 Los Angeles Chargers at No.2 New England Patriots No.5 Houston Texans at No.4 Pittsburgh Steelers - NFL (cont'd) - - "Mike T. Out, Mic Drop:" Mike Tomlin has stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending a 19-year run with the franchise -- Tomlin, who had two years remaining on his contract, informed Steelers' players of his decision to walk away at their 2 p.m. ET meeting Tuesday, one day after Pittsburgh was eliminated from the playoffs with a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC wild-card round -- Tomlin, 53, is not expected to coach elsewhere in 2026, sources informed ESPN's Adam Schefter -- Tomlin leaves Pittsburgh with the unprecedented accomplishment of never having a losing season in nearly two decades at the helm of the franchise -- he clinched his 200th career NFL victory in Week 16 against the Lions and tied Chuck Noll for ninth with 193 regular-season wins in a Week 18 victory against the Ravens that clinched the AFC North title -- At age 36, he led the Steelers to a victory in Super Bowl XLIII in his second season and, at the time, was the youngest HC to raise the Lombardi Trophy, and he returned to the Super Bowl a year later but fell to QB Aaron Rodgers' Green Bay Packers - and Tomlin never made it back in his final 15 seasons as HC. . .For all his accomplishments, Tomlin ended his historic tenure in Pittsburgh with an frustrating nine-year postseason victory drought -- Marked by improbable wins and hard-to-fathom losses, Tomlin's final season was a microcosm of his nearly two-decade tenure in Pittsburgh -- With Tomlin's departure, the Steelers will begin the search for just their fourth HC since 1969. . .**NOTE: Prior to his resignation, Tomlin was the longest-tenured HC of a single North American professional sports franchise -- Tomlin's record over 19 seasons with the Steelers: 193-114-2. . .Q: What are a few potential candidates that Art Rooney & the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise should consider to interview as Mike Tomlin's replacement?. . .John Harbaugh and the New York Giants have finalized an agreement to make him their next HC, reportedly signing a five-year deal worth approximately $100 million -- Harbaugh, 63, spent the past 18 seasons as HC of the Baltimore Ravens, going 180-113 and winning the Super Bowl before he was firest last week after missing out on the 2025 NFL Playoffs. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the Giants' hire of John Harbaugh as their new HC?. . .2026 NFL Playoff Divisional Round Predictions: In this segment, JD & Spencer each give their indiviual & independent predictions for each of the following NFL Playoff Divisional Round games scheduled to occur this upcoming weekend: NFC Divisional Playoffs: No.6 San Francisco 49ers at No.1 Seattle Seahawks (-7) O/U44.5 No.5 Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) at No.2 Chicago Bears O/U48.5 AFC Divisional Playoffs: No.6 Buffalo Bills at No.1 Denver Broncos (-1.5) O/U45.5 No.5 Houston Texans at No.2 New England Patriots (-3) O/U40.5 - NBA - - "The Beard Riseth:" In his 17th season, James Harden passed Shaquille O'Neal for ninth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list - - as the LA Clippers guard made a three-pointer early in the 3rd QTR Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA, pushing his career total to 28,598 points in his 1,187th regular-season game -- Shaq finished his NBA career with 28,596 points in 1,207 games played over 19 seasons - as Harden called it a "true honor," and a "testament to the work that I put in,"-- Harden faces a steep climb to the next spot: Wilt Chamberlain is eighth with 31,419 points, in just 1,045 games over a 14-year career, while LeBron James is the all-time leader with 42,601 points entering his game with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. . .Q: How many more seasons do you anticipate James "The Beard" Harden playing in the league beyond the 2025-26 NBA season? If he elected to play two to three seasons, do you think "The Beard" passes "Mr. 100" for 8th on the NBA's all-time scoring list?. . . Thanks for Listening!

Tradition's Finest Episode 118.5 - "The Heidi Game Episode"