Andy & Ari On3 - Michigan DOMINATES Washington to Win the National Title | Jim Harbaugh caps off a WILD Season | A Look Ahead to 2024

Episode Date: January 9, 2024

Michigan has won the 2024 CFP National Championship and JD Pickell and Andy Staples break it all down from NRG Stadium in Houston. They also give their early predictions for the 2024 seasonThank you to Gametime for sponsoring today's episode! The national title game is over, but sports are not! Gametime has your tickets. Visit https://gametime.co/, download the Gametime app and enter code STAPLES for $20 off your first purchase, terms apply. Last Minute Tickets, Lowest Prices, Guaranteed.Want to watch the show instead? Head on over to YouTube! https://youtube.com/live/IEBLnWXYDAk

Welcome to Annie Staples on three special edition. We are here in NRG City. This is where the Michigan assistant coaches helped win the game, win the national title against Washington. What a game, J.D. Pickell. It was a tremendous game. The final score we talked about on the field, a little bit deceiving. Washington hung around, and it was, you know,

I think every bit that the back and forth, we hoped it would be going into that third quarter but at the end of the day the big boys up front man big people move small people and Michigan had the big people the Michigan had the big people especially at the beginning of the game the the two Donovan Edwards runs great blocking up front but also some mistakes by Washington there was one where you know where they ran a slant where one of the D linemen slanted. There wasn't a linebacker filling behind him. It's just somebody probably messed up. And unfortunately, when you're playing as someone with the talent of Donovan Edwards,

you mess up. He's gone. I think Ohio State learned that in 2022. Washington learned that tonight. Hard to mess up against a team like Michigan with the talent level they have just across the board uh very low margin for error also I think it's worth noting uh Michigan the way they kind of sputtered and were able to overcome that there was a part in this game Andy like third quarter kind of end of the second quarter where you're like what is going on like it gave me TCU of last year vibes where Michigan's throwing the ball when they've run the

ball for like almost double-digit yards at that point. Very, very weird, but they obviously ended up being able to overcome that and finish strong and made it. So, C-Less, the Patriot says you had us losing and we beat them, Clown. I think he's talking to you. You had them losing. I didn't.

This is the second time now in a matter of two hours. We actually had somebody in the stands mention it. So JD and I are filming videos after the game, and somebody calls out JD. He's like, JD, you didn't believe in us. And he points at me and he goes, but you did. You're loving that.

Of course. You're loving that. Because I'm always wrong on these things. Hey, I think my record picking Washington now, whether four against them is like one right and four or five wrong but yeah hey charges the game washington the path was narrow did not get it done i'll wear that i'll wear it for however long well and this was what we talked about this was the the possibility that we were talking about when i talked to you when we made

the pick and i said there was that Bill Connolly stat that I can't that I saw where this sort of defense is the one Michigan scores 50 against now they didn't because Washington made some good adjustments yeah but Michigan did average eight yards to carry and that was the thing you worried about was if they do that how then do you counter if you're Washington and also Michigan had Michael Penix Jr. out of sorts. I mean, over 50 attempts and only five yards per attempt. Yeah, it was a fragile formula for Washington going in. We kind of knew the path would be narrow for them,

and they would have to have some explosivity downfield. And, I mean, they had it at times. I think Roman Dunes, they had a long 44 on the night. But even so, it just wasn't there enough. You didn't have your fastball enough to get it done. And so, yeah, that commenter is is exactly right like i said we'll uh we'll wear that one until they start playing games again and gavin in the chat very disappointed with the loss but very excited where this washington program is going since we were four and eight two years ago

and they were i mean this is an unbelievable job by kaylin aborin company and this puts washington in such a good position as they move into the big 10. Uh, you know, the whole world has seen them win all year, you know, recruits for future. Cause you, you know, everybody always thinks that when you win all the next recruiting class, no, no, it's, it's the recruits two and three years from now who watched you, who are going to say, Michael Penix was my favorite player when I was a sophomore in high school. Like those are the guys that you're going to get now. And people realize that this is a legit program that can hang with anybody. And truthfully, guys in the portal, too.

If I'm a wide receiver and I see the numbers that Roma Dunze put up and you got Will Rogers playing quarterback for you next year who's a proven commodity, there's a lot to like for guys that maybe want to go play football somewhere else that are already proven commodities in their own right. Yeah.ville s who's got it better better than us referring to michigan and and well woo agent followed up nobody it was a lot of fun watching jim harbaugh and the michigan players do that jack harbaugh did it on the on the stage jack. Jim's dad did the who's got it better than us, and the whole crowd goes, nobody. That was awesome.

It was awesome. And this has been a crazy season for Michigan. So six games where Jim Harbaugh didn't coach. You had the Cheeseburger Gate suspension for three games, and then the Connor Stallion stuff. And that Connor Stallion story just consumed college football for a month. And they didn't have their coach for the Penn state game and the Ohio state game. Two most difficult games of the entire season to that point.

I mean, those, if you're going to drop a game, if you're Michigan, those are the two that we all had circled. Yeah. And so you can say what you want about what happened with Connor Stallions. That's fine.

But they did win their toughest games after all of that had happened. They did suspend Jim Harbaugh, and they still won. And so Jim Harbaugh got up at the press conference, and it was interesting because the players were asked about the distractions. And before they answered, he jumped in and said,

we're innocent, by the way. I just wanted to say that. We're innocent. And so, you know, it's one of those things where nobody's, people who think they're cheaters are going to think they're cheaters. But I don't think there's any Michigan fan who's going to feel bad about that.

I don't think there's any Michigan player who's not going to proudly wear his ring. And I don't think even if something were to happen in the NCAA were to say, you've got to vacate the games that you won before the investigation start. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. We watched what happened. And I think if you're a third party, like if you're not someone who resides in Columbus, Ohio or Ann Arbor, Michigan, you're like, hey, listen, I have no dog in this fight. Right.

I saw them go out and whip everybody they played a lot of those games without their head coach. Like, I think we kind of can just see what happened on the field. The eye in the sky. Don't lie. Yeah. So Sage in the chat with an interesting point says, didn't throw the ball second half against Penn State, beat Ohio State without the head coach, greatest quote unquote team in history.

And Jim Harbaugh brought that up too, where he talked about what a great team this is because it was a situation where there wasn't one star who just carried them through. It truly was a team effort in every game. And you go right to this one. Donovan Edwards, who was a star going into this season. We thought, okay, Blake Corham and Donovan Edwards, the dynamic duo. And Donovan Edwards had a terrible season. Yeah, but what we were expecting from him, for sure.

I mean, he wasn't utilized nearly as much either. We thought he might be getting more carries. Because it wasn't happening for him when he did. And then tonight, he just blows up. The relief and just excitement on his face when he came off the field through the tunnel and he hugged somebody. I think it was Trevor Keegan who gave him a piggyback ride

in the locker room. That's awesome. You were so happy for somebody like that who had been through so much. And JJ McCarthy talked about it because Donovan's his roommate. And Donovan had talked about going to psychologists, trying to deal with all of this stuff because your expectations are sky high. You're a five-star recruit. You've been very good.

You go into this season with super high expectations, and it doesn't happen for you. But then on the biggest stage, you're the star. Absolutely. And I think that kind of hints on an interesting part about this team. Like, are they the most talented team in college football? Probably give the hat tip to Georgia or maybe Alabama. There's a lot of teams that recruited better than Michigan, but you look under the hood, and that story like Donovan Edwards, I think, is a great microcosm of just like there's so many things from a culture standpoint, from a character standpoint,

from a maturity standpoint that we just couldn't quantify. And I think it was a big reason why they propelled and overcame this year. I think on draft day, we're going to see that this was an obscenely talented college football team. I do think we talk about the way that Georgia recruits, Alabama recruits, obviously Ohio State, that Michigan has beaten now three years in a row. The recruiting rankings are better for Ohio State.

But what Michigan has done to develop these players, because I think what you output matters as much or more than what you input, because what you output is how the games get decided. Without question. Michigan is about to output a ton of NFL players, a lot on the line of scrimmage. than what you input because what you output is how the games get decided without question michigan is about to output a ton of nfl players a lot on the line of scrimmage and oh by the way there's a lot of really good ones coming back we saw kenneth grant tonight with an unbelievable sack of michael pennix jr who does not go down easily no kenneth grant is an alien and he's only a sophomore. He has to come back. Mason Graham is coming back.

I had your McCarthy. Maybe I think JJ McCarthy should come back. We're paying for him. Let's talk about it. Let's talk about one more year. The one more year. Let's do it. McCarthy.

I thought tonight showed you why he should come back. I think so too. I think so too. And I think also you look at the draft class. It's like Caleb Williams, Jane Daniels, Drake may, you know, you just go down the line there of these quarterbacks. It's like caleb williams jayden daniels drake may um you know you just go down the line there of these quarterbacks it's like where does jayden mccarthy

fit in or is he the the fourth guy is he the fifth guy is he outside the top five right he played last night and it's like you'd come back another year have your stetson bennett evolution from one year to the next go back to back and put yourself even further on the michigan quarterback all-time rankings yeah and this team does have to to rebuild up front the the line was really old the offensive line so they're they're going to be new guys now they've got really talented guys in the waiting the wings you were looking those guys warming up you're like oh there's some there's some dudes that have not played much yet but are going to play sure but perhaps jj mccarthy will be relied upon a little bit differently as a

senior with a line. That's a little bit younger, less experienced that you've got to kind of break in and that you've, you might be asked to do more. You might be required to do more. And we don't know exactly what the receiving core is going to look like next year, but if they're,

you know, if they're a little bit better, a little more dynamic, then JJ McCarthy is going to have a chance to show more than he's shown. And look, he had a chance to show some stuff tonight. We saw one. There was one throw on the right sideline. I was like, okay, now you understand why these NFL people see that ceiling.

But there were other throws where he just missed or he made the wrong read. And so I do think another year, and we might be talking about him in that top three, top four quarterback mix, which that's better for Michigan and probably better for JJ. Without question. And I think even going back to tonight, like the stat line, he was somewhere 10 for 18. But even that could have been improved.

He had a drop from Cornelius Johnson. He had a couple that were contested catches that maybe if you put it in a different spot your guy comes down with it but even so i think you like you just said you see the tools you see everything that nfl scouts get excited about another year in this system under more than likely sharon more even if he is the head coach like more continuity yeah i mean sharon was probably running the offense one way or the other yes so we'll we'll see you're not going to the n Yeah, we'll see what happens with J.J. McCarthy. But let's talk about Jim Harbaugh because that's the big question is,

is he going to be back at Michigan next year? How's that going to work? Is the NCAA stuff going to cause a problem? Or is an NFL team going to hire him? And so I asked Jim Harbaugh the question on Monday night. I said, no, he had talked about all these accomplishments. He had a really funny story, but now I'm welcome at the big person's table. There you go.

So his dad, Jack, has an FCS title at Western Kentucky. His brother, John, obviously has the Super Bowl title when he beat Jim in the Super Bowl. And so now Jim has this national title. So they are now all on that. You know, they get to sit at that one table. I think Tom Cre Jim has this national title. So they are now all on that. You know, they get to sit at that one table. I don't I think Tom Crean has to sit elsewhere until he can win one. Sure. But so. I asked him, do you want to add a Super Bowl title to that? And he said, and it's a fair answer. Can I just enjoy this? Which I get fair question, too, though. Fair

question. Fair. He interviewed with the Vikings two years ago. He flirted with the Broncos last year. The thought is he's probably going to test those waters again. There's five job openings right now. That could change. That could grow this week. And talk to Ward Manuel, the Michigan AD, after the game. And he seems resigned to the possibility that Jim Harbaugh is going to look

for an NFL job and makes a lot of sense when he explains why. So here's that clip from Ward. He's here and he's extremely gratified. He's extremely happy. This team is extremely happy. I understand. I'm going to say something to y'all that I've said before, but I understand why people in the pros will want to hire Jim

Harbaugh and talk to him about being a coach. The man went to a Super Bowl, won a conference championship, went to the Super Bowl, went back to the conference championship. In that league, how many did they fire today? How many have gone now? Five, six? That's like an annual thing. And if I was in the pros, I would want to talk to him because of what he accomplished. However, I'm not in the pros, and I want to keep him as our coach. And that's my cross to bear. But I am proud that Jim is our coach.

It doesn't matter with all the stuff that happened in the past, and it really doesn't matter what happens in the future. He's always going to be somebody I'm proud of who coached the University of Michigan, who led this team. And if he decides that he wants another opportunity to coach in the pros, then I'm going to be happy for him, sad for us. We're going to move on and find the next person to lead. But I want him to stay at michigan i've said it i believed it three four years ago when people wanted me to get rid of him i didn't because i believed it then and i believe in that so that's ward manual he got asked also after this if jim leaves are you going to look internally talking about sharon more he said i'm gonna look at my friends and family

in my room and i'm gonna have a drink that's what i'm to look at my friends and family in my room, and I'm going to have a drink. That's what I'm going to look at tonight. I thought that was a fair answer, too. But Ward Manuel obviously makes a lot of sense. Why wouldn't you, if you're an NFL team, at least inquire about J.J. Harbaugh? Sage in the chat asks, is it common for a coach to leave after a national championship? I can't remember one other than Howard Schnellenberger.

He won at Miami. Then he went to coach a team in the USFL. But that's the last one I can't remember one other than Howard Schellenberger. He won at Miami. Then he went to coach a team in the USFL. But that's the last one I can remember. So it is uncommon. But it's happened a couple times. And the thing is, I think Jim Harbaugh, if he comes back, has a good chance of being in this spot again. Without question.

And I mean, my thought here, and I don't pretend to know the exact job market in the NFL and what those numbers come out to, and I don't pretend to understand what it would mean to Jim Harbaugh, but how many better jobs are there right now than what he has at Michigan?

Well, and he set it up that way. Right? He set it up. Now, you are going to have to deal with the NCAA stuff. Like Cheeseburger Gate, for example. They tried to negotiate a four game suspension for that. That got rejected by the Committee on Infractions.

They then self-imposed the three games. So you can probably expect them to add to that. They're probably going to add more. And then you've got the Connor Stallion stuff. And whether Jim Harbaugh knew or not doesn't matter because they've changed the way the NCAA rules work, where they can tag it to the head coach no matter what. Yeah. No matter what they knew. So that's the part you kind of wonder about.

But I think based on what we've seen from Michigan this year and the way they've defended him, even if it was a suspension of like half a season, I think they just roll with them. It's like, hey, we did it last year, won a national championship. Let's go do it again. Yeah. I mean, are you going to hire somebody better than jim i guess the job market well you also have more to handle it 100 yeah i mean you're in good shape and i mean i think the thought for me if you're jim harbaugh too like i want to put myself in a market where i am the most valuable as possible like is his value going to go up if they win 10 games next year like is his value in a volatile place i don't think so the nfl is going to go up if they win 10 games next year? Like, is his value

in a volatile place? I don't think so. The NFL is going to be there for Jim Harbaugh when he wants to go. Yeah. And so if you got a good spot at Michigan, the job that you don't feel amazing about in the NFL isn't there. Like, let's run it back another year with our quarterback in JJ. Exactly right. Exactly right. And again, there is lots of talent left. They are losing a lot of talent, but they've recruited well. This is one of those where you look at them next year and you compare them to what Ohio State's bringing back. I still think I'm picking Michigan in that game.

So that's – and you've got Oregon now. You've got Washington in the league. It's going to be very interesting for them. Let's talk about what college football looks like as we turn the page. But first, I want to tell you about game time. Right behind us, they are trying to clean up confetti at NRG Stadium because there is a playoff game. The Texans host a playoff game this weekend. If you'd like to go, you can get tickets on game time. Use the code STAPLES. Get $20 off your first purchase. You can actually see what your secret looks like in the app before you buy it. A couple taps and then you got it.

Or maybe you want to turn the page to college basketball. Well, just down the road in College Station, Kentucky's coming. Kentucky's coming to play the Aggies. Must see TV. So if you want to go to Reed Arena and see Kentucky play the Aggies, get those tickets on game time. Easy, easy, easy. Use the code STAPLES. $20 off your first purchase. Game time, last minute tickets, less stress.

Just get yourself to the game or the concert or the comedy show. They have tickets for all of them. So use that code STAPLES. $20 off your first purchase. Alright, JD. Now you're not going on game time quite yet to get those 2024 college football season tickets but when you when you start looking you're going to be looking at oregon playing big 10 games washington playing big 10 usc playing big 10 games arizona playing big 12 games texas and oklahoma playing sec games yeah this sport is changing dramatically and oh by the way when we're sitting at this thing next year the culmination of a 12 team play yes

i mean it's gonna be awesome it's gonna be crazy absolutely incredible think of it think about all that could change how different this this is going to feel come August. Like we're going to go, well, even in July, we'll go to SEC media days and Oklahoma and Texas will be there. It'll be in Dallas. It'll be a home setup for them. Exactly. It'll be like the Red River.

Yes. So then you'll go to Big Ten media days and Washington, USC, UCLA, and Oregon will be there. It's going to be so awesome. It's going to be so awesome. And also, we'll have a number of pretty incredible non-conference games next season. I mean, Texas and Michigan playing each other. Notre Dame, Texas A&M right out of the gate.

USC, LSU, and Vegas. I mean, we're going to have just a smorgasbord, and it won't hurt them. I think LSU is trying to win the Big Ten title because they play USC and UCLA. They're going for it. God, it's going to be just a smorgasbord actually and it won't hurt i think lsu's trying to win the big 10 title because they play usc and ucla so going for it god it's going to be so exciting so i wrote a column jd where i talked about the the teams that should think they have a chance should go go through this offseason with hope of not just making the playoff but of winning a national title i came up with 16 and i think part of that is because I watched Michigan and Washington get here. And I didn't watch another Alabama-Ohio State game or Georgia-Ohio State. I think if we'd seen another one of those, we'd be like,

well, I don't know what the 12-team playoff's going to be like. Probably these teams that get all the five-star recruits are just going to smash everybody. But I feel like this season has taught us that things are changing a little bit. I don't know if it's all NIL, if it's the transfer rules changing, is it just the COVID year allowing some of these teams to be incredibly old,

which sometimes Trump's raw talent. Yeah. But it feels like there's more hope right now. Oh, without question. And just the way the portal has impacted this whole thing. Like you mentioned it. I'm looking at a team like Ole Miss,

the way they've been active in the portal. It's like Ohio State, who very conveniently under the cover of Michigan winning a national title, lands the commitment from Quinn Sean Judkins to the Buckeyes. And so you got him, you got Will Howard. So just the continual, I don't know if balance of talent is the right way to say it, because there's already talented teams, but the way you can retool the roster and have what you need

and be able to compete right away. This Michigan team. It's changing things. This Michigan team that just won is a prime example of that. You know, there were some spots they needed to plug or places they just needed a little bit more depth, and so they get Drake Nugent to play center. They get Ladarius Henderson to play left tackle.

They get Josiah Stewart to rush off the edge and create the deepest defensive line in America. And you can really do it. Like, even if you're a good team and you've recruited well and you're happy with your roster, there's always that one guy who you can plug in and make it just a little bit better, unless you're Davos Wayne. Sure.

Then you just don't do it. Then you don't do it at all i mean washington's a great example too they're probably not in this game without michael pennix jr dylan johnson integral part of that giles jackson i mean he was a pretty good addition as well to that receiving core like the both these teams i think utilize the portal and were able to be in this game in large part because the portal in washington i think with michael pennix jr obviously is a very very prime example of that and I think we'll see that magnified in the 12-team playoff hey we saw Will Rogers throwing passes to his former Mississippi State teammate Dylan Johnson so Will Rogers will be Washington's quarterback or one of Washington's quarterbacks next year we'll see if he I'm assuming he's prepared to win the job because

he's coming off four straight years starting at Mississippi State but he was here he was he was chucking passes before the game and uh had the jersey on and and you're thinking wow this is this is where it's going yeah and you I saw him actually Andy as I was walking out onto the field for us to go do our post-game hits it was sort of uncomfortable because I'm walking on the field as the Washington players are walking off. But in the tunnel, I see Will Rogers dapping up his teammates and kind of comforting and already kind of taking on that leadership role, which was cool to see. Yeah. And I'm just excited about what's next because we are going to see basically a different sport, a completely different sport.

And I think the part I'm more excited about, I like the 12 team playoff. I think there's going to be really good matchups. I think it's going to make those weekends after the season a lot of fun. But I just think the regular schedules are getting better. Yeah. You look at adding, you know, sprinkle Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC and take away divisions. And suddenly everybody's schedule gets more fun. Yes.

And Big Ten, you bring those four teams in. You take away divisions. Everybody's like Penn State has a two game season every year for how many years? Yeah. They've got a five game stretch where I think I want to I'm going to get some of this wrong because I don't have it in front of me. It's OK. going to get some of this wrong because i don't have it in front of me it's okay but it is i want to say it is ucla at home at usc wisconsin ohio state and i'm blanking on the geez it's it's crazy hunger games it's crazy across the board across the board and i think one thing too if you win

the national championship you're probably going i mean mean, close to what an NFL regular season would be. So the way that these kids are going to have to train and the way that I think strength and conditioning staff is going to have to adapt to keep these kids fresh for the entirety of a season, plus a playoff run, plus a national championship game. Like we saw these guys today and nobody was at a hundred percent. Yeah. It's more games on that thing. Like Andy, we're in the semis this time. Yeah. And well,

and what's interesting about that is I thought that would probably favor the Alabamas and the Georges of the world. I'm not so sure because after watching Alabama and the Rose Bowl when they couldn't snap

and they didn't have a center that they felt comfortable with. Yeah. That's an Achilles heel that I think every team's going to have one of those. There's going to be something

they can't overcome that they got to work around. And so it's going to have one of those. There's going to be something they can't overcome that they've got to work around. And so it's going to make it... I don't know that we're going to see teams as deep as 2019 LSU or 2012 Alabama. I just don't know that they're going to be able to fill in like that the way they have. I think it might be more important in that era to be multiple.

And I think Michigan was similar to important in that era to be multiple. I think Michigan was similar to what you'll want to see. JJ McCarthy obviously taking even another evolution, but he was really timely tonight. Being able to fight multiple styles to where you're back into a corner similar to what you said about Alabama, third and seven, you feel good about converting that kind

of a game, if you will. It's going to be a lot of fun, man. It's going to change the entire sport completely. So of all the teams moving to another league, which one are you most excited to see in their new league? I can't wait to watch Oregon because I think the way that they're built on the line of scrimmage, as much as we make of their two contests against Washington this season, I don't know.

And I mean, I'm probably going to get hammered for this, but I don't think that Oregon gets pushed around up front the way that Washington did tonight now Washington to be clear Washington pushed around Oregon pretty well exactly maybe that's a moot point but I think just the way they're built on the line of scrimmage the way Dillon is going to continue to push the envelope on the talent side of things like I think they're going to be in a really good spot to compete day one in the big 10 I'm excited to see Texas in the sec because, you know, they've always been this larger than life thing, even if they haven't been winning. Yeah. But now they are winning. Now they're good. You've seen C Sarkeesian and his staff develop those high, you know, high profile recruits. Now they're making NFL players out

of them, which they weren't doing before. And so they now go into the shark tank with georgia with lsu with tennessee oklahoma comes with them obviously yeah with ole miss like these are all teams vying for the sec title now i just think that you know they can't bigfoot anybody no in this league they're gonna have to go beat them and the good thing is they're not what they were two three years ago they are in a position to come in and compete right away and i think that's going to be so much fun and those teams have to go into the sark tank and get ready to go week in and week out because they're gonna be the new kid on the block and it's going to be well we'll show them how to play sec ball and it's like like, well, Texas took on Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

They're walking to that conference. And if you lose Texas' first year in the SEC to the Longhorns, it might not be a great look, so it'll be a lot of fun. It's going to be awesome. 12-team playoff will be fun, too. I've been thinking about all these little things that we just, you know, they're going to sneak up on us. So when I was doing those teams that should have hope,

I put Arizona in there. I put Louisville in there teams that should have hope, I put Arizona in there. I put Louisville in there. I put Florida State and Clemson in there. This is hope for national title. And people were pushing back like, what are you talking about? I was like, guys, you do understand. Assuming the CFP makes the changes we think they're going to make with five conference champs getting an automatic bid

for conference champs will be the top four seeds because you'll have to be a conference champ to get a top four seed that probably means that the acc champ and the big 12 champ are top four seats yeah like unless the mountain west or the american just has a crazy good team that blows through everybody but that means they're probably getting a bye. That means if you get Notre Dame in the five slot, because remember Notre Dame can never get a bye because they're not in a conference.

Let's say you're the four seed and Notre Dame gets the five slot. They play the Mountain West champ in the 12 slot at home. You're getting them in the quarters. That's probably a coin flip. We're coming off two seasons. I understand in the 12 slot at home, you're getting them in the quarters. That's probably a coin flip. And we're coming off two seasons. I understand that in the,

in the 12 team playoff, the thought will be, well, we won't see a TCU Georgia kind of matchup because TCU will have lost before then. But even so, like we have TCU and Washington that both competed for national titles and back-to-back seasons.

Like having Arizona in that conversation is, is absolutely a valid thought at this point. And we don't have a situation where Florida state gets screwed. Yes. Like they, if they go 13 and oh, they are in the playoff, they're actually probably going to be a top four seat in the playoff.

And look, it was, it was, it was horrible. What happened to them this year? It sucked. No question. They didn't,

the committee was going to make a decision that was going to make people furious no matter what yeah and the florida state people unfortunately the ones that had to end up being furious florida state players and coaches had to deal with like if i'm the coach i don't know what you say to them yeah that never has to happen again never again and they'll be able to settle on the field even if they find themselves not getting a buy okay well you don't get a buy that's all right go prove it go handle business on the field but they would have had one they would have in the acc yeah absolutely that's coming they would have had a buy because you know alabama would not have been with a buy that they would have been the five seat absolutely so i i just think it's going to be a more fun situation

i know people don't like change a lot of of hardcore college football fans, not the most, you know, not the biggest fans of change. Sure. But these are changes that are going to make this sport more interesting. It'll be more interesting from a week-to-week perspective because the games will be better. I don't think people understand how bad some of the schedules have been in the last 20 years when everybody basically decided we got a schedule to go undefeated yeah it's fair that's that takes all the fun out of it

sure now we're not probably going to see a lot of undefeated teams like this was a 15 and 0 we were going to have a 15 and 0 champ no matter who won in this game tonight i don't know that we're going to see a like a are we going to see a 17-0 champ or an 18-0 champ. I just don't. It's not going to happen. Yeah, and I mean, so here's my question to that, Andy, because I think I probably just transparently lean more towards that college football fan that you're talking about that says, well, but I love the way it's been.

And some of that's nostalgia. Some of that is me not being up for change. So my thought is, okay, well, I love Michigan-Ohio State for a spot in the playoff or i love texas and alabama and at that point time we're thinking that's going to impact both those teams if you love ripping your opponent's intestines out yes it's probably not going to be as much fun for you if you love that one moment where you just put a knife through their heart and they have to suck it up for another year. Sure. It's not going to be for you.

Okay. But if you can enjoy, like if you're a Michigan fan who can simply enjoy beating Ohio, Ohio state, here's the other part. You might get to go beat them again. Yeah. And imagine,

imagine the psychological damage that would do if you beat them twice in a month. Very true. Very true. No, either way. I think what you're saying is absolutely true. Like once we get, and I've said this, like Georgia versus Texas.

Yeah. Twist Marm. I'm there for that. That'll be phenomenal. All right. Before we go, I wish, I wish I'd brought a little bit of bourbon so we could pour some out for the pack 12. This was the final pack 12 football game.

It's now the two-pack. Oregon State, Washington State, they've got all the money. They've got the name. They're going to play, I guess. Like, the winner, do they play each other normally and then play each other in Vegas? Yeah, I don't know how that's going to work. Well, the CFP is not going to let them declare themselves conference champions get an automatic bid because you're going to have to have an 18 conference and they're playing you

know basically quasi mountain west schedule i would assume when all the dust settles we'll see some sort of partnership where the pack whatever reforms with those two schools and then the schools in the mountain west because the pack brand is stronger. But it's just, it's so amazing. Like a year ago today, we knew they were trying to figure some stuff out with their TV contract, but we didn't see this coming. Like the idea that we would watch a national championship game with two teams that are going to be in the Big Ten next year and one of them is in Seattle.

No, had no gauge for that. And I mean, honestly, I hope that we're able to kind of preserve the branding a little bit of what Oregon State has been, Washington State has been, because quite frankly, Oregon State, they were kind of in that playoff mix to a degree, maybe not right in the mix. Yeah, but they were very good. Impacting the 12th team playoff, they're in there.

Yeah, and the saddest part of that is Jonathan Smith had to leave to leave yeah like when the opportunity presented itself to go to michigan state you have to do that at that point because of what's happened to oregon state so it's very frustrating to watch and the washington state fans are the best in the world they're amazing i hope that they can can still enjoy this sport be be competitive. And I think there'll be competitive. I think it'd be very competitive with who they're playing. They're still going to play Washington, still playing the apple cup, still playing the civil war. I hope they can every once in a while, stick it up Washington's,

you know what, just, just for what happened. But I think, I think this is going to be a, a very odd off season because we're, our brains are still going to be trained for the four-team playoff. Our brains are going to be trained for the old conference alignments. We'll help you on the show. We'll do some

primers as the months go by. We're like, okay, guys, we'll have a day where we just remind you, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado are now in the Big 12. Yep. And hey, they could lose this game,

and they're probably still going to find their way into the playoff for whatever team you're talking about. Hey, JD, I don't think we can close out the 2023 season. I don't think we can close the book on it. We have not mentioned a certain person even once in this podcast, and I don't think you can fully finish talking about the 2023 season unless we mention this person. I think I know who you're talking about.

Coach Prime? That's right. Okay, there it is. He's coming. There it is. He ain't hard to find. And I mean, if they upgrade. Actually, he's kind of hard to find right now.

Depends on who you ask. He's been a little more difficult to find. But I mean, with the way they've upgraded via the portal, we think they've upgraded. I don't think they have. I think anything's an upgrade from last year. I don't know. I don't know if they have.

There was a slate of stories about, look, Colorado's really killing it in the portal. Sure, sure. And those are like you and I who cover the portal every day, who get our NACOSifications from Pete NACOS. Like, no, no, no. Ole Miss has upgraded through the portal. Yes. Like, Colorado seems

kind of the same. I think they have gotten a little bit better, and that's not to make anything of who they've gotten, but more so who they had. Yeah. Like, you know, when you get, you know, the next version of the Android, you still have an Android. Now, Jordan Seton, that's a big one. 100%. Getting the number one offensive line recruit.

Even as a freshman, yeah. That's a big one. Getting the number one offensive line recruit. That's a big one. Coach Prime year two, I don't think he will dominate the headlines the way he did in year one unless they just really start winning. Let's make a bowl game. Yeah, let's make a bowl game and enjoy that.

Before we go, we've closed the book on 2023. Congratulations to Michigan. Hail to you, victors. There's still confetti on the field. But let us do the dumbest possible thing and make predictions for the 2024 season. I'm not going to say we don't have to predict a national champion.

We don't have to predict who's going to make the playoff, but I want conference champions. I want you to. All right, so let's start. i guess we'll do the power four is that what we're calling what are we calling it now yeah power it's really the power i guess and then there's a like a defined middle class in the acc in the big 12 yeah but that doesn't sound good the college football neighborhood i like it i mean you got kind of the Burroughs. Two giant houses on the hill. And then two just pretty nice ones.

Picket fence. Yeah. And, you know, reasonable size yard. Okay. All right. I like it. The new Big 12. Who you got?

You know, Cam Rising. Back for another year. I mean, to me, it just seems like it never matters who Utah does or doesn't have returning. And they got a quarterback. And they got Kyle Williams. Always have dudes up front, it just seems like it never matters who Utah does or doesn't have returning. And they got a quarterback and they got Kyle Williams and Coach Nadia. Always got dudes up front. I'll go Utah

to win the Big 12. Okay. I struggle here because I love what Arizona did at the end of the season. Noah Fafito was fantastic throwing a T-Mac. You've got

that 2022 class they brought in. They built the whole built the whole plane around it, basically. And it's working for them. But did you watch Avery Johnson in the Pop-Tarts Bowl? Kansas State, baby.

Five-star. He's got the flow. He's fast. He's got a big arm. He can make a Wildcats. I like it. I don't hate that one bit. I don't hate that one bit.

All right. Let's go to the ACC. This is a tough one, man, because I think common sense would probably say, okay, well, Florida State was really good last year. Mike Norvell's got that thing ascending. I'm going to kind of zig right here while we're zagging. I mean, we're sitting here, and I guess we're past midnight now, so it's, what, January 9th, 2024.

Let's go a bit crazy. Let's say Miami figures it out. Oh, I was wondering if you were going to do that. Let's say Miami figures it out. You know, I mean, they've gotten better every single year. They played well enough to be eight and four. They didn't take an ease. They were seven and five.

Let's say they kind of get that thing revved up. The young talent ascends and they go ahead and win the ACC. Now, Dabo tells me I got to buy stock in Clemson. Yeah. He's been telling me that all through the second half of the season. Yeah. So do I buy stock in Clemson? You say the Canes get it figured out.

They had the massive O-line class last year, massive D-line class this year. You know what I'm going to do? Because they got screwed and I think they need to make the playoff. Okay. I like it. Give me the Knowles. Boom. And I don't know if it's going to be DJ Uyungle at quarterback.

It might be Brock Lynn. Could be. But I think Mike Norvell has earned some grace here. I think he's shown that he can rebuild and have built through the portal. Now we're going to see some of the guys that they've brought in from high school that they've been able to develop. And keeping Adam Fuller as the defensive coordinator, keeping Alex Atkins, who is going to be a head coach very, very soon.

But they got one more year with him as the OC. Yeah, I'm going to go Nils on this one. I like that. All right, let us go to the SEC. Nice house on the hill. Yeah, but they didn't have anybody playing this game. Yeah, nice house on the hill. Didn't have anybody playing for national title this year. Power outage

currently in 2023. I think they flipped the lights back on in 2024. Man, with Georgia, they got Carson Beck coming back. They got Trevor Etienne through the portal. They got some other playmakers through the portal. I have a hard time betting against Kirby Smart and company. I understand

Alabama will have Jalen Muro next year. I think that Georgia's on a mission. I think Carson Beck and co. find their way to win the SEC. Heart wants to go with the Longhorns, but my brain says you're right. I'm going to go with Georgia as well for the SEC. Boring chalk pick, and I'm sorry, but they didn't win this year. They did not win this year. You're absolutely right.

Some of us got a little enamored with Alabama and sec media days. Thought we were wrong for a lot of the season turned out. Right. But I'm going to go with Georgia again. I do think Georgia probably was the best team in the sec this year, but did not win on the, the important day. Yeah.

Well, the importance of that day changes next year. Now they, whether they win or not, they're probably going to be in the playoff. Yeah. So we'll, we'll see, but I I'm with you. I'll take Georgia. Now let's talk about the league that produced the reigning national champs. Yep. You got the Michigan Wolverines. You got the new blood in Oregon. You got the Huskies who they played for the national title. You got the Buck guys. You got the Nittany Lions. This is so tough. I'm going to go ahead and operate under the assumption that either a J.J. McCarthy or a Jim Harbaugh will not be back.

Now, they're still wildly talented. One of them is not back. One of them is not back. So still wildly talented. If they don't have J.J. McCarthy, I think that does change things quite a bit. And not to say anything about Jaden Davis, not to say you don't go get somebody in the portal. I just think for Ohio state,

if it's not next year, when's it going to happen for Ryan day? Like, I think the pressure is enormous and they are actively hitting the portal the way they are for a reason. I think Ohio state gets over the hump. I'll pick Ryan Day and company. Wow.

Okay. Not popular as confetti is falling on the good folks in Ann Arbor. I'm not feeling Ohio State right now. Okay. Although it sounds like there might be a little bit of retooling of staff, so we'll see what happens. But Dylan Gabriel and the Oregon ducks sound pretty good. Yeah.

I like it. But, but you mentioned does JJ come back? Does Jim Harbaugh come back? I think if JJ comes back, whether Harbaugh comes back or not, I think if Harbaugh comes back, that's great.

I think if he doesn't throw in more, we'll do a fine job leading the program one way or the other. I think Michigan does it again. Wow, okay. I just like the way they're built. Yeah, I don't blame you. I like the way they're built. I feel like they're built to win multiple ways,

and they have some alien-type talent on this team, which, look, Ohio State does too. But, you know, if we're talking talking to you now they play different positions so i think i'm it's it's a little bit apples and oranges but like if you're picking a team and you can have jtt or you can have kenneth grant i'm going kg78 yeah i don't blame you i'm taking like michigan's got more guys like that than people realize no i don't blame. No, I don't blame you one bit. I don't blame you one bit. I wonder a little bit if there will be a point where they have to have more in the past game if they have enough weapons.

But no, I mean, I think picking Michigan today after what we just saw, if they get JJ McCarthy back, I mean, I don't dislike that pick at all. Well, clip these. Guarantee we'll be wrong on a lot of them. But that's, that's the fun. We get to change them like 20 times before these guys ever play a game again. JD,

it's been a fun season. Our long national nightmare begins now, but that's okay. Spring practice is soon. We'll talk to you soon. Heck yeah.