Andy & Ari On3 - Oklahoma lands the best quarterback in the transfer portal | Mike Golic Jr. joins to talk Notre Dame

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

You’ve had Wendy’s Nuggs dipped in sauce. But have you had them covered in sauce? Wendy’s New Saucy Nuggs take the Crispy and Spicy Nuggs you love and turn them up to 11.Choose between flavors like Buffalo. Honey BBQ. Garlic Parm. Or, if you’re a real heat seeker, try Spicy Ghost Pepper, only on Wendy’s signature Spicy Nuggs. This show is brought to you by Panini America, makers of the most collectible sports cards on the planet. The Luminance football card series features NIL autographed cards from players including Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers, Cam Ward, Jalen Milroe, Dylan Raiola, DJ Lagway, and Luther Burden. To start collecting, visit PaniniAmerica.net. With MasterClass you can learn from the best to become your best. MasterClass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200+ of the world's best. For just $10 a month, an annual membership with MasterClass gets you unlimited access to every instructor. Visit MasterClass.com/On3 for up to 50 percent off! This show is also sponsored by PrizePicks, America’s most fun daily fantasy game. Use the code STAPLES to play $5 and get $50 instantly. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/STAPLES(0:00-1:53) Intro; CFP starts TOMORROW(1:54-8:37) John Mateer commits to Oklahoma(8:38-11:13) Who does Miami turn to?(11:14-13:13) MasterClass(13:14-19:31) Texas vs Clemson Preview, Presented by PrizePicks(19:32-43:43) Mike Golic Jr. joins(43:44-45:17) Deep Thoughts with Ari(45:18-50:06) If Ewers transfers, where does he go?(50:07-53:52) PaniniAmerica.net(53:53-59:59) How to format the CFP(1:00:00-1:05:22) Teams that didn't make a bowl that can make CFP(1:05:23-1:06:46) Diego Pavia eligible for the 2025 Season(1:06:47-1:09:50) Thoughts on Baylor for next season(1:09:51-1:11:38) Cody Bellaire joining us next week(1:11:39-1:20:43) Top TV Restaurants/Bars(1:20:44-1:21:22) Conclusion; Talk to you tomorrow from Notre Dame  It’s a Dear Andy and Ari show, but before we answer your questions, we’ve got to talk about some news and some College Football Playoff games. Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer, the No. 1 player in the portal, committed to Oklahoma. He’ll follow former Cougars offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who just took the same job in Norman.Next, Andy and Ari preview Saturday’s Clemson-Texas showdown in Austin. Later, Mike Golic Jr. (Gojo and Golic) joins to talk College Football Playoffs. Golic, a former Notre Dame offensive lineman, explains what it means for the playoff to come to South Bend. Golic also will be co-hosting Bleacher Report’s pre-game show for the SMU-Penn State game, and he breaks down how Penn State’s playcalling may have to change without an experienced backup QB on the roster. Now it’s time for your questions… A viewer suggests a better way to set the CFP matchups… Which non-bowl team from 2024 could be in the College Football Playoff in 2025? Watch us on YouTube instead: https://youtube.com/live/zp4b24ZEBMw Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey

Welcome to Andy and Ariane 3. Good morning. We are one day away from playoff football. The college football playoffs starts tomorrow night in South Bend. Ari and I, Southwest Airlines Willing will be there. And I just, I can't believe it's almost here. Thank you so much for the friendly reminder to check in in 29 minutes. Appreciate it. Hey, go! I had a boy. I checked in this morning. I got the acre. You need to remember on the show at 9am Central time to let me know because I will forget and then I'll be C31 and it's going to be a terrible terrible day for me. Although I can fit into the seats a little bit better these days so maybe it's not so bad. You don't want Ari in the middle seat still.

I don't want Ari in the middle seat still. I don't want Ari in the middle seat. So no, it feels good. Ready to get to Indy. Ready to party with you, man. Super excited. And I was on the phone with a buddy last night and we came to the conclusion that one of the two score favorites in the first round will lose. And we were trying to figure out which one it was. Well, we're going to have conversations about all those games today. And there's one that I definitely want to talk about. We've got some big transfer news that we have to hit.

But we're going to talk about Texas Clemson in a minute. And I think that's one. There's a path for Clemson. It's narrow, but there's a path. Now we also have a great conversation coming up with our friend Mike Golick Jr from the Gojo and Golick show. He is going to be on the pregame show for SMU Penn State, the Bleacher Report pregame show,

cause remember that game is on TNT. Remember, and Mike is also a former Notre Dame offensive lineman. So he's going to tell us exactly what this game means for Notre Dame against Indiana in South Bend. But before we get to the playoff, let's talk about teams outside the playoff that are trying to get into the playoff for next year. And start with a question because it is a dear Andy dear RDA. We have your questions to answer all day. Brendan in the chat says, Hey guys, love the show.

FSU fan. I see Patrick Payton is in the portal. Not sad to see him go, but my question is how do programs get scholarship players to transfer out? Can't they just stay? Now I think Patrick Payton is probably a different situation because if he wanted to stay, I'm sure there would be plenty of playing time for him

and they'd play him. He's probably decided he would like to go play somewhere else. But to answer Brendan's question, because there are guys that schools want to see transfer. Basically, the easiest way is the coach says you're not going to play next year. Like you will be on the bench the whole time. Now, some players will be okay with that and try to stay. But for the most part, players want to play.

So that's usually how that works. It's not as complicated, I think, as people wanted to make it, Ari. Yeah. Having conversations that are blunt and realistic with players that you otherwise wouldn't have had those conversations with in the past if you knew that they were staying on your team is a pretty surefire way to do it. You know, I don't know that I would want. Like my boss to be like your story is never going to get published on the front page here ever.

You know what I mean? Like everybody wants, but we'll let you out of your contract and you can go somewhere else. And I think that's that's the best way to do it. Yeah, we're never going to publish your stories at all, frankly. So yeah, I mean, I get it.

And it's difficult because I'm sure there's instances where people stay when the coaches would rather have seen them leave. Because the one thing that, you know, doesn't get talked about enough in the transfer portal era Andy is, is that when you used to make a recruiting mistake that used to live with you for three years, you know, that could tank your roster. You make enough of them. There's a reason why there were good teams and bad teams. Now if you make a mistake.

You can move on from that that mistake a little bit quicker. Now it's harder to fill those gaps with hits, right? You know, so it gets kind of. It's kind of hit and miss when it comes to that. But if you want to take a shot on somebody in high school that you think has a ton of potential and then you find out in year two that they're basically at their ceiling, which happened all the time and still does.

There's a way out of that four year agreement. That's right now guys that we think are going to be huge hits. The one we talked about yesterday. My saucy take was that John Matier, the Washington State quarterback transfer was going to the most impactful player in the transfer portal this year.

We now know his destination. We assumed his destination yesterday, but it is now official. He has committed to Oklahoma. He is following offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Norman. The Sooners have their QB one. This is why Jackson Arnold hit the portal when he did. This is why he's at Auburn now. Ari, does this make Oklahoma immediately better?

I would think so. If you get the most impactful player. Yeah, I think so. The question that I have is will they address some of the needs that they have at the skill position players or is it just simple as some guys getting healthy and will they improve the offensive line which you know they've taken a kid so you know that to me it's a process but certainly in the right direction. I'm going to write about this after we're done here and I want to help you I want you to help me formulate what to think about this but you know the cool thing about this new era is that Brenton Venables in the past would have been in a really bad place from an offensive

line standpoint, right? Like these problems that they had last year and in snake bit their season are correctable in one off season, and it looks like they've gone about doing that now. You know, the other thing with Oklahoma specifically, this doesn't really apply to everybody, but I wrote about this during the season. I think it was the week after the Texas game. They made some mistakes in terms of strategy in offensive line recruiting in the twenty two class in the twenty three class. They had actually fixed those by the twenty four class, so that they've also got some young guys who maybe weren't ready to play yet, who may be in a position where they're ready to play and ready to really contribute and be effective offensive

linemen in the SEC. It's not just that they can grab guys out of the portal. They also probably have some guys in the pipeline that they feel good about. Yeah, but you need to correct them fast, right? Because I don't know that what happened at Oklahoma last year can happen again. And I, I think that we, you know, we're going to find in this era, Andy, I think that, you know, when you felt somebody was a top 10 coach in America, like in 2010, that person was probably going to stay there for a long time, right? Like even during bad years I think the fluctuation of how we perceive coaches

Is going to change dramatically year over year like how you viewed Mario Cristobal two years ago might be a lot different than how you view them Now imagine how we felt about Mike Norvell at this time last year one year ago. Yes like yeah There's a lot of and I I think that like Brent Venables is a really good coach. And I think that he is a good steward for the program. And if you can get a quarterback in there that makes plays, cause a Joma tier doesn't just, isn't just like a plugin, you know, he's not, he's a, he's a creative, he's an art, he's an artist. If you could put some skill around him and block for him,

like Oklahoma's offense should be awesome next year. Like it's like that, right? Like that's the, yeah. So, but it's a big, it's a big off season for Brent. Like, I mean, this is, you don't stop here. You have to keep filling those holes and making sure that when you line up next year, you have seven offensive linemen that you can put on the field and not torpedo your season. There's a there's other teams in the playoff right now that lost two offensive linemen and it looks like they can't move a football anymore. And like that's harder now but like I want to see them address the offensive line and you know I don't know what you think about their skill position players I don't know if you think they need to get

one but you know. What what is Zachariah branch went to Oklahoma from USC? I know that's that's one of the ones he's considering. I just think it's that would be the craziest turn of events that suddenly someone's leaving Lincoln Riley to go to Oklahoma because they feel like they could play in a more. Yeah, explosive offense. I mean, don't you think that USC owes Oklahoma a few anyway after what they did with Caleb? Like I think that they should toss a few back the other direction. Yeah, Caleb was a very good contributor for USC. That is true. And then so Miami made a run at material because obviously the thought is that material will do for Oklahoma pretty much what cam ward did for Miami this year. That's that's the hope for if you're Oklahoma and it's why

Miami way to run at him. So they are still looking for a QB one. They do have Emory Williams, which I think people forget because he played a little bit as a freshman got hurt in that Florida State game, but they liked him a lot. So I do think there's a chance that maybe he's their guy, but I would imagine they're also still a true freshman, didn't he? He did. And they're also still looking in the portal.

So we'll see what happens there. Cause I texted you about this last night cause I've been wanting to get this takeoff, but I think maybe Notre Dame is the model for this, as you pointed out, where if you are a program that has engaged in the rental quarterback year over year over year, like that's all great when you land Cam Ward, but what happens when you don't get anybody?

Yeah, and Notre Dame is moving out of that cycle. So they rented Sam Hartman, they rented Riley Leonard, and CJ Carr is now potentially the guy next year and he's he's been with the program. You still have to recruit high school quarterbacks because eventually you're not going to get the best guy in the portal and then you're not going to have a quarterback and then your team's going to stay. But I don't know maybe I don't like Miami wasn't really aggressive in pursuing a ton of quarterbacks. Like maybe they just thought Matier was too good to not try to get and maybe they're actually uncomfortable with Emory. But if that wasn't the plan, they're going to be in trouble. If the plan was

we'll just get somebody in the portal at the end of the year, like that, you know, that plan gives and it takes. It does. It does. You have to be, you have to be recruiting out of high school and look at look at Georgia Gunner Stockton there has been in the system knows the playbook Situations like this are sort of made for that. So We will find out what happens with John Matier how effective he is at Oklahoma But I suspect he's gonna be really good. They're excited to see it Ari at Oklahoma, but I suspect he's going to be really good there. Excited to see it. Ari,

before we move on to Texas and Clemson, because we got to talk more about this game, I'm laughing because at get up this morning, my son was watching get up before we came on. They've been teasing an arch manning Quinn Ubers segment all day. Like it's escaped our little college football bubble, the Arch Manning Quinn Ubers thing. Everybody's noticed this. So we're gonna talk about that in a second. But first, I wanna tell you about MasterClass. They have a very cool new class on how to be a better sports better.

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Rufus Peabody. I'm Joe Fortenbaugh and this is MasterClass. Class, you can learn to be the best from the best. MasterClass is the only streaming platform you can learn and grow with over 200 plus the world's best and for just $10 a month, an annual membership with MasterClass gets you an unlimited access to every instructor. It's not just sports betting. It's every aspect of your life. Visit masterclass.com slash on three for up to 50% off. They have some very good deals around the holidays. So masterclass.com slash on three for up to 50% off. Ari, let us, let us go to Austin. Now, as we were just talking about the arch manning Quinn, your thing has reached escape velocity. It's out

of our little college football bubble. It's hit the debate shows. You said it as we watched the SEC Championship game. But I want to point out so I was I was piddling around in the price picks app this morning and I was looking at Quinn Ewers situation. So his passing yards square for this game is 260.5. So he did prize picks, by the way, best daily fantasy game in America.

Download the app, use the code staples, play $5, get $50 instantly. His number for this game is 260.5. That's his passing yards number. Ari, do you recall how many yards he threw for against Georgia? A ton, didn't he? 358. It didn't feel like it.

No. No, it did not. That is it. I saw that number and I was like, wait, I'm going to have to go watch that game again now because as you and I watch it together, we both had the same reaction. Well, the reason why it feels that way is because I think he hit 170 yards on three plays.

Yes. That slant over the middle was a. It was a big one was a pretty big one, and I know they had a few deep balls in the first half early in the first half, but yeah, like that's what's so crazy about this, though, like your offense doesn't have to be scoring 40 to get to the yardage totals, right? Like that's what coaches say, yards are cheap,

points aren't, you know, like that's. And I feel like as the game evolves, yardage in general is becoming less and less important, field position is becoming less and less important because people are so good at moving the football now. But yeah, like the arch manning aspect of this is interesting because if he plays. I don't know. 20 snaps, which would be a lot that kind of cuts into it a little bit. I don't know.

Do you anticipate that? Like, what were they saying on the show? What were they debating on the show? What we've been talking about for three months is Quinn. You're going to have a short leash. Exactly the same. The thing we've been debating. Well yeah and the second that Quinn Ures got pulled in the first Georgia game that was going to happen he it's not like recently right like I know they put a package in there for him at the end the A&M game and he scored a rushing touchdown or two but like that if he had never played then it wouldn't be a discussion right like but we've seen him play and we know. I was playing NCAA last night, the video game.

And by the way, all American level online right now, and I'm 11 and 0, and I'm in the semifinals of the college football playoffs. So I'm going to have to get the sticks in. I was going to say, you better get that over with before the game tomorrow. I mean, I need to see if I'm going to win my second national title online.

Yeah. But Arch Manning's in the game anytime anyone plays with Texas now. Like I and it's like he's just more mobile and I know that means nothing because the video game I love that. I love the video game coaches have now preempted Sark like we've pulled. We've pulled Quinn.

I think Quinn is fine question. Yeah, I know question if both quarterbacks you perceive to have similar throwing ability, right? Like I don't know. Quinn, you were throws a beautiful ball, so I don't know who has a more accurate arm who has a better arm. I think I would probably go with Quinn, right? Like, is that fair at this point? I'd say it's pretty close based on what we've seen.

It's close. And one player can run the ball a million times better than the other. Who's your offense better with? Like take the names out of it, right? It's like a blind resume. It's like, oh, both are the same. Yeah. But I guess what do you want? Experience leg ability like that's what yeah as in Dennis says in the chat You're also not getting a hundred percent of Quinn right now. He hurt his ankle toward the end of the season So that is also something to consider Now the other quarterback in this game making his homecoming Kate club Nick coming back to Austin Was a star high school quarterback in Austin before heading to Clemson Kate club next got to give them everything in this game.

He's got to run the ball. He's got to throw the ball to 16 and a half passing yards is his number on prize picks. Uh, this is a game we, we always say Kate Clubnick's gonna gotta run for scores when Clemson needs it. He's going to have to do that in this game. I'm not sure he's going to be able to do that against the Texas defense. We did see him run and run for a touchdown against the South Carolina defense. So I, but I think as good as that South Carolina defenses,

the Texas defense is even better. Yeah. Uh, he's going to have to have the game of his life for them to win. I think like, and I mean that like, you know, you said their path to winning is narrow. I think the path is game club Nicknick turns into Deshaun Watson. So I've got a prize picks pick and we're going to put this out later today online. We were asked by our friends at prize picks to pick our favorite Demon Square. So the Demon Squares are the ones

that are a little bit harder to get. It's a higher potential payout. And so if this debate is going to continue to rage, because I think Texas is going to win, I think Texas is the better team here. If this debate is going to continue to rage, you're going to need the Texas offense to kind of stall out a little bit, not be as efficient as it could be. And then you can have the real conversation heading into the quarterfinals. But also that means big time Burt Auburn is going to get some some run because it means offensive drives will stall out and Burt Auburn's got to kick field goals. His Demon Square is 1.5 field goals made in this game. You've never seen Burt Auburn with his helmet off. It's a glory to behold. Saw it in person in College Station. There's an electric. There isn't a single woman that that man could not have if he wanted. Let me tell you. Bird Auburn is the sexiest man in college football.

One and a half field goals made more than there's your demon square. Take it to... I'm not even going to say that. I know people got in trouble saying stuff like that. So I'm not going to say that. But just trust me, the sexiest fan of college football is your guy. Price picks download the app, play $5, get $50 instantly, use the code staples.

Alright, let us delve deeper into a couple other college football playoff games with a guy who knows it all. Mike Golick Jr. host of Gojo and Golick, former Notre Dame offensive lineman. He's on the pregame show for the SMU Penn State game. He is doing it all this week, and he had some time to stop by and talk about that game. He didn't puke before.

Honor to be joined by Mike Golick Jr. One of the hosts of Gojo and Golick with his dad, which you can hear every single day. It is a great listen. And Mike, you are on the pregame show, the Bleacher Report pregame show for SMU in Penn State, which is on TNT, and we're gonna get to that game. But you're also a proud Notre Dame grad,

played in a BCS title game for the Irish. How wild is it that there's a college football playoff game Friday night in South Bend? It's incredible, man. I've been asked by a bunch of people, and I'm sure you guys have too, from folks outside of college football, what they're most excited about with the expanded playoff. And every time, the easiest answer is the fact that we get these games at home on these campuses at a time of year where we're normally not seeing football outside of, you know, maybe the game at Yankee Stadium in the pinstripe bowl really involving the elements really involving some of these parts of the sport that we get to see in our NFL counterpart that are now going to maybe show up in varying degrees pun fully intended on the college stage. But I just think the, the pageantry and the stakes at play that come with the expanded bowl season combined with what I know these schools, Notre Dame included are going to put into trying to make this the best experience possible is going to be really, really cool.

I was in Notre Dame for the first time last year for a game and I was blown away by just how different and special it is. Um, and we're going to the game on Friday night and I was blown away by just how different and special it is. And we're going to the game on Friday night, and I cannot wait to see what because you said to make it special to make it feel unique to have that that not just the snow or the temperature, but like to make it a unique advantage, you know, having played there. What do you anticipate they're gonna they're gonna do or how it's gonna be there? Yeah, you know, you've already seen them starting to put some stuff out there. You know, having played there, what do you anticipate they're going to do or how it's going to be there? Yeah, you know, you've already seen them starting to put some stuff out there. You know, Pete Bavacqua was out there with the special towel that they're going to have in stadium.

And I'm sure while, you know, we know what the rules of the playoff, both teams are going to get to have the pageantry coming out of the tunnel and the stuff play on the video board for there. It's going to be a little more equal opportunity than maybe I would even like. But I know today the one thing about the game day experience that has changed so much is in 2017 after the big renovation where they put the luxury seats on, they added the student center on the side and they added the jumbotron there. They do take much more seriously now building out all of the game day

entertainment to supplement what's going on in the field in there. They've done the light show going into the third and fourth quarter like a lot of other teams around the country have. And so I think all of those things combine with just an energy around campus. And you guys know this, Notre Dame is a school without a conference. And so early in the season, I remember being there in years where we weren't as good and the losses would pile up in September and October and all of a sudden the player walks a little more sparse and some of those things change. The 12 and 0 season, we saw when that place is fully weaponized, what it can be like around there and the environment that starts to be.

Friday when you guys walk in there, I know the game will be Friday, but Friday in a normal week, the buzz around town when things are going well is really unlike anything I had been a part of. I wasn't prepared for what that looked like into November during the 12 and 0 season. And so for now that to be leading to a playoff game, that energy is gonna November during the 12 and 0 season. And so for now that

to be leading to a playoff game, that energy is going to be off the charts on campus. That's it. I'm trying to imagine the band marching into the stadium, what that's going to be like on Friday night and the way the people just line the sidewalks. And I'm excited for that, but I want to Mike, I want you to help us put this in historical perspective in terms of Notre Dame, because we've said it a bunch of times about, okay, Notre Dame has won big regular season games, but it has been a long time since Notre Dame won a big post-season game. You were probably in elementary school,

maybe barely in diapers the last time it happened. What would it mean to win a big postseason game at Notre Dame? It'd be huge. I mean, for as much as the latter half, especially, the Brian Kelly years did for resetting the floor for a program that, sort of like what Penn State's dealt with, where you're better than 90% of college football

but can't break that upper crust, for Notre Dame to get over the hump and finally get a meaningful postseason win and to do it at home and to do it against an opponent that's this upstart Indiana team in space I think would really resonate. For Marcus Freeman who already got the endorsement that every coach looks for from the school and putting pen to paper on a contract extension that's going to make him one of the you know highest paid coaches in the sport that's going to continue to pour into the resources

that you need with NIL and facilities around there, to now be able to take that momentum and show people even more proof of concept, proof that when Marcus Freeman came on here and when succeeded Brian Kelly, the talk was, hey, with the recruiting and the energy and the youth, you'd be able to break through maybe the ceiling, use the raised floor and break through.

This would show you're actually taking the chisel to that ceiling that's right now existed on Notre Dame and really starting to make meaningful headway through that. Yeah, I'm actually going to just use you to workshop a column because I'm going to write about them today. Just and by the time this comes out, they'll come out at the same time. So I'll take full credit for it. So it is interesting that Marcus Freeman did get this contract extension, right? And I put Notre Dame in my national championship game when I filled out my bracket,

and the reaction from everybody was, you're a moron, right? Like there's this visceral reaction whenever you predict that Notre Dame's not going to just win a game but go deep into a tournament like this. What do you think the actual expectations should be for Notre Dame now that they've proven they think they found their coach of the future by signing this deal and like what would success look like to you? What's this opportunity? I know that like beating Indiana at home.

It'd be a big postseason win, but do you think it has to be more than that? Like I kind of feel like they have to I don't know. Do they have to be Georgia? I think especially if it's a compromised Georgia team, where all of a sudden you're dealing with a like lesser or fully injured Carson Beck, then that would certainly that. So let's put it this way, like the metaphor we just talked about a breaking through the ceiling. That would be the game. Beating Indiana is more one where, hey, you've got to do this to continue to show that earned respect post-NIU was warranted. Because Indiana is a very good team. They're incredibly well coached, but they're by no means the most talented team in the field.

There's a reason they've been almost the touchdown underdog in this game. Notre Dame is supposed to beat Indiana, and historically, they're supposed to beat Indiana. The rapstone on Notre Dame has been the programs that can recruit talent on a different level. It's been Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama in these big time postseason games, Clemson in the ACC Championship in the playoff years ago and so beating a team of that would start to change some of the ways people around South Bend view what this program is capable of going forward and the thing is they've got a unique opportunity. I've

said over and over this is the best chance we've had mathematically to win a championship since we played in the BCS game. Again I know people didn't give us a chance to win that one but we were in the last game we had a shot and this year where there's no truly transcendent team Oregon's the most consistent they're deep they're talented but they're not great in the ways that that 21 Georgia team or some of the other teams from years past were so dominant you felt like it was gonna take a Herculean effort to beat. Notre Dame, if they play their best football,

can beat anybody left in the field, it's can they go out there and actually accomplish that and get over some of the mental hurdles that might exist? Yeah, Andy, I think that like beating Georgia puts a stop to it. Like if they're able to beat Georgia no matter what that Georgia team is, whether it's Gunnar Stockton or an injured Beck or whatever, if they beat Georgia I think that's over with the oh are you crazy, are you crazy. I actually disagree on that. If you have one of those two compromises and this is the thing and I think the part here that I long ago waved by to caring about was when

you're talking about Notre Dame, the perception in people's feelings really often get in the way of any true analysis of what's going on here. And so I do think even if it, if it is anything short of fully healthy, Carson Beck, and even with that, people would probably say, Hey, it's down Georgia team this year. Hey, it's not quite as dominant as they were in the past. Hey, the people are always going, people who want to find something are always going to find a reason to not like Notre Dame

if that's their station. That's just the kind of program they are. But even if it's a down Georgia team. Specifically with Notre Dame, people, like Notre Dame evokes strong feelings in people. If I say Notre Dame, it's funny because when we do the live shows, you watch the chat. If we turn the conversation to Notre Dame invariably,

the first comment is, nobody cares about Notre Dame. Well, yeah, you do. Because you just told me you did. And also too, if this Georgia team is down, is that because Georgia is down or is that because that's the new standard of the sport? You have to take into consideration that like the 2020 Alabama. Down compared to what? Yeah, down compared to being like having two deep players that would be first

round draft picks if they were playing this year. Like that's like, I think that Notre Dame is always going to get that reaction from people, but like rational people who are upset that I have Notre Dame advancing to the national championship game that don't have a deep rooted hatred for Notre Dame and what it stands for. I think you could rationally say hey this is a team that is constructed well enough to be the team as talented as Georgia regardless of who's playing quarterback and if you have any analytical brain or any thought process of what the sport looks like and what they did like negging them because Georgia's not

full power when Georgia may never be the Georgia they were two years ago ever again is ill-fated and wrong. I agree completely with that. What I'll say too is that cuts both ways, right? There are people that because it's Notre Dame are going to overrate things that have happened. I'm always slowest to call out a Notre Dame team as being able to contend at a certain level because I've been a part of disappointing Notre Dame teams in the past. I'm snake-bitten like a lot of our fan base is in accepting the new reality of

the program here. And so I do think you're absolutely right in that regard, that there is a logical argument that can be made now and from here on out. And I think quite honestly, a lot of that changed in my thinking and in some people's estimation last year with how Michigan went about winning a title, because there are years where I look at that Georgia defense, the Alabama offense from 2020, some of those Clemson teams with these transcendent future NFL quarterbacks and say, that's going to be pretty tough in this day and age given some of the recruiting constraints there. I look at what Michigan did and it's no slight to the skill guys there,

but winning with competent beef on both sides of the ball. Buddy, we can do that in South Bend. That's an accessible path forward to a Notre Dame team that built over a long period of time to get to that zenith and hit it at the right time. And that's probably what it would take for a Notre Dame championship. But that seeing that last year for me is like,

okay, we can do that. I will buy your competent beef t-shirts. I'm all for the cup. Well, okay, I just think about this. When did it happen? And feel free to claim your own era that Notre Dame decided we are gonna be an offensive line factory.

Ronnie Stanley era, is that? Well, I mean, I would say the face that launched a 1000 ships in that regard like if you want to talk about it. I mean we can go all the way back, you know, Joe Moore got to Notre Dame in the late 80s with Lou Holts and then you had guys like Aaron Taylor come through that like Notre Dame's got a really proud tradition in the offensive line room. Joe Moore the namesake for the award that goes to the best offensive

line group in the country. My coach Harry he stand a Joe a Joe Moore disciple, a guy who reveres that man. And you know, I'll give Harry a lot of credit for the pride that he continued to emphasize in that room's history. Notre Dame's always had a great history in that room. But to your point about the modern Renaissance for it, to me, I go back to my teammate, Zack Martin. Like he's a guy that I think had somehow an underrated college career. I remember I loved Mike Mayock to death and he called the Notre Dame games back then. But I remember when Zach was going through the combine

and pre-draft process in 2013 or 2014, the year he came out. And he went through and had a good combine. And Mike Mayock's like, I'm going to have to go back and watch the tape. I'm like, Mike, you're the one that needs to be preaching the gospel on this man and letting them know that this is a guy. We had teammates that nicknamed him the warden because during one-on-one he would

just cuff you and escort you past the quarterback every single time. He's the most consistent player I ever played with. And I think that standard that started in 2012 really where you had him and Harry East and as this sort of cocktail that produced that first round offensive talent that ends up be getting Ronnie Stanley and Mike McGinchen, Quinton Nelson, who's probably the perfect Notre Dame offensive line weapon that was formed in part of their Joe Moore award winning line to, you know, the guys that we've had now and Liam Eichenberg and the group of guys, Robert Hainsey and the most recent classes here.

I think that was really when you started to see, okay, we're back to it being blue chippers every year and not only having the talent there, but you guys know this in the NFL, there's a lot less time on the field. You need guys coming in technically more ready than ever before. And Notre Dame, whether it was coach, he stand there during his runs there, uh, Jeff Quinn for the little while that he was there. And now Joe Rudolph, who obviously has his own storied history at Wisconsin, Wisconsin. Yeah. You've got really great teachers at the position to go along with the talent at a place that's always gonna value that

and how it builds out a game plan. Mike Denbrock, who's on his third stint in South Bend now, who coach tackles and tight ends when he first got there, understands and appreciates it. So it's a top-down approach and an understanding of the identity that this school has always had, but one that really has been a ready-made factory producing these guys since the early aughts. So, Mike, you are you're doing the Bleacher Report pregame show for SMU Penn State, which by the way, everybody's on TNT.

So don't be don't be shocked if you're trying to find it. It's on TNT. This game is fascinating. I listened to your show about this. Ari and I talked about this all week. The Boper Buell thing is wild, not just because of the circumstances, but because this guy had a role in the offense. Are you sitting there going, okay, what happens if Valor goes down?

Like that's, I can't stop thinking about that now. Well, and I can't stop thinking about, and you guys, you saw it clear as day in the big 10 championship, but we'd seen it earlier in the year. Was it the Illinois game where both Pribula had to go and play the majority of the game? Cause Wisconsin knocked out Wisconsin. And you saw the way that the rushing offense changed completely when all of a sudden you introduced zone read and in the big 10 championship game, it was some zone read, even with drew Aller, some quarterback bash exchange stuff with the running back, the Penn State offense with as great as those two running backs

are operates at its best when the quarterback is involved in the run game and against these increasingly better defensive fronts, we're going to see the value of quarterback run all postseason, speaking of Notre Dame. And so that's my biggest worry is how much does it affect your play calling with your starter? If you're Andy Kottelnicki and Drew Aller saying, hey, if we really get to a point where we need to be able to grind out some yards on the ground and it's not coming, are we going to be willing in high leverage situations early in this game to put our quarterback potentially at risk because we know it morphs us into the best version of our offense? Well, also simultaneously taking a bigger

risk of putting them in harm's way when you don't have any wiggle room with that regard too. Yeah, it's like crazy. And I don't know what it is about the sport, but I always feel like if you have a wart or there's a problem or you're self-conscious about it, something, they tend to pop up, don't they? They always tend to pop up.

And this time of year, we've heard a lot of coaches, James Franklin included, get to the microphone and talk. Andy, I liked your article the other day about possible solutions for the December portal and the problems that have plagued coaches. Trying to go through now this expanded playoff for the first time where you're trying to go through roster retention, roster building,

and just figuring out who's gonna be on the field and available for you during this post-season run while also watching guys manage their future. And that's going to create different wards that are there. I always said this 12-team format was it was going to reward depth and health as much as anything else and you know for Notre Dame, Jeremiah Love, Howard Cross, guys that were banged up at the end of the season that are expected to play but how much will be there? You know Jordan Tyson in Arizona not being available to them you can get through the Big 12 championship I don't know how that bodes for this.

And so combine that with players that might not be there now because you're dealing with portal issues here is just a whole other way to kind of look at the flaws showing up in a big way. Well, and this is one of those situations where like SMU probably lost their best offensive weapon in the middle of the season and they're tight end. And like, Rhett Lashley's done a good job stitching this together.

But you wonder, like, if they were to get by Penn State, what's their depth situation? Yeah, that part's going to be really interesting. You're right, losing RJ Maryland when they did. Almost, again, it's a net negative because he's so great, but you also have had time to adjust. Like the timing of all these injuries is also going to matter to Notre Dame. Jeremiah Love got injured against USC. So now all of a sudden, if that meaningfully changes their game plan, that's a lot bigger issue. Same goes for some

of the portal guys here. So when and how you account for that is going to certainly be huge, but SMU, I think with that in mind, you're as coaches now in uncharted territory where you're trying to manage, hey, how do we try and go on a deep run here? But also know that we're in a one and done tournament. Things turned around for SMU in the ACC championship game when they started going for broke, when they started involving Kevin Jennings

in the running game more, when they started more of the double move and trick play stuff, stuff that Clemson was bringing out at the beginning of that ACC Championship game. I think if you're SMU, you got to be in the trick bag early on in this game and throw everything possible at them and see what sticks to go out here and make sure that you are in this game with a chance going into the second half because they're talented enough with their top end guys to keep it close. Andy, you're probably going to hate me because this is

terrible podcasting and out of the flow, but I had to ask him a question that I didn't get off about Notre Dame that I just have to go back to. Oh, I think I know where you're going. So I'm ready. Let's go. Well, let's see how how in sync we are. What do you think I'm going to ask? Well, so I'm thinking about the man Tito story that he told on Good Morning Football about watching the Alabama players go by before the 2012, the national title game after the 2012 season, which Mike, you were standing there. So I'm curious what it was like watching that parade of elephants as you're about to take the

field. You know what, Mantai was a great player for us that season, one of the best college football players I've ever been around. He's entitled to his opinion. I can only tell you guys this. I was as confident as I've ever been going into a football game stand really before that field. I puked before every game I played in in college football, like as a starter, meaningful playing time because I needed to get the nerves out somehow. And that was how I did it. You know, offensive lineman, the history of the sport. Mark Mark Schlerer tells a great story about being with the Broncos online and they're all sitting there before a game with a garbage can in front of them just waiting to

yak and once the first guy did it it's like this train of puke from all these big fat guys who are so nervous about letting their brother down and that was kind of how I always felt before games and we had prepared for so long at that game been one of the best teams in the country for so long that year and had so much time to get ready for this. I didn't puke before that game because I'm like, if I'm not ready for this one, when am I going to be here? We saw the dudes on tape. We knew CJ Mosley was conducting that defense. We knew haha. Clinton Dicks was on the back end of that squad. We knew who they had on offense, but from where I stood in my vantage point here, I felt perfectly confident. I understand people from the outside that always ask the question like, did you think

you had a chance in my response? You know part of my language is always fuck. Yeah, I thought we had a chance. Yeah talking about we had well and I saw the video and and like Mantai is saying this and they're showing the video and I'm watching Stefan to it who would have fit right in on that Alabama team He didn't look very intimidated. He's just like, okay, let's go No, and again like listen Mantai had his own vantage point at that moment here and he can remember that moment the way that he did there and so it's not like, you know, slamming a

team and I got no problem with Mantai. He was a great guy. He was a great teammate and a great player for us that season, but I did not witness that moment the same way here. The game got away from us in the quicksand that a lot of teams have to watch out for when it comes to postseason football that if you're not used to this stage can happen quick where one mistake becomes two when all of a sudden you realize the gravity of the moment and the team on the other side who's been to a bunch of these and in that case was trying to go for back to back their

heart rates not raising above a certain point because they know the ebbs and flows of this game. That's a very real thing. That was where you saw I think the difference between the two teams really show up in addition to some of the physicality. But going into that game now, we thought, at least I felt fine in that moment. And the guys that we were getting ready to walk out with,

I thought felt like we were ready for the challenge that day. You're wrong, but we felt like it. That wasn't what I was going to ask, but it was a question. But now I've got a follow up. So when you puked before the game, did you pull the trigger or like that just come naturally? Like how did you, what was the back?

It was sitting right here at all time. And I tried everything. Like I tried to change up the pregame meal. I tried to eat lighter, eat at different times. Everything that you could possibly do. And unfortunately, the tunnel that everyone's getting ready to run out of in South Bend this weekend for that game, the back of it there is probably still some remnants of my innards because I would always hang towards the back. I never wanted to be the first guy out of the tunnel. I was slow. I was going to get trampled by people. So I was in the back handling my business there. Unfortunately, for whoever had to clean

that up. Here's the question I was going to ask. And sorry for keeping you a little bit long here, but from your vantage point, is Marcus Freeman the guy there? And do you think the extension was timed correctly? Uh, I do. You know, whether or not they wanted it out the week of the game or they wanted to wait for that after. And if you listen to Pete Bavacqua, they knew they wanted this done that. And I, I think to answer the initial question, yes, I do think Marcus Freeman is the guy. I think in this day and age we have seen a premium on young coaches that can connect with players in a different way and that don't have preconceived notions

about what the system used to be here. You haven't heard a lot of complaints out of South Bend about the nature of the portal, the different things that thrown at you in college football cycle. You've just seen them attack solutions and that starts that's leadership from the top down. You know, we had a chance to talk to Riley Leonard on the show and he said, it's the example Marcus sets in the building every day of how he treats people involved in this process, the way that he goes about this, how

consistent he is in the way that he approaches managing this team. I think all that watching him grow into the job. He was a first-time head coach. We knew mistakes were going to come. Some of them came in more high-profile moments. Last year the Ohio State game, the 10 men on the field thing. That was a tough moment to get over. Losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois. Those are difficult, but every time adversities come up, you've seen the response there and you've seen them capable of playing ball in modern college football with NIL with the portal doing all these things that I didn't know is a Notre Dame fan

in a school that hugs tradition so much if we weren't necessarily going to dive right into the deep end on that. And they have and I think Marcus's leadership is a big reason why. So I was glad to see that contract come through. I'm excited to see what it's going to look like on Friday night in South Bend. Sorry, you won't be there with us, but it'd be one of the few people with a hotel room in State College. So congratulations for that. I am jazzed to get back to one of my favorite on-campus eateries, the Berkey Creamery, and the I got some spots. If we could get together and just go smash some food as a family, that'd be great when we're out there.

Boys, that is a date. You can count on me for that one, absolutely. Mike Golick Jr., thank you so much. We'll be watching you on the Bleacher Report pre-game show and listening every day. Go Joe and Golick, wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks, fellas. Oh, thank you.

Appreciate you being here, Mike. You're awesome. That was awesome. So what Ari was doing was code for asking Mike to join us at the Olive Garden, but we got some other spots. Just so you know, I never told you this. I puke before every show. I'm glad.

Get it out. Get it out. Get it out. Isn't that what Scott Cocker used to say? Let's eat breakfast! You know, like, if you do a random ranking of things that feel the best,

obviously, I think going pee when you have to go really bad is one of them. Obviously, there are other things that feel really good physically that I'm going to have to get is one of them. Obviously, there are other things that feel really good physically that we don't have to get into on the show. But I think relieving yourself through puke after you're done puking is one of like most gratifying

and like relieving feelings that you may have. And that's been deep thoughts with Ari. And I was gonna I was to read an ad there, but I'm not now. Because that company will cancel on us if I read it next to that. So we're going to move right on to Dear Andy and Ari and then we'll read the ad. I think number one is the Relief of Extreme Pain. If something really hurts and then it goes away, that feels really good too.

Okay, go ahead. Listen, I just watched Varsity Blues again the other day. You can rally! Like, yeah, I get it. You'll rally when you're out. Yeah. But Ferris in the chat is exactly right. This show is off the rails.

Yes. But we need to answer questions. Sailor Joe asked a question in the chat yesterday, and I thought this was an interesting one, especially given the conversation we had earlier today. I realize we've been talking about the playoff, but we've also been talking about the portal. So question from the whole office here in San Antonio.

If yours hits the portal, where would he find the most success? So I realize we are putting the cart way ahead of the horse here, but it's a podcast. This is not predicting what will happen in the college football playoff. This is trying to predict, we'll have it after the college football playoff.

Will he go to the NFL? Or would he potentially go to another school? So let's say Quinn Uris just decides, I realize Arch Manning is gonna start at Texas next year. I don't know that I want to play in the NFL. I can do a really good deal in college. Where would you put him? Where would you want to see him?

I want to put him in a place that has the best offensive line and the best skill position players around him. Like I don't think that Quinn Ewers would thrive in a, like I don't know if this is a fair thing to say. And maybe we'll be proven wrong if he has an incredible CFP run here. Some quarterbacks are the engine and some quarterbacks lift all the boats. And some quarterbacks exist perfectly being a distributor and somebody who isn't going to make catastrophic mistakes a lot. I think that he's more of the latter, right? Like I don't know that you're going to put Quinn yours on it.

Like I don't know that I would love like Quinn yours and I this is blasphemy to even suggest. But like what material brings to Oklahoma? I don't think when yours can bring right like the guy who's going to be the X Factor who's going to change everything, right? Like the guy who's going to be the X factor who's going to change everything, right? Yeah, he's he's you want him in your offense throwing darts, getting the ball out on time. John in the chat says to Georgia that actually is it's kind of a nice fit. Yeah Miami. Yeah. Although Miami benefited from the improvisational skills of

Cam Ward. Yeah, but Miami is going to have a good offensive line next year and good and they'll have good skill position players. Yeah. Players like I think that he might be good there. I saw Michigan, but I think they need you you'd want Michigan to have a little bit better receivers Well, let me ask you this What about Ohio State? The comeback The question the question is Yeah, they have Julian saying how do you feel about Julian saying versus because because you've got a known commodity

Des in the chat says Quinn is going to the NFL. I we think we think. Well, I think the better question or another question is, is do you think that Quinn Ewers will be drafted higher if he comes back and plays like he did this year somewhere else? Because it might be the smartest thing for him if like like this is a complex scenario because I also think when yours has probably been amongst the best at capitalizing and maximizing his NIL potential. Right? That's that's the this is a legitimate dollars and cents conversation because depending on where he

might get drafted, he actually might make more money in college football next year. Yeah, right. So if you can make more money in college football next year. Yeah, right. So, if you can make more money and give yourself an opportunity to potentially increase your draft stock, that's a probably a pretty good business decision but on the same token, the NFL quarterback big board right now for the draft is very, very light. Right. And next year could be, could be better. Yeah. I think it would be.

Yeah. So it's, it's very interesting. And, and producer River says, imagine the Dr. Pepper commercials though. You do have to run it back. He did a good job in the Fansville commercial. I will say that. So yeah, yeah, I want more Fansville commercials with Quinn Quinn. You orders to Notre Dame. Now, I think they're I think they're moving on to CJ Carr. I

think they're they're going homegrown next year. But we'll see. I was supposed to come up with ideas that actually makes sense for places that need quarterbacks or just good ideas. Like, I think it's ones that make sense. And I think you've offered some. Yeah, you've offered some. And like with Georgia, Gunnar Stockton could cement himself as the guy. Producer River asked, does Oregon make any sense? I think Oregon, they would like Dante more to be the guy.

I think that's the point. Yeah. So Ari, now we can talk about Panini America, your favorite sponsor of ours. Visit PaniniAmerica.net to collect your favorite college and NFL stars. The Luminance series features NIL cards with Arch Manning, with DJ Lagway, with Luther Burden,

with a bunch of fun college players also. Rookies so I've got this luminance number to 50 Brock Bowers. In his Georgia uniform, he's now maybe the best tight end in the NFL already. We knew it was really good when he's playing in college to are you've got some. Some nukes as they call them.

Yeah, I've got a bunch of Panini sent me a care package yesterday. I don't know if you got all some nukes as they call them? Yeah, I've got a bunch. Panini sent me a care package yesterday. I don't know if you got one too, but if you did, they're mine. I think they care more about you. No, but like if you did, they're mine. Seriously, I don't know what we're gonna have

to work something out because I need to have, like I'm obsessed with these. Okay. I got a Khalil Shakir camo print at a 2024 Prism last night. I was tweeting the boxes they sent me, but I didn't want to tweet the hits yet. I wanted to show you guys on the show. I got a Keon Coleman out of Mosaic.

That's pretty nasty, right? He's Keon Coleman, one of the most impactful draft pick. We talked about how impactful Keon Coleman was out of the transfer portal for Florida State last year. He might be even a more impactful guy as a draft pick. He's been awesome for the Bills. Troy Franklin, Silver Rookie Auto. Beautiful.

And these are the new Panini Prism. Like this is like when you open Panini Prism, like there is an opportunity in this product for you to hit a nuke that could change your life. Like that, you know, that that's what's so thrilling about opening it. It's like getting what you get is great. But the thrill of opening the box is unlike anything else. Like last night, the box got delivered at 9pm. And my wife wanted to watch Yellowstone. And I was like, Okay, well, we're not going to

do that for another potential serious to watch Yellowstone, and I was like, okay, well, we're not gonna do that for another half hour. Potential series finale of Yellowstone, by the way. So this is big doings. Yeah, yeah, awesome show, but I was like, I'm going downstairs and opening these cards, and she's like, you're a child, and I'm like, you don't get it, and if you don't get it,

then we're not gonna make it in life. But I think she's starting to figure it out. Boomer Asiason, this is a new variation, white this year, this one a new variation, white, this year, this one's numbered, I believe to 35. And then this is the best hit that I got out of prism, which is a gold crystal of a hype that's numbered very nice. So I've got to get these top loaded and whatever. But like that, to me,

this is the best, in my opinion, product that they released for the NFL all year. And I have to go through my hits and top load them, but I've got a stack here of hits. Dante called Pepper Green Scope. We got a Lamar Jackson Red Wave here. This one I think is numbered to 149. So we got some good color and I feel pretty good about it. But like, yeah, it was electric.

And if you are looking for Panini Prism, visit PaniniAmerica.net as Ari reaches for yet another card. They sent me Mosaic too, which is out. This one is not incredibly valuable, but also think it's really cool because I also love the stock market. But like this is a Caleb Williams Capital Gains. And there's like money and The stock ticker behind it I think it's just a really cool designed card pray for variable Ari pray for variable

That's all I can say on that front There's a lot of people praying for very variable right now But I just wanted to say thank you to Panini for sending me these cards if they wouldn't have sent them to me I would have bought them and truthfully speaking I'm probably gonna buy more boxes because that was the most fun I've had in a long time. So if you'd like my prison box of your own, Panini America dot net is the place to visit. And Ari's just he's in heaven right now. All right. We got a couple more really good questions to answer. This was from Jake, and it's more of an idea than a question. But I love this idea. And I've added my own little twist to it.

So, dear Andy and Ari, at this point in college football, there are no bad ideas in terms of what is unequivocally an entertainment product. But the main logistical complaint I've seen with the playoff format is that teams with the Bys have unfair matchups waiting for them, i.e. Oregon has to play the winner of Tennessee-Ohio State despite being the number one seed. Considering it is already a gladiator slash bachelor-esque reality show, I love that you combine those two things because they're more like than you think. Instead, what if the teams with the bike got to pick on a broadcast who they wanted to play out of the winners live selection show draft determine what order what seeded by a

team you were to pick from the teams that won in the first round. Now, I think this is a great idea. I think it's super fun. I don't think they would do it in this era of where you play the quarterfinals in bowls because the bowls wanna know who's coming, people are gonna have to figure out what their travel plans are if their team wins. I do think if they move the games

to campus sites for the quarterfinals, which I think is gonna happen eventually, I think that's a little easier because then the home team, 90% of the stadium is figured out like everybody knows how to get there. Everybody knows what they're going to do. They know their travel arrangements. You're only talking about 10% of the stadium trying to figure out how they're going to get there. Unless it's Tennessee, Ohio State this week, apparently, but we'll see. So but I twist I put a twist on this idea. Ari.

What if they had the same kind of bracketing format, same rules as this year, but instead of just saying the Penn State SMU winner plays Boise State, you rank the teams, you seed the teams, and then you go like, so let's say they had the rankings and the seedings, and they said, these are the first round matchups. So Ohio State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Indiana, SMU, Penn State, Clemson,

Texas, all the first round matchups. Immediately you cut to Dan Lanning, coach of the number one seat. And you say, Dan, you have five minutes. You're going to play the winner of what first round game? And he asked to pick. Well, that would be gambling because you don't know who's going to win the first round game. You don't, but you like you would have you the the joy of it would be watching the coach insult two teams at once because you're insulting both teams by picking the matchup. Yeah, it would be better if they were able to choose it when the games are over. I think it's more fun if they have to choose which one, like just gamble on which one might win.

I am guessing. So you would probably pick Penn State SMU. I'm guessing. That's what he would pick. But then playing Penn State in the second round, isn't that big of a reprieve than if they were to play Tennessee or Ohio State at this point, right? So like, it's like, you know, this is kind of fun

because it's just grab ass idea and the more you can make this like a HBO special, the better. But like also at the same time, they should just seed them in order and then make a bracket. Exactly. In the written, dear Andy column, that's exactly what I said. I said, well, just just do it straight and you can still have guaranteed spots for conference champions. Just put them in at the bottom. Like it's, it's that simple.

Now, the thing that's difficult about that is, is that that doesn't completely solve it. Because if you ask Oregon or Georgia, who they probably would least like to play in the second round, they probably would probably, what would you say, pick Texas or Ohio State out of this bunch? And Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, I think would be. Although I don't think anybody wants to play Tennessee in the second round either. Yeah. But like at the same time, too, there are going to be years

where the team that's the number nine seed and rightfully so is actually the third best team. Like, that's the hardest. That's the hardest thing about college football too. It's like teams have bad games. I'm but I'm Ari. I'm okay with that with a little bit of that. I'm more okay with that than I am with this. Like having Boise State in Arizona State sitting there waiting for the that shouldn't happen.

Like yeah, because that is happening to Oregon Oregon's bad matchup in the second round is because two of the best teams in the thing happened to be eight and nine because the conferences they played in and had a bad loss but like at the same time like Oregon would probably rather play just about everybody else. So, you know, Oregon already had everything it could handle with Ohio State. I mean, I guess it's true for Boise too, but like that the reason why the bracket is messed up is because you have teams that aren't in the top four getting buys, but also because teams that are actually

eight and nine are actually probably not eight and nine when they're playing well. Yeah, exactly. You can't change that. So I it's going to change. It's going to go up to fourteen. Who knows? Maybe there might be a push to go to sixteen and not to have buys. Yes, but how about thirty? How about forty? How

about everyone? Keep keep throwing out the ideas are that is what you want because that's the opener. The season opener was just the first round of the playoff and it was just 15 rounds. Double elimination. Let's do it. We'd have to add some teams. Adds double elimination.

I don't know what the math on that is. Oh, double. Oh, the losers bracket would be spectacular. I don't even know how that would work. If you go and do your out your seasons. Yeah, but it's like it's a it's an elimination pool. I don't even know how that would work. If you go 0-2, you're out. Your season's over. You don't play anymore. It's like an elimination pool. Oh my god. And everybody's in it.

Yeah. We're a Bad at Math podcast. The idea of a 135 team double elimination tournament just breaks my brain. And you just have Chris Vidini do the 1 through 35 for seeding, like 1 through 131. And then like number one plays 131 and then you just go down the list.

Then you can really freak out about preseason rankings. Could you imagine how electric preseason rankings would be if that like was the bracket going into the year? Unbelievable. Why don't they even just stop keeping score? We used to have a segment called No Bad Ideas Friday. This is now No Bad Ideas Thursday. So blue sky thinking, all Ari, blue sky thinking.

All right, let us move from the playoff this year to talk of the playoff next year, not format, but teams. This question comes from Brian. Which team that did not make a bowl game this year has the best chance of making the college football playoff next year? And Ari, I love this question because there is a magical place that I can point to where there are so many teams that fit the bill for this thing.

Because Indiana and Arizona State are teams that didn't make bowl games last year. They're in the college football playoff this year. I think Indiana took the hard route. I don't think you're going to see that happen very often. But what Arizona State did by winning the Big 12? I mean, let's think about the Big 12 is a magical, magical land where anything can happen. Like if I told you Utah turned things around and won the Big 12 next year and made the playoff, would you be surprised at all? I mean, there is one that jumps out to me immediately. Which one? There's one team that just like hit me in the face. Auburn.

Ooh. Ooh. I, that's, that's an interesting, I had not thought about that, but you're right. You're right. I, Auburn absolutely could. I mean, they're doing work in the portal right now. Uh, they have a really, really good young receiver who's going to be a first round pick and is probably only going to get better. They've got a coach who has at least shown

in the history of his life to be very good at drawing up plays. I don't know where they're going in the portal right now, but like, you know, we have this mind. We're doing this. They got Jackson Arnold, but I don't know who else they're going to get like, you know, to supplement whatever weaknesses they had. But if they get the they got Jackson Arnold, but I don't know who else are gonna get like, you know to supplement whatever weaknesses

They had but if they get the best of Jackson Arnold, they run the ball Well and cam Coleman is awesome and they also had a receiver visiting that was really really good I can't remember which one it was they had Casey Concepcion. Yeah, yeah, that's right. That's right So I can imagine that they had our Arnold him and cam Coleman. They ran the ball hard and turn it over they'd be awesome The thing that is interesting about Auburn is that it also could be a Dunster Fire. So like, I don't know. That is Auburn every year. That's sort of the beauty of Auburn.

Like, you don't know what you're gonna get. You're not gonna find a five and seven team right now that is more dangerous going into the next year than Auburn, right? No. No. Because we don't know what's gonna happen with Utah. We're just assuming based on Kyle Whittingham's record,

they're changing offensive coordinators. Isaac Wilson's back as a quarter. Like he jumped in the portal, came back. I don't know if that means Isaac Wilson's the turn the quarterback producer reverse as a Florida State turnaround. I mean, I guess they went from 13 and O to two and 10 that quickly, but I that's hard to imagine that level of turnaround that quick.

Yeah, I mean other teams that you could. You know. Throw into the conversation just based on record would be like Michigan State or Wisconsin. I mean, I think that's that you could, you know, throw into the conversation just based on record would be like Michigan State or Wisconsin. Wisconsin is an interesting one because they are making changes that they went with Jeff Brimes is the offensive coordinator who is a, you know, he's an O line coach by trade. So obviously it's them wanting to lean more into that. And maybe go back a little bit toward the way they used to. They've got two quarterbacks out of the portal now. They got Billy Edwards. This is an SEC big 10 conversation because it'd be

really hard to go like there's no possible way. No, the big 12 is easy. Like I can tell you right now Utah, Oklahoma State and UCF out of the big 12. None of them would shock me if they're in contention for the big 12 title next year. None of them. Yeah, but I'm saying like being able to like you could just throw five teams and then make a bowl and go one of them might be good. But like trying to identify Arizona State next year's Arizona State right now is impossible. We couldn't even identify Arizona State's next year's Arizona State right now is impossible. We couldn't even identify Arizona State this year in October, let alone doing it a year in advance. So we have been. Wisconsin is an interesting one because I kind of think Luke Fickel needs to I don't think I know if he needs to make the playoff,

but Luke Fickel needs to show dramatic improvement this season Cause they were bad, bad. And they've got, so Billy Edwards from Maryland is coming to play quarterback for them. And they also got Danny O'Neill from San Diego state, who's going to be their young guy kind of waiting in the wings, but he was the starter for San Diego stays a true freshman. So I think, I think there's a few options here. I think we should probably make this a podcast episode at some point, but we have been assigned from our editor to do a way too early playoff projection for next year. And I was actually like going through the hoops of that

in my head a little bit after the text came through Andy. That's really, really difficult. Oh, you think so? Dr. No, no, I know. But like we should we should actually give it the time it deserves and have an episode about it. Cause I think it would be revelatory and fascinating. Yeah, I think we absolutely should. And we have some time. So I think we have.

Somebody asked me, why not USC? Matthew. Go Black 45, did they talk about the Juco ruling yet? No, we have not talked about that. Congratulations, Diego Pavia. You are eligible to play next year. Listen, I have to say, the Diego Pavia tweet from yesterday where he was like, my lawyers are the best,

I think we've heard that quite a bit from college football players over the last few years and not in criminal proceedings all in civil. Yeah, that's great. All civil and they are the uh what's it they are the the plaintiff, right? They are the plaintiff. Yes. Yeah. All those murder podcasts come in handy sometimes. Those are criminal. That's it. Although they they're still civil case, right? Yeah. So, oh, but Diego Pavia, yes, back for Vandy one more year because he so he played in Juco in 2020.

And basically, the NCAA was not giving 2020 as a free year to guys who were in Juco in 2020. But they were two guys who were in the NCAA in 2020. And I think this is this is a fairly reasonable outcome here. But yeah, and we got another year of Diego. Exactly. That's the most important thing. Wait a second. Do we say Vandy? No, Vandy made a bowl game, didn't they? Vandy made a bowl game, six to six.

I'm so used to them not making bowl games. It's crazy how much different it was. Next question from Jake. Been a long time viewer since the Andy Staples show days. We know what the initial spell. What are y'all thoughts on Baylor going into next year? Sawyer Roberts is the truth and they paid up to keep him as well as the freshman running back Washington. Seems like they're giving Jake Spavitol the offensive coordinator a pay bump to stay as well. They added Kobe Prentice, the former Bama wide receiver in the portal. Are they poised to take over the Big 12? I may be delusional, Jake says.

Jake, you're not delusional. Ari Baylor was in the mix. There were there were multiple. Well, not I don't think you're multiple. There was one tiebreaker scenario. In the final week of the regular season that would have put Baylor in the Big 12 championship game,

they are not far off. Well, also too, like I think that more than anything personnel and maintaining, you know your quarterback and office coordinator are huge, but like. For awhile there just seemed like a random lost the program. And then to see what they did

this year makes you go out. I remember you know, loving this guy or thinking this guy was amazing two years ago. And we kind of lost the plot a little bit. And then here they are. What do they win six or seven in a row this year? Yeah. And then Jake's Babutol has, has kind of emerged as the guy you bring in to fix your offense. Like he, he made Cal's offense quite a bit better when he went for a second Senate Cal in, in 2023.

And then this year he, he, you know, he got Baylor going and we thought he was He made Cal's offense quite a bit better when he went for a second Senate Cal in 2023. And then this year he got Baylor going and we thought it was going to be with Daquan Finn, the Toledo transfer, but it turned out of Sawyer Robertson, who is a Texas guy who had originally signed with Mississippi State when Mike Leach was still alive. And so I think they've got the mix now that they wanted. Aranda was very upfront last year talking about how in 23, they were playing way too young offensive linemen.

They'd messed up their portal strategy. Jake's question went on to talk about their NIL situation. Mack Rhodes, their athletic director, has done a very good job with that. And I think they've got a good strategy there and a good system. So yeah, look, Baylor being a competitor for the Big 12 title. I think they're going to be kind of a trendy pick for the Big 12 title. Yeah, and we got to it's a little late in the show, but next week we got to talk about like the Texas Tech land man situation.

Oh, yes, we do because Texas Tech is like bring bring us your tired your poor your huddled transfers like it if you're a big-time transfer you're at least gonna see Lubbock before you make a decision so yeah you see the the um graphic that Texas Tech put out uh the landman graphic where it was like an oil it was an oil reference because of of who's funding this whole thing. Wow, it's it's going to be fun. We are going to talk about it.

Ari next week, Cody Belair. One of our national Scouts for on three former Texas Tech recruiting office employee. Is going to join us to talk about what some of these guys that are moving around can bring to their new teams. He's because he's outed them throughout their careers. So. He can explain Cody Cody called Lenora Lennora sellers coming into the year and who else did he call? He called Sellers was the big one. He was adamant that Sellers would be incredible. And another thing we have to talk about while Cody is there or without Cody, the Florida, all of a sudden, you know, the coffin sitting up, you know.

Oh yeah. Yeah. Yes. So the news today, because it was interesting, because the Florida fans keep texting me and tweeting at me like, when are they going to get a big receiver out of the portal? Well, apparently, we found out what they were working on today. It wasn't a portal guy. It was Dallas Wilson, who's a five star receiver out of Tampa, who had long been committed to Oregon, Florida been trying to flip him, he ended up signing with Oregon. But apparently, he's asked for his release at Oregon, and had been trying to flip him. He ended up signing with Oregon, but apparently he's asked for his release at Oregon and he's coming to Florida. You know what that's called?

A flip? Electric. Well, we'll see. I mean, so, and we can also have that conversation. We've got a lot of off-season conversations we need to have, but do do you go for the high end, high ceiling freshmen or the guy who may have a lower ceiling who's got proven production out of the portal? That conversation has gotten a little bit more complex too, because we've seen true freshmen receivers come in and be awesome. Like three of them in one year this past year.

Exactly. Yeah. You would take Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams over almost anybody in the country. From day one. Yeah, yeah. So the other player that Cody was big on that we didn't mention was Sam Levitt. He called that. Oh yes, you're right. He said Levitt turned out to be awesome. Yep. One more. This is from Matt. Matt recently finished watching The Good Place, which is a great show if you haven't watched it. There's a character in The Good Place, the name Jason

Mendoza. He's from Jacksonville, but a fictional version of Jacksonville that is, it's pretty realistic. But he always talks about his favorite restaurant, which is not in Jacksonville, but is in Gainesville. And it's called Stupid Nick's Wing Dump, where you can get a bucket of Gator Piss wings for low, low prices. And so what Matt asks, he wants a random ranking of our top five or top 10 fictional restaurant and bars. So TV or movie restaurant and bars. And Stupid Nick's Wing Dump, I gotta admit, I have driven around Gainesville looking

for Stupid Nick's Wing Dump because it sounds amazing. Ari, I had a few that I put together. I don't know how you feel about my list. You wanna hear my list? I got 10. Well, before you go down your list, I wanna tell you a quick story about this. Sure.

So during COVID, I was in Columbus and I lived alone, right? And when I was under the impression that this was gonna be a two week thing, I didn't know what was coming. So I packed a bag at the beginning of COVID when they were telling everyone to lock down, I packed a bag and I drove from Columbus, Ohio to Scottsdale to hang out with my parents

for that time period. You know, because I wanted I never get to go home and I didn't have any where to be. And, you know, you know, the deal of COVID. And I went through Albuquerque. And I went and ate at the Breaking Bad restaurants because those are Los Poyos Hermanos. I went to Los Poyos Hermanos, the building, it's called Twisters, and they have one of the best burgers I've ever eaten in my entire life. Really? It's like actually they've got good food. And then I went to the Mexican restaurant and got tacos from the Better Call Saul Mexican restaurant where the... Did you go to the diner where, where was it Lydia with the stevia no I didn't do that but I went to the dog house which is the hot dog place that Jesse's always out in front of

with the lights yeah they had a really good hot dogs so um I I went to that but Jason Z here in the chat nailed the number one for me well so he says sopranoranos Italian restaurant, but that's the sit down place where they're shaking. I actually had a different Sopranos restaurant as my number one. I had Satrialli's Pork Store. Yeah, well Sopranos, what was it called? The Bada Bing's the strip club. No, no, not the Bada Bing.

The actual Fasuvios is what it's called. Fasuvios, yes, yes, yes. Yeah. Whenever I watch the Sopranos and I just see Tony eating, it's like, I just want one real Italian meal. One person in the chat here too also said, what's the Bennegan's type place in office space called? Oh, Flingers.

Flingers or Chachkies is one of those. Chachkies and Flingers. Okay, Go to your list and I'm going to think of mine. Yeah. Uh, producer river said the, uh, the, the chilies in the office, like that's not fixed. Like you can go to a chilies in Scranton, Pennsylvania, so that you can just do that. So I had, I had the pork store in the Sopranos with my number one, you're not going to get this one. The most Isley Cantina in Star Wars, a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Stupid Nick's Wing Dump was my number three. Again, I've driven around Gainesville. Can't find it.

Cheers from Cheers always seemed like a great place to hang. Cliff Claven, Norm, Los Poenos Hermanos was my number four. The original Beef of Chic Chicago land. Have you watched The Bear yet, Ari? I know what it is, yeah. The Bear is a fantastic show. It gave me anxiety and I stopped watching it, but everybody says it's amazing. So like, I don't like watching shows where the point is to make you feel uncomfortable. You gotta, you gotta get through it because they are setting the tone, those first episodes of what it's like to actually work in a kitchen. And then it just blooms from there.

There is a season two episode where they have Christmas dinner. Now, you will get anxiety, but it is one of the greatest episodes of television I have ever seen. Jamie Lee Curtis is in it. It's awesome. But, so season three,

they turn it into a fine dining restaurant. But the original beef of Chicago and it's kind of the family business. It's like these dipped roast beef sandwiches like you can get. They have these places in Chicago like they exist. But this one looks like a you know, kind of the perfect version. I had most from the Simpsons. I had the three broomsticks in Harry Potter. I went, I did not go to JJ's diner from Parks and Recreation with the giant pancakes. I went with Charles Mulligan's Steakhouse.

If you've seen the episode where Ron Swanson goes to Indianapolis and talks about Charles Mulligan's Steakhouse, like this is a place where after Ari loses a bet, I would make him buy me a meal. Yeah. Are we ready for me now? Yeah. Okay. Mr. Smiley's burger from American Beauty. Oh yeah. It's his mind. I would like a

smiley fry. I think Monk's Cafe from Seinfeld has to be on there just because you know it's a good minor with great food. The Alamo Fries from Friday Night Lights. Yep. Julie Taylor worked there, right? Yeah, but like if you could pick one night out, I think there's only one answer here for me. If I experience this place and I feel like it's more of a sign of the times that America just isn't as great as it used to be. Copacabana in Goodfellas. Like if you could just go to a restaurant with an experience like that, smoke cigs, eat steak, have a bunch of ladies at your table, you know, watch some live entertainment. Fridays for the wives and Saturdays for the girlfriends?

Yeah, I don't know what day of the week it was, but I would take my wife both days. I'm not a cheater. Of course. girlfriends? Yeah, I don't know what day of the week it was, but I would take my wife both days. I'm not a cheater, but like, I, I would love to smoke cigs, eat a steak and be entertained by Frank Sinatra while they're like selling dope in the back of the, in the back of the place. Like that would be incredible. So, so Matt, who asked the question says no love for the peach pit of the max. I actually had the peach pit at number 10. I didn't think the max's food ever looked very good. The peach pit, of course, Beverly Hills 902, another Max saved by the bell. Like the Max looked like a pretty terrible place to eat if we're being real. Yeah. Now I did consider this one from Buckeye Killer, the Krusty Krab from

Spongebob. The pizza planet from Toy Story. Yes. yes, but yeah, I, Vesuvios would be a good one too. I think that would be a fun one. In terms of like what would be the best food, I mean I would love to actually eat at Los Pueblos Hermanos because fried chicken is amazing. Well also because Gus Fring ran a tight ship. He cared about the quality. Yeah, good quality control. He did. What about Dorcia from American Psycho, you know, the place that he was obsessed with? I considered that one, too. There's some urchin dish, right?

Yeah. Is that where they're eating when they're comparing business cards? No. Well, they compare business cards in his office. No, that's at a meeting. Yeah. Yeah. But he was very obsessed about getting a reservation at Dorcia and it must have been amazing, which is basically just like how Dallas is where it's like a new restaurant opens and everyone's like, oh, we got to go

to it. And it's like, you can't get in. And then like three months later, it's out of business. Well, we had the Dallas life hack last time. We went to we went to I landed at Love Field, we went to Heimberger, or Heimberger, Heim barbecue, you got the smash burger, which I don't get I realize I'm the barbecue joint purist, but don't give me anything about don't order a barbecue, a burger to barbecue joint. Order this burger. Because they're smash burgers. It's like brisket trimmings

that they turn into a smash burger, unbelievable. And I had the bacon burn ends and I mixed them into mac and cheese, tremendous. Yeah, and I got the bacon burn ends too. The thing that's interesting about being in Dallas is that you're five minutes away from Elite Barbecue, like in 20 different directions. So I don't feel the need to have to order the brisket

every time I go to them. So I don't know about you, but like I can go get good brisket whenever I want. So that's one of the parts I'm gonna care about. Exactly, so for you, you wanna branch out. Well, I'll give you a shout out to a place in Austin called LaRoy and Lewis, where they only do the Texas Trinity a few days a week,

the brisket, sausage, pork ribs. Other days they do all kinds of different things. That's the first barbecue place where I had a smashburger from the brisket trimmings, and was like, whoa, this is different. And they'll do like beef cheek and all kinds of crazy stuff, but it's a lot of fun. Ari, we're about to run into JD's show,

so we do have to call it a day, but thank you so much for a wonderful week. JD's show will be on at 11 a.m. Eastern time, right here on the On3 Sports YouTube channel. It's called The Hard Count. JD Piquel getting you ready for the playoff games. Ari and I will join you next from South Bend, Indiana. Indiana at Notre Dame.

First on-campus college football playoff game. Got the parking pass loaded in. We're ready to roll. I cannot wait. We will talk to you tomorrow night.