Andy & Ari On3 - Texas BEATS UP Texas A&M to go to the SEC Championship | HOW did Ohio State lose to Michigan?

Episode Date: December 1, 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. (0:00-1:58) Intro(1:59-23:21) Teams IN the CFP(23:22-41:18) Michigan 13, Ohio State 10(41:19-42:04) Penn State 44, Maryland 7(42:05-44:15) South Carolina 17, Clemson 14(44:16-47:24) Alabama 28, Auburn 14(47:25-51:28) Notre Dame 49, USC 35(51:29-53:08) Mack Brown's Last Game at UNC(53:09-1:00:11) Texas 17, Texas A&M 7(1:00:12-1:03:05) Gus Malzahn leaving UCF for Florida State OC Position(1:03:06-1:04:03) ConclusionWatch us on Youtube Instead! https://youtube.com/live/sZ0miVkPFcU Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey

Welcome to Andy and Ari on three presented by Wendy's and Ari. What a day. We're here in college station Kyle Field. We just watched a pretty amazing performance by the Texas defense. Not a real amazing performance by anybody else. But Texas headed to the SEC championship game. Arizona State's headed to the Big 12 championship game. Penn State is headed to the Big 10 championship game. Unbelievable. We're done with assumptions. I'm done with assumptions, Andy. I'm not going to assume anything ever again. What we think we know about the sport changes rapidly every single weekend. Things happen

that we don't see coming results that are thrilling. You know, it's just a great sport and here we are. We've had a very hectic day. We watched the Ohio State game from a Texas Roadhouse. We filmed a post game video on the on three channel off the side of a major road and were honked at during it. We came here and saw pretty exciting, not exciting, boring, but important. It was exciting in moments. It was exciting in moments. My first Kyle Field experience and like honestly, we had no internet during the game for the lead way we well we it's gonna be it's gonna be an interesting should we play the game that

we started playing in the press box yes sure so we started playing a game in the press box called definitely in maybe in I don't know what the third kind of in potentially winning in potentially there's winning in for a few of these guys there's a few out there too that are just like 10 and two and sitting there. Yeah. So yeah, I have a list behind me on my computer. Grab your computer. You grab that computer. Let's break it out. Best on the angles here, guys. So, you know, but like, yeah, so first of all, it's to start with definitely in a team that we haven't spoken about a lot, Andy, but you know, because it's been so boring how good they've been definitely in

Oregon. Yes, the Oregon Ducks are definitely in they crushed Washington. A lot of frustrate. Remember how I said that Ohio State would take three years of frustration out on Michigan? They didn't do that. But Oregon definitely took a bunch of losses worth of frustration out on Washington. Yeah, and like also the only power team or the only team in college football to finish the season undefeated and I think that Oregon deserves some flowers. They had a tough non conference game against Boise State that came down to the

wire. They had Ohio State at home. They had to travel all across the country now in the new Big 10 from the West Coast and they made it from start to finish 12 and oh the only team to do that the the uno, the official number one team in the country right now, playing Penn State and Indianapolis next weekend, the Ducks, could have been a bigger focal point in our conversations during this year, but they were the only team that were devoid of drama. Right.

They just kept winning. They were the best. There was no question about how they were doing and what they could do with that talent, and they keep proving it Week in and week out so it'll be interesting to see how Penn State goes It's gonna be a whole nother can of worms now with Ohio State. Oh wait, remember my saucy take What is your organ in Ohio State will only play once this season? You were right. We don't know yet I don't know yet, but yeah, there's a chance there's a chance and when Saturday started there's no way

I would have thought that we by the way, if you're wondering why not, just going crazy, oh my God, Michigan beat Ohio State. We did an entire video on that earlier in the day. So you can see that on the M3 Sports Channel. We are definitely gonna talk about that though, because there's a lot of other reverberations that happened after that game that tie back.

And both of us wrote about it on three.com and there was a 20 minute video of the instant freakout reaction. It was a freakout. There's been about eight hours since that game started. We're going to have another conversation about that. We both wrote about it. So our brains have kind of caught up to what happened. So stick with us here. We're going to get to that next team on the list. Andy of definitely is Penn State. They are a team that funny enough I have given a lot of crap to this year and they did lose the only game that they were underdog in all year to Ohio

State, but they have found a way to get to Indian apples, which is a step in the right direction and honestly are playing really well offensively. So yeah, they were great. So they give up a touchdown in the first play from scrimmage against Maryland and just destroy them the rest of the first or the second I don't want to because you yeah It was it was very early very early in the game and then just scored a bunch of points then James Franklin had to defend

Defend the the threes and the fours scoring points. Yeah Also, he said when the threes and the fours get into the game, they're gonna play football They earned the right to it. He could not I could not agree with that. Oh, yeah Like you're part of game just stop them locks Lee like figure it figure it out. OK, but Penn State, Oregon, big nobody planted a flag in that game, right? Yeah, and we do have to have a discussion later on in the show too. This is going to be a four hour show. I wrote a column on Friday night after the Georgia game about the SEC being weak or not having mid. I think it was the as the kids say, I'm not a kid. I don't say mid, but I think was the as the kids say I'm not a kid I don't say mid but I think that the point of the column was that they are propping each other up on

fake and mirage type results and now the big ten is potentially gonna send four teams and yeah yeah that Michigan team beating that Ohio State team yeah that's that's when you get mad about Oklahoma beating Alabama it's the same thing I don't think like here's the thing about me, man. I have a strong opinion. But if new information shows up, or things happen, Andy, you know, that I'm going to be real about it. So we have to have a discussion about the Big Ten and the SEC and how we feel about it. But those two teams are

automatically in the third Big Ten team that's automatically in is Indiana. Indiana is a one loss team. They got blown out by Ohio State in their only test against a good team. Yeah, I think they're gonna be punished in the seedings, but not in the not getting in. Because if Ohio State falls to nine or ten in the seeding, like I think that Indiana has to be behind them. Correct. Yes. You know that, but they're in as a 11-1 team. With all these teams losing. You've got three automatic No doubt about well, and then we'll get to Ohio. You said Tennessee, right? No, we've okay big 10 So we're gonna Penn State, Indiana are the three definitely from the big 10. Yes now we have Ohio State in the probably area. So stay tuned for that. The the next two teams that I have written down

Here are Tennessee is definitely in yes two loss ten and two team with the win over, Alabama They're done playing football until the playoff, but they will be in the field Yeah, and then the other one that we have is Notre Dame. They finished the season 11 and 1 they had a few pick sixes and a blowout What became a blowout? It wasn't really blow up most of the game of the over USC They've won I believe nine straight or ten straight ten straight since losing to NIU Which in a game that felt like it was yesterday Andy the seasons flown by yeah ten straight. They're gonna be in cash By the way, we're watching this Texas team

Beat the Michigan team that beat Ohio State on the day. We went to the B dubs and watched yes Yeah, yeah, that was a yeah, it's been a fast long year So and I think we have to put Texas probably into the definitely bracket Texas is in the definitely bracket They were playing in the SEC Championship game against Georgia. They could lose it But that would be lost number two would actually be lost number two to the same team. They beat everybody else I I think they're in the definitely pile. Okay, so we have six definitely piles So that's six spots of the 12 spoken for. We probably have to now that UNLV won by a million

over Nevada on Saturday. I don't think it's as cut and dried as you do about the Mountain West. Why don't we type in G5 rep. Okay, that's fine. There definitely will be one of those. Seven in there. So now we get into the probably,

which is the interesting can of worms that you have with Ohio State. So Ohio State lost an embarrassing game to Michigan. We will break that down later in the show. But they are a 10 and two team who have beaten two playoff teams and have one one point loss than one team in the country with the way that the back end of this is looking like. I think that's a pretty solid resume to get in. I think they're going to get in. The win against Indiana, especially the fashion in which they beat Indiana, is going to carry them. I think you could probably even make a case for definitely here, but they're not playing and there are teams that are still playing. So I felt uncomfortable saying what we're saying. Yeah, I guess you're right. If Texas had lost tonight, we probably would have

them in the probably pile also, even though they'd- Probably is like, they're probably getting in, but we're not gonna say definitely. So we're at eight teams now, there's four spots left. Then Georgia is in the probably pile. Yes. They were a two lost team.

Oh, another one we could put in the definitely pile, we just don't know which one. The ACC champ, which could be Clemson or SM SMU SMU is the one we thought was gonna be in the championship game, but Miami loses a thriller at Syracuse kicks a field goal To cut the lead to four and doesn't get back doesn't score again game over I just got the texture river. this is hold the mic closer.

Andy just pushed my hand up like a yeah, that's what I did. Feeding a baby. Okay. Yes. ACC champion is in so that brings us to probably Georgia. Okay. Okay. Georgia is a two lost team at the moment. They played the toughest schedule by every schedule. They've also beaten the team that can beat them in the SEC championship. They've already beaten the team that could beat them in the SEC championship game. I feel like even if they get a third loss, they won't be penalized for being in the SEC championship game.

And they'll probably get in at nine and three. Yeah. I think that feels about right. I don't know that like because who you're going to you're not going to put out. Right. Who are you kicking out over them? Well, this is where the well well Ole Miss did beat them very badly But they didn't go to the SEC Championship game This is the one where where you're you would have Greg Sankey and or Tony Petiti going Berserk If any of their teams were left out that made the championship game. Yeah, so I do think that

George is probably safely in so now here's where you start getting into the weirdness because I only have two probably. Oh, and Richard in the chat asked the question, this is what we're coming to actually, as still leading out South Carolina over a two loss SMU or Clemson. Listen, the only way Clemson's getting in is winning the ACC Championship.

They're not getting in as an at large. Clemson is a maybe on my list, but we also have ACC Champ in there, so you have SMU and Clemson both in maybe. Right. Because I don't think that we can definitively say that the loser of the ACC Championship is in. SMU has a chance of making it in.

Clemson does not have a chance that they lose. They have to win it. But both are maybe because they're maybe. Yeah. Clemson's not going be that large over South Carolina or over Georgia, which beat them head to head. Which then brings us to the next interesting one, which is Miami.

Miami lost on Saturday to Syracuse. That wonderful defense showed up again. They had a 21-0 lead and blew it. Mario Cristobal kicked a field goal on fourth and goal from the 10 late in the game down seven, which I thought was a very bizarre decision to knowingly and willingly give the ball back to the team that you couldn't stop for three quarters and they ended up losing. So, uh, but Miami now was a 10 and two team, no real quality wins unless, you

know, word manuals, you're not counting the Gators, you're not counting the Gators. There's seven when team, I guess we can count the plan of the, they planted the flag in Tallahassee and then started a fight. I don't know what targeting is. I also don't know what a quality win is because it's like, oh, they're playing. It's like, that's not a quality win. earlier in the week, but they are a nine and three team that now beat the Clemson team who may win the ACC. And I think if Clemson wins the ACC, that's very helpful for South Carolina. Now South Carolina lost head to head to Ole Miss,

which is also a three loss team. South Carolina lost head to head to LSU and Texas A&M, which are four loss teams. But the Ole Miss loss, I think about that, they can make an excuse, they can make an injury excuse. Because remember, Lenora Sellers got hurt the week before against LSU, he came back, but he was banged up, and Rockets standards didn't play that game. So you can make a little injury excuse there, and I think you have a chance. I don't know how good of a chance, and there's also Alabama, which beats

South Carolina, and is 9-3 as well. That's how good of a chance and there's also Alabama which beat South Carolina Yes, and and is nine and three as well That's the rest of the maybe yeah, Alabama and Ole Miss and the one we also forgot it definitely which is the big 12 champ, right? Right. The big 12 champ is getting in then you have you have Arizona State Well, okay before we go for it. Let's make sure we agree on this The big 12 champ is getting in even if Boise State is a 12 and 1 Mountain West champ and

Army is a 12 and 1 actually, they'd be 11 and 1 because I didn't play Navy yet, but an 11 and 1 American champ Yes, I think that I don't know if you do I that. I don't know if you do. I think that. I don't know if you do. I think so. I'm not positive on that. I think so. So you wouldn't put them in the definitely? I don't know. I mean, we could drop it to maybe. I think like, are you going to say Arizona State has a better resume than Army? Because it's Army that's the issue. Boise State's gonna be in and is gonna be ranked higher than that Big 12 champ. If they're 12 and 1. Oh, you're talking about whether or not two G5 teams are getting in?

I'll be comfortable putting Big 12 and- Okay, all right. Definitely. As- Are they gonna put Army in over Arizona State if they're 10 and 2 with a Big 12 championship at the end of the year? They've got wins over Kansas State and they've got- All right.

I mean, they've won seven- I'm asking you to defend it here. I don't even know that there's something to defend. I think it's a definite. Okay. That's how strongly I feel about that. Okay, so the rest of the maybe list, which is you basically just helped me do bubble watch. So I appreciate it.

Is Alabama, Ole Miss. And we had South Carolina in there as well. We had South Carolina in there as well. So like that's it. Yeah, that's it. Everybody else is eliminated. So I can go in here and count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. So that's 19 teams. We had 22 teams. Alive coming into the weekend, so you know, still have to sort out and yeah.

Sorry, I'm just fixing our is Mike. Is my mic messed up? No, you're just not talking into it. If I hold it any closer to my face, this would be like it. Make love to the mic or make love to it. Alright, so So we have a, we have a pretty good idea now. Okay. So the bubble is basically the sec three loss teams, right? That's the bubble deciphering. And that's the thing. Like now we just have to choose because there's no more games to be played. Like that's it. Like, so, well, okay. The bubble also could be SMU if they lose to Clemson because I think.

An 11 and two SMU. Might have a case. Yeah, and I actually think that the cluster of SEC teams like I have two ways of looking at it. Andy, it's one is it's the SEC. They're going to figure out the way to get teams in. On the other hand. If you have three indistinguishable SEC teams who have all beaten each other and have similar resumes, different teams, but similar when it's all said and done, if you can't pick between them, then you might just pick the ACC.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. You know what you're gonna do? We're gonna go to my old four-team philosophy. Remember how we did the 14 philosophy? The truth serum? The juice. Back in the 14 playoff, when you had a debate between the fourth team and the fifth team to see who the fourth team would be, what I decided you should do, they never did this because nobody ever follows my advice, but you kidnap the coach of the number one seed, like bag over the head, grab him, throw him in a van. You inject him with truth serum, I have sodium pentothal, is that what it is? Whatever it is, whatever makes you tell the truth.

You don't wanna see Andy's Google history, guys. And you say this, who would you most like to play between these two teams? And the coach will go, I'd like to play Arkansas. I'm just giving you an example. And the other team is Notre Dame. And I'd be like, okay, then you're playing Notre Dame. Because whoever you wanna play is not who might beat you.

So that's what we do. We're gonna kidnap the, well. But here's the thing. It has to be the coach of the team that would play that team, which I think would be the 11 seed. So they play the six, so we kidnap the coach to the sixth seed,

and we're like, who would you least like, or who would you most like to play? This goes back to our discussion from Friday night, Andy, which is, in 2019, that was an easy game to play. Yeah, it's a little harder now. It's not an easy game to play right now. It's like, would you rather play Ole Miss, South Carolina or Alabama? I don't know. Like if the debate was between Alabama. That's like a styles make fights situation.

Yeah. Back in 2019, if the debate was between Alabama and the Big 12 champion, I'd be like, I would rather not play Alabama like it was easy. Right. Like now. So this like and I know there's no precedent in college football playoff. Like they don't use past college football playoff committee decisions to inform or guide current ones. This isn't the court of law. There are new people things change.

They make their own decisions, but you know what this reminds me of and I remember like it was yesterday, but like I was covering Ohio State in 14 in the inaugural for the playoff field. And at the end of the year, I was such an okie doke that last one. Yeah, well at the end of the year you had TCU and Baylor and you had Ohio State. Well, let's set up for the folks who don't remember. So if you don't remember, I'm sorry. Baylor beat TCU in the head-to-head game. This was when the back when the Big 12 played a true round robin was a great schedule. Everybody played everybody. Baylor beat TCU, but Baylor lost right before the first committee ranking. So they put Baylor behind TCU and they did that for all of the committee rankings

until the last one when somebody bright, I'm sure stood up and was like, you know, Baylor beat TCU, right? We can't possibly have them behind TCU. And so TCU was number three going into that week. TCU wound up number five or number six. Baylor wound up ahead of TCU, I was at TCU at number six. Baylor wound up ahead of TCU at number five. Ohio State wound up number four, because Ohio State would have kicked the crap out of Baylor or TCU and everybody knew it. Well, this was also during Ohio State's starting quarterback got injured in the Michigan game and then Cardale Jones, the third string quarterback, came in.

Beat Wisconsin by a billion. Yeah. And that to me was the most, I covered that game, I was there, it was the most thorough domination of good team, playing good team I've ever seen. So they might do this again is what we're saying. But this reminds me of if you can't like is like in if Ohio State didn't exist in 14 and they would have lost to Wisconsin and they had to choose between Baylor and TCU, it's an impossible decision. And I guess maybe you could just say, well, one beat the

other. Like this is the same thing, except there are three teams who all basically beat each other and have very different puts the same thing except there are three teams who all basically beat each other. Yeah. And have very different, but the same resume. So like I'm wondering if an ACC team like Miami or the... Or SMU. ...ACC Championship game, that's a cleaner decision. It's not gonna be Clemson. Clemson's not a cleaner decision though. Yeah.

Because Clemson lost to Georgia and lost to South Carolina. Which by the way, that comes to South Carolina game was a banger. But then you have Miami sitting there. You do, you do. What is Miami's best win? I don't think they have one. It's Louisville or Florida. It's Louisville or Florida.

It's one of those two. Yeah, well, yeah. So they don't have one. So that's where we're at. When I say quality win, I just want everybody to be clear, and I'm sure you're with me on this. My quality wins are teams currently ranked in the top 25 of the CF people

That's how I like The thing that's annoying to me is that Ward Manuel in interviews says quality win about teams that have lost six times Well, it's an impressive win and it's like what are you talking about? Yeah stick to the protocol So we know we're manual almost walked himself into saying the Citadel was a good win for Clemson last week. He was struggling. I don't even know what the hell's going on. It's like, because there's a difference between impressive

win and quality win. You could be impressed by the way somebody looks. I was impressed by Indiana's Purdue win today when they won by 50. That is not a quality win. Like, there's a distinction. I think they won by more than 50. So Miami has impressive win. They have zero quality win. Like there's a distinction. I think they won by more than so Miami has impressive. Yeah, they have zero quality. Yeah

That is where we're at that is where I going now we're not we didn't totally get through that because we don't know who won the BYU Houston game yet and The result of the BYU Houston game will determine the other team in the Big 12 championship. So Iowa State has done its part by winning farm again. If BYU wins, it is Iowa State, Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. If Houston wins, Colorado will play Arizona State. That game is going on at right now. Yeah, but none of those teams we have slotted. We have slotted Big 12 champion

in definitely, but I don't think that the loser of those games will be in. So you have just one team. You have to decide who like by the time we get back to Waco where we're staying tonight, we'll know who won the BYU Colorado game and that'll help you. Why you Houston? Yeah, BYU Houston and we'll know whether it's Colorado, Arizona State and or Iowa State. Yeah. Um but only one big 12 team we can agree is going to the playoff. Correct. So one state loses as great as their story has been. They're out. They're out. So yeah. So actually like I think we

cleared that up pretty good. I think so. I think that like there there's no teams that we didn't mention that are still maybe alive, right? I don I think so. I think that like there's no teams that we didn't mention that are still maybe alive, right? I don't think so, because I mentioned Army here. So- You didn't mention Army, and there's nobody in the G-Fight. Our Army still has to play two lane,

and that's gonna be a difficult game. But- Alec is mad because I said Ohio State would have crushed Baylor or TCU. They absolutely would have crushed Baylor or TCU in 2014. I mean, we have the benefit of hindsight in that scenario. Yeah. And we're gonna be watching the hindsight. Yeah. Did you watch the Ohio State Alabama or the Ohio State Oregon game? They turned the ball over five times the national

title game and still won by 30. Like, yeah, yeah. I know that's not an anti big 12 stance. That's just, just, I'm sorry. That wouldn't have worked out for you that that was the year where Ohio State actually reached its ceiling. I know it's alright solar eclipse. You know you see it rarely, but it's always well, let's get it. Let's get into that Ari because we need to talk about the games that happen today, but that is the one we need to talk about the most because I'm really proud of our self. I was like I was kind of nervous about that.

I feel like we crushed that like if you listen to that last 20 minutes like you are caught up you're caught up and and I think you're feeling pretty good about your handle on what's at stake here this next week. Now we still don't know who's playing for the Big 12 Championship, cause the game's not over, but I feel pretty good about it. Yeah, but that only changes who's playing, not circumstance.

Like I think we're caught up on circumstance. So, okay, yes, let's talk about Ohio State. It was the most shocking and important result of the day and there's a lot to unpack there. We just have to talk about Ryan Day. It is, it is a, well, we can get to the rest of it. It starts with Ryan Day and cascades from there. Ryan Day, you, you wrote the headline perfectly in your column. Ryan Day has a Michigan problem and Ohio State has a Ryan Day problem because you can't be the head coach at Ohio State if you can't beat Michigan and for whatever reason Ryan Day can't beat Michigan.

Because if you can't beat this Michigan team, like the Michigan team that's going to fire the money cannon at Bryce Underwood next week and then fire the money cannon into the transfer portal. If you can't beat this one, the one next year is going to be way better. Yeah. That so like the thing that is tough about the Ryan Day discourse is that when he lost three in a row and it doesn't matter how good Michigan is, you can't lose three in a row as Ohio State. Ohio State's good too. Yeah. But Michigan was also very good during those three years. It wasn't like they were like laying eggs against crappy teams.

Cause they were like not Michigan won the national title last year and Ohio State had the ball within a possession with a minute left like that they lost it's inexcusable. You understand it though. Yeah like you can like wrap your head around it. Hold on Alex still in the chat. TCU crushed your mighty SEC Ole Miss in the sugar bowl, Andy. Alec, I didn't say they would have lost to Alabama that year. I said they would have lost to Ohio State. That's a Big 10 team. Try to keep up.

When that happened, I was 24 years old, speaking on Tinder, like why are we talking about this right now? Yeah. If you want to call me a Big 10 2014 homer, by all means, go ahead. He's a Buckeye homer. How's it feel, asshole? You're a Buckeye homer. Oh, my God.

Well, nobody's a Buckeye homer today. And that's the conversation we're having here. But the thing that is really off putting, if you're an Ohio State fan, is is that Ryan Day has been compared to John Cooper incessantly for the last few years. He's a person who's not from Ohio, who came in, recruits nationally, has really talented rosters, and doesn't win against Michigan.

This is the first time they lost to a bad team, period. Not just a bad Michigan team. They haven't lost another, they haven't lost a single game under Ryan Day's leadership to a team that bad. Forget the helmets, they just haven't. They've lost a single game under Ryan Day's leadership to a team that bad. Forget the helmets, they just haven't. They've lost a lot of big games, but they have lost zero games.

They could have played pure Trestle ball, pure Kirk Farrant's ball, keep away. Forced Michigan to drive the length of the field, and they should have won that game by three touchdowns if they did that. Yeah, well, they could not run the foot right, which is an entirely different discussion. But the point here is, is that you can like in the past,

it was like, why did he punt before halftime instead of trying to score a touchdown? Or why did he kick a long field goal? You had like all these like micro transactions and decisions that he had during the game that you could break down and go, well, he choked or he didn't coach well, or they made this decision or their, their, this position wasn't good enough.

Like there was an answer to it. But when you have a team like Michigan this year, who just frankly isn't a good football team, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be an asshole, they're just not good this year. Like the problem isn't a personnel group or a decision, it is a temperament. It's a program.

It's a program, something is broken and it's beyond breaking down stars and talent and draft picks and all the things that we've spent the last three years. No, it's you see a winged helmet and you poop your pants like what? Why? And it's like any Ohio State fan that's older than 20 listening to this. Like what they lose to Delaware just because of the helmets Princeton. Yeah, maybe that's a good point. But any Ohio State fan older 25 or who was alive watching football in the 90s

remembers that John Cooper look on the sideline during Michigan games. And if you don't remember, I'll show it to you. That look, you saw that look. That's an anxious man who is out of answers. And Ryan Day at times in the past has looked like that but you saw it today game on Saturday it was the entire fourth quarter while they were running the ball down the field a team that there it is can't it's on the screen right now you literally can't it's on the screen right now even throw a forward pass they did have a few third down conversions that were nice throws that that Davis Warden had but for the most part like you knew that if they

were gonna get into field goal range, it was going to be on the ground and Klobemaling still ran that 27 yarder into the red zone. Like, he just knew it. It's like everybody in the stadium knew it. There's a tension. Didn't didn't I say it wins the wins the damn breaking wins the big run coming like you just knew shouldn't break. They don't have any other ability. So like, but that's the problem. Like I was on on threes Letterman row podcast with Spencer Holbrooke two weeks ago talking

about the Indiana game and the Michigan game came up and he made an off comment about yeah, well, whenever I'm at a Michigan press conference, it's it could never have been more tense than when, you know, just tense in the room And I'm like that is the literal problem like you you being in the room and realizing and feeling how tense it is It travels into the locker room. It travels into the stadium. You see those fans today. They look they were having fun No, they look miserable like they were just like waiting for it to happen again, and it's a contagious thing were just like waiting for it to happen again. And it's a contagious thing. So you have a coach at the moment right now, Andy, who is scared to death of Michigan. And I don't know if he

would if it's insulting to say, but the results bear. That's what it is. So it doesn't matter how much money you spend in NIL, what quarterback you go get, whatever you're going to do, like there is never going to be a mismatch larger than the one that they possessed today again. Yeah, with Bryce Underwood in their in their NIL monster woke up guys. So like that is it like. Well, okay, that now it's time to shift to the other piece of the conversation. This is what I wrote about because if Sharon Moore can beat Ohio State with this Michigan team, imagine what he can do when he can actually put his roster together.

Because what have I said all year about Michigan? Sherone Moore was put in a terrible position by the way Jim Harbaugh timed his departure. And Jim Harbaugh timed his departure on the NFL's coaching carousel schedule. So you can't really blame Jim Harbaugh for that. He had to wait until the jobs were open. The jobs were open. He interviewed for them. But he didn't get the Chargers job until January 24. At that point, everybody good you wanted out of the portal was gone. You had passed on any potential quarterback

you could take out of the portal. Sherone Moore was hamstrung offensively. Now, he did inherit a great wealth of defensive talent. And by God, Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham and Josiah Stewart and Derek Moore played a hell of a game against Ohio State. They were awesome. But the offense that was stitched together, what they stitched together with Alice and Orgy to win the USC game, what they stitched together today with Davis freaking Warren and Khalil Mullings and your video game cover guy, he's not had the greatest season. Don and networks didn't have a great season.

Khalil Mullings was carrying it. The offensive line doing the best it can. But the defense is no, the passing game is limited. The fact that they managed to put together a game plan to beat Ohio State with that. Well, it's like the thing that's alarming, too, is that. You can I don't know if you think Will Howard's going to know. I thought he's had a really good year. I thought he had a fine year.

I thought he threw he threw a bad pick today, but guess what? So did they? Well, Davis Warren threw an awful pick, too, on what should have been a touchdown. Yeah, Quinshaw, Jenkins, Trey Henderson, Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, a Mecca egg, Bucca. You're right. Like they scored zero points in the second half. And I know they missed a field goal or two. But that it shouldn't even matter.

Like you should be kicking field goals because you have reeks all over the field. All back with 50 seconds left and they have to get in the field goal range. They can't even get a first down the entire game. They couldn't move the football. So like, and I don't know if it was poor play, like, break it down, go ahead, try to break it down. It doesn't matter. Right. It doesn't matter. This is the first year where it's like, did Chip Kelly call a bad game as Will Howard the wrong portal take? Should Ohio

State have gotten Cam Ward? Would they be better if their offensive line didn't explode? Like, yeah, I mean, all those things are part of it. But like, the team that they fielded today is 20 points better than the team that they fielded today. Is 20 points better than the team that they lost to yeah, and it's like well they lost. So anyway. What do you do though? What do you? What do you do?

I don't know what do you agree? They asked him after the game what he should do Ryan days. I don't know. I will start. I will start. I'll ask you Ari Wasserman because you're not bound by actually having the job. If you're Ryan Day, what do you do? Do you go try to find another job or do you say I'm going to fix this? He's got two options. He can quit. I don't think like let's let's get this out there. I don't think he's going to get fired. Do you think he's going to get fired?

No, I don't think I think that is the I think that is the one option that is not on the table. It's super expensive. Ross Bjork just got there. Also, you look at the guy's record, you're not firing him with that record. You're just not. Yeah, I don't know if I think that this is this is a big enough problem where you could consider a big enough problem where you can consider it. But I agree with you. I don't think he's going to get fired. So he's got two options. One, quit. And when I say quit, meaning go take another job somewhere because you don't want to deal with it anymore. Or two, try again next year and try to

bring as many players like here's the thing, they're losing everybody too. Right. So they better go. This was that version. This was the Ohio state version of last year's Michigan team where everybody came back for one more ride. They could have been in the NFL, but they decided to come back and try to win a national championship. And by the way, they still can. That's not off the table. We could, we can go like, here's the thing. The team that loses that Michigan team is not going to win the playoff. The thing that is interesting to me is the best game

that Ryan Day has coached at Ohio State was the 2022 loss to Georgia in the playoff and that was after they lost to Michigan. So if Ryan Day can get out of his head, has a month to prepare or three weeks to prepare with a new offensive line, like they have the talent to play with anybody in this sport. I'm not going to talk myself. They like there's nothing to talk yourself into right now. It was a terrible day and it's just a disaster. I'm not trying to pretend like, oh, they're going to go in the national. I would never even predict that.

But the difference between 2021 Ryan Day and 2019 Ryan Day in 1996 John Cooper is that this game in the past? This game last year ended your season. Yeah, so like Ryan Day Doesn't have time to cry about it They are gonna be in the playoff 99% starting What in two weeks or three weeks like they have they might go on the road to Knoxville Yeah, they could be a playoff game in in 20 days and like they could legitimately It's not legitimately like I think it's gonna happen

but it is within the realm of possibility that they could win a national championship and this is a Secondary conversation which I think is a very interesting one. It's like what if Ohio because I said well What do you even do from here and you were like go win the national championship. And it's like, OK, well, yeah, but like it's all for it is all forgiven. Like do we just forget about this problem? I think a lot is forgiven if you win the national championship. But but yes, it's still Ohio State, Michigan.

And even though there's a mechanism to lose to Michigan and win the national title still, which there was in the 14 as well. Yeah, but happened once almost. But no, not all is forgiven because in that rivalry, you can't lose it like this. You can't keep losing it. Yeah. And I, and I, it's like, I regret the one thing I regret Andy is I wussed out, I wussed out and I just like, I, and I can't, I can't prove it. I should have written the column I wanted to write on Monday, which is forget how much you how many good players you have

That's not what this is gonna be about and I would look like a frickin genius But I guess the spread was 20 and I'm like, I'm not gonna do that people gonna call me Well, I think I think we might have been underestimating Shrone more too Yeah, I mean like I think people would have just called me a shitstorm I didn't want to live through that during Thanksgiving. So I'm a wuss. I should have written it. It's a lesson learned though, cause I'm going to become more insufferable now in the future. Um, but like that is what it is. And like,

it reminds me of like not just John Cooper not winning the Michigan game, Andy, but like John Cooper's superpower as Ohio State's coach was super super teams. They were loaded. Yeah. Eddie George, Orlando Pays, Sean Springs, Antoine Winfieldfield Andy Katzenmoyer Terry Glenn David Boston like think about these names that I'm just saying Never won a national title lost him. It was he two nine and one. Is that what the record was? Yeah there for 13 years one twice Like this is the same problem and like Michigan had some good teams in the 90s They had some NFL guys like they weren't dog shit in the 90s, but like they still Brady guy. He was okay

Yeah, I don't honestly don't even remember his career there I don't well it was it was a lot of Drew Henson and him will there won't they Did he start a whole season for them at one point not really so it was a very forgettable career anyway Same problem it's like history is repeating itself in front of our eyes. And it's like in 2024, when you spent reportedly $20 million on your roster, you don't get 13 years to figure it out. And he's getting paid nine, 10 million a year.

Yeah. Like you don't get John Cooper amount of time. They're not gonna fire him. I've seen a lot of wistful John Cooper takes like- But you said they're going to fire him. Like you were definitive about that. And I think you're right. Not this year. If it happened again next year, I think they would. Because like I said last year, if it happened this year, it would, because of the circumstances at home against an overmatched team that lost their coach, lost everybody. You can't say they were cheating anymore. You're a 20 point favorite. Like how it does not get worse than that.

So I mean, he's going to have an opportunity. I'm assuming one day he'll have a team that's good enough to go win the game, but like it's just. He had a team good enough to win the game today. I know. So like that it's, it's so strange. We talked about this two months ago in person. We were with him at the Woody. He knows it. It's so strange. We talked about this two months ago in person. We were with him at the Woody. He knows it.

It's not, and that's the thing. Ryan Day is not in denial. Like it's not like he's walking around in some cloud, some fog thinking, it doesn't matter if I beat Michigan. Like he knows. Did you watch his news conference today? Yes, it was sad. It looked like a broken man, dude. Yeah, it was like... It looked like a broken man, dude. Yeah, it was like It was it was meanwhile Meanwhile, Sharon Moore gets asked about the the flag planning thing and the the fight the Ohio State players start the fight after the the Michigan players try to plant the flag and Shroud more gets asked. Do you think there should be something? You know like losing graciously and sure oh more is like don't know hadn't lost. Yeah, so

graciously and sure oh more like don't know hadn't lost yeah so to know in in the rivalry I don't know if you want to like talk about the post game stuff well let's let's do that then we look we put the Ohio State subject to bed for now we can't solve the issue it's a thorny problem and they're gonna have to figure out what happens if they go to Knoxville and lose like then what it's another big game against the team that's built really well yeah you know then you figure it out visit it so yeah yeah let us talk about the end of games because you had it in the Michigan Ohio State game where the Michigan players attempt to plant the flag the Ohio State players get mad there's a fight Michigan players getting pepper

sprayed by cops we saw in the Florida for state game where Florida plants the flag there's a fight. You had Mike Norvell yelling at Billy Napier. Who else? Who else tried to plant a flag and started a fight? I sent him a video. Texas's team after A&M went into the tunnel into the locker room ran to the midfield and started stomping on the logo.

They stopped the logo. They did not have a flag. Well, the cheerleader has the flag. The flag is the Texas flag. There it is. I'm a videographer, so you know. The Texas flag is massive. And the cheerleader does not give it to the players.

And then the cops got them off pretty quickly. Right, and I noticed as I walked out, there was a cop standing on the midfield logo. So, you know, but there was no Texas A&M player on the field to get into a fight with though. So do what you want with that. Yeah. Like that's a trend now.

I don't think there's going to be some sort of fine or what I guarantee you this off season, they will make a, you can't plant a flag on somebody's field. You can't. So anyway, get ready for that. I think that like it's interesting rivalry fodder. And I actually think it's really kind of funny

because people will be- If a rivalry doesn't end in a brawl, is it even really a rivalry? Yeah, and then in five years from now, people are like, yeah, does your rivalry have people getting pepper sprayed in the face, and then they'll use it in promo videos? Yeah.

So I don't get too wound up about it. Also, if you're mad about somebody planting a flag on your field, win the game. I think that there's a simple solution. Beat them. It's like everybody said the same thing. It's like well, if Ohio State would have shown half as much patching don't get your ass kicked in your home stadium

shown as think about it that way in the game as they were trying to get the flag out of them. Maybe they would have won the game. Yeah, it's just so whatever it is what it is. But yeah, they are. I have to haven't done my bracket yet, but they're probably going to be in the eight nine 10 range for me. So yeah. and frankly speaking, like, I know that I have very Ohio's, like, opinion, like, oriented Ohio State opinion. Well, you've covered Ohio State for a long time. But like, at the same time, too, it's like, Ohio

State should not be in the play. Like, this is like, to me, it's like, that was a bad, miserable season. And like, they get to, like, lick their bootstraps or whatever the term is, is and like go back you know I don't I think you're mixing your sayings here pull them you pull yourself up by your bootstraps you lick your wounds they're licking their wounds and yeah themselves up up there licking their bootstraps and they get to like go play for a national championship now it's like no like well they've got a like they've got to win three games before they get to play for a national championship after the terrible season that they've had is so let's let's talk emotion Let's talk emotional roller coasters. Okay, there's a lot of those. Yeah, how about Penn State?

Finding out while it's on the field That if they win the game, they're going to the Big Ten Championship electric You know and it's funny because like you saw the video of James Franklin like yelling at that fan Walking off the field. That was a month ago. God, that guy's down so bad. It's like now he's like defending himself or running it up on the way to the big stuff happens really quickly in the sport. It's like what if Ryan Day beats Georgia and do weeks like it could happen. Like, you know, so and I'm done with the with the assumptions like who had the bigger emotional roller coaster, Penn State or Clemson. It's got to be Clemson, right? So that a pretty big emotional roller so Clemson is Clemson is winning most of the game Beating South Carolina for most of the game They let Lenora Sellers get loose. He runs for a touchdown to take a 1714 lead Clemson is driving to try to kick a game, tying field goal. They throw a pick, they lose. Awful when Clemson loses South Carolina.

It's also a big rivalry. It's crushing to them to lose. That's it for Clemson. No playoff, no ACC Championship. And then like three hours later, they're in the ACC Championship game. Yeah, it kind of reminds me of like that window a month ago, like when Miami lost to Georgia Tech and then they were out of the playoff for the moment. And then like two television windows later, they were the three. Wait a second. Wait, wait, wait. Oh, yeah. So it's like now the opportunity for that is way less because there's way fewer games next weekend. Right.

You don't have a full slate. So like the the grab ass back doors are going to be fewer and far between. And it'll be very interesting to see how the committee ranks the teams this week going into it because we want to see, hey, who's got an inside track. Yeah. And I feel like we did get just say earlier in the show, they may just change it all up for the final one and and they might. But I do feel like we should have an idea of where they're going to be slotted.

Yeah, and be able to figure out if somebody loses where to put them. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm wrong. You know what one of the things that isn't on the protocol for the playoff is like current trajectory. And I don't know if South Carolina has a chance in hell with resume comparisons head to head with Alabama and Ole Miss, but I like their trajectory the best. Right. And we talked about this. We talked about how the 12 team playoff we think would add the element of there's going to

be some hot team that nobody wants to play that's just been on fire for the last month and a half. That would be South Carolina if they get it. Yeah, and I don't know if that is taken into account, but I think Alabama's probably, we're looking down the barrel of an Alabama. Let's talk Iron Bowl, Ari, because that was, look, if you watched Alabama play Oklahoma

and you watched Auburn play Texas A&M and then you saw the spread, you're like, what the hell is this? Auburn's gonna play a very competitive game against Alabama. Nope. Was not competitive. Alabama covered. None of it makes sense. Yeah, well I mean I think you're looking right down the barrel of an Alabama berth. Like if I had to like blindly guess right now who's gonna make it? Like that's what the system does. We bend over backwards for SEC teams that have a brand. It's like they beat Georgia. You know, they you've got play the hits. With no Nick Saban, do you think it's the same brand though? Okay. I think that I think they'll get the benefit

of the doubt. Yeah. I think this is a little different discussion because Alabama and Ole Miss have both beaten South Carolina head to head. Yeah. And also if it were all mixed up and then none of it would played one another, I think it would be different. I mean, I think I would take South Carolina if it were up to me because of the trajectory. Well, and I think if we did the- Both teams both laid the egg in the last two weeks.

I think if we did the truth serum thing, South Carolina is the team people would wanna play. And on the other hand, like I think Alabama would be my third choice because Alabama's Oklahoma loss was like kind of akin to like Ohio State, it just wasn't a rivalry game Like you're playing it. It was all yeah was a what the hell was that situation didn't score They didn't score touchdown in that game. So like that's the same thing

Good question by Brandon and chat does Miami stay in front of Alabama. I don't think so. I Don't make I don't think Maybe yeah, I mean we're valuing the Georgia win at a very high level I don't think so. I don't think so. But maybe, yeah. I mean, we're valuing the Georgia win at a very high level. So Alabama is allowed to lose more. And as long as they have the win, it's fine. So that's the way it's going to work. Like, I think Miami might be out. I do too. I do too. And I think Alabama gave itself a shot by beating Auburn and Iron Bowl. But I don't know. I really don't know what they're

going to do with that. You're not going to have a 12-team field where four teams don't have a quality win. Right. It's like you have to, at a certain point, you have to put the teams in that have shown they can win the game. Right. And if Georgia wins the SEC Championship, then you have Alabama and Ole Miss that both beat Georgia, and that would give the committee something to peg it on. Because if you have Georgia winning,

then Texas's best win of the year is A&M, and that's a four loss team. You have Indiana in the fold. That's two teams that haven't beaten anybody, and then potentially, who else am I forgetting that could get in that doesn't have a good win? Is that it? Like, Tennessee has a good win.

Well, Penn State has a chance to get a very good win. Penn State would have a good win, but that it? Tennessee has a good win. Well, Penn State has a chance to get a very good win. Penn State would have a good win. But what if Penn State loses? That would be a quarter of the field with no quality wins. I think you would get... If Penn State loses to Oregon, what's their best win? Pitt? Who am I forgetting? Washington? No. Washington's... That means nothing. Not USC. USC is 6 and 6. So, yeah. You can't have three of the 12 teams that are in there just be products of circumstance. And then if SMU, God forbid, got in. Yeah. Oh. Not to... I don't mean like, God forbid, like if it was bad, but I'm saying like that would be four of the 12. That'd be a third. Good at math podcast. There you go. There you go. Um, producer river. Let's let's bring up that Notre Dame USC score

because we haven't talked much about the Irish, but I want to, I want to give you your flowers because the day after the Northern Illinois game, we stood actually in front of the horseshoe in Columbus. Remember that that Sunday and you said Notre Dame is going to run the table and make the playoff. Notre Dame ran the table and they're going to make the playoff. Yeah, broken clocks right twice a day.

I guess. Well, here's the other part of that because when Lincoln Riley got hired three years ago at USC, you said Lincoln Riley is going to dominate USC. I said he's not making the playoff in the first three years and I'm going to dominate at USC. I said he's not making the playoff in the first three years. And I'm going to run up a $1,000 tab at a steakhouse on Ari Wasserman next week to get paid off there.

It's the first bet I've had to pay off that I get points for. So thank you for that. Listen, I want everybody to enjoy the process. I wish I could pay my bookie with my credit card. I want everybody to enjoy the process here. But interesting comments I thought from Matt Leinert I wish I could pay my bookie with my credit card. Yeah, I want everybody to enjoy the process here. And I get to eat some of it. Interesting comments I thought from Matt Linert after this.

The Notre Dame piece, we're going to talk about Notre Dame quite a bit over the next few weeks. They're going to be in the playoff. They're going to be probably hosting a playoff game. So we'll have plenty of time to talk about Notre Dame. Did you see what Matt Linert said? I did. About USC.

They probably haven't. Basically said, there's no identity How do you not know what you are at the end of year three? What is what is the problem? What do you do from this point forward and there is a lot of frustration Right now with Lincoln Riley Because we said this might not be the season They want to have at the beginning of the season because he was already making excuses. He was pre-excuse making, but I didn't think they were going 6-6.

Yeah, I mean especially not at the BLSU. It's a shame that I was so wrong about this, but it's like one thing too is just having a bad year, but having something like you I feel better about Florida than I do about USC right now. Yeah, the trajectory is better. Like it makes more sense. Like I can like look at, oh they got DJ Lagway, they're gonna spend a bunch of money at NIL and they are playing really well for their coach right now. Yeah, that's, I can grab on to three things there. What are you grabbing on to at USC? Who's their quarterback next year? Is Jade Maiava their quarterback? I don't think they're feeling great about that. I think they're going to the portal. They were super happy about flipping an offensive line recruit from North Carolina.

Like, congratulations, I guess. You flipped the guy whose coach got fired. Like, I don't know where you go. They don't own California. They try to recruit out of Georgia in the south. Their quarterback situation, and they did get who's on Longstreet. So you have to like give them some credit, I guess, after you know.

You mean who was gonna go here, but then it looked like Marcel Reed was gonna take over the job. Although we can have a conversation about that too. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah. USC is kind of a dumpster fire to be honest. Yeah. And I, and I don't know the hardest part is that's like, I know exactly like Ryan day, you need to beat Michigan problems. You know what I mean? Like, what's the pro how do you fix the process there? I don't know. I cause Lincoln Riley's identity is always just being, I think he hired a better

defensive coordinator. I think Dan Lynn did a good job making the defense better. But Lincoln Riley's identity as a coach is having a Heisman finalist quarterback, right? Good skill players. Yeah. Their defense has always stunk. Well, and look, we've, we know that the only way to actually win championships is have is be great on both lines of scrimmage. Yeah. And Lincoln Riley's teams aren't ever. No and there's no there's no players at the position in California. I mean when I was at the athletic I think Antonio Morales looked this up but like there was like one top 100 linemen in a five. Everybody's in too good of shape they're eating too many salads they're just not producing enough.

Everybody wants to go to Laguna Beach and take their shirt off and no one wants to get down in the with the big uglies and make a block. So like I don't know what it is, but there's no linemen in California. So, you know, I don't know. What's step one of the like last year at least you're like this went wrong.

Andy step one go get a defensive coordinator who can fix your defense. It's like now what step one. Yeah, where do you're like this went wrong. Andy step one, go get a defensive coordinator who can fix your defense. It's like now what step one? Yeah. Where do you even begin with this? Well, another place I just mentioned actually that they are changing coaches in North Carolina, North Carolina loses to NC state again. Another fight by the way.

Yeah. Another fight at the end of the game. Mack though, in his final press conferences in the North Carolina head coach went after North Carolina's administration for the timing of the firing and saying he said like just let me coach this game and then say I'm done you have to fire me on them Tuesday morning yeah you have the quote I haven't seen this I do not have the quote because the internet has been very suspect in this bill we care about cattle in the military out here. Like there's no internet.

Yeah, be glad we can actually broadcast. See, we found one. Andy has it plugged in on a dial-up modem right now. Like it's like me and my parents' office at 3 30 a.m. when I was 14. You know what I mean? Yeah, but so but the gist of what Max said is like I just just let me announce it after the game. Let me tell my team. Don't fire me on a Tuesday morning when it's not going to make a difference. It makes no sense unless there's a guy who's like I think I think that's what it is. I think there's a wink wink or they got a wink wink for somebody.

They may have wanted and that's why they decided to do it. If it's not if you're just having a wide open coaching search and you're still wide open, like you didn't need to do that. You could have just put the bat signal out that you were gonna have a search. He's given quite a bit to the program. Yeah.

So yeah, no, that's good for him for saying that. And I guess what does he have to lose? Exactly, what are they gonna do, fire him? Or they just did, they just did. I mean, maybe he's a less ideal candidate for college game day. I don't know let's talk about the game that we just covered here because I thought it was really interesting because this rivalry coming back was Massive like the scene out the front before the game was a zoo

There was a guy riding a longhorn who also had his dog on top of it. It was, it was the cops were like, what are you doing here? He's like riding a longhorn. If you need me to go, I'll go, but that's what I'm doing. I'm riding a longhorn. It's good bull. And I mean, the, the minister of culture, Matthew McConaughey was here. It was, it was electric. It was a great atmosphere. I love that this rivalry is happening again. The SEC had better figure out a way to play it every year. I don't care if you stay at eight conference games, go to nine cover whatever you want to do, but play this game every year. And it didn't live up to

the hype as a game because Texas is better than Texas A&M specifically Texas' defense is a lot better than any other unit that was on the field today. I will tell you, this is the coolest stadium or like the like in terms of like thinking of college football at its peak, this is the stadium in my head. Like this is perfect. Crowd? They were into it. Into it? Till, it till not the best environment I've ever seen I was it would have been if it had been back and forth close in the pregame like I was like this is like this is loud but it's not like as I thought it was gonna be like pandemonium here tonight and it

wasn't and maybe it's just cuz if it's like people were just so excited to have it back I don't know but like. But let's talk about the Texas defense. Texas defense has a goal line-ish stand inside the 10 yard line basically right off the bat. They're stuffing Texas A&M. They have an interception in plus territory. When Texas A&M is in plus territory where we're taff caught the ball and tip-tapped alongside lines They bailed them out after the block punt at the end of the game That's so they had that big cannon down here for when Texas A&M scores I was coming down to the field right at the end as Texas stuffs them on the goal line and the the guys this you know the core of cadet guys

Who run the cannon they had their earm on, they were ready to rock and roll. Yeah. And they're just like throwing their ear muffs down and it was, it was a whole scene, but the Texas defense was awesome. They gave up zero points. Remember Texas A&M's only score was a pick six. Quinn, you were turned the ball over twice in plus territory in the second half. I don't think Texas is often blocked upon. They had a block punt. I don't think Texas is offense put Texas

in great situations most of the game. I thought Texas is defense was spectacular. Yeah, Texas is defense might be one of the three best units in college football. I am scared to death about Texas is offense. Yeah. And I also think you can see the same game happened again against Yeah. And I also think it's a real. Because you can see the same game happen again against Georgia.

And I think there's a real discussion. And I know it's past midnight on the East Coast. But like, are we 1,000% sure that Quinn Ures is the best quarterback on this team? Well, you saw them with a package for Arch Manning tonight. A little run package. And look, Quinn Ures has a bum ankle. Although he had a great run down the right sideline there

when he needed it. But Arch Manning came in a couple of times and ran in a touchdown early in the game. So I do think that they're using Arch in a way that says, look, if we have to do this, we're going to use him. But now they've they've they've normalized it. They normalized having both quarterbacks play. Yeah, and that's cool. Like I

mean, we'll see what happens in the playoff. But I think that like Texas is still one of the top three most likely teams to win the national championship just based on what they've done this year. But you know, I still feel like if they match up with a really, really good defense, they might have a hard time scoring. So great when they did have to sweat a little bit, but the only reason why they had a sweat in this game is because of the mistake self-inflicted. Yeah. And I guess that's just kind of like we thought that the game would get a little weird because of the noise in the stadium and the setting

and all the And I think that Texas even though they did have that Terrible pick six and a block punt like for the most part was able to stop Yeah, Texas A&M needs to recruit better skill players. That's that's Mike Elkow's mandate Like you put better skill players at Texas A&M. This is a very different game. This is a very competitive game Like I don't know, like, like an Evan Stewart, for instance. Oh yeah, like that. Oh wait. But yes, that, that is, that is what they've got to do. That's where the gap is. And the thing is, for your, okay, well, I'll

ask you the question before I make any grand sweeping pronouncements, Ari. Would you consider your one for Mike Elko success? I would too. I feel like they made incremental improvement over what they were doing under Jimbo. Now they need to take another step I would agree with that. I mean being one win away From the sec championship game and losing to the number two team in the country at home, although painful You'll take that. I will take that. Yeah But the thing that is annoying if you're an a&m fan, is that like the number one mandate going into the offseason is fixing the offense, which is the reason Jimbo got fired. Yeah. Like it's still the same problem just manifesting in a different way. But I do think that A&M has the means and the desire to help this team upgrade

its roster. And if they could have, I mean, honestly, they could have won this game if Evan Stewart was on the team. Like on on like sometimes but sometimes it comes down to that yeah down to a player or two every now and then and they just didn't have those guys and like even Moose Muhammad like just somebody like that to just get open you know and it's just like nobody was open yeah and and Marcel Reed like the interception was a bad choice to throw that ball. Yeah. Because they had just gotten down that first drive. They get down in there.

They get stopped on fourth down. No shame in that. You've got the ball back. You're back in plus territory. You can't throw that between two defenders. It's just not going to work. Also not sure. I loved the decision to go for it again, late in the game down by.

You can kick that field goal since you are down 10. It doesn't really you. You're going to need a touchdown on a field goal or a touchdown. And that's down within one possession. Try your best. Yeah, like hell to tie it. Like, I don't know. Yeah, I felt like that. None that put them in a tough situation. Yeah. But the other part was I thought Texas did a good job

running the ball there at the end Getting rid of most of the clock and Calvin Banks went down what second quarter. They're starting to have tackle Yeah, so nothing monitor that too because yeah, that's tackle on college football. Yeah. Yeah, so that was but it was a it was an Electric atmosphere was a lot of fun Ari What else do we need to hit today? What? What have we missed today? What didn't we touch on? I have no internet. So.

Texas Tech crushed West Virginia. I think there's a lot of angst about Neil Brown at West Virginia right now. You know, I think that was one we were watching coming into the day. Oh, we didn't talk about Gus Malzahn. Oh, yeah. Gus Malzahn left UCF to become the offensive coordinator for Mike Norvell at Florida State. So Gus Malzahn pulling a Chip Kelly, going to work for his protege as the OC. This is, I don't feel like this is the same thing as the Chip. This is. I I don't feel like this is the same thing as the chip Kelly move. This feels strange to me, but. I know they were ready to run him out at UCF, but I don't know

that they have the money to fire him to pay him to fire him at UCF. Yeah, I don't know what that is. I mean, it just it wasn't going well at a certain place, and there's another place that could desperately use his leadership. Just get out while you can, I guess. Yeah, I don't know what the financial aspect of that was because like they might have owed him a lot of money. So yeah, I got a hot board up at on three. Uh, one of the names, Ryan Silverfield from Memphis.

I would watch him. He, he actually is from Jacksonville and it was a U it was a UCF Brad assistant early in his career. Um, I think they're, they're going to try to talk to John Somerall at Tulane, but then again, so is everybody else. I think North Carolina is probably going to try to talk to him too. In this week when we have shows, we can talk about like what's the ceiling of UCF. Can I throw a weird one at you? Go ahead. Did he give Scott

Frost another chance there? The man went 13 and oh. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. Do you think they would be happy about that? No! But he did go 13-0! Like, if they hired Scott Frost, like, do you think that people would be like, yeah, or shit? More shit than yeah. But then they'd be like, wait, he did go undefeated that one time. I mean, he literally became the hottest coaching prospect in his cycle that year. So that's a weird one, though.

I did that. That's one we'd heard a rumor like that about two or three weeks ago, but it was like, nah, that's not because why would Gus give up the buyout? Is that does that help Florida State? Because I didn't feel like UCF's offense was particularly dynamic this year. Florida State because I didn't feel like UCF's offense was particularly dynamic this year. And yes, Mike Norvell did learn the offense that he runs from Gus Malzahn. So it's very similar to the Ryan Day to Chip Kelly situation. Yeah. Yeah. And also

too, it's like you have coaches at the twilight of their career that may or may not want to deal with the NIL stuff. Yeah. Coach football and like, I mean, I could see like with this is like, I like living in Florida I don't want to deal with this stress so I'm gonna live in Florida somewhere else with less stress drop ball plays and do my best to be in yeah I mean I will see what has I guarantee you that's what his reasoning is gonna be when and if he talks about it but yeah it's just like Chip Kelly and Ryan Day

and of course everything today leads back to Ryan Day because oh my god Ohio State lost to Michigan again. Oh what a world. What a sport. Guys this regular season has been amazing. We've got championship week. We got national signing day next week. We're gonna have a lot to talk about. So Sunday on three sports YouTube channel, will we be hitting you with some videos talking to some various teams? We might be breaking down some coaching searches. There may be some coaching news tomorrow to get ready for that. We got coordinators that can get hired, fired, all of it. We got national signing down Wednesday. The transfer portal opens a week from Monday.

The day before that, they announced who's in the playoff. The day before that, Championship Games Electric. What a year. What a year. Thank you so much. We'll talk to you soon.