Andy & Ari On3 - Will round two of the College Football Playoff THRILL or CHILL? | Is this Drew Allar's moment?

Episode Date: December 31, 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. Axia Time is the offical timepiece for both the College Football Playoff and the Heisman trophy and probably the best kept secret in college football.   Their timepieces are heirloom quality and among the coolest designs in the college space. Axia Time has created a series of limited-edition timepieces for all 12 teams in the college football playoff.  each design is limited to only 100 pieces. Check out your team’s cfp designs at axiatime.com, but you better act fast because they will sell out.  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(0:00-1:12) PaniniAmerica.net(1:13-4:42) Brands for Bowl Games(4:43-24:01) Cinderellas in the CFP(24:02-25:54) Is Penn State a Cinderella?(25:55-32:20) Drew Allar vs Boise State, Presented by PrizePicks(32:21-38:22) QB Draft Discussion(38:23-47:08) Rose Bowl Preview: Oregon & It's uniforms(47:09-48:48) AxiaTime.Com(48:49-59:58) Ari talks with Jeremiah Smith(59:59-1:02:45) Brian Hartline keeps receipts (1:02:46-1:04:18) Conclusion; See you TONIGHT after Boise State vs Penn State It’s time for round two of the College Football Playoff. Will it be more interesting than round one? We certainly hope so. Andy and Ari break down Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl matchup between Penn State and Boise State. Can Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar power his team to the semifinals? Or will Ashton Jeanty have a huge game for the Broncos and inspire an upset? Ari spent Monday at Rose Bowl media day talking to Oregon and Ohio State players and coaches. Oregon receiver Tez Johnson explained how the Ducks pick their uniforms, and Ohio State receivers coach Brian Hartline showed proof that he’s keeping the receipts on Andy and Ari’s playoff picks. (Which is bad news for Andy.) Which game will surprise us? Which game will be close?   Plus, Alabama plays Michigan in the Reliaquest Bowl, Louisville plays Washington in the Sun Bowl, South Carolina plays Illinois in the Citrus Bowl and Baylor plays LSU in the Texas Bowl.  Watch us on YouTube! https://youtube.com/live/KIGTQ5XMFmw Hosts: Andy Staples, Ari WassermanProducer: River Bailey

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You know, maybe I'm not gonna pull an arch until Arch is the QB one at Texas and we don't know when that's gonna be. We'll talk about that today. We'll see. But PaniniAmerican.net is your choice for the best sports cards on the planet. Visit PnNEDAMERICA.NET to collect your favorite college NFL stars. Start your collection today. Welcome to Andy and Ari on a Happy New Year's Eve. Ari is in California, ready to cover the Rose Bowl tomorrow.

We have the F Rose Bowl tomorrow. We have the Fiesta Bowl tonight. Round two begins. We've got appetizers all day. We've got the Reliaquest Bowl, which used to have actual appetizers sponsoring it, because it was the Outback Bowl, and they had Bloomin' Onions and Coconut Shrimp.

They don't have that anymore. I don't know what a Reliaquest is, and I don't know if I want it know what a reliaquest is and I don't know if I want it my seat in the press box Outbacks blooming onion Walked so pop tarts could run right? Oh 100% 100% and then Chick-fil-a had the peach bowl and then they became the chick-fil-a bowl, but then Because it got into the playoff. They were like, you gotta have a name name.

You can't have just a sponsor name. So it went back to being the peach bowl. And so they didn't, they didn't, they've not done the cow and nugget thing that they could have done. We need to get a Wendy's spicy, you know, Wendy's saucy nugs bowl. Can we, can we have a Wendy's saucy nugs bowl? I would, I would be down for that. I would be down for it too,

especially if we got to go eat a bunch of nuggets. Like I don't even care about the football. Let's just go smash some food. The annual bowl sponsorship game is quite fun. We're gonna have to do that next year before all the bowl games start, but I don't know what ReliaQuest is, and it has been a bowl sponsor for multiple years

and I feel like if you are a bowl sponsor and you don't do a good job year over year of explaining to the people what you are, then you've wasted your money. Yes, exactly. Like I'll give an example of one that it's not fun like the Pop Tarts bowl, but it worked. So Pacific Life did the Holiday Bowl forever. Pacific Life is an insurance company. They had the humpback whale breaching in the commercial, the dururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururururur but I know what it is because of the holiday bull. And that's how you do it. But yeah, if we don't know what your company does or can't tell you, you've wasted your money.

Well, the thing about insurance that makes me laugh is that like, I don't know why they advertise so much. And again, this is over my head and I don't know a lot of things. But when I shop for insurance, I shop for cheapest price with same coverage. And that's who I pick. See, I shop for who has a British gecko or a caveman.

Is that what you do? Yeah, that's exclusively. Or Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Because when I think insurance, I think Andy Reid. I do have a toxic trait of like when my wife or somebody says I've got good news and I decided you save a bunch of money in your car insurance by switching to Geico. I say that a lot. But yeah, no, I just is this a brand I've heard of? Maybe

that's part of it. Just having brand recognition so people trust that you're going to get. I believe that's what it was. I actually listened to. I listened to a podcast about that at one point of why there are so many insurers, so many in the advertising industry, why that, and that's exactly what it is. It is brand recognition. So we've got a little case of brand recognition questions

coming into this round of the playoff, because we have a bunch of name brands, and then you have Boise State and you have Arizona State trying to crash the party. Because I think the idea of this is you want, I go back to the NCAA basketball tournament and I realize it's not an apples to apples comparison, but people always say you want the upsets in the first weekend, but like Sweet 16 Elite 8 you want all the brand names.

So this is where you want to make sure the brand names are in the semi-finals, or at least the TV does. But Boise State and Arizona State want to crash the party. And now we got to find out if they can. You got Boise State playing Penn State tonight, you got Arizona State playing Texas tomorrow. Ari, we saw just four god-awful games in the first round Can I and I'm not gonna re litigate that go ahead because you said something that I'm not sure I'm on board with Or I don't or maybe I'm it's I want to talk about it. Yeah. Yeah

So you say in the NCAA tournament like the basketball tournament, we all root for Cinderella, which is true. We all wanna see. In the first weekend. In the first weekend. Well, I mean, I don't know. There's a certain aspect of fans to that. Yeah, I think, like I remember like, yeah, cause like when VCU was going deep,

they picked up a lot of fans along the way. But I feel like people in general are more interested when you get to the end and it's a bunch of big old brands they know. But there is a huge difference between the tenor of the NCAA tournament and what the seeds in the field are revealed, like that the field is the field and there's no relitigating where people should have been seeded. Now there might be teams that are upset with what they got or fans that feel like they could have done better or disciplined the path. But there's no should UCSB have been in. You know what I mean? Like they get it and they get it. Because there's 30, there's 34 at larges.

Right. Like at best you're the 35th best team's 34 at larges. Right. At best, you're the 35th best team if you got left out. Yeah. Isn't it? And you have no claim at that point. In college, the upsets bids are, I almost feel like a confirmation that the committee did it right.

I don't know if the general public, I don't know if the general public, like I don't know if the South was rooting for upsets. I think the South was rooting for blowouts because they want everybody to say, hey, look, don't you think Alabama, South Carolina, like I don't know that like SMU was America's sweetheart last week. I don't think that Boise State tonight is gonna be like,

everybody huddle around the television to see if Ashton Gentry can do it. Like I think that in college football, and maybe I'm completely off on this, you push back if I'm wrong, that there is a sort of like gatekeeping of the elites and maybe it's because the fan bases of the elite teams are the loudest and biggest and that's why it feels that way. But like our Purdue fans, maybe that's a terrible example. Our Alabama fans. Mississippi State fans, come on. Mississippi State, that's a good one. Are Mississippi State fans like excited about today because they want to see if Boise State can beat Penn State? Or do they want Penn State to beat the crap out of Boise so they can show everybody that there's only five teams that should have been in or two

conferences that have worthy, you know, I don't know. Here's what I've said all along about this this size playoff. And I've been saying it since before it was a long before it was a thing. And long before it was something that might actually happen. That the first time you had a Cinderella win in a big-time national college football tournament, that's when it becomes the most popular sporting event in America. You got to have the Cinderella win. Like I just showed you Chris from the chat,, he said nobody wants Cinderella's in the college football field at all. They think they don't. The second one of those games is down to

the wire. All of America, except for the fans of the name brand team, will begin rooting for the underdog. We'll begin rooting for the Cinderella. We think we don't want it until we get it. Well, let's also unpack. Let's unpack Cinderella and the definition. I think the Cinderella in in NCAA basketball is like a mid major team that no one could name a single player on. And, you know, looks like like what was the one who lost who beat Kentucky St.

Peter's like that is the definition of yes of Cinderella like a teams entire basketball budget doesn't even pay for a year of the other coaches salary that type of thing right and then basketball a team like that that gets hot can do it but like is Penn State and Cinderella. Penn State's Cinderella relative to Ohio State and Georgia, but not to anybody else. Like, nobody, I don't think the average fan considers Penn State as Cinderella. They have tons of money that James Franklin gets paid tons of money. They have a budget for players. They have tons of NFL players on their roster. Like, do you think that Cinderella, the definition that we use in basketball transfers over to football like you think the

only way you can consider doesn't win the national title in basketball either. Now it almost happened one time like I was there in Indy when when Gordon Hayward almost made that shot to be Duke the difference and this is you've mentioned this a bunch of times these last few weeks the difference between the basketball tournament and the football tournament in basketball one or two players can make all the difference. Like Gordon Hayward, when Butler played Duke that year, Gordon Hayward was the best player on the court. Duke didn't

have anyone as good as him. But when Duke is also playing basketball, the only people who are rooting for Duke are Duke fans. That's the ACC isn't being like, come on Duke, like it's different. It's not the same thing. But you'll get that with, I think you'll get that at the end of this if it's say, well, if it's Ohio State and Georgia,

like how do you think the non-affiliated fans spread out? Do you think it's along conference lines, it's along geographical lines? Or just who you despise at the moment less? Oh, I'll tell you what. Let's say Notre Dame gets through. Let's say Notre Dame, you've got Notre Dame in your national championship game.

So let's say you've got a Notre Dame, Ohio State, or a Notre Dame Texas National Championship game. Do you think all the unaffiliateds go with whoever is playing against Notre Dame because people who go to Notre Dame or hate them? I actually think, and like, you want to do tin foil hat Tuesday because we can do it. Yeah, let's do it. Oh wait, wait, wait, hold on. Stop. We talked, you and I talked on the phone a little behind the curtain of the show about things that we can repeat as segments in the off season. That could be one. Yeah. Tin foil hat Tuesday

is now a thing. Yeah. So tin foil hat Tuesday, Andy, I think that people have kind of caught on to the way that ESPN covers the sport. And whether you like it or not, they present information in a way. And the thing that that bothers me the most and there's no way we have the bandwidth to unpack the seating and all that stuff right now. We'll do it. But the way that ESPN presents certain things and arguments, I feel like changes based on who the person or the program they're talking about is, where quality wins only matter

because that's the leg that the SEC has to stand on and winning totals don't. And the next year, if Alabama has Texas's schedule and they're 11 and 1, I don't know. I feel like the argument changes based on who they're talking about one and I don't know. I feel like the argument changes based on who they're talking about, not necessarily, you know, the argument. And I think people are catching onto that.

And I don't know if it's just me or maybe it's my sliver of Twitter. I don't know. But I do think that there is a certain level of SEC fatigue. I think people are just kind of tired of the bull crap a little bit of like everybody in the SEC should get in and nobody else. Like I think that Notre Dame. You think people are just now tired of that? No, no, it's a new concept. I think it's bubbling to a certain high right now. And I don't know if it's just people. Like it is like what were the largest talking points of the first round? Paul Feinbaum, Kirk Herbstreet, and who should have been in, who should have been out. And it's all predicated around the same thing. And the SEC is the deepest, most talented

conference in college football. Nobody's denying it, but there's a big country out there of people who like football and people are just tired of hearing why teams that lost three times should be in over teams that won 11 and one. So the reason why I'm saying that is like, is there Georgia? Are we tired of Georgia? Like I feel like oh, yeah Yeah, or George George is the Death Star like you're right So if it's and don't you think I can the nerdy rooting for Notre Dame now than ever before? Probably your That now that I think about your product because and every time we mentioned Notre Dame and the reason I said

People hate Notre Dame is it's when we mentioned Notre Dame and the reason I said people hate Notre Dame is when we mentioned Notre Dame on this show. The chat lights up. Nobody cares about Notre Dame. I hate Notre Dame. Like that's instantly like Notre Dame evokes. This is why Notre Dame should join a conference. Like Notre Dame not being in a conference personally offends millions of people and I don't know why, but it does. personally offends millions of people and I don't know why but it does. There is a reaction. I don't know if I mean there is a physical reaction to Notre Dame and I think that the hatred of Notre Dame stems for decades for many of reasons. I think like you said it once to me and it's true is that their television deal was the first premiere deal where they're on TV every week. I think it's the private school aspect. I think it's how hard to get in.

I think it's the fact that a lot of people root for them that didn't go there. Like there's a lot of stuff and like religious aspects. Like there's a lot of- They used to be the only team that played every game on national TV. Like that was a huge thing. Every Irish Catholic person in the entire country,

no matter where they're from or what their education background is, it's a Notre Dame fan, like I think that that just irritates people. It's very hard to explain to people under 30, how mad people used to get because Notre Dame was on TV. Like, because it used to be your favorite team, and this is whether you're like a fan of a Big Ten team

or an SEC team or an ACC, didn't matter. Like your favorite team wasn't on national TV every week. Even the really good ones. And it drove people insane. And so that is, that's another big piece of it. So the fact that people are being driven insane right now by Notre Dame isn't gonna change. I think that that reaction's gonna,

and I think that that reaction gets passed down. Like, I think people now hate Notre Dame because their parents hated Notre Dame and they don't really know the actual genesis of it. But do you think that more people want Notre Dame to win this week more than they ever would on the stage? Because Georgia is the presumed, like Kirby Smart is a presumed best coach in college football. Georgia is the presumed best roster even if this particular Georgia roster isn't. I don't know that this Georgia roster is the best roster in college football, but obviously Georgia had the best roster in college football or one of the two

best for the last three or four years. And I do think it's that there is that because I think it's a natural response for someone who's unaffiliated to root for the team that is not considered the favorite and George is only a slight favorite in this game, but George has been the favorite. You know if you if you said this team or the field for the national title for the past four years, George is the team you would say, you know and also to like Notre Dame, I think that people, whether they realize it or not in the moment, Andy,

root for things that they and their teams can relate to. And there are a lot of programs in college football. And I think Penn State also falls under the same bracket of like, well, if they can do it, then we can, right? Like nobody wants to feel hopeless. And like if Notre Dame can use the portal, get a quarterback recruit at the level they've been recruiting, not being as crazy dialed into NIL of some of the other places have been in terms of acquiring talent as as that being the sole reason. And then get to the semifinal by beating Georgia, then that gives Tennessee fans hope. That gives Ole Miss fans hope. And I know that they approach and I a little bit differently, but all these teams

that have been in between like seven and 15 for the last four years who are like, well, what do we need to do to make a jump? I don't think the entire country just wants to see, oh, well, you know, the conglomerates are the conglomerates again. And like it is what it is. Like, like we spent all year talking about how the sport is flattened and how anybody can beat anybody and how there's no truly great team. But it's like the national championship game is Ohio State, Georgia.

It's like after all that, it's like, this is what we get still. And like, this is what I thought was going to happen with the 12 team field, that you would have a bunch of teams that had great stories, and then you'd have three mega teams and the three mega teams would beat the crap out of everybody else and then meet in the title game. And I don't know that there are mega teams, you know, outside of the two that are playing in the Rose Bowl this week. But like, I feel like the only true- You don't think George is a mega team? I mean, in terms of the way that they're constructed and not having over weaknesses all over the field, I do, I don't. Like, I

think like they have a bunch of talent, but they have like identifiable like here are the three things you could fix about them. Megateam talent wise, yes. Super team in in application, no. Is that fair? Okay, it is fair. It tracks with what we've said all season. Like, they don't have the abundance of first rounders in the defensive line like they don't have. The abundance of first-rounders in the defensive line like they used to have the reason why they may have won the reason why we think they could win a national championship though with what we've seen this year is a result of respecting their talent though. Yeah. So like two things can be true at the same time, but I'm saying like

in terms of like when those teams when Ohio State and Oregon are playing full gear, nobody has looked like that in college football this year, anywhere else. So, you know, maybe that's, that'll get proven wrong. But I feel like the only true Cinderella's in this bracket are Arizona State, Boise, and SMU, right? Like, does anybody else fall in that line? Or if you're a traditional big, like Clemson was the lowest seed, and they had to win their last game to get in. But I don't know that people viewed Clemson as a Cinderella. Maybe Indiana was a Cinderella too. And like yeah, Indiana was absolutely a Cinderella. Was there a huge groundswell of go IU last weekend? Like, I mean, there were no IU fans in the stadium. I didn't see a lot on Twitter of like, maybe, you know, in the South, they were hoping that the Notre Dame fans made sure that there were no IU fans in the stadium by making sure the ticket prices stayed high. And I also think too Andy that like the anti

Cinderella movement as it pertains that IU was so strong that you had people in the South rooting for Notre Dame. I'm gonna say it again you had people in the South rooting for Notre Dame because they wanted to be like haha told you they didn't deserve it. Like if IU would have lost 31 to 29 in a like awesome game, right? That would have that would have destroyed their narrative. Yes. So like it is a bizarre thing. And I really on one hand, it's like, well, do people want to see Ohio State or Oregon and Georgia in the national title game? Probably not. But at the same time, too, it would restore order and what we kind of do. Like think they kind of do, like, I want to see,

like, if you told me the winner of Ohio State, Oregon and Georgia were playing the national title game in a couple of weeks, I'd be like, that sounds great. I'm happy to watch that. Cause I'm gonna drag you into the pits of hell if that's what you want right now. Like, do you want it after all this? You want it to be the thing? The teams we think are the best playing for the national championship?

Yeah, I'm good with that. Yeah, thanks. Okay, that's called the four team field. Okay. I don't know how to break this to you Ari, but the Steelers and the Texans are not going to make the Super Bowl. I'm okay with the being the playoff. To ensure what you want though, you got it every year. No, no, no, no. Listen. Yeah. No, but here's the thing Ari.

If Indiana had made it over one of those teams because it won its way there, then Indiana proved us wrong on the field. Yeah. It's your argument. This is your argument. You're the one who wrote this after the Indiana Notre Dame game. Well, here's how we know. Yeah, yeah, I think that there is this entitlement where certain teams feel

like they should go because of the way that they're constructed. And I think in the past, that's probably helped a little bit. I'm not saying I want to see Oregon and Georgia placed in the national title game. I want them to play their way into it. in the national title game. I want them to play their way into it. I want the teams who are in the field if we have the system and we do to earn their way in. I think it is a privilege to play in the playoff. I don't think it's a prerogative, right? Like I think that you could simultaneously believe that Alabama is better than Indiana while also thinking Indiana should be in. And we can say Penn State got the easiest path.

We can say Texas got an easier path. But the fact of the matter is they're going to run into somebody in the semis that is very, very good. And eventually they're going to have to earn their way in anyway. So yeah, I think the Cinderella thing is really interesting. But really, would you say that I'm right on IU, Boise, SMU, and Arizona State? Are they the four?

They're the four, yes. I do think, though, if tonight, and by the way, we're coming on live after the game tonight. So as soon as the game is over. Your old pals any are you're here for you? If this game is down to the wire. If it's close at the end of the game. I would say that 90% of the country

will be rooting for Boise State. I think that's fair. Because they were like it's it's not as if it's an abstract thing. Like. I kind of want I wanted the bit you know I want to see the talented teams. In the moment when you're watching and you don't really care about either. He seems like human instinct is I want the underdog to win the funny thing though is is that

like Penn State though a team that plays in 110,000 person stadium and goes 10 and two every year is also a newcomer. Like if they win the game and they get to this before, yeah, you think it's in the semis, like that's a new new blood. So like I think in the basketball tournament, like every single year, we feel like we get at least one or two new teams in the final four, or teams that haven't been there in a while. And like college football has been so repetitive in terms of the eight teams or the six teams that just trade taking turns or trade turns playing in the semis that like anybody that isn't Georgia, Alabama, Ohio state, and Clemson

is like a breath of fresh air. And like last year was a step in the right direction in terms of Washington and Texas, Michigan, right? Yeah, all new teams. But now we're in a place where, you know, I think college football. Hey, listen, Oregon hasn't been there since 2014. That's right. I guess Oregon is.

But like Oregon, too, is like not. I don't know if I would put them in the like Penn State category because it's been it's been 10 years, but it hasn't been like 30. They've also been so close in terms like they've been really good every year. Yeah. And it's just they haven't gotten over the hump in my Penn State. You can argue that Penn State has been right there too. Like Penn State would have made this format of tournament six times since 2016. The difference between Penn State and Oregon is this one simple fact.

Penn State played in the big 10 East for a decade and was directly compared to one of the monsters of the sport every single year, whereas Oregon was on the West coast and separated. And then Michigan became a monster at the end of the Big Ten East life cycle too. I think I've made this mistake with Penn State during my career, but I've been harsh about Penn State because I grade them through Ohio State's lens and that's not their prerogative.

So they have been directly compared to an indivisional rival that was just unbeatable for such a long period of time that you almost never gave them a chance just because of that. Whereas Oregon was able, I think you could make the case that if Penn State were in the Pac-12 playing that schedule, barring all the travel and stuff that they would have broken through at least one of those years because they've had really good teams. And they had teams that, frankly speaking, went toe to toe with some of the best Ohio State teams from that era. Winning in 2016 and losing by one, two years in a row in the subsequent years.

Like they've done pretty good. So, you know, we'll see what happens with them. Let's talk about a very important player for Penn State right now, Ari. Let's talk about, because Drew Aller has been a lightning rod this season. And he's coming back. He's already announced it. I think he's coming back because he thinks he can be one one in the 2026 draft. I think that and then you you you hear people call Drew. You know he he looks the part, but he doesn't he doesn't play the part.

We've seen him play the part. In the Big Ten Championship game, I think but obviously Penn State's defense couldn't keep up with the organs offense in that game. Duralar against Boise State. He has a chance. To help lead his team to the semis, help continue to build his reputation as a great Penn State quarterback, because I think right now he's not

viewed through that lens even though he could potentially take them farther than they've been in a long time. Let's look at his prize picks number for this this game this Boise State game. 225 and a half passing yards if you're not playing prize picks download that app use code staples play five get $50 instantly. We're talking about squares. You pick a square and it can be a college football, NFL, NBA, darts, e-sports, you name it. You can mix and match sports.

We're talking college football. We're talking fiesta ball right now. Drew Aller, 225 and a half passing yards. You decide if it's gonna be more or less. Ari, I don't even think he needs to hit this number for Penn State to win this particular game because I think this is one where if you can control Ashton Genti on the other side of the ball to a point or even let Ashton Genti score a couple touchdowns and gain 150 yards, you can win this game 23 to 14 or 23 to 17 and be fine.

Yeah, I think it's the the genti rushing total is gonna be the story of this. It's like is he gonna go crazy or is like because Drew Aller played like crap last week and they didn't even sweat. So like this reliance on him to play this perfect game, they're going to need that, but they're going to need that in the next round. You know, when they here's the thing though, what if what if Genties having a great game and it's close, Aller is going to have to make some big throws. Now, I think with Penn State, there's another guy we need to talk about on their offense, and that's Tyler Warren. He's a tight end in name only. He plays like 90 different positions.

They feed Tyler Warren when they need it. You know, you look at Tyler Warren's last five games, 33 receiving yards against SMU. They didn't need him because SMU kept handing him the ball. Against Oregon, they were feeding him. Against Minnesota, when they were in deep, deep doo doo, they were they were feeding him against Minnesota when they were in deep deep doo-doo they were force-feeding him like if this game's close your Tyler Warren 76 and a half receiving yard number more than is probably the the one you want to hit because they're gonna have to use him if this game's close yeah for sure the thing that is interesting me, and the one thing that we've kind of

forgotten about since Penn State played a really good game against Oregon, is that at a certain point, they might get put in a position where a receiver needs to make a play and I'm not sure they have good enough receivers. Like the game they played against Ohio State is burned into the frontal lobe of my brain, you know, and it's like Tyler Warren is an exceptional player. And I mean, I guess if he has one of those USC games where he just touches the ball 31 times and has 250 yards of offense, then he can win you a game. But if you if they get into a point where they need

people to get space for chunk plays, like I think they're going to have a lot of problems. So like, you know if they get to a point where they need people to get space for chunk plays, like I think they're going to have a lot of problems. So like, you know, they need to run the ball really efficiently. Drew Aller, I think, needs to run the ball himself very efficiently because that's an aspect of his game, Andy, that you've seen kind of open up here the last few weeks. The ability to create a part of the game. That's the part of his game that I think we probably underestimated. And when he is scrambling, keeping drives alive with his feet, he's a much more dangerous quarterback.

He's a good athlete. Yeah. For sure. So I'm kind of confused with Penn State, because on one hand, it's like, oh, yeah, they've got Drew Aller, who's peaking at the right time. They've got Tyler Warren. They've got a really good defensive line and really great running backs.

And it's like, if they put this thing together, they could go to the title game and dare I say, maybe even win it. But then on the other hand, it's like, are they really deficient? And is that deficiency going to be exposed on the biggest stage? Like, and I don't know which one it is.

So, but for me, like I was just like looking up first round money difference between one one and like number 15 or number nine, it's dramatic. So if that's what your goal is. So this is why he's doing this. It's 41 million I think for number one overall and 22 for 15. Wow.

So, like, again, and if you can bridge the gap and get a few million dollars, I guess, in NIL, you take that risk, I don't know, but I feel like it's bizarre that he's coming back. I just think, of all the ones, and we can get into the Todd McShay, Carson Beck discussion too, but of all the ones that could improve themselves next year, like if Drew Aller gets some receivers

that are dangerous, that scare you, his numbers could be crazy. I love the way Andy Cotillnicki calls this offense. I think they're limited in what they can do. And Tyler Warren's great. But if you have just traditionally good receivers with this quarterback and the level of offensive line play they've been able to maintain under Phil Troutwine, who's their line coach, like

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Ari, let's talk about that draft discussion thing because Todd McShay went on his podcast and just ripped Carson Beck for coming back. And I thought that was really interesting because Carson Beck's been in college five years. Like I know we've seen Michael Pinnix in a sixth year get better, but I don't know that there's a lot of people that in a sixth year are going to be that different than they were in a fifth year.

At what point do you say this is where you're going to be and this is the draft prospect you're going to be? Well the other thing too that you have to take into account is that, I mean, Carson Beck would be the presumed starter at Georgia, right? Next year, if he were to come back, I want to come back. Yes. I don't know if I'm the only one who's thinking this, but the man suffered a very serious injury. Yes. Okay. It's not it's not like it. I know that football and baseball are different, but that's not a

three week thing. Okay, right. He's supposed to be able to throw an apron and You know from a portal aspect of this would be the case But if it ever got to a point where he were to explore another option to get a bag Mm-hmm that maybe Georgia could I mean Georgia probably could but like this is hypothetical only Yeah, I guess market would be limited as a result of this injury of the injury. Correct. Because people aren't going to go all in on a rental. If that rental has flat tires, right? So you might be able to pump them up and get along a bunch of miles out of that person, but you don't want to pump up tires on a rental car. Right.

So like that's, that's that. But then on the other hand too, it's like, if you are recovering from an injury this way. Do you want to go back to Georgia? Run it back. Recover from that injury, not make the money that you're going to make even though you have a Lambo. And then risk re injuring yourself like I feel like it just makes sense for him to go get the NFL clock started at this point. So like I don't know like what like I don't what was the basis of

Todd's argument? Like I don't even know what he's saying. He was saying that NFL GMs were saying he needs another year to develop and I just don't know what more we're gonna see from him. Like, I don't know how much more he's gonna develop. Yeah, now look, I, I, people came at me yesterday after I tweeted that with what about Michael Pinnix and Michael Pinnix a little different story

because Michael Pinnix was hurt for four years of his career. Though I would argue that Michael Pennex after year one at Washington would have been a fine NFL quarterback. And then Dylan Gabriel this year is in year six. But I would also argue that Dylan Gabriel's the same quarterback he was at Oklahoma last year. He's got better players around him.

Am I wrong on that? No, you're not wrong on that. Tin foil hat Tuesday, Andy. Whoo, let's go. Are we 100% certain that Georgia fans want him back? No, and that's that's the other thing. I I don't know that they think Gunner Stockton is better because like I've said this on a bunch of shows cause they keep asking, you know, is Gunner Stockton be better than Carson Beck?

I don't know that people think Carson or that Stockton is gonna be better than Beck because Kirby Smart is not sentimental. Like if he thought Gunner Stockton was better, he would have already started. He would have been playing, yeah. But if Gunner Stockton can give you equal to Beck, maybe in a slightly different package, they're fine with that.

I don't think they're viewing this as, oh no, what are we gonna do now? I think they feel pretty comfortable that either Stockton's gonna start or Ryan Puglisi's gonna start next year, or they're gonna go get a Portal guy. I don't think they're that worried about it. So the saucy take that we're not doing today is if

Georgia advances to the national title game this year. The book on back there is closed, right? Yes, yes, you don't get. You don't get that far in this tournament with another quarterback with the way that he played this past year and go OK, we need him back like I don't I don't I don't know what the calculus of that's gonna be and I don't know maybe if Georgia wins every game 13 to 10 and that's how they do it and it's all defense again but George's defense this year though very good doesn't stand head and shoulders above

the other defenses in this in this tournament the way that it did four years ago like it's it's got a good defense but so does Oregon so does Ohio State so does Penn State. Right it's not it's not the 2021 or 22 Georgia defenses. Yeah those were 2021 defense that I could be playing quarterback for them and they'd have a chance in every game. So like but that's not what they are this year. At times they've been excellent but they haven't been like you can't score points on this team no matter what. And I think they're going to run into teams or a team at some point that has an equal or slightly better defense than them. And when they do, it's going to be a problem for them.

And it was almost a problem for them against Texas because you can make the case that Texas's defense is just as good, if not better. And they found a way to win, but they found a way to win because Texas's offense wasn't doing anything either. So like, I feel like if Georgia is going to ascend to where people think they're going, you pick them to win the national title. I don't know if you still believe that that's true. I do, I believe they can do it.

I don't know that that confident picking them over Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, or Texas. It's not a huge confidence pick. But if you're right at the end, and I doubt that you will be, but if they are, it will be as a result of quarterback play that we're not expecting, in my opinion. Well, we're about to find out.

Now, we talked about to find out. Now we talked about Drew Aller and how he doesn't have the best wide receivers and how that is a problem. We just talked about Dylan Gabriel and how I don't know that he's that different from who he was at Oklahoma, except he has better players around a better line in front of him, better receivers to throw to. You're covering the Rose Bowl. We're going to see some amazing wide receivers in this game. We've seen this game once already. Oregon and Ohio State and the Stars played really well. The Star receivers played really well in the first game for both teams. Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Buka for Ohio State. for Ohio State, Tess Johnson and Evan Stewart for Oregon were both, or were all awesome in that game.

You talked to Tess Johnson and Jeremiah Smith yesterday at Media Day and I'm curious, like when you're talking to, because I feel like good receivers and also good DBs for that matter, like there's just an aura they give off, like I am him. Can you feel that when you were standing two feet away from Tez Johnson or standing two feet away from Jeremiah Smith, can you feel that? Yeah, I did five minute videos with both and we only are gonna show minute clips here so you won't see it.

But like I asked Jeremiah Smith if he like anticipated that he would be at this level this soon in his college career. And he said no and like we know he was lying like it like you could feel like he goes yeah like you know nfl gms don't check tape of your freshman year so it doesn't really matter i'm like jeremiah they check tape if you're a freshman year like yeah yeah there's no gm like if we grabbed Jason Light from the Bucks right now and said, would you take Jeremiah Smith in this draft

if you had a top five pick? He'd go, yes. There's no question. Yeah, yeah. So I think that, and they always smile in a very sly way. It's like, that quieted confidence to the media, but you know that they're talking out there and stuff and like they're both really good. And I think that you could make the case if you put the receiver rooms from both of these teams

together that this is the most talented total receiver package that you would have had at a media day in like ever. Right. Maybe some of those Alabama, some of the Alabama teams that, you know, had four or five studs. Yeah, I'd say that 2020 out, but that was done virtually the 2020 into the season, Alabama, Ohio State National Title game. That was probably the closest you'll ever get that that was probably the most you'll ever get one room like in terms of like receivers. There's a reason why these are the two most explosive teams left.

Because they have guys that can get you 50 yards on one play on every single play. And I don't know that Penn State has that guy. I don't know that Texas has that guy, especially with Isaiah Bond being injured. I don't know. He's gonna play so. No, I know having been injured though. I wonder how much of that was, you know, was the reason we feel that way. I would say Gunnar Helm is the is the downfield threat I worry about most for Texas, which

is like he's a great player, but it's not the same as Jeremiah Smith. And the same thing with Tyler Warren. It's a great player, but it's not the same thing as Jeremiah Smith. We know Georgia doesn't have one. I mean, are there, is there another player at the receiver position in the entire playoffs that can measure up to anybody in either of these two rooms? No. That I'm not remembering? Georgia doesn't have one. Notre Dame doesn't have one. Doesn't have one. Boise doesn't have one. Penn State doesn't have one. Texas might have one in Isaiah Bondo. And the best one Arizona State has hurt. So

like, you know, and we've talked about how important receiver plays been so like you know quarterbacks being like you know Carson Beck had it down here and drew Alers stats aren't that great and Cade Club Nick didn't like the world on fire from a passive perspective. It's like they don't have anybody throw the ball to where they've been to throw it to. Yeah. So you know,. But we're gonna see in the Rose Bowl, there are guys that are gonna be thrown to. You

talked to Tess Johnson and it was very interesting because I didn't realize they have a committee that chooses the uniforms. I didn't either. So he explained that whole process. So here's Tess Johnson explaining the uniform committee. Jerseys? Yeah. Yeah, we got so many we don't know which ones to pick for them. What's it like at Oregon when there's so many of them? Like do you get juiced for certain ones or? You pick them and then you show them to the team and you like, y'all like this combination for this week? Say, nah, nah, we don't. Then we just go to the next combination. So yeah. This just happen every week? Yeah, like we just send them to go to the next combination. So, yeah. This just happen every week?

Yeah, like we just send them to them like, what combination you like this week? I like the black or white. Somebody don't like the black or white. We vote on it. All right, boom. Let's go to the green. You like the green?

All right, let's go to the green. The whole team votes on the uniform combination? We got a uniform committee. OK, who's on the uniform committee? Me, Traceon, Big Mark, Bossa. Who else? Dante Manning. How did you get on the uniform committee? Me, Traceon, Big Mark, Bossa, who else? Dante Manning. How did you get on the uniform committee? Senior. I didn't know if it was like who dresses the best in the off-season. Well we ain't gotta talk about who got the best drip on and stuff like that. Who has the best drip? You talking to him. So I don't know if you asked him, the jerseys they're wearing at media day. Are those the ones they're wearing in the game because they are. I love those the the white with the with the puddles the duck on the

sleeve. Yeah, the ones I hate and I don't know if you got into this with him the eggshell ones. They're awful like I know there are people who love those. Those are terrible. Yeah, the problem with Oregon's uniforms is that they have so many combinations that sometimes they nail the jerseys and then they mess up the pants and they mess up the helmet like the helmet that they're wearing with the jerseys in this game is the wrong helmet like puddles

should be on the helmet too. Oh yeah that that I like the silver chrome winged ones with that and it's like that doesn't look right to me. But like those are my favorite helmets but I want like a cleaner white uniform. Yeah yeah. Yeah so the first time they debuted those helmets those chrome ones that was against Russell Wilson in Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. I just remember watching them run out of time like that is the coolest helmet I've ever seen in my life. Yeah and they have uh really really really cool uniforms and like the thing about them is is that you might not like one and I might love it and like I didn't love the combination that they wore in the big 10 title game in that picture you're seeing but like some people love it. Yeah the all

black with the green helmet. Yeah like that wasn't my favorite but you know there are times where Oregon comes out and it's just like wow that, that stuff's cool. But the throwback stuff that's like modernized with the Nike, like I think is a really nice touch. And you know, for Oregon, their tradition is, is having these uniforms. And I think it's pretty cool that, you know, they allow the players to pick because you know how much, like, you know, I think that like players like Tess told me he never even had to take a visit to Oregon because he knew what they were about before he went there. Like he didn't go. I did a story on this for SI years ago

and I talked to Rob Bullens, who's the AD there now, and I talked to some folks from Nike about, and some coaches, like, because remember the coaches from Bellotti through Kelly, Mark Elfritch, like there were a lot of the same coaches, a lot of the same assistant coaches. And some of those older guys like Gary Campbell, you know, would tell

you about what it was like, because Gary Campbell recruited Texas for Oregon, what it was like early, where you have to basically explain where Oregon is on a map to people. And then once this once the uniform thing started, and it became a thing, all of a sudden, high school kids are like, I know, oh, the ducks. Oh, the uniforms like immediately recognized with and I don't think people understand. That's one of the hardest things to do is is bridging awareness gap. And they did it. Yeah. Did you see the the yellow helmet that they're wearing in the pictures right now? Uh, With that, you know, like that's the helmet

they should be wearing. Am I right? So they were in these jerseys, yes, with the O, which is the one they brought in the early 2000s. Yeah, that would be sweet. Like, it's funny that we all made a combination with this mascot.

But everyone has takes, and I think it's cool that they put the power in the players to choose what they wanna wear. That's a nice tradition, and to be old, and to earn that, I think it's cool that they put the power in the players to choose what they want to wear That's a nice tradition and to be old and to earn that I think is pretty cool so he also told me that he was sponsored by aloe which I thought was interesting because brand action, but it's like also to it's just like Your entire existence is a Nike world and he wants to sign with Nike after the fact in the NFL And it's like also at the same time. He's like, yeah I just I do aloe and I give all the pants the NFL. And it's like, also at the same time, he's like,

yeah, I just, I do aloe and I give all the pants to my girlfriend. And it's like, it's like, that's okay. We have the reason now, like she's the reason for, she's like, I love aloe. You're gonna have to, yeah. But aloe has great men's stuff too.

I don't know if you've had any, tried any of it on. They do. I don't, but I know several people who are addicted to it. So yes, I am addicted, however, if we're talking fashion and what to wear, my new Axia Time watch. So this is the Odysseus II. This is now the third band I've worn with it because I'm changing things up. I'm checking the different looks because it's got a great stainless steel band that it comes with if you want to look more formal.

There's a really cool orange one that it comes with. And then I got a quick release Navy leather that goes with the Navy face. But these watches, Axie at time.com, check them out. The official watch of the college football playoff and the Heisman Trophy. Right now, if you're a duck fan, you want to look timeless. Like the Oregon uniforms are great, but this is a timeless look. The Oregon Axial watch that is celebrating the Ducks trip to the college football playoff. You see it here with the with the yellow band. Looks amazing. We got the Ohio State one. You can get the Arizona State one,

the Boise State one, you name it. These things look so cool. They're Swiss made, automatic. I get so many compliments on this thing when I wear it. I told you the other day, Ari, I've kinda ditched my Apple watch now. Like this is my watch from now on. And the thing is, this is gonna be my watch for a long, long time. Because this is beautifully made.

It is very finely crafted like you you feel it you're like this is a this is a serious piece of architecture here. So go to Axiatime.com find your perfect timepiece. I'm showing you the the Michigan Jim Harbaugh watch right now. Trust me there's one for you there. These things are awesome. Axiatime.com, the official timepiece of the CFP and the Heism trophy. All right, all right. This is a good segue into this talk with Jeremiah Smith

because Jeremiah Smith is the luxury brand of college football players. Like we talk about different brands and there are brands that make things and they're the ones that just cost quite a bit more and you're like, well, why? And then you see the how they're made and the craftsmanship. Like we talked with Axia Time. Now, Axia Time is a great deal compared to your other Swiss made watches. But like when you're looking at it, you're looking at precision craftsmanship. Same thing with some of these luxury brands. Jeremiah Smith is built different.

Than other receivers and I thought about that as I was watching the video. We're about to show where you're asking him what brand would he like to endorse represent like what's the one that jumps out? So let's let's watch that video. Let me ask you this. If you could have one brand that you could make up right now, be your sponsor, who would you pick? And why? If you got their stuff too? Like right now? Yeah, what would you want?

That's a hard one. Hmm. That's a hard one. Looks like maybe you already buy. Yeah. I meant to like clothes and stuff. I'll say, I mean, Louis Vuitton, I should say. I mean, they don't really do NIL, but Louis Vuitton probably won. Why don't they do NIL, you think?

I don't know. It's just Louis Vuitton. I can't really answer that one. So you can do the Louis Vuitton NIL to Jeremiah Smith? Yeah, that'd be crazy. I'll take 10% if I get it done? Yeah, for sure. But yeah, probably Louis Vuitton. Something I wear all the time. I think we're gonna start a bidding war because like look, Jeremiah Smith needs to be Louis Vuitton, Hermes, like something super premium that is not easy to get.

I think the problem is that the college football fan isn't the right demographic. I don't know, maybe some are. But he's that good though. Like it just needs to and I get it. Like I don't think they they don't Advertise with professional athletes. I don't even know if LeBron could get one if Louis Vuitton is even worried about LeBron Yeah, but you know if you threw him a few duffel bags, which would probably cost like, you know 5,000 bucks to them he would post it and he'd be happy about it. It seems like pretty low-hanging fruit

You know, but at the same time too, every time you watch the stadium entrances of an NFL game, they all have their bags. So, you know, that is a, I mean, we, you could start the campaign. If I get 10%, like I feel like I'm personally, that was a verbal contract, right? Like, I feel like I'm personally staked in this now. Oh yeah. Well, 10% is a good deal. There's a lot of these shady NIL agents that are trying to take I feel like I'm personally, that was a verbal contract, right? Like I feel like I'm personally staked in this now. Oh yeah. Well, 10% is a good deal. There's a lot of these shady NIL agents

that are trying to take 20. Yeah, 10 is good. Yeah, your standard, like your NFL agent, and they limit what they can get from the player's contract with the team. But when they're doing the ad deals, they're getting like 10%. They're not getting 20%. So I think you're driving a fair bargain, Ari.

Doesn't it? The thing that struck me about talking to Jeremiah Smith, and I had talked to him a few times in person during his recruitment, but how young he is. It comes through in just his face. He's not even physically matured yet like this is a man who's terrifying because he's already so good yeah and it's just it's unbelievable you know the talent that he has and you know I think that you know given the way the first game ended

you know and I'm sure you know between now and then we'll actually have more deeper breakdowns of these games and discuss the other players and stuff. But well, I actually actually want to talk about the two receivers we've talked about, and then we can get into the other players as well because I want to play a little guess the prize picks number on Tess Johnson and Jeremiah Smith because I I know what it is. I want you to guess because I there's there's something surprising about it. So I want you to guess what Jeremiah Smith's prize picks number for this game is and I want you to guess what? Tess Johnson's prize picks number for this would say Tess Johnson's number is 77 and a half

You are so close. I'm good at 75 and a half. So yes, this is a you're amazing at this Well, the reason why I'm good at it is because we've done these videos all year and they don't really waver. I'm sure that Jeremiah is somewhere in the 90s, right? Like 90 and a half or something. Whoa! Right after I talk about how great you are at this. Oh, no? Jeremiah is 73 and a half for this game. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah, he's usually in the 90s. So I wonder what that that's all about. And like maybe I will point out and Mecca book is 59 and a half. Because the Mecca book had a really big game the first time they played. So you know, it's

with these, it's not always an indication of how good they are. It's an indication of do you bet they're gonna to get the ball a lot this game? Like you know what I mean? Like do you think that's what's going to happen? Because you don't know how the game is going to play out. Like there are times and both of these teams are talented where it's like this could be the Cardinal Tate game where he has like 11 receptions for some reason. Like that that happens all the time. G Scott like it felt like they used him against Tennessee. I can I so I had an Ohio State fan that was mad about something I said on the show the other day. And they tweeted at me and I want to run this by you and find out, am I crazy or is this person right?

They were mad because I was saying that Ohio State's defense has been solid all season. They've been great, but against Oregon, they're gonna have to play better. And they said, well, that's the worst game of the season. I was like, is it the worst game of the season or did Oregon just have the best offense that Ohio State played all year? Well, I think that's what happened.

They kept, they held Oregon under their average. Yeah, it's an interesting question, because like, what is a good defensive performance when you're playing a team like Oregon? Like, what's the right little that you feel good about? Like 30, right? They're supposed to give up 30. Like the 30 to I don't feel like that was a bad game by Ohio State's defense. I just think Oregon's really good. I think if you asked Jim Knowles and Ryan Day right now, Oregon gets 32 points.

Do you take it or leave it? They probably are like, I'll take it. Right? Like, I don't know if the days of great defensive performance means you have to hold an Oregon team that's that explosive to 14. You know, like that's just not the way the game goes. So you've seen in the playoff, you know, the teams with most explosive offenses, the super teams, they score a lot in these games, like there are times where teams will score 17 points in a quarter. And like that doesn't mean that you're playing poorly, it just means that you're playing another elite team. So, you

know, I think that the onus for Ohio State is, getting into the forties in this game offensively. Like I think that's what they're doing. Yeah, I mean, the games were Oregon, the games were Oregon scored less than 32. Okay, against Idaho, which we talked about a bunch at the beginning of the season, Oregon had some offensive line,

they weren't quite sure what the combo was they wanted to use. So they weren't ready, they the combo was they wanted to use, so they weren't ready. They weren't what they are now, so that that one I think you can kind of throw out Michigan State. They scored 31 only because they

didn't need to score more than that. They were destroying Michigan State. Yeah, and then Wisconsin, which was their their hiccup game. That was their clunker. If you want to criticize Ohio State's defense, here's the thing I would criticize. Because their defense is really good and

really talented and really deep. Like I think you can make the case that Ohio State's defense is better than their offense. Like in terms of just like player for player, I think you what unit are you right? Like Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith. And then but then I take defensive player over complimentary offensive player almost every time. All the way down to offensive and defensive fronts, it's a no-brainer which one you're taking.

Although I thought Ohio State's offensive line played about as well as it possibly could have against Tennessee. Tennessee's defensive line did nothing in that game. And I don't know if they just had a bad game or whatever, but it seems like if Ohio State figured out their offensive line alignment, that they could make a run here.

or whatever, but it seems like if Ohio State figured out their offensive line alignment that they could make a run here. They have needed critical stops at key junctures in this season and in the past when they've had great defenses that they don't get, right? Like the Michigan drive that they took to take the 13 to 10 lead and to win that football game, Ohio State knew exactly what they were going to do. They had no passing potential and they could not stop it. Like they had, I think Michigan had more yards in the fourth quarter than they did in the previous three combined in that game. And it's like, well, you're not gonna hang that loss on the defense.

They gave them 13 points. It's not their fault. Ohio State should win every game they play against anybody when the other team scores 13 points. But at the same time, they needed to stop late in the Oregon game and they didn't get it, right? Like they don't get crucial key stops at the end. And that isn't a 2024 problem.

That is a problem that extends all the way back to, you know, the Georgia game a few years ago. Yeah. People like that extends back to the Clemson game they lost at the Fiesta Bowl in 2019. Like they need crucial stops and their teams never seem to get it. So like if there is a time where Ohio State is winning or tied late, and it's a 34-34 game, and Oregon's got the ball at their own 15 with three minutes left, you can't let them go down the field and score,

and that's where Ohio State's defense has failed. It wouldn't be, the failure to me wouldn't be giving up 34 points to Oregon. It's the inability to get the timely necessary stops to win a football game when you're playing a team that's going to score 34 points on you. And I think I'm having a internet issue. River, is it me or is it Andy? No, it is Andy. You're good. Okay, are people still watching us? Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I'm back. There we go. He's back. Okay, I'm back. What happened there? Did you hear what I said? Or do you want me to repeat it? Did I did? I and I think either this game, or if they get past this game, like they're gonna have they're gonna have a situation like that, where if they're gonna win the national title, it will be because there was a key moment where the defense made a stand at the end of the game.

And that's the difference. Like that, like you have to do that to win national titles. You especially have to do that in this sport. Now, speaking of Ohio State and advancing in the tournament, you also talked to Brian Hartline, Ohio State's receivers coach, possibly the best receivers coach. I don't know if possibly is in the tournament. You also talk to Brian Heartline, Ohio State's receivers coach, possibly the best receivers coach. I don't know if possibly is even the word. He's the best receivers coach in the country.

His track record speaks for itself. He's a, he's an on three fan and he's keeping receipts. I don't know if I mismanaged my media daytime yesterday, but I just sat with him for 40 minutes and just shot the shit with him. I'm fascinated with him. Yeah, like he's a really cool dude and it's funny Because he like had and I said he goes I have receipts and I said show me and he's like, okay And he pulled up his camp. Those are in his camera roll like that He didn't know I would look for her and find it like that's on his phone and he goes

You know I put this stuff in my phone just in case I need to tweet anything someday. And I'm like, are you ever gonna like, just like tweet out my bracket and go, this guy's an idiot? And he goes, probably not, but it makes me feel good to have these. And he's really confident about the game.

He is a really cool dude. And like, it was just cool to hang out with him. So it was like really funny because we talk and talk and talk and talk. It's all we do is talk. And I'm always curious of like, who's paying attention? Who's listening? Who's keeping tabs?

And I think the vast majority of people in his position aren't like paying attention. But the thing that I do love is that in the occasions that you come across like coaches or administrators who come up and be like, I listen to your show every day. Like it's like, it's cool. So the fact that he has the receipts, if this is some sort of motivational factor, like I had to explain to him, River, since Andy's gone, that like, what is the rational thing to pick, right? Like we made those picks in the last game that we saw for them was the Ohio State game.

Like you don't just go pick teams with no merit. Like you have to like actually like earn that. You have to earn the ability to get picked to go deep in the round. And like, if I had to redo the bracket right now now I might not have Oregon winning in the second round right like your perspective changes with new information and the information that we had at the time was that Ohio State couldn't score more than 14 points against Michigan and gave up a crucial like five minute drive on their home

field in the fourth quarter against a team that couldn't throw a forward pass. So anyway, so what do you think we should do? Oh, he's back, baby. We're back. It's hacked me because he doesn't want me to pick Oregon anymore. And I understand that. Like if I were Brian Hartline, I would keep that too.

And I would show everybody if I kept winning. So yeah, I appreciate that. But Ari, this is gonna be a blast. Like we got Penn State, Boise State tonight, you and I will be on live after that, internet willing. I'm gonna have a conversation with my internet after this because like this is go time. We got to say it around in the playhouse for God's sake.

And then- You just gotta unplug the thing and plug it back in. Give it a little love, tap it on the on the top of the router. You know, that happened to me and my greatest solution. Do you know what I used to do? It was almost like sexual. I would go in like once a month and I would just unplug it and go there. You go, baby, take a break.

Take a break. Air out a little bit. Then I would plug it back in. And then she'd be like, thank you. And I'd be like, no problem. Well, I think that's what's going to have to happen because we have we have a bunch of games before we get to Penn State and Boise State tonight. So we got Alabama, Michigan, we got South Carolina, Illinois,

we got Baylor and LSU, we got some fun games. So I wanna watch those games. Maybe I give the internet a little break. Maybe I go to the gym or something and then come back and say, internet, the Relia Quest Bowl is on. It's time for you to perform. That's right on top of the boat.

Goes a long way. All right, we will see you guys after the Penn State Boise game tonight. The Fiesta Bowl, we will have one college football playoff semifinalist that we will know. And then, of course, we will talk to you tomorrow and get you ready for three fantastic college football playoff games or at least we hope they're

fantastic. Please not for blowouts. Please. We'll talk to you tonight.