College Football Live - CFB Live- First Round Predictions- ft. the Walter Camp Award Winner

Episode Date: December 10, 2025

Join our crew, Zubin Mehenti, Samuel Acho, and Roddy Jones along with CFB insider Pete Thamel as they look ahead to the first round matchups of the College Football Playoffs... two regular season matchups lie ahead...what do Tulane and Alabama need to do to get their post-season revenge? Pete Thamel gives us his updates on an injured Alabama team, the Notre Dame/ACC saga, and more! And a CFB Live exclusive... find out who won the Walter Camp Award and hear directly from the winner himself . All this and more on College Football Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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What a month we're about to have. We're going to break down the first round matchups in a moment. And the winner of the Big Ten, the runner up, the winner of the SEC, and the winner of the Big 12 await in the quarterfinal. And with that, we welcome you inside college football live. Sam, Rodi, Zubin, Pete Dammel here to join in just a moment. Without any further ado, let's get right to it. and roll into those first-round matchups and then we'll discuss. It has been much discussed that JMU does not have a power for victory this season.

Oregon is looking to power through to its first national championship ever. That'll be the big game on Saturday night. Mama and Oklahoma, of course, is a rematch of the regular season. That was in T-Town. This one's going to be in Norman, and you know what happens when rematches occur. Familiarity certainly can creep up again. Speaking of rematches and familiarity, too long. Lane and Ole Miss. Unlike the previous match, if I just discussed, this one's going to be

on the same field. In Oxford, where Ole Miss knocked off Tulane by 35 points earlier this season could have been worse, Tulane scored late. Miami and Texas A&M is not a rematch, but it is a matchup of two of the best interior defensive and offensive lines in the country, and that should be an amazing game in front of an amazing atmosphere in College Station. Regular season rematches in the playoff, there have been some, and there's been a mixed bag. when it comes to results in the rematch. So that said, let's get it going and talk about all these games. Pete, I want to start with you as we welcome you inside college football live as well with regards to Bama and Oklahoma.

And the key here is who might be available for some of these teams as they set to go December 19th. Well, Zubin, certainly Alabama struggled in the SEC title game. That's not exactly breaking news. There is some optimism that a more complete Alabama team will take. the field in Norman in the college football playoff come mid-December. Jam Miller is where we start here. He's obviously Alabama's star tailback. They're eight and one this season with Jam Miller.

Remember, he missed nearly the first month of the season from a shoulder injury in camp. Jam Miller is expected to be back for the playoff. Kail and DeBore made it clear yesterday that not only is Miller going to return, but it should be a very good version of Miller. He's not going to be limping into this game. I was told he had overcome an ankle injury. Wasn't quite ready to go in that C.C. title game, but there'll be a healthy Jim Miller. As for Josh Quavis, the tight end.

I've been told there's optimism about his availability. And same for L.T. Overton, who's the most key part of Alabama's defensive line. So there's a good chance, Subun, we see a much better tide roll into Norman. All right, we'll see. Once again, that's going to kick off everything December 19th. That'll be the first game and the atmosphere in Norman should be off the charts if South Bend was any indication on Friday night last year. Let's go to you and to Roddy first. So, Sam, let's start with you.

This is a player. Take me inside the player matchup of seeing the same team again. Granted, different field, different stakes, but the same team you're looking across against. Take me inside how that might manifest itself. Well, your mentality specifically as a defense if your Alabama has to change. Oklahoma's a top 10 defense. You got to go band for band or maybe go line stand for goal line stand. You got to go brick for brick, maybe pick for pick.

Last time around, we saw Oklahoma top 10 defense force. more turnovers. Find ways to slow down Alabama. That's how they won the game. But Alabama's defense needs to look across the field when they're on the sideline and say we're better than that other defense on the other side of the ball. The issue is this for Alabama. They struggled offensively over the last couple weeks where this because of Jim Miller's injury, offensive line not protecting, Todd Simpson getting sacked. It has been a battle. But Oklahoma hasn't been great themselves. So that's the opportunity for Alabama defensively to go essentially like battle for battle, play for play, to

be the better defense on the field. Yeah, Alabama's defense is going to be huge, although they did everything that we asked them to do other than get turnovers in the last meeting. They only give up 212 yards, this Oklahoma offense. But it was the Oklahoma defense's turnovers that really won them the game. Remember the pick six by Eli Bowen, the strip sack by Taylor Wine. And that's the thing that Alabama is going to have to contend with,

is this Oklahoma pass rush. Oklahoma figured out something in that game that teams have duplicated since. They figured out which way the protection of Alabama is going, and they brought people from the short side or the side that they were sliding away from. So that is something that Alabama is going to have to change. Their past protection needs to be less predictable. The other thing, and I wonder, you know, what the status of R. Mason Thomas is, because he did not play in that first meeting between Alabama and Oklahoma. He's the best player on that Oklahoma defense, and if he is healthy for this playoff matchup, that could really ramp up this

Oklahoma defense that gave 14 pressures against Alabama the first time. All great points. I just want to mention this is how fast college football turns as we'll get to Miami and Texas A&M in just one second. Keep in mind, Metteer was a Heisman trophy frontrunner for Oklahoma, and suddenly Oklahoma can't move the ball. It just goes to show you how different this sport is. Miami and Texas A&M, the tail of the tape there.

You know the deal. Miami's defense under Mario Cristobal Ruben Bain, Best of Duller, has been incredible A&M's offense led by Marcel Reed and the transfer case. C. Concepcion has been just as good on offense. So Sam, I want to start with you here. This is not a regular season rematch, although they did play in Mario's first year back in 2022 in College Station, but that is a lifetime ago in today's version of college football when you're talking 2022. How do you see this matchup in the trenches, which is where seemingly everybody like the two guys that are bookending me here that played the game are keeping an eye on?

I'm excited to see how these pass rushers affect the quarterbacks. What do I mean by that? Cassius Howell is one of the league leaders in college football when it comes to sacking the quarterback. He plays for A&M. He's going to be a top pick in this coming draft. How is he going to affect the quarterback for Miami? And also on the other side of the ball, right? What is going to happen when Ruben Bain and Akeem Messador are going after the quarterback? That's what I can't wait to watch.

We talk about the quarterback matchups and receivers and perpetrator and all that kind of stuff. But it's going to be the line of scrimmage that my eye is going to be on for this matchup. But this game is all about the trench warfare. Texas A&M has one of the best offensive lines in the country, and they're facing a Miami defensive line that is as talented as any they've faced all year, probably more talented than any they've faced all year. With the two bookends, you mentioned Rubin Bain on one side there, Sam. The ACCC defensive player of the year,

Akeem Mesidor has had arguably a better season than has Rubin Bain. He has been phenomenal. They've got two guys on the interior. that are fantastic as well. That Texas A&M defensive line is no slouch. So I think early down success for offenses are going to be important because once you're getting a third and longs, both of these teams defensively are absolutely fearsome.

Last note here, as we talked about games in Norman and College Station, there is not one opening round game that is being played in the Eastern time zone. And if that doesn't tell you where this sport is moving, nothing else will. You know, the old ball coach, Steve Spurrier, used to say when we're not playing, it's talking season. It's definitely talking season for Notre Dame's Pete Vivacla, laying the wood to the ACC and Jim Phillips about the exclusion and the lack of support.

Brett Yormark at a business conference yesterday, the Big 12 commission fired back. I don't like how Notre Dame's reacted to it. So, okay, I think Pete's, his behavior has been egregious. It's been egregious going after Jim Phillips when they saved Notre Dame during COVID. As Notre Dame and Miami got closer together, head to head would be a factor.

Okay, the UYU lost. They became closer together, head-to-head, and made a difference in that decision. So I think he is totally out of bounds in his approach, and he was in the room, I tell him the same thing. How about that? Pete, let's talk about that with you. Your Mark, as you know, and as many know, is one of the most savvy guys out there.

He knows who he's talking to and where he's talking. He knows the stage he was on. So what are the reaction that you were hearing inside the college world to your Mark's comments on Babako's comments? Well, Zubin, I think the first point to underscore what you just hinted at, you know, Brett Yormark knew exactly what he was doing here. He knew the stage. He knew the reverberations of his comments.

And look, it's rare for a commissioner to criticize a sitting AD in that nature. There's also a sense in the industry from talking to people on all sides and in all places that that Yormark was probably indicating what the consensus amongst college administrators are. Certainly, Pete Bavak, someone's going to be mad about all this, Zubin, right? And so certainly Pete Bavakwa had a right to declare his case in Notre Dame's case and air grievances. The fact that it went on for three days was what people said to me the past few days that was really surprising. So yeah, your mark certainly made headlines from that comment yesterday and did not go unnoticed around the industry. Yeah, and that leads us to my next question, which was some of Ava's comments were pointedly right at ACCC commissioner.

Jim Phillips and the so-called much flawed system from determining who played in the ACC Championship game. What are you hearing about any possible modifications to make sure the league doesn't find themselves in the situation they were in Saturday night? So Jim Phillips said at one of the conferences in Las Vegas today that the commissioners have begun very early talks about unifying the tiebreaker system. So everybody has a similar one. I was told by sources this morning that that was discussed by the four power. conference commissioners on a call yesterday. They stressed me that it was it was very early in that one complicating factor to this, Zubin, again, modern college athletics staring us right in the eyes, is that the ACC has 17 teams. So that means every year someone is not going to play nine conference games because of the because of the odd number. So in a lot of senses,

even getting unity on something like tiebreakers could be tricky because of that variable with the with the ACC. Expect those talks to continue on from here, Zoo, But for right now, that's an idea that's being hatched. No doubt. There are some advantages to conferences that large, which include, of course, television payouts, but of course there are some downsides to, and you've got to be able to balance both. Pete, thanks for the perspective. Of course, on deck this week, they call it the greatest game in sports,

and it's really hard to argue Army, Navy. They're going to play in Baltimore for the seventh time. The winner will end up getting the Commander-in-Chiefs trophy, which is the most valuable piece of hardware for any of our military that participate in athletics, I should mention Navy has won the Commander-in-Chief 17 times. Army has won it 10 times. Can't wait to see what happens this weekend. The pageantry, incredible.

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On the way, one of the most prestigious awards in all of college football will be handed out. Who will win the Walter Camp Award? The exclusive reveal and a live interview with the winner is next. The NBA is happening Christmas Day. Five games, one unforgettable lineup. That's what Christmas is all about. Buckets for breakfast, breakaways for dessert. It's the hot.

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Fly Emirates. Fly better. This Heisman Update is brought to you by Nissan, premier partner of the Heisman Trophy. We're back on College Football Live. It's time for your Heisman Update brought to you by Nissan. The finalists were unveiled earlier this week. Jeremiah Love from St. Louis, Missouri, Fernando Mendoza from Miami, Florida, Diego Pavia from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Julian St.in from Carlsbad, California, four of the best uprooted and grown throughout the United States, battling for the most coveted trophy in all of amateur sports. And that'll be given out the Heisman Trophy this Saturday night.

And for the first time, somebody's going to make history because they will win the award on ABC. The first time the venerated trophy has been handed out on the broadcast network. All four of those guys are absolutely deserving get to know their stories Saturday night at 7 Eastern. The Heisman trophy was first handed out in 1935. The first winner was Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago. Meanwhile, the Walter Camp Award was first handed out in 1967, and the first winner was the late O.J. Simpson. And with that said, exclusively today on College Football Live, we are revealing the Walter Camp Award winner. Let's take a look at the nominees, Jeremiah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Julian San

and Diego, Pavia. Four of the five are just like the Heisman. Meanwhile, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, Jacob Rodriguez, rounds out our Walter Camp Award nominees. And we are pleased and exclusively on college football live, happy to announce. The winner of the Walter Camp Award this year is Fernando Mendoza, once the 140th ranked quarterback in his high school class out of Christopher Columbia. High School in Miami is now by this designation the best player in America.

And oh, by the way, the national championship game this year in Miami, Fernando's backyard. It is a pleasure to have you here or to use your parlance from Saturday night. It is so flipping great to have Fernando Mendoza join us here on college football live. First things first, Fernando. They're one-name winners of this award, which any fan will know for years to come. Cam, Caleb, Lamar, Fernand. What does it feel like to be in that group? Well, first of all, Mr. Mahensi, appreciate you having me on.

It is such an honor and blessing to have received the Walter Camp Award. First of all, I want to thank the Walter Camp Football Foundation for this. Walter Camp, he's the father of American football. Since 1967, such a prestigious award, and the award is voted upon all the D-1 coaches and S-I-Ds. And what a better honor to have the coaches of the sport vote yourself to, such a great honor like this. It is such a great honor and I'm just so blessed. What do you think this is going to be like when you look back knowing that you got to share this with your brother? It's going to mean the world. It was going to be the world and I was just

talking with the foundation about Walter Camp and his roots, how he really transitioned the game to rugby to the football game we all love. And funny enough, he was actually able to be a part and coach at the Yale football program, which is a program that I was committed to and did a fake signing day to until I got my late offer from Cal. So what a great honor. What a good connection between Walter Camp and myself. And it's going to meet a lot for my brother and I, as we're going to be able to take this trophy home,

have it up in the living room in Miami, and be able to talk about this for a long time. That's amazing connection points. You're right. It all started at Yale. Then it went through Berkeley, and now you're in Indiana. That is amazing how the world works like that.

You know, 1970, Jim Plunkin won the Heisman, but he also won the Walter Camp that year. And you're trying to do the double and Jim Plunkett was the first Hispanic Heisman winner. I've spoken to you before and what that would mean to you to become the next Hispanic Heisman winner, but what would it mean for your family?

Yes, I think that this award itself displays the unity and everything it takes to win the award. They're teammates on the trophy, and I wouldn't be able to have done this award, and hopefully the Heisman without my teammates, my support staff, and the coaches around myself to have the, to have the, ability to win the Heisman Award and win the Walter

Camp Award is so special, especially for the Hispanic community. It would also mean a lot if Diego won it as well as he's a great player. And also just love and Julian, those are always great players and such a blessing to be mentioned among those names. Last thing for you, when you go to the line of scrimmage,

you saved your season with that throw against Penn State that Cooper came up with. You save your season Saturday night numerous times in Indianapolis. When you break the huddle and go to the line of scrimmage and you're ready to make a make or break throw that could win or crush dreams, what are you thinking about when you're sitting there at the line of scrimmage? When the pressure is high, when the lights are bright, my teammates and I, we all

know that we've been in that situation before, especially dating back to Iowa, Oregon. We had feathers in our cap that, hey, we're able to do this. We were able to have these comeback victories. So when it got the time to Penn State or Ohio State, we knew that we had the resilience, we had the drive to come up and not only meet expectations, but exceed expectations in those victories. Honestly, without the best catch of the year, Omar Cooper Jr., we would not be in this position and without the amazing blocking by the offensive line

and just the entire team effort, we would not be here. And so I can't emphasize enough how much of a team award this is, as we can see the other players literally on the award, and what a great honor to bring the second Walter Camp Award to Bloomington. It's the most unbelievable story in sports we've seen in a while. They've got the best team. They've got the best coach. And by any objective measure, at least today and probably Saturday, they've got the best player.

Best of luck in the playoff, Fernando. Hope to see you down in Miami for maybe a happy homecoming on championship night. That would be great. Thank you so much. God bless. Go Hoosiers. Great to have Fernando Mendoza here on college football life. And congratulations.

So obviously, Indiana is going to have the buy the top overall seed. Remember last year, all the teams that got the first round by, didn't end up winning a game but this is kind of apples to orange just because remember last year when you look at the teams that got the buy the system was changed this year so you're not going to see teams like Boise State

and Arizona State get them they have a couple of different teams in terms of wattage like Ohio State and Indiana and Georgia and Texas Tech that looks a little bit different but that being said Roddy let's start with you a buy is a buy a chance to get healthy is a chance to get healthy you heard what Pete said how banged up

some of these teams are buy rest versus rust how do you see it well mr mahinty as fernando mendoza referred to you as look i think i think the buy net helps these teams number one you play one less game number two you have a chance to get healthy and when you look at indiana and texas tech and georgia and ohio state those teams all played on championship saturday a lot of the teams that are playing in round one didn't have that extra game at the end of the regular season and so so they need that time off. I think to overreact to last year would be a mistake because of exactly the context

that you just mentioned, Boise State got a buy last year, Arizona State got a buy last year. Those two teams were underdogs in the quarterfinals. And then Georgia was playing without its starting quarterback as Carson Beck got hurt right before half time of the SEC championship game. So they were severely hindered. And also, Oregon played Ohio State, who was on a war path. So I don't think we should overreact. I think the buy net is a good thing, and I think we'll see that play out this year.

And even more so, Roddy, even the second year of having that buy, teams will be able to get more experience. I think about a team like Texas Tech. I got a chance to announce their game a couple weeks ago, the last game of the regular season. And Joey McGuire, their head coach was saying, man, I'm hopeful that we can win out and get a buy week so we can get healthy. So not only is there that extra added experience from either coaches who have played and had a buy, or maybe they've called up NFL teams who have gone to the playoffs with a bye week. But also, it's the ability for teams to get healthy.

We heard from Pete Thamble about some of the injuries that Oklahoma has and Alabama's been going through. That extra week is going to be integral for all these teams that want to have success. Mr. Jones, if I could, I have a question for you on this. And that is the teams that get the buy. What's interesting is they constantly complain about

how can we prepare for the portal and next year while we're in the playoff? How critical is this week where you know, we can't win or lose, we really don't even know who we're playing. Why do we use this week? So if we are playing deep into January, we can get some legwork done here. Is that an underrated

part of actually having a buy, trying to do everything and juggle everything at once? And now you've got a little room to do it. Well, Z, I do feel like that is an underrated part of it. You don't have to worry about a lot of the stuff that others do. You can get a head start on the portal. You can also have some

developmental practices and get some of those young guy reps and young guys reps and continue to bring them along so they can potentially help you because remember red shirts can now play. They can play in the college football playoff and in the bowl games without having to sacrifice their red shirt. If they've already played four games, the postseason is free game. You can go for it as much as you want. So some of those guys will get worked in on kickoff, kickoff return, punt return, and maybe even on offense and defense. So I do think that is helpful those developmental practices and the focus. I mean, look at a team like Ole Miss and everything

that they had to do leading up to this week or to the week where, they're going to have to play against Tulane. So I do think that that is an underrated part. There's a big benefit to those extra practices. You heard it from Clark Lee saying, man, I get 14 extra days with my guys. You also saw it last year with Gunner Stockton and Georgia getting that chance to have those reps going into this season. So there is a huge benefit for teams that have that by week.

They may not be playing in games, but those practices are extremely beneficial. Fair enough. That's just such a new wrinkle that I don't think a lot of people have thought about. Coming up bottom of the hour, championship drive, who's got the easiest path, who's got the hardest path, who's going to win it all, and wait till you see the reaction of our playoff insider after she saw the bracket Sunday. Her jaw dropped more than yours did. We'll see in four minutes. Talk about stepping up. It's time to level up your game.

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