College Football Live - Craziness in Columbus

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

Victoria Arlen, Sam Acho, Pete Thamel and Desmond Howard are back with another episode of College Football Live! The crew focuses in on the big 1st round matchup between Ohio State and Tennessee and evaluates the pressure faced by OSU Head Coach Ryan Day. Plus, everyone weighs in on the 'chill factor' that a lot of teams may be facing this weekend. All that and more here on CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

to take the next way now. College Football Live, happy Wednesday. I'm Victoria Arland. Let's go out the tunnel. Until the first round of the playoff kicks off, and the pressure is mounting for Ohio State and Ryan Day. We discuss what the Buckeyes need to do to take the pressure off their head coach.

Plus, the Battle of Indiana will commence this Friday between Notre Dame and Indiana, and will this be the game, where we finally see the AP coach of the year prove that Indiana has learned from their mistakes against Ohio. State. And Michael Vic is returning to college. Find out why the former NFL QV took the head coaching job at Norfolk State. All this and so much more coming up on college football live. We are so, so close from the chaos commenshing just two days away, and the best of the best is here to help me navigate it. All I've got Sam Macho with me in studio and Desmond Howard with us from afar and Pete Famil will be joining us in just a bit. But before we get to previewing what's to

come in like I said just two days, one two. Let's get to some big news in the coaching world's first and foremost because Michael Vic, like I mentioned just in a few moments, is going back to college. Well, sort of. The former NFL quarterback has accepted the head coaching job at Norfolk State. He announced this news via social media on Tuesday night. And in announcing his decision to join the Spartans, he wrote that he was, quote, looking forward to coming back home.

Now, Vic carried Virginia Tech to the 1999 national title game and went on to become the first black quarterback to be chosen with the number one. one pick in the NFL draft. Now for more on this story, let's bring in Pete Fammell and Anscape reporter and senior HBCU writer Mia Barry. Now Pete, I'm going to start with you. Michael Vick announced this new role on social media Tuesday night before any official school announcement. Can you tell us when we can expect an official announcement from the school? Victoria, we should expect an announcement from Norfolk State by the end of the week. There's Isidot, teased across contracts. There's a lot of things that go into these contracts.

before they can sometimes be formally announced by the school. But I think it's just really important here. You can't overstate how important Michael Vick is to that community. He's from Newport News, which is about 30 miles from Norfolk. And the impact he has had on that community has been vast and wide. Michael Vick had other options where to coach. He was deep in talks of Sacramento State, which had a lot more resources for players in a higher upside. But Michael Vick made a conscientious decision to go home.

In Norfolk State's not a traditional winner. Their last winning season was six and five back in 2021. The program doesn't have a long or particularly distinct history. Michael Vick gives them an immediate identity and an immediate lure for players to come to Norfolk State to play for Michael Vick. Now, Mia, you are well dialed into the HBCU landscape. We haven't seen a ton of coaching from Vick. Why is this a good fit? This is a good fit because it is a win-win for both.

Northfolk State and Michael Vick, how many opportunities is Michael Vick going to have to be a Division I head coach without any previous coaching experience? And he also has an administration that believes in him. Michael Vick was on campus this summer, volunteering in a coaching capacity at a camp. They got to see him. They got to see the motivator that he is. They got to see how he works with student athletes. And that just further emphasize their belief that this guy can lead our guys. This guy can lead our program. He's very well respected within the Newport Beach. Norfolk Hampton Roads area. So they're getting a winner in that way. And then Norfolk State, as Pete mentioned, they haven't had a winning season in a while. They've been in Miak purgatory. They've been at the bottom of the conference. They know who Mike Vick is.

He's admired by most of the community. And they know that they can parlay that admiration and some top recruits and get Norfolk back to a winning season. What kind of impact do you see him having? I see him having an immediate impact, but that will all be determined by his coaching staff. We've seen former NFL players coming to the HBCU ranks

with Dion Sanders at Jackson State and Eddie George at Tennessee State. The reason they had success is who they put around them. They had NFL caliber coaches. They had experienced FCS coaches around them. And also, you know, when it comes from recruiting, Mike Vick, that's the biggest name in recruiting in a talented 757 areas. So I'm not going to, I know the immediate.

impact is going to be recruiting, but how he can formulate his coaching staff. So coach these guys up and have them ready for next season, especially with a short window with National Signing Day being less than two months away. So it all depends who he has around him. But I see 757 athletes that are already excited for Michael Big. The buzz is going even without a formal, you know, announcement. So the impact is already being felt before he's even put on the blue and goes, I'm sorry, the green and gold suit. It's going to be exciting to watch. Thank you, Mia. And also,

congrats on getting your master's degree today. Thank you. All right. Thank you. I appreciate it. All right, let's take a look at some of the other notable players that started their head coaching journey in college. Jim Harbaugh started his journey with the University of San Diego from 2004 to 2006. Vic also joins a group of coaches that coached at HBCUs that is headlined by Dion Sanders at Jackson State and Eddie George, who led Tennessee State to an FCS playoff game this. season. And now let's preview one of the first round matchups for this weekend. Tennessee travels to Columbus to face the Ohio State this weekend to embark on their second ever matchup in the respective programs. Both teams rank in the top five in

scoring margin across the FBS and here is Ryan Day on their upcoming matchup. Even though the season didn't end the way we wanted to, we still are in the playoffs and we have to reshape our front our framework in terms of the way we're thinking about this thing. Like we're in the playoffs. Like so whatever Got us to this point. We're in it right now. Now we need to go play. They're ready for this challenge.

They're ready for playing big games in December and January. They've been in games like this before. And they have the intestinal fortitude to go play some of their best football right now. And that's going to start against Tennessee. Des, what kind of pressure is Ryan Day under? Well, Ryan Day is under the most pressure going into the playoff than any. coach in the history of the CFP. It all started during the offseason.

After Michigan won a national championship, there was an emergency meeting with Coach Dan in the AD, and AD said, what do you need? So they spent upwards of $20 million during the offseason to bring in handpicked talent to not only beat Michigan, but to make a run to CFP, too. And they also went to get Ryan Day's buddy, Chip Kelly, got him to quit his job as a head coach

at UCLA. to become the play caller. And one of the players that got Quin Sean Junkins from Ole Miss, they said, okay, with Ryan Day, with Chip Kelly, and now we got

Quinn Sean Jenkins with Trevian Henderson. We got the one-two punch to get our running game on track, and it just hasn't happened yet. Obviously, against Michigan, the game that lost

the last time we saw the Buckeyes participate in the game, they didn't even rush for over 100 yards combined. So this is going to be the proven point. for a Ryan Day in Ohio State if they can make a run

in the college football playoff and become champion. If they can't, it's going to be a long offseason for Coach Day. Well, Desmond mentioned the proving point for Ohio State, and that's really going to come

at the point of attack. Michigan's defensive front dominated Ohio State, and they ran a defensive scheme that almost dared them to keep running into the wall and running into the wall. I talked to some coaches

who played Ohio State and some scouts this week, and they've really stressed they wonder if Ohio State's going to overcorrect in that. They were very diverse on offense at Penn State at Oregon. They were creative. They used the perimeter well.

Ohio State's down its two best offensive linemen. That's not going to change. They have distinct weaknesses at both guard spots. How they're going to hold up against an elite Tennessee defensive line that goes eight to 10 deep. It is considered one of the best wall-to-wall units in the SEC is ultimately going to determine whether they can get out of this first round. Well, on the Tennessee side, Sam, what is your comment? confidence level in Nico playing on the road. Well, it's not very high.

And it's not just because of Nico. It's because of the Ohio State defense. I think about guys like Lathen, Ransom and Caleb Downs, two safeties that are going to have their eyes on Nico E.M. Iliava and this offensive scheme. Tennessee is led by their running game. Dylan Samson is one of the best backs in the SEC. But when Nico has to pass into things aren't wide open, it can become very difficult for Nico.

And so for me, I think the Ohio State defense is going to try and keep their eyes on Nico Eam Aliava and then play. tight coverage because when they're played tight coverage, they're able to get some of those tips and overthrows that'll lead to points for the defense. There's also a contrast of both teams because you've got Tennessee's first playoff appearance while it's Ohio seat

six playoff appearance. So there's a pressure on both sides for many different reasons. All right, we're going to take a break because coming up we've got a new opportunity that awaits the Ivy League next season. And Pete Thamwell is back with us after the break to tell us more on that. And then we are going to take a deep dive

into the battle for Indiana and discuss if AP coach of the year, Kurt Zednetti can keep that winning momentum up against the fighting Irish. Welcome back to college football live. When Kirk Signetti took the Indiana job last November, he promised immediate success and after daring the doubters to Google his winning pedigree, he delivered on his word by leading the Hoosiers to a school record, 11 wins, a top 10 ranking and their first playoff berth, earning him the AP coach of the year title. So you can Google that or just take a look back at their season.

He can get them to the postseason year one. That would be an incredible achievement. Pretty simple. I win. Google me. Let's go. I'm beautiful ball. Dominate opponents.

And that is what Indiana has done. Ball, they're certainly in that conversation of being one of the best teams in the country right now. They clinch a big dead championship burden. That's what. Do you think going into this last week that you should be one to 12 teams in the playoffs? I'm not even going to answer that. The answer so obvious. In state battle, the Hoosiers

won't a remarkable season. They go on to take on the Irish. As we just saw, Signetti has had an incredible run this season, but Des, how would you describe this season for Signetti? I would say it was really successful because we didn't really know what to expect. And, you know, he went in there and brought a bunch

of players from JMU where he came from, who's obviously playing in a Boca Raton game tonight. Boca Raton Bowl against Western Kentucky. And then not only that, but then he wouldn't have transfer portal and got some guys who will fit his culture. You don't win seven games by 20 plus points if you didn't make a lot of the right decisions in bringing in talent.

So what I give him credit for, even though I think their schedule was relatively easy, they won the games they were supposed to win and they handled their business. Indiana played up to a standard. And that has to be because of Coach Signetti and his staff. They did a wonderful job. You asked how do I feel about Kurt Signetti in his season? that season for Indiana may not be over just yet. Think about this. Indiana, they played against Ohio State, and yes, they struggle,

but it wasn't in the trenches. This Indiana defense is the number one defense when it comes to stopping the run. What does Notre Dame love to do? They love to run the ball. Indiana offensively, when they're on their game, running their RPO-based offense, run-pass option, they're on schedule. The problem Indiana gets into is if they get in a big-time deficit down by touchdown, two touchdowns, they have to be forced to pass the ball,

then it becomes more difficult when it's, obvious passing situation. So I have a lot of confidence in Indiana because of the way they play on defense and the way they can keep the game close on offense. Now, Pete, you've been talking to a variety of coaches and scouts on this game. Now, Indiana is going to be taking on Notre Dame. What have they been telling you? Well, it's a fascinating matchup, Victoria, and it's a great matchup. If you are scouting this game, you can ignore the wide receivers. This is basically what they've said. Both teams have good wide receivers, but neither really has elite field stretching talent there. That means this game is going to be played and won in a phone booth. And a few coaches

and scouts mentioned to me that Riley Leonard's ability to run the ball may be the difference. We often talk on here about how running the quarterback is the great equalizer. Great difference maker. Curtis Rourke has had a wonderful season. He is not a mobile quarterback. Riley Leonard has improved as a passer as this season has gone on, but he's always been agile. And on a cold winter night, those legs could make a difference. We do know that there's going to be some Old Winter nights coming up. Now, Des, when it comes to this matchup, what is your confidence level in Indiana?

Guys, the thing that I like about Kirk Signetti, his staff, is I believe that they have a lot of experience and playing in big games. Don't forget Signetti. He coached under Nick Sabler, Alabama. And one thing that great coaches do is they do a lot of self-scouting. So this time period that they've had off,

this has allowed them to, like, do a lot of self-scouting, see where they're weak. are because they weren't exposed until they played the Buckeyes. And now they understand where their weaknesses are. I think they'll make those weaknesses their strengths. And they're going to come out Friday night and play a well-of-a-game against Notre Dame. So I do have some confidence in the Indiana Hoosiers playing against Notre Dame Friday night. I mean, it's going to be exciting to be cold.

I think it's going to be about 27 degrees. But Indiana is in the midst of their first playoff appearance while Notre Dame is making their third playoff appearance. Now this game kicks off the 12-team college football playoff first round at 8 on. ESPN and ABC, then T&T has the first two games Saturday, starting with Penn State, hosting SMU and Happy Valley in Clemson at Texas, and we wrap things up with Ohio State hosting Tennessee at the shoe in Columbus on ESPN and ABC. Now, as the college football playoff is about to get underway, we have some news about the FCS playoff and the Ivy League. So we welcome back in Pete for more news and notes. So what more can you tell us, Pete? Well, for the Ivy League, it's really a landmark day for those

football programs, Victoria, they announced this morning that their teams will now be eligible to play in the FCS playoffs for years and years. Ivy League football ended when the regular season ended. Now, Ivy League teams had always been eligible for all other NCAA postseason tournaments, just not football. And there was never really a great reason why. I think one of the cool things about this, Victoria, is this idea came from students. It came from the student-athlete advisory committee in the Ivy League. They made a proposal. It was accepted yesterday by Ivy League presidents. And next year, whether it's Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Columbia, they can play in the playoff. They already have an automatic bid secured. So we will see an Ivy League team in 2025.

I love how the students made that happen, Pete. That's so cool. Now, yesterday we heard from Wake Wake Forest outgoing head coach Dave Clausen, and today the school announced his replacements. Can you tell us who it is, Pete? Yeah, Jake Dickert will be the next head coach. Wake Forest. As Dave Cawson was pondering, John Curry, the athletic director at Wake Forest, went out and ran a shadow search. So press conference yesterday,

new coach today. Dickard is a defensive coach by nature, Victoria, but he's really shown an openness to the other side of the ball. They had hired Eric Morris, who brought Cam Ward with him to Washington State. Obviously, John Mateer, had that huge season this year. He lost

his OC, Ben Arbuckle, to Oklahoma, but look for him to lean into that wide open offense, you need to be a little different to win at Wake Forest. We always appreciate your information and news, Pete. Thank you so much. All right, coming up, better bundle up with the first year of the new playoff format. Higher seed teams will have home advantage. But can the visiting teams brace the weather, particularly the cold weather?

Up next we discuss that the cold will make these red hot teams freeze. 12-team college football playoff is here, and the stakes are higher than ever. Let me see. Come on. You know, I used to play football in college. You never went to college, Pumba. I did. And I was really good until I pulled my hammy.

Oh, okay. I see what you did there. It all starts this Friday. The new era of the college football playoff on ESPN and ABC. Yes. Well, what do we have here? Whoa. Now that's epic.

And Disney's Mufasa, the Lion King. Only in theaters rated PG. With the introduction of a true home field advantage to the first round of the college football playoff, there will be game atmospheres like never before, with climates and temperatures like never before. And for players who have only known the worth of the South, racing for the chill of the North and so on

will be an additional challenge. Greg McElroy and Tim Tebow give us a preview of what's to come. I was kind of an anti-expansionist. I was like, we already have a good system. The goal in the playoff is always to crown a worthy champion. And I always felt like we did. So I'm like, we don't necessarily have to expand. Well, and then they show us the first

format. And they said, hey, yeah, you see these first four games that are going to be played on the 20th and the 21st of December? Yeah, those are going to be in home field environments. And I'm like, all right, I'm on board now. All right, I'm good. The impact of home field advantage of this year's playoff is going to be surreal, knowing that this is the first time in a college football playoff that a team will have the chance to make a statement with their home field advantage, not just for that game, but in front of the entire country, in front of all their recruits, for them to be able to watch and say, this is the best that this university, that the stadium that his team has to offer, I think you will see the best on display.

With these expanded playoffs, we get the opportunity for some warm-blooded teams to head up north and face some cold, cold weather. Three of the four matchups this weekend are projected to be below freezing with SMU and Ohio State kicking off right at 27 degrees. While the valls are headed up north to take on the Buckeyes with an estimated kickoff of 28 degrees, but it will probably drop. So get your hand warmers ready. All right. Say I know, which team do we think will be most impacted by the weather?

So you got your flannel on. That flannel ain't going to be enough for SMU. I'm from New Hampshire. I'm from Dallas, Texas. I live 10 minutes from SMU. It's probably 50 degrees right now in Dallas. Like 22, 27 degrees with the field like 17 is just different in playing football. I went to school in Dallas.

I went to college in Austin. My first year's playing was with the Arizona Cardinals. I was warm weather all the way. And then I got to Chicago. Oh. And I thought that that flannel would do it. That flannel would do it. I needed hand warmers, feet warmers, body warmers.

I mean, you name it. And look at this, look at this graphic. 79 players from the SMU football team are from the state of Texas. Where's the next highest? 12 from Florida. A lot of transfers from Miami. Where's the next highest eight from California? These are all warm weather places.

So I think that first hit in that cold weather with the wind chill is going to be different for SMU. Whew. Yeah, Sam, I agree with you. I think the same for Tennessee, man. Going up to Columbus, you know how they say, like, you know, like Miami heat is different than like Arizona heat? Well, that Ohio cold hits a little different, buddy. I'm trying to tell you, it takes you like two or three days for your bones to thaw out.

So I'm really curious to see how Tennessee is going to deal with that, especially at nighttime, man. It is going to be freezing. So make sure you check out the Tennessee volunteers how they deal with that cold weather in Columbus. Yo, I'm getting cold talking about this. I literally brought hand warmers because I'm about to be in somewhere. I'm going to do the FCS championship game. I'm trying to get ready for that.

I'm not even playing. I'll be up in a booth. This is what Texas people go through when they play in cold weather. They need the hand warmers, feet warmers, body warmers. You need all the warmers. All of it. All the warm. Get ready.

I'm not like you, Des. No. Look, I'm from New Hampshire and I still get very cold. It's that next level cold, let alone having to go. Thank you. What a team player. Okay, I'm going to, we're going to go thaw out over here in this very cold studio. All right, for Sam, Des, Pete, I'm Victoria. Thanks for watching. Stay warm.

I need new ones for the week.