PTI - Must Watch CFB Games this weekend?

Episode Date: October 3, 2025

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon discuss the MLB playoffs, must watch College Football Games this weekend and the 49ers impessive win over the Rams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. Pardon the interruption, but I'm Mike Wilbon. Yesterday was National Poetry Day Tone and you weren't here. Tony Cornheiser, I still have one.

Roses are reds, violets are blues, Wilbon's Cubs won, but he picked him to lose. You know, Tony, not picked him. I was scared of that lineup, and we did okay two out of three games, although the ninth inning, the ninth inning, I stopped breathing. Stop completely. hit two batters, people on baseball, home run to start the inning. I had stopped breathing, period, in the night. I think we're going to get to that later in the show.

Welcome to PTI, boys and girls. In today's episode, the Cubs advanced. The Niners somehow beat the Rams, and Alabama and Miami face potentially tough matchups. But we begin today with baseball and the two wild card winners in the American League, Detroit and the Yankees. Both won against familiar divisional foes. The Tigers beat Cleveland,

And the Yankees Road rookie Cam Schlittlers, got to be careful with that name, right on in a 12-strikeout performance over eight scoreless innings. Wilbon, which team impressed you more? Well, if his team, Tony, it's Detroit, you know, winning two out of three after they had hit the skids. They had hit the skids, two out of three in Cleveland against their primary rival. If you asked me which team, Detroit pulled it together when it looked like they had just lost and lost and lost so much. in August and September, blowing a 15-and-a-half game lead going even further back in the season than that. So if you ask me team to pull yourself together and win two on the road there, I'm going to say that. But, Tone, this rookie pitcher goes out there last night, strikes out 12, walks nobody, has the calm and just the nerve to go out and deal what he did against his, the team of his youth, not his youth, he's still young, his team.

He's a New England kid. He's a child of son of New England, and he goes out there and shuts down the socks. I mean, he didn't dream of that. That would have been sort of a nightmare for him as a kid to do that as a Yankee against the socks. It's a hell of a story. I'll take that as the better story of the two. Yeah. I'm just going to repeat everything that you've said, because I agree with it right down the line.

My first impression is to say that what the Tigers did is more. impressive because they were in free fall. They were 7 and 17 in September. At the end of the season, they had lost five out of six to Cleveland, who had made up 14 and a half, 15 and a half, whatever it was. And it looked like the tigers that they had run out of breath, you know, that they couldn't possibly win. Plus, as you say, they're on the road. So for them to win is extraordinarily impressive. And the statement made in game one by Tariq Scouble, when he struck out 14 in hindsight, looks like the game changer. But you'll appreciate this.

Although I was never a Yankee fan, I grew up in New York, and I know what the Yankees and the Red Sox are. I understand that it is an acute and intense rivalry. So for the Yankees to win that, and the same of Boston had won it. I mean, it's a tremendous thing to beat a rival like that. And I will say the same about Cam Schlittler

that you're saying, this is a key to win his professional career, had never struck out more than 10 players at any stop along the way in one game. He strikes out 12 Red Sox. He walks none of them. You know, he goes eight scoreless. And as you say, born and raised in Boston.

He didn't even want to be on the Yankees. He wants to be on Boston. He never dreamed of that. So it was great. It'd be like me dreaming of being on the Cardinals or the Packers. My God. Sure. Yeah.

So it's, you know, it is indeed a great story. Let's move to the National League's only series yesterday. your Chicago Cubs beat your San Diego Padres. You like them so much. The score was three to one. The Cubs scored a couple of runs early to take command and seemed to get some help from the umpires late when it mattered. Wilburne, what does this result say to you about each team?

Well, Tony, you can go through the details, and that was not a strike on any level at any time. It wasn't even close. So San Diego got hosed in that way, and I was just saying, okay, I'll take it. But, Tony, to me, coming into this, series, and you and I didn't really differ on this. I mean, I think the Padres are a better team in the lineup than you do, but the Padres

underperformed just a tick, and the Cubs have been overperforming to me all season. I mean, Milwaukee should have won that division and did by five games. It could have been more. But the Cubs tone to me, one thing I love about this team, watching them every day since they opened the season in Japan against the Dodgers. is that they give you everything they've got. And there are people in Chicago who are critical of counsel, correct counsel. I don't get it.

He gets to me closer to the maximum effort and result from his team than anybody in baseball. Yes, the Cubs do. And they did it again in this series. And I don't know what it's going to mean against the brewers. I actually feel good about playing the brewers. I sort of want the brewers bring on the cheeseheads. And I thought San Diego just, a little bit underperformed enough that the Cubs advance in this series.

So the first takeaway I have from this series is that the San Diego Padres lineup, which you think is so great, ain't that great. Okay? They scored five runs in three games, which is nothing. And the top of the order with Tatis and Arise and Machado, who you love, they went, let me get this number, four for 33. And Mike, in games one and three, which they lost, those three went, 0 for 22. So I don't want to hear about them anymore. I mean, I just don't. But let's go to the,

let's go from the macro to the micro. If people are not exactly familiar with what we're talking about, the strikeout call in the ninth inning on Sandra Bogart's a terrible call. It's low. It's not in the zone. Now, the Padres have just hit a home run to make it three to one. If Bogart's on first and then Keller hits the next two guys, which he does, you have a basis-loaded situation. Yeah, Keller would be a basis-loaded situation. Well, he was taken out later and Kittridge came in, boom, boom, boom. They wouldn't take him out if you were. But I'm saying if that happens then, that game could go another way.

Now, that will never happen again to the San Diego Padres, because their season is done. And next year, you're going to have the ball strike box and you're going to have a challenge. So that will never happen again. I mean, I thought the Cubs were good. And I agree with you, I agree with you that playing Milwaukee is good. But I think the drama is about the manager you said. Council left the Brewers to manage the Cubs. Now you will see if that was the right decision.

It was the right decision already. But, Tony, real quickly, let's give the Cubs starting pitching some credit with San Diego shutting those bats down on top of the order. The Cubs had either the first or second best ERA for starters in the National League going into the postseason, I'm pretty sure, or certainly late into the regular season. So our starting pitching, give them some credit now. That's fine. I just don't think that lineup is as good as the Dodgers lineup or the Phillies lineup. I just don't. No, no, those might be the best, too.

We're going to find out about that, too, won't we? Let's move to football. The Thursday night game had all kinds of drama. The San Francisco 49ers vastly injured. Beat the Rams in overtime when the Rams went on fourth and one rather than kick a tying field goal. Rams coach Sean McVeigh took full responsibility for the bad play call that got stuffed for no gain. Tone, did the Niners win this thing, or did the Rams lose it? So I'm going to be honest here.

I was watching the baseball. I did not go over and watch the football. I didn't see any plays at all. So this morning, I saw the highlights, and I was stunned at the result. I didn't think San Francisco had any chance in this game. They don't have their quarterback. They don't have any of their top receivers, and they're on the road. I have the Rams winning comfortably.

and as it turns out, San Francisco is the longest underdog of the year so far to win eight and a half points. But what is also true is you cannot fumble on a one-yard line with a minute to go when you're about to go in for the winning score. You simply can't do that. From everything I've seen, everything I've read, everything I've heard, the Rams had multiple opportunities to win that game and did not cash in. So in that sense, in that sense, I will say that the Rams lost the game. I don't want to take away from San Francisco at all because they're not 3-0 in the division, but I would say the Rams lost the game. What would you say?

Once it's 4-0-0 Yankees, what are you still doing on that game? Do you got a clicker in your hand? Like every man's got to have a clicker. What are you doing? I have 4-0-9-5. I have loved October baseball that I've seen. Me too. I have loved it.

But at that point, you go, click, I'm going to the football. You're like a director. You can't get stuck on the wrong cut. What are you doing? So here's the thing, Tone. The Rams made mistakes. You're right, but Tony, those mistakes were forced. They were not unforced error.

When you get a punch out like the 49ers were able to pull to knock that ball loose at the goal line, and then you stopped somebody on fourth and one who's as creative and called a genius like Sean McVeigh. Let's give the 49ers missing half their players. Let's give them credit. And now they may have a quarterback, controversy. Let's give them credit for winning that game. So let me get, let me get to this.

Let me get to the quarterback circumstance. Rock Purdy is a great story. He was the last guy drafted. He proved himself and he got a big contract. But Matt Jones was a first round pick. And in his rookie year in New England, he looked pretty good before he dissolved after that. And the last teams that he's been with, New England after that and Jacksonville, he was coached by people who know nothing about offense, nothing. So Kyle Shatner, He says about offense. I'm not going to be surprised if Matt Jones end up in that job. I'm not.

Let's take a break. When we come back, which team is more likely to get upset tomorrow, Alabama or Miami? And are the Eagles or Bill's more likely to suffer their first loss of the season Sunday? Toss up is next. Tony, the problem is Purdy's making $53 million. I know. You cannot sit a guy making 53 mil, tone. You can't.

Welcome back to Pardon the Interruption, presented by, Twisted tea, hard ice tea. Part of Happy Hour. Time for toss-up. Two men enter. One man leaves, finishes the show, then breaks down in tears because he won't have a meaningless Nats game to watch. And I watched every game except the West Coast games. Most were meaningless.

What's first? Toss up, more likely to get upset tomorrow. Number 10, Alabama or number three, Miami? Okay, I don't think Vanderbilt is going to beat Alabama again. They beat Alabama last year in Vanderbilt. It was the first time in 40 years that Vanderbilt had beaten Alabama. And because of that, I don't think they're going to beat Alabama in Alabama where this game is. I mean, I think Alabama had a reset when they beat Georgia.

So this puts me in a position where I'm going to have to say that Florida State is more likely to beat Miami. And that is shaky for me. Florida State was beaten by Virginia. I never saw that coming. Beaten by Virginia, maybe, Mike, they were looking ahead to Miami. Now they'll look at Miami and they'll look at them in Tallahassee, and that's the only reason I'm picking Florida State because Miami on the road in the last two plus years, here are the numbers,

15 and 2 at home, 6 and 7 on the road. That's the only reason I'm picking that. Well, that's a big reason. And that's why I'm going to pick them, and because Booger walked right up to that. I know you weren't with us yesterday. Booger McFarland walked right up to picking that upset. and said he does think the game is going to be really close.

And look, I know that Florida State lost, but they lost on the road in Charlottesville. And Virginia's not dreadful. They lost on the road. They're playing Miami at home. And you mentioned Miami being 6 and 7. The answer is clearly Florida State beating Miami. There's a real chance of that.

And I'm not going against Bougar two straight weeks. I was stupid enough to think last week that Alabama had no chance between the hedges and I was stupid wrong. Vandy, no, not at Alabama. Alabama's going to be looking for revenge. I can't see that happening. Can't see it. But Vanderbilt, we both root for Vanderbill.

It's a good school and you hope, yeah, and you hope that they're going to do very well. You know I'm rooting for Vandy, no doubt. But it's just very hard to see them beating Alabama two years in row, you know, home in a row. Home and Road. I don't know. All right, what's next?

What's next? Toss up more likely to suffer their first loss on Sunday. The Eagles or the Bills? I don't think the Bills are going to lose to New England in Buffalo. I don't. It's a division game, so both teams are going to pay attention. I think Buffalo is a better team than New England. New England had a big win last week, but it was over Carolina.

Buffalo's a much better team than Carolina. So once again, I feel forced to pick something else. I have to pick that the Eagles are going. going to lose. And what is my ammunition for that? That Jalen Hurts went 0 for eight in the second half and they still won anyway? I don't, you know, it's impossible for me to really believe in the fact that the Eagles are going to lose this game. And Denver's okay, but who is Denver beaten? Denver has beaten Tennessee, which I don't think has any wins, and Cincinnati without Joe Borough, which is not going to have any wins without Joe Burrough. So this is why I hate the game,

because I have to pick one and I don't believe in it. Well, Denver did outplay the Colts. And the Colts are something in one, I guess, three and one. They outplay them. I don't care about the final score. They outplayed them. So that matters. Okay.

Tony, I think both of these are going to happen. I think that Denver, yes. What? Denver is pretty darn good. And some of the things that Denver is really good at, like run defense, and Philadelphia has shown no inclination. to really force the ball downfield the Broncos are pretty good at. I could see it.

I'm not predicting. I could see it. And, Tony, we should have learned from last night's San Francisco, L.A. game. Learn something from Rams 49ers. These division games are hard. In my confidence pool, I don't ever pick like 15, 16, double-digit, you know, since your levels of confidence for division games. In division.

Because these are upsets, man. Okay. So don't you think Buffalo watched last night? And don't you think Buffalo says to itself this can't happen to us because it's division game and we're going to have to be better? So you think they both could lose? I think they both could. It wouldn't shock me.

It both knew. That is a parlay that I would not touch. Pardon the interruption is presented by the refreshing taste of twisted tea, hard iced tea. Please drink responsibly. Part of Happy Hour. Happy time, people. Happy 85th birthday, Jean Rattel. The Hall of Fame Center spent most of his 21-year

NHL career with the New York Rangers, 16 years there, and the rest of them were the Boston Bruins. Rettel entered the league in 1960 when there were six original teams, and when he left in 1981, there were 21 teams. Rattel never won the Stanley Cup but made it to three finals, one with the Rangers, two with the Bruins. In New York, Rettel was on the revered gag line for goal a game. He centered between Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert.

In the 1971-72 season, those three finished third, fourth, and fifth in NHL scoring respectively. In his career, Rattel had 491 goals and 776 assists. Tony, so many great Rangers players who, of course, never won. But then again, there were so many great Red Sox players who never won, Cubs who never won, a couple of great White Sox who never won, and Knicks who never won. Some pretty big, medium. franchises and they just had these droughts or in the case of one of those still has a drought.

The greatest Knicks players won. They won. Happy anniversary Clayton Kershaw. On this day, 12 years ago, the Dodgers ace mowed down a dozen Braves gave up only one run in seven innings in the 6-1 Dodgers game one NLDS win. Kirschar has announced his retirement and started the Dodgers final regular season game in Seattle pitching five and a third shutout innings. Kersho was a 11 and 2 and 22 starts this season with a 3-36 ERA. He logged the second most innings of the Dodgers' starters with 112 plus. Kirshall was not on the Dodgers' wild card roster, but floating in the air is the possibility that he will come out of the bullpen against the Phillies.

Dodgers' bullpen is shaken. Kirshall could have one last run of glory. Tony, the delineation between starting and coming in out of the bullpen is not as great as it used to be. Don't you think that Kirschaw is going to – they're going to depend on. on him, there's going to come a moment or more than one moment in this upcoming series against the Phillies where Clayton Kirshall is going to be needed and it's going to be dramatic. I believe that. I believe that. I totally agree with that. Happy trails to the short wait

for the WMBA finals, the series between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces Tips off tonight with the Aces favor. It's a somewhat quick turnaround for the Aces who just eliminated the fever on Tuesday night. WMBA leading scorer and four-time MVP, Asia Wilson, stars for the Acese. WMBA assist leader and six-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas

leads to Mercury. This is the second time that pair will face off in the finals. Wilson won the first outing in 2022 when Vegas beat

Connecticut. This series, the league's first best of seven finals comes amid the backdrop of vocal player discontent

with league commissioner Kathy Engelberg. Yeah, we'll see how that story continues to play out. Tony, I'm a big

fan of Becky Hammond, the Vegas coach, big fan, but I'm not about to root against a team in Phoenix, not about to root against a team in the desert playing for a championship. One omission, Lamar Jackson has been ruled out of Baltimore's home game versus Houston this Sunday because of a hamstring injury. Comment? Ooh, out. Wow. That's a comment.

Ooh, that's good. Big finish. The Vikings ruled out J.J. McCarthy for Sunday's game against the Brown. Your thoughts? Carson wins starting behind a line missing three stars. I like Cleveland's chances in that game. I really do. Mets coaches who will not return, include their pitching coach, hitting coaches, third base coach, bench coach, catching coach, your thoughts. How many more coaches you think they have? They kept the manager and they probably went to the manager and said, if you want to stay, you've got to get rid of all these guys, probably.

The Oilers and head coach Chris Knoblock agreed on a three-year extension. Does that make sense to you? With a record of 94, 47, and 10 and two Stanley Cup finals appearances? Yeah, yeah, it makes sense to me. President of the PGA of America apologized for initially minimizing fan behavior at the Rider Cup. Is that a good call? Way late. Should have done it on Friday and banned it on Saturday and Sunday.

It was bad all weekend. That's way late. Last one is Davos Sweeney's Clemson at Bill Belichick's Tar Heels tomorrow. You intrigued by that? Tony, talk about no shine on this game. Who would have thought when you look at the schedule? If you looked at it even a month ago, you think that they are two teams with struggle like they have been. No.

We're out of time. We will try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Cornhizer. I'm Mike Wilbon. Have a great weekend. Knuckleheads homecoming in Northwestern, Tony. 80 degrees on the lake. I got my own football.

Here's sports. I hope they win.