Shutdown Fullcast - 40 for 40: The 2016 Fiesta Bowl

Episode Date: December 30, 2016

Number 36 of 40 bowl previews, in which we may not discuss the Fiesta Bowl or the teams playing in it whatsoever! This one has some actual football discussion, which, I'm sorry, I know that's not why you're here and we'll try to do better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fiesta. Welcome. No. Yeah, no. That's how we're starting, Ryan. Do it again. No, it's off and running. God.

We can't put it back, Ryan. What's the problem? Fine. Keep going. This is not up to our exacting standards. The 40 for 40 for the Fiesta Bowl already careening off the road and through an entire ticket of Swarrow Cactuses. This is, by the way, if you've ever been in the Piesta Bowl, what a delight. it's fun it's great you get to stay at cool hotels that are out in the middle of the desert

it's go to a i don't know frankloid wright architecture tour that was the best yeah man all time walking around like conier would love it here that really was what we were thinking all independently because if you go that nice hotel network actually might be a problem because like sports writers fapsom love affair with the saddle marriott is the reason we have title games there it's totally true there's absolutely no other reason to have a game there dear sports writers go on a real vacation you idiot yeah you know the other reason they love phoenix phoenix is about quality chains phoenix is a chain restaurant town yes it's a chill east economy oh it's no no no it's no no they got

nice chains that's right they got the they got the upgrade chain right yeah they got burger chains but it's... Somewhere Doug's blood is boiling and he doesn't know why. I'm sure there's a chili. Chili is the smircher. I'm sure there's a great chilis. How dare you?

Somebody's talking shit about chilies right now. Those fajitas sizzle with the sound of freedom. Wait, that Twitter account, Chili's... Look. Chili's Defender. I don't see if that's real. This is where Clemson and Ohio State will play.

uh the fiesta bowl semi-final this is the game that i think in a perfect world is less interesting than washington alabama this isn't a perfect world this this will probably be the better game uh featuring two more evenly matched teams a number two and number three a team uh in clemson that made the title game last year with the same quarterback de sean watson and uh number three ohio state uh who can's pretty consistent all year long kind of a this is an But this is an ugly, ugly Ohio State team. And I mean that affectionately. They play ugly-ass football.

It is also an Ohio State team that is not supposed to be here. And I mean that affectionately as well. I mean, there's a healthy bit of discontent with how Ohio State got here, especially with the Penn State loss, et cetera, et cetera. But this is a young-ass team. and the fact that they got to this position at all is pretty fucking impressive

yeah and and to doing so with like a lot of this centers on Ohio State's defense mean as hell fast extremely physical even for you know your average Ohio State under Urban Meyer defense

just a like they carried this team because at times this offense just refused to work they did not pass really well they ran the ball reasonably well and other than that relied a lot on their defense to keep them in games and that'll be what they try to do against clemson which it's kind of where i see the problem for ohio state here because clemson has yeah deshawn watson who yeah was asked to press and do too much at times this year and they still kept winning games because

deshawn watson happens to be really good at football and is the sort of guy who can cover a lot of weaknesses that you might happen to have on offense. Ohio State is kind of the mirror image of that in that J.T. Barrett was really, I mean, what was his best game? He had two good runs against Michigan. Okay. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, I mean, once, I mean, they, he, he had an efficient,

he had an efficient game against Oklahoma, 70% of his passes. They, they went, completed 70% of their passes through four touchdowns. only had to throw for 152 yards. Like, once you get into the meat of the schedule, they were good against Nebraska. And the Penn State game stands out as well. And ending the season with Michigan State and Michigan, both of those games combined, Ohio State passed for 210 yards and one touchdown.

That's not great. one important theme of this season is that there aren't any good teams and Ohio State is a pretty good example because I mean they're real young this is a rebuilding team they're better than they should be but still you put this team up against you know the 2014 team I don't think it does all that well yeah yeah they still I will I will give them credit for they went into Oklahoma and just beat that ass just beat it so badly They did, and I will also point this out. Oklahoma, another team that's not good. Well, yeah, there's that. That's true. I will also point this out for J.T. Barrett. J.T. Barrett does not make many mistakes.

He does not. Even when passing for meager yardage, only through five INTs all year long. Admittedly, in an offense that likes to run about 60-40 run pass. And also, when you need a play, J.T. Barrett, if you want to know why he got the starting job and why he's good, he is the best junk baller in all of college football. And by that, I mean, the kind of dude who you go,

man, he is playing awful, and it will have no impact on whether Ohio State wins or not, because he'll pull two or three plays out when they need it. That's not clutch. I mean that he can take a bad situation and make it a pretty good thing and won't make many mistakes along the way. He's not a sorcerer, but he's an alchemist.

Correct, correct. He's the kind of guy who, there's no magic. there, but he will get you some gold every now and then. Plus, he has more rushing yards than any individual Michigan player. Whoops. Really? That's a true thing. I just looked it up. I almost don't believe it myself,

but there it is. That's unreal. Because Michigan's got a long way off of, like, crap offense this year. Like, not crap offense, but just, yeah, beating up on weaker teams, which Ohio State did not have the luxury of doing on the whole, even against... That's it. Despite... I don't know. despite all the winning and jacking back and forth that got us here,

we can at least take solace heading into this game in the fact that Jim Harbaugh and James Franklin are real mad. That's true. That is an underrated point. Yeah, whether you like him or not, there's not a lot of joy in seeing Urban Meyer upset because he doesn't really give you a lot. These other two, the history on it they've been spewing,

will power us all like geothermal psychic veins. No, it is, it is very telling that the most candid photo of Urban Meyer ever taken on the sad spectrum is him eating pizza on a golf cart, not even looking all that sad. With a thousand yards there. Just kind of looking down. Not like all that emotional. Like, he might be waiting for like his oil to be changed. Right.

Yeah, it's a very pep boy's face. that and this the happiness that clemson has generated throughout the season i want you to think about this entertaining games close games got pitt their biggest win of the year and as we all know pit the center of all happiness and importance in college football the greatest pet boy of all dabbo's winning wait hey can i raise a point of order something that i thought of last night and i can't stop thinking about it have you guys have you guys covered clemson game except for the title game have you covered like an actual Clemson game, have met their assistants.

Yep. You ever met Jeff Scott? Mm-hmm. You ever notice how much Jeff Scott looks like Davo? Oh my God. Jeff Scott was cloned to provide reserve organs for Davo for when he ruptures something. Like, I know Clemson doesn't believe in science. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

But they're trying to protect. They do believe in protecting their investment, is all I'm saying. Anyway, return to your narrative. No, my mind's blown. That's completely accurate. I'm trying to think of a biblical validation for human cloning. Taking the rib? I don't know.

Yeah, that could work. That works. For God so loved Davo that he created a sub-dabbo. I mean, it does suggest something about the relationship between Davo and Jeff Scott that I'm not totally comfortable with. And frankly, Davo's not either. No, I said a clone. Yeah. Well, that's the sin of Onan.

Onan, the ACC, that is. Mark Rick just threw up and he does not know why. I got to get out of this conference. That's unholy. By the way, like, just the other thing about Clemson to me, besides, like, just Sean Watson, Deshawn Watson, Deshawn Mawton. I do think defense,

I think their defense can handle Ohio State. I think there'll be moments when Urban just gets real bullheaded late, starts running the ball pretty well. I think that'll be fine. But Clemson's right there in terms of their defensive rankings, in terms of their efficiency. I don't think they're going to be able to push them around. And that's what Ohio State's been super successful.

And when Ohio State hasn't been successful, it's been when they've had players who can actually tell. them and Clemson's got those so yeah i just don't see all ohio state offensively is matching up that that well in this game that's like the difference if you want like serious football stuff yeah between artavis scott and mike williams um they've got two really good receivers that will just stress the hell out of you the whole time and and jordan legged's probably in that conversation too he doesn't have the numbers of the other two but you know they've used him in spots where it's just like oh yeah forgot about him whoops sure and one thing i one thing i thought

about today is that clems is designed to work out of the hurry up and that's not something ohio state's really matched up against this year right like who in the big ten's running a hurry up that works to this sort of like degree and and commitment now listen ruckers is running a hurry up it's just in a different with a different direction in mind let's go let's go just just a little team called penn state how how'd the buck guys do against them A valid point, sir. But they didn't lose that game because the defense collapsed. Hey, the block fuel goal hurried up to the end zone, didn't he?

Boom, sucker.