The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Gen CFB: College Football Playoff Preview

Episode Date: December 20, 2024

The time has finally come: the College Football Playoff is here and Lucy and Jess are here to break it all down. Jess is flying up to South Bend to watch her Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Indiana Hoosiers. How confident is she that the Golden Domers will escape with victory? Lucy is taking off to Austin to see the Texas Longhorns and Clemson Tigers do battle. Who does she see coming out on top in this matchup of powerhouses? Plus, the Penn State Nittany Lions welcome the SMU Mustangs to Happy Valley and the Tennessee Volunteers head to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. How badly do James Franklin and Ryan Day need to take care of business at home? What would an upset mean for the Stangs and Vols? We answer all of those questions in our Gen CFB College Football Preview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. Hello, handsome. Ugh, who knew you could give yourself the ick? That's why Bumble is changing how you start conversations. You can now make the first move or not. With opening moves, you simply choose a question to be automatically sent to your matches. Then sit back and let your matches start the chat. Download Bumble and try it for yourself. Welcome back to Gen CFB. It's playoff week, Lucy. It is playoff week. We're going a couple playoff games this weekend, fingers crossed for you in Texas, getting your credential.

I'm heading to South Bend tomorrow. We've got a lot to talk about in a very short amount of time. So I want to start with this. Notre Dame, there are rumors they may be wearing alternate uniforms for their home playoff game on Friday night. And so I've seen two fan mockups of potential uniforms that Notre Dame could wear. Oh my God, on purpose? I mean, these are, I think this one's a joke. It's like a Christmas sweater uniform,

but it's really funny. But wait, the second one's even better. This is an advent themed Notre Dame uniform from Twitter. We'll credit whoever made that in post. But what are your thoughts? What are your thoughts on the Advent uniform for Notre Dame this Friday? Are we sure we wanna credit the ladies?

Are we sure we wanna do that? I love college football and this is just one of the reasons why. Fans make the darnedest things. They get so excited for these games. They're like, what's the craziest uniform I can make? And they come up with that, an Advent uniform. I am a firm believer unless you're Oregon, if you're hosting a home playoff game or you're doing a home playoff game, let's not get fancy here. All right? Let's just, let's not even bring in the question of like fun new uniforms, unless your organs says your whole bit,

but like, no, no, just wear what you're supposed to wear. Wear the classics. You know what? You sound like a Notre Dame fan because Notre Dame fans, they love tradition. They love to stick to the classic blues. They don't like the alternate uniforms. If Notre Dame wears an alternate uniform

and they lose to Indiana on Friday night, every single fan will blame the uniforms. And if that's the case, if Notre Dame does in fact lose to Indiana, I'm just going to throw this out there. I don't think it's the uniforms fault. I think that this game, I know it's a cliche, it's going to be one on the line of scrimmage. And I think Notre Dame's defense is going to have to put Curtis Rourke on his back like Ohio State did if they want to beat Indiana.

And that's the matchup that I'm going to be watching on Friday night. And I think it probably is going to be a pretty close game. Only game Friday night, so I will be watching that matchup as well. I look at this game specifically if Indiana can control the pace of play, which they've been able to do in every game so far with the exception of Ohio State, then I think it's Indiana's game to lose just because they are so efficient in what they are doing and they can move the ball so quickly that if Indiana can control the clock if Indiana can do what they want to do I think they're gonna win this

game but I just I don't necessarily see that happening I think Notre Dame is so talented that I think there's just gonna be Mitch mismatches there so I think Notre Dame wins but I love just having like, how lucky are we to have a like sneaky in-state game in the first round of playoff? It's awesome. Who would have thought we were here? Not me. Not me. I mean, this is Indiana and Notre Dame as like fan bases. Everyone from Notre Dame has Indiana family members. Everyone from Indiana knows Notre Dame family members or has Notre Dame family members. Some of them, there's an Indiana campus in South Bend.

Some of them went to both schools. These are both schools where everyone's kinda, in my opinion, everyone's kinda happy we get to have this matchup because only in the college football playoff would you get this. Notre Dame never plays Indiana, hasn't played them since 1991, I think.

They played a lot in the 30s and then they stopped. So this is a big matchup for a lot of families, a lot of house divided right now, Lucy, with Notre Dame playing Indiana. But Notre Dame's defense is ranked sixth in SMP+. Al Golden loves to blitz, and Notre Dame has corners and safeties that are great in coverage.

So that is sort of the defensive game plan, and that's what they're gonna try to do, to slow down Curtis Rourke, to stop the offense from moving. I think defensively, both teams are really good. I think Notre Dame's offense is gonna have to be productive. They have some of the best rushing attack in the entire, in all of college football.

Elite with Jeremiah Love, who is ready to play. He got banged up the last weekend of the season against USC. Riley Leonard has scored a couple dozen on his feet this year, also thrown a couple dozen. He's a dual threat, Lucy. He's a big boy. He likes to run. He likes to throw.

And this is gonna be a good game on Friday night. Notre Dame's favorite seven and a half. I think, like I said, close game. Notre Dame, I also saw they're gonna have yellow rally towels. Now, I don't know who told them to do that because Kurt Signetti, he's from Pittsburgh. He's gonna think those are terrible towels and they're for him.

I don't like that. Don't, don't make them yellow. Notre Dame, it's not too late. Go get green towels. Like, I know we should move on to other games, but emotionally, just how are you feeling right now? I'm excited. This is the first 12 team playoff that your team has been in.

Obviously they've been in the playoff before. Yeah, right. This is a different animal. Yeah. I've been to Notre Dame playoff games before. I've been to big games at Notre Dame Stadium before. Night games are always fun there. I'm super excited. Look I think it's totally realistic that Notre Dame loses this game and I have bad dark thoughts. But then Christmas is four days later. So either way I'm just like I'm happy to be included. I've been watching Mike Ryan like cry about Miami not making the playoff for the last three weeks and I'm like, holy shit, that could have been me. That could have been me if Notre

Dame didn't go on this 10 game win streak to finish the season. I would have had so much FOMO if everyone else made the playoff and Notre Dame was left outside looking in because of that stupid game against Northern Illinois earlier this season. But either way, I'm happy to be included. I think Indiana is really good. I respect Indiana. A lot of people don't respect Indiana football. I think Kurt Signetti's done a great job there this year. Like their defense has been playing so well. Their offense has been so efficient. Just like you said, those two games against Michigan and Ohio State were really tough for them and Ohio State like totally kicked their asses. So they're going to want revenge

and to be able to prove that they can compete against these like, you know, higher weight class college football teams that have been doing it for a long time, like the Notre Dames of the world and then Georgia, if they win. So this is a huge chance for Kurt Signati in Indiana to change the narrative and prove that they actually belong in this playoff.

And Marcus Freeman just signed a massive extension. He's sticking around Notre Dame for six more years. So huge game for him to win the first ever college football playoff home game. It's just gonna be really cool. It feels like a part of college football history and I can't wait to go. I'm gonna freeze my little ass off and I can't wait. Transition time. Look at how flawless I'm about to do this. SMU also a team that kind of has the hey we need to prove that we should be here sort of mindset. They're at Penn State. Penn State is, as of filming, an 8.5 point favorite.

Penn State, everyone, sort of the conversation has been, they got the best draw in the playoff with hosting SMU, noon games, so they're obviously not gonna be happy about that. And then potentially, if they win, moving on to face Boise State. I do think Penn State's gonna win. I think that they're a lot more talented

than the other teams that SMU has faced. I think they're better than Clemson. I think they're better than BYU. I think they're better than most of the ACC. And I also think that like weather plays such a factor. And this is happy valley in December pass. No thank you. Three of these four playoff games are going to be frigid.

Yeah. And I don't. And look, that is such a great crowd. That is not an atmosphere that SMU is like really going to be prepped for. I just I think that Penn State has just their defense is too good. I think their defense is so, so good this season and that they're going to be too much for SMU to handle. I don't know if I think Penn State covers or not, especially because this is sort of like a, it's kind of a prove yourself game on both sides where James Franklin, can you win the big game?

SMU, did you really deserve to be in the playoff? I think Penn State wins this one though. I also think Penn State will win. I think that it's win-win for people that think James Franklin can't beat the top teams in college football because if they do win, it'll be easy to dismiss it as like, well, SMU wasn't a top five team. They haven't beaten a top 25 team this whole season. Did they even deserve to be in the play? Oh, like they got lucky. Alabama should have been in this game. But I do think Penn State has an underrated, underratedly really tough defense. And I don't think the offense will need to be explosive

to beat SMU. On the other side of that, Kevin Jennings for SMU has been really good. He has a couple picks on him, but he loves to throw it downfield. And I think if you can get a couple of those passes completed, like you can disrupt the game plan a little bit. So that's gonna be an interesting thing to look at.

I do think Penn State will win and I think they will move on and play Boise State. Yeah, I was really, really impressed with what I saw from Penn State at the Big Ten Championship game. I didn't know their offense had that in them. I didn't know they sort of had that fight in them because even though every time Penn State got closed,

Oregon was able to pull away again. It was just, they were moving the ball, drew out, it looked really, really good. But even didn't look as great. Oregon do that to everybody so I just think that Penn State is kind of trending in the right direction right now but I just say all this stuff I'm like James Franklin you're making me look stupid yeah don't blow it don't blow it yeah I'm with you also Penn State's backup quarterback who did play a lot this year yeah they worked in the office quite a bit so

that's weird yeah Yeah. Wow. It's just a tough situation. He even came out and said, like, I didn't want to do this, but I know that Drew Outers coming back next year, like a starting job. And the longer you wait to go in the portal, the worse options get correct. Man you would have had to go to Iowa. You would have to be the hot guy starting quarterback. Question for you.

We both think Texas will beat Clemson. Yeah. I don't, I don't feel like incredible, like unbelievably confident in any of these games. And all of it isn't for real, like analytical reasons, just like Texas vibes would be loose. Well, I think the, I think the reason, yeah. Like Texas offense has been so injured this whole season. Their defense is great.

I think that's where it's coming from. For me, it's like Clemson's going to have to try really hard to score points in this game. But I think to your point about, I think these four games in particular, we've seen all eight of these teams flaws all season long. Like none of these teams went undefeated. All of these teams have tough losses.

All of these teams have faltered in some way and have a weakness. And so, I mean, I think this is why where coaching is gonna come in and which coaches are gonna be able to game plan around it and which coaches are gonna be able to exploit it on the other side. And I just think Sark is good.

I think Sark is a really good coach. And, you know, Dabo obviously is as well, but I think their offense is going to struggle against Texas' defense. Texas' offense is also gonna struggle against Clemson's defense, but I think to offense is going to struggle against Texas' defense. Texas' offense is also gonna struggle against Clemson's defense, but I think to a lesser extent. Yeah, Clemson has scored 17 points in the two games they faced SEC defenses this year

in their game against Georgia to start the season and then South Carolina in the season. And Texas' defense is, I think, up there with those two schools. Texas has such a phenomenal defense. I don't think Clemson's gonna be able to move the ball and like okay yes Quinn Ubers has hurt. Let's hope your backup is talented and qualified. Oh wait it's Arch Manning who your fans have wanted to. Yeah why are we freaking out? How many snaps do we think he's gonna get? I don't know all the all the I know one Texas fan but the one Texas fan, I know, has furiously texted the group chat,

I never want to see Queenie Bruce play again. So, which, go ahead. Yeah, but I also, we have, I get it. We've seen the last couple of games, like Texas' offense limped into this matchup. That is fair, I think. But yeah, on defense, like one of the best past defenses in college football, best cornerback in college football, the Thorpe Award winner.

Although like award season was very contentious this year and we don't have time to talk about it. But I don't think there was a single award that everyone was except the Doak Walker Award. The Herbie's. Everyone was mad about everyone was mad about Tyler Warren winning the fuck the Mackey Award. Yeah, anyways, whatever. I digress. This is a long digression. But yeah, I think that, I think Texas will win. They'll play Arizona State. I think Texas will probably also win that game, but Scadabow. Maybe we'll have a career day that day. We'll see. I won't even think about Arizona State right now.

That's next month's problem. That energy, I can't have that in my life right now. That's next month's problem. That energy, I can't have that in my life right now. It's a little too much chaos for me right at the moment. Fair enough. But yeah, Clemson I think glimps into the playoff but will ultimately lose. That game has the biggest spread. Another seven and a half point spread. Tennessee at Ohio State, the second night game, the Saturday night game.

Humongous ginormous game. The winner plays Oregon. This one I feel like I keep going back and forth on because again both really elite defenses but I think I like Ohio State winning at home. I don't think Tennessee is gonna have a great day offensively. I think it really comes down to me like Will Howard, what are you gonna do, brother? Yeah, right. What's the plan here? Because if Will Howard plays all right, I think Ohio State will win this game.

I also think the circumstances of this game are really weird, where I don't necessarily know if there's a team that's hosting a game that fans hate them more right now than Ohio State. It's a hostile environment. It's a hostile home environment. It's just hostile in general for everyone. It's a hostile environment. It's a hostile home and fire. It's just hostile in general for everyone. It's a really interesting situation.

I think people really underestimate, and we talk about a lot, how good Tennessee's defense is. And Ohio State's offensive line has had issues the whole season. And I think Michigan put together sort of the perfect plan to beat Ohio State. And now you can sit here and look at that, if you're Tennessee, and be like, we can just do that.

You have Dillon Samson, one of the best running backs in college football like it's great it's I think that like Tennessee is a matchup nightmare for Ohio State and I think the circumstances of losing to Michigan the way you did how you did when Tennessee is like a much better version of that Michigan team way more fun and adds more of a quarterback. But it's not Michigan. Their name's not Michigan. But it's not Michigan. So maybe, hold up. I have an idea. I have a plan. I take back what I said about alternate jerseys. Tennessee, you're going maize and blue. Oh, that's a great idea.

You're wearing those. That is a great idea. Solved it. You're welcome. If that happens, I'm changing my pick to Tennessee. Tennessee's defense, according to Bill Connolly, fourth nationally in Havoc rate, which includes tackles for loss, pass breakups, interceptions, force fumbles, et cetera, et cetera. So Havoc rates ball. Yeah. Having a offensive line that is not its strongest with a lot of injuries, like you said, that can be kind of scary for Ohio State. But I don't know, someone has to win the game. So I guess I'm picking Ohio State. I don't feel great about it.

I don't feel great about any of these, except I guess Texas, but. Not that great. I don't know, I don't know. Slightly better. I think I'm picking Tennessee. I think, screw it, we're going to Tennessee. Also, Tennessee did not play in the SEC Championship game,

which I think works in their favor. Obviously, Ohio State didn't play in the big championship game, but they were doing other things. Yeah, they were really upset. So if Tennessee does win in this hypothetical situation, what time is Ryan Day fired the next day? Before 9 a.m. noon, which we said like over under,

like he's gone, right? I think- Everyone's gonna be so mad. If I'm Ohio State, I wait, I do it the good old fashioned way, and I wait till kickoff at the Rose Bowl, so everyone's thinking of other things. Everyone look over there.

And then I drop that. You're fired. It's a tweet that's like third in the thread. And it's like, oh, what a great season. We're looking back, third tweet by the way Ryan Day has done. Yeah. I mean, the vibes are really rancid there, but I also think they could easily win. And then if they win that game,

I think they could beat Oregon. Oh, absolutely. If it was a one point game last time, I think their run game against Oregon puts them in a good spot, actually. So I think you could say the same for Tennessee and Samson there too. But anyways, I think it's gonna be a fun weekend.

It's the first time we've ever had a 12 team college football playoffs. It's crazy. Like it's gonna be super fun. And if it's not fun, a fun weekend. It's the first time we've ever had a 12 team college football playoffs. Like it's going to be super fun. And if it's not fun, my take on that is like, well, the semifinals are never fun. So, hey, you got more not fun games, at least they're college football games. Right. But I think they will be fun. I know. I think we're going to get some really competitive football games. Yeah, we have four options.

So like, right. At least one's got to be good. Yeah. And if they're not, I mean, they're on college sites So like there's cool. It's at least it's not like a neutral site or an NFL Stadium set stinks. It's good for the economy Yeah, the welcome. I mean hey La Quinta is getting all my money Congrats to the La Quinta in South Bend. I'll be staying at you this weekend Before we go because it's our last show before Christmas and probably also until New Year's because we're our show is going dark for two weeks, not not a Gen Z beat all of the Levitard show. Surprise. What's your favorite bowl game

matchup that you're looking forward to? Outside of our like little playoff spectacle. I am very intrigued by the energy happening at the Birmingham Bowl, which is Georgia Tech Vanderbilt. Yes, same. Oh, buddy. It's going to be like a two and a half point favorite, I want to say. It's a very just like funky vibe.

Yeah. Like something's going to go off. Something weird is going to happen. They are probably going to be like, let's just evacuate the city right now. No fans in the crowd. Let's just let whatever happens happen. So weird energy. I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, I think like obviously with the opt outs, the games are harder to predict.

Yeah. They can't really be like an indictment on your team season because half your players are probably gone or whatever. But like so narratively they maybe mean slightly less. But there's opportunities for so many weird and fun and stupid things to happen. And that's what I'm excited for. We got the Alamo Bulls, a BYU Colorado game. Sure, why not?

Sure, they're in the same conference. Might as well do a secondary. It's like the Big 12 Championship for third place. We have that. We've got Iowa and Missouri, your alma mater. You're wearing an Iowa shirt, Lucy. I'm wearing an Iowa women's basketball shirt. I'm in South Carolina and Illinois.

I don't know, like I'm just excited for all of these bowl games. I'm just gonna be in my jam jams, watching bowl games on my ass, laying down on the floor for like three weeks and I can't wait. Look, if you're, bowl games, bowls are supposed to be weird.

Just let it happen. Lean in. Let the Pop Tarts Bowl exist. Enjoy the mayo dump. Enjoy the french fry dump. Yes. I'm sure there's gonna be more dumps that happen. What if the Turbo Tax Bowl is tax farms?

Even though I don't even know if the Turbo Tax Bowl exists anymore. There's definitely a tax bowl that exists. There's some sort of tax bowl, you're right. It's accountants giving you the trophy. They drop an abacus on you. Perfect. I love it.

Yes, everyone lean in to the silly and the fun. We've an abacus on you. Perfect. I love it. Yes, everyone lean into the silly and the fun. We've got like 50 college football games left and I can't wait, Lucy. Thanks for listening to Jen CFB this season, this year, 2024. What a year. I don't know what our next episode will be, but happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to everyone. Enjoy the football.