The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: Horny For Weather

Episode Date: January 5, 2024

It's time for everyone's favorite game... AGAINST! THE! SPREAD! Also, Barry Keoghan's...situation...gives us an idea for a Saltburn watch party during our Dolphins watch party. Then, Mike Golic Jr. replaces Lucy on this week's GEN CFB as he and Jessica discuss the Rose Bowl, the Pop Tart Bowl, and the upcoming National Championship game between Michigan and Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to DraftKings Network. This is the Dunlabel Tarshow with the StugatSpotcast. Presented by DraftKings Fantasy Sports, check out what DraftKings has to offer this season with Code Dan because life's more fun when you're in on the action. DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gamling Problem, call 800 Gamber, each and eligibility restriction supply, void-reperhibited, see DraftKings.com for details. It's time for...Against Blossom! It's pretended by DraftKings' fantasy sports.

Check out what DraftKings has to offer this season with Code Dan, because life's more fun when you're in on the action. DraftKings, the crown is yours. Now I have a very important announcement to make as regards to against the spread. We have calculated all the math, tabulated the results, I'm honored to say that Billy Gill won our 2023 contest of against the spread. Congratulations, Billy. You got a massive prize coming to you.

However, there is supply and chain issues, and it's gonna take a couple of months, but you are not gonna believe what's coming. I wasn't expecting this. Thank you. Well, we begin with you as you tried to kind your crown on... Against the Spray! Wow. So, I didn't know that I had won when I made this pick and this pick was to kind of

Yeah, I was trying to go against what everyone else was doing because I figured this is a great place to pick up some ground I was gonna take Michigan minus four and a half over Washington Think a lot of people like The possibility of Michigan winning, but it's a big spread They think the Washington will keep it close, but I wanted to pick up some games here So I'm gonna stick with my pick of Michigan minus 4.5 Huggit It's the spreader Tony

I don't know why Dan put back the Buccaneers in the bucket of death. I'm going Bucks who need it minus 4.5 against the Panthers Jessica Billy stole my pick. I've been picking Michigan in this game, but I'm gonna go opposite skis so we don't have the same pick. We'll have a new front runner. I appreciate how much work all of you went into the thoughts you'd take my pick. I'll go the other way. You would how you'd bet. There is a big grand prize people wouldn't be more determined

0% chance that Bill Bella check loses this game to the Jets when given an opportunity To not only beat the Jets but screw over the Patriots on his way out show where it is I'm taking the New England Patriots minus two and a half Royce of her? Yeah, this team needs it as well. The Jacksonville Jaguars, they are playing the Tennessee Titans on the road. The Jaguars are three and a half point favorites.

I'm going with the Jaguars. Again, the Jacksonville Brezmer. That's the look you should have in your face, Mike Ryan. No, he shouldn't have that look on his face because I asked him last weekend. I asked him, Mike, why is Jacksonville only a three and a half point favorite against Caroline? And's like because Jacksonville sucks and I'm like yes and the analysis on the other end is Carolina also sucks yeah what is that yeah yeah but this is

not heads up it's again that was the reason the Jack was needed though they do need it wait didn't fill a delp you need it last week that's't fill a Delphi a need it last week. That's the analysis. Yeah I'm gonna last week of needing it. Yeah, it was nothing getting revenge game though That's what you guys didn't think you're in. You're right. You asked me who I liked in a game And I got that wrong. I sincerely apologize. No, your analysis stuck. Well, do you think the jags are good? They don't suck and if if sucks what's your action if sucks sucks is what Jacksonville gets, then what do you use on Carolina? Yeah, they were playing a little bit better after firing, right? Yeah.

Yeah. Do you think the Jax needed to? My face, by the way, was that you were just willingly. You have all the sports games at your disposal and you decided, yeah, underdog, Mike Vrable, that's what I want. Give me that. Yeah. This is just a weird choice, but you're entitled to it.

Okay, because there's so much thought given into all these other choices. Yes, I'm gonna prove to you a lot of, at the beginning of the week, I heard that a weather system was gonna make its way across the East Coast. So I saw a total that that was a little too high in Dallas, Washington, commanders,

and Ron Rivera's potentially final game as that man over there, and I decided, you know what, I like the under there, and I locked it in. So I'm going under because I looked at Doppler Radars, sir. I care about again. Let's go ahead and board a pick out, Dan, let it start. Wow. Now, here you judge me because of this sacred segment of yours. Did you just go a total when it's supposed to be against the spread?

Going under. No, but against the spread. He's going against the over. A dip? Oh, it's the numbers. He's a wester wester. It's against the spread. And you went a total and you really showed me.

Not respecting the game when you've yelled at me any number of times when I take a total, you say I don't understand against this road. You don't understand. I don't sound like that. Don't sound like that. New year, new game, they're not. Fort out of pick. The Thunder.

Whoa, at Brooklyn. What? And they are a five and a half point favorite. Yeah. Name three songs. Oklahoma City Thunder have been great all season and they're more fun to watch than anybody. And so I take the Oklahoma City Thunder,

even though the Brooklyn Nets are very good. They are. They're an above average basketball team. They're an above average basketball team. Very good and above average. Very good. You've got to finish it off. Yeah, you've got to finish it off.

Yeah, you got to finish it off. You got to finish it off. I am going to take the thunder on the road to cover by more than five and a half points. Wait for it. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. The sky's just talking sports, right, Jess?

Stugats. Mike, I went with a game where both teams need it. The Texans. Something's gotta give. And the cults. Yeah. This is a big game. Whoever's going all over this game, they are in. And so what I do, when both teams need a win to get in,

I go with a better quarterback. CJ Stroud versus Gardner Minstew. I am taking the Texans here. I'm a big believer in CJ Stroud. I'm a big believer in Dmitko Ryan's. I'm a big believer in the Houston Texans. I am taking the Texans on the road minus one of the half against the colds. Again, the spray.

I also like the Texans and you're scaring me off of me with your conviction. I like them too much. Yeah. I feel a degree of shame because I made the argument on behalf of a 15 and 20 Brooklyn net team. Being above that. You call them very good.

Very. I want to average. And I was wrong on all counts. Shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot. And I was wrong on all counts. Absolutely. It's a difficult game. Half of the talk sports.

Well, I'm rat. I need to admit, I am rattled because Billy won the prize by against the spread and how bad I am that I don't understand it that I don't do it well that I'm a terrible gambler just look at Doppler radar Take it under once and I love Doppler Raiders so much Take an under once in a while put it on the pole. Juju at Levitard show. I can't do it. Is that doc rivers? put it on the pole, Judeo, at Levitard Show, I can't do it. Is that Doc Rivers? Yeah. I just really liked Doppler Radar.

Dude, I'm with you. I can't do it. What was that impersonation? I'd like to analyze this now. I feel about Doppler Radar the same way. I feel about Barry Keegan. The impersonation, what were you going for there? It was brave.

Really horny, weird woman. Yeah. Barry Keegan got got you huh? My man's got a hog. Oh dear God. Watch software and dance. It's not his hog. It's the, no they say it is. Yeah, they're always gonna say it is. I read the story about the hog pre-watching the movie because it flashed on my timeline and I was like, oh, I got a, the hog? No, the story about the hog and I was like,

I haven't seen this movie yet, but I am curious of this first kind of... Good for very Keegan. Who are we talking about this old man? Saltburn. There's an old man. Very Keegan's old man. No.

It's spelled the Irish way. Ke-ke-ke-e-o-t. There's some stuff regular that. I don't get that. No, they don't. There's extra like G's and H's I feel like. This movie, do we need spoiler alerts all over what she just did? Again?

No, no, no, because she's been cared for with her. I mean, no, no, no, no, no, no. I would love to just film Stu Gatz and Dan's reaction. I know. In the case of you. Let's do that together. Let's, let's, let's watch the movie. That's right, I can be.

Bill, let's do that. Let's do it. It's going to be soul burns. Let's do this on one of the television. It'll just be me and still got to watch it. It's all burnt and being a gas that at sex. Me and still got watching sex scenes together. I didn't think it was that shocking to be honest. Come on. I'm judging. I'm judging Adnan a lot post-watching this film. Also this is a huge storm. Oh my god. I'm gonna see what it take all the unders on these coast. Sure does.

Is there gonna be a hog spoiler alert somewhere in this segment? I think you should have two TVs, one on Saltburn, one on the game, and hopefully things time out perfectly that when that dude's dude's there's a huge play. And I have to guess what your reaction is to what? What are we, this is the best thing that we have. Sunday Watch Party on YouTube, this and other surprises. We will be watching the game together on Sunday. I haven't been a part of it if you told me it was a

sulfur and watch party. I may even come now to the party. on Sunday. I've been a part of it if you told me it was a sulfur watch party. I may even come now to the party. Me too. Hey, yo, yo, it's the me too from Stu God's that I hated. It's that. Oh, damn it. I didn't toss this Gen CFB. Sorry.

Jess had the line though. I can toss to Gen CFB here. Sorry. I just had the line though. I can toss to Gen C F B here. You're gonna say, and now Gen C F B. And now Gen C F B. There you go. You need the perfect setting, the perfect squad, the perfect eats, and luckily you're a game time mastermind, and you know that grabbing Dejorno Classic Crosse Pizza can bring home the dub, because it's packed with half a pound of cheese, sauce, and other toppings, and comes at an incredible price. Make the game winning call and grab a Dejorno Classic Crosse Pizza from the grocery store two days.

It's not delivery, it's Dejorno. Don't Libertard! Elton John does not like performing crocodile rock, but to the point we were making, I think he still does because he just knows the crowd wants to hear it. Right, boy, it has to. B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b- We can all agree piano man my good son the crowd needs to sing piano man Yeah, but I want to hear Billy Joel singing I know they just let you at the end go

She just wants to be nomination Yeah, yeah, she wants a rack up to we know Billy Joel's piano you got it. It's all right. This is the Don Limita show with this two gods. Welcome back to another edition of Gen CFB. I'm Jessica Smetana and I'm here today with our villain host slash guest, Mike Goliath Jr. filling in for Lucy Rodin because Lucy, she's out in L.A. living her best life. She went to the Rose Bowl this weekend. Gojo was there. We're going to do a little Rose Bowl recap. Talk about the playoffs, talk about some of the bowl games so far and how amazing bowl season is because Mike and I are both in agreement, right Mike? It's

the best time of the year and sadly, it has now come to a close. We'll also do a little national championship preview, I think. If we have time at the end, we never do because we only have 25 minutes. So here we go, Go, Joe. Welcome on the show. How was the Rose Bowl? It was awesome. And it was really cool to get to experience it with Lucy, because it was also the morning that I always playing that game against Tennessee. And I believe the citrus bowl. I think that's what it was. And watching her, it was a nice reminder that every fan base and a lot of fans were all basically the same when we're watching our team, which is mildly unhinged. We all kind of hate our own

team because they've made us miserable at so many different junctures. And when the game is over, it's actually the most liberating moment of all time. So getting to watch her go through that and then to get to go over and see what is objectively like I understand the Rose Bowl committee can be a little pretentious sometimes about things. No, it is a ridiculously beautiful setting. I've been there twice now this year and it lives up to every bit of the hype. So it was awesome. So my hot take on the Rose Bowl this year, sunset wasn't that great, not enough clouds in the sky. It was a little too clear. I didn't get enough gradient. How was it in person? It was. So I didn't stay for the game in person. I, uh, I went out there for the morning and just kind of popped around and then went home and watch the game on my couch,

which the worst part about that was I left right before the game was getting ready. I was going to get home right around kickoff. And as I got to the parking garage where I parked, I heard the stealth bomber go overhead, and I just missed seeing it in person, which I was pissed about, because that flyover and the picture they take from the blimp over the stealth bomber over the stadium is the coolest college football picture every year.

You did what a lot of college football fans do and students do at universities with teams that aren't maybe the best during the game. You went to the tailgate and then you went home and watched on the couch and I respect that. That's a great move, veteran move. Jess, that was the number one bit of learning I had to do when I was done playing.

I went back for my first Notre Dame tailgate after I was done and it was a night game. And I remember looking around at my friends and my old roommates in the parking lot and I'm like, I see why you guys always left it half time now. I'm exhausted. What? Your friends left it half time at Notre Dame. I never did that.

If I had to take a nap, I'd do it right there in the stands. Wow. You know what? And that's why we are friends now, and that's why I'm not on the podcast with a bunch of my friends ignoring the fact that none of them work in this industry. It's just because you were more dedicated to them than I appreciate that. It just means more Taylor. I need you to tell us what the scene was for the Citrus Bowl viewing party that you and Lucy had before the Rose Bowl.

Yeah. So we get to Pasadena. We're like, let's go as close to the stadium as possible. So traffic was going to be bad. And Gojo is underselling it a bit. How sad the scene was. We're going bar to bar and nobody will put the Iowa game on for Lucy. They how sad the scene was. We're going bar to bar and nobody will put the eye will game on for Lucy.

They're watching the Oregon game and then they're watching the Rose Bowl parade and it's like, hey guy, the parade is happening right outside. Like you don't need to put this parade on TV. And then we finally went to a bar that had the game on but it was at capacity. They wouldn't let us in.

So we're just peering in from like behind bushes trying to watch this game. And finally, Gojo shows up and there's an empty table even though they said they're at capacity and Gojo's like, we're sitting here. And that's how he watched the game. And that's when I had the thought, I would rather not watch college football. And I love college football. I would rather not watch college football than be an Iowa football fan. Ooh, that's a, that's bleak coming from Taylor who also told me that his main takeaway from the Rose Bowl was, hmm, North Carolina is never gonna play in this game.

No, no, no, no, no, no. A very sad realization. But that's, that's kind of the reality for a lot of college football fans. You know, some teams, you're not going to make it to the playoff. You're not going to, although everyone I think thinks they're going to make it into the 12 team playoff next year, which, which we'll get to that. But I do think that's also one of the toughest parts about this current national championship we have is I saw everyone writing about how there's not as many stars in these games that Alabama team was so full of stars.

It makes it feel more accessible now because Washington is not one of the blue chip ratio teams and Michigan's a little farther down in that list. And so now we're all like, wait, what is my team doing wrong if it shouldn't be this hard? That's true. That's actually a great point. And I think you can point to the tremendous coaching jobs that both Jim Harba and Kaelin DeBore have done without those top five star guys. Like the Rose Bowl, let's talk about the game a little bit.

Like that was really unexpected. I think I watched Michigan play this whole year. I watched Alabama play this whole year and I still even despite Alabama struggles with their offensive line and at times with Jalen Milro and at certain times with their defense, I just did not expect Michigan to win on the line of scrimmage the way that they did. So I want your alignment take on that. And I would also like your alignment take on the snap problems that Alabama had all

season that kind of came back in the worst possible moment in this game. That's a nightmare. Like anyone who's ever snapped a football at any level will tell you that they all we all get like secondhand hives watching another center go through the Yips like that because you spend so much time in practice like at the beginning of every day it was the first thing we would do quarterbacks and centers go out early and you go for Q center exchange you go around with each of the quarterbacks you get snaps with them under center and shotgun you go through the cadence and you try and make every part of that process committed to memory.

You want it to be muscle memory. You don't want to have to think about that because when you get up to the line, you got to think about, all right, what front of we have? Where am I supposed to block on this play? How am I going to reach a 365 pound defensive tackle, all these other things? So you got to have that thing down cold. And the minute there's a mistake and now all of a sudden, you got to think because think about it as a center too, you don't see it. It's not like a quarterback where, oh, I throw a bad pass. And I know right away.

And I can start to auto correct my brain as a center. You're throwing behind you. You're throwing blind essentially. And so when you come back up and all the sudden, the quarterbacks running around around the ground because the ball's in, there's an extra level of panic that goes with that that if you're not like the most elite man. I've seen all like all pro NFL guys lose it over that. It's a tremendously unnerving thing. So as soon as I saw that, it's certainly a bit of case I'll season, but it wasn't going to stop that day after the first time it happened. I was right. I felt really bad for that, dude. Yeah, that was brutal. Now reports that he's in the portal, leaving Alabama a bunch of Alabama players went in

the portal after the game, kind of to be expected that there'd be some of that. But I, that's kind of just college football these days. But a lot was made of the final play, the fourth downplay in overtime and whether or not it was supposed to be a Jalen Milro run up the gut after almost fumbling up another low snap I don't think that was what was supposed to happen there, but I Thought one of the key moments in the game. This is not like a groundbreaking take here The key moment in the game was the fourth and two that Michigan converted on that final drive watching Alabama's defense Break like it was like very bend-on break J. Jim McCarthy was having a good game and converted on that final drive. Watching Alabama's defense break,

like it was like very bend-on break. JJ McCarthy was having a good game. Blake Korn was having a good game, but the third quarter, I thought Alabama was dominating and then all of a sudden in that fourth quarter, they let them come right down the field score, 75-yard play to tie up the game, or 75-yard drive to tie up the game.

That was to me, as soon as that happened, game over, I was like, Alabama's notak going to win this and over time. And that goes to the point you made earlier about elite coaching for the teams that are in the title right now. Cause when I said, oh, this championship feels more accessible. It's the same way that people used to say, oh, well, Steph Curry, he's a more relatable superstar because I can get like him.

Like, no, no, you can't. He's still the 1% of the 1% just like these teams are. And even if there are a few more three star bodies on the field, you're absolutely right. The story of this game, whether it was, you know, on the defensive side of the football, everything that they were able to do when you look, you know, five sacks against Alabama in the first half that everybody saw. None of them were on the same look and only one, two of them in my mind were like guys physically winning. The other three were they forced Alabama's offensive line to make mental mistakes. They presented so many looks on that side of the ball and Jesse Minner, their defensive coordinator does such a good job, like a very NFL ask, you know, they get the Baltimore Ravens

comps a lot because of the connective tissue coaching wise between the two. They made it health and then on that side and then Shiro more on the other side that play you're talking about. They had taken advantage of Alabama and man coverage situations all day long and put them in a bind and they had not only the right call for that moment, but just in general, something we had seen even in the games where John Jim Harball was suspended was they had the gumption, the belief and the plan to go for it in those situations. They were never deterred or afraid of the moment in the regular season.

And so it wasn't surprising that with the game on the line, everybody involved was comfortable enough to make that call. And that's a very big deal. Yeah, I think the flip side of that too is the end of what happened in the sugar bowl where you had a situation where Washington needs a first down and they can essentially ice the game. And Kalen DeBor decides instead of taking a knee. And maybe there's like, I think there would have been like 15 seconds or something like

that on the clock for Texas to have to go back down the rest of the field. He tries to go for it. The running back, it's hurt. Although it sounds like he is going to play in the national championship game, which is huge because he's been a huge part of their success later on in the season, as we've talked about on the show. But he made the aggressive call to try to go for it and get the first down.

It didn't work because I don't think he expected his running back to get hurt and to stop the clock. But those are the kind of coaching decisions. I don't know if you call them aggressive. I think it's just kind of smart that end up benefiting both of those coaches and winning those really close games. And Texas was just not able to make that final play the way Alabama wasn't able to make

the final play. And we ended up with probably two of the most exciting college football playoff games back to back because of it. I think too you mentioning the coaching part with Kaelin DeBore down the stretch. Think about another high leverage moments. Win in the apple cup that reverse handoff or reverse end around aroma dunesay on fourth down the stretch. Think about another high leverage moments. Win in the apple cup. That reverse handoff or a reverse end around aroma. Dunes A on fourth down backed up. Thalette go, they're all let willing to let it fly that play by failing to bore by the way that run on third and five. I know people saying, Neil, it you would still

have to have had some form of a punt return on that play, which is a risk and then 15 seconds left on it versus. Hey, if you pop a five yard run, the game is over. So I can actually understand that versus everyone running to the Mario, Cristobal comparison at the end of the Georgia Tech game. But you are right overall in that, I think both of these staffs give their team a decided advantage. Like Washington's got the Joe Moore award winning offensive line, a bunch of NFL wide receivers and a quarterback that's steadily climbing draft boards.

And you can still point kind of like we do with like the shane of hand stuff in the NFL and say the system helps these guys all out a lot because of the play calling advantage they have with Ryan grubb, especially on offense. Yeah, I really, really, really love Michael Penex. And I have been like his biggest fan all season. So I'm super excited that we get to watch and play another game. Michigan is a four point favorite. Well, like I said, we'll do a little bit more

National Championship recap in a minute. But we need to go back to, I think, some of the more fun things from this post-season mic. And you were one of the pioneers in a bowl game, edible thing, product branding experiences in your ESPN career. So talk to me about your reaction and seeing the very macabre and disturbing fate of the PopTarpoll mascot in this postseason. It was funny in talking about this in the lead up, I realized that in so many ways I'm

just biting swag from my dad and a lot of this stuff, but he actually was calling the outback bowl once years ago and had spent so much time on air eating a bloomin onion they brought up to the booth that ESPN, like his boss has called him and they're like, all right, we can stop eating now. We don't have to keep doing this. So he was like, I'm hungry. Yes, like a bit. Yeah, I put you put a bloomin onion in front of me and expect me not to destroy. I don't know what you think this is. So to take the through line from that through the mayobull experience that me and Nesha Taylor had and now to this, I was proud.

Like, and to hear them call out the dukes mayobull by name, now the brands are getting competitive and the bulls are getting competitive. And it netted us a freaking pop tart that sacrificed itself on the altar before everyone. Like, we had a pop tart Christ figure in bull season. This is my body, which will be given up for you, happened in front of the national audience. And then we watched Can't Stay. Aaron Lim from Lim. I'm just afraid like what's next?

What where do we go for every year? The brands just get more and more absurd. Like how do we how do we top this now? So I think there's a couple ways. One and unsurprisingly, most of them involved Taylor Swift in my mind. One idea I had for the male bowl, Travis and Jason Kelsey, one of their podcasts recently and tried to claim that the male jumped on the winning coach didn't look like male because the viscosity was a little bit messed up. I think some of this ends with Cincinnati playing in the mayow bowl somehow next year and Jason and Travis Kelsey showing up as the mayo dumpers.

The other thing I think is you just add, well, for the pop tart, the directive is clear because the one complaint people had was you didn't actually eat the live mascot. You had to do the transubstantiation thing. So I think they've got to spend all their time, tech, and budget next year on actually making a mascot suit. Someone can wear that the players can actually nawn. That is kind of what I was expecting. And also when you're talking about the outback ball and the Blooming Onion, I always think

of Ryan Nanny and the Blooming Onion costume. If you're not familiar, please go go ahead. It was, I was actually, I was working for Ryan when that happened and I was home for Christmas and I turned on the TV and I was like, that's my boss and my parents who already don't understand, are at least at the time, didn't understand what my job was. We're like, what?

I was like, yeah, that was a weird New Year's day. It was, it was hard to explain. It's hard enough to try and convince your parents like working in sports or working as a blogger or something is real. And then when your boss is now edible, I'd imagine yeah, that does get a lot more dicey. They're like, wow, that's really weird.

Also, great calves that Ryan and Annie, looks great in that costume. Anywho, shout out Ryan. I have another hot take for you, Mike, which is about the orange bull. I don't really care that it was a blowout. I don't really think that it like means anything. What say you? Uh, I would tend to agree. Like I understand, you know, Kirby, Kirby's in his Nick Sabin

era now, or because he's the big bad at the top of the sport more often than not. He now is going to take the opportunity to have the microphone and say the things because that's what Nick did. But I'm with you. I thought the appeal of college football is always that we can buy in bulk like it's a Costco run during the regular season. We got 133 teams or whatever it is. And so if one game's bad, you move on to the next.

You've got one every night of the week towards the end of the year. And in bull season, if one bull game is bad, well, don't worry. Another one either kicks off later that afternoon or at noon the next day. So I get that it's supposed to be one of the prestige games. But in this day and age, all politics are going to be local. Like every team situation is going to be hyper specific. Our game, you know, the Notre Dame game in El Paso was a perfect example of that. Both teams had dealt with some transition, but because enough of Notre Dame's key players were coming back and because there was so much coaching staff continuity versus what you had for Oregon State for obvious reasons.

Once they're head coach left, they were going to be vastly different results. And you kind of understood why it happened. Yeah. For me, like, when I see a team like Georgia win that game and it was a just massive blowout. I was a 65 to three was the final. I mean, it was, it was incredibly lopsided to say the least. I kind of, my mindset is for the winning team like, oh, wow, good for them. That's a great way to end your season. For the losing team, I'm just like, okay,

I don't really have any sort of like valuable takeaway from that because there were so many reasons why Florida State had the opt-outs that they had. In Georgia, I had opt-outs too, but you just can't compare, like, oh, well, 30 opt-outs here equals 30 opt-outs there. Like, of course not. It matters what position and the depth and everything else, how many practices you get as a starter and all of these other things. It just is like completely impossible to compare one to another.

Trying to, like, the people that wanted to use that is like, oh, see, Florida State never should have been in the CFP. I'm like, that's not how this works. Please don't. No, I don't think that's like a genuine argument. I think that a lot of people, I don't know. Maybe that is, maybe some people do genuinely believe that.

That's fine. The college football playoff games were great. I don't even think it's worth like even continuing to argue about it. But yeah, it's, it's okay that sometimes some of the New Year's six games aren't ultra competitive. I think we had enough really fun games. Both seasons of mixed bag.

I think you get rewarded for tuning in to all of the games and accidentally getting a famous toastery bowl when you're not expecting it. That's kind of the beauty of it. And five million people almost tuned in for the PopTarp bowl between two teams that I don't think anyone will remember played in the pop-tart bowl in a year. So that's great.

That's a great call, Jess, is we need to consider it in totality. Like I always make the, you know, playing Blackjack with a table full of people. You know sucks because you're just basically handing money from one of your friends to the other. None of you actually come out on top in the end. And that's kind of this bowl season. Because think about how many years we've had terrible CFP semifinal games, we just outsourced that to a bull game

that wasn't a CFP game now in exchange for really good semifinal games. That seems like a pretty fair tradeoff for all of us. And also it's just gonna change. It's gonna change next year. There's 12 teams in the playoffs. And the thing that I love, which I have heard from probably like every

program that missed out on the playoff or was in that like 9-3, 8-4, 10-2 range of the season was like, well, next year. Next year, it's a pass-fail grade. Basically, you make the playoff and you pass, you don't, and you fail. And there's like probably, I want to say like 35-plus programs that have that mindset going in next year. And there's probably, I wanna say like 35 plus programs that have that mindset going in next year. And so for anyone who thinks that the 12 team playoffs gonna devalue the regular season, I think especially because it's the first year,

coaches are really, really, really gonna have the pressure on to make it. I do wonder if, and, oh, because a lot of people have brought this up, because more teams make the playoffs, I wonder if that's going to help coaching longevity in certain jobs where before if you were Michigan and Ohio State and you missed the CFP for three years and the 14 version because you lose to the other one, you're on the hot seat immediately after three years. Now if you're making it every year and you have another chance to do that, great, but I

do wonder how this affects coaches down in that like 15 to 20 range where maybe your job would have been pretty safe before because expectations were guarded, but now the expectations got ramped up and I wonder if some of those schools are going to become a little bit less patient. I do. That's a great, a great take. I would love to do like a little infographic tracker on coaching hot seat situations for coaches that make the 12 team playoff, especially in the first year because I think a lot of teams, you know, it's been a small group of teams that have made the four team playoff. And if you're one of them, you are very special and you are a very, very good, you did a good

job. And now that's going to expand. And I think everyone wants to be part of that select few very special programs that have made, especially the programs that have made it twice. So let's pivot ahead to the National Championship game on Monday in Houston. Here's another hot take. I've seen a lot of like, oh, the Rose Bowl should be the National Championship game takes over the last week, Mike. Not sure if I'm sold on that. However, I would like to see more of a college environment in the national championship game. I hate that it's on a Monday. It's going to be super

late. I'm going to be in my jammies again on the couch. But I am looking forward to it. And I am very excited to watch Michigan and Washington play each other because guess what? They get to play each other again in the big 10 next year. So this is going to probably be the start of a little bit of a rivalry, I think. So who you got in this one? Uh, I'm picking Washington in this one. And I think some of that's caked in the recency bias of just watching the way offense looked in the Michigan band of game and then watching against the Texas defense that's not certainly as good as Michigan, but has a lot of, you know, big bodies up front, a lot of similar things that they did to have success that I think Michigan can replicate and just

seeing the way that Michael Pennicks, Jr. played like if he can, if Michael Pennicks, Jr. can muster another game like that. They're going to win because I don't know if Michigan's built to win a shootout like that. But yeah, I'm going to pick Washington to win. I'm going to say that that same combination of things that worked for them, including Pennix's ability to evade pressure gets it done. And then their defense has to make just enough plays against the Michigan offense that

we know, especially we saw at the end when it was when it was nut cut in time. They wanted the ball on the ground. J.J. McCartney made a couple of big throws, but that's always kind of been the formula. And so Washington made enough plays against Sark's group. I think they can do it again here. I love not cutting time. Tell me, tell me more about that next time we do the segment together. I feel like I'm going to take the opposite approach of you just based on vibes. That like that Washington has bad vibes, but just because I thought Michigan going into

this game after the entire season where they've been like, oh, wherever it's the world against us, like they have this chip on their shoulder this could be Jim harbors last game it sounds like he has serious NFL aspirations rest Davis and on the levitator show this week he thought you know it's looking like you might be gone next year so I just I don't think that necessarily they have like any sort of talent advantage over Washington or they're more physical than Washington even, although they certainly looked like a very physical team against Alabama. And I love Washington.

I have enjoyed them this entire season. I think that they have some of the most special wide receiver skill position guys in all of college football this year. And it shows they've won 14 games in a row. But I don't know. I just feel like the the scales are tipping towards Michigan right now for me. And I all it takes is for some of those like long Michigan just hand off the ball 40 time drives.

And that's that's all that's game. I think you're right. And I saw Parker Fleming stats a war on Twitter say this before that he feels like there's more ways Michigan can win this game than there are Washington can win this game. I think he's right. Michigan is the more complete team, especially because of what they are and what they represent defensively. Like I'm so excited about Washington and a very NFL style.

Like it's Washington's offense versus Michigan's defense is like college footballs version this year of when the 49ers played the Ravens like scheme quality of players, all that stuff's great. But the other side is on paper advantage Michigan pretty in a pretty big way with their offense, what they can do on the ground versus a Washington defense that's been timely, but never consistent. Yeah. And I think, despite what I just said, Washington's offense keeps them in the game no matter what the margins are, right? Because they just, I mean, if you watched Michael Penis throw those absolute dimes in the sugar bowl, all it takes is one of those, right, to break open a defense and score six points.

So I'm hoping it's a good game. I hope it's a close game. I hope it's a good game. I hope it's a close game. I hope it's a fun game. I would hate for such a fun college football. So college football. So my final day to be followed up by by another national championship blowout like we had last year. But right now, given the edge to Michigan. Man, does that hurt you to say? Like I don't know what your relationship with Michigan is as like a Notre Dame fan despise them. I this is me giving them an emotional hedge. I'm gonna accept, I'm gonna accept the worst case scenario and then if it happens, I accepted it. It's already the hatred is coursing through my veins already and it can't hurt me.

And if I put all my hope in Washington and then they lose, it's gonna, it's gonna crush me, Mike. So this is me giving me giving Michigan their flowers. This is the, again, your ever present reminder, sports fandom is a mistake. It's a sickness that we all willingly allowed into our body and we'll work for it. I'm disgusting. But any who, that's our episode of Gen CFP.

I hope people have enjoyed it. Lucy should be back next week. I hope, right, Taylor? Yep, I believe so. I pissed. I thought this was foot girls. I came prepared. Oh, God. Put that back. I was ready to do the damn thing. What's on the side of your foot? Is that a callus? I think it's a callus. Yeah, I've been putting in work lately. Welcome to the foot fan. No, there's no foot fans.

Foot people. We are foot people out here. Let's go. You're not invited back on. I'm sorry. Family problem called winning onto gambler. Agent eligibility restrictions apply. Boy, we're prohibited. See, drive things that are comfortable to tell.