The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Texas Humiliated At Home By Georgia, Could USC and Lincoln Riley Be Headed For Divorce?

Episode Date: October 21, 2024

Colin’s joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to break down the biggest games in college football! College football reactions are presented by JLab! They start by talking about the marquee matchup between Texas and Georgia being dominated by the Bulldogs (2:30), why Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has proven he’s not a first round draft pick (4:00) and why this could actually be a loss that helps Texas win a national championship (8:00). Finally, they break down USC’s woes both on the field and especially when it comes to their struggles recruiting top talent from the state of California (12:00), and debate whether USC and head coach Lincoln Riley could be destined for a divorce (15:00) (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians,

and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit are armed? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The volume. All of these college football reactions presented by J-Lab, I'm wearing my J-Lab earbuds right now, they're awesome. They have the best audio products in the game.

They're ready to take care of you this football season. Okay, whether you're traveling to watch your favorite team play or just streaming the game at home, find the blue box. That's how I first found it at an airport, Logan Airport in Boston. Find the blue box at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and More, or just visit jaylab.com. Their price points, really good. I want to talk Georgia, Texas. So Georgia beat Texas 30 to 15.

Again, Georgia couldn't do anything offensively, and they beat Texas. So my big takeaway on this was Carson Beck. is no longer a first round quarterback. Like, it's just not. You just can't draft him in the first. Is he a second day quarterback? I wrote down here. So it was 23 of 41.

This is with Georgia talent. No touchdown three picks. I wrote down top of third round. I mean, when I watched him, I'm like, he feels, he feels like a third round pick. Georgia actually was decent on third down, but they only had 14 first downs. Go to Austin. and double the longhorns. But Quinn Ewers, now, Texas couldn't run the ball at all.

And they almost felt, I will say this, Georgia has been in so many of these big games over the last six years. Georgia was totally ready for the moment. Texas has been in about three of these. Two or three was Sark. I don't think they were ready. They were atrocious on third down. They couldn't run the football.

But Quinn Ewers, I thought, I still think because of his arm he'll get drafted somewhere in the first round. Somebody will think they can solve him. But I kind of, I mean, Texas average with the best offensive line in college football, 3.4 yards of play. When I watched that game, and by the way, outside, I mean, Oregon had two bad games and won. Ohio State lost, but I didn't think played poorly. Bama's had a stinker. George's had a stinker. Texas has had a stinker. This is why I have a 12-game playoff. This is, I mean, I think Ohio State to me is the most consistently good team. whereas Oregon got Ohio State at home. You ought to be careful.

They look terrible against Boise State and terrible against Idaho. I kind of look at this Texas game and I think this is just one of those games that Georgia's been in. I mean, it's just they've been in this game six years, probably three games a year like this. I thought it was a personality game. And I've been critical when it comes to Sark over the years. but I've slowly come around. He's clearly an excellent play caller. I saw him live.

He's brilliant at that. It's clear how hard he recruits and how much passion he puts inside this program. But at the end of the day, he's a quarterback, right? That's who he is at his core. And Kirby Smart is Sabin's mentee, and he's a crazy-ass defensive guy. Like, at his core, he's a crazy defensive guy. I mean, we've seen it on the sideline, but he's a former safety. He's a tough guy.

and usually quarterbacks, like they're just not super angry all the time. Sark's more intellectual, always more offense. This was a game, and Kirby said it after the game, like, we didn't come here to take pictures and do all the superstar BS. Well, what happened in that game? It was all about the line of scrimmage. Well, Texas actually has, you know, supposedly a bunch of NFL guys. They had seven sacks, and it felt like they had 25 pressures.

And that, can you imagine how on edge Kirby was all week with just the defensive side of the ball. And the way you can't, to me, you can't manipulate that stuff. I've been in these buildings, like the head coach's personnel, it is what it is. You either have the crazy, listen, Andy's not like, you know, coming with an iron fist on everybody, but he does create toughness with the way he practices. Sark, the offensive guys historically, you know, Lincoln Lane, they're just not, not doing Oklahoma drills. Like at the moment's notice, The Sabin types, the Kirby types, will just blow a whistle, maybe not as much anymore, but that personality of a practice.

You can't fake that stuff. And you could tell from the jump, you're like, Georgia is out for blood. This is a team. All they've heard about is everyone put in Texas who's new to the SEC, and they run it now. And Kirby looks around and goes, that is not happening on my watch. And they came, they destroyed them up front. I mean, that Walker kid, I mean, he had three sets. He was all over the backfield.

But to have seven sacks, and even Arch came in, you could tell, I was, listen, I had money on Georgia, but I then started feeling I was rooting for Arch and right away, I'm like, yeah, he looks a little overwhelmed. Yeah. This is a lot. And Quinn Ewers just isn't good enough. Like, to me, Carson Beck is a third day pick. And I don't, you know, part of a quarterback is the character and stuff.

I know nothing about that, but just as a player. Yeah. I just don't think he's that good. Same. But Kirby Smart would go, I've won national championships with third day picks before. You ever heard of Stetsa Bennett? I went back to backs with that guy. Yeah.

So I'm at, Sabins and him are comfortable playing with that. Or if you look at Sark, what did they have invested in their quarterback room between the two guys? You were in Arch, $5 million? Yeah.

You know, I mean, whatever they're paying Carson Beck, Kirby's like, yeah, that's probably too much. Because he wants to run the ball and play defense. Yeah, I did think, though, because of the 12-team playoff, it was the way Texas-

team's good. I don't think Texas sucks by any means. Like, I just think that was an overall. overwhelming performance. George is probably beating everybody in the country. And I think it's how Texas had to lose to win a national championship. Because this Texas team is so pretty and so talented quarterback and so big, they win the hotel lobby. I mean, you come out at midfield, you're like, these guys don't look like a college team. I saw them live two weeks ago. They look remarkable at every position.

Yeah. And it's like, oh, no. Now, last year before the 12 team playoff, you don't want to like this in college football. I mean, that'll take you from one to four, and all of a sudden, you get to an overtime game against, you know, some other team, and it's, but that's how the new college football, John, with a 12-team playoff, if you want to win a natty, you need to get your butt handed to you once a year. And because these two teams, there's a better than 50% chance. They'll play again. And the final four or the final, right? Right. So it's like to me, as I watched it, I thought, okay, if Texas outplayed them and lost, it would be hard to go back and say, hey, guys, you've got to play a perfect game.

Texas was humiliated at home. And I mean, I'm writing down these numbers. They were two for 15 on third down. They had 29 rushing yards. They got their butt handed to do them at home. And my take was in a weird way. We've talked about March Madness before, these Kansas teams, you know, you'll play a really good team out of conference. And it's like, no, it's okay to get your butt handed to you.

December? Because in March, you can put the tape back into your team and say, remember this team that knocked you out? But the one thing in March Maddis, that's a good example. What's his name, Bennett, just retired in Virginia. And he had that historic loss in the first round. And obviously, like any great coach, if you go to tournament enough, you're going to have some awful losses. Because only one game and anything can happen. Yeah. Well, my take is really on both these two teams. And to me, if Georgia's defense plays like like that, they would be hard for anyone to beat because up front, they just smother you. But Both quarterbacks, if you're playing another good team, could lose to anybody.

Because yours, when he's bad, he just felt awful. Like, it felt like unplayable. I mean, everyone was thinking it on their couch. Like, Sark, you got to go to the bullpen. It was that clear to him, which could not have been an easy thing to do. Now, granted, it's a unique situation with Archie's not like your typical high recruit because he goes right back to yours. But he had no choice. Like, he was playing a losing football game.

Carson Beck kind of was, too. Yeah. So in these big games. against other good teams, like, you could lose it. Will Howard, actually, I thought watching that game against Oregon, you know, we'll see how he could, yeah, I thought so too. But like, what if he has a bad game? Like all these teams, we'll see Dylan Gabriel, who's probably, you know, has the best statistics of all these guys, but like you don't have the faith like a Joe Burrow, right, or one of those level guys that like, no matter what he's going to make a play. At any moment in the, in the final

eight, the final four, these guys could have a bad game and it could cost their team. I'm not confident in any of these teams. Like, I think they're all going to be there. It's pretty clear who's going to be the last six, seven teams standing right now, right? Who the best teams are. Oregon, obviously Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, like, and then a couple more. We could nitpick from like five or six. Tennessee, maybe, yeah. Their quarterbacks, even Tennessee, like, their quarterback at any moment can throw the game. Like, all these guys, there's Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. That is not the version of guy. Shador, I would have the most confidence, but they blew that Kansas State game. They're probably not going to get in. And their team wouldn't be good

enough. They'd have no chance to block Tennessee or Georgia. But like if you put Shador, like the way he's playing on one of these teams, I would have a lot more confidence. I can't just with a straight face pick Georgia to win the Natty. I don't trust the quarterback. Quinn Ure is like, I don't think he's that good. Right? Well, Howard, we'll find out as the season goes on. Aller made some great plays against USC, but he's got to do it against, you know, he's got to do it more than one time. He's only done it one time in his career. So I think that's the biggest question mark, you know, with all the top teams in college football. is like their quarterback.

Do they get overwhelmed in a game, throw three or four? Both those quarterbacks could have thrown like five picks each. I mean, their balls were bouncing off the other, the other color jersey countless times. They looked overwhelmed. They really did. Even Carson Beck, who was just, I had someone text me that he's like, I don't remember a guy because there was a lot of media hype, but there was a lot of NFL hype. Yes.

He was a first girl kid. I don't remember a guy losing millions this fast. I mean, we're not even to Halloween. And everyone's like, oh, can't do it. draft this guy high. So I want to talk USC even though they are a losing team. They're now three and four because here's what is remarkable. And I think it's worth six or seven minutes with us because you know, people know I follow them. So Billy Edwards for Maryland is not a great college quarterback. They were two for 13 on third down. They had 56 yards rushing and Maryland beat USC.

And USC has led every game most of them late because they are so agreed. bad on the offensive line and so young, they can't like, they can't put together like a 12 play dry to seal wins. They had Penn State beat. They had Maryland beat. They had Minnesota. They never felt like they were in control. But it's, but it's interesting about this is that I was talking to somebody very close to USC. And he said, listen, he's got a Jimbo Fisher deal. USC's not right in 70 million dollar checks. And they're not getting rid of him. But there's been this feeling since he's been there in the administration that he has a lot more control over USC than USC has over him. In fact, they're building this big facility now, $300 million because it's in its contract. And if they

don't build it, he can leave. But it is interesting. I actually think they have some really, really good line talent. They're just all redshirting and they're young. But what's happening with USC's fascinating. They're not recruiting California. If you go look at the rivals, take rivals, for instance, or on three, these recruiting sites. And you go to the top of the 40 players in Southern California in this class. They're getting like three guys. It's like Bama, Oregon, Bama, Ohio State, Oregon, A&M, A&M, Louisville, Alabama. And there is something about college football. It's very territorial, John. You can lose. But if you're not in Ohio state, you just have to take a three-star linebacker occasionally because he's an Ohio kid.

You just have to do it. You got to take the 10th. tight end, who's a three star. He's from a big high school program locally. There may be a three star Florida kid, but you're going to have to do certain things. You know, Ohio is proud of Ohio. L.A. is very transient. Doesn't really care about that. But I'm hearing it now from two and three different people, like he's just not connecting with L.A. coaches. And it's like, can you imagine Kirby Smart doing most of his recruiting in Texas? Like, it, there is something about Lincoln. There's this sense that he's aloof. He's not necessarily. necessarily relatable. He can be off-putting. He, you know, he just, it's not just the losing.

Once you start losing, people put a microscope on your program. Now you have losing. He's not really going, he doesn't wow boosters, right? Like that was the undoing for Chip Kelly. You're not winning and you don't take care of the donors and boosters. Do you think today, if USC could just go, we're starting over. Would they? I think they'd both want a divorce. To me, Lincoln feels,

has always felt, and I've said this to you from the beginning, regions and where you're from matters in college football does not matter in the pros. And in college football, it just does because

recruiting your region, especially when it's in Southern California, when a ton of good players come from, matters. Well, who could relate? Pete Carroll, why? He's a California guy. Right?

I mean, you look at the best coaches over the last, I don't know, several decades on the West Coast. Jeff Tedford, where's he from, California? Chris Peterson, where'd he coach? Boise State, Washington. Where'd he grow up? California went to UC Davis. Mike Bellotti, where was he from?

West Coast. Chip Kelly, there are outliers. Urban went to the South. Chip Kelly, who's the Northeast, came to Oregon. But I think Kirby Smart, like, why does he work in the SEC? I wonder. You know, Nick Saban, West Virginia, to me pretty similar. Had a lot of success.

You see it right now with DeBore. He's going to get a lot of heat. he's not one of theirs. And I think the USC thing, Colin, they're one and four in the Big Ten. It's, to be the Penn State thing, that's an awful, tough loss to take, but it's still Penn State, they're really good. When you start losing the Minnesota and Maryland, especially the way, the stat, I was going to read it to you, like you said, they've held a lead in every game they've played this year. And over the last 20 years, 200 teams have had a fourth quarter lead in all of their first seven games. only one other team during that span has had a losing record.

So they're like a statistical anomaly to lose all these games. Yesterday was insane. I mean, they're up 28 to 14 in the fourth quarter. I mean, how does that? It's just, and this gets back to like, Sark has way better talent, but you can't fake being a tough guy in football when you're not. Like, Dan Campbell's a tough guy. The Harbaugh's a tough guys.

Vrabel. Tomlin's a tough guy. Vrabel's a tough guy. Belichick could manipulate it like through mind games and the type guys he surrounded himself with. I'm not saying he's going to win a fist fight, but you'd also say Belichick's pretty mentally tough, right? I mean, he's not easy to break.

And I just think I look at Lincoln and I go, I just don't see a tough guy. And they've gotten into these spots, especially on the road. These are not, you're not going to Oregon State, right, or Arizona State where it's an easy flight. These are a long, how long is the flight to Maryland? Is that a five-hour flight? Yeah.

Right? You go into Minnesota, that's probably four and a half hours. These are tough travels, and they just mentally crumble. And I never thought, one, I thought he was really good coach, so I understood why they wanted him. LSU wanted him to. They gave him $120 million. I still think he's a very clever schemer and play designer. But it's just like they need a defensive coordinator.

And it's not like he has this long list of guys because the Leach guys, think of his, the tree that he comes from. It's kind of, it's not a tree that produces many, like, tough physical football teams. That's not like his ethos is a football guy. right the Mike leach the way he wants to play he'd ideally like to win 45 to 38 that's i mean that's how he had a lot of success in oklahoma with the baker teams they were scoring a ton of points but con their their schedule's not crazy hard but you go like seven and five seven and five this is year three they have didn't him they have two they have two playable offensive tackles in the program him and brian kelly got hired the same year right year three

And we talked about this when they got in a little scuffle about him wanting to cancel the game. He ended up beating them. But what has transpired since? You watch Brian Kelly's team like, are those LSU going to the playoffs? Probably. I mean, they might look like their schedule. And they're getting better and better. And he's playing, they're both playing Nussmeyer and Miller Moss.

It's not like you've got Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams anymore. And I don't know, man. I think you go back. Let's just look at those two guys. Brian Kelly has a long resume. You could put him anywhere and he'll figure it out. Lincoln did inherit Oklahoma, which at the time was humming. I mean, they were a lot like Chip Kelly in Oregon.

It wasn't top two every year, but they were top 18, 15 every year. You just had to take that next step. That's an easier thing to do than just, hey, here's a shit sandwich, Nick Sabin, what Brian Kelly, get me just 11 wins every year. That's really difficult. And only what Urban can do, there's a short list of guys that can do that. Even though if Lincoln's a really good coach, I just think he fits more. I don't know, like some big 12 team.

I just think that's the way he wants to play. This Big Ten has been very, very difficult on him. And it's way harder travel. They're like traveling like NFL teams. Yeah. This is conference play. You're flying four hours, five hours. That never happened in the history of these programs.

Also, he's getting, it's late October. He's getting weather breaks. Minnesota was warm, little windy. Maryland weather was good. There's going to be years where it's snow. Like when you go to the, they have one. playable running back, like in a big spot, a guy you would trust with the ball. They have two playable offensive tackles.

We're three years in. Their NIL is 13 million a year. Now, it's not Oregon or Georgia or Texas, but it's in the Ohio State realm. It's about 13. I was telling somebody this weekend who's really close. I said, there's three or four positions you buy in the NIL, quarterback, left tackle, edge rusher. You'll find receivers.

I mean, they have an okay quarterback, left tackle, they're playing a freshman. They don't have an elite edge rusher. It's like, Lincoln, don't buy corners. You know, that's, this is L.A. People run. You can get backs, corners, receiver. You can get those guys. You don't pay tight ends in the transfer portal.

You don't pay guards in the transfer portal. They have an offensive and a defensive lineman from Wyoming and both start. It's like, what are we doing here? I know times are a lot different than, you know, the hey day of P. Carroll, but when I close my eyes and I think of those rosters and when I got to college and they started really taken off, the base of the squad, and this is what you opened up saying, was all Southern California, L.A. and San Diego, they're best players. And then, because he was such a great recruiter, he'd go get a Joe McKnight from Louisiana, this guy from New Jersey. He'd nitpick. And I get the recruiting worlds changed. But to me, how do they build the moment? in recruiting if he's not Mr. Pazaz. So that's not his thing. Their team's not as good. Oregon, Ohio State.

I mean, Alabama and Oklahoma and these other programs for years have been coming into Southern California as USC has kind of been in the middle ground. You see the numbers that Clay Hilton through his first 34 games and Lincoln Riley? He has a better record. I just think this thing is headed toward one. Now, there's so much money in the line. I don't know why if Lincoln, why you would just give a divorce, but he's got to be kind of miserable. This can't be a natural fit living on the beach.

Like, he does not feel like that guy. Pete did. I think Lane would have no problem doing it again. Like, it's, yeah, this is not, it does not feel when you look at Lincoln Riley, the comfortability in the colors and the clothes. And it's obviously not working because one in four in the Big Ten, it's one thing if you had lost to Ohio State, Penn State. I mean, they are losing to awful teams.

Like, Maryland should never have won that game, ever. I don't have just how many players. Do you, I mean, do you think that there's a divorce imminent here? No, no. I think they have, he'll, I think Jen Cohen, the AD is going to, she's going to stay with him. But it gives her a lot of leverage. I'm not saying they fire them, but I'm saying, do you think Lincoln's happy? Like, do you think this is like, this isn't working?

So is this one of these things that does he want to do this? Yeah, I think they're losing close. And the team is so young offensively. I think he can rationalize the losses and say, we bring everybody back except a running back and a center. And I do think they'll be better next year. I just think I can assure you, Jen Cohn and the administration and the boosters, they didn't think they were winning a Natty. But they, this has been. Didn't think they were going seven and five either.

Five and seven. Just keep your fingers crossed. John Middlecough, former NFL Scout, three and out to his podcast. Good seeing you, buddy. See you, Colin. The volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed the podcast, take a moment, rate, and review.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the...

80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

Guaranteed human.