The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Dak Prescott should be in the discussion for MVP

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

Colin explains why Dak Prescott deserves to be in consideration for the MVP and how he compares to others who have won the award in the past Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt joins the show in studio to give his reaction to the final four teams selected for the College Football Playoff and the omission of undefeated Florida StateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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or stream us live every day on the IHart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go, hour two live in Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making this part of your day. Joel Clatt, about 25 minutes from now stops by. I had to move. He got a lot of things on his plate.

Probably talking to committee members. It's amazing. We live in this country now where if anybody ever doesn't get their way, something is rigged. I mean, you hear all these people like, eh, it's rigged. I mean, the SEC is the best conference by a mile and has been for 20 years.

Get over it. We need an investigation. Yeah, you know why the ACC's been so bad for so long, and they still get into the tournament occasionally. I mean, it's like rigged, and it's it. I got news for you. Television networks have a lot of power in college sports, because we pay all the bills.

You want to know why Florida's state's got a really good coach. He's really good. And they pay him like $8, $10 million a year because of TV networks. Go look at what Division II football coaches make, $125,000 a year. Yours makes $125,000 a week. Why? TV networks. Yes. They have a say, I've said this all the time about March Madness. CBS TNT. If they pay for the wedding, they get to make up the seating chart. They get to say, I don't want this in-law next to that in-law.

They're not going to choose the teams, but they're going to say, you know, I'd like to see Georgetown play Villanova in the second round. They have absolutely that right. When people complain about where you're seated, they don't pick the teams, but they're going to tell you where they're going to play. I'm paying for the wedding. I'll tell you where your Uncle Earl's going to sit. I don't like you much. You're going to sit in the other side of the room. I mean, that's the reality of it.

Yeah, if you're shocked that TV networks have control in college sports, that's a you problem. You can't figure that out after all the issues. years. I've never had a problem with CBS or TNT saying, hey, it's March Madness, we're paying the bill for all of it. We want to see Arizona play UCLA in the second round. We want Gonzaga taking on Arizona.

We want to see Xavier play Cincinnati or whoever it is. Like, I get it. They're not selected in the teams. Networks didn't select Alabama. They went 9 and 0 in the SEC. It's the best conference by a mile. They beat Georgia. Nobody beats Georgia. All right. So I was thinking about Dak Prescott, J. Matt.

And he's having the best year of his career. He's now odds-on favorite up there with the great Brock Purdy to an MVP. And I was saying to the guys this morning, we were all talking about, as a team, about Jack Prescott went in the MVP and the Cowboys as a whole. And I said, you know what this year reminds me of? It reminds me of the Cam Newton year and the Matt Ryan year where the Panthers and the Falcons got to the Super Bowl eventually lost, but I'll get to that in a second, is that everything is kind of lining up.

First of all, for DAC to an MVP. You know, I mean, you got Aaron Rogers is hurt and Burrow was gone, and Mahomes is trying to work with all these kid-wide receivers, so he's having a down year, and Josh Allen's a turnover machine. So it's kind of lining up for the MVP. But in terms of teams, this Dallas team feels a little like that Carolina team that went 15 and 1. Big emotion, blew out a lot of teams, was great playing with a lead,

was good home and away, but better at home, great defensive players, multiple pro bowlers and playmakers on the defensive side. Remember that Carolina team? And then the Atlanta Falcons team reminds me of this Cowboys team because both had Dan Quinn coaching the defense, both had one star receiver, CD-LAM for the Cowboys, Julio Jones. The quarterback Matt Ryan had come off a heavy interception year. And the year they got to the Super Bowl, he cut way back on his picks. DAC last year tied for the NFL leading picks.

They've come way down this year. They had one great pass rusher, one great offensive lineman, again, a Dan Quinn defense. So I didn't think that Carolina team was great. The Atlanta team was great, and I don't think Dallas is great. And eventually Carolina and Atlanta were beat by a legendary quarterback with the number one defense. Brady, that Patriot defense was number one, came back to beat him in that game, shouldn't have did. and then that Peyton Manning Denver defense, remember, they went on to beat the CAM team. So it's like, you know, so if Mahomes ends up playing Dallas, to me, I would take Kansas City and Mahomes to beat Dallas.

It'd be a legendary quarterback. But it does feel a little bit to me, this Dak Dallas team. Everything's lined up. Everything lined up that year for Carolina. Big emotion, defensive playmakers, a lot of blowouts, played downhill, heavy emotion. and a quarterback who's good, Cam Newton was good, having a great year. A quarterback who's very good,

Matt Ryan, having a great year. A quarterback who's good to very good, Dak, having a great year. So it kind of, Mike McCarthy's talks about DAC's season so far. It's the level of productivity and, you know, and I think the consistency of it, you know, to be able to go out there

week in and week out and put your team in position through production and performance to win the game in age of, obviously done at an extremely high level here, let's six weeks. By the way, coach is having an appendix

taken out today. Is that what he's having? So we wish Mike McCarthy luck. He's had a great year. He'll be back on the sidelines, but we do wish Mike the very best. He's a good guy, and he's had a great year. And we said this time and time again,

if I come out and I beat up on people from time to time, and I kind of took Aaron Rogers' side on the Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rogers split. But I've got to be fair here. Mike built up Green Bay to get to Super Bowl, and this team right now is playing great. That offensive lines, as good as it's been in three years. C.D. Lamb, Dack is unbelievable.

Dax having an unbelievable year. We've got to be fair here. You can be rigid, you can be stubborn. We have new information now. Aaron's the one struggling. Mike McCarthy's not. He's had a great year. I know nobody wants to hear this, but he's got to be considered for coach of the year. I know you don't want to hear it, but he's got to be considered. Lost Kell and Moore. We're all sitting there thinking this isn't going to work. I don't know. Pretty good. Got to consider him.

Wait a minute. Coach of the year? They are the first, second, or third best team in the league. Is that out? You got Brock Purdy being MVP, and I can't say Mike McCarthy's in the running for coach of the year? I mean, can he beat a couple good teams first? Is that too much to ask of Michael? Can you get a couple nice wins? Like, yeah, pasting Washington by 40 and the New York Giants led by Tommy DeVito.

Yeah. Come on. Coach of the year? He ran off Kellyn Moore, by the way. Number one scoring offense. Dax having his best year. After the buy, this teams look totally different. Good coaches make a difference after the bar.

Who's their better coaching job? McCarthy or, say, I don't know, Dibico Ryans in Houston, which was like a four or five-win team. Yeah, but Houston's not as good as Dallas. Yeah, but they're way better than they were supposed to be. I'm just saying, I'm not saying he has to win. Shane Steichen with a backup quarterback. No, no, no.

Shane Steichen is who I would give the award to. But what if they lose their next three? Mike McDaniel or McCarthy? I think Mike McDaniel should be considered. What if he loses his next two? What if McCarthy loses his... Dallas has a lot of doubles on that slate. Wow.

Number one in point differential. Something. It's very Carolina Panthers. I need to check your phone see if Jerry Jones was texting me last time or something. What is this? McCarthy coaches... No, I mean, maybe it's my guilt. I'm not even...

You know, I don't have any religious guilt. I'm agnostic. But maybe it's some guilt that I beat up on a guy for years. And in the end, it's like we have new information. The pilot's been landing the plane. He's been avoiding the storms and the turbulence. He's had a good year. He's had a good year.

Yeah, yeah, we can say that. And by the way, you have this a lot of times. To win a Super Bowl is not just having the best players. Things have to line up for you. Kansas City got to one and got blown out because they lost their tackles. Generally in the Super Bowl, you got to get some breaks. A rival doesn't play as well. A coach gets fired.

A star gets a – it's not just the best team. We've got a salary cap here. There are no great teams in the NFL. San Francisco's got a lot of good players. Now they're missing their safety. We don't know how good Brock Purdy is. The right side of their old line's okay, not great. You know, it's just, and again, you think they're going to be healthy in the playoffs?

Everybody's available. I don't. Somebody will get banged up. San Francisco is as close as you can get with a salary cap now to a great team. But they don't have a great quarterback. They have a quarterback who's a product of his environment that's playing very well. Good, not special. Sorry, but we'll see.

Now, here's the other thing. And so if I said to you, Buffalo, you would say, I would say, what a disappointing season. What a mess. Defensive coordinator quit. They had to fire the offensive coordinator. Vaughn Miller's got legal issues. Josh Allen's productive, but a turnover machine. McDermott still can't develop a consistent run game.

They're six and six. What a disappointment. And then you look up and you go, wait a minute. If they win Sunday at Kansas City, they're seven and six. They've already obliterated Miami. They will have beaten Kansas City. Burroughs done. Trevor Lawrence isn't coming back for a month. Week to week in this league, perception and reality changes. Like this is the season

for the, if they beat Kansas City, they're seven and six. And you know and I know they match up really well with Miami. Miami can't stop Josh Allen. They haven't in four years. Vic Fangio or not. Miami cannot stop Josh Allen, especially in the red zone. He owns them. And if they beat Kansas City, they're seven and six. No Joe Burrow. So Sean McDermott talks about their stretch run. The encouraging thing is everything, all the goals that we set for ourselves are still within our reach. You know, obviously we have some adjustments we need to make. When you look at overall with the games we have lost, they've been either turnover-based

or one score based on the defensive side getting off the field. And then obviously special teams is baked into all that. Bill's Chiefs. I like Kansas City. Buffalo wins. Got a real team. Seven and six. It's been a very choppy year.

Remember, again, it's not linear. These seasons last a long time. Teams that Jordan Love was awful in October. It's pretty good now. Three weeks and over, pretty good. Kansas City's young receivers, a disaster early. Rishie Rice getting better. What if they hammer Buffalo this weekend?

So it's like this stuff all takes time. Trevor Lawrence, now he's not playing. Joe Burrow out for the year. All right. So what happens if Buffalo loses, falls to six and seven? And they lost like every single close game that mattered this year. Then it's a different story. But you can change your story in this league very quickly.

Six and six. I mean, we've got five weeks to go. Who does this game mean more to? Bills or Chas? Oh, my God, the bills. Kansas City's going to be fine. They're just trying to figure out. Are they really?

Yeah. Look at their division. Chargers, mess. Raiders. We know they're going to make the playoffs, but that's not the standard for this team. But I mean, Buffalo, we don't know if they're going to make the playoffs. By the way, the breaking news today, Zach Wilson is starting for the New York Jets this weekend against Houston. Lines come down a bit.

So, Zach Wilson's starting. That's been an incredibly turbulent story. Robert Sala gets control of it. Diana Rusini saying Zach Wilson didn't want to start. Kind of had to be talked into it. There's health concerns. Whatever. I trust Diana Rusini's reporting.

I've known her for a while. She's really smart, really good, really trustable. So the Jets have to write this ship. It's a bit of a circus. They did. Zach Wilson starts, and they have released Tim Boyle. I think that was yesterday. All right, I've got a great parlay for you this weekend, thanks to Draft King Sportsbook. New users use the code heard H-E-R-D when you download the app. Now for the parlay pick of the week via Draft King Sportsbook.

I like the Ravens at home minus seven against the Rams. NFC teams this year, Detroit, Seattle that have gone east to face Lamar Jackson and that speed offense have been clobbered. I'll take the Ravens to win by over a touchdown. The Browns have Joe Flacco, but their defense at home should shut down the Jags who won't have Trevor Lawrence or Christian Kirk. He's having surgery. I like the Browns by a touchdown. Chiefs minus two and a half at home over the bills. They're better.

They're bouncing off a loss, which they normally do. And I just don't trust the bills in a big spot. Ravens, Brown's Chiefs, home favorites like them all. If you want to take the herd parlay, check out Draft King's sportsbook. New users, please use the code herd. H-E-R-D when you download the app. Takes a minute, that's all. 21 plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction.

Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 8778-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y 467-369. See show notes for full details. 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 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 I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball. basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks. I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Joel clats around the corner. By the way, Netsweet, when your business reaches a certain scale. challenges surface you need a tailored solution go to net suite.com slash herd h-h-e-r-d J-Mack with the news no no no turn on the news this is the herd line news

Eagles Cowboys game of the week it's the big rematch and they were also battling off the field for free agent linebacker Shaq Leonard who you seem to have an affinity for Colin Eagles got him and Jerry Jones talked about missing out on the linebacker. I just have to almost step back when I think about, man, these are the times we're in when a player like that can be available and pick his team, which he can, it does, and be on the field within three or four days. And so it's just a unique period of time. And he apparently wanted to go where he thought he had the best chance. And again, certainly recognized and honor his decision

there. It never was an issue for us regarding our confidence that we've gotten our linebackers. By the way, I think if he plays 25 snaps, 20 snaps, he can make play. Like Chase Young with the Niners. Can you give me a sack in a big

playoff game? I think Shaq Leonard can play. I think he's not a foundational piece anymore. Now that Gardner, Monshu, Shane Steik, and they're going to pivot to an offensive culture, I think, you know, I think Indie's all in with their coach, his decisions. You don't want to pay a linebacker. but I think Philadelphia is in a different window.

They're a Super Bowl team. It's how San Francisco looks at Chase Young. We're a Super Bowl team. Can we get a sack in a big game from Chase Young? It may be that sack. Windy the football game against Jalen Hurtcher, D, and I think Shaq Leonard can play. Yeah, Nicopi D, and the young kid they have. He's on IRR, banged up.

But if you watch San Francisco, they dominated the middle of the field. Like, it was just, Kittle, Debo. Eagles don't have linebackers. They've decided with that defense. We're not going to be invested in linebackers. It's all defensive line and secondary. Here's what's funny. So linebackers.

Linebackers are still valuable. When the Bravens went and got Roquan Smith, he's changed their defense. It's just, do you want to pay that? Because you have to pay quarterback, left tackle, weapon, pass, rusher. So linebacker is the, we always bellyache about running backs. Linebackers don't get paid what they used to get paid. Safeties don't get paid. So the analytics of football are like, don't pay a running back a second contract.

Don't pay a linebacker, especially an offball linebacker, and don't pay a safety. But what happens when you get a great linebacker, like Roquan Smith, leads the world and tackles. The Ravens are interesting. I'm looking forward to like a deeper dive on this team because Kyle Hamilton, the kid out of Notre Dame, kind of started last year struggled. He's good, and he's been awesome. Awesome. So they have an awesome safety and an awesome linebacker. That's really off brand for like what the league is now, right? You want the defensive line. But couldn't I argue, this is the argument. And I think it's a really good argument. Because I, you and I both kind of like fashion ourselves. We like mock drafts. We like this stuff.

The construction of teams, the architecture of organizations. Is I'm not a huge fan of paying a linebacker. But if it's Fred Warner, I'll take it. So there's a lot of things in, I'm not a car guy. That's just not my thing, right? Like I got my car, but I don't obsess over cars. You don't have like a weekend car that you drive around? I have a

car. I've never had a second car. But again, if you gave me if I saw an old the old Porsche Carrera or something and I was like, oh my God, I'm going to use that. Not that I wouldn't be attracted to it, like if a line, if somebody is great or something is great,

Even though you don't want to spend the money of it, great is great. Like, I mean, a great is great. There's just not a Roquan Smith duplicate. Fred Warner's insane. He can cover space nobody else can. I would pay for Fred Warner. Now, I did think Chicago needed to move off Roquan because they had so many other needs. Well, they went and paid Edmonds, the young kid.

I think Pittsburgh or Buffalo, one of those teams. And he hasn't been great for them. Like, I don't know. Anyways, let's move on. Patriots, take on the Steelers tomorrow night. But Belichick yet to name a. starter for the matchup. Bailey Zappy took the podium yesterday. A good sign that he's probably the starter. Here's what he had to say when asked about Belichick's decision.

Bailey, you actually told you're starting on Thursday? Coaches, you know, made it pretty clear, but I'll let him, you know, announce it to everybody that's, you know, private right now. And whenever he announces it, that's with him. He even sounds like Belichael. Nobody in the NFL actually tanks, but they're doing the best job to not win. Let's leave Mac Jones in there as long as we can. Now it's untenable.

We'll throw Bailey Zappy in. He can't do a damn thing. Listen, Steelers Patriots Thursday night might be a like go out with the wife, hang out with the family. Like, I don't know that I can watch this game. It's bad. The total is like cratering near 30, Colin.

30 points in an NFL game. Tribisky, Zappy. Well, I'm not going to watch it. I'm not paid to watch bad football. There's going to be plenty of good games on. There is the NBA in season semifinals are on a Lakers game, I think.

On Sunday. You think I'm going to watch that? No, no, they play Thursday. They play Thursday, Vegas, and the finals are Saturday because there's no college football. The NBA will line that. Maybe I'll go watch a replay of that Louisville, Florida State game that was so interesting. I got an idea. Remember the Titans.

Could you check it out? I've never watched it. Do it for me for Christmas. Make that my present. You will watch Remember the Titans this week. I don't know if that time. I'm going skiing Saturday. I don't have time.

Denzel Washington. Yeah, I know he's great. I'm not denying that. He's great. Final story, here we go. College football, Oklahoma QB, Dylan Gabriel has entered the transfer portal. Don't get this. On Monday with one year left, coming off a season that was pretty tremendous. 3,300 yards, 30 touchdown, six picks. It's got to be a money thing like you said. It's just Oregon pays more for this. No, we'll see. Another 12 rushing touchdowns.

He's arguably No, QB1 in the portal. Yeah, I know he's the best. Riley Leonard. No, he's good. You can win instantly with him. No, he's a good player. Yeah. Oregon is expected to be the favorite

replacing Bo Nix who had like 60 starts I don't know, any read on like I think this is a money deal Oregon of all the Pac-12 schools has the best collective they'll spend the most money so I think Oregon paid for it. He's worth $2 million in the portal I would imagine probably going to look at skill position players

coaching and I'm not kidding schedule matters like if Oregon schedule is easy next year sure you want to be in the mix for the 12th team playoffs Yeah, I don't think Oregon schedule is easy. I don't think Oklahoma schedules. I think now that the Big Ten and the SEC are combining and all that stuff, there's no more easy schedules. I think, why would you leave? I mean, to me, the only reason you'd leave this, because it's a defensive culture for both right now, defensive coach.

It's not like you're leaving Elaine Kiffin or someone to be, one of these offensive gurus. So my guess is he's getting a couple million bucks. And Oklahoma's collective doesn't quite have, I mean, like Oregon's got one of the better collectives. They got big money. Have you talked to your USC people at all about? Yes. Okay. Is DJ you in the mix?

Not going to get into it. Okay. So I had, somebody told me who knows USC, they like DJ you a lot. I was like, really? I didn't think anybody liked it. He wouldn't be my choice. I think he's talented Southern Cal. He's a local kid.

Local kid. I don't think he's the classic. He doesn't spin it like some of it. I keep hearing he didn't fit in Oregon State with like the coaching and he's still really talented. I can't get over that first game that he had against Soder Day when he He was with Clinton. By the way, Oregon plays both Ohio State and Michigan next year. So much for easy schedule.

Well, wait a minute. Those will be showcased games. And Michigan's not going to be what they are this year. Those will be big-time national TV games. And Ohio State, they don't have a quarterback. They just lost their quarterback. McCord entered the portal. There are all sorts of stuff going on.

I don't know. I would love to go up against those powers if I'm in Oregon and Dylan Gabriel. So much fun. Portal's exciting. I love it. It's different. I mean, it's just some people don't, like new. Well, whatever.

It's a lot of people just don't, they're not, like the in-season NBA tournament. Like you can be grumpy, but it's like the court's fun. The players obviously care. You watch the Celtics Pacers. By the way, yesterday Rick Buecker said something on her show that just flew over everybody's head. He goes, I take Halliburne. I heard that.

Over Jason Tatum. Say what you want about Jason Tatum. Uncle Colin had reservations on this. I always said, I think he's really good. But a lot of the younger players, the younger generation, they're not, they don't play the game like Kobe and MJ. They're not going to fight you to the death on stuff.

It's just not the way they play. You said something about change a second ago. Colin, when I entered college, like the internet was not a big deal. I wanted to be a journalist, a newspaper reporter. I come out of college, the internet's everywhere, and it's massive, and I got to pivot quickly. If you don't change, you're going to get left behind. These guys were like, I don't like the portal.

That's just dumb. You get left behind. Well, it is. I mean, I think you have to embrace. I think most people are embracing. I think Coach Kay will... Can we ask Clat about Dabo Sweeney, not embracing it? He's starting to fall behind, Colin.

No, I don't disagree. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. Let's bring him on the Clatster. Joel Clat joining us live, the boys of college football. Oh, my.

There's a lot. First of all, Michigan, Bama, Texas, Washington. How lucky are we? Who's got it better than us? It's going to be a great playoff. I think it's on paper has a chance to be the, maybe the best group of games

that we've had in the playoff era. You know, we've always had like a stinker, and both of these look like they could be really good games. I don't think either's a stinker. I don't think so either. These are really good games, really good teams, the four best teams. I don't use the word travesty much in sports. Like, I'm not a big travesty guy.

Sure. You like to bring it down. You like to be reasonable. I like to see myself, like in Vegas, they call it when somebody's hot at the table, they bring over a cooler. And it's a person that's a bad luck person that stands by the table. I'm the wet blanket on sports takes.

Oh, interesting. I am usually, like, it's not that big of a deal, and people call me impassionate and I don't care. My takeaway in Florida State is you're trying to get out of that conference because it's so weak. Your conference stinks. You look terrible. Deal with it. I didn't think it was a travesty.

Well, and by the way, like, this is, I mean, it sucks for them. It does. And do they deserve to be in there? Sure. Absolutely. And it's a flawed system. And we've talked about that from day one. And do they deserve to be in? Yes. Guess who else deserves to be in? The SEC champion. Guess who else deserves to be in? The team that beat the SEC champion. You know, and I've said this from the get-go, Colin. And I've said it to you on this on this show before. The committee is always going to take the path of least resistance. They're human beings. It's 13 people that don't do this full-time, by the way. This is like, these are part-time people that sit in there and they squirm at that. That's why I see. say it. It's a little bit of a needle. Administrators, you know, things like... They are going to take

the path of leash resistance. So look at the three options. You're saying no to Alabama, which is the premier program in the SEC, which has owned college football since the start of the BCS. That's 1998. Giving them the benefit of the doubt. They just ended Georgia's 29-game win streak, and they were the defending two-time

national champion. So that's a tough no. And by the way, Nick Sabin is their head coach. You can't say no to Texas. They beat Alabama. Right. in Tuscaloosa by double digits. And then you have Florida State. And as good as Florida State has been,

in particular on the defensive side, there is a clear distinction between the version of Florida State that was playing the last couple of weeks and the version of Florida State that beat LSU. And week one, that difference is Jordan Travis. And the committee has, in its bylaws, the opportunity to evaluate the availability

or unavailability of players, in particularly how it relates to their ability to play in the postseason. So guess what it was? The path of least resistance. That's what they took, like they always do. Brian Kelly, it's almost like he listened to our show and took it. He went on a two-minute rant yesterday, and he said, listen, the construct of this thing, four spots, five conferences.

Somebody's always every year. Of course. Aesthetically not going to be as pleasing. Of course. Every time we take the deserved team, Cincinnati gets in. The game's awful. I mean, listen, I got nothing against anybody. It's now well-documented, the side I've taken on this.

But if you're telling me, Alabama, as a 9-0-S-C-7,000. C.C. Champ doesn't get in. You're not watching the sport for 20 years. Like I said, it's tough. It's a broken and flawed system. If you want to do anything, like increase the number of committees, increase the number of inputs, right? It's just, listen, all of us took math, all right? Statistics. You understand that in a 13 variable equation, if you change one of the variables, then the outcome is going to change quite a bit. Yeah. If you have an equation that is a thousand variables and you change one of the variables, you're not going to get that much of a difference in your outcome. It's called statistical variance,

right? Well, we just need more inputs into the equation. This is what happens when you get a committee that views something one way and then they go with it. I'll give you an example. So when my wife and I travel, thank God Anne, comes along. If my kids, my family is Florida State. and's our quarterback. If my kids at this point old enough had an option to go on vacation with us, but Anne wasn't going, the kids would not go.

They're like, no, no, no. We're not going with dad organizing it. So, and's our quarterback. Because that's not one of your four best vacation options. And because if Ann's out, not the same family. Right? So my kids would be like, you know, dad, we'll go next to your skiing.

Anne's not there. We don't want to be in an island, you screaming at the airport at us. So the reality is when you take the most, functionally important player or piece of an organization out and it's not the same team don't expect the same love and the same uh curry favored nation status because you're not the same team okay i was once asked to come and be on a guess like hey you will you be on heard and i was like yeah and they were like um just real quick like Colin's not going to be there today and i was like hard pass

yeah sorry i i'm yeah you know that's i come here i i'm here for you colin i'm here for america yes okay let's let's get Let's get down to business. You were you the guest host that week? I have no idea, but I'm totally upset right now. Well, you know what? First, it's a shirt. Now it's you don't want to come when I'm hosting.

Okay, Florida State. Harsh. So Harbaugh to the NFL. Now, we've asked you various times on this. I'm going to throw a theory at you. I am prone to do that. So, Jim, his very nature, I mean, his wife would joke about this.

His brother would joke about this. You watch the HBO special. Jim's very intense. He's very unique personality. Sometimes you're not sure if it's a put on or it's real. I mean, like you don't know. And I've been in the room with Jim. Is this an act?

Is it Jim? Whatever. It's not an act, by the way. I'm here for both. That's right. So people view it as Jim. He's a disruptor. That's his personality.

We would both admit he's a disruptor. Totally. He's the Uber of this transportation industry. He's the Uber. So Jim is viewed as he is sticking his nose to NCAA with this Connor Stalian stuff, which he, by the way, does not know about. I believe him on that. Didn't know, whatever.

But could the NCAA, because they're not going to come out with a punishment until after the championship. Yeah. Michigan wins. And they're ticked off. And they're like, okay, you won. Yeah, like watch this. Watch this. That, not winning that.

And I, by the way, I wouldn't put it past the NCAA. bunch of full of executives that if hardball wins you know how the ncd a ncdbill a sure executive branches want to feel important i do think like um for the last couple of weeks you know i've been i've been sitting there and and thinking about this this idea that jim's desire and and by the way he talks about it a lot to to have the players share in the revenue yes you know how that is you know to those at the NCAA, that's an affront, you know, and there were some in the industry that have talked about that just being a bridge too far. And I thought to myself, well, that's interesting because he seems awfully targeted, you know, at times. And again, I will admit, like,

some of this is self-imposed, right? Like, yes, Conor Stallions did the things that they're talking about. The question is, like, did Jim know? And by the way, I know that the evidence up to this point suggests that they don't know if Jim knew or not. And he says that he didn't. Okay. So I've felt to myself like maybe they're targeting it. Maybe they don't like this. Maybe they don't like what he's saying about the players. He's the only one saying it. Other coaches aren't out there taking their one interview when they get into the college football playoff and taking a portion of it and saying, hey, by the way, let's share the revenue with the players. You can see people's mind short circuit, you know, all over America because they don't want that. Um,

And yet, yesterday, that changed for me because Charlie Baker, who's now the head of the NCAA, former governor of Massachusetts, I believe, proposed a new, basically structure to NCAA athletics. And that proposed structure would be that there could be a new division, right? And we wouldn't have 300 Division I schools, which we know is absurd because we're trying to govern, you know, the 300 school, like we govern Ohio State and Alabama, and they're vastly different. And he proposed a structure where the schools that wanted to and the conferences that wanted to could start to basically, I'm going to paraphrase, pay the players, compensate them for non-educational opportunities.

And I would suggest that, like, that is a step toward creating funds via revenue distribution. So long answer to tell you, I thought for a long time that he was a bull's eye on his back and targeted by the NCAA. I don't know if I believe that today sitting in front of you because of the direction that now the leadership is pointing the NCAA in terms of that subdivision. Okay, we're going to talk Washington, Texas. They played in the Alamo Bowl. That's one of the playoffs.

We're going to talk Bama, Michigan, because I have strong opinions on both games. I bet. That's what I'm paid to do. I know. I know. We go after it. We rattle cages. I agree.

I mean, I rattled JMAX cage already today. He doesn't even know what's going on over there. I'm sorry, Jay Mack. That's just called Wednesday here. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Ben. Host of the 5th Hour with Ben Mallor.

It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the 5th hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world when we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports and more every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more.

Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 I-Hard 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, Clipper Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, Joel Clatt, voice of college football for this network. All right. I got into a long discussion last night with an insider. Joel Clad will be doing the USC Louisville game. Holiday Bowl, December 27th. Yeah, it's always good game.

So I like Washington to beat Texas. Okay. I do not like Texas's corners. It's the weakness of the team, and I love Washington receivers, game planning, and quarterback. I think it's a bad matchup. I think Texas has more good players. Games are matchups.

I do not like the matchup for Texas. I tend to agree with that. Now, I think that that game is going to feature incredible skill position game planning on both sides. Yes. The speed that Texas puts on the. the field is incredible on the offensive side. And up front, defensively, they're one of the best teams in the country. So if their pass rush doesn't get to Pinnix, it's going to be a really long day. They're 95th, I believe, in the country and pass defense. And they're about to face

the best passing team in the country. And three legitimate NFL level receivers, like these, they're deep at receiver. No doubt. But it's more than that because Kaelin DeBore and and the offense, they utilize those guys really well. Bunch sets, different style of release. It's a very creative offense. There's a lot of speed on the field. And then the kicker is, Dylan Johnson's pretty good, man. Like, they can run the football a little bit now.

And that wasn't the case early in the season. So you couple that with the fact that this is the best passing game in the country, and Texas is going to have their hands full. There's no doubt. Now, is Washington a defense that I feel? feel like is going to go out there and stymie Texas. No. No, but I also didn't think that they were going to stymie Oregon. To be fair, right?

Washington's got a great chance. I was actually just with Sark. I was in Las Vegas. The National Football Foundation has their Hall of Fame banquet this week and saw Dan Lannning, saw Sark. And we were talking about this game. And this is exactly the conversation. He was like, man, they can throw it.

And then he says, but I don't know if they can deal with us up front. And that's 100% fair. That's why Texas is favored. There's a sense that Texas could just run it, lean on them, a lot of speed, control the clock. But I'm telling you, I have doubted Washington all season. I thought they were an eight-win team. I'm from there. And they just keep blowing me away.

Maybe that's why you're doubting them. You're from there. You're jaded, maybe. That's a good point. It could be. In a lot of different ways. It could be. But watch out for that Texas pass rush.

That's their key. To stop pinnicks, they have to get to him. They're not going to defend him with the secondary. Okay, Michigan, Bama. Gosh, what a good game this is going to be. boy. So here's the thing is that there's a

reason. I thought Alabama really outplayed George and it was close. And I thought they were outplayed by Auburn and it was close. Is that I could argue that Michigan and Bama are not explosive enough? That sounds weird to blow each other out.

No, I think you're right. It's going to be a lot of between the 20s, some field goals, some toughness. But I really feel like the best receivers Bama's had were the last previous years. Oh yeah, no, there's no doubt. And I think the only hole in Michigan is I wish they had another star receiver. Okay. So I look at this game and I think anybody

predicting a blowout, I think Bama Alabama's going to look like the same team playing each other. Yeah. I really do. In a lot of ways, you're right. And by the way, it's not even just how they're built, but it's also the philosophy with which they go about their game plan now. You know, with Jalen Milrow, they've leaned into running the football, slowing it down, a little bit. This is not Bryce Young. They don't want to get into a track meet. That's right. And it

has worked for them. Now, does that mean that they aren't talented? No, no, of course they're talented. Alabama's, you know, in a lot of ways, the most talented team in the country. But they have leaned into a certain style and philosophy that has slowed it down a little bit, leaned into where they're strong, lean into

the fact that their quarterback can run and the run game in general. Michigan, we know that's what they are. I've coined this all year long, Colin. They're the boa constrictor. They're just going to squeeze and squeeze and squeeze. They do not panic at any moment because they are built to eventually win. They're better than you at the line of scrimmage. Their quarterback is excellent. While they don't have great dynamic wide receivers, they're good enough. The tight ends,

strong, their run game, deep. And you're going to look in the mirror a little bit when these two teams get on the field and they're going to be like, okay, this is going to be a 60-minute slug fest. I could see some. something like 2117 and just a really, really good hard-nosed game. And a game that might reflect the way that the Ohio State-Michigan game played out in a lot of ways. Yeah, and Michigan will be clever. They'll have a trick player too. Sure.

Yeah, I mean, I think the three-point spread is like, that's what this game is. This game, to me, feels like 27, 24. Either way, I'll take Michigan, but wouldn't be shocked if the SEC champ wins. The Texas-Washington game, I think is going to have way more dynamic, big over-the-top plays. I see that as more of the, you're, 33, yeah, 40, 42, 38. Yeah, something like that. Could be a way better TV product, but way more fun. Maybe, but man, I tell you, watching Michigan play Alabama in the Rose Bowl,

oh, that's, I mean, that's going to be incredible. It's going to be incredible. And I hope we get the game that we hope we are going to get and that we're just laying out here. Okay, Caleb Williams, USC, I'm not going to play in the game. Doesn't bother me. It does it bother you? No, I mean, that's, that's their prerogative. I mean, these guys have a lot of autonomy now in college football.

And part of that is, as was the case, I know it happened before this, but Christian McCaffrey was the one that really kind of started this. Leonard Furnett did it too, right? Fernette did it as well. There's been a lot of guys. And now it's, I would say, more popular than ever. If you're not going to play, that's great. Now, I would expect you to leave.

What I would bristle out a little bit, to be fair, would be, I'm not going to play in this game, and I'm coming back. Yeah, that'd be weird. That would be weird. So to me, this is a tell that he's going to leave, which, by the way, he probably should. He should be the number one overall pick. Okay, let me throw this at you. Joel Clat, back when it was intermural, set all the Colorado football records,

so he's close to the program. 44 records, actually. Buffalo's starting quarterback. I didn't even know there were 44 records. A guy could hold a quarterback. So let me just say this. A lot of haters with Dion, I'm staff leaving, players transferring out. Are you worried at all about Dion?

It's weird. It's a lot of turbulence. You know what I get so frustrated with about the coverage of Dion in Colorado is that, you know, one player will transfer. One staff member will get another job. And then there's just like articles for days like, our staff is leaving Dion, players transferring. And I want to say like, yeah, you know what it's, you know what that's called? College football. It's happening to everybody.

Players are leaving at Ohio State. players and coaches are leaving at every single school. That's what this is. And in fact, we're in the blender right now of early December where you're trying to recruit high school kids. You're trying to recruit in the transfer portal. It's the coaching carousel going on. It's award season as well. Like the calendar in college football is so broken. Every program is dealing with this. And I get so frustrated. And by the way, it's only because Dion generates so much interest that people understand that they're going to get clicks and that they're going to get attention

if they just say his name. And by the way, if we're negative, it might even increase that attention a little bit. And that's what goes on. With Dion, everything is a 10. If you hate him, it's a 10. If you love him, it's a 10. There's no fives with Dion. You've got to be on one side or the other. For the record,

college football from this second forward, I get the best final four ever Michigan, Bama, Washington, Texas. no weaklings, no posers, no deserve to be there. Got there. And then next year I get the Big Ten and the SEC expanding and the 12-team playoff.

I'm going to drink tonight to celebrate. I'm going to have a little party at my house and enjoy going into this holiday season. It's going to be great. The sport is going to explode. These are champagne problems. Everyone's like, oh, okay, college football is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And they grumble. Keep grumbling.

I don't even. never been more popular. I don't even like eggnog. It's way more popular than like 07 when Mark Sanchez was playing. Ooh, that sport was in big trouble. He's next. 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 I-Heart 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. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Care 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. many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you 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 iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.