The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 3 - FOX Sports CFB Reporter Bruce Feldman joins The Herd

Episode Date: December 4, 2025

Colin talks to FOX Sports CFB Reporter Bruce Feldman about the mess the college football playoff rankings are including why Miami should be upset about being on the outside looking inSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis keep coming to. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him.

Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do.

Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akela Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things.

As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever. you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m.

to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the Iheart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Well, listen, the college football conference championships aren't even done yet. The playoffs two weeks away. way. So when they created the college football playoff, it solved what we thought was the big problem with college football, a better ending. Well, the ending's crazier than ever. And Bruce Feldman from The Athletic and Fox Sports is joining us. Listen, it's a circus. I don't like any of it.

I like some of it. Let's start with Miami. I think they have a real, real beef. Yes, Louisville's a bad loss. But SMU's not a terrible loss. Eight and four team. They got money. They were in the playoff last year. It was close. It was at SMU. I think Miami has the biggest argument to be in. Do you?

I do. Colin, if you have head-to-head, and that's what happened. Miami-Noderdane played. This isn't a hypothetical. They have the exact same record. They have a bunch of common opponents. Notre Dame's best win is over a three-loss USC team that they beat in South Bend.

It's not like Notre Dame has this great schedule of wins. But what's craziest to me is the committee, they trot out Hunter Eurocheck, who's the Arkansas AD, who this year is the chairman of the committee. And then he gets himself twisted and knots with all this like double talk and, you know, basically stepping on a rake every time he gets asked a question. You know, he's talking about how Notre Dame has these, these really good losses. Well, who was one of the losses they had? They lost to Miami and people can turn around and say, well, if they play it again today, Notre Dame would be favored. Notre Dame was favored actually the first time with Miami. So you have two teams with the exact same record. And in this sport, head to head

has to count. It has to matter because we do so much projecting because we have the smallest sample size in college football of any of the sports that if you just completely dismiss head-to-head results of what happened on the field, then what are we doing? Then why are we playing the games? Why not just let computers play out this season? It's just, It is ridiculous that it's gotten to this point. And again, I think so much of what the issue here is, is we have ESPN paid a lot of money to get the CFP and to milk some extra ratings out of this.

They've come up with this Tuesday night rankings reveal show that started way too early. It's in early November. The committee locked, you know, kind of gets locked into these positions. Miami had the same record as Notre Dame and still beat them. and the first rankings, but they were like 10 spots behind them. It was 10 and 18, right?

It was like too far of a gap. It's just, you know, it's not just the Miami Notre Dame thing, though. There's so many other things where Eurocheck, especially, the committee chairman, just contradicts himself at every turn. You can clearly see they're moving the goalposts and they're making it up as they go along. It's an embarrassment for the sport. It really is. Let's, how do you solve it?

There are people talk about different ways to solve. it. I always think if you create clarity, like head-to-head's the most important, common opponents is the second, that would guarantee Miami's in. It would take the argument out. If you just said, these are the two things. I don't even know. I said, I said, it's easier for me to explain blockchain than it is what matters. I don't know what matters. Notre Dame lost at home to Northern Illinois last year. Now they got in. So my take is, let's give a solve here. If you ran the sport for a weekend, is there one or two things you would change absolutely Bruce

the first thing I would say is you can have all the formulas you want but they have to almost be like after the threshold of if the teams have the same record and they're playing the same level of competition which these two are yeah then you're not going to say

oh they're not really the same like just the fact that the committee's logic now according to Eurocheck is these two teams have to be lumped next to each other for you to even consider that the head to head factored in. It's like, what are we doing? That is the dumbest thing I've heard. And it changes from week to week according to when he gets asked about it. That's what's really

screwy. I mean, do the metrics have a place in it? It should, but not trumping or getting in the way of the head to head. Because if you devalue the head to head, then it just doesn't make sense like, then the games don't matter. Like the games have to matter. I don't, care if you have a, your kicker had a bad day that day. I don't care. You know, it's like, the game happened, right? We don't look back and say, oh, well, the, the Patriots are way more talented than the Giants. That guy never would catch a ball off his helmet again. So let's just give the Super Bowl to the team we think is better. You know, it's just like the games have to matter. Upsets happen. Crazy stuff happens, especially in college football. But to say, oh,

the game happened in the first week of the season, it's like a preseason game. No, it's not. We don't have preseason in college football. That's the NFL that has the preseason. It has a 17-game schedule. So again, I think the leadership of the sport is really failing the sport itself. Yeah, I've said for years, it reminds me of boxing. Every man for themselves. You know, the old Wild Wild West where you had territorial governors in the 1800s, our territorial governors are conference commissioners. We need a CEO and we don't have it. I want to go to something I I had predicted when the NIL came out. I said, there's bigger money at Notre Dame, Michigan, USC, Oregon,

than there is, say, at Alabama or Tennessee sometimes. And I said, I don't think NIL is going to crush the little guy. I think you're going to see new stars emerge depending on rich boosters. Well, now all of a sudden, Indiana, Vandy, Vandy goes and buys the best five-star quarterback, and it's fun to watch. USC number one in recruiting, Oregon number two, not a surprise,

L.A. under Pete Carroll and Kiffin, Sark, always recruited well. When you saw USC number one, what was your initial takeaway to that? I think they were able to do a much better job locally than they had previously under Lincoln Riley. That was a huge piece of it. And I think right now it feels like they're more organized

and more have better alignment than they did at any point, certainly since Lincoln's there. Certainly, you know, even when before the old regime with Clay Hilton, I think you'd have to go back when, to probably the Pete Carroll, Mike Garrett days, when USC was really rolling, you know, after that at San Luis, like they've had, you know, let's be honest, you and I both have, you know, lived out here for a while. USC's had really bad leadership at the top for a long time. It's like they've often won in spite of that.

And so I think that, you know, some of that is, is, is, lined up. Now we've got to see because again, I think it's, you know, if you're a U.S. event, it's great that you had a number one rank recruiting class. You got to, you got to stack that though, because a lot of, you know, this day and age compared to what we're talking about from 20 years ago, you know, those recruits back then, they weren't transferring left and right. You know, I can go to the elite 11 every summer and there's 25 quarterbacks there and like 17 of them may end up playing at a different school than they signed with two years later. And so I think it's like, what is your plan?

Where's the follow-through and all that? It doesn't guarantee you really anything, but it does give you some optimism. And I think at least in USC's case, wouldn't a great year, but it was better, right? It was a nine-win season. I don't think they really look like a team that was ready to compete for championships,

but maybe it's a step in the right direction and now you've got to build off it. Listen, I try not to be Pollyanna with sports, Lane Kiffin got a better job offer. Everybody knows who Lane Kiffin is. My take has been Ole Miss would have signed up for Best Season Ever, number one offense,

knowing Lane Kiffin was going to bolt and make it ugly if I'd have told you that four or five years ago. So it happened. I don't love it. The college football playoff, leaving that feels gross, leaving a random bowl game. When you can't compete for the Natty,

doesn't feel as gross. Were you deeply bothered by his exit with the rebels? Deeply bothered? No. I was, I wasn't shocked from this standpoint. Like, I know there's been a lot of stories written about how Lane Kiffin has changed and he does hot yoga and he's not drinking now and everything. I think he's still largely the lane Kiffin we knew a long time ago. He's just skinnier. And he's always been a really good offensive mind. And I think he's gotten really good on social media. So I think he created a pretty big following. Look, and. In one sense, it was surprising to me that can a coach basically quit and leave on a team that has a chance to win the national title? They're going to expect it to have, you know, host a playoff game. You know, it's just like that's not the time to do that. But look, nothing should surprise us anymore, Colin. I mean, we're at this different era.

And honestly, you know, and some of my colleagues pointed this out to me a couple of weeks ago, it's like, if any coach would be the first one to like kind of bail on a team in the middle of a playoff run, it'd probably be Lane Kiffin, you know. And I think, you know, some of the stuff that's happened since then where, like, you know, he posts something about, you know, on social media about about what he said happened and then his players, and that weren't just his players. They were like leaders of the team. We're like, you know, that's not what actually happened.

That ain't great. But, you know, LSU fans are going to love him as long as he wins. And I think he'll win there because until Brian Kelly, the last three coaches, all won national titles there. And I would not be surprised if Wayne did too, because whether the governor's popping off or whether they're firing AD, that place can attract talent. And it's different kind of talent. I mean, you can go toe to toe with the Alabama's and the Georgia's if you're at LSU. At LSU, you can get some really good talent there.

I don't think you are able, you don't have the same resources as they do in Baton Rouge. It's just a different deal. And, you know, I do feel for the Old Miss fans who kind of bought into the, you know, I don't say the myth of that this is a different lane kiffin and all this other stuff. But, you know, like, you know, enjoy the ride. And hopefully, you know, for your sake, Pete Golden can sustain it and build off it. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the odd couple on Fox Sports Radio.

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Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to... We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcast presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hip. Hips since high school.

Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar.

Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Well, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just hit it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album?

Oh, I would. Come on. I would buy it. Cut through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You're lucky I'm not a killer.

I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? This Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledon. and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah.

You figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my

I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that Ness was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be getting naked at 50 with the new guy? That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting.

They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Culture Podcast Network available on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us.

The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country. From IHeart Podcast, Saigon. Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much. I like hearing you talk. One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam.

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Run! Saigon. starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict. Sting here's madness. The world should hear about this. There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything. Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Listen, Penn State's a top 15 program, maybe better than that.

I'd go hire Brian Daibald. Maybe he's not interested. He may get another NFL job, but this recruiting class is a disaster. with NIL, you can probably mostly overcome that, although you'll feel it at some point. Who's going to be Penn State's coach? Do we have any idea? You know, about a week ago,

we thought it was going to be Kalani Satake from BYU, who's done a really good job there. And then it didn't end up and going in that direction, and now all of a sudden it's like Dave all's been around it. You know, there's definitely, from what my sources have told me, there are some key people who are really pushing him to get the job. He did a really good job as Alabama's OC. it wasn't that long ago.

They won the national title in 2017. I know it didn't go great in the end at the Giants. I'd be curious to see how he would do there. He's obviously I would have to surround himself with a really, really good staff, especially. It's even more critical of having not a ton of college experience in this day and age. I know that at one point it was like,

oh, would this job fall to Mani Diaz, who'd been the D.C. there was playing this weekend in the ACC title game at Duke. I don't know. I mean, it's just, it's been a really baffling search how it's played out. The bar is incredibly high there. You obviously have an incredible loyal fan base. I know the interim Terry Smith did a really good job.

I know there's probably some support for him. Man, I think it would be hard for Dave All to say no if Penn State offered him. Because I don't see anybody offering him, you know, a head coaching job in the NFL right now. So not after how it ended at the Giants. maybe he could be a coordinator somewhere, but this is a big job. The question I think is, does Penn State think he can overtake Ohio State and Oregon and everybody else at the top of the big ten? Because that's a big step forward.

By the way, I like Sark. He's going to honor the Ohio State Michigan games in the future. He's said that. And I think their athletic directors viewed as one of the great dealmakers in college football. and I think when you don't make the playoff, you know, you get, you don't, you're, everybody's lobbying for it. I mean, Mack Brown lobbied for it, Sarks lobbying for it. I would like to see Texas in because I like big brands

and I like their quality wins over Vandy and Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and I think they're actually playing the last three or four weeks. Arch Manning's really dealing. But they also struggled with average teams, and they had a bad loss to Florida. I'm biased toward big brands, probably biased because I know Sark. Where are you on Texas getting in?

I think last year, maybe they would have been the best three-loss team of a pool of three-lossed teams. This year, I just think there's too many teams that have a better case than they do. Yeah, they have good wins. They also got blown out by Georgia, and they have a really bad loss against Florida.

I mean, Florida is not a good team at all, and they lost that game. And I think the other part, you mentioned it. I mean, they really struggled, you know, if you're nitpicking resumes, which the committee tends to do, and they do it when it's convenient for them, at least, it's like you mentioned it.

Kentucky was a, you know, they were fortunate to beat a really bad Kentucky team. Mississippi State. I mean, it was just, it felt like to me, as a year went on, this team was a year away from being a national title contendant.

They got better. And I like what I saw from Arch, and I think the defense has talent. You know, it was like, you know, the run game came and went. But I just think it's like to have a three loss team in there with one of those losses being so, you know, so I don't want to say inexcusable. But like it's not like a six and six or seven and five Florida team. Like that's a that's a really bad Florida team that they lost to.

And I think you have to factor that in. I know that, you know, the Texas folks are going to say, hey, well, we played Ohio State. And, you know, I mean, yeah, that's something. don't play the game then. Just don't. Don't complain about it, but don't like, you know, you didn't get in specifically because you lost to Ohio State. You're probably getting left out because you specifically lost a third game,

and it was to Florida. Yeah. Bruce Feldman, I saw you send out a tweet this week with a swear word in it. I'm like, oh, boy, we better get them on the show. Holy moly. Yeah, that's what happens when you sit in the car and are waiting for, you know, just kind of looking around. I'm like, oh, I was like, watch.

a game and I saw the reaction to that and it was interesting just because way more people inside the sport sent me texts about it. It was like I did not think I was speaking for a bunch of other people. I just thought I was, you know, just kind of reacting because Colin, I'll be honest, like, you know, you and I both spent a lot of time working in ESPN. There's a lot of people over there I really like including people who work on that show. That Tuesday night show is the worst thing on, you know, related to college football. because it just mucks up the process and the whole embrace debate thing, whoever decided to throw that into the college football world,

was doing it a disservice, not helping it out. Maybe helping ESPN's ratings out, but it ain't helping the sport. Bruce Feldman. I like the new Bruce. That Bruce has got, he is. So what happens when you get older? You don't give a heck as much. No, it's not that I don't give.

I, first of all, we're in different businesses. you're a journalist. Here's the difference. You're a surgeon at a hospital. I'm a plastic surgeon. That's the difference. I'm not necessary. You are.

You're a journalist. I'm out here. I look for, I like when there's a fire on the freeway. My business, I like the circus of it. I don't like this because I love the sport. It's got a ridiculous ending. So it does bother me.

But I don't know. I just, I think I want to watch this week. I want to watch the playoff. I want to see how it comes out. Generally, there's a good solve at the end. But, yeah, I mean, I don't like the way it's ending. I don't need it either.

I don't need it either. I mean, like, a lot of people are like, well, you know, you're a Miami guy. And I was like, two years ago, I was lobbying just as hard about, I was thought Florida State got screwed by the committee. They were 13 and 0. I get it. Their quarterback got hurt. But you can't just do that to that team based off of what they did and say, oh,

they're going to struggle the next round. Yeah, that may be the case. But don't start projecting everything because that's not the business that the sport is in. If that's the case, you know, let Felica and the other handicappers put together their team and say, okay, who do we think on the power rankings? And based off of that, I get why they do that. But again, upsets happen. I mean, I think Felica's the one who pointed out to me that, you know, it was that Miami wasn't underdog the first time. It's just the, The actual games, when they're head-to-head, they have to be significant. You can't just dismiss them with a formula that has a plus sign after it.

Yeah, especially when you have common opponents and you have both two losses. Then head-to-head is, and even in the NFL, head-to-head's number one, it'd be one thing if Miami had three losses or they played in different conferences. But they both have two losses. They played to head-to-head. They have all sorts of common opponents, and Miami was better against them. I mean, even the great common opponent, Syracuse, Notre Dame blasted Syracuse. Well, Miami did too, for the record.

Miami blew him out. All right, we got a break. Bruce Feldman, as always, appreciate your insight. Pleasure, Colin. Thanks for having me. You bet. Yeah. It's, you know, I love college football.

It is messy. And it's always been messy. It's the hurt. Be sure to catch live edition. of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey, Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us

on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get to flyin. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball, like, After you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast presents Soccer Moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school.

Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip, just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drink. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? They had a bogo.

Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just take it. What are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? I would. Come on.

How did you believe? I would buy it. Cut through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You're lucky I'm not a killer.

I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast.

How Hard Can It Be with the Adamani Areva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that nest was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be?

I'm getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard, you know? Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, How Hard Can It Be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public.

Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Saigon. story of my family and of the country that shaped us. The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country. From My Heart Podcast, Saigon. Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?

I should stop talking so much. I like hearing you talk. One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire. Do you read me? They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.

I'm on a landmine. Or freeze on. Let's get out. Freedom, bomb me at night. Saigon, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict. Sting, here's madness. The world should hear about this. There's a fire coming to this country, and it's going to burn out everything.

Listen to Saigon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. great time to be a soccer fan. On Friday, it all kicks off with the FIFA World Cup final draw at 11.30 a.m. Eastern on Fox. Then on Saturday, Messi and Inter-Miamy square off against Vancouver for the MLS Cup at 2.30 p.m. Eastern, also on Fox. At Friday draw for the World Cup. Cannot wait. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd. line news. All right, let's go to Texans Chiefs, Colin. This is a big one. Seismic matchup, huge playoff ramifications, especially for KC. Sunday night should be a good one. The Texans defense

has been off the hook the last two games. Remember they dropped Josh Allen eight times. Yeah. Here is Mahomes talking about the troubles Houston's defense presents. We'll try to do the best we can is getting the ball out of my hand. I'm running the football, and then whenever there's shots on the field, you've got to be able to hit them. And so standing in the pocket, making those throws against a really good defense. This is a really good football team. It's playing really good football right now and has a really good defense. And so we're at the throw it all out there and try to find a way to win.

And this would be a big game for us to showcase who we are and who we think we can be moving on the rest of the season. I think at this point you know the truth about every single team in the league. Probably knew it about two weeks ago. And the truth about the chiefs is defensively, they don't get people off the field on down like they have in previous years. And offensively, the O line is a liability. And this O line against Houston is all banged up.

J-Mack, I think this is a low-scoring game, and I like the Texans plus the hook. I love it. I'm looking at the practice report literally 13 minutes ago. It's so cold right now. They're practicing indoors in Kansas City. I mean, I keep hearing about a polar vortex in the Midwest. Can you talk a little bit about it?

I don't know what that means, but it sounds terrifying. but to the offensive line, Colin. No Joanne Taylor at practice. No Trey Smith. We know the rookie from Ohio State has a busted-up ankle. I think he's on IR. You could be down three offensive linemen against arguably the best pass rush in the league.

My only concern is that Stroud in this cold weather, he's a guy, he's a West Coast guy. I know he played at Ohio State. But this cold weather, how bad is it going to be in the Midwest, buddy? Chili. Chili like teens? Yeah. Is Woody Marks available?

If you can run the ball, that helps Houston. He was at practice today. Woody Marks and Chubb, a pretty decent one-two punch. So you like Texas. Do they win outright and then put Casey on the brink? I don't know. I just know the hook is, I think it's low scoring. I think it's 24, 23.

I think that Houston's defense is good against pretty good offensive lines, that it will push Kansas City's O-line all over the field. Yeah. All right, let's move on to the next story, and that is Bill Belichick officially was named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. I don't think we need to go over Belichick's resume. It's pretty much impeccable.

I would assume you think he's a first ballot, slam dunk, get in there, right? Yeah, I don't even think it's, yeah. It should be automatic. The real question is, how much scrutiny do we give his resume post Brady? What's Tom left? And again, I'm not burying the guy, but he struggled. No, I mean, he was a great defensive coordinator, and then he has failed as a head coach without Brady. And that's true in Cleveland, and that's true in New England, and that's the truth, is that Post, without Brady, he's not the same coach. That doesn't mean he wasn't a brilliant defensive coordinator.

It doesn't mean he's not a brilliant guy. But I always thought the end of Bill was when Bill took over, had too much control over the personnel, and he's not a good drafter. And I watched North Carolina and he wasn't good in the NIL. That is not his strength. He knows football, but Jimmy Johnson was great with personnel. Harbaugh has shown an ability to be great helping in the draft room. Sean Payton can do that. Some guys like Shanahan aren't as good in personnel.

They're great with schemes. So my take is Bill had power, flexed, used it, and it was to his detriment on personnel. So you made a good point earlier in the show. Remember, you were like, hey, Shanahan has two Super Bowls with Elway. So I looked it up. And it's hard. You know, I'm making this about Belichick, but Shanahan won seven playoff games in two years with Elway. The rest of his career, one playoff league.

It's really hard to win in football if you don't have a quarterback. Now, the question on Brady is he was a no – sorry, Tom, he was a sixth round pick. He was like a nobody coming into the league then became the greatest of all time. But like without a quarterback, like you mentioned earlier, Tomlin, post-Rothusberger. Like, what's he doing? So do we really have to kill Belichick post- Brady for – No. It's not really delivering?

It's like Michael Jordan. He was so great in his prime, the Wizards don't matter. You know, Shaq was so dominant. We just don't count that. Yeah, yeah. I mean, Shaq wore about six different uniforms in the end. He was so great with the Lakers in Orlando, it just doesn't matter. Yeah, Kobe Bryant was amazing with Gasol and with Shaq.

Let's just forget about those years where he didn't have either of them, and they couldn't get out of the first round. So it's a fun topic. I love this stuff. Final story, Colin, I don't love this. The LA Clippers, aka the paper clips, they cut Chris Paul loose in the middle of the night this week. And LA Clippers stars James Hardin and Kauai Leonard claimed they were shocked. that Chris Paul was bounced. The Clippers decided to part with him

after a three-hour late-night convoy between Lawrence Frank and Chris Paul at the team hotel in Atlanta. Now, apparently, this happened because Tyloo and CP3 were not on speaking terms for like weeks. I mean, that's not great. So Lawrence Frank had to fly from L.A.

to Atlanta to talk to Chris Paul and put him down nicely. Not great. James Hardin says, I'm just as shocked and confused as you guys, the world. I'm not as shocked as everybody else are you. I mean, Chris Paul's averaging two points a game. What's a big deal here?

Well, he's not like a rotational guy. I think there's a much bigger, I mean, he's a Hall of Famer. There's a much bigger picture here is that the windows close very quickly in sports. Usually a little slower in the NBA than the NFL, but the Clippers have to start over. Like, they're bad. And the West is young and getting better. they have Kauai and James Hardin and Chris Paul. The West is young, dominant, getting better,

drafts are getting more important. The Clippers need a reboot. Tailu is very, very good, but the Hardin Kauai thing, I didn't get it. I didn't get Kauai's extension. He's not a leader. Your best player had better have some leadership skills. He doesn't.

I think the whole thing signals a reboot over the next calendar year. The problem? that first round pick they have goes to OKC. So don't tank guys, please. That's right. You can't win 17 games or the Thunder get like the fifth pick in the draft.

J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. All right, it's a very, very interesting college football weekend, and it's a great NFL weekend starting tonight. I like Dallas at Detroit. Everybody seems to lean that way. Maybe it's

spells doom for Dallas. I think Cincinnati at Buffalo Early Window has upset written all over it. I think Joe Burroughs back. He's healthy. He's got a spring in his step and they put up big points last weekend. I think Cincinnati over

Buffalo very much on the table. Do you have a potential upset in your world? A, do the Jets count as an upset? Their dogs at home against the dolphins? Not really. Not really. Okay. I will go a little risky here.

If you're asking me for an upset, J. Mack, you got to give me one. Give me the Atlanta Falcons getting seven and a half, seven against Seattle at home. Colin, I've been crunching some weird numbers here. This is strange. In the last three, maybe four weeks, if you look at teams coming from the west

to the east late in the season, yeah, they're tired. A lot of flops. Chargers get smashed by the Jags. Rams weirdly lose to the Panthers. There's like five of them. And I'm like, what's going on? And I just wonder if, you know, after that Sam Darnold kind of train wreck,

maybe the Falcons are able to unlock some stuff defensively to slow Darnold again. Sneakily, the last three weeks, Darnold's numbers have been bad. They just, I mean, there are four interceptions, obviously, against the Rams didn't help. But there's a world where the Falcons keep this close. I don't trust Kirk Cousins ever under any circumstances, but Drake London may return. So I would just keep an eye on Falcon, Seahawks. That's come down from eight and a half to seven. Do you have a strong play on Eagles at Chargers?

Well, I just saw the Jalen Carter news. We're not doing it in the show today, but Jalen Carter is going to be out multiple weeks with some double shoulder issue. That's not great. The only data point we have without Jalen Carter is the Cowboys running all over them in the season opener. And, you know, wouldn't you know it, but Jim Harbaugh likes to run the football? Hampton could come back. Not great news for the Eagles.

I had pegged the Eagles as a great spot. I don't know anymore, Colin. Yeah. Yeah, I like the Texans and the points. I'm betting one of the ugliest games I've ever bet. You make a living out of that, I don't. Don't tell me it's Brown's Titans. Maybe it is, maybe it is.

Producers are telling me to move off that game quickly. Let's go to a game people actually care about. Raven Steelers, did you see Lamar? I'm not practicing today. He practiced yesterday. There's no way in that game I'm going to swallow that many points. I'll take Pittsburgh in the points. That rival, that game's a field goal game every time.

And right now, Baltimore's offense is broken. Forget it. I'm not, that game's going to be close. Also, Mike Tomlin's being told he's going to get fired so you know his, he's going to Oh, circle the wagons. It's a circle the wagons game. Let's talk Dallas tonight. Greg CoSell earlier, 46 years at NFL films.

I asked Greg, thoughts on the Dallas defense. What is the film say? The first five, six weeks, people are laughing at their defense. And now, you know, they made those trades. Obviously, they got Kenny Clark before the season, but the in-season trades they have made been really impressive. And the trio of D-Tackles is as good a trio as any in the league. With what they've done up front, the return of overshone,

the trading for Logan Wilson, suddenly this defense, well, it's not top five in the league, but it's a good enough defense to win games. Yeah, I don't think there's any question. And the Cowboys, they knew what DeMarvian overshone was coming back. And so they knew they'd have an athletic edge. And with Kenny Clark and Cronin Williams, two things are true. Micah was great for the Packers.

And moving off, Micah was great for flexibility, which eventually was great for the Dallas Cowboys. Matt Mosley, who covers him, some thoughts on the new look Dallas Cowboys. Jerry is feeling great about things, and boy, he is now openly talking about the playoffs, and it's been an amazing run for him. And I think there's Quinn and Williams saying, you know, it's amazing that Micah is having the kind of season he is. And if the Cowboys had continued down the path they were going, that would be the overriding story. Look at this guy blowing up. He's incredible.

and yet nobody in conversation around the Cowboys is saying anything about Micah because of the trades that Jerry has made. That's right. So in Dallas, that would overwhelm sports talk radio. That would overwhelm, you know, water cooler discussion. Nobody cares. Mike has gone. The defense is great.

Dax having the best year ever. The other thing is Dallas has two first round picks next year. It is a great edge rusher draft. What do you know? Dallas has two firsts. And the interior of their line set. The other thing for Dallas is they can move down. They don't need a quarterback.

There'll be six or seven desperate teams. Several will overdraft the quarterback. So Dallas and their offensive line, they're two guards. They've used some draft capital on interior offensive linemen in the last several drafts. They've hit on both. They're both stars.

So my take, their two first round picks, One of them may be a right tackle. One of them is going to be an edge. But what the Micah trade allowed is for a deal maker, Jerry Jones, to make deals. And in my lifetime, the smartest people, I don't care if it's Jeff Bezos, I don't care if it's a friend of mine. The smartest people I know, they want flexibility. They don't want to be trapped.

Micah signing him would have trapped you. Green Bay has hit on so many of their draft picks. They could afford Micah as a closer. Exciting times. I like Dallas tonight. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again,

I was harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to him. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the I Heart Radio. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history.

I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him. Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Someday into right now with Body by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your heart is hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit.

Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.