The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Michigan and Ohio State confidence levels going into 'The Game' & who can actually beat Georgia?

Episode Date: November 20, 2023

FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt takes stock of where Michigan and Ohio State are at as they shift their full attention towards ‘The Game’ this week. He breaks down why Georgia is starting to remind him of Tom Brady’s Patriots more and more each week and lists the 3 teams he thinks match up best with the Bulldogs the rest of the way. Klatt discusses his heartbreak at watching the Jordan Travis injury. He also considers whether Florida State can be considered a lock to make the Playoff even if they win out the next two weeks. He gives Washington and Texas major credit for picking up tough road wins in November. The episode wraps with Klatt’s thoughts on Caleb Williams’ brilliant college career and how difficult the re-build at USC is going to be for Lincoln Riley next season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Joel Clat show, I break down and have thoughts on every contender in college football. Plus, can anybody beat Georgia right now? And it's finally here. The game. It's game week. College football has never been better. Interest has never been higher. Believe that we are at the dawn of the golden age of college football.

It was an epic day of college football. It was one of those days where you fall in love with the sport all over again. What's up everybody? Joel Clad here and welcome in to the Joel Clat show presented by Hampton by Hilton. Lots to get into today. It's going to be a fast and furious show because it's getting to that point where every single time that we have a chance to chat with one another, there's just a lot going on. So I'm going to have thoughts on every contender in today's program. Obviously a lot on Michigan and Ohio State as we get ready for that game. But first, remember wherever you get your podcast, go ahead and subscribe. go ahead and do that, subscribe to the show, leave us a comment. You can rate, review us, do all that fun stuff. Go follow us and subscribe to the YouTube channel. That would really help things out. Getting close to 100,000 there.

So make sure you're out over there and on YouTube. And just remember, even if you just listen, we do some exclusive stuff, in particular X's and O's stuff over on YouTube through the Joel Clat Show YouTube channel. So get over there. And you can get that content. as well. You can follow us on social media wherever you like to social media. At Joel Clatio is where you find us. All right. Let's get into this because we've got a lot going on. So let's talk about Michigan and Ohio State and each of their games respectively over Maryland

and Minnesota this last week. And then where are we now on Monday of game week? Because that's really all that matters is that we've played now two seasons of football through the regular season to get to this point where in back-to-back years, we're going to have these teams as 11-0-11-0 squaring off for the right to go to the Big Ten title game. This is, you know, in a lot of ways, unprecedented. You look at this and we just don't get match-ups like this a lot. And so part of me wants to just appreciate what we're in right now. And this is back-to-back years where the game cannot get any bigger. This is like, this is the pinnacle. And this is the pinnacle. And this you throw on to this year's game, everything outside of the actual game that is surrounding

both of these programs, namely Michigan, can't get any bigger. This is, this is it. This is the biggest Michigan, Ohio State game that we've maybe ever had. And everything is on the line. Legacy is on the line. Everything. Championships on the line. The East Division, the birth in the Big Ten title.

in a lot of ways with the way the season is shaping up, the playoff and getting into the playoff. Last year, both teams made it into the playoff. There's an outside chance that the loser of this game could go to the playoff. But boy, it's, it is a very narrow path. I mean, a very narrow path. So let's get into it. Let's start with Michigan. Michigan beats Maryland, and it was not all that impressive. Now, let's let's talk about this with with clear eyes now, because did Michigan play their best game? Absolutely not. Offensively, they did not look like themselves. J.J. McCarthy did not look like himself. As soon as he lost Roman Wilson in that game, you could tell that their threats on the outside were limited, even with Morgan and Cornelius Johnson out there.

I look at this team and their tight ends are so good and they can flex out and they can do all this things. But when Roman Wilson is not on the field, all of a sudden, you start. to really feel it, in particular when they get into a must-passing situation. And this team has not been in deep water. They weren't really threatened against Penn State because Penn State's offense was not threatening them last week. This week was a different story. And you could maybe say, if I'm a Michigan guy, I would say, hey, this is a blessing in

disguise because at least we got to feel it. We got to feel the heat before we got to go. go into that game against Ohio State. And if I was also trying to be glass half full guy with the performance against Maryland, I would say that this was 100% a trap game. It was the sandwich game, as I described it last week. It was a game after an emotional win, and not just an emotional win, but a highly emotional win, where the coach was suspended at 3.30 on Friday afternoon.

no one knew what was going on. They go out there and they get a win. And, I mean, the outpouring of emotion in Happy Valley was palpable. And then you've got to come back and you've got to play a game the next week. Just in and of itself, just that. Coming down from the emotional high, you could say, yeah, there was going to be a letdown. Then put that aside, all the distractions swirling around Michigan, by their own accord, by the way,

everything that came out late in the week, all the new news, the hearing canceled, clearly the evidence given to Michigan and the program, and they're like, hey, we don't want to put this out in court, and Michigan's like, yeah, we agree,

we accept the suspension, they fire Chris Partridge. Just that alone is enough of a distraction to have a team not play their best. Then you can also look ahead and you look at the magnitude and the nature of this week's game, and you could say that that was a look-ahead game.

Every factor was working against Michigan. So can you explain away their sluggish or poor performance against Maryland? In some ways, I guess that you can. And in other ways, there were things that went on in that game that are huge concerns moving forward, in particular against an Ohio State team that is excellent. and playing their best football at the right time. Michigan had been so consistent and so dominant during the course of the season leading up to last week.

And they really had. They were the boa constrictor. And it looked like they were headed in that direction. And then it didn't happen. And then Maryland was able to put together a series offensively and go get a touchdown in the second quarter. Then McCarthy turns it over. Then Maryland, in the first drive of the third quarter, they go down and score. And what was, I believe it was 23 to 3, all of a sudden is 23.

17. And all of a sudden, Michigan is in it in the second half for really the first time all season long. As much as they were in it against Penn State in terms of it being like the grinder of a tight ball game, in particular on the road in conference, Penn State wasn't really threatening them offensively, not like Maryland could. And so the feeling that I was having calling each of those games, I thought Michigan was in real trouble against Maryland, and I never really felt that against Penn State. Not really, just because of the way Penn State was playing on offense. So what happens on Saturday?

Defense bails out this team. They get a scoop and score. They get multiple turnovers. Mikey Sainer still was amazing. He was amazing. This is a guy that started out as an offensive player, moved over to the defensive side, and now he's one of the best nickelbacks in America.

and he's going to go play on Sunday. The special teams, they were huge in this game. Pinned them inside a couple of times. They got the blocked punt that wound up being a safety. They were terrific. Offensively, that was not a clean game. JJ didn't play well. Roman went down after that hit.

And then you've got some serious issues on the offensive line. For the first time and a long time, you look at this offensive line and it was such a strength. And it was something that they would lean on. And it was something that was the identity of this. team and now all of a sudden you get a couple of guys hurt so Henderson doesn't start the game, Lodarius Henderson, Miles Hinton, who starts for him, goes down. So now all of a sudden, all the depth that Michigan had leaned on all year long is gone in a blink

of an eye. And Carson Barnhart, who struggled against Penn State, has got to go over the left tackle and it became really obvious that Carson Barnhart is going to struggle on pass protection against quality pass rushers. that's an issue moving forward because Barnhart has been a starter at right tackle all year. He moves over to the left tackle and Maryland starts taking advantage of him. Penn State was really taken advantage of him. There's a reason why Michigan called 32 straight runs against the Nittany Lions.

And a big reason was is that Carson Barnhart was not going to stop any of the defensive ends, whether it was denied Dennis Sutton, Adisa Isaac, Chop Robinson, didn't matter. They could put Abdul Carter out there on the edge. Penn State was going to beat Michigan with a speed rush. And so Michigan had to abandon the drop-back passing game. Okay. And they, by the way, to their credit, they can.

They're good enough. They're versatile enough. They made that adjustment and went on and won the game handily. Against Maryland, it was a little bit of the same, except that they weren't running the ball quite as effective. they weren't creating the explosive run plays like they were able to create against Penn State. So what happened was is that they were in more obvious down passing situations than they were the previous week. Well, that's when the pass protection becomes an issue.

JJ was not moving around well. I don't know what's going on with him. I don't think that he's 100%, but he was not moving around well. And when he's immobile like he was on Saturday to some degree, then that pass rush or lack thereof at times becomes an issue. So that's a cause for concern. You get a little bit of glass half full at the beginning of this, and this is a little bit of glass half empty.

And then they've got to do a better job being able to run the football and creating the explosive runs that we saw against Penn State. They need to do that against Ohio State if they want to win that ball game. And speaking of that ball game, it was immediately the focus turned to Ohio State, almost immediately. even Ginny asking Mike Ysainer still after the game about Ohio State. What a performance for you today with those two picks. And look, you had to get this one out of the way.

And I'm already going to jump ahead to next week. You can now shift your focus to Ohio State at home. What did this performance tell you about your confidence going into that way? You know, we just wanted to make sure that we just sent a message out all across the board, offense, defense, special teams. But, you know, we were never looking too far. Hey, we're just focused on Maryland. We're going to be there in an harbor next week.

Congratulations on this one and we'll see you next week. So we'll be there and Michigan now has some questions going in. As consistent and dominant as they have been during the course of the year, now all of a sudden there's major concerns and now we're sitting here and we are five days away from the game. So it's going to be an interesting week. There's no doubt. Now we move over to the team that they're going to host,

the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State is peaking at the right time. They're playing some of their best football right now. And the reason, well, there's several reasons for this. I believe that the biggest reason is that the defense has allowed their offense to mature, evolve, and develop. This defense is excellent. is excellent. They have not allowed a TD in their last two games.

They're second in the nation and scoring defense behind Michigan right now. They're first in the nation and yards per play allowed. They're excellent. They don't give up big plays. I've talked about this all season long, this little subtle change in philosophy of how Ohio State was going to play to try to limit the explosive plays, force people to snap the ball more than they want to,

force them to be patient on offense, when people don't want to be patient on offense. It has paid huge dividends for them. They're playing with more confidence. But more importantly, that style and the way that the defense has been able to dominate for large stretches of games and for the majority of the season, it has allowed the offense time to grow, which they've needed under Kyle McCord, which they've needed to get healthy.

And this is then the big part, which is Travion Henderson. Trayvion Henderson and his emergence over the last three weeks has been huge for this team. I mean, you cannot put into words how big of a development it is to get him back to his full strength, more the guy we saw as a true freshman. He was so banged up a year ago, never quite healthy. It looked like that was the direction it was going to go this year when he was held out for large stretches of the middle of that season, against Penn State. And now he gets back out there, and he's been just an enormous boost for them.

The explosiveness out of the backfield, the fact that the offensive line doesn't have to be perfect. The fact that the second level, the linebackers and the third level at the safeties, they have to make open field tackles against the guy as dynamic in space as he is, has changed their offense. It makes it such an easier offense to operate for Kyle McCord. and you're seeing him play a little bit more efficient. A little bit more efficient.

I want to take you, and we do have sound. I know those of you watching the program, just saw some of the highlights as I was talking of Ohio State. And remember, to see the show, go over to YouTube. You can follow us on YouTube, subscribe to the channel, and you could watch everything that we've got going. Our staff does a great job of putting video out there during the show. This is what that run sounded like, though.

Check this out. Trayvion Anderson bounces it outside. No flags. Just like that. And it doesn't have to be perfect from the quarterback. It doesn't have to be Marvin Harrison. The offensive line now all of a sudden, boy, they're playing a lot better. Why?

Well, number 32 is back there. He can make people miss. He's healthy. He's full steam. And this now all of a sudden makes them just a different team. Henderson's since he came back from kind of being banged up in the middle of the year, he's fifth in the country and scrimmage yards per game at 166 per game. They can throw it.

them. They can hand it to him. He's a dynamic guy now. He's a very dynamic guy. And you couple that with the defense. You couple that with Abuka is still out there. Marvin Harrison is still out there, by the way. And he's still the best player in college football. So now, guess what? Ohio State fans, guess what? You are the team that you hoped you would be with one question. If Kyle plays well, This is one of the best teams in the country. One of like the two, three best teams in the country. This is a team that could even challenge a Georgia, which I'll get into a little bit in this show.

But he's the question. Kyle's the question. Kyle McCord is the question. He can't play against Michigan like he did against Penn State or against Maryland for a stretch in the games that I've called. he's going to have to make the throws that are there. Now, he's done a better job over the last couple of weeks, but that's a question. That's a question.

Similar with Michigan, going into last year's game, J.J. McCarthy was a question mark because we hadn't seen him be able to throw the ball down the field, really. They were able to just churn it out, churn it out with the run game, the explosive run game, and then all of a sudden, against Ohio State, it was like, dang, JJ played really well, and he was able to throw the ball down the field. Now, Kyle has done a great job and he has been highly productive. And this guy is talented.

But it is a question because you've got a sense that he hasn't played to his full potential. And because of that, they haven't been great in the red zone. This offense, when they're at its best, the quarterback needs to be dynamic in the red zone. You've got to be on top of it in terms of timing and accuracy, decision. making in the red zone and that's where they have faltered a couple of different times. But boy, if you look at these two games, these two teams, these two programs, these two fan bases, three weeks ago, four weeks ago, it was flipped. All the confidence was on the Michigan side.

Man, they were just rolling through the season. They were the boa constrictor. Who's got it better than us? They were rolling. Their quarterback was going. Their run game was going. Their defense was going. Now all of a sudden, in the course of about seven days, really three weeks with the scandal and the saga, and then in the course of about seven days on the field, it is totally flipped.

Now all of a sudden it's the Ohio State fans that are really confident. And I feel it and I see it. I see it online. I see it out there. The confidence from the Ohio State fans is palpable because the defense is for real. And Trevion gives their offense just a totally different gear. And it takes so much pressure off of Kyle McCord. And that's important because Kyle McCord was the linchpin and he was the question mark.

Was he going to be good enough? Was he going to be efficient enough, accurate enough, make enough plays in a huge game in order to go and win? And that'll be the question. That'll be the question. I can't wait for this game. This game is going to be, I'm telling you, and I let off with it, back-to-back years, 11 and no. And then you get everything else that's going on on top of this game. the narratives and the stories and the pressure and the legacies and everything going on.

This is absolutely phenomenal. It is my favorite time of year. It is the game week football season. And as you know, I take it seriously. So when I'm traveling on the road to watch my favorite teams, I can't risk calling the wrong play with where I stay. So wherever I go, I know that I can count on Hampton by Hilton. I can depend on their comfortable rooms and their warm, friendly service.

Their free hot breakfast is a total game changer for me. I don't know what I could, I don't know what I would do without it. Let's just face it. So whether you're cheering on your team from the stands or never leaving the tailgate, Hampton by Hilton will always give you that win. So those are those two teams. And then we get to the team that's playing the best football in the country, and that's Georgia.

Georgia is now a team that's won 28 straight games. That's right. 28. 28 ties to the SEC record. rolling along. This is what I think about Georgia. It's become very obvious to me as we've gone through this season

what Georgia is. Georgia is what a dynasty is supposed to be about, which is championships. They don't chase the number one ranking in September, although they had it. They don't chase dominance in October. October, although they showed it at times. They chase being at their best when their best is needed.

That's what dynasties do. Georgia is starting to remind me so much, not just because of the back-to-back titles, but the way that they've gone about their season, the way that they've been playing and the way that they're playing now currently, they remind me of what Alabama has been for the better part of a decade. They remind me of what the New England Patriots. were with Tom Brady. And that is like, hey, are they going to win it every year?

I don't know, maybe. Maybe they win a third straight. But, but here's what I do know is that they're always going to be playing their best in the month of November. Always. And then they're going to get a big break. They're going to get healthier. They're going to game plan with some of the best coaches on the planet.

And they're going to be ridiculously tough to beat in the playoff. ridiculously tough. This team is so talented. They're so deep. They are rugged. Their quarterback gives them a different dimension than even they had last year. Stetson Bennett was a really good player. And yet Carson Beck is better.

They can run it when they need to. They can throw it when they need to. And they know how to win championships. They know how to build into what is now a boiling pot. of water. We used to do this thing. A lot of times coaches, they know when a team is really hungry and they know that like they've got to pull back the energy on a team. And it's like, okay, slow down everybody. And the analogy, and Gary Barnett did this with us one year. And I thought it was really smart. We were so amped up right at the beginning, first day at camp. We wanted

a piece of Colorado State so bad because of a lot of things that had been said and so on and so forth. But it's not really the story. So he didn't want us to go through fall camp and exert all of our energy. So there was this whole thing about 212, 212 degrees. All right? That's the boiling point of water. And we wanted to be at 212, not early and not late, but at the perfect time. Why? Why? Because at 210 and 211 degrees, the pot is just sitting there and the water doesn't do anything. And then at 212, it powers a locomotive. So there's this whole thing about like, hey, we want to be on a slow boil.

I know it's kind of corny, but it worked. It worked. And we understood it. Well, guess what? Georgia understands when to be at 212 degrees. They understand. They get it because they've won the championships. Kirby saw it at Alabama.

He's implemented it now at Georgia. And now this team is playing their best football. And the question that I have and many of us should have is who can beat them? Who can beat this team? Who can beat the team that just rolled off these three straight wins? This was supposed to be, remember, hey, by the way, everyone, remember this was supposed to be their tough stretch these last three weeks? Do you remember when it was like, oh, their schedule is really bad until November? And then they've got to play Missouri,

Ole Miss, and Tennessee. And they were like, those three teams were basically, if anybody has driven through Georgia in the summer, you know, you get those giant June bugs on your windshield. Those teams were just June bugs on the windshield. Just splat, splat, splat, splat.

And Georgia's just cruising. Just cruise control. All right. And, man, who can beat this team. I don't know who can beat this team. It started the wheels turning on Saturday. I'm watching some of this earlier today.

So I record this on Sunday night. So if I said today, that's because it's Sunday morning is earlier today. And I was spinning through some of the film. I try to go back as much as I can on Sundays before I talk about these teams and do this podcast and watch as much as I can of the, these teams on the coaches tape. And so I'm spinning through some of the Georgia tape. And I just

started chuckling. And I'm just like, that game wasn't close. It wasn't even close. It wasn't in question. Then I saw this little clip on social media. I don't know who shared it, but it was a really cool clip. And it was just like this, this cell phone shot of Georgia waiting in the tunnel with Kirby standing right at the front. And they were waiting and like Neeland is rocking. And that place is amazing, by the way, an incredible environment, incredible environment. And the committee tried to tell us that that was the 18th best team of the country, which is comical. But I digress. There you go.

Mike, that was for you. And there's this cell phone video of Kirby with his team, Georgia, standing in the tunnel. And they're just kind of just like, deadpan, straight face. Just staring. He's like taking it in. He's like looking up. And then he like, you know, hits one of his players on the chest. And his player like daps him up.

And then they just like jog out onto the field and thump them. They know. They know. This has never happened to me, but I can imagine being in a fist fight and just knowing like, oh, yeah, I'm definitely going to win this. I just haven't been in many fist fights. I think only two, two that I can remember. One, I just got my absolute butt kicked by a cowboy in Montana when I was playing minor league baseball. This show is going to be too long for that.

I'll come back to that and I'll tell you that story at some point. I didn't get any punches in, by the way. But Georgia's the guy that just like understands, nope, I'm bigger than you. I'm tougher than you. I'm faster than you. And I'm going to win. And all this is is a showcase of all the hard work that I put in during the course of the week, months, and years.

That's all these games are to Georgia. Okay. So who can beat them? Let's talk about this for a moment. you've got to go back to who gives them trouble. And there's really only been two games where you could say like, okay, they're in legitimate trouble. I know that they didn't play great in some of those games early this year.

You know, they had to play really well in the fourth quarter, throwing the ball against Auburn. Yes, they were down to South Carolina. Okay, we understand that. But I'm talking about like legitimate trouble. Maybe you could say Missouri last year, but you go back to their last loss and then the last game that they really should have lost. SEC championship game 2021 against Alabama, last year's playoff, 22 against Ohio State.

Those two teams are eerily similar, eerily similar because of how talented they were at the wide receiver positions in those games and those teams. And the quality of quarterback play that you were getting out of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud and both of those matchups. So you've got this ability to go to 10th gear offensively. And that's what finally began to give Georgia some problems. And it just so happens that the team that ended up beating them, their last loss, 29 games ago, Alabama also was pretty good on defense. They were solid on the line of scrimmage and they could do a lot of those different things.

right. So they were a sound team. Last year, Ohio State's game plan, their ability to attack. And before Marvin left the game, like they were, they're going to win the game. And then he goes and he leaves the game. And they, Buckeyes couldn't stop Brock Bowers, couldn't get off the field. So it came down to the fact that they couldn't get off the field. Okay. So what do we learn from that? And if you take those two teams and you look at those two coaching staffs and you look those two quarterbacks and talent level on there and then everything that they were on defense and how, who are the teams that are the legitimate threat or legitimate matchups to Georgia? I actually believe, I think that there are three. I think if, again, if you're just basing this based on that blueprint, this doesn't mean that other teams couldn't potentially beat Georgia this year.

I'm just saying that there's only three teams that you could say, okay, this would give their coaching staff at least some pause. These are matchups that would give them some trouble. And I think that's Ohio State. I think that's Texas and I think that's Oregon. Those are the teams that are best built to match up with Georgia, not beat but match up with because they've won 28 straight. Even that Bama team that beat them in 2021,

lost to them in the national championship. even though the 2022 Ohio State team who had them on the ropes lost the football game because of how good they are. Speaking of Georgia. So I look at these three teams and they're all good enough at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They all have what I would consider to be excellent skill position players on the outside, not just good enough, but like excellent skill position players on the outside. in Texas in Oregon's case, they've got a quarterback that can go to, you know, level five if need be. And we still may see that out of Kyle McCord.

He's got that talent. And in particular with Henderson in the backfield, maybe we start seeing that out of him. And then certainly in Texas and Ohio State's case, you've got a play caller that could give Georgia problems in particular if those two play callers are given three or four weeks to prepare for the game. and Steve Sarkesian and Ryan Day. But here's the wild part about this. I legit think that those three teams are the best built teams to match up with Georgia, and there's a chance, whether it's this week or next, where all three of them could get knocked out and not be in the college football playoff.

There is a legitimate scenario where Georgia and Michigan and Florida State and Washington are in the playoff. and Texas, Ohio State, and Oregon are not. And there's nothing against those other teams, nothing against those other teams. But based on what I saw offensively from Michigan last week, I don't know if they can go get into a big old shootout with Georgia. FSU without Jordan Travis, absolutely not. And I think Washington's two one dimensional.

So there is a scenario where Georgia walks to a third title, folks, walks. because if one of those three teams is not in the college football playoff, then Georgia might not even be tested to the point that they need to be tested. And all of you saying like, well, maybe it's Alabama. Yeah, maybe. Yeah, maybe. And we'll see. And Alabama's playing great.

I don't know if that offense for Alabama and the way that they have to play and the way that they have to protect Jalen Milro, I don't know if that's the style of offense that can beat Georgia. It might be. It might be. But those other three teams, I think, are the best built teams to match up with Georgia. All right. I'm going to have to go a little bit quicker here.

But I wanted to move on and just, this one's really hard. You'll have to forgive me. Now that I have children, I'm way more emotional or tied end. I think I'm more empathetic, honestly. So this one is really hard to talk about.

My heart is broken for Jordan Travis. That leg injury, it was obviously a gruesome injury. But this guy, he has done everything right. He is so easy to root for. He's such a good player. He is such a good player. And to have this season going for a guy that stuck around through some hard times at Florida State, you know, you could say that they had, you know, at times they had maybe even bottomed out.

and he stayed the course. In an era where staying the course ain't cool. And everybody wants to leave. And everybody wants to look out for the name on the back and not the name on the front. And he didn't. And that's to be commended. And so to see that injury,

man, 60 year guy, team on the way to the playoff. Fifth year in the Florida State program. You know, he played the, one year at Louisville and then here he is at Florida Stadium means so much to this program, obviously, obviously, not just from his skill set, but his leadership. And I'm just crushed. So Jordan, listen, from me to you, one, I'm praying for you.

Two, I know you don't see it right now, but something positive is going to come out of this. There's someone that you are going to meet along this journey. there's something that you're going to learn along this journey that is going to help you become a better man and a better player moving forward. Just keep your eyes open. Keep your eyes on the prize and just know that this is not the end for you. It might feel like that, but I know that you have a much better outlook than that. I've seen some of the stuff on social media. There's a plan for you, my friend.

There is a plan. You're far too special of an individual and player. there is a huge plan for you. And you stay the course, my friend. And I'm going to be praying for you and your family for a quick recovery. And more than that, even, the strength of mind and the peace of mind to stay positive and to power through this and become better on the other end. Now we look at Florida State, his team and how we evaluate them moving forward. And this is tough.

This is tough. This was already a team that you, as you've listened to this program, you'll know. I had some questions about. I know that we had eight really good teams. And if you matched them up and you played them all this week, I don't know of the seven how many other teams Florida State would beat. You know, they were constantly playing down to the level of competition, eking by at times.

Them in Washington would do kind of the same thing in a lot of regards. And now you've got to evaluate this team without their heart and soul, even with what has become, you know, and I would just call it a, it's not an unimpressive resume, but it certainly is not as impressive as it once was as a team when they first beat LSU or when they first beat Clemson

because of what's happened with those two teams. I think this injury puts monumental pressure on Florida State. It's not what the committee is going to give us this week. It's what the committee is going to give us next week. week because this game, the 60 minutes against Florida, is going to tell us all what we need to know about what Florida State is without Jordan Travis. And it remains to be seen. But I don't think that they can hide behind it being a rivalry game.

And I don't think that they can hide behind, well, we're trying to break in a new quarterback. A lot of people are going to try to make comparisons to the 2004. 14 Ohio State team that lost J.T. Barrett late. Cardell Jones goes in. They become the four seed. They stomp Wisconsin. And then they wound up winning the first playoff, beating Alabama and then Oregon and the national championship game. But remember, part of that was that after the injury, Ohio State had to prove their worth with their backup. And they did that. That time it was a conference championship game when they drubbed Wisconsin. I believe it was like 59-0.

Don't quote me on that, but it was something along those lines. And they played great. And so the committee got a chance to see this team for what they were without their quarterback. And with Cardell Jones is in there as their backup. Okay. And then they put them in the playoff. So the pressure is now on Florida State. It's not about do you beat Louisville, do you remain undefeated?

how do you look this week? You've got to prove like that 2014 Buckeyes team did with Cardell Jones that you can be an elite team even without Jordan Travis. And if you can do that, then okay. Then yeah, you've got one game to beat Louisville and go to the playoff.

But if they don't, and if this is a struggle, and if it's clear that Florida State is not anywhere near what they have been during the course of the season, then the committee is going to have to take that in a consideration. In particular this year when we're going to have so many great teams at the end vying for spots in the playoff.

There are scenarios where there are five, six teams with one loss that you could make an argument are as good or better than even an undefeated Florida State because Jordan Travis is not in the lineup. So I just, there's a big part of me that I don't believe that undefeated makes Florida State safe. What makes them safe is a statement. They've got to go prove that they can play at the top end even without their quarterback, just like Ohio State did in 2014, which is what led them to get the four seed, which is what led them to the national championship. So there's that possibility out there. Even with an undefeated Florida State, if they squeak by and they squeak by and it's painfully obvious that it ain't, it ain't it, then what if Oregon barely beats Washington and they're both 12. and one. Well, you could make a strong case that both of those teams would be better. You can make a strong case that the 11 and one loser of this week's Ohio State Michigan game

would be better than Florida State team that was even undefeated because of the injury to Jordan Travis. I know that that sounds harsh, but again, the precedent with Ohio State losing their quarterback late was dominance. And I think that the committee is going to have to look at that as well. Remember, this is Florida. Like, Florida is not a good football. team. They've lost four in a row. They got housed by Utah earlier in the year. This is not a team that you can just say like, well, you know, it's Florida. No, it's not. Come on. Right. So, again, pressure is on. Pressure is on Florida State. They've got to go out there and they've got to do it now. And maybe they do. Maybe Tate Roadmakers is the guy and he's going to go out there and

roll off a bunch of wins. I don't know. Maybe. You never know. A couple of other teams. that I wanted to react to because I don't think that they're getting the credit that they deserve after what was big weekends for them internally. If you look at Washington and Texas and the matchups that they had, specifically Washington, but I think both can fall under this category, they had tough road games in conference late in November at tough places to play that people don't generally win a lot of football games at and they had to win those games. And in Washington's case, they had to do it in a rainstorm, even though they're a passing oriented team.

So let me take Washington first. They just won a game in Corvallis in a downpour, which effectively, I would say, negated, hindered, called into question, their ability to do what they were best at, which is throw the football. So now all of a sudden, you've got to rely on other parts of your team. And they showed up. They still won. Oregon State, by the way, and nobody knows this because nobody pays attention.

And here's the other frustrating part, by the way. If there was an SEC team, this is just true. This is just true. If there was an SEC team program that had won 16 of their last 17 games at home, was ranked 11th in the country, and the only loss was a three-point loss, to the Heisman trophy winner. So again, let me just state this. Just close your eyes and picture an SEC team that had won 16 of 17 at home.

And the only loss was a three-point loss to the eventual Heisman trophy winner. And that team was ranked 11th in the country. Okay, now open your eyes. if any contender goes into that environment and wins, we are singing their praises on high all week. Oh, how dominant. Oh, how impressive. That's all we're doing.

That's all we're doing. But because it's in the Pact 12, and because that 11th ranked team is Oregon State that nobody cares about. Nobody pays attention to. Nobody knows that they've won 16 of 17 at home. Nobody knows that the only loss was to the eventual Heisman trophy winner in Caleb Williams in USC. That win for Washington is remarkable.

It's in a downpour. Oregon State is a running oriented team. They're a line of scrimmage oriented team. everything was on their side and Washington still won. Michael Pinnock still delivers a dart on third down to close things out. This team in Washington is elite. They've got an elite passing game, yes, and you can argue that they might be a little bit one-dimensional,

but guess what? That dimension is freaking good. And nobody's giving them their love. If the CFP does not move them into the top four, then this is a farce. because that win needs to carry weight and it should carry weight, in particular with the injury that happened to Florida State. Even though that injury breaks our heart and none of us want to see that happen,

and all of us love Jordan Travis, if we're being honest with ourselves, with the way the resumes are stacking up now, and what Washington has been able to do in what has been the deepest and best conference in America this year to do what they did on Saturday on the road in Corvallis in a downpour needs to get more credit and it should. They should be in the top four, maybe even third. Maybe even third.

That's the type of credit that we need to start giving Washington for what they did on Saturday. Now, not quite to that level, but Texas rolls in and plays at Ames. And this is a type of game that Texas would have been losing year over year in the past. This is an Iowa State team that has played them really tough and in fact beat them several years out of the last four. I think three of the last four, Iowa State may have beaten them. Remember, you got the quote from Matt Campbell. They might have five-star players, but we have a five-star culture.

You remember that? Isn't that ringing a bell? Right? That's why Sark, after the game, said in his press conference, great line, by the way. He said, that quote has stuck with me. and now I think it's pretty cool because we not only have the five-star players, but we also have the five-star culture.

That's a great line. And he's taking a shot there, yes, but you kind of hand it to him because he did it in the right way. And now Texas, they're not playing down to their level of competition for full games. They're not losing the games that we feel like they always have over the last. last four and five years. This is a team now that, yes, they've had down stretches. Did they let Kansas State back in the game? Yes.

Did they let TCU back in the game? Yes. But they've been able to win. They've been able to do the things that previous Texas teams have not been able to do. And again, not many people giving them credit for it. This is a very different team. And Steve Zarkesian now has won 10 games for the first time as a head coach. They have a very reliable defense.

that provides a lot of consistency for them. They haven't quite clinched to the Big 12 title game yet. I'm going to get into those scenarios on Wednesday, so make sure to tune into that show. They do finish with a home game Friday night against Texas Tech. They'll be motivated for that one. You've got to go win that one. They win that one.

They're in the Big 12 championship game. There's just so many different scenarios in the Big 12. Obviously, Texas has the best chance to be in that game, but they still haven't clinched a birth in that Big 12. 12 championship game. But two teams that did something that if they did it in a different conference, if they did it namely in the Southeastern Conference, everybody would be talking about how impressive they were and how great they are.

Washington and Texas flew under the radar last weekend and they shouldn't, in particular Washington, because what Washington did was freaking awesome. Last thing before we get out of here. Just a quick bow, if you would call it that, a wrap up on USC. and Caleb Williams. So USC loses. They lose five of their last six games after a six and oh start. And you look back and Caleb Williams likely done in college football,

which is disappointing just because I loved watching him play. My reflection on this guy's career is he was one of the most dynamic and best college quarterbacks I've ever seen. And you can say what you want and you can talk about this losing streak. And people have tried to take shots at Caleb. but the bottom line is when I talk with coaches around the country, scouts around the country, when I watch what I watch with my own two eyes,

there have just been very, very, very, very few players that have even come close to the hemisphere that Caleb Williams is in. He is great at everything, everything. He's very smart. He's very athletic. He's got a great arm. It's very accurate. He knows how to change speeds.

He can create. He does everything well. and that's why he's probably done and probably going to be the first pick in the draft. So a big tip of the cap. Caleb, hell of a career. It's been so much fun watching you and covering you.

You've done things on the football field that many of us just dream of doing and you've done it and you've made it look easy. And congratulations on a great career. That being said, USC, there is so much to fix moving forward. Lincoln Riley has an enormous job on his hand. now that they're in the off-season.

Their season is done outside of a bowl game. They need a new defensive coordinator. They're going to be breaking in a new quarterback, whether that's Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson. Nelson was that five-star recruit. It was a true freshman this season. And they're going to be doing all of that. They're going to have to get into the portal.

They're going to have to recruit better, in particular at the line of scrimmage. This team was insufficient at the line of scrimmage, both offensively and defensively. Caleb masked. what was a really poor year for them on the offensive line. Many people don't know that, but that was the case. It was not a great year for them on the offensive line.

And then the defense clearly has to get better. And I mean, they've got to get so much better so quickly. Because this is not going to be easy. Yes, they played a difficult schedule this year. And generally speaking in the past, you would look at a difficult schedule and you would say, you know what, next year will probably get a little easier. So hopefully it gets a little easier next year. But nope, not with these super conferences and not with the way that their schedule lines up next year.

Look at the teams on their schedule next year. They're going to play in a neutral site non-conference game against LSU and Vegas. They've got to go to Michigan. They play Wisconsin, Penn State. They're at Washington. They're at UCLA. They play Notre Dame. They better get so much.

better or you're looking at another year where it's seven and five, it's looming, eight and four, it's looming, it's looming. And I tell you what, the pitchforks will be out if that's the case. So the rebuild and the fix that has to happen, has to happen quickly because USC is headed for what is one of the most difficult schedules any college football team has seen in a long, long time. That's going to do it for today's show. Now, we've got mailbag coming up this week. Can't wait to dip into the mailbag.

So send in your questions about anything. You can ask me about that fight in Montana with the guy. By the way, he was a bull rider. I know because he had a giant belt buckle and he kicked my butt. you can send us mailbag questions at the Joel Clats Show mailbag at gmail.com. And again, any questions. You can ask about the playoffs. You can ask about college football.

You can ask about stories from my baseball career. Life as a father, whatever you want. We can get into a nice clat chat there. And it's going to be awesome. Follow the show. Make sure to subscribe to the show. I very much appreciate everybody that has listened and downloaded. Remember to share it with a friend.

College football this time of year is so much. much better when we can talk it over with a friend and banter with a friend about it. Subscribe to the show on YouTube, follow us on social media at Joel Clashow. And make sure to come back on Wednesday and we'll be back here with another episode. Have a great day.