The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Ohio State is back, Penn State still can’t win the big one & Oregon adds to Michigan’s misery

Episode Date: November 4, 2024

FOX Sports’ lead College Football analyst Joel Klatt discusses Ohio State’s win over Penn State in Happy Valley and what the result means for each program. He explains why Oregon’s win over Michigan was just more proof that they are the best team in the country before explaining what the Wolverines need to do to get the program back on track. Indiana is 9-0 for the first time in program history and Klatt details why he feels the Hoosiers are the most underrated team in America. Joel considers what to make of Georgia’s inconsistent play this season and reacts to Texas A&M’s blowout loss at South Carolina. He also compares this year’s Miami team to a Florida State team from the past before giving SMU credit for the big win over previously unbeaten Pitt. Klatt lays out how the team that may have benefitted the most this weekend was one that didn't even play: as Colorado jumped up in the Big 12 Standings following losses by Iowa St and Kansas St. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That was the play selection for Penn State? Like, what are we doing? College football has never been better. Interest has never been higher. I 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. Hey, welcome into the program.

I'm Joel Glad. This is the Joel Clad Show, and our show is brought to you by Hampton, by Hilton. We've got another great show for you here today, recapping what was a terrific day in college football. Obviously, I was in state college at Happy Valley and watching that Ohio State victory over Penn State. So I'll get into that among a lot of other things. Because here's the thing, as we plunge into this week

that we're going to get college football playoff rankings, this year more so than previous years, and I've been harping on this the entire season, we have more teams that are involved at the top end. So I'm going to get to a lot of teams as opposed to what I would normally get to in the last couple of years entering November. Hey, remember wherever you're listening to this podcast, make sure to rate and review us, share it with a friend.

We would really appreciate that. So do all the things there. And if you haven't gone to YouTube, you're going to need to go to YouTube because we've got some cool stuff. And it's already there, by the way. So you're going to want to go to the YouTube channel, Joe Clat Show YouTube channel. Subscribe and hit the notification button so you know when we drop different types. of videos out there and make sure to leave a comment below and hit that thumbs up. That also helps as well. More on that in a little bit. I'll have kind of a big announcement about what's

on the page at the end of the show. Okay. So let's start with what was a terrific day at Happy Valley. I mean, that was what I think college football is all about. I know that one fan base and most of the people there left disappointed because Penn State fall. to Ohio State 20 to 13, but it's just a great college football environment. Every time I'm in Happy Valley, I feel like it is a great college football environment. I was certainly thrilled to be there.

I know that some of the Penn State fans don't like the kick at noon, but listen, that's the way the cookie crumbles, and that's where we give you our premier broadcast. So that's where we're at at noon, and that's what we're going to do for the foreseeable, future, so let's maybe get used to it. It was incredibly encouraging if you're an Ohio State fan for what went on on Saturday. Coming into that ballgame, there were a lot of questions surrounding Ohio State, surrounding Ryan Day. And a lot of them, I can't argue with because of

the way that they played in their two previous games, Oregon and Nebraska, and what's happened in previous big games under Ryan Day dating back to, you know, 2000. maybe even the national championship in 20. You know, these losses to Michigan, the losses in the big games, Georgia comes in mind. Like there had been a narrative built over the last couple of years that Ryan Day wasn't winning these games, these top five games. Okay, so that's how Ohio State came into this game. And to be quite honest with you, based on the way that they had played,

specifically on the offensive line, against Oregon in the second half without Josh Simmons and for the entire four quarters against Nebraska in the game that I called last week, I had my doubts and they were serious doubts that this team was, in fact, a national champion caliber, excuse me, team. I had my doubts. At the beginning of the year, I felt very comfortable that Ohio State was one of the four best teams, probably one of the two best teams with Georgia at the outset of the season. And coming into this game against Penn State, I had my doubts. I thought this was going to be Penn State's best chance that I had seen in the last couple of years. I've called all these games. And I haven't felt this positive from a Penn State perspective

in a long time, in a long time. Because of the questions specifically at the offensive line for Ohio State. If you need me to follow up on that, Josh Simmons got hurt. They're starting a left tackle. They had to shuffle all things around. And all of a sudden, Donovan Jackson, the guard. He's out at left. and Carson Hensman. Last year, Center is in at Left Guard. Both of those guys making their first start ever at those positions in Beaver Stadium against Penn State and Abdul Carter and that defensive line.

And you're like, that doesn't sound good. So I had my doubts. I had my doubts. And I come out of that game watching those four quarters of football and the way that they played up front against that defensive front and in that environment, And now I'm bullish. I think Ohio State is absolutely national championship caliber based on what they did in those four quarters with their offensive line. They came in as a mess and they left as an answer.

Cohesive and ready to go. 40 carries, 176 yards, including what you're watching right now, which is just running it right down Penn State's throat when they got the ball with about five minutes to go on their own one yard line. defense creates a big stand, and then they just decided to run the football, and they ended the game with the ball on the field. That is a championship mindset. When you know that you're going to run the football, and they know you're going to run the football, and you still do it, that is eating up front. And they played terrific. I was so impressed with how they played with that brand new offensive line.

And trust me when I say it was brand new. It was brand new. Jenny had talked to Donovan Jackson. I had talked to their coaches all week long. And there was a lot of, well, we'll see. We'll see how this goes. Again, Donovan Jackson had never played tackle before in his life. And he's sitting out there at left tackle against Penn State. Now, was it perfect?

No, was he dominant the entire game? No, no, he wasn't. They gave up at one point, there was like three straight third downs that they gave up sacks. but when it counted, they could run the football. And Ohio State with the ability to run the football is a scary football team. That's just the bottom line because you know that they're going to be able to throw it. You know that they're going to be able to be creative. You know that they've got weapons on the outside with a Bucca and Jeremiah Smith and

Innes caught a touchdown and Carnell Tate went for 100 against Nebraska. They're loaded on the outside. We know that. We know their backs are great. The question was about this offensive line and those questions were serious. and they were answered in an emphatic way and in a positive fashion for the Buckeye fans. So I came into this game, serious doubts that this was a national championship caliber team. I left that game.

This is absolutely a national championship caliber team based on the way that those five guys played up front. Other takeaways from this game. Ohio State did not have to have their quarterback play great in order to win a matchup style top five game. That's a revelation because in the last few years, it's been the exact opposite. Their quarterback had to play great. And guess what? Will Howard probably played his worst game. 16 to 24, 182 yards, two touchdowns, but two turnovers, including a pick six that put

him down 10-0 right off the jump. I tell you, when Zion Tracy ran in for that touchdown, the decibel level was through the roof, through the roof. And it wasn't his first pass attempt? I think it was his first pass attempt. and later in the game, he's running inside the five. He's trying to score and he gets stripped. And all of a sudden, there's Saki Wheatley, bam, stripping the ball out.

It goes over the pylon. It's a touchback for Penn State. Those are massive turnovers. And normally, in the last few years, based on the way that the defense was set up for Ohio State, that the run game was set up for Ohio State, if the quarterback played that way, they would lose. and yet on Saturday, their quarterback didn't play great and they won. See, to me, that's a revelation. That's a confidence booster, in particular with a patchwork offensive line

that now moves forward with some confidence with a defense that stepped up and played incredible again against Penn State, second straight year that they've done that, and the quarterback didn't even play great, and they still won. Now, listen, for Will, this is a huge positive because it's a learning experience. And I'll just say, I felt like he was too emotional going into the game. Okay, this is a touch of a side note, but earlier in the week, Will Howard had made a comment. In fact, it was right after they played Nebraska and beat Nebraska, and he said,

can't wait to play at Penn State. I was a fan of theirs. I wanted to be recruited there. I wanted to play there. That was my dream school. They didn't recruit me, and I guess we'll find out if I was good enough to play there next Saturday. That's a great sentiment. And everyone's like, yeah, Will, chip on your shoulder, let's go.

And you know what that gets you as a quarterback when you actually step on the field in between the lines, nothing. Nothing. It's a say-but-nothing speech. That's what it gives you. You see, only details in execution are rewarded on the field for a quarterback, and when you're playing through a motion,

typically you don't execute and you don't play within the details. I actually think that's why Will played poorly. Again, he played probably his worst game, and he said this, by the way, afterwards, but he probably played his worst game of the season, and yet they still won. So you can shock it up to learning experience.

And now he knows he doesn't have to be Superman, number one, and number two, don't let that happen again. Don't play through emotion, play through passion. Those are two different things. She passion makes you invest in the details, invest in the execution of the offense. Emotion, that gets you all hayward, and that's not where you can play from.

I mentioned the defense, and the defense was the defense that we expected to see at the start of the year. Excuse me. This is a defense that last year, I remember doing the spring game, and I'm down there with the microphone and Steve, who's obviously with us here on the show

and with me every single Saturday, Steve Owens is, I mean, second to none. This guy is as good as it gets in the industry. And I'm thankful that he works with me. And we were talking last spring, and it's like, is anyone going to score on Ohio State? And the answer was kind of like, probably not, probably not.

Because when this defense is playing well, in particular up front with their defensive tackles, it becomes increasingly difficult to just move the football and to score on this D. Now, they were shredded against Oregon. And it was like alarm bells, panic meter, we need to change things, we need to get more aggressive against Nebraska. And there was some amount of questioning whether this defense could actually be a dominant defense. And guess what? They turned into a dominant defense on Saturday in a top five matchup on the road. They were outstanding. They were absolutely outstanding.

I love their safety play. I think Caleb Downs is one of the best defenders, if not the best defender in college football. I thought he was terrific last year as a true freshman, and he's only gotten better at Ohio State. He's terrific. And just remember, and I said this on the broadcast, for those of you that watched, and I mean, if you're listening to this, I'm assuming that you watch the game. I brought up a comp, and it's not just a straight player comp, but it's an impact comp, and it's a style comp for Caleb Downs. When I was a true freshman at Colorado, I had just left baseball. I walk on at Colorado. I'm not the starting quarterback yet, and we're sitting there, and so I'm just on the sidelines, and USC comes into Boulder,

excuse me. And this is Pete Carroll's USC team in 2002. All right. 2002. This is Carson Palmer's year. This is about to turn the corner for USC and they're about to make a run. And in that game, we, Colorado had Chris Brown and a strong running game. And this safety was just like downhill, like a rolling ball of butcher knives, like every play. And we're like, who is this guy?

Who is this guy? And on film, we're like, man, This is the best safety we've seen in a long time. That safety was Troy Paul Amalu at USC. That's the same type of impact and style that I see now when I watch film of Caleb Downs and when I'm calling his games. He's downhill. He's always making sure tackles.

And in a large part, he kind of took away Tyler Warren. Now, he didn't have to do it alone because they have other veteran safeties that can help. Lathen Ransom being back from injury certainly helps. Jordan Hancock was spectacular. And the fact that Penn State doesn't have great wide receivers on the outside means that the safety's for Ohio State could just focus on the middle of that offense and they could focus on Nick Singleton and they could focus on Tyler Warren. That's why Warren did not have a big day for Penn State. I know that's a frustration for Penn State fans and we'll get here to that in just a moment,

but the safety play for Ohio State was outstanding and Caleb Downs was outstanding. And then Lathen Ransom on that fourth down, he was outstanding. and there's a terrific little defensive structure that Jim Knowles kind of created for that fourth down stop. And let's get to that fourth down stop. Late in the game, there's what is it? You know, we're getting inside of seven minutes now. Tyler Warren has just taken a direct snap, run at 33 yards around the left end, and now they've got first and goal inside the five.

And remember, they had first and goal inside the five to end the first half, and they threw a pass to Trey Wallace that gets picked off. Now, that's a little bit different because, you know, it's the first half, and it was first down. But here you've got first and goal. First and goal, what do they do? Ketron Allen right up the middle. Okay. Now what are you doing second down? Ketron Allen right up the middle. Okay. Now they'll get creative, right? I'm saying it in the booth. They're going to spend somebody out of here. They're going to cross up, do something. Now third and goal, what do we get? Ketron Allen right up the middle.

And I'm like, hold on a second. Well, it's certainly four down territory because you can't expect the ball back with the way they're running it. Now it's inside of six minutes. And so I'm okay, now we're going to get the misdirection. and everything with Tyler Warren and what do we get regular pick play to one side, and then you come back and try to throw it to Dinkins, the tight end. That was the play selection for Penn State. Like, what are we doing? Like Andy Codalnicki, we've been singing his praises all year for his creativity,

the way that he gets the stars the ball. And so they've got five snaps inside the five-yard line, one in the first half, four at the end, of the game, and Singleton and Warren never touched the ball. That cannot happen. That cannot happen. I've watched every snap of Penn State this season on film. They're best, without a doubt. Low red zone, I call it. So inside the five game plan is when they snap the ball to tie Warren. He's reading stretch. He's diving over the top. He's throwing swing routes. He's running it. It was their most effective way to run the football in the game against Ohio State.

He had just done it on 3rd and 6 for a 33-yard rush. And they didn't go to it on any snap inside the 5. They will lament that issue. And this was an issue that was supposed to be a directive coming in, that they would not go down without giving the ball to their best. And guess what? They go down without giving the ball to their best. their best. My goodness, that's got to be frustrating for Penn State and Penn State fans because

you feel like we have seen this movie before. And I'm emphatic about it because it's like, it's right there for you. It's right there for you. I've also watched every single snap on film of Ohio State's defense. And this is where it becomes even more interesting to me that Penn State decided that that was going to be their game plan first and goal inside the five. Is that in the two subsequent games that Ohio State's defense has played, they have had basically goal line stands against straight downhill interior runs. Nebraska tried it, got stopped on fourth down. It was a fourth down stop for Ohio State, total goal line stand. And Oregon couldn't punch it in at the end of the game and had to settle for a field goal

because they couldn't run it straight at that interior of the defensive line. They settled for a field goal, which gave Ohio State. at least a chance to drive down and kick a field goal to win. Now, it didn't end up working for Ohio State, but the defense gave them the chance. Those were the two previous games. So if you're watching that film, how in the world is that your low red zone game plan?

With a game on the line, fourth down. Like, this isn't even second quarter you get inside the five and maybe you're trying some things. It's the fourth quarter. It's inside of six minutes. You might not get the ball back. It has to be your best. And I don't think it was.

and I think that's what's frustrating from a Penn State perspective. I'm shocked that they didn't snap the football to Tyler Warren. One other, just quick note, and they kept using that motion with number 71, Yoenya is his last name. Vanga, Yawainya is an athletic, high force player. He's 350 pounds, and they say that he produces more force than any other player based on his acceleration and his mass.

okay, that's fine. But he's also the starting left guard. And he was in motion on every one of those snaps. In order for him to be in motion, you have to put in the backup guard, J.B. Nelson. And this is nothing against J.B. Nelson. But that just means that your backup guard is in the game, inside the five-yard line, against Ohio State,

deep into the fourth quarter, and you're running it straight behind the backup guard. If you want to run it straight, keep Ewania in the game your starting guard. You're motioning him out like you're going to try to do something creative and then nothing creative materialized. I know that this is like harsh criticism, but I think Andy Coddlenicki would agree with me. Like, there's no way that Andy Coddlenicki slept well on Saturday night based on the way that those snaps happened inside the five. When Singleton and Warren don't get touches, that's rough. So now it's three straight games that we've seen Ohio State's defense hold up inside the five.

So now in recent years, here's Penn State, and they've basically been beat two types of ways. And it's always Ohio State or Michigan. I'm talking about regular season games, and it's being beat one of two ways. Either it's Ohio State with Marvin Harrison, being able to out-athlet them on the outside and just be better in the skill positions than they are. And Harrison goes crazy, and he's got 20 catches and 19 of them go over. for first downs in the last couple of years. Or it's Michigan that can line up and just play bully ball

and mall them to death. So those are the two ways. They tried to go and attack and beat Ohio State. They haven't been able to do that because Ohio State has been superior athletically. And then Michigan caught them and passed them because they were superior physically. Well, guess what happened on Saturday?

Ohio State took a page out of, and listen, they're going to hate hearing this, Michigan's playbook. They mauled them to death with a great run. game and an offensive line that could get it done, in particular in those last four minutes when they needed it first, first and 10 from the one yard line. And they've got to run out the clock and they were able to do that. So Ohio State Maldom, and now it's the exact same blueprint for Penn State. They are losing in the exact same ways. And here's what you look up and see is that this team doesn't lose to unranked teams. So they're probably going to end up 11 and 1 still. They're probably

going to have a home game or close to it in the college football playoff. And here's the question that then needs to be asked. Great teams generally fix issues. We've seen that this year. Oregon struggled early in the season with their offensive lines specifically. They changed things up. That's been fixed. Georgia has struggled with things and fixed it. Texas has struggled with things and fixed it. Ohio State has struggled with things and fixed it. Great teams fix issues. Will Penn State fix the issues? Because they're getting beat the same way. They don't get the ball to their stars and then they either can't hold up physically on defense or someone is able to outskill them and end up winning the game. Penn State has to fix that and they're likely

going to have another opportunity. I think at home in a playoff game against a team like, let's just say like for an example, Notre Dame. I think there's a good chance that they play Notre Dame at home in the playoff. And then we find out if they've been able to fix any of these issues. I go back to this and this is where I'll leave this game. The definition for me coming into the season of success for Penn State in the 2024 season was this, that they would take a step forward. We have already seen that they can finish eighth in the country and be kind of what they are now. This is what we've already seen. What we haven't seen them do is take the next step and level up in college football and go out there and actually beat a team to put themselves

on what I would call the upper tier level. I guess I should say the top tier level. So now you've got to go out there and you've got to win a playoff game. If Penn State doesn't win a playoff game, I think that this season is not going to be a successful one from a definition standpoint. I know that's a high standard, but it's not an unrealistic standard.

And that's still one that I will hold for Penn State. All right, let's move on because we've got a lot to hit on. Oregon continues to roll. And by the way, Duck fans. Are we back? Quack, quack, duck fans, come on. I bet against you, I lost constantly. And now we finally hit one.

I was 0 and 4 picking Oregon games up until this week. But we finally hit Oregon beats Michigan 3817 in the big house. And we hit on the picks. And by the way, we hit on all the picks. You saw all those green check marks. Thank you very much. That's another 5 and 0. We're still on an absolute heater.

I know that we had a bit of a rough one last week, but we're still just cruising. By the way, we were 5 and 0 like three weeks ago. Now we're another 5 and 0. We are rolling with picks. You see the green check marks right there, and we're finally back on track with the Oregon Ducks. So we're now 1 and 4 picking Oregon games this year. They are number one in my top 10.

I think they're the most complete team the country. They're the team that has answered the most questions stemming from the way that they struggled early in the year. I think that they are right now as complete a team in the country. They can beat you in several different ways. Dylan Gabriel continues to get better and better and better. If I had to label my five Heisman finalist, he's certainly going to be one of those the way that he's playing. He seems more comfortable every single game that I watch him play under Will Stein's that's an offense that has a lot of talent on the outside. I just, I look at, I look at at the combination of like Evan Stewart, Treshaun Holden, and I know, I say Tess Johnson, but I know that

the injury is there and the concerns are there. It looks like it be either like the shoulder or, or the collarbone. So I hate that. I mean, the catches that these guys make, the speed that they carry on the outside, it is so difficult to defend these guys. They are. ridiculous on the outside. But here's the thing. Their offensive line is playing well. Gabriel is a point guard. He can run it. He runs in that touchdown from distance. Their defense is solid. They're getting healthier at the right times. Jordan Burch back after missing the last three. Terrence Ferguson, the tight end. He missed the last two after having an appendix removed. He's back in the lineup. This is a great team, folks. And they didn't do anything

to dispel that thought in my mind going into Michigan and handling a Michigan team 3817. I thought that they ran the ball well. The one question I would have is the injury concerns. Obviously, Ted Johnson doesn't look good, but they still have Treshawn Holden. They still have Evan Stewart. So that's a good sign. Marcus Harper, their guard left the game. Looks like he's going to be okay. He told Dan Lannning in the locker room that he was going to be just fine. Now, O'Line, men always tell you they're going to be just fine. He went from left guard to right guard during their reshuffling earlier in the year. I tell you about fixing issues.

Their offensive line was an issue early. And then all of a sudden it wasn't why they fixed those issues. Part of that was Marcus Harper moving over to right guard. So we'll hope that he's okay. So Oregon's my new number one. Not even new. I had them number one. They're still my number one, I guess I should say.

Now the team they beat. Okay, so Michigan. and this is going to be really quick because the disappointment for Michigan's season is palpable. But I just want to, after a loss to Oregon, I just want to step back and take stock for a moment in what's actually disappointing about Michigan season because I don't think a loss to Oregon

is actually the disappointing part about Michigan season. A loss to Texas is not actually the disappointing part of Michigan's season. The disappointing part of their season are the losses to Washington and Illinois. That's what fans would be more upset with. You see, this team was never going to have a huge margin for error. And so in those games against teams that they needed to beat and were going to be in close games, they had to play clean, no turnovers, play well on defense, not get penalized, win the field position battle, and when they didn't, they got beat handily.

here's the disappointing part of their season. They've played seven games now against Power 4 teams. They've played three, one score, close wins, and four losses by double digits. You know, so it's like, remember a couple of those wins very easily could have been losses for Michigan.

USC, Minnesota come to mind. Now you look up and you lose to Oregon, it's like, this is not the game that I'm disappointed in. The other ones were. And so the season comes down, to two things. Moving forward for Michigan fans, the season comes down to two things. You can spoil Ohio State's chance to win a Big Ten championship, potentially, depending on what happens in the Ohio State Indiana game. But that's always going to be

motivation for Michigan, try to get their fourth straight win over the Buckeyes. And the next motivation is you've got to turn over the roster. I know that's not great motivation for the locker room, but it should be for the coaching staff. Because this coaching staff is going to go out there and they're going to have to recruit. They're going to have to identify the players on their own roster that they need to keep. Then they need to identify players on other rosters that they need to get, and then they need to identify recruits that they have to have. They've got to do all of those things.

And it looks like that's starting to come around. They flipped a top 100 corner from Georgia this week. That gives them five players in the top 100 of the class for next year. They got a five-star offensive tackle commit a few weeks ago. They lost their four-star quarterback commitment, but that's largely because of the rumors surrounding their momentum to secure the commitment for Michigan native Bryce Underwood, the number one player in the country.

He plays in Michigan, committed to LSU, but there's this talk of a strong push for Bryce Underwood. All of those things would be huge for Michigan because it's very apparent that the roster is going to need to get better in a hurry, all right, and then they need to move forward after that because they're going to lose some of these first round players after this season. And that's really where Michigan season comes down to. Can you spoil it for an Indiana this week?

Can you spoil it for an Ohio state, which leads us to Indiana? Indiana is without question, the most underrated team in America, without question. They jumped finally five spots in the AP poll because AP voters are, I won't go there. I won't go there. They're now up to eight, still underrated at eight. My question will be how the committee views them. We'll get those rankings tomorrow night on Tuesday night. I hope that they're higher than eight.

I think that they should be higher than eight. I think this is a team that has an argument to be the fifth best team of the country, certainly the sixth best team in the country, because that's the way that they have played. And I know exactly what everyone's going to say, like, they haven't played anybody. I hate that argument. You have no control over the schedule you play as a player.

The only thing you have control over is what you do to that schedule. And right now, nobody has done to their schedule what Indiana has done to its schedule. Period. They've won every single game by 14 or more points. Nobody can say that. Nobody can say that. Indiana can. this is a team that goes down early against Michigan State on the road.

And what do they do? Roll off, what is it? 47 straight points. Sorry about that, folks. They get Rork back at quarterback after that thumb procedure. Remember, he hurt that thumb against Nebraska, missed the game against Washington, and now he comes back, and they absolutely handle Michigan State. The defense is solid.

The offense is solid. They lead the FBS in point differential. They've outscored opponents by 32.9 points per game. They've outscored Big 10 opponents by nearly 27 points per game. Let's just say it how it is here. They've got the number two scoring offense in the country. And if they had any other logo on the side of their helmet, they'd be number two or number three in the country at a minimum.

At a minimum. And this is why our AP poll process is so stupid. The only reason they're still sitting at number eight is because of where they started. We have such a NASCAR system where it's like, well, we've got the pole position guys, and they're racing around, and they started up there, so they've got to be up there. Well, guess what? You've got to take a snapshot of what's going on so far in this season, and you've got to be nameless, you've got to be baseless, and you've got to be brandless.

And if you are brandless, Indiana's number two, number three, at a minimum. Based on resume, based on resume, defense has 12 sacks and nine takeaways over the last three games, seven sacks, 15 TFL and two interceptions against Michigan State. They are a top 10 scoring defense this year. Let's just put it to you this way. If last year we saw Michigan and Georgia play cake schedules, cake, and they were handling them. And what was everyone saying like, well, I know they're not playing.

anybody, but they're just beating everyone so badly. So it doesn't matter. Why is that excuse not afforded Indiana? Why? So my hope is that all you committee members on the college football playoff committee get your coffee today on a Monday morning and you're going to sit in your rooms and I hope you're listening to this. Because you know why? I know your process. I've, been in your seat. I went down and took part in the mock process under Bill Hancock. I know exactly what you're about to see, the data that you're about to see, and the fashion in which you're about to see it. Committee members, you're about to see resumes without logos. And I implore you

to rank the resume and not the logo. Because if you do that, I think Indiana is going to be a lot higher than people think. And they should be. And they should be. Kurt Signetti has done one hell of a job. I'm tired of people criticizing their schedule. We've seen Ohio State play a soft schedule early in the season. We've seen Georgia last year, Michigan last year. None of those teams get criticized. We just say like, they're doing what they should. Well, Indiana is doing what they should. And so they should be rewarded as well. Let's go to our weekend check-in. Let's check in with some fan bases. This is sponsored by Hampton by Hilton. When your team needs you to be at your best, it matters where you

stay, Hilton, for the stay. So I wanted to check in on some fan bases and some fan bases that maybe had like some of the best weekends in college football. I think Ohio State's fan base is going to be feeling great about themselves because of the sentiment that I started off this show with. I think Miami's fan base is over the moon right now with their quarterback playing Cam Ward and where they're at under Mario Cristoball back in the fray and the top. 10 as an undefeated. I think Indiana's fan base is like, pinch me. Please, I'm not dreaming, right? This is real, and I'm telling you it's absolutely real. SMU's fan base, they ponied up. They're not even getting a full share in the ACC. They're not even getting any revenue distribution.

They're paying to be at the table. And where are they? At the head of the table in the ACC, headed towards a showdown with Miami. They're all riding high this weekend, and rightly so. and yet I still don't think it's the fan base that had the best weekend. Maybe with the exception of Ohio State, but guess what? Buckeye fans, you kind of expect to beat Penn State, don't you? Deep down, don't you? I know you pretty well. I cover a lot of Ohio State games.

You expected that. Or at least you almost feel like you deserved it. I know you pretty well. I know you pretty well. There is a fan base out there, though. they didn't even get a chance to see a game. They didn't see their team play. And yet, all of a sudden, their season got real in a hurry.

And I'm talking about Colorado. Everything that Colorado could have hoped for on Saturday happened. Iowa State lost to Texas Tech. Kansas State lost to Houston, meeting the buffs are now tied for second in the Big 12 with Iowa State, only trailing BYU, which means Iowa State trips up one more. time. They still have Kansas State on the schedule. And then all of a sudden, the buffs control

their own destiny to go to the Big 12 title game and actually play BYU in a 60-minute affair with the winner going to the playoff. Like, can you imagine just for a moment, just for a moment, Colorado is going to face Texas Tech this week. That game is on Fox and I believe, I don't know if it's totally official, well, it's on Fox. Then they've got Utah at home, they've got to go to Kansas, and then they've got to play Oklahoma State. Now, listen, they could easily lose any one of those games. They could lose two of those games.

They could lose three of those games. That's the way that this league plays out. And I'm fully aware of that. I'm not telling you they're going to walk through this schedule. But what I am telling you is they could also win any one of those games. They could beat Texas Tech. Absolutely, they could. They could beat Utah, Kansas.

Oklahoma State. They just need a cyclone loss, and they're going to be sitting there in the Big 12 title game. 60 minutes, 60 minutes for a playoff. Think of the program that Dion took over. I know I talked about this last week, but my goodness, he took over a program that lost 11 games and those 11 games by an average of 29 points.

Those 29 points were double what anyone else was losing their games by. I mean, what could happen over the next four weeks, I feel like we could be entering into a second Colorado mania. We saw one last year early. We were a part of it after that TCU win, the Nebraska win, that Colorado State game. We might be entering into a second one over the next four weeks. And that fan base, they're certainly going to be thrilled.

Let's go to the SEC. So Georgia, they beat Florida, 3420. And yet, like, what's going on with Georgia? Carson Beck has got to stop turning the football over. He came in to the season. I think that I'm almost certain. I've got my notes right here. I had him as like the number one quarterback in the country

in my top five quarterbacks list to start the year. In fact, I've got it right here. Number one, Carson Beck. He's not even close to that right now. This is why I keep, you guys, this is why I keep a psychopath like notebook like that because I was able to just turn right back to these notes. I love this notebook. I love it.

I had Carson Beck, number one. He's thrown 11 interceptions in his last five games. It just goes to show you how difficult it is to play the position when you don't have guys on the outside that are winning and creating space and making plays like Brock Bowers, and Ladd-McConkey were. It's just difficult to do. This makes Georgia very up and down. Like at the top end, yeah, we know Georgia's hell of a team. And I'm under no misconceptions that they're not. They rolled in and beat Texas. But guess what? They did that without great

quarterback play. Beck didn't play great against Texas. They didn't need to do anything offensively. They could trip over themselves and score the first 23 points because all of them were short fields. You look up at the end of the day, this is a great defense, a defense I love. I think it could be the best defense in college football, but an offense that's a total liability at this point because the amount of times they turn the football over. They're going to play Ole Miss. And Ole Miss is competent on the offensive side. We know that under Lane Kiffin. We know that Jackson Dart has the ability to go off. What do you throw for 515 yards, throw for a billion yards last week? So what happens if all of a sudden the Ole Miss offense has a great game plan and goes off like Alabama's offense did in the first half against Georgia?

Do I trust Carson Beck and the rest of that offense to come back like they did against Bama? I don't know. I don't know right now because right now I just see an offense that's turning it over too much. So this Georgia team for me has some question marks. They've got some question marks. And it lies in the hands of their veteran quarterback. He's got to stop turning it over. If he does that, they'll be fine

because this team has championship medal everywhere else, up and down. George's great team, but Beck can't turn it over. If he turns it over against a competent offense, they'll lose again. And they better hope that it's not this week at Ole Miss, a team that can certainly score. A&M loses to South Carolina,

and this is another, this is another, almost in the Penn State vein, of like, I think that we should probably not underestimate how hard it is for programs overall to level up in college football. There are absolutely tiers of college football. We know that. Levels of college football. And it's really tough for a program to break through and enter a new level of college football. And A&M is finding that out the hard way. You see, there are teams out there. I think the best of the best and the teams that really compete at the top end every single year, they all generally do the same thing in that they don't struggle with unranked teams.

They beat who they're supposed to beat regularly. We just don't see those losses. Remember how long it took for Alabama to actually lose to an unranked team that was Vandy, but now Vandy is actually a ranked team, right? So that's always interesting because it's at the time of the game that you're, taking these type of ranked statistics, but you get the point. You know, you look up and it's like Ryan Day is 1.45 straight against unranked teams. Oregon doesn't lose to teams like that.

Georgia doesn't lose to teams like that. They just don't lose. And so any one of those teams can play great at the top end, and they do. And A&M can play great at the top end. And they won last week against LSU on the back of a great environment and some great defensive play that led into a backup quarterback playing his great football and running around and all. it's great.

But then you lose to South Carolina in a game that South Carolina dominates, really. For the most part, this is a South Carolina offense that was like, what were they, 117th in college football? And they came out there

and they rolled up 44 points. I tell you what, South Carolina outscores them 24 nothing in the second half. Marcel Reed looked not himself, if you want to say it that way, not comfortable if you want to say it that way, in the second half.

There's a difference between being a very good team and a great team. And I think that A&M is finding that out right now after a loss like that. South Carolina, 4420. It's not like this was, you know, 2421, 4420. That says something about where your team's mindset was coming into the game. They were way too high on their horse and they came in and got smacked by an unranked opponent. That just didn't happen under other teams. That doesn't happen at Ohio State and Georgia and Alabama and Oregon. now. And so A&M's going to have to learn that under Mike Elko. And that's their next step to actually level up in college football. In the ACC, it's getting interesting in the ACC. Miami continues to win with offense.

And I love watching Miami's offense because I love watching Cam Ward. Cam Ward's sensational. This is a guy we knew was really good, but I think a lot of people didn't, know how good he was because he played at Washington State. And let's face it, based on the ratings that the PAC 12 was getting with their television broadcast and the time of day that they were playing, not many people saw it. Now we're seeing it. And here they are. They've won four of their last five games and they've given up 31 points in those games.

And it's like, doesn't matter because the offense is so good. Number one offense in college football as far as scoring the football. Ward Restrepo is great on the outside. Damien Martinez, the back. I told you before the year that I thought that that was one of the more unheralded moves of the offseason was Martinez to Miami. And yet, because of the way that they're playing, like you get this sense, it's like, what happens the first time that they actually play like a real opponent? Now, I know some people are asking this about Indiana, but remember, Indiana is like blowing people out.

and they're winning every game by 14 or more, whereas Miami has been in a lot of close games, a lot of close games. I just, I wonder to myself, do you, well, let's put it this way. Do you remember back in, what was it, 2015, 14, 14, Florida State is the defending national champion. They still have James Winston. and it's like they're winning, but we're all like, this doesn't look right. They're undefeated, but it's like, yeah, are they going to be able to beat a good team?

Because the schedule for that FSU team was not great. And then they finally played someone in that Rose Bowl in the semi-final of the playoff. They played Marcus Marriota's Oregon team and got their doors blown off. And it's like, I just wonder to myself, is Miami going to be in that mold? I don't know. I don't know the answer. Because I am a huge Ward fan. Ward's absolutely in one of those

top five arguments for the Heisman trophy. Without a doubt, he's been sensational. I've really enjoyed watching him play. But I have a question about Miami's team. When they finally face somebody, like, how's it going to go down? What happens if someone can get a couple stops against Miami? You know, so I don't know.

Elsewhere in the ACC, I was totally wrong about Clemson. was believing that their quality offensive play would continue. I believed that this was a team that could and would go to the ACC championship game and threaten Miami and win. I was putting them in the playoff and they threw out an absolute stinker against Jeff Brom and Louisville. And this game was at home. At home. I did not see that coming. This was not on my bingo card. and I'm glad that I didn't actually throw that game in the picks because I would not have picked that type of margin for Louisville. This goes back to what Jeff Brom just does.

Like he does this once a year. He did this at Purdue. He's now done this at Louisville. But like doing it on the road at Clemson, that was impressive. And that's got to be a disappointing, disappointing, disappointing loss for Clemson fans. Certainly was for me.

I did not see that one coming. I thought Clemson was going to be a lot better. And then there's SMU rolling. and impressive. SMU 4825 over Pitt. Pitt was undefeated. And Rhett Lashley has done a nice job, folks. SMU is real.

SMU, so now Lashley is in his third year at SMU. Remember, he was the Miami offensive coordinator. And so I have to excuse me, my throat gets dry this time of year. So Rhett Lashley's in his third year at SMU. and he's brought a lot of these guys over from Miami, and they're all contributing at like a really high level. This has elements. It's not totally like, but it has elements of the Indiana team

that kind of rebuilt a roster with players that are familiar with the coach that they're going to play for. Because Lashley came over from Miami, and they've got Breschard Smith. He's averaging 100 yards per game. He came from Miami. is in his first year at SMU. Kishon Smith. He's their second leading receiver on the team.

He's in his second year at SMU, a wide receiver. Defensive in, Elijah Roberts, second in the FBS and quarterback pressures. He came from Miami. Jafari Harvey. He's second on the team in Sacks. He's the other defense event. He came from Miami. All these guys were at Miami at one point or another when Lashley was there.

So he knows them. He knows them. They know him. the familiarity breeds like a locker room that can move together with a lot of trust. And that trust has to be established. And it's hard to trust if those pieces come together and have never worked in the same environment. And so again, this to me has those elements of the Indiana team. And I think that's why they're having a lot of success.

So Lashley has done a great job. And SMU is headed towards, they're headed towards an ACC championship game. and 60 minutes to go to the playoff at SMU. I mean, this is the death penalty, SMU. I mean, this would be wild. And I'm here for it. I'm really, I'm absolutely here for it. I love the expanded playoff.

I want to see Colorado with a chance to go to the playoff. I want to see SMU with a chance to go to the playoff. I want to see those games. And I think it makes the sport better because think about how many more fan bases are engaged. I know I'm harping on this, but we're going to see that come to fruition on Tuesday night when we see those playoff rankings. Remember, we'll be here Wednesday morning with our reaction episode.

We'll record that right after we get the rankings on Tuesday night. You can get it on Wednesday. Now, something else that you can go out and check out right now. And I got to tell you, I am incredibly thankful for the team that put together the behind-the-broadcast video that we have up on our YouTube page at the Joel Clash show. We have incredible people on the staff. They are really talented, hardworking, and they put together a piece of what it's like, basically for me, from Wednesday until Saturday night,

on a given game week, and we did this the week that we called the Wisconsin-Alabama game. It's called Behind the Broadcast, and it's up right now on YouTube, and I really encourage you to go check it out. It's one of our exclusive YouTube, content deliveries. So you've got to get over there. You've got to subscribe to the YouTube channel. You've got to hit the notification button. And again, I'd be thankful if you left a

comment below. Tell us what you think. And maybe leave a little thanks to the hardworking crew because everyone that shot it from video, audio, all the editors, everybody behind the scenes, I'm so thankful and grateful for them. And they did an excellent job. And I think that you're really going to like it because we take you everywhere. We take you into behind the scenes on a Wednesday, what we do in the studio, behind the scenes in the live show in Madison, in coaches meetings on Friday, in the booth on Saturday. I think that you're really going to love it, so please go check it out. Join us again on Wednesday. We're going to have that complete reaction episode to the brand new first edition this year at least, college football playoff

rankings. Thanks for listening everybody we'll see you then