The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast - Oregon is a Playoff Team, Georgia is still Georgia, Ohio State keeps grinding & Oklahoma deja vu

Episode Date: October 30, 2023

FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt kicks off the show by discussing Oregon after their emphatic road win over Utah and why he believes the Ducks are going to be in the College Football Playoff. He then reacts to Georgia’s blowout win over Florida and why he had to shift his perspective when evaluating this year’s version of the Dawgs. Klatt then points out why this defense-led Ohio State team is potentially better suited for a Playoff run than even the offensive juggernaut Buckeye teams of recent years. Later, he discusses Oklahoma’s upset loss to Kansas and why he’s worried about the Sooners’ chances of making the Big 12 Championship Game after seeing this team look like an OU team of the past. Lastly, he points out 3 Conference title game races that are about to descend into pure chaos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Joel Clad show, Oregon looks strong. Georgia looks like Georgia again, and Oklahoma reverted back to 2022. 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 just one of those days where you fall in love with the sport all over again. What's up, everybody, Joel Clad here. This is the Joel Clat Show. Thank you for, joining us and remember do all the things. Follow us on social media at Joel Clat Show, wherever you like to social media. You can also subscribe to the program wherever you're taking part in the program, whether you're listening, wherever you get your podcast, whether you're watching on YouTube, go ahead and subscribe, leave a comment, rate and review us. This show, the Joel Clat

show, is presented by Hampton, by Hilton. We're very thankful for their support and they do a great job. As you know, you should stay in one of their hotels and have one of their delicious breakfasts very soon. Lots to get into today because that was, let's face it, like, let's face it, it wasn't like the best day of college football that we ever have seen. Was there some great games? Yes, there were some great games and we'll get into that. But we're starting to see a little bit of separation. And now a day away from the college football playoff rankings, which is exciting, even though it's going to make us all frustrated, certainly. And we'll get into that, you know, more on Wednesday when we review what this committee gives us on Tuesday night.

we're starting to separate. We're starting to see what's going down in college football. And for that reason, I'm really excited. One of those teams that's starting to separate, I got to see. So let's get into it. Gus Jenny and I were in Salt Lake, and I was prepared for a Pac-12 showdown in a building in which the home team never loses,

and all of a sudden, we got a boat race. Congrats on the win, coach. ways you dominated on both sides of the ball from start to finish. I want to start with your offense though. And Bo Nix, his leadership, the veteran presence, how pleased are you with the way he's performing for your guys? We got a special team. We got a special quarterback.

I think anybody in the country can see that. For your defense, too, as well today. I mean, obviously, they only allow six points. What went into the toughness and their performance overall? It goes back to Tuesday and Wednesday and the preparation that exists. You know, we knew we were playing a tough today, but our team wanted to let everybody know that we're tough too. And they did that.

They did that. He's right about, you know, they were playing a tough team. That's Utah, right? And Utah was short-handed. There's no doubt, but there's no excuses because Oregon handled that Utah team. 35-6, it wasn't close and it wasn't really close from the beginning. I come away from that game, thoroughly impressed with Oregon. Of the teams that I've seen live this year, they are in the top two.

Okay. Oregon is really good. They have everything that you need to be great. They have everything that you need to win a championship. And I'm not just talking about a Pact 12 championship. I'm talking about a national championship. I think that's the caliber of this team. I come away from that game thoroughly impressed with basically everything that Oregon does. You can go to the coaching staff, thoroughly impressed with them. What Dan Lannning has done, and what he's organized there and what he's built and building in, you know, a year and a half is really impressive. I love meeting with Dan Lanning, have gotten to do it twice now. We did that Holiday Bowl a year ago when they faced North Carolina, got that win, and then now in this game. And each meeting was terrific. He's laser-focused, and you can tell he knows exactly what he's doing. For a young guy that is doing it for the first time, Dan Lanning is one of the best young coaches I've ever sat down with. I'm thoroughly impressed with him. It's so clear that he has seen what it takes to get to the mountaintop. He's not married to some philosophy or cut his teeth under some philosophy

that has made him successful, but not the team successful. He cut his teeth and he grew up in places where they won championships. So he's seen the blueprint and he's putting that in place. I actually, for your enjoyment, I actually like brought my spotter board out for this episode. Just one, so that I could reference back to it. When I started like really diving in last week and watching film and looking at this team, I was thoroughly impressed with how they're built. Okay? It's not just we're going to try to recruit the best players that we can get any position and just go for the rating.

It wasn't just, we're just going to throw or slap, you know, a million transfer. on this and try to band-aid this thing until we can, you know, get it going in some other fashion. There was a targeted plan. They have freshmen littering this too deep, not just the roster, but the too deep, that are incredibly impactful. They've got transfers in specific areas, targeted like free agency, to plug a hole that they have a need in. And, you know, Dan's done a marvelous job, a really marvelous job. They've also got a great quarterback. So here are the things that I think, about this team. First and foremost, the defense at Oregon is built way differently than any Oregon team that I've covered. And I've covered some good ones. Remember, I covered the Marioita

team that went to a national championship, handled Florida State. That team was excellent. You know it, Duck fans. You know it. But they weren't like this team. This team is built differently. This team is built more like an SEC team, like a team that could go and win the SEC or beat an SEC team in the playoff because their construction is what it takes. Okay, so I've got the defensive side right here, and I was talking a lot about this during the game. The interior of their defensive line is really big and deep. So their physical upfront, they can move.

They can do a lot of things. You know, Taimani, Amuwe, KC Rogers, Ben Roberts, all 300 pounds. where Hudson, even the young guys that get in. It might be a Mori Washington, all these guys. They're huge. They're really big on the interior. So on base downs, they hold up incredibly well, which they did against Utah.

Then they've got excellent edge players. And they've got edge players in two different molds, which I think is pretty unique. They've got big edge players that can play, you know, like the five and six and seven techniques. I know that's technical, basically like outside of the tackle and inside of the tight end or head up on the tight end. They've got guys that can do that, like Brandon Dorlis, even Jordan Birch, right? Like these guys are big edge players. Uyonga Lele.

He's, Mateo is fantastic. He's 6.5, 270 pounds. They are big and physical on the edge. And then they also have guys that can just flat rush the passer. Some of them really young. Two Yodi, 6-3, 245, he can get after the passer. Blake Purchase, young kid, freshman from the state of Colorado, a school that I'm very familiar with, Cherry Creek High School. Probably going to win their fourth state championship this year, by the way.

6-3-255 can get after it. Okay, so that's just the front. Basically, what I'm describing to you is, like, he's building a team that can go win on the top level. He's building a team that resembles what he saw Georgia, and he saw the best. Dan was part of the best defense maybe that ever was in college football two years ago. at Georgia. That's what he's building. And that's why I'm so impressed. And then, and then you go to the offensive side. And then you look at this offensive side and you're like, oh, they're really big and physical up front. They can run it with Bucky Irving, who I think is the best back in the Pack 12,

maybe in the country. They've got guys on the outside that have length or speed, whatever you want they can give you. They've got a tight end that they can go to in the clutch. And then this is all outside of, they've got a quarterback that has started more games than anybody in the history of the sport. 55 starts now for Bo Nix. Bo Nix is a legitimate Heisman contender. There's not a doubt in my mind. I love their schemes and their schematics, yes, but it's more about the way that he operates them that make me so impressed. He's so efficient with the ball. There's a good chance he might set a record for a year of completion percentage. The record is like 77, I believe, Mac Jones, I want to say.

And he's hovering right around there, 78%. It's ridiculous the efficiency that he plays with. The ball goes to the correct spot. The ball gets out of his hand quickly. When he needs to make a play with his feet, he can. They're just really good, everybody. I like Oregon. Their coaching staff is confident.

They know they're good. It's part of the reason why you see Dan talking like he does in the press is because he knows that they're a really good football team. And quite frankly, I know that they lost the game to Washington. This is the best team in the Pac-12. I'm going to be surprised if Oregon doesn't win the Pac-12. I will be surprised if Oregon is not in the college football playoff. that's how impressed I am with this Oregon team.

I just, I can't tell you, like, when I come away from this game and like, this team is going to be good for years to come. They're built with young talent, old talent, length, speed, physical, big. I know it sounds like I'm gushing over the number one team in the country, and let's face it, save for a fourth down here or there. they should have beaten Washington, and they probably would be the number one team in the country, or at least the number two team in the country. You look at their schedule coming down the stretch, yeah, it's difficult.

They still have Cal. They've got USC. They got Arizona State and they've got Oregon State. It looks a little bit more manageable now after seeing Oregon State lose this week to Arizona and seeing USC the way that they've played over the last couple of weeks. I think Oregon is better than everybody left on their schedule.

I'm picking them to win the PAC 12 right now. I think they're the frontrunner. I love this team, and I love the way that they're playing. And like I said, Bo Nix continues to play like he did on Saturday, and I think he's a legitimate shot to win the Heisman Trophy. Hey, it's my favorite time of year. It's football season, 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. You all know that. 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 game changer. I have to have breakfast in the morning.

I can't stand being in a hotel where I've got to pay $50 to $80 for scrambled eggs just to have breakfast in the morning. I like to stay in Hampton by Hilton, walk downstairs, have a fresh waffle, a fresh cup of coffee, and it's delicious. Thank you very much. So whether you're cheering on your team from the stands

or never leaving the tailgate, Hampton by Hilton will always get. give you that win. Let's move on. Okay, so Georgia, how about that? Georgia crushes Florida. And I'm watching that and I'm thinking to myself, Georgia looks like Georgia again. Then I start to think to myself like, but do they? And then it dawns on me. It's like, that's the wrong standard. And then I realize the problems meet. not them. No, no, no, no, no, no. We're not breaking up because of you, breaking up because of me. And I'd like to get back together. No, joke, I'm joking, sarcasm. Georgia, if you just take this year

and you don't try to pit them against two of the better teams that we've seen in a long time in particular two years ago, then you realize like, oh yeah, this version in and of itself is still really good. So they beat up on Florida. This is what it sounded like. Moving to our left here in Bright Sunshine, musing motion to the right, play fake to Milton, back to set up, throw down the middle. He's got a man at the 25. McConkey reverses course 10, 5.

Touchdown. Ladd McConkey. Boy, what a move once he caught that football. Yeah, that's a good team. It's a really good team. And we all knew it. I mean, they're arguably the most talented team in the country. You know, Carson Beck is not a former walk-on, right? And, you know, everyone thinks that I'm taking shots at Bennett. I'm not. I'm not taking shots at Stetson Bennett. But like this kid was recruited at a high level. Carson Beck is a really talented player. Just like Bennett made plays for them, Carson Beck is making plays for them. And he is developing, and this is important, he's developing without. his best player out on the field.

He's playing well without the security blanket of Brock Bowers. That's going to pay huge dividends for Georgia down the stretch. I really like the way Ladd McConkey has been playing. He went six for 135 and a touchdown. Dominic Lovett is giving him something out of the slot. I think that he's an incredibly talented player. Beck is out there throwing the ball really well, and they rely on him to throw it more than they have in the past.

okay, this is not just a run first team. And listen, the quarterback will throw it if we need. I mean, 315 yards, a couple of touchdowns against the Gators. And he's now thrown for 300 yards in four of his last five starts. So they are modernizing a little bit. And again, this happens when you get into playoff games, when all of a sudden you look over there and it's like, man, Ohio State's offense is going to be really hard to stop.

Okay. They get into those moments. Remember, they lost the S. I believe it was still their last loss. was an SEC championship game loss to Alabama when it was like pretty clear. It's like, oh, okay, we're going to have a hard time stopping these wide receivers. Now they ended up beating that team once those wide receivers got hurt. Even with a great defense with like 87 first round players on the two deep, that was sarcasm.

It was hard to stop that Alabama team. It was hard to stop Ohio State. And now all of a sudden this offense for Georgia looks like it's headed in that direction where they can at least be confident that they can get into. one of those games and rely on their quarterback Carson Beck, their wide receivers like McConkey and Love it, maybe even a bit of explosive run game, and be okay. And they're doing all of that, and this is the most important part, without their best player. Okay, so the Bowers injury, as long as they can continue to play well, is going to eventually be a blessing.

because if they get to a point where they can score 40 points, 43 points, without Bowers on the field, when they get him back, they will be exponentially better. This is shaping up perfectly for Georgia, okay? I know they're about to face their toughest stretch of the season. I know that. Okay. I understand that they have not been tested. by a tough schedule.

They're going to face Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Georgia Tech. This is unquestionably the toughest part of their schedule. Now, having said that, I don't believe that this is the conference that we've seen

four or five years ago, which was like really deep. Is it good? Yeah. Yeah, it's good. Is it going to be tough to beat Old Miss? Yeah, I think it's going to be tough to beat Old Miss because they can score some points.

Is it going to be tough? to beat Missouri possibly. Yes, it might be tough to beat Missouri. Going to Neeland, is that going to be tough? Yeah, we saw how tough it was last year when they beat Alabama. So none of these are just like shoe-ins, but man, this team looks to be finding a gear that they didn't know that they had without Brock Bowers, which is going to pay huge dividends for them down the stretch. I would assume that we're going to see Bowers at least by hopefully conference championship game week, but almost certainly, before the playoff. So if Beck becomes this confident thrower that can throw for 300 yards, whether Bowers is on the field or not, when he gets Bowers, they're going to take the next step.

Everybody should be worried about Georgia because Georgia is starting to look like a really great team. And again, the problem was with me. I was comparing them to the two seasons I just saw from Georgia, and it's a little bit of a different team. Do they play as dominant of defense as they did the last couple of years? Are they better offensively? Probably. It's just a little bit of a shift. Okay? So the fault was on me. I was measuring them against what, let's face it, is a standard that they might not even need to reach this year, which was the standard they set in the last two years as national champions. Now this is a team that's just really good in its own right. And this blueprint could look a little bit different. And when they get Bowers back, they could be going to a gear that none of us have seen, at least offensively in the last couple of years. a really dangerous thing for the rest of the country. So, and I tweeted this out, and I'll make this statement here, the national championship goes through the dogs, period. Got to beat them. You cannot win a national championship unless you are good enough to line up and beat the Georgia Bulldogs, which is going to be incredibly tough to do. Let's move on. How about Ohio State grinding out

some wins? They win what ended up being a bit of a slug fest against Wisconsin up in Madison. This is how it sounded. Ryan Dale will move his record to 53 and 6. Pretty good. And the two head coaches will come to greet one another in the middle of the field as Ohio State will remain undefeated as they defeat Wisconsin 24 to 10 here in Madison. 53 and 6. Okay.

Yeah. So for all of those people that say like, oh, Ryan Day is no good. Okay. Okay. You're Ryan. Right. 53 and 6 is no good. Oh, boy. Okay, I digress. Let's get into this game. First and foremost, now a day away from seeing the college football playoff rankings. I'm not going to be shocked if Ohio State is number one. Now, I won't be shocked if they aren't, but let's not be surprised if the Buckeyes are number one. Because up to this point, they do have the most impressive resume in the country. Okay. Now, have they been the most impressive winning the I test? Well, probably not.

But at least on paper, their resume even continues to get stronger with the way that Notre Dame has played. And this team, in a similar vein to Georgia, but put that same kind of philosophy or take, if you will, Georgia's a little different like I just talked about than what they have been. Ohio State is not just a little, they're a lot different than what they have been over the last couple of years. And by the way, nobody has seen Ohio State in terms of a broadcaster more than I have since 2018. Nobody.

I mean, heck, I did eight of their games just in 2019 alone. So I've seen the iterations of this team ever since Ryan Day, became their head coach. I think I know why people are so critical of this year's team. And the reason is, is that it doesn't look like any of the other versions, none of the other versions. And I think people got used to winning a very certain way. Let me explain what I'm talking about. If you look up right now, Ohio State is number two in scoring on one side of the ball and number 38 in scoring on the other side of the ball. Now, if you take 2019 and throw that year out, let's try it because they were really good.

Even 2020 up until last year. So those three seasons, okay? The last really three seasons. A couple of Strouds years, fields, last. year, you would say, like, well, they're number two in scoring offense and number 38 in scoring defense. This year in 2023, that's flipped. Number two in scoring in defense, number 38 in scoring, and offense. And I think that that's jarring for people at large and maybe even some in the fan base, because you're like, man, I'm not used to this. I'm not used to having to

grind out a win against Notre Dame. I'm not used to having to grind out a win against Maryland, to some agree in the middle of the game, or Penn State at home, or even Wisconsin on the road. It looks and feels different, right? The philosophy change on defense that I've talked a lot about. This is a team that in the last three seasons was very quarterback reliant, very quarterback reliant. And boy, they were really good and they had great quarterbacks to rely on in fields and Stroud. But the defense was always suspect, and it was always a concern over the last three years. And it's like, will they hold up? Are they good enough in the big moments?

So then it just begs the question, and it's like, which one is better? Which one is better? If I'm an Ohio State fan, I'm going to take this version, and let me tell you why. Because I've seen the other versions not work. I've seen them come up just short. I've also seen that philosophy, if you want to call it that, come up short with other teams. Heck, Oklahoma tried this with Lincoln Riley for years and technically trying it again at USC. It's like you can have the best offense in the country.

But if you can't get stops, it's not going to work. Not at the top end. Not with where you want to go. Not if you want to try to beat Michigan after a couple of years of not beating them. Not if you want to beat Georgia in the college football playoff. Not if you want to beat Alabama in the national championship game. If you want to win that game, I think that this vein is probably better. So here we are.

In the last three years, Ohio State has been quarterback-centric, offensive-specific, and tried to nurse their defense along. Now in 2020, this team is really strong on the defensive side. They're the number one defense in the country when it comes to yards per play. You snap the football, they're the best defense in the country. Just yards per play allowed, under four. It's really good. Giving up 10 points per game.

They're tough, they're physical, they don't give up big points. They don't give up cheap points. Not big plays or cheap points. they've got an unbelievable Heisman caliber player on the offensive side at wide receiver with Marvin Harrison. They're getting healthier at the wide receiver spot with a mecca, Abuca. They showed another gear in the run game with Trayvion Henderson back and an offensive line that played their best game, I think, to date against the Badgers. They were winning the line of scrimmage. They were getting to the second level.

and Henderson had a couple of really nice runs. So now all of a sudden it's like, wait, wait, you're telling me that Ohio State's going to have a run game that is better than what we anticipated to start the year when they were trying to break in this new offensive line. We still have Harrison. We're going to get a Bucca back healthy. We've got a defense we can rely on.

And then in this case, what they're doing is nursing along Kyle McCord. McCord didn't play great against Wisconsin. He didn't play great against Penn State. Just, I mean, those are just like the facts. And he can play better, and I think he will play better. But they're bringing him along. And I think that this, if I'm an Ohio State fan, I would rather be in this boat.

I would rather be trying to bring the quarterback along, in particular under a play caller, like Ryan Day, with the talent around him like Henderson and Abuka and Harrison. So you've got all of that. it's like you would anticipate that McCord is going to turn the corner down the stretch. And yet you can rely on things that maybe you couldn't rely on in the past, like the defense. So I'm just like you put that together. And this is a different team than we've seen over the last three years.

It's been the cause of, I would say, like a lot of hand-wringing for Ohio State fans. And yet, just sit back for a moment. pull yourself up and take a 30,000 foot view of Ohio State, and you can easily see and think to yourself like, well, yeah, I would rather be this version than the versions that we just tried because the versions that we just tried didn't work. Didn't work. And they haven't worked for others either.

Number two scoring D, number 38 scoring O, maybe this one works. Maybe the scoring O will get a little better as a mecca comes back. And as that run game continues to get better. and Henderson stays on the field. And McCor plays a little bit better because they still have what is a legitimate Heisman contender and Marvin Harrison, Jr.

I think it's interesting. I think it's an interesting transition and it's an interesting position that Ohio State finds themselves in because it is so much different than what they have been over the last three years. But it might be better. It might be better.

Let's move on. Oklahoma. What was that? Gabriel. He got there. His throw. to the end. Man, what a scene in the booth.

First things first when talking about that game. OU and Kansas. Kansas gets an incredible victory, 3833. First things first. And I know he would hate me saying this, which makes him a great coach. Lance Leipold can freaking coach, man. Like he is a good football coach, period.

Not like for Kansas, at Kansas. Oh, he's pretty good. He can just flat coach. This program has had no success, just none, since the what, basically the Todd Reesing Mangino days. And this guy has built something that has staying power, that is quality. It's resilient. They're investing, by the way, in facilities and doing a big upgrade in the stadium. I just, I had to say that first because, like, Lance Lipold is a dude, man. He can coach football. He can coach football. And I said this last year and I'll say it again. I hope he stays at Kansas. I want teams like Kansas or other places around the country that have these great coaches, like, stay there. Because it can be awesome there, right?

Take a page out of Mike Gundy's book. Take a page out of Kyle Whittingham's book, Kirk Ferrens's book. Like, you don't always have to chase it. The grass is not always greener on the other side. So Lance Leipold, I could see you looking up in 19 years and thinking to yourself, like, I built something really special at the University of Kansas. This is a tangent I didn't even think I was going to go on in this show. But now that I'm in it, like, I believe it to my core.

You know, Kyle Whittingham could have gone a lot of different places. Look what he's built at Utah. It's got a great life. Loves it there. That program is Kyle Whittingham. Same thing for Mike Gundy. and I think Lance Lippold is in that vein. We could be looking up in 10 and 12 and maybe hopefully 19 years

and thinking to ourselves like, man, what Lance Lipold did at Kansas over the last decade is unprecedented. You know, Bill Snyder did it at Kansas State. Don't always have to leave. And hopefully he doesn't. Okay. That was a tangent. Now let's get into what I was going to talk about, which was Oklahoma. Oklahoma comes in after knocking off Texas a couple of weeks ago.

They survive a scare against UCF, and then they lose to Kansas. And the problem is for OU fans, well, hold on, let me backtrack. Let me first talk about the bright side. If I was a glass half full, I would say that it's like, hey, we've almost reached the mountaintop with one loss before. Now, their last national championship was an undefeated team, but they've played for national championships and gotten to playoffs several different times with a loss. And some of them, random conference losses, right? Now, none of them Kansas, but this Kansas, as I just explained under Lance Lipold, is very different.

Okay, we all see that. So that's glass half full, Oklahoma. Now, here's glass half empty Oklahoma. They are reverting back to 2022, which should, scare the ever-living daylights out of Sooner Faithful. And if you look at the last three games, it is eerily similar on the defensive side to what they were a year ago. Okay?

So in the last three games, you look up, and they have given up 32 points per game and 455 yards per game. You might be wondering if you're a Sooner fan, like, those sound familiar. Oh, they should. Because last year's team in 2022, what they do? they gave up 30 points per game and 461 yards per game. It's identical. And what have they been in in the last three?

One possession games. One possession game against Texas, they win it. And good for them because Dylan Gabriel played amazing in particular down the stretch. One possession game against UCF, they win it because UCF doesn't execute in a two-point play and Oklahoma survives and they win. Good for them. Kansas, they don't win it. One possession game comes down to turnovers.

They turned the ball over, didn't play great, they lose. What happened last year with a defense that was the exact same defense as what we've seen over the last three weeks? One possession games. And they fell short in a lot of those, which is why they wound up five and seven. That would be my fear if I was an Oklahoma fan, is that what I'm seeing over the last three weeks is eerily familiar to the team that went five and seven. Because remember, Gabriel was on the field in a lot of those games. Now, again, one possession games can go either way. This team should be better than facing one possession games,

in particular against UCF, and even though I'm praising Kansas, even against Kansas. Like, Oklahoma is better than Kansas. So this is not what I would love to see in particular down the stretch if I was a sooner fan. there's a scenario. Well, let's just put it like this. After they beat Texas with the way that the league was playing as a whole at that moment,

a lot of us, including me, just thought to ourselves, excuse me. Well, obviously, oh, use the shoe-in now for the Big 12 title game, and we'll see if Texas can get back to that point and rematch them, and we think that that's likely. That was kind of the sentiment. And now you look up and you look at the Big 12, more on that in a little bit, but you look at the Big 12 and you think to yourself, uh-oh, I can see a scenario where OU doesn't even make the conference championship game. Again, more on that in just a little bit.

This week's Bedlam game is massive for OU. And that's going to be as difficult a game to win as they have had in a long time. Two reasons. One is Oklahoma State is playing so much better. Found a run game. Gundy figured it out like he has done time after time with the Cowboys. And it's on the road and they will be out for blood. OU, quote, you know, blew up the conference, blew up the rivalries, leaving them to the SEC, left them for dead.

Like that place is going to be crazy. and now OU basically has to win it. If they don't win Oklahoma states in great position to be a team representative in the top two in the Big 12 championship game. Like, again, you can see a scenario if they don't win Saturday where they don't even make the championship game.

And after the win in Red River, that would have blown your mind. There's no way you would have thought that it could go that direction. Bedlam's going to be wild. This team in the first five games, the year, I thought, man, they have turned a corner. The defense looks much better. All the transfers are working. They were giving up 11 points per game on defense. And then in the last three,

the 2022 version showed up. They're giving up 32 points per game, 455 yards per game. And now everything's up in the air. And they're going to have to go out there and fix it. Okay? One loss doesn't define a team stealing the term from Brent Venables. However, it puts them behind an And at this point, they're going to have to fix what has gone wrong in the last three weeks. Because it's clearly not the same team, in particular on the defensive side that we saw in the first five games. And then it dawned on me again. And this is my last team that I want to talk about. Man, this reminds me a lot of what's going on with Washington.

two teams that a few weeks ago won massive games in conference against arguably the, quote, second best team in the conference, right? Like conference supremacy on the line. Washington tops Oregon in that Pac-12 showdown. Oklahoma tops Texas in Red River. And just bluntly and honestly, even after those games went the way that they did, I thought to myself, boy, I still really like Oregon and Texas to get back to their championship games. And then since then, Washington and Oklahoma, the winners of those huge mid-season matchups

have kind of gone the same direction, which is floundering over the last two games each. UCF, Kansas, didn't go well for Oklahoma. They won against UCF, but kind of luckily at home. Weird, right? ASU and Stanford for Washington since beating Oregon. They don't score an offensive touchdown against Arizona State and need a pick six to basically survive 15-7, weird and at home. Then they go on the road and should have lost to Stanford. Stanford has a fourth down.

They throw a little trick play, a little like, pitch, double pass, if you will, not double pass, but like a halfback pass, wide receiver pass. Have it. It's wide open. Guy drops it. Just flat drops it. They get that first down and get just a few more yards with the best kicker in the country, really, at Stanford. It's a good chance that they win that game. As it is, they have to punt it away. Pinnick scores. And Washington survives. Good for them. Good for them. They survived. So Washington's still undefeated. They didn't take the L like Oklahoma did against Kansas. But boy, they both have. have gone the same direction since those mid-season wins.

I don't know if they couldn't handle the success. I don't know what the deal is, but both of those teams, I'm cautiously sitting here like, I don't know. I think Washington's going to make the Pack 12 championship game. I think OU is going to make the Big 12 championship game, but boy, it gets dicey, in particular if they lose the Bedlam game this week. Washington has USC, Utah, at Oregon State.

And I'm like, I don't know. I don't know. That's why, as I said earlier, I like Oregon to win the Pact 12. And right now, if I'm looking at like the Big 12 race, I don't know if OU is good enough to win the conference right now. Not if they're playing like they have in the last three. Again, if you revert back to beginning of the season, OU, sure, I'm in,

especially with Gabriel and the way that he played late against Texas. If you play defense like they have in the last three games, OU's not winning the Big 12, and they're not going to the playoff. So they need to fix it, and they need to fix it really quickly. We need to prepare, by the way, for a little bit of chaos. And this is how we're going to end things here tonight. Three different conferences with wild finishes prepared for this. last month of the year. We got rankings coming out Tuesday, tomorrow. We're going to react

and have a brand new episode up on Wednesday. But check this out. Before we get into just like CFP rankings, look at these conference races. They are crazy. Let me start in the Big 12. I've been referencing this Big 12 race throughout this dissertation about OU. And you look up and there are five teams at four and one, five. This is why I'm sitting here like, dang, Oklahoma is in a precarious spot, in particular if they lose the Bedlam game. If they lose the Bedlam game, there's a good chance they do not go to Dallas and play in the Big 12 championship game. You've got OU at 4-1. You've got Iowa State, which like the undertaker coming back from the dead in WWE, they're 4-1.

Oklahoma State, who lost to South Alabama by a million, is all of a sudden 4-1. Texas is 4-1, and Kansas State is 4-1. Us, Jenny and I headed down to Austin, we will call Texas and Kansas State on Saturday. That's going to be, I think, an amazing game. The winner of that game, I think, is going to the Big 12 championship game. And the winner of the Bedlam game probably going to the Big 12 championship game. That's going to be a phenomenal race. It won't surprise me at all, at all, won't be shocked if Texas plays Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game.

I'm not going to be surprised. Let's move to the ACC. The ACC is also pretty wild. You look up, Florida State is pretty secure in their spot. They're 6 and O. They're atop the conference. Then Louisville, Georgia Tech, or I'm sorry, Louisville, Virginia Tech, then Georgia Tech and North Carolina. And it's like, I saw this and I'm like, who would have thought that Louisville, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech would be the teams behind Florida State?

No Clemson, no Duke. Like all these teams we thought were really good, they're no longer there. And so this week's matchup between Virginia Tech and Louisville becomes like a de facto conference semifinal, which I think is fantastic. That's going to be a great game. It's at Louisville. I like Louisville in that game.

More on that on Thursday. I'll break that game down as Florida State will probably await that winner. Florida State looking good, by the way, still clearly a top five team, six and zero. that's one of the teams that I knew was good. I thought that the beginning of their season, their schedule up front was going to be too much. It wasn't.

They got massive wins against LSU and Clemson. Clemson has since fallen off the face of the planet. I believe Clemson is 4 and 4 now, which is wild. So now that doesn't look quite as good. And I wasn't impressed when they barely beat Boston College. I wasn't impressed even when they had to go to overtime against Clemson. But here they are. undefeated and they're uber talented in particular on the outside with Keon Coleman.

So I like Florida State. Now the last conference, and it's more a division. Yep, we're still doing this in divisions in the Big Ten. Here we go. It's not even the East. The Big Ten West. Anybody looked at the Big Ten West? It's unreal.

The Big Ten West is, I don't even know what to call it. A rock fight. Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Northwestern. The top four that I just read right there, all three and two. Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, all three and two. I have no idea who's coming out of that side. None. By the way, the way that Nebraska is playing could be Nebraska.

They're playing really good football. Credit to Matt Rule. Remember they got. beat their opening two weeks. I had both of those games, by the way. They don't want any part of me. At Minnesota, loss. At Colorado, loss.

And since then, they're five and one. Good for him. Good for Matt Rule. He's a really good football coach. Won't shock me at all if Nebraska gets out of that West. Last thing I'm going to say about the Big Ten West. Iowa faces Northwestern this week. It's a big one for that side of the division.

It's also a big one because not official, but we think it's the lowest over under in the history of modern college football, 29 and a half. Iowa Northwestern, 29.5. My question is, what sicko is taking the over and just sitting there and dying

with every third and sixth that falls incomplete? 29 and a half. That's incredible. All right, that's going to do it for our show here today. We got playoff rankings tomorrow night, Tuesday night. We will be reacting to them immediately afterward. And we'll put that podcast up as quickly as we can. It'll be ready for you on Wednesday morning for sure. maybe a little earlier, but I'm not totally sure. It's going to be an immediate reaction of the college football playoff rankings. It'll be the first one that we get. I don't quite know what to expect because it could be all over the place.

Is the committee going to value the eye test? Is the committee going to value resume? We're going to find out all of those things come Tuesday night. Can't wait for that. Halloween will come and go between now and when I speak to you next. So please have a very safe Halloween. of you out there, like, enjoy it with your kids. Because your kids are so excited for this. And you know what? If they have a couple of extra

pieces of candy, like, who cares? Does it really matter to you? Like, can they have the Hershey's? Yeah, they can. And stop giving out candy corn. Like, it's awful. Candy corn is awful. I didn't have time to do a mailbag about Halloween candy. I would have. And my goal would have been to eradicate candy corn from the face of the planet, because as a kid, everyone knows that when you get candy corn, it means that that house hates you. Hope you have a great week, everybody. I will talk to you on Wednesday.