Welcome to the solid verbal hull.

For me, I'm a man, I'm forty.

I've heard so many players say, well, I want to be happy.

You want to be happy for day Edo State?

Is that?

Whoo whoo?

And now Dan and tie Dan Robinstein.

We have two weeks of the regular season left, my friend.

It is a pleasure as always to be back with you for this Tuesday episode, Sir, how goes it good?

Does that mean two more weeks of yelling about what I'm going to assume is Oklahoma football?

Right?

Is?

I don't know which team you think is going to be the core of this molten hot lava mountain of takes that we're going to have in front of us these next few weeks, But it feels like Oklahoma might be right in that that middle portion.

Right, I think Oklahoma Miami Miami, so they're Dame and there will definitely be And we got a question about this, I'll talk about that in a bit.

Yeah, about how many SEC teams are going to get into the field of twelve some combination of those four things, teams, conversations, topics, whatever that is going to be where the molten hot Maybe we'll bring take a toe out for some of these creams.

Take a toe out, yeah, down the stretch here.

But yeah, we're getting into the thick of it, aren't we.

We are.

I mean I could see my team Oregon, if they drop one of these games, getting involved in that conversation, USC getting involved in that conversation there.

I think it extends beyond and then you start talking about the teams that they've played, and like Miszoo starts getting involved in that conversation just looking at them as an opponent against a team like Vanderbilt, against a team coming up here in Oklahoma.

So then it's going to be a referendum on what Miszoo is or isn't as an opponent.

There's so much meat on the take bone.

Tie and then maybe maybe just like a drizzle of byu oh my, by absolutely in the nucleus here, definitely in that conversation.

So we're going to go through a bunch of that and much much more.

We are not doing the early look aheads on this episode because right now it's looking like it's going to be a slim Pickens Saturday.

And by that I mean there's like three really big games and the rest are certainly interesting in their own right, and we will talk about those on Thursday, but we wanted to save all of that for Thursday, mainly so we had something to talk about corrat means is on today's episode.

We got a bunch of emails, we got a bunch of comments out on our Patreon atverbowlers dot com from our certified and premium members.

We are going to go through a multitude of questions.

We're also going to reveal the poll and how that translates to a bracket in just a little bit as well.

So we've got a lot to talk about, even if it's not the normal stuff that we talk about on a Tuesday.

Yes, are you mentally prepared though?

As we look ahead for Mercer to beat Auburn.

That's my question nine and one Mercer, Yeah, absolute fcs strong, strong dog the dog.

Yeah, We've got a lot to get to.

I'm very excited, but thank you to the SEC for scheduling.

I think Eastern Illinois is in there.

I think Samford is in there.

The Mercer bears.

I should have said a strong bear, yea Eastern Illinois one to nine, Charlotte is in there, one in ten, Samford, Western Kentucky pretty good team, though we should say Coastal Carolina kind of an average season, but the SEC doing its part to make this.

Kind of a shrunken Saturday.

Shrunk and Saturday.

By the way, it's not shrunk and yet.

But oh look at that.

Oh you got to get on YouTube dot com slash at soliverbi the camera.

This is one of the shirts that we got.

Oh my god, one of the shirts that you put together.

You're the designer in chief here.

We've got a bunch of other cool merch out at merch dot solid verbal dot com or if you go to our store our site, excuse me and click on the store from the top nav, you can get on over.

Yes, you were busy, you were in the lab.

We designed a bunch of new stuff.

We've also got a couple of other ones that will reveal here over the next few episodes.

I mean, they're out there now, you can go see them.

But we just got a nice little order that arrived in the mailbox before we hit records, So before long you'll see all of these on the videos.

If you're ever so in coined, Yes.

I can't wait for everybody to see.

They look good.

They're gonna be more coming out love it.

Why don't we start where we one of the places that we have started on these Tuesday episodes, Dan Saville the Ever Bawler Top twelve poll.

I think it's a good way to sort of set the table for where this conversation is going to go.

So one, two, and three are all the same Ohio State, Indiana, Texas, A, and M.

But after that.

It starts to look a little bit different.

Georgia is up to four, Texas Tech is up to five, or again in this poll, is up to number six, ahead of Old Miss Oklahoma and Alabama who are seven, eight and nine.

And then to round out the top twelve, we've got Notre Dame at TI BYU at eleven, and Georgia Tech at number twelve.

Again, many of these results will probably be rendered meaningless in a matter of time.

As many of you are listening to this on a Tuesday morning.

This evening, the Playoff Committee's new set of rankings will be out there.

Their newest projected bracket will be out there.

So make of this whatever you will, but just to give you some idea for how that would translate, just to give you some sense for what the playoff field might look like.

We would have a rematch of eight Oklahoma hosting number nine Alabama, with the winner taking on Ohio State.

We would have now number five Texas Tech hosting number twelve James Madison, with the winner scoring off against Georgia.

We would have your Oregon Ducks playing host to number eleven Georgia Tech, with the winner scaring off against Texas A and M.

And last, but certainly not least, we.

Would have number seven Old Miss hosting number ten Notre Dame, with the winner squaring off against Indiana Dan.

So again, make of this whatever you will.

I do think we're gonna see a fair amount of action, a fair amount of reshuffling the deck here.

Many of the teams will remain locked in at its point.

But certainly the matchups and the pathways and all of the cool stuff that we like to talk about once we have a better idea for who's playing, much of that is still up in the air at this point.

I don't have anything strong again I can after this past week, and I'm a big advocate of let's not just take this past weekend's results, but even recent results, and then this we're at week what thirteen now, We're heading into week thirteen, so the resume conversations are pretty real.

You can look at what a team has and hasn't done against who's placed in front of them in their conference slate, and who they have chosen to play in the non conference portion of their schedule.

I was advocating for Texts A and M to get consideration over Indiana last week.

I'm gonna stay limber.

Also, I'm printing stay Limber shirts available at merch dot.

No.

Well, maybe I could, I could, I could.

But what I am recommending is at least a conversation or a thought right now about Georgia over A and M after this past weekend.

What do you think?

I'm still an A and M guy.

Okay, I'm still an A and M guy, but it's not lost to me that it feels to some degree like George has gotten better.

Right.

I totally agree, And even though I might not fully subscribe to that yet, I do subscribe to your other mantra, which is that the season is a living, breathing thing, and a team in week one is not a team in week thirteen.

You know, oftentimes, pretty much across the board, teams change, they get better, they get worse.

But what we saw from Georgia this past week, I thought it was really impressive.

That was really impressive.

I agree the way they sort of hit the after burners in the fourth quarter and just blew past them.

So I understand the argument, I'm not there yet.

You're not there yet.

You think Texas A and M has earned grace needing A I was gonna say, second half, kind of a third quarter comeback to take down South Carolina.

But they've had other close calls, and they have not played the best of the SEC.

Not their fault, no, right, things have shaken out in the conference in a way that has advantaged the Aggies schedule wise.

But okay, again, if somebody were insistent on Georgia at three with a loss to Alabama, a close loss at home to Alabama, and A and M having close calls against less than stellar teams but at all times also completely overwhelming teams in that bottom however chunk of the SEC, I don't think I would have a good argument against it.

No, So.

Okay, I mean, the only other thing that I'll add to this conversation and that we kind of have a question about this.

So I don't want to give the game away too much.

But I think it is going to be intense, intense between four teams in the American and one team in the Sun Belt trying to qualify for that coveted G six playoff spot.

Right, I think it's going to be absolutely fascinating these last three weeks of the year, if you count conference championship week, to see who the Committee eventually gives the nod to.

We might get some indications of that Tuesday night and give us the latest polls, because in last week's poll, the only G six team that was ranked was USF.

My hunches that we're going to see JMU, My hunches that we might see North Texas.

There are a couple teams that we might see start to like bubble their way up.

How does the committee feel about ECU or two lane, even Navy.

It's going to be interesting.

We'll talk about that here in just a little bit, but that that is what I am watching right now.

We got a bunch of questions about the playoff.

Maybe we could just jump right in, but this is where the overballer hood is at with everballer top twelve.

As per usual, we will post this across all of our social channels, let us know who's too high, who's too low?

Is there by the way in this conversation as we go through, because there are a number of quality teams at or near the top of the American the you know, Mountain West, obviously you mentioned James Madison in the Sunbelt.

What is the best G six?

However, you want to quantify these these conferences, what is their best non conference win?

Is it Tulane over Duke?

Probably?

Yeah, I'm trying to think because in that Cincinnati season, we had Cincinnati over Notre Dame.

Correct, it's right, and that was a good Notre Dame team, not a great, but good Notre Dame team.

Sure, And so I'm just trying to think about if you're trying to separate these teams.

Obviously we're gonna ge championship game and we're gonna get tie breakers to get the two teams that appear in the American Championship.

But I'm just looking at this as you know, Memphis did beat Arkansas, which is not nothing, but it's not an upper half of the SEC team.

I mean, what about USF beating Florida.

I don't think USSEF is going to necessarily be in the running for the playoff field, but USF on the road dropping Florida is sure about as good as it gets, I would I would say so, I would say that the problem is they lost their third game, so that becomes a little bit trickier.

ECU had that opportunity but lost to NC State.

James Madison had that opportunity, I think in a big way, but lost to Louisville.

So it's just look, they're going to get one of these teams is going to get in.

So it's not like a Cincinnati issue where they're trying to get into a four team playoff as like a considered non power conference team.

But I just wonder, resume wise, what what is going to sing the loudest when that conversation has had Dan, As you know, we put out the call on our Patreon yes for questions.

It's been a minute since we did a mail bag episode.

Let's dive on in.

Congratulations Skippy, you've got mail, You've got mail on the solid Ruble as often as we can, Dan Rubinstein, we like to give a nod to the verballer hood, pay homage to the find folks out there who support the show and have something they would like to offer.

First start with this one from Bob, Ohio State or the Field.

Can anyone beat this year's Ohio State team given what we have seen after ten games?

Can anyone take advantage of their one vulnerability which appears to be the inability to run the ball?

Dan, If I gave you a bet and.

I said, you get Ohio State or you get the Field to win the National Championship, which one are you taking?

Oh the Field and I think Ohio State may be the best team.

I just think it would be irresponsible given Ohio State schedule thus far since that Texas game, to feel great, like to feel impenetrable about Ohio State and their chances to win the National Championship when there is, you know, a grouping of teams that feature you know, Georgia or Texas A and M and Texas Tech and Oregon and Indiana, like they're just those teams out there that odds wise.

You're also saying Ohio State needs to be perfect in terms of health, especially at quarterback, maybe along the offensive line where there's a lot full time new that it's a slog and by the way, should also point out Ohio State is doing something very specific and strategic to limit potential health issues.

Obviously, it's football, and you know, all it takes is a play for a season to go to the crapper.

But they are playing slowly and more deliberately to limit the number of plays, especially their offense is playing when they can control that.

But I guess you know, as a result, the defense is playing fewer plays also because the defense just gets the hell off the field right there pretty quickly, and there we are with the defense leaving the field once again.

So they're being very deliberate about this.

They're playing the long game, and who's to blame them.

Obviously it's working quite well and worked quite well last year largely.

I mean, I'm looking at a couple of games and I'm sure they'd like to have back, but when you win a national championship, you don't really need to apologize for much.

That said, I'd still take the field.

I just think there are too many teams that are capable of an excellent game and it's still a road that Ohio State is going to have to go through.

But yeah, if you're going to say, if you're going to bet your money on any one team, I'd probably take Ohio State in this moment.

Sure, do you think it's fair that Bob points out here that, at least in his view, Ohio State's vulnerability is an inability to run the football.

It's all relative.

If you're an Ohio State fan, you are used to seeing some incredible running backs this past decade or so, JK.

Dobbins and Trey Henderson, guys like that.

But yeah, I think there's a certain standard at Ohio State that annually under Ryan Day, you've seen some incredibly complete offenses.

And this year with offensive line changes, I know there's some questions about the inside of this line at times in terms of consistency and strength that you know, they haven't been as dominant.

They haven't found like a guy who is like the All American caliber dude that they're used to having more often than not.

And so, yes, it's relative to what they're used to.

But I think that's a reasonable concern because in those short yardage moments against say George or Indiana in a conference championship game, you'd like to be able to control the red zone.

You'd like to be able to control those short yardage moments.

You'd like to open up some play action stuff.

And look again, you're you're picking the smallest of knits here and talking about it because they've been blowing out everybody.

But once again, we haven't seen them measured against the best in the conference and measured against the best in the country at least since they took on that Texas defense in Week one, and even that Texas defense has sort of taken some hits since then.

So yeah, I think it's it's a reasonable quibble because there's not much you can pick on about the defense with how they've performed.

There's not much you can pick on with Julian saying, there's not much you can pick on on this group of pass catchers, you know, tight end receiver included.

So if you're gonna look at one area that's less than usually stellar, I guess it's the run game, right.

Bo Jackson is averaging close to six point three yards per carry, sure, and I think he has grown into this offense.

I don't think it's fair to say that there is an inability to run the ball.

Think, to your point, there's been a conscious decision very gradually, sure, sort of like easing into a cold bath.

Right, We're just gonna very slowly bring Bo Jackson waw and bring this rushing game along.

So I think by the time we get to the playoff, if they need to lean on the ground game, they will be able to lean on the ground game.

I do understand the logic there, because at least on paper, it looks as if that's the weakness.

Let me share a personal story though, when it comes to the infamous blank versus the field bet.

When I was in my twenties, when I was young and full of life and had fewer grays uh huh, my summer job was as a caddy at a country club, and the caddy master who pardoned the expression was an enormous dick.

Okay, every single golf.

Major he would come over to the caddy shack and he would ask all of us, who wants to do a Tiger Tiger Woods versus the field bet?

And a lot of us would jump at it.

I jumped at it twice.

I lost twice.

Other people lost multiple times.

Granted this was prime Tiger when he was winning all of the tournaments, but from that point forward, after seeing the caddy master make a killing off of that bet, I have always proceeded with caution when it comes to these types of propositions, I don't take any of them for granted.

I would probably go Ohio State here, and I understand that the logic is on the side of the field, and I think everything you're saying and some of the stuff that Bob brings up here, it's all relevant, absolutely relevant.

I just think Ohio States the best team so far this year.

I do.

I think they're complete.

I have not seen anybody get Julian say in off rhythm.

They have a embarrassment of riches out.

If they are starting to learn the to run the football, that makes them a more complete offense.

And nobody's really been able to do anything on this defense.

So I understand that there's always a possibility.

But whether I'm getting odds or not, give me Ohio State, I'm totally okay with that standpoint.

I I'm totally okay with that viewpoint, other than the fact that we're talking about sports here, with football, not golf.

And at no point, at no point was VJ.

Singh ever going to suplex Tiger Woods out of nowhere and end his season.

Now, there were other threats, external threats to Tiger Woods's success.

As it turns out.

There were, There were, there absolutely were.

But it wasn't Davis Love tackling them below the knees.

No, it wasn't that.

I'm just saying I have learned to proceed with caution when you get the blank versus the field bet because of my own personal experience, I must have lost a hundred various guy.

I couldn't stand him, but he would come around with this bet and like clock, everybody would take de bait he made.

He must have made a killing during Prime Tiger.

I don't know how much he made off that.

Thank you for the question, Bob, Let's go to Zach.

He says, which of the contending G six teams has the best chance of pulling a twelve over five upset in the playoffs?

Stan ooh, I like this, Okay, I love this question.

So what do you need?

What do you need?

What is your anatomy of an upset?

Here to use?

Who was it was any saying that over and over again?

Or anatomy of a comeback?

I think it was Booger McFarland during the South Carolina A and m high rights.

Does he say that as much as he says, no doubt?

Oh, that's a good one, probably not.

Don't play the.

Drinking game where you take a swig every time Booger says no doubt.

So what to you is the immediate factor where you're like, if I'm picking a team, this is what I need to have them pull off a shocker if it appears that the talent level isn't on the same play.

It needs to be a team that does not have a catastrophic defense.

I agree, it cannot be a team that is just, you know, even remotely like a half team.

Because bear in mind, if you're at twelve, you're probably gonna go up against a team like a Georgia team like a Texas Tech.

Maybe Oregon can worm their way up into or you're talking about complete teams, teams that can do a lot well on offense in particular, and also are very very good on defense.

That's why there's a number five seed to begin with.

Sure you're not going to get horrible defenses up at number five.

You need a team that is good enough to create an extra drive, a team that is good enough to force a mistake, a team that is not relying solely on their offense to try and out score an opponent.

Because I don't think you're going to be able to do that.

Like I like North Texas a lot.

North Texas, per the latest run of the sp Plus has the number three offense in America.

They're very fun there, very good.

I am rooting for North Texas like hell, it's a great story.

They've got the number seventy seven SP plus defense.

What do we think happens if we put them up against like Georgia?

How do we think that goes?

They're gonna have to find new ways to win.

Yeah.

So I only think there is one answer for this, and that's James Madison.

JMU is clearly the best defense of the teams that I think we are considering right now for that remaining spot.

And again, those five teams, including James Madison are Navy ECU two lane in North Texas.

Now, ECU is not bad defensively, they're a top fifty defense.

But JMU, by comparison, is dramatically better.

I think they're the only answer here for this question.

Okay, I think I'm with you.

I mean there's I had given some consideration to ECU as well, just because I think the quality of team they're playing might be a little bit higher and their defense has been good.

But yeah, ultimately i'd take a potential game change in core arter back in combination with that defense.

And they've held down the best of you know, they haven't won any forty seven, forty three games this season.

No, they've held teams to ten, twenty three, twenty twenty seven against ODU.

But they're scoring all the time, so it's a possession thing as well.

And that's a good ODU team.

They won, they held gave up fourteen seven, ten thirteen.

They gave up twenty eight to Louisville week two on the road, and ten the week before that to a Weaver State team that doesn't even play on this level.

I think JMU is the answer.

I do think I agree with you in JMU.

The great thing about him is they force a ton of three and outs.

They are I believe, terrific on third down on defense, and so that I mean, that's its own skill, figuring out ways to confuse and get off the field quickly.

I don't trust them to do it.

But of these teams, if you're giving me the choice of, you know, a potentially game changing quarterback performance combined with the ability to get off the field on defense.

I think it's James Madison, who, by the way, Sidebar should absolutely have been hosting or have been whatever, should absolutely be hosting Game Day this week the head of their matchup against Wazoo, that should be out of Harrisonburg this week.

And they're going to ask the Oregon which I don't know.

That doesn't That doesn't get me going like it used to when Game Day would go to Oregon.

They're already there this year for the Indiana game.

They should be a JMU or like Brawl of the Wild or something.

Yeah, I agree, take the opportunity.

I completely agree, But I think the answer is JMU and I you're right to bring up the quarterback thing.

Alonza Barnett's had a good year.

He's had a good year, and he's dynamic.

He's a runner, he's a thrower.

They can do a lot with.

Him, and they have.

They've been very easy.

He's a trek star.

Yeah, and Tulane has a little bit of the same going on with Jake Retzliff, But I don't think Tulaane is a team is as good right now as JMU.

Also, they're starting Seinfeld and Jurassic Parks Wayne Knight at starting running back tie.

How could you not like their tailback is Wayne Knight Television's Wayne Knight.

Let's go Nate, Nate says.

Stu Mandel said that the SEC might get five or six teams into the playoff.

WHOA, that's crazy, right?

The fifth, the sixth place team in any conference are just not that good, even in the vaunted SEC.

This isn't so much a question as it is I think a comment from Nate, Right, do you agree.

With that that that's too many teams for any one conference to send to the playoff?

Yeah?

The fifth, the sixth place team in that conference, in any conference, just isn't that good.

If there were six SEC teams in the playoff, it would be such a disservice to the sport.

It would be so god awful for this sport to send.

I guess in this case would be Vanderbilt.

It would be either Vandy or if something really comes off to Swivel, Texas.

If it were happened, if were to happen today, it would be Vanderbilt.

Likely, right, correct?

Yeah, I don't I don't see how you can do that today.

I don't see how you can do six is seven bridges to are let alone a bridge too far.

Yeah, I would, I would hesitate about what this playoff actually is.

If we're sending half of the field from one conference, we can have conversations about, you know, who has earned it, you know up until now, right up, like what are the qualifications, what are the resumes?

Like Vandy is number twelve right now in the country and the a people which has no meaning.

No, but that's just conversationally where some people who follow the sport closely.

Not all of the people that vote follow the sport closely, but some of the people who follow the sport closely have said Vandy is the twelfth best team in the country them I getting am I looking at the right pole?

Yeah, well, if you're looking at the latest round of polling, yeah yeah.

In the AP Vanderbilt is currently twelve.

In the Coach's poll, they are thirteenth, and if you go back to last week's college football playoff rankings, they were number fourteen, right, so they're right there.

They're behind Utah, behind they were behind Oklahoma and Texas.

That will likely change their one spot ahead of Miami and two spots ahead of Georgia Tech as well.

So there are a bunch of teams I think in that eleven through even eighteen range that are supremely interesting.

In this conversation, I agree because truly none of them are really out of it yet.

We'll see how this week shakes out.

But part of the reason why I think I am so excited about Week fourteen is we're going to see all of this break.

It's all going to break sort of in tandem, and it's going to make for a massive week of football.

I was telling you earlier.

The games on Black Friday are enormous, the games on Saturday are enormous.

We're going to have.

Maybe our most watched show live on Saturday night.

Just the response to what we're going to see go down in Rivalry week, because there's a lot that really could go on here.

So many different posts stabilities I think are still on the table.

There will also be full nudity on that episode.

I don't know if that's going to turn people on to the watching it live.

You need to create AI avatars so that it's a little bit more appealing to the.

That's true, No, Okay, So like what are you considering now?

Obviously you're considering the final two weeks of the season, and that's something that's an unknown right now.

But when you look at teams in this conversation, like Miami Utah, you know, Georgia Tech has the opportunity to win the conference and get in no matter what.

But you mentioned things getting screwy with Texas or take your pick, Virginia Oklahoma.

Obviously, in this conversation, like we mentioned the top, BYU is sitting the possibility of going eleven and one, like I think a pretty reasonable possibility, right yep.

For BYU, they finished the season with a difficult Cincinnati this weekend and then a UCF team that seems pretty beatable at the moment for a team like BYU.

So what are you considering with these teams?

What's going what's working for them and what's working against them in your mind without having the balance of their schedule back up.

One second, okay, more to the point, just put a bone on what I was just saying.

Please, it's going to be week thirteen, so we're still, you know, a week and a half out from rivalry week.

But there are three games in particular, three and a half games let's say that I think are going to determine a lot the first is on Friday Night.

The first is Texas versus Texas A and M.

I think Texas A and M is probably in regardless at this point, I'm going to drive two games.

Texas A and M is more than likely going to be in this playoff field barring some sort of crazy disaster that I have yet to determine.

How that seemed possible.

I don't think Texas has a way in, But if everything breaks again, could they get a chance.

Maybe?

I don't know, but again I don't think that's likely either.

Texas knocking off Texas A and M I think could have a big impact on where teams are seated, right, So that's one thing to watch on that front.

Texas A and M currently project it as a sixty six to negative eight winner over Samford for sp plus great.

Great.

The second game that I am very interested in, and I think the ultimate agent of chaos these last two weeks is Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech has a big game, an enormous game against Pitt this week, followed by a year ender, clean old fashioned hate against Georgia.

Now, obviously, if they were to lose to Pit this week, that could pretty much submarine it would submarine their ACC chances.

If they win, they could in all likelihood they will in all likelihood go to the ACC championship game.

So if they lose to Pit, then who in turn plays for the accam putting you.

All, well, then we got to go and we got to see what happens the following week.

Yeah, of course, all right, So if they win, they're in.

If they lose, then there's a whole bunch of possibilities they're depending on a lot of help.

Absolutely, if Georgia Tech were to knock off Georgia, that brings into the conversation a whole range of other possibilities with their to seating.

It probably has some impact on the lower end of that college football playoff field.

Right, We're looking at who's in the top twelve, who's in the top ten, who gets bumped out, who gets left in?

All of these things that think play a factor.

If Georgia Tech wins, how far up do they vault?

Who else might they knock back?

Right, even a team like a Notre Dame could be vulnerable.

If Georgia Tech were to beat Pitt and then beat Georgia, suddenly Georgia Tech's probably a top ten team and their shoulder in some teams out.

So if they go on that run, they're very very interesting to follow.

Well, they're shouldering teams out regardless because they have the opportunity to just win.

The ACC potentially potentially, And that's a separate conversation, but just in terms of the games that they have left totally different than the conference championship game, which they may or may not be a part of.

If you win those two games, that makes things really interesting, I think, is in particular on the back end of that college football playoff ranking.

And then the third game that I would add I'm not necessarily going to include Miami pitt in here, even though I'm very interested in that.

The third one is one I've been talking up and it's one that everyone knows about already, and that's Michigan against Ohio State.

Now, even though Ohio State to me feels inevitable and even though I still am inclined to pick them as a national championship come hell or high water, at this point, whether they lose, whether they win against Michigan, they're still going to get into that playoff field.

Sure, But Michigan knocking off Ohio State opens up a whole range of possibilities in the Big Ten.

Right Well, that game eliminates Ohio State from the Big Ten Championship.

If they were to lose, that eliminates Ohio State from the Big Ten Championship.

Indiana in all I coilhood gets in, you know, going undefeated.

But depending on what goes down this week with say USC Oregon, depending on what goes down the remainder of the season, there's a good number of teams that can still find their way into that Big Ten Championship game.

It is not likely that a team like a USC could make it, but it is certainly not out of the realm of possibilities.

Michigan knocking you off Ohio State for what would this be fourth fifth straight year or whatever it is, that would make things incredibly complicated in the Big Ten and it would definitely have far ranging impact again on the bottom end of that college Football playoff ranking.

So for me as a Notre Dame fan, I think if you're a BYU fan, I think if you're a fan of any of those Utah, any of those teams sort of on the bottom cusp of the college Football playoff rankings, and we'll see how they treat a team like a Notre Dame this week.

But I don't think it is safe for you if you are even at number nine right now, I think there's a lot that could go on that could still shoulder you out.

So keep those games in mind.

Those are the three that I think have the most potential to make things really really weird.

I don't know if that answers your question, but that's how I am thinking about who gets in and who doesn't get in.

In terms of the SEC getting five or six in, you know, I don't feel great either about one conference getting six teams in the playoff.

I think it's a little bit excessive.

I would like to see a little bit more of an even distribution.

I don't think I'm alone in that.

Certainly everybody outside the SEC feels that way.

I'm no different.

But the way that the rankings are set up right now, there is I think a slim but very real possibility they could get six in.

The idea of like a three loss Oklahoma team getting in if they were to go down to who they have miszoo.

The idea of like a three loss Oklahoma team getting in over like a two loss BYU team kind of rubs me the wrong way because that it might mean that BYU loses to what Texas Tech twice?

Yep, I just I'm not into the idea of like the possibility of six SEC teams getting in is just like laughable to me, Like what what stands out?

So my question to you was, like what stands out to you as like the more intriguing elements of teams resumes in cases for or against that are in this conversation, Like is there anything about Miami that perhaps we are under selling?

Is there anything about Notre Dame?

Is there anything about Utah?

Is there anything about you know, Oregon?

Is there anything about Oklahoma?

Is there anything you know that?

Like should we how much should we be considering Oklahoma's lost to Texas because John Mattier was coming back from surgery.

By the way, Oklahoma decided to start him right, he didn't force their hand, not no pun intended.

But I'm glad we went there that.

You know, how much do we weigh things like that?

You know that Miszoo lost to Vanderbilt, but Bo Prabula got hurt in that game.

Bo Brabula was not effective in that game, to be clear, against Vandy.

But like, what are the contexts of resumes in these conversational teams that you think are pertinent to include.

Well, I'll tell you what interests me the most, Okay, And obviously I'm not in a position to decide what should count and what shouldn't.

What I am most interested in, especially this time of year, is when the committee puts a two loss team over a one loss team.

Okay, you know so BYU is a really good example of that, right, BYU has one loss.

BYU is behind a bunch of teams right now.

They were not competitive in that loss.

They were not competitive in that loss.

I understand that.

But BYU right now, at nine to one, is behind a two loss Oklahoma two loss, Notre Dame two loss, Alabama.

Personally, I don't think BYU beats any of those teams.

I'm not sure BYU beats any of the teams in front of them.

Right they had a shot against Texas Tech.

They got smoked, right, But I'm curious to hear how the playoff committee rationalizes putting them behind.

On a certain level.

I get it because the strength of BYU's performance this season has been mixed.

Right, double overtime against Arizona.

Arizona is a good team, but double overtime against Arizona.

So when you have the opportunity, if you're in a conference that does not have as many headliners to make statements against the opponents in that conference and you're beating Colorado by three.

Right, Again, this doesn't mean that BYU is overrated, but I'm saying the full context of the BYU argument is like, let's look at how they performed against who they had to play against, and it's not always the best.

And to that end, by the way, I thought they had their most complete game this past weekend against TCU, a quality team that they ran away from immediately and performed.

Did they have four sacks?

Like?

They overwhelmed TCU on the lines, Bear Bachmeier had an excellent game, they ran well.

It was a very nice statement win for BYU when they haven't always had, you know, they haven't always made them.

So I think they're on the uptick right now.

Person.

Yeah, So that the winkles, I think along with that conversation or what I'm most interested in Miami, I think is really interesting too.

So what are other wrinkles do you do?

You see?

What are the the what is it called when you look at your eyes at the crow's feet?

Is that what the wrinkles?

I suppose you look pretty good, ty, being like in your mid to late forties, you look honestly terrific.

Continue Miami is really interesting to me because obviously had the win over Notre Dame, lost at home against Louisville, lost on the road at SMU.

Right, I don't believe either is ranked at this point.

What is their strongest win since that Notre Dame one?

What is the strongest win?

And you should include Notre Dame, but that is week one, which we should devalue a little bit but not fully devalue.

So that's a great win for Miami.

What is the the strength of performance index for them?

For you, like in the ACC what is that performance?

You're like, yeah, that that was their day.

They looked really good this past week against NC State.

Totally Yes, I thought they looked awesome against NC State, But I think it's an open question looking at the rest of the schedule to your point of what was the most impressive.

The way that they mopped up on South Florida I thought was intriguing because South Farda's holiday team been a ranked team there.

If nothing more, they're certainly a quality team.

Forty nine to twelve.

They killed them, and I would have Miami coming out of the American because of it.

Continue, you know, but you know you're short on other marquee wins that I think you really hang your hat on.

Also true about Notre Dame to some extent.

The USC question sure is like their kind of loan data point here.

It is.

It is, So I guess the question on the Miami front that we're going to have to come to grips with is they beat Notre Dame week one, then lost to what could end up being two unranked teams.

Now, if they beat Pitt, if Pitt wins this week against Georgia Tech, that'll be a ranked opponent in all likelihood.

I'm not sure how the Committee is going to feel about Pitt, but I think if they beat Tech they'll be ranked again.

So there's a pretty good chance that they'll they'll have a win over a good team if they can get past Pitt.

And that's on the road.

Losing to two unranked opponents I think really works against them.

Even though they did beat a team like Notre Dame and by the way, there are other teams in front of Miami too.

It's not just Miami versus Notre Dame a playoff spot.

There's a handful of other schools that I think if you can pair resumes heads up, there's a pretty good chance that those schools get the NOD.

Yes.

And by the way, the win over pit was not nothing for Notre Dame.

I should say they were ranked.

They've won a bunch of games.

It's a quality win.

They won that game on the road.

It was a somewhat hostile crowd.

I would say in Akrasher Is that where it is Akroscher Stadium.

Pitt's gonna beat Georgia Tech in Miami, think so I do.

They're gonna They're gonna win both those games.

Interesting.

Okay, by the way, we should point I mean you sort of alluded to the fact that Miami's loss could be to two unranked teams.

That what you were saying, Yeah, I mean Louisville just watched the Clemson SMU is like kind of still in it for the Acs.

They dare much they much They're they're in the others receiving votes category right now.

Yeah, they could make a huge leap in the A people.

But SMU is in a really interesting spot.

They've got a game this week against Louisville.

They've got a game next week against SMU.

In theory, they should win both those games.

Those look like two winnable games.

Not Louisville SMU is playing.

They're not playing SMU.

SMU is playing Louisville and SMU is playing cal What did I sell there?

You go?

You said SMU is playing SMU.

Now they do in practice, But yeah, on Saturday, they'll be playing against a different opponent.

There's a pretty good chance that SMU is favorite of both those games and wins both those games.

Yes, And so what ends up happening if they do win out, if Georgia Tech wins their game, and if Virginia also wins their remaining game against Virginia Tech, then suddenly, yeah, we've got a three way tie atop the ACC.

The NOD would go to Georgia Tech and Virginia over SMU.

But a lot of times, as we get deeper into these tie breakers, it's based on conference opponent win percentage.

And this is the part of it that I can't really calculate too many like permutations, Okay, so there are definite ways that even in that scenario, based on what goes on elsewhere in the ACC, SMU could still end up getting the NOD over you know Whoever.

So this is all to say, yes, SMU is very much still in this No, they're not ranked, but SMU was in the ACC Title Game of year ago.

SMU could have won the ACC Title Game a year ago.

SMU was in the playoff a year ago.

This is still a pretty good team, still a pretty good team.

Even more specifically so since the bye week, SMU just to spotlight them for thirty seconds longer.

They They were disastrous on defense before the bye, giving up a ton two, TCU and Baylor.

Since then eighteen ten, twenty four, thirteen, twenty and thirteen, and if you don't believe in the voodoo of the letdown, look ahead sandwich tie.

They beat Clemson on the road, they beat Miami at home, and in between they lost to Wake Forest on the road.

Their defense has quietly become like a top twenty ish unit once again.

They're one of the best, like five or seven red zone defenses in America.

They have an absolute opportunity to be like America's grower of the year, support, Colan support, local farmers support.

Yeah.

Shout out to Dino by the way out on Spotify.

You see he loves the letdowns and the look aheads.

Oh good, big fan.

Not really?

Okay, let's go to this one from ephrin Okay, which conference is the best?

Okay?

He goes.

Your opinion is the only one that matters.

It has to be one singular conference.

It can't be like, yeah, the ACC is parody, but the Big twelve is better.

Teams at the top.

I will use your claims in any argument I have.

Thank you, it's the best conference?

Dan, what do you think?

Top to bottom?

Who's the best conference?

So it's it's extremely personal.

So is it top to bottom entertaining?

Is it top to bottom?

Like if everybody was head to head and played like one hundred and thirty sixteen playoff, who would have the most impressive performances in the aggregate?

I mean, this is a bring me a rock type question?

Right?

What does government mean to you type question?

Yeah?

Of course agree.

Everything is sort of relative pound for pound.

I think the SEC is the best conference.

I think the SEC is deeper.

I think if you take the fifth the sixth best team in the SEC and put them up against Illinois.

I guess in the Big Ten, whoever in the Big Twelve or the ACC, I would be inclined to go SEC in most of those matchups.

I also think the bottom of the SEC is dramatically better than the bottom of some of the other conferences that would be in this conversation right right.

The bottom of the SEC is clearly better than the bottom of the Big Twelve.

It's clearly better in the bottom of the ACC.

It's clearly better than the bottom of the Big Ten.

So I think in terms of overall depth, maybe the heights aren't quite as high as say the Big Ten, but overall conference depth, for me, I think the ACC is deepest and best.

I think this year it's the SEC.

I agree with you.

This year, I agree because of the depth that there have been close losses by the teams at the bottom, even some wins at the bottom over teams perceived to be nearer in that top grouping.

And so I'm with you.

I think when you look at the metric that I looked at immediately was like, how many good to really good quarterbacks do do each of these conferences have?

And I think the SEC has the most in this moment where like, if Lenora Sellers is having like the eleventh best season of the quarterbacks in your conference, then that's probably the conference.

And so when I went through the Big Twelve, when I went through the Big Ten, there's just the chunk of quarterbacks at the bottom of these other conferences gave me the willies to such an extent that I could not even consider them, Like if you're talking to me about considering, you know, a Wisconsin quarterback situation, Preston Stone at Northwestern and like all these dudes, and all due respect, of course, but it becomes very difficult for me when you look at the bottom half of the quarterbacks and the Big Ten to say, like, yeah, that's the that's where we are as a country.

The Big Ten is who we are.

So no, I think it's the SEC this season, but not in such a way that I don't think that I just just sort of put myself into a corner.

Grammatically, I don't think the SEC is impenetrable.

I've used that word twice on this episode.

Now.

I don't think they are head and shoulders, that the top is head and shoulders above the best of the sport but as a conference in terms of entertainment, quarterback play, number of game changing players at various positions, it's the SEC this year.

I think I'm in agreement with you.

Yes, Dale, move on, let's go to this one.

This came in via email from Eric.

Which team's coaching search is the biggest domino during the current coaching carousel?

Texas?

Oh?

Was I not supposed to say that yet?

A Look, if Sark decides he wants to go to the NFL, that'd be a pretty big domino.

Yeah, Okay, the publicly known I've just educated making that up Texas thing.

The publicly known coach opening that is going to be the biggest domino to me is likely Florida.

I think this is the wrong question, to be honest with you, What is the right question?

I think the right question is which coach and not which coaching opening.

Like which coach's decision?

I think lane Kiffin's the biggest domino.

I think Lane Kiffin's the one that any number of vacancies out there would love to have Lane Kiffin, right, whether it's Florida, whether it's Llos, who, even Penn State.

You know, pretty much everybody across the board to take Lane Kiffin at this point, and you know, we have seen sort of this hierarchy of potential coach candidates that have been floated out there for any number of jobs.

Now, right, it's Lane Kiffin, it's Eli Drinkwitz, it's John Summral, it's Eric Morris, it's Ryan Silverfield, like it's all the same names for all these jobs.

At this point.

If you take Lane Kiffin off the board, we slide down a peg.

Doesn't mean they're worse coach, not implying that, right, but at least with how we're thinking about this based on public reporting, if Lane's off the board, then suddenly you know we're going down to like options CEE in a lot of cases.

Sure, so I think what he decides to do will be the most interesting.

I did read some reporting, I think from our friends out at CBS earlier today that sort of talked you through what the thinking is in Oxford.

Initially they felt very good about keeping him.

Most recently they have felt a little less good about keeping him, starting to think maybe that he would take the job at Florida.

But as everybody has been quick to point out link Iffin, he changed his mind based on the wind so it's tough to pin down exactly what this guy wants to do.

But I think if he decides to go to Florida, obviously there's you know, the question of all right, who's going to step into a very good Old Miss program?

Right?

If he decides to stay put good for ole Miss, but suddenly everyone else is looking elsewhere, that's how we get Jedfish at Florida.

By the way, just FYI, Yeah, which is definitely still a very real possibility, which.

Would be maybe another potential UCLA Florida battle like we had with Chip Kel allegedly at least to a coach considering those two places.

Sure, what I'm curious about, and I don't follow this closely enough, is what more could if it's not a money thing.

If we're going to take Lane at his word that he said his decision is not going to be rooted in financial reasons, what more could Ole Miss do to make itself attractive to Lane Kiffin in the long term, because he apparently has has everything he's asked for, you know, at least allegedly.

It's probably a prestige thing.

And we have a question about that next from Davis, that that we can talk about.

But ole Miss has complied with every one of his demands, and so if he leaves to go somewhere else, it's about the prestige of the Florida program.

It maybe is a lifestyle decision to want to move to Gainesville if you're Lane Kiffin.

I mean, he's obviously been very successful.

I think his family's all in Oxford now.

I think everybody's sort of.

Moved and everybody's there.

His kids recruit playing for like Oxford High or whatever.

Yeah, right, so it's it would be a lifestyle decision to leave at this point if they wanted to live somewhere else.

Yeah, I think there is.

I don't know if it's the prestige of Florida, but that is tied into it, or LSU or else anywhere else he would consider.

It's I think more five stars and high four stars in the South and nationally would be likelier to consider immediately Florida and LSU as potential destinations before ole Miss, not because of anything he has or hasn't done at ole Miss, just because the recognition and the like I could be the next blank, right, I could be the next Patrick Peterson.

I could be the next Derek Stingley.

I could be the next Tim Tebow.

I could be the next take your pick right, is a little bit more pronounced in even in the modern era, even with all of Florida's struggles, than what Ole Miss has been lately.

I don't know if that's fair, but that seems to be the reality, at least for my advantage.

I'll tell you this about ole Miss.

You want to know what else can Old Miss do to keep him there?

Sure, Ole Miss is going to make the playoff this year.

That's true, and for the first time they were on the outside looking in a year ago.

You might recall Lane taking a social media kind of arguing with anybody who he could argue with to make that case.

But I think as a proof of concept, going to the playoff, probably hosting a game in the playoff, I think that will help.

Unless he's already made up his mind, I think that will help, just to prove that, yes, it's possible here.

All these guys are competitive, they want to win national championships.

But hosting a playoff game in the first round, maybe winning, maybe being favored, whatever, I think all that stuff would help keep him there.

The proof of concept of coaching a team and leading a program that is no longer playoff ish but playoff official.

Let's go to Davis, who says, in this new era of college football, do programs need to redefine success and what defines a quote blue blood program?

If so, how do fans need to change their mindset?

Along those same lines?

Dan?

When you when you said wrong question before about the not the coach, but rather or the coach rather than the school or the job.

I don't think this is a reasonable question because this is an unreasonable sport populated by unreasonable fans.

Like the idea of college football fans changing their perspective, do they need to?

Of course, absolutely, they need to adjust their perspective on what constitutes a winning season in these like gigantic conferences that in some years are absolutely stacked one through seven.

However you want to phrase it, it just won't happen, right because all you want to do is college football fan, is win every game one hundred to nothing, develop a bunch of first round picks.

And now, look, there are schools that have had no success that to have even a taste of a seven to eight nine win season is incredible.

But let me tell you something about Indiana fans.

If they have one more year after this one of a double digit win season, They're all going to be like I was after flying first class once.

This is who I am now, everybody.

Yeah, it's just you lose perspective quickly when you get that taste that why aren't we like we were last year?

Why aren't we like we were these past couple of seasons.

So if they go twelve to oh this season, Indiana, and if they go ten and to eleven and one to twelve and oh next season, and they have made the playoff for three straight seasons and then don't make the playoff and only go eight and four, nine and three, it is going to be no.

No, I'm a first class fly now and I'm not slumming it in thirty two d guys.

And that's just what happens in this sport.

You get that taste and you don't want to go back.

I'm thinking of the Forks episode and the Bear or Richie just decides he's a suit guy.

Yeah, I'm a suit guy.

Now.

This is a suit where I think we need to redefine almost everything in this era.

Of course, question like being a blue blood quote unquote is obviously still relevant because these are programs that have committed resources to building out their football program.

It's clearly a program that moves the needle that gets ratings, a program that simply cannot be left out if you are trying to tell the story of college football.

That's what a blue blood is.

By the way, that like we're definitions matter and blue blood does not just mean like one of the best.

Blue blood actually means like historical best, right, So like you can't just become a blue blood if you're good for five years.

You have to have I've been good in nineteen fifty three or it doesn't count.

This is I think my bigger point.

Yeah, tradition doesn't buy you what it used to.

No, you know, like part of why I like the combination.

Of what we have now that being the bigger playoff field nil in the transfer port.

All of course it's introduced chaos, but it's also like the perfect storm for a disruptor like Indiana to just come out of nowhere, take the whole thing by storm, and upend what a lot of us.

Thought to be true.

And it's an ever ReConference.

Now there's Indiana, there's Texas Tech, there's Vanderbilt, it's Virginia.

This season, like people spend, people are able to jump up quickly, and it's great.

It is great, and it's I know, people throw around the P word a lot parody.

It is not parody to the extent of the NFL.

It's not even close to that.

I do think this sport needed a pretty healthy dose of parody just to make things interesting again.

You know, I can't tell you we've been doing the show forever.

If I had a dollar for every person that emailed us over the last ten years expressing some concern that it's always the same team, it's always Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State.

I'm gonna stop watching.

It doesn't do it for me.

It feels inevitable.

Week two.

We don't have that anymore.

It couldn't have been worse in terms of enthusiasm when it was like Alabama Clemson three out of four years.

It wasn't.

It wasn't.

And we know because we've done this yeah for a long time.

We know what the vibe is of the rebeller hood and whether or not your team is involved in this playoff chase, whether or not you're getting absolutely hollowed out in the transfer portal via nil and all that stuff.

That is absolutely a very real concern.

This is not a new setup that benefits you if you do not have resources.

So there is still very much a situation where you've got haves and have nots that has not gone away.

It probably won't go away anytime soon, but there are definitely new variables in this day and age.

I was looking before or just at the bracket that I sort of translated from Marv Baller Top twelve poll.

Seven of the twelve teams in that projected field are not what we would consider blue bloods.

I think that's a good thing.

Same.

I think that's a good I think that makes it fun.

I think that gives people a reason to care, even if you don't have a dog in the fight.

You know, pick a new team, pick a team that you're excited to see there be there, and you know, let's root for some chaos.

But the whole blue blood thing that definitely still has a place in the sport.

It is absolutely the kind of thing that we write about when we try to tell the story of college football.

But in terms of its actual relevance now, I think it is greatly diminished.

It's it's all why you know, this idea of being able to jump up quickly, this idea of being able to suddenly have a seat at the table with an expanded playoff, with the ability to restock your roster quickly and come to the table financially in a way that to weren't able to.

It's why there are a subset of Oregon State fans who are willing to absolutely debase and defile themselves to do anything vile, horrible, unspeakable that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Oregon State alum to get him in the boat, right, Yeah, because the thirst is so real to become that team who is suddenly relevant and suddenly, you know, a scary team for the traditional powers.

And so, if anything, it's just going to make people more unrealistic.

So here we are.

We said it before that like Kurtzignetti's success is the worst possible thing to happen to new coach hires across this sport.

He has screwing everybody over.

But there's truth to it.

There's absolute truth to the idea that you can jump up if you find the right guy, if you get everybody behind you if you're at the right place, you know you can't You can't ever say never.

Is that how you say his name Jensen Hwang or is it Huang?

I have no idea.

Yeah, I didn't even know his name, and Ody looks like, yeah, I had no idea.

What to Oregon State?

And where's the leather jackets?

All the time?

Yes, she wears like the tom Cruise mission impossible, like leathery biker jat there is a grouping of people there and maybe it's three guys I don't know who are like, how do.

We do this?

How do we do this?

His guy's worth four hundred trillion dollars.

We just need a sliver and we can run the West Coast.

I think there is almost a false promise though, when you look at a guy like Kurt Signetti, because now he's been successful two years with the transfer portal.

There are plenty of other schools around college football that have tried in a failed Mike Norvell has failed two years in a row.

It is hard to hit year in and year out if you are building via the transfer portal.

Now, I think the hope is if you're Kurt Signetti for Indiana, that you kind of fake it until you make it.

On the recruiting side, they're obviously getting good talent to come in.

For Nana Mendoza might win the Heisman, but he's a transfer.

Well, it's everything with Indiana, it's everything, right, But I think the point is right now, they are primarily building through the portal.

And as we have seen time and again across college football, while there are schools that hit, Texas Tech is one of them that's hits so far this year, there are plenty of others that haven't.

It is really hard to maintain success with that formula year and in year out.

Yeah, so two our questions here, Okay, then we'll call it plase please this one from Jeremy.

Can Utah make the playoffs without winning the Big Twelve and then win at least one game in the College Football Playoff?

So let me say this, Okay, Okay, I want to kick part two of that over to you.

Right now, ESPN is saying that there's about a thirty nine percent chance of Utah making the playoff, which is not nothing.

I mean, that is a very real possibility that they could make it even if they don't win the Big Twelve.

Even though it wasn't Jeremy's question.

It is still worth noting that Utah can also still win the Big Twelve, so they technically have two pathways in right, So yes, that is a very real possibility.

We can debate whether or not we think that's realistic, but mathematically speaking, it's about thirty nine percent.

Do we think that Utah can win a playoff game?

That is my question for you.

If they get in, can they win a playoff game?

Bearing in mind that it is almost definitely going to be a road game against the team seeded five through eight, right.

My answer is yes.

My answer is yes when you have that defense.

It's a top fifteen defense that has been tested.

It hasn't been amazing weekend and week out, but it has been very, very good most of the time.

I would solve my questions about Devin dan Pierre on the road against some of these defenses.

If that's what it we're going to come down to be it you know, Texas Tech again, or Oregon or Ole Miss or any of those teams perhaps in that region of the twelve.

But yeah, I think they could win that game.

I don't know if they could win that game if it required them to get to thirty one points with a lot of it coming through the air.

Well, that's scoring points.

Like, you can't say that the offense is an issue.

This is a top ten to twelve offense in the country.

My gut was immediately to say no, because I think most of the teams that they would end up playing are good enough defensively to make Utah very one dimensional and as he said, force them to win through the air, which I'm not convinced they can do.

But I should point out, if we want to be honest about this, if we look at the SPPLUS, which we swear by, Utah is eighth.

They're slightly behind Georgia and Ole miss.

They're slightly ahead of Texas A and m Miami, Alabama and Oklahoma.

So per Bill's numbers, he's got Utah right there.

Bill is looking at this is at least his numbers are and saying, you talking contend, I.

Don't think Utah is radically beneath anybody in this top twelve conversation Utah included.

So yes, I think Utah could win that game.

We don't question their coaching staff.

I don't think.

I think the only thing we really question here is they played Texas Tech close for most of that game and then it got out of hand.

Will Hammond, who was not that good after the fact before he got hurt, was incredible against Utah and hopefully remains their quarterback of the future, and you know, has bright days ahead of him.

And they played BYU to a draw basically in a big rivalry spot and BYU themselves top ten, So I think they're of that quality.

And it's not like any of these teams that we've mentioned as being in that like four or five, six, seven, eight range have been beating teams by four touchdowns every week, right, So that's only kind of Ohio State.

And they likely wouldn't play Ohio State in the first round because Ohio State's going to have a bye.

So yeah, I think they absolutely could win, but I'd put it as kind of unlikely, but not crazy.

It's not crazy.

They've got a defense good enough to make it ugly.

Yeah, And that's sort of been the template for Kyle Whittingham all these years.

It's been very good, very good in that circumstance.

Let's close it out with this Dan from Kevin who says, how about them Missouri State.

Bears yeah, Betty, Yeah about eh.

This is Missouri State's first year in the FBS, and how did it begin?

Ty?

It began losing seventy three to thirteen to USC.

It was not a great way to start.

But since then Missouri State has gone on a bit of a run.

They are six and three.

I will add that of their five wins over FBS competition, five were by one score, all of them great.

They're remaining three games are UTEP, Kennesaw, and Louisiana Tech, all three of which are you guessed it also projected to be one score games.

Technically, by like the traditional metric, they would be Bowl eligible, but because this is their first year in the FBS, you know, the way this works is usually a two year probationary period where they can't go to a bowl game.

They have or at least intend on petitioning the nc DOUBLEA if they are on enough teams, or you know, if the NCAA is a change of heart.

Historically, they haven't been very receptive to the idea of a new FBS team popping up into a bowl game.

But we'll say, I'm sure they're petitioning.

Yeah, they're doing their part.

So but to Kevin's point here has been I think a really good first season from Missouri State.

Good for them, and they lost to SMU and Western Kentucky after that USC loss, neither of which are embarrassing losses.

Now winning as a skill, especially when you're making this jump, and so I don't know.

The other team, Delaware has been pretty decent too, right, Blue Hens, baby, you know it.

So the two new teams, those are the only ones, right that have jumped in this season.

Yep, Delaware.

This season, they've won, I guess, They've split their last four, two out of their last four, but beat a decent enough Louisiana Tech team, beat Middle Tennessee.

They themselves are in position to be traditionally Bowl eligible at six wins, even if they're not going to go to a bowl this season.

They've got Wake and they've got UTEP here on their remaining schedule, so we'll see.

They could get a signature win over Wake for it.

Oh my god, I'd potentially nine and three, eight and four Wake Forest, which is wild in its own right.

Shout out Ryan Cardy and the job he's done at Delaware.

So look, the three biggies this week are USC at Oregon that's at three thirty on CBS, pit at George Tech that is seven o'clock on ESPN, and BYU at Cincinnati that is eight PMO Fox.

There are obviously other interesting games this week, starting on Friday night in the Mountain West Hawaii at NLV.

Should be a great matchup.

I'm excited to watch that game.

But the three big ones USC Oregon, Pitt Georgia Tech BYU Cincinnati.

We are going to do our first official ALT cast of the year, are we not?

On Saturday.

Yeah.

We did sort of an ALT cast watching games a few weeks ago, just it was an exciting afternoon just to test things out of games.

But yes, for a specific game, we're going to do Oregon USC at I believe it's the three point thirty Eastern game.

Yes on CBS, which bonus both if you do this and why I say you as a listener if you watch the altcast along with the Oregon game as a second screen experience, and because we're doing it as a second screen experience, you don't have to listen to Gary Danielson.

Oh come on, come on, he's all right, you know.

Let me tell you something about my relationship with Gary Danielson.

Go ahead, So I think bretton Neessler's good, doesn't he had Jenny Dell in the show.

I didn't care one way or the other about Gary Danielson when he was calling SEC games cause they didn't have any rooting interest.

But then as soon as I watched the Oregon Iowa game, I immediately went to the side of like, yeah, I get it.

It's like when you watch a game that you have a rooting interest in and he's on the call.

I'm sure he's a nice dude.

I'm sure he's beloved by the crew, but it was it was a tough broadcast experience for me as an organ person.

And so if I'm speaking with ty Hildemranda the solid verbal, yeah, that's gonna be a pleasure.

We're gonna make it fun.

I got some ideas.

I got some ideas for ways that we can improve the cast over what we did last year.

Okay, can't wait.

So it'll be fun.

Stop on by the YouTube channel.

Make sure we post it everywhere.

But even if it's for a few minutes, say hello, type something in the chat, give us your reaction to what else is going on around college football.

It doesn't matter.

We're all friends here.

Yes.

Other games that I think are of particular interest Louisville on the road at SMU.

We already talked about why that's important.

Miami on the road of Virginia Tech.

I see Miami is a pretty healthy favorite.

Going to Lane Stadium is never that easy.

We've also got Missouri at Oklahoma.

Is there any kind of letdown effect for Oklahoma after the big win from a week ago?

You know?

Baylor at Arizona is an interesting game.

Arizona's been real good, real good on defense.

Right, Arizona's defense.

Those safeties are really fun.

I really like this Arizona team.

No if Afida bounce back from a pretty terrible twenty twenty four, they're really really fun.

They just like you watched me, Like this team has their act together, Like against all odds, they have their act together.

So shout out Danny Gonzalez and Brent Brennan and all these players.

Yeah, Arkansas Texas could be entertaining.

Can Kentucky Vanderbilt could be very entertaining.

Kentucky has sort of had a bit of a rebirth here second half of the year.

By the way, go ahead an incredible letdown, look ahead sandwich situation for Texas, Oh my god.

Yeah, between Georgia and Texas, A and M Yeah, Arkansas has the opportunity to do something incredible here Biba Matrino marching into Austin.

Sure, we've got Duke North Carolina.

Yeah, no other reason, it's a rivalry.

ECU on the road at UTSA, huge implications in the American huge implications.

We got k State at Utah.

At one point or another, this looked like it would be a monster big twelve game.

It is currently at Utah minus seventeen and a half at time of recording.

Man, we got Michigan on the road at Maryland.

We've got TCU Maryland, by the way, retaining Mike Waxley on if you saw that with an nil boost for the roster, nil boost, TCU at Houston could be fun.

Nebraska at Penn State.

Maybe Matt ruhleill have some second thoughts and decide to stay in state college.

Who knows.

By the way, just the sidebar of all these that you're mentioning, Houston is like your number one candidate of like very quiet, impressive year.

I told you, I know, really impressive season, and I don't.

I don't know if they're officially out of the like the Big Twelfth Championship running.

Yeah, maybe they are, but it's not by much.

I mean, look are they ranked right now?

Houston?

I don't believe is rank.

No, Houston is the number.

Yeah, they're number twenty five or twenty people.

Okay, that's great, good for Houston.

Yeah, I think Connor Wigman is technically the most like statistically efficient Big twelve quarterback right now.

Yeah, Houston would need a lot to break.

Houston would need, obviously to win against TCU.

They would need to win their final game against Baylor, but they would probably need some help from Arizona.

They'd need some help from you.

They would likely need some help from TCU.

There are probably some ways that you could program this to get Houston into that final game, but.

Not likely to say, yeah, Wes West Virginia really played spoiler for this season, right, Oh my god, losing a couple weeks ago to West Virginia.

Otherwise they'd be like kind of driver's seat they would.

I mean, it's a tough couple to finish out the year.

And they scored more against Texas Tech than BYU did.

There's that and they didn't even have their quarterback for much in that game.

They would need Kansas State to beat Utah this week.

They would obviously need to win their game next week against Baylor, which right now Baylor might be favored.

Okay, they would need Arizona to beat Arizona State.

They would likely need TCU to beat Cincinnati.

I think if all you also need UCF to be BYU.

That's a tough ask.

If all that, I mean speaking of parlays.

If they went out and those other things happen, they would likely go to the Big twelve title game, getting a nod above b one.

You it gets complicated get down to like the sixth tiebreaker, but that's what it would take in order to get Houston.

In that either way.

They went four and eight last year, Yes, and nine and three plus is absolutely on the table, very much so.

All right, to round things out, New Mexico at Air Force.

I know you like New Mexico.

Yeah, yeah, I'm a neckhad.

We have Tennessee Florida this week.

Tennessee favored by three and a half on the road in the swamp.

Yeah.

Cal Stanford is this week in Arizona State on the road.

At Colorado Arizona State.

By the way, still an outside chance for make the big twelfth title game.

That's true.

For what it's.

It's I mean, it's big game.

It's cal Stanford, it's the g and you know, as we all anticipated on the ACC network, God, everything's so stupid.

Okay, I think that's great.

And I think le High Lafayette this weekend too.

Lehigh Lafayette.

Yeah, that's a big one, man, that's a real big one.

There's a lot happening.

There's an awful lot happening, if you care about such things.

By the way, now that you bring up the FCS rankings, I believe the latest FCS rankings still have Lehigh at fourth.

But of note, if.

We go all the way down to Division two, Dan, you know, we've talked about fair Estate before because of Trendad Chambliss, But there is another local team, Kutztown.

They make a noise.

Kutztown is currently eleven to zero and third in Division two.

Just say it.

In the coaches poll Division two.

About Mercer number six.

By the way, in the FCS poll taken on Auburn on the.

Run, I mean, they're no Lehigh, but.

That's a it was a big look ahead spot for Auburn ahead of the Iron Bowl.

Hove it up into the top ten as well Harvard Top ten.

I mean as the first year of the ivys can get into the FCS playoffs.

Great, I love it.

So it's all happening.

Why don't we leave it there.

We've got a bunch to discuss.

On the Thursday episode, we of course will preview all these games and much much more.

We will talk through what it takes to get into our run the board pick them game.

You can of course go on out tu forballers dot com and sign up Frezy Certified or Premium for Baller.

That'll get you access into all the goodies.

You can play in the game and get the episodes without the ads, get them a little bit early.

You can go on our discord.

You can post questions for shows like this.

Correct, it's all I got, Dan, same.

I'm losing my voice over here, but you're looking sharp in your new merchant at Solivruble dot com.

Shirt college football all the time.

I love it it, Pops man, I like it good.

I'm glad to hear it for that guy over there, Dan, for myself, Tie, we'll talk to you all on Thursday.

In the meantime, stay solid, peace,