It's @MaxBrowne4 talking @CFBPlayoff, Notre Dame vs Ohio St, Cam Rising's SLC legacy + more

one new players. That's fifty three percent roster turnover, which I guess is simply the new normal in college football. But the way I'll pose the question, Max, is what gives what gives you the most confidence that year one in the Big twelve for the Utes was an anomaly, a moment in time, and not.

You know, I think there was one one year in there from that thirteen to call it sixteen range, where you know Utah did take a step back, but it doesn't mean that then like a lot of programs where then that step back means that you've lost momentum forever. I feel like Kyle Woodingham has a track record of like, hey, you can have it down a year and then come back and still contend for championship. So that's the first year. But I also go to like the whole just Cam

Rising calendar year. That was the expectations put on this program, the fact that you came into a new conference and I was one of them that said, hey, Utah is going to be the standard in the Big twelve. And

I think those expectations were different for Utah. I think the Cam Rising guessing game takes a toll not only on a not only on him, not only on the offense, but I my senses from Afar that it took a toll on on your team, especially just because offseason wise, when he's getting the reps, so you're not you're you're you're necessarily you know you're you're you're not giving the reps to Wilson or another guy out there to give

him a true shot. I just think there's something to be said about, you know, not going back and forth, not having that guessing game, and having a clearer direction. I would feel more confident that that gives you your team the ability to march in one direction versus last year again with the expectations and the uncertainty around Cam Rising, it felt like it was just hard to get your footing in a conference that you know was beating each other up at the top of the At the top of the conference.

But you were a guy that during your time with the PAC twelve network, you covered those teams when Cam was healthy and right, and as he now moves on to his next phase in life, how should Utah fans remember Cam Rising as one of.

your chin strap. But I think the Cam Rising era took Utah to a different level of expectation and then different standard and ten twenty years from now, when you look back, I think Cam will be the symbol for what that era meant for Utah football. But on the foot side, I think it's hard not to sit there and think, hey, what could have been? That there was

more out there. I guess it's a better way to put it with hey, maybe getting that Rose Bowl win, or what could have been in the twenty twenty four season, even the twenty twenty three season. Sitting there and knocking on the door, I think there was there's two sides to it. There's the acknowledge how far the programs come and his tenure was a big reason why. But also, you know, the meat left on the bone. And I'll

also even take it back to you. You know, remember the days when cam Risen was sitting there in that quarterback competition and lost the job and stuck around and you know, got the nod week three or week four, and it wasn't a foregone conclusion that you know, he was the dude. I mean nowadays, you know, I see the pictures of remember when Cam Rising was a Texas longhorn and then transfers to Utah, and you kind of brush over the fact that, hey, it wasn't a foregone

conclusion that he was going to be a stud. He had to grind and be patient. And I think a lot of what he represented is what the Kyle Whittingham era has been at Utah and will probably continue to be once the paton has passed to pass to the next guy.

for whatever reasons, didn't fully work out. And over the final couple of years, Cam took a lot of guff and a lot of grief from a lot of fans. And as I keep saying on air, you always have the option.

That's the year that USC beat Saquon Barkley in the in the Rose Bowl, and I started those first what was it, three games, went one and two, and actually Donald's first start was at Rice Ecles in Utah. And I mean, I don't blame the I mean, it's a captivating article for that student reporter to write. But those are the ones that I'm turning thirty next month. Those

are the ones that you remember. So it's tough. But I do think for me, even as being a you know, a transfer, I didn't even have remotely the success that Cam Rising did. As the years go on, I've found that you know, the negative, the negative buzz, the negative memories, the negative chatter, those those fall by the wayside, and the good memories do have a tendency to rise to the top, especially when you handle yourself the way that Cam did and again had the success that he did.

I think that hey, five seven years from now, when Cam returns and probably gets a halftime resignator or recognition or and at first quarter recognition, I have a strong belief that it'll be a everyone getting out of their seat applauding him, and those are the memories that he'll have. And I'm sure right next to his Utah helmet, Utah football and his man k for the rest of time.

York with anybody. You end up taking peyote and speaking to caterpillars where things happen to you. But what sort of questions has Sam answered this year? And what do you think that last performance may have cost him? And what do you think his future is?

that question. I think what goes unanswered is you know how much of that was a byproduct of being in a friendly Vikings offense with a very capable play caller that's had success with multiple quarterbacks. And that'll be the question for Sam miss offseason. I think, is you know, does he find or does he potentially take less to stay in Minnesota, or does he go to a different,

different franchise. And I chuckled right there because I think if you're the New York Jets, he'd be still not to at least be able to call to Sam's agent and see what's out there, giving them the unclear quarterback situation the Jets are in long term, but I have a feeling that of all the teams out there in the NFL, one team will be able to put in put together a Baker Midfield type offer or potentially even better,

because I think it's interesting this quarterback draft class. You're gonna see Shador Sanders, you're gonna see cam Ward, but there's a steep drop off to get to quarterback three. In my opinion, yet there's still a chunk of teams at like seven, eight, ten, twelve in the draft order that need to answer quarterback questions. I mean, whether it's the Jets, whether it's the Raiders, whether that's the Saints

long term and what they do with Derek Carr. So I think in Giants as well, I'm of the opinion I think the Giants will be on the outside looking in if the top two quarterbacks go one two. So there's a lot of teams that have questions and need to find answers at the quarterback position. That warps in

Sam's benefit. And I think he's shown that, even though the last two games didn't go didn't go great, that he is a legitimate NFL starter and it's no longer just a hey, nice to have a capable backup type of guy.

get to the game on Monday. But now that we do have the first example of a twelve team expanded CFP unfolding to the point where we have a final matchup, you like it, you don't like it?

this morning. I do think, you know, Penn State losing in the Big Ten championship yet getting a more favorable road than Oregon is you know, not ideal for the for the for the structure of the playoff. And I think reseeding after that first round so once you have eight total teams, that would have put you know, the Boise State at ranked number eight or Arizona State at eight Boise Boise State at seven. That to me solves

a lot of the problems. I'm very wary of, you know, wholesale changes of guaranteed spots for the SEC or guaranteed spots for the Big ten or even Big twelve as well, because I just think every year is different, and that's the beauty of college football, that's the beauty of what we do for a living because we're able to analyze

it all. But if you had the twelve team playoff structure last year, the number five team would have been Florida State without Jordan Travis, and this big storyline was Jordan Travis's injury would have been the twelve team playoff storyline, and everyone would have wanted to play Florida State as a number five seed with their backup quarterback right there. Versus this year that five seed was Penn State. It

was a different vibe. I also don't think year in and year out, we're going to have as strong of a group of five champ I think Boise State is as strong of a group of five champ as we're going to get, at least in the immediate term of college football. That's going to be different next year. I think there's a world where maybe the Big twelve doesn't

beat up on each other every year. If this season went how a lot of youth fans hoped it went, and Utah was sitting there as a one loss Big twelve champ, I think a lot of the chatter around, you know, the Big Twelve being maybe like a secondary or very much secondary compared to the Big ten or the SEC that wouldn't be the case. So every year is different. I think the twelve team structure allows for

those dynamics to play out. But I think reseeding after that first round would would solve a lot of a complaint that people had in December.

And that was more my takeaway from the Arizona State Texas game where hey, if that matchup is played or maybe a better references Arizona State Alabama from five years years ago. You know, there's a world where that outcome is much different because of the depth that an Alabama team has versus Texas. Now, yes, there's still the top of the SEC, but I don't think it's that invincible nature that we once had, which I think is great for the game of college football and Arizona State showcase that.

So that was my takeaway and also just a takeaway

from an Arizona State lenses and Spence. You'll be able to relate to this because it was, you know, a talking point for Arizona State for much of their PAC twelve history about how much they were a you know, sleeping giant and whatnot, and I think there's a lot of truth to that, and I my takeaway was, Hey, maybe Kenny Dillingham has unlocked something there that is sustainable at Arizona State of being the sexy lack of lack of a better term team out west for a lot

of these Texas and Big twelve rooted guys, that I feel confident that Arizona State, maybe not winning eleven games every year, but contending for Big twelve titles, that that identity is here to stay as long as Kenny Dillingham's there.

he's a pre eminent communicator. His players clearly love him, but nobody, at least in my opinion, and from what I understood listening to people who I respect, break this thing down.

least on paper signal caller. And then Notre Dame had a bunch of guys coming back, so you know, there was hype and obviously a relatively easy schedule, especially when you look at Big ten schools and SEC schools having to play each other and beat up on each other. So I think in August I saw a trajectory where they could be in the in this scenario at least

in the final four and in the conversation. But then that, then that and IU game happened, and I remember watching that game and I called and I used game a couple of weeks later, and you watched that game. Notre Dame left a ton of offense, especially on the field, and I tweeted this out at the time. I was like, don't be surprised if they figured this thing out and find themselves at that point, you know, with one loss, facing a USC team to potentially go into the playoffs.

And that's kind of how it how it how it played out. The big difference that I noticed, though not only with Marcus Freeman, and he deserves credit because you know, you're giving up play calling or he doesn't handle play calling duties, so you're trusting your assistant coaches. And I think Mike Denbrock, their offensive coordinator, totally pivoted after the NIU game and said, Hey, the reality is Riley Leonard is not an NFL quarterback. And that's the camp that

I'm in. And I know, you know Colin Coward saying, oh he's the next Josh Allen. I'm not there. I don't think he's asked to do nearly nearly the amount in the passing game on a down in, down out basis as some of those other guys. But he shipped the offense and said, I'm gonna lean on Riley Leonard's legs. It's going to be run centric first and second and we're going to pass on third down and have that bri identity, not try to force him to win on

first and second down as a progression passer. And the team took a liking to that identity. They deserve a ton of credit for doubling down in that identity and it's got them to the place that they're in. And the redemption story of Marcus Freeman. You said it. He started off a little it was rocky, for sure, but I think his overall vibe of it, of you know, resurrecting a notre dame that pretty much my entire adult life has been. Even when Brian Kelly was winning games,

it was still a little bit stale and stiff. Those days are gone, and Marcus Freeman deserves all the credit for that.

think you should get fired. I'm not there yet. It's to me, and you know, I have the feelings inside me are honestly similar to how the Steelers talk is around Mike Tomlin, where it's like Mike Tomlin continues to win at a high level, but then he loses in that playoffs, and it's almost like, if you're Mike Tomlin's camp, it's like you'd almost rather him tank for one year so then they have a shot at getting a quarterback. So then he's you know, has a better shot of

actually actually winning that elite level. But because he continues to just maximize what he has but then stub his toe at the end, it like almost works against him. The comp to Ryan Day is they're winning a ton of games, They're consistently in the national championship picture, they have an extremely promising trajectory in future when it comes

to recruiting. But then there's the Michigan thing. But then, especially in this scenario, if you were to lose to Notre Dame, especially because Notre Dames of what quasi kind of Midwest rival, I think the cranking up the heat would be valid. I wouldn't be totally surprised if they pull the plug. Just like with Mike Tomlin, I could see a scenario where it's, hey, we have to fire

because it's getting this stale, distracting narrative. But this dark cloud over our fan base and over our franchise and program where we have to move on. We don't think you're a bad coach, but this cloud has been hanging above us for too long where we have to make a change. I could see that. I could see the ad having that thought process, and it sounds crazy, but you also can convince yourself that, man, it's easy for anyone to recruit with that nil budget and go down

that storyline. So I think Ryan Day would be hired by the next coach, by the next blue butt program that had a job opening. But I also think it's a little bit of the reality of the situation that Ohio States find themselves in over the past few seasons.

But Riley Leonard and Will Howard to me fall into a similar bucket where they're you know, fringe NFL guys, their effective college quarterbacks, but it oftentimes comes down to, you know, a third down throw here or there, or can you win that one on one matchup on the outside and make enough plays when they're right there? Or do the you know, especially a Notre Dame defense that solid do they rise to the occasion as well? So I think I have no doubts about the quality of

Ohio States defense. We know about their skill players. I do think something was found in this last game of how they were able to defend Jeremiah Smith and not let Jeremiah Smith go. And I think mixing up those

looks is big. But to me, it comes down to which of these quarterbacks can be more efficient on third down protect the ball, and when you do have those one on one matchups, how many times are we looking up saying, all right, that's a twenty five thirty yard game down the field because they were able to just execute and catch the rock.

these quarterbacks are good college quarterbacks. But I think they will make mistakes. I think they will miss opportunities that'll keep the game closer and a little bit more Murcurier, especially with how strong both these defenses are and a little bit of Notre Dame's run game as well. So the fighting Irish keep it close, but ultimately Ohio State gets it done. The monkey goes off Ryan days back and we can finally stop talking about that and the Buck guys win the national championship.