Welcome to the solid verbal.
Hulleh 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 Edith State?
Is that? Whoo whoo and nod and Tye, welcome back to the solid verbal Boys and girls, My name is ty hilde Brand. That fine gentleman over there, the one, the only, still, the incomparable Dan Rivenstein, sir, Yeah, how are you.
I'm good? And something struck me about Ball Season that I didn't fully bring into account when we did part one of ball Season, and that is that I think we use a pejorative term of TV show, right. The playoff is a TV show, right, And that it is kind of true that there is that element of we're doing things for entertainment above all else, not necessarily for competitive reasons or you know, national college football reasons, whatever,
that this is like the good of the sport. And obviously there's something about the good of the sport being, hey, let's make a bunch of money so we can pay coaches or retain coaches or you know, maximize things for the program. But Bull Season is that unabashed element or that unabashed motivation, being TV show friendly, and I love not. I mean, the major Bowls are fine, but there is something about forgetting that there's a bowl game on and coming across Oh, the New Mexico Bowl is on. I
have no investment in any of these teams. This has no bearing on the future of the sport, you know, writ large anything like that. But I don't know. I can watch Colorado State for a few minutes.
I can.
I can dedicate fifty seven minutes of my life to watching Memphis football three hours of my life. Like it's snowing outside, it's windy, it's blustery. Like, yeah, I'm gonna absolutely cancel whatever workout I was gonna do or whatever me I was gonna make, and dedicate myself to Wazoo Miami. Why not? And I love this surprise factor of ball season that you know, sometimes you'll be doing something and you're like, oh, it's fifty seven fifty four with seven
minutes left. Yes, I have to watch the end of this game. Yeah, I have to drop all work and social plans because the Bahamas ball is out of control. It's wonderful.
It's like happening upon Major League on TNT or one of those other movie Independence Day where you simply can't look away. I think, especially for us, so much of what we do from the end of August through the beginning of December is hang on the results of these games, Yes, and we try to make sense of it. We try to put in context for the listening audience. Yeah, when you get to ball season, as we'll discuss, there are so many other variables at play, with coaches leaving, with
players opting out, with guys transferring. It has been a very active transfer portal, as you know. Maybe we'll get into a little bit of that today to kind of have all of those competing factors and in effect have exhibition games that are meaningful and do require context after the fact, but we don't need to take them as seriously, which is part of why some of the games are named after the Gasparillo Pirate Festival. Sure, Dan, that's why we're here.
Jim Jimmy Kimby Kimmel had a quote that said, I think on his TV show he said, who's playing in my game?
Again?
Something like that just ridiculous, which is disrespectful honestly to both Oregon State and Utah State. Who I believe that those are the teams playing in Sofi Stadium and the
Jimmy Kimmel La Bowl. But yeah, it while you were talking, I had visions of, you know how, sometimes, very rarely, we'll get a semi truck that flips while driving and nobody's hurt and traffic is affected, which is not good, but it's all it's filled with you who I'm gonna dig a little deeper and find as many pictures of this flood of chocolate drink along I eighty.
There are many tons of Duke's Mayo.
Yeah. On the there's there's a hilarious truck spillage where nobody's hurt, where you're just like, well, there's a there's a lot of Oscar Meyer hot dogs spilling out onto the highway. And I'm gonna look at pictures and I'm just it's gonna occupy my attention. And here we all. Here we are Bull Season Part two, which is filled with both that and actual competitive matchups that we that we should talk about with actual, you know, bigger competitive meeting.
We absolutely will. So first things first, our website is solid verbal dot com. If you are just finding us this Bull Season, it would have been nice to have you during the regular season. But yeah, nonetheless, we're glad you found us. Please don't forget to subscribe on Apple, on Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. Your subscription goes a long way. We're also doing something called the Solid Giveaway Solid Giveaway dot Com. We ask you to take
a few easy steps. It's free to join. Get your hat in the ring for a signed Desmond Howard mini helmet. It's Michigan season, baby. We got all sorts of sken reasons. Howard just awkwardly put down Ohio State on the Heisman stage. And you can own a piece of that legacy. Own a piece of that legacy. Go to Solid Gateway dot com. And last, but certainly not least, you know, as we're talking through all of these games, we are running the Big Bowl Confidence Pool Playwinter Wonders dot com. It's only
available to our Patreon subscribers. It's a big fun contest. We love the Bowl confidence pools. I will recap in painstaking detail for anyone who missed my Cock and Maamy theories of how to pick these games on the last episode, but suffice to say, Playwinter Wonders dot Com is how you can get in on the action. We got hundreds of people who have already joined, hundreds more are soon
to follow. But it is a note that you only have until noon on December to seventeenth, because that's when the Bahamas Ball starts and after that you're you're unable to get in pick slock. So yeah, still got a couple of days. We would encourage you to go on out there. Playwinterwonders dot com for more information.
I missed confidence Pool playing because we didn't do it last year. We did a separate kind of Winter Wonders and we're back to the confidence system and there is that that tension when you're looking at that screen like is it a thirty eight or thirty three? I don't know.
I love it.
Love confidence Pool. Playwinterwonders dot com. Let's dive into Batch two again.
Time to help the weak. So to recap on the last episode, we went through all of the Bowl games up to and including December the twenty eighth. Yeah, up to and including the Guaranteed Rate Bowl which they play at Chase Field and Phoenix. That one is between West Virginia and Minnesota. When we recorded that show, the lines, the points spreads were I think still relatively accurate, had some early lines that we put out there into the ether.
We're not picking these games based solely on the point spreads, but again as a way of providing more information, giving context to at least how Vegas feels about these games. In some cases it is pertinent information. What I found in going through Bullbatch too and looking at the point spreads that I had initially jotted down, A lot of them moved a lot, Yeah, a lot. There were some that moved double digits, and that's for a multitude of reasons.
That's because of coach movement, that's because of player movement, both opt outs and its opt out and transfer variety, some injuries, that type of thing. So we're going to do our best here to try and capture that. But please do note here right out of the shoot that a lot of this is subject to change. We're only starting to find out who in fact is opting out of their games and who isn't, as we'll discuss as we go through here. There are I'm sure many other
players to come. Kenny Pickett is one who who I don't think will play, doesn't sound like he'll play, but has not given an affirmative one way or the other as to what he's going to do. So we'll get into all that and much much more. Should I just recap Dan? I you know, I don't know how much I want to really hit on this again. But should I recap my theory of the case and why I'm on Ty's Bowl preview?
Yeah? Real quick, just give me, give me those three bullet points. Three bullet points confidence pull. First off, you pick the winners, and then you rank your order of certainty.
Yeah. And so the first order of business is the default setting in the game. If you go to Playwinterwonders dot com, the default setting is the game automatically allots one point on the Bahamas Bowl and forty four points on the Playoff. I say, and it's not my idea, but I say switch it. Because you don't know who's going to be in that final game of the playoff.
You have no idea, right.
And furthermore, the deeper you get into this thing, you get to the New Year's six games, the teams are a lot more evenly matched than they are early. So if you're betting all your points on something, bet early. Bet on the games that are bigger mismatches and try to front load your points as much as possible. So as we go through here, what we're going to do is we're going to talk through high, medium, and low confidence levels for each of these games as we make our talks.
And I mean, it's sort of it's the theory that like, hey, if you're going to start wagering a bunch of money on college football or sports in general, become a Mountain West expert, just go WS or MLS where you're just like, Okay, I'm going to dig, dig, dig deep for the data about these teams in these matchups. Whereas you know, a great SEC team against a great big ten team, a great ACC team against a great big twelve team, you know, can be it's just a normal you know, the normal
variants of college football. So I'm totally with you.
So that's the first rule. The second rule is, as we discussed, if you're serious about picking winners and losers mm hmm, preferably winners, pay attention to things like transfers, pay attention to opt outs, coach movement, stuff like that. I I generally will like to pick against a team that is losing its coach, but that does not apply to all cases. It's not one size fits all. I'm pretty heavy on Florida and Florida lost its guy, right,
So it's a case by case thing. But again, if you're serious, you got to pay attention to these types of things. And then the final point, which is harder to pin down, is motivation. These are exhibition games. As we said at the top, motivation plays a factor. Who wants to be there more. Utah has got its first ever Rose Bowl coming up against Ohio State. My hunch is that motivation is very high on the Utah side
and on the Ohio State side. I'm sure it's equally as high because people don't just you know, scoff at the Rose Bowl. But at the same time, it's very likely that both Chris Olavy and Garrett Wilson will opt out by the time thanks to Yeah, well that real possibility.
Well s's why, That's why, And I'm totally aligned with you in terms of motivation, in terms of caring, in terms of finding you know, finding ways to find continuity whatever within your team, within your coaching staff, and make it work even with a bunch of changes. To me, it's defense. To me, defense is the umbrella over all those things. You don't suddenly learn to figure out run fits in mid December if you haven't been doing it
all year long. And so if a team cares, if a team is bought in and gives effort all season long, it's likely that that's going to continue during both season. On defense because what it travels, and it's just it's a factor of if you're beat up whatever, it's harder to play defense. So I think everything you said is absolutely true, and that's why I put it under the
Dan umbrella of defense. And if there's a team that's dramatically better defensively, especially in points per drive, a metric I really like to use because it's more results oriented, that's almost always the direction I'm going to go in, unless there is some sort of you know, huge changes at the top or something like that that could affect effort and everything like that. But no, that's sort of that's my mantra with confidence bull stuff.
Speaking of defense. Speaking of hard nosed football, let's go to the Wasabi ball wes Sasabi ball? Are you are you?
Was that like a what's up? Budweiser combined with yeah, okay, you are you? A w sabi person, do you like that spicy root?
Not really? Oh really, I like wassabi fresh with sabi, very good. The was sabi Fenway Ball. They play it on December twenty ninth at eleven am Eastern Time on ESPN. It is SMU at eight and four. It is Virginia at six and six. Virginia now favored by one and one half points. Dan, this game is a certified mess.
It is it's in a baseball stadium. Two interims, Yeah, continue.
In a baseball stadium. He got two interims. Sunny Dykes is already gone and he took some assistance with him. Also, Reggie Roberson and Danny Gray, two of the top three wide outs for SMU, have opted out. Meanwhile, Bronco Mendenhall excuse me, had the shock announcement that he was stepping away. He will coach in this game.
That's double interim situation. But yes, he's done.
Yeah, but eight Virginia players have entered the portal, including a bunch of offensive linemen. Now I haven't seen if they're gonna play. They could technically play if they wanted, but there's just a lot of distractions really across both teams. Here with all these competing factors, do you have a lean?
I think so, with all these competing factors with SMUs, I think they're not great against the past, They're stronger against the run. Virginia came along against the run. But you mentioned the offensive line opt outs and transfers.
Whatever.
I'm going Virginia here. This is sort of a win and out too bad defenses, and they have the coaching continuity with Bronco Mendenhall being his last game, so there's the emotion there, and the quarterback factor that Brendan Armstrong was beat up and he has only gotten healthier. I don't believe he is opting out. He was very clear that his decision was going to come down to staying at Virginia or going to the NFL, not transferring or anything like that, or entering the portal. So I'm gonna
go with the I'm gonna ride the Virginia emotion. Whereas SMU going from Texas to an extremely cold place near New Year's it could be blustery, snowy whatever in Fenway. I think I'm just going to opt for Virginia finishing out the season strong. Whereas SMU, I believe not so much in terms of finishing out the season strong, right yeah, I mean not even just losing their coaches. But they lost four or five to after starting the season eight o seven to oh. So I don't I don't love
the momentum. I think SMU is ready for the sunny Dyke's era and excuse me, that was the Red Lash era. Excuse me, and just wants to play out the air. So I'm well with Virginia to feel that electricity within the friendly confines of Fenway.
My thoughts exactly. He could not have of it, could not have taken my words more verbatima, Virginia. Low confidence for me, low confidence.
I'd load a medium, maybe right around double digit, but not too much higher than you know, ten to eleven. Area four is the move for really good looking charred pizza, beer wine. I think that's my move. I know there's a lot of you know, touristy spots, you know, the Freedom Trail whatever in Boston Area four.
That would be where I go. Alrighty, let's go to the new era Pinstripe Bowl. Dan, speaking of games in baseball stadiums, he got another one here two fifteen ESPN Maryland at six and six Virginia Tech at six and six, The Turps are a one point favorite. You may recall Justin Fuente was fired, but mostly the same staff sticking around through the bowl game to aid that coaching transition
over to Brent Prye. Tech had a bunch of guys opt out saw that And maybe this is just me hopping aboard the overthink express, which is something I'm prone to doing.
But this is well side. You have Pinstripe Bowl experience, I have real as a fan. You have insight that I don't have, have.
Real Pinstripe Bowl experience. Thank you for reminding me of that day. I appreciate that you're a good friend.
Is your hat nearby?
It is not nearby. I may have lost it. I'm not sure where it got to. No, this seems like the kind of game where Mike Loxley would get his guys fired up, because Mike Losley knows the DMV, as we've said time and again on this show, and this is kind of like a recruiting chip, right. This is like, hey, guys, we're kind of in the same footprint. We're trying to get one up on those guys down in Virginia. It's something he could sell to recruits. We already know coaches
do this all the time with rivalries. Locksley seems like the kind of guy, given his strong roots to the area, who would look at this game and find a way to craft it as a rivalry. So I think with that, I think, with the fact that Tech is really a shell of itself at this point, Maryland's going to be fired up. I go Maryland medium, high confidence. Man, I'm in on the turps here. Oh Ty, you dumb bitch.
Sorry for the language. I try not to swear on this show because I know we might be in cars with children or whatever. But first of all, shell of itself is an amazing turn of phrase from Maryland with you know, turtle shell whatever. I'm not gonna just jump off. Maryland is an elite loser when they get to the
Pinstripe Bowl. Okay, you know what elite losers do. Tie no matter the opponent, no matter the place, no matter the time, no matter the weather, they find ways to lose by double He won six games, though, Yeah, until how they do after that? How they do after winning? I mean, what do they start the season. They started the season four and oh, and then they finished the season two and six. Is my math correct there? Two
and six? Sure, they beat Indiana, who is also an elital loser, by three points, and then they beat Rutgers handily, and I get that. Fine, that's that game was not in the DMV though that game was in the Tri
state area where this game is happening. I think Virginia Tech with the experience of an interim coach I think his name is Price, who's coaching his final game as the interim coach before Brent probably takes over Maryland dealing with transfers right a couple of their higher profile commitments from these past couple of years, more talented players have left the program. I think a linebacker, a top flight linebacker from Florida. So no, I'm not jumping off. I
think Virginia Tech finds a way in the Bronx. By the way, you should be eating old school Italian red sauce joint food on Arthur Avenue. If not, if you're staying in Manhattan, I don't know, go to Johns of Bleaker. There's amazing pizza and restaurants of all kinds upland would be a good nicer restaurant option. I'm going with Virginia Tech here. I'm going with Virginia Tech to run on them to get stops and turn to Leah Tungovailoa over
a lot, because that's the experience we have. I'm watching Maryland football this year.
All right, let's go to the cheese at ball. They play at in Orlando at camping Wood Stadium, five forty five on ESPN. And is Clemson at nine and three. It is Iowa State at seven and five. Iowa State favored, Yeah, favored by one point here, which, okay, I found that interesting. Clemson did lose both coordinators, Tony Elliott off to UVA,
Brent Vennibles notably off to Oklahoma. I would also expect that we're going to see an opt out from Andrew Booth junior the corner, okay, for Clemson, and I would also expect an opt out for Brise Hall on the
Iowa State side. I don't know if there's really much at stake him here for him to play other than his own NFL future, but I am trying to pick these games with those opt outs in mind, because I think in most cases, eighty percent of the cases, the guys we expect to opt out, probably will I don't know about Breese Hall staying in this game. Definitely gives me more to think about. My working assumption here is that he will not be taking part in this game.
Would you say it was point and a half two points? Iowa States favored one point? One point? Okay, I've seen it all over the place these past couple days. Just between one and two. I'm going Clemson here. I'm going Clemson here because I do like the momentum and opportunity. I think Clemson will take Iowa States seriously, even though this is a clone program who I don't think of. I don't think they met expectations, but those are lofty expectations.
I still think like if Iowa State's winning eight and nine games a year, that's a good place to be considering. So I think Clemson will take Iowa State seriously. I worry about Iowa State without Breee Hall, which seems likely we'll see, and I think the Clemson defense, even with some opt outs, is still deep enough and we'll be ready to play. I mean, no ted Roof anymore, so that's a hit obvious. Losing ted Roof there as an analyst,
But no, I'm still in on Clemson. I still think Dabo is a motivator and we'll get them ready for this game. And I think there will be a certain degree of confidence from dj Uyangola La after the way he finished out the year improved. I think they should be able to run a little bit against a very good Iowa State defense. And look, Iowa State is a
tricky team. As somebody who roots for a team who was not all that competitive against this Clone team in a big bowl game last year, I can tell you they have a very specific way of trying to nickel and dime. I think Iowa States without a couple of receiving targets Tarik Milton opted out.
That's correct, That's correct.
So I just I don't think Iowa State can afford that. I think you need to score at this point. We said twenty to beat Clemson before. You probably need to score twenty eight to beat Clemson now. And I just don't see it from Iowa State. So I'm taking Clemson here to get it done. Especially with how careless Rock Purty can be at times with the ball, I think Clemson forces a couple of brutal mistakes so I have them winning by you know, six to ten points.
Yeah, I'm on Clemson high confidence for pretty much all the same reasons that you're on them as well. The only other thing that I'd point out is if Breet's Hall is out and if brock Purdy is already down to targets, he may be back in that situation that Matt Campbell has cautioned us about in the past, which is brock Purdy trying to do everything on his own. Yeah. That does not feel Yeah, that doesn't feel like a great formula to me, going up against a very stingy
defense at Clemson. Yeah, so I'm with you. I'm with you. I'd be inclined to go Clemson.
Plus one is that is brock Purdy our tof Beer player of the Week, the cause and solution to all of iowas to be problems.
He might be. Yeah, all right, all right, let's go to the Alamo Bowl. Dan, You've got a rooting interest in this one. I do nine fifteen play this one in San Antonio at the Alamo Dome.
They have since I should mention, by the way, nine oh three mills for a nice soup and sandwich combo and some beer and wine in Orlando.
Wow, thank you.
You know like that that country bread grilled chee.
He looks very strong. Back to the Alma bole. Sorry, it's okay. Oklahoma minus four and a half. They're ten and three. Oregon is ten and two. Again nine to fifteen on ESPN. Another situation where we've got new coaches and two high profile coaches, or coach openings or interims, whatever you want to call this matchup here between Oregon and Oklahoma. It'll be Bob Stoops for Oklahoma, no stranger
to the program. Pull on a Barry Alvarez step it in for the Sooners and Brian mcclennon for your Oregon Ducks. The line shifted eleven points, eleven points from Oregon minus six and a half two Oklahoma minus four and a half. It may shift more. Who's to say. We also have Kevon Thibodeaux opting out declaring for the NFL Draft. Oregon had a corner. DJ James hit the portal. We have Joe mooreh ed dutifully sticking around to call the plays
on offense. I have not seen the status of other assistants on the Oregon side.
Dan, what I think largely. It's very strange, by the way, and I don't I mean, this is a broader conversation in general about coaching continuity and guys leaving for new jobs or whatever. Like I think they're gonna be one
two three guys, strength coach whatever leaving for Miami. Like Mario Chris Baal's best friend is the longtime Oregon offense or a long time four year offensive line coach, and he's going with him to Miami, but he's still coaching Oregon and you're just like, why is why is he still there?
Why don't we do it? Like do we not have GA's, do we not have some sort of contingency, And it's, uh, it's odd.
So I think there are there are guys that are still there that are moving on, and I really hope I don't see a bunch of Oregon offensive lineman transferred to Miami with this offensive line coach just hanging around. Yeah, it's like, hey, what about warmer in Miami? That's what he sounds like, Alex mirorwell, so, uh yeah, they have assistance. They're practicing. Dan Lanning has been at practice. I think
he's resonated well with some players, so far. But uh, yeah, they're being coached up for Oklahoma as I'm sure Oklahoma with some because I know Lincoln Riley took assistance with him to USC and they're not coaching anymore in Norman. So I mean they'll show up, they'll wear uniforms, they'll wear pads, helmets, the whole thing. No idea what to expect. I just I hope both of these teams are like, let's run thirteen to eighteen trick places.
Well there, this will this will, I think baby the optimal game. Yeah, to do what I said earlier and just change the rules. Man, Yeah, we're gonna have a spring game out here. Yeah, let's just throw it around, draw to the single wing. Why not? So Joe moorehead will be there. We don't know who else is gonna be there. Yeah, Oklahoma has also seen some turnover. Not to focus too much in Oregon, but Alex Grinch and like three or four other guys on the coach treatment
to USC. It is a weird situation, man, It's is a weird situation.
I get it.
I get why you go bob stoops, I get it. I hate that situation. I hate the situation where you bring the guy back who wasn't on the staff, he just swoops in and takes over. And you know, Stoops in this case, I guess it's a conduit to venabules. They know each other, right, they obviously stop. Yeah, So I don't think anyone on the Oklahoma side is going
to dog it out there. But it's just an odd circumstance that we find ourselves in in a game like this, and frankly every Bull season when you got coach movement and new people stepping in. Even still, I'm gonna pick Oklahoma and I'm gonna go medium confidence. I just don't like Oregon in the matchup. Okay, for as much as the coaching thing kind of sticks in my craw, I
just don't like Oregon in the matchup. I think if Oklahoma wanted to, especially given circumstances where they're probably gonna be running with like a dressed down playbook and trying to keep it a little bit more of an NILA, I would assume then normal they can play bullyball against Oregon. They can play that same style that Utah played and had a lot of success with. That's on tape now and Stoops is going to see that. So I think if they want to play that style football, they can,
and I think they'll win. I got medium confidence on this Oklahoma.
Yeah, I have no confidence at all in this game, just because I have confidence that I'm going to watch this game in a way that I haven't watched Oregon football in a long time, which is like, here's just just a crazy toss up. It was going back to like two thousand and seven when Oregon was starting like it's fifth string quarterback. We're like, I'm not expecting anything, but let's see what happens. And Oregon actually won their
bowl game doing that with Justin Roper. If you remember way back when I am I'm just excited to see how these teams are bob stoops on the sideline, you know, interim situation at Oregon, and you know, if Joe Morehead really does throw the kitchen sink, now there are Oregon fans that say that he was held back by Mario Cristobal's footprint and design to play that kind of guerrilla ball.
I think they're just gonna go for it.
I think Oregon will lose this game forty five to seven, or win this game forty eight to forty five, right, Like, I just it's all on the table with with nothing to lose, really given the lame duck, no pun intend.
They're going full Presbyterian here, not punting. Yeah, fourth downs. Orgon might run a hooking ladder first play of the game.
Why not. Joe Morehead's got what are the repercussions for Joe Morehead? He's going to Akron. You know the staff is going to be there and be professional. They have their own professional reputations. But yeah, I don't love Oklahoma in this spot, Like, I'm not all that confident in a Bob Stoop's coach team. Guys are leaving, they're transferring the recruiting classes up in the air. Who the hell knows?
You know, Caleb Williams can be both excellent but also go four of eleven for seventy seven yards, Like that's always on the table as well with him at this point in his career. So y, I don't know what the point spread is. I would take the points in weird games because there are just more opportunities to win that way, and I'm gonna go Oklahoma with medium confidence.
Alrighty, Well, we disagree by the way, we should point out especially as we move to this game here the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
Two M Smokehouse and two M Smokehouse, two M smokehouse for what looks to be sensational barbecue with a lot of Mexican influence. Which yeah, uh, tie my hands behind my back and hog time me and keep me away because that's singing.
My name, singing your name. Just yell out the restaurants I keep forgetting two M, two M. Thank you. I appreciate that. Okay, what I was gonna say is there is some overlap between the Evluir Al Mobile and the Duke's Mayo Bowl on the thirtieth because Oklahoma is playing in that Almobile and South Carolina is playing in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, and notably Sincer Rattler, and now he's going to South Carolina of all places we heard UCLA
everybody wanted Spencer Ratler. Spencer Ratler. Yeah, preseason Heisman favorite, kind of one of them. Anyway, coming into the twenty one season, well and behold Spencer Ratler going to Shane Biemer biamber ball two point zero. Get a nice little boost there on offense.
Shane and Spencer. Was there not a Yankee named Shane Spencer.
There was a Shane Spencer, yea utility mension mostly outfielder, played a little bit of first base here and there.
Didn't see this coming. I thought Spencer Ratler would have opted for a more turn key offensive operation, considering his time thus far at Oklahoma, which is, you know, obviously was a well oiled machine under Lincoln Rally in South Carolina, very much still in developmental mode on offense, but certainly to have you know, the stage in the SEC and be the guy unquestionably which he wasn't at Oklahoma. Bringing in a five star behind.
Him, it's great. And also Austin Stogner Stoner Stagner, I say his name, the tit end four star going to South Carolina as well. So nice little coup there, Yeah, for Shane Biemer on the portal. As for the Duke's Mayo Bowl, Dan Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, December the thirtieth, eleven thirty a m. Eastern time on ESPN, It's North Carolina versus South Carolina tar Heels favored by a touchdown by seven points here in this football game. Here's what I believe. I believe that Sam Howe is
going to play in this game. To be clear, the only reason that Sam Howe plays in this game is to try and boost his draft stock. There's really no other reason. I believe he's going to play in this game. Yeah. Everything I've seen points to that. Everything I've seen points to that. For South Carolina, I think the real Bowl win is getting to the Bowl at all, just getting here, and I think they'll want it more. I think they will be motivated. I just think North Carolina is better.
Even if it's Sam Howell out there doing what he does, running around pointnet guys showing him where to run down the field. I just think they're better. I wouldn't touch the point spread here because I think there is a motivation factor. I could see this one being uncomfortably close. But I am on UNC with high confidence because I genuinely feel like they're the better team. Even though South Carolina got here, I still don't really think they're that good.
It might be better next year with Spencer Ratler. I hope they are right. The fact that they got here, the fact that they got the six and six is an accomplishment unto itself. But give me UNC.
Yeah, I this is interesting because both of these defenses are better at one thing than another thing, So I was trying to look at who might have the advantage there. We've seen North Carolina take a giant step back in a number of areas on both sides of the ball at times, especially up front. You know, South Carolina is decent against the pass, but they allowed too many big pass plays and North Carolina really took step back kind
of as a hole on defense, but especially upfront. I'm going North Carolina here went in doubt with two questionable defenses. It seems like there's a little more continuity with how long mac Brown has now been in Chapel Hill and to have that quarterback advantage, especially with like like you mentioned, this is a showcase performance type game for Sam Howell. I'm going I'm going heels here in a bit of a shootout, medium high confidence.
Let's move on to the trans Perfect Music City Bawl, a Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Futo Bhuta is the Roman place I've mentioned in Charlotte, but also Optimist Hall is a food haul. Harriet's an amazing looking burger. They sell burgers and fries.
That's it. That's my kind of place, simplicity. Just gotta yell it out, man, just tack on. Sorry, I keep forgetting tack it on to the back end of the games or something.
Now time you're the pro in this split screen, you're the pro.
Not I can watch. By the way, ad for Bowlers dot com. Oh for Bowlers dot com. Trans Perfect Music City Bowl between Nissan, No, not between Nissan. They play hold on Nissan might be involved. Nissan versus Nashville No Nissan Stadium in Nashville, three pm ESPN, Tennessee. Volunteers playing the home game. Man playing the home game seven and five their minus four and a half points. They are squaring off against Perdue. Tasty little matchup on the surface.
Both George Carloftis and David Bell have declared for the draft for Perdue. Peace. Yeah, I am peace. I am picking this game under the assumption that those guys aren't playing.
Okay.
I don't know if that's the case. I haven't seen any confirmation, but I'm assuming they're out.
I think that I'm looking right now. I believe Georgia Carloftis and David Bell either are or have already opted out.
Okay, Well, I know they're going pro. You could check on that someone else who's out as Tyon Evans four Tennessee. He's entered the portal. He's gonna go to Louisville, so he's out. Tennessee did get a boost Tendon Hooker coming back for a sixth tour of duty of college football, which is definitely good news for the Balls because he was really good down the stretch for them. Yeah. So, I don't know where you're at. Where I'm at, is
Purdue great story? If they're without Carl Loftis and Bell, there's no way you can pick them, right.
Yeah, I mean those are the gravitational players on both sides of the ball for them. The offense was good for Purdue and Tennessee's defense was improved but not amazing. I could see Purdue in this spot, but I'm also haunted by who did Purdue just get annihilated by.
Two years ago? Auburn? Right right, right? I've been burned before, ty, I will not be burned this year. I'm going balls here. Yeah, I just I don't think you could pick against Tennessee with the looming threat that Carl Loftis and Bell might be out because those are the two best players. So Tennessee for me, high confidence, high confidence. I feel good about it.
Great Ah in Nashville. See how I'm tacking. Baby, you're a pro, man, you're a pro. It's an attack.
You know.
There's all the tourist places and all. You know, you go to the honky tonks, you can go to you know, get your hot chicken whatever. But I'm still gonna say Husk. I know it's not new to to Nashville, but that still remains the best burger I've ever had because of my specific taste and burgers.
The Husk Burger. It's a nicer Southern style restaurant, heritage Southern restaurant.
Also the Stillery. The Stillery a popular place, good looking chicken and Southern inspired places. Beer, everything like that kind of a bar. It looks wonderful. Those are my recommendations for Nashville. But it's another place where it's hard to go wrong. You can eat very very you know, Pinewood Social, all these places, great great food place.
Chick pile, a peach bowl, Mercedes ben Stadium in Hot Lanta.
Oh man, they don't like it there. They don't like when people call it that just like people in San Francisco don't like San fran People in California, you don't like Cali. I don't think Atlanta people like Hotlanta. I don't think they do Mercedes Been Stadium in Atlanta.
My apologies. You don't pronounce the second team seven PM ESPN Pitt at eleven and two, Michigan State at ten and two, Michigan State favored by point and a half. It's the Paton R. Doozy Bowl.
Baby, Yeah, it's also just Pat Bowler because we got Nick Patty. Right, that's who's starting a quarterback for Pitt. I think, right.
I don't know Kenny Pickett, so I haven't seen anything official. But Kenny Pickett was asked if he plans on playing in this game. Yeah, and he was like coy af man. He did not really give an answer. He's sort of waffled and he's like, well, you know, I just got home, I got talked to my parents and again. He threw forty two touchdown passes. He threw for over forty three hundred yards this season.
Amazing.
He's gonna be a first round pick in all likelihood if Kenny Pickett doesn't play. I understand there's an emotional aspect here, and you want to do right by your teammates. Nobody would fault him if he doesn't play in this game, and so I just interpret anything outside of a definitive yes, I'm playing. I'm psyched to be No, you gotta be kidding me. I can't play in this game.
Ty, if you were seventeen eighteen years old and you thought to yourself, I am asking this young lady to my senior prom and you do it and she responds with, you know, I'm gonna have to go home and kind of give it some thought, really think it through, think about all the scenarios involved in a commitment like that. You're probably not feeling great about yourself in terms of
getting an answer like that. And so I'm operating under the assumption that this is going to be a Nick Patty game for Pitt hope to be proven wrong and get to see Kenny Pickett one last time. Weirdly, for Pitt to have a quarterback named Pickett and a former kicker name Blewett who knew same school, to have unfortunate last names for positions, and Michigan State without Kenny Walker, right.
I have not seen like he may play. I know that mel Tucker was waiting to get clarity on who is going to be playing for Michigan State. I think there's a chance that most of this team is going to be intact, and I think that's why I like Michigan State here. Low confidence, but the outcomes seems somewhat obvious that you have to go Sparty if Pickett is out.
Pitt also without Mark Whipple, correct without defensive coordinator moved on to Nebraska. So they're down, Yeah, but they.
Are, and so I think, you know, it's maybe it's the underthink express to say that you have to go Michigan State if Pickett's not playing. I don't think the wheels totally fall off for Pitt though. Right the defense was good enough. It's not as good as it's been in some years, but it's good enough and it'll keep Michigan State from running away with this thing. I think
it'll be close. On paper again, that pit defense looks good, but in practice there have been too many games where they played better offenses and gave up a lot of points. And I think Michigan State's good enough to score. So all that being said, I'm not terribly confident in this result. But I think I favor Michigan State here. Michigan State low to you know, very medium, low confidence level.
Man, It's amazing how like blowouts change your opinion of a team, not just losses, but the way Michigan State lost to Ohio State, and certainly Pitt without Kenny Pickett is not where Ohio State was and passing the ball anywhere near. But man, that affects me. Man, that absolutely affects me. And Michigan State without a home run threat in the backfield in the way that Kenny Kenneth Walker is was, that affects me as well. I think I'm
going pit here. I think I'm going with defense. And when Michigan States their specific pass defense, they're big play pass defense was as atrocious as it was at times. I'm going with, you know, Pitt looking to put the other. They're both trying to put exclamation points on surprise seasons. I'm still gonna go with Pitt. I think they have more ways to win, more ways to make winning plays. And if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I'm still going medium confidence.
It's in Atlanta. You should be eating at Ria's. Ria's Bluebird. I believe was where we ate great breakfast place. If I can find a great local breakfast place, it sets the tone in such a magnificent way.
Was that the place across from the cat bar that we were at?
Correct? Correct? I believe Riea is no longer with us. May she rest in peace, but a great creative breakfast spot. So I did enjoy that. Okay, Yeah, so I'm going pit here. I'm going pit down potentially quarterback offensive coordinator. Still I ride with Jordan Addison in a way I don't believe I ride with anybody on Michigan State's offense.
So there's that. Here go, here's a mouthful. The SRS distribution Las Vegas, buwl. There you go. That's what he always wanted. An Allegiance stadium out there in Vegas. Ten thirty pm Eastern Time on ESPN. Got Wisconsin at eight and four. I got Arizona State at eight and four. Was conson favored by seven points. Of note here Rashad White declared for the draft on the ASU side is not going to play in this game. He's a star running back. Diamante. How do you say it? Traanium trainium,
I don't know he's in the portal. He's not playing either. For ASU, that's most of the offense walking out the door. More than enough, I think to tip the scales in favor of the Badgers, I will go Wisconsin here. Medium confidence the main hesitation for me, though, you know, it's that the Badger's still kind of stink on offense, don't they?
Dan Uh, Briyl and Allen gives me a little bit of home.
They've gotten better.
Yes, So okay, I'm gonna tell you why I like Wisconsin with high confidence. Okay, tell me please, Arizona State without Rashad White and who Diamonte whatever the train of the backup running back. This is one of the best absolute rushing teams in the country where they not like top five or something in terms of how often they ran really well. Their success rate on the ground was
extremely high, elite. What my one might say, Wisconsin already has an incredible elite maybe the best rush defense in the country short of what Georgia or Clemson one of those teams. So Wisconsin comes in with the effort, with carrying,
with motivation. There is a whiff of If you remember, I don't know two three years ago, you remember im the Iowa receiver Ivory Smith Marks said something like that where Iowa played USC and the Holiday Bowl, and you have this reeling Pac twelve team that was inconsistent, higher hopes, disappointed, and then you've got a team with defense and looking to turn around an offensive narrative in a game out west and I alway just blew the doors off of
that USC team. That's what I'm seeing for Wisconsin here. I think they're going to force a bunch of turnovers. I think the final score is going to be something like thirty five to thirteen.
Wow.
I have high confidence in Wisconsin in Vegas the way they finish out the season. Yes, I include the game against Minnesota which they didn't score an offensive touchdown. I'm right there with you, But I don't think Arizona State is in that place defensively, especially with how quickly that offense might get off the field without a go to receiver for Jaden Daniels. I think it's and the uncertainty
surrounding Arizona States program. Still with herm Edwards, I'm gonna go with Wisconsin like high twenties thirties, Wow those confidence wise, Yeah, I'm I'm just a little worried this could devoult defense. Baby, I get the defense. I'm worried that this could turn into a rock fight because it's Wisconsin and that's not beyond Wisconsin. Yeah, but what is Arizona State doing to move the ball without their clear MVP.
I know, I know we're both on Wisconsin here. Yeah, I'm just a little less confident than you are. Where are we eating in Vegas?
In Vegas, we are going to Lotus of Siam, a classic, classic tie place that's just high level. It's in a random strip mall and it's excellent. Go to best friend if you want to eat somewhere really good on the strip. Best friend Roy Choi Kogi Barbecue Fame in La It's his sit down restaurant in Vegas. Carbone for super nice Italian. It's a New York place that's also in Vegas. And then, if you're looking for pizza, which I always am, Pizza Rock Tony Geminiani, who you sent me a cameo of
I did. Chef Tony Geminiani does a great job with pizza. Pizza Rock in Vegas.
Let's go to Friday, December the thirty first, otherwise known as New Year's Eve is YO Year's Eve will be so awesome. Let's start with the tax Slayer Gator ball Dan Yeah, t I a a bank field in Jacksonville. It will be the best game they've seen all year down there.
I only follow the Urban Meyer stuff from AFAR. I don't really look at NFL stuff, But since he does have that college connection, I can say who it does not seem good. Urban Meyers fora into professional football does not seem to be a long term aspect of his life.
The wheels are correct, the wheels are definitely off. The car is on fire.
I saw a tweet suggesting I think it was from our buddy Chrispy Brown, where it was like, people should just start asking Urban Meyer about fictional players to see if he knows that they are fictional names, not actual members of the Jaguars roster, and see if he responds with something like, you know, he's really impressing this. In practice, they do that to politicians all the time.
A great prank, My god man. Yeah, anyway, Wake Forest, Yeah, Texas A and M eleven am Eastern time in ESPN. Wake is ten and three A and M is eight and four A and M favored by five, they were favored by seven, and then they were down to five after the news came out that Zach Calzada, Zach Calzada and his lovable Armada will be setting sail for a new port before the bowl game. He is officially in
the transfer portal. My hunch is that he saw the riding on the wall that it wasn't a given he'd be even the backup next year, because you know, A and M recruits at a very high level, So there is a chance here that A and M is going to be starting a true freshman walk on named Blake Bost or boast.
He's a lefty.
I looked a lofty Yep, he's a lefty. He's a baseball player. I think. Formerly we've also got to Marvin Lele going pro won't be available for A and M, so they're gonna be down a few guys here. And I think on top of that, the other factor that worries me a bit is that there's really no doubt to me that this game means a lot more to Wake Forest, doesn't it. Don't you think?
Does this game mean more to Wake Forest than Texas?
A and M.
Probably, but that doesn't make their ability to play defense any better. I hear you.
Yeah, true. I originally thought, as I was looking through what Wake has done this season, that this game would go the root of the time Wake played Clemson or the time Wake played Pit and it's one of those deals where Wake scores like twenty eight points and then they lose because either the opposing defense gets more stops or forces turnovers like in the Pit game, something like that, but they end up losing comfortably. That was my original
thought here. But now, man, I'm getting ten seven versus Colorado vibes all over again with this news about Calzada leaving. I hear you. It's it's weird to me out and I still think A and M's better. They're way better on defense, to be clear, But I'm worried about them getting into a shootout here with Wake Forrest with Blake Boast at quarterbacks. So I don't know. I don't have any confidence on this game anymore. I am gonna pick
the team here. Yeah, I originally had A and M. I'm gonna go Wake because I think Wake wants it more and I think if there is a chance this game gets to like a point where A and m's got to score twenty eight points. I'm not sure they can do it even against Wake's defense with a walk on freshman whatever he is, Blake Boast, I am, I'm gonna go Wake low confidence, very low confidence.
Like for I'm going Okay, I'm going A and M medium confidence. And I think you're totally right about motivation right that A and M loud like their quarterback is gone the leader of this offense. I mean he's backup quarterback to Haines King.
Hayes King.
I don't believe he's going to be healthy enough to play in this one. As you mentioned, Blake Boast walk on like two star like I think he had lower offers like Arkansas State and stuff. Is what I remember looking on I saw him. There's going to be somebody this bowl season that's going to fit my favorite turn of phrase of the season that fills that applies to guys like Tyler Van Dim whatever. Like this guy was
on your bench the whole time. He was just sitting there and against the Wake Forest defense, I nominate Blake Boast was just on this team. He was ready to roll this like he and he might not be good, but he also might throw for four hundred and eight yards against Wake Forest, and A and M fans are going to start talking themselves into the Blake bost era. I don't think that's likely. I just think it's on
the table. It's hospitally on the and given the skill talent of A and M. I know there's been some shaky play column for A and M down the stretch and some higher leverage moments. But at the same time, somebody has to emerge. Somebody has to be the who
is the TCU quarterback who beat Organ bram Colehousen. Somebody has to be just like has to have this moment, this bull season moment, and Blake Boast has that name that I could I could see us, you know, rounding or just a celebrating at the end of bowl season. It's just being a nice story. So I'm going with A and M here with medium confidence. Just when you have that the combination of defense and wild card on offense,
I'm just going with it. So really impressive season from Wake, But yeah, I think the disappointment of not making the ACC Championship game and you know, losing the way they did to North Carolina, I just don't see the defense having a great day. So we'll see.
I mean they had that.
Did they not beat A and M in a bowl game like four years ago?
They played a couple of years ago.
Yeah, yeah, I think they won like forty five forty two in a shootout, So there is that, there is that history there.
But no, I think it's a different A and M squad. So I'm going with the Aggies here the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. Can I give a recommendation? Oh? I was right there.
I know I'm slow, I'm slow. Please please, Bread and board another one of those places, red and board. Yeah, grilled sandwiches, you know, super and sandwich.
I like that stuff. I'm in Tony the Tiger sun Bowl. Here we go.
Okay, Ellen J how about that. I'll get it. I'll get it right off the bat. An old school text mechs place the letter l am percant j Ellen J. Old school text mexanel Passo. Can't go wrong, You can't go wrong text mexanel Passo.
Right, No, Tony the Tiger sub ball he played at the Sun Bowl in l Passo high noon, Eastern Times, CBS again, this one on New Year's Rocking Eve, Wazoo seven and five. They are a two and a half point dog against Miami. Miami also seven and five. If we could you could humor me for a second, I'm ready. Can we pull into the motivation station for just a hot minute too. Wazoo promoted from within, with Jake Dickert
taking over officially. This is a team that had a shot at the Pac twelve North down the stretch, and they played hard for Dickert. Remember this is a weird circumstance for Wazoo this year, with the whole Rolovich thing that had to be a distraction. Dickert was able to circle the wagons and that's why he got the job. The players played hard for him. They definitely got better too as the season wore on, and he shifted some stuff around on his staff now, but it's still pretty
much intact. Meanwhile, Miami got its guy. Yeah, but what a freaking tire fire. What a tirefire? Yeah for the Knes Right now, this is a team even before all this, right, the reason that we even had the Manny Diaz conversation, as awkward as it was, was because this is a team. Granted, went seven and five.
If you look at this team.
They could have gone three and nine. They could have pulled a full Nebraska here had a few things go on the other way. There were a bunch of close wins here, and that's even after they discovered Tyler van Dyke. So I just think they are checked out. There are too many distractions here. The manny Ds thing was handled very poorly. I like Tyler van Dyke. They'll still find a way to score. But Wazoo just feels like they're much more together as a unit right now. So I'm
with Wazoo. I feel pretty good about it. I'd say like medium confidence here. Wazoo in the Sun.
Bowl, Yeah, I worry a little bit about the mistake prone issues of the Wazoo offense against This is Sun Bowl, right, yeah, Tony, I think the motivation is with Wazoo here. I'm going Koog's here. I'm going medium load to medium confidence because picking against the better quarterback is worrisome in a matchup like this, but nothing normal happens in the Sun Bowl.
So I'm gonna go Wazoo ugly. And we've seen like stretches from Tyler van Dyke early on in games that have been disappointing, like he'll start out four of ten, he'll start out three of eleven, you know, something like that, and then gets into a groove. I'm gonna go with Wazoo here. I think you're right. I just man, amateurism is a silly term, but it kind of does apply to how Miami runs its football program right now.
Anyway, maybe that'll.
Change as Yeah, I just think Miami players, I don't know, they were sort of left tongue out to dry a little bit with like the way Manny Diaz situation was handled. And I'm sure you know they're gonna, you know, everything will be galvanized under Mario Cristobal sooner rather than later. But right now, I just think they it's, you know, the the desire to start that new era going outpass. So I don't think it is the formula. So I'm going with h with Wazoo here, medium load to medium confidence.
All right, let's go to the Barstools Sports Arizona Bowl. Yes, Barstool Sports sponsoring a bowl game played in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, two PM. I believe it is through barstool dot Com. Yeah, that's daring it digitally, is what I could gather Central Michigan Boise State. Boise is favored by ten and a half points in this game. Dan I went and I checked out both schools to the extent that I could. I've watched obviously a lot more of
Boise than I have of Central Michigan. The single worst thing in this game is the Chippewas defense, correct, And I think that's why you take Boise State. Their offense is pretty good. Central Michigan I think they'll push Boise mm hmm. So there's that factor to keep in mind. I'd also say that Boise's offense wasn't really that great this season. You know, there's so often associated with pyrotechnical offense,
but they weren't all that good this year. Hank Bachmeier has been beat up, he's dealing with I think a knee injury. Khalil Skinner, their top wide out, could end up opting out as well. So there, it's not a slam dunk. Ten and a half points feels like it might be a bit much, But I just come back to the fact that I don't have a great reason to pick Central Michigan here.
Yeah, I am I like mac football, but and I don't know I don't have the numbers in front of me, so I can't say this with absolute certainty. But matched up against conferences that I feel are stronger, like the Mountain West, a conference in which Boise State was playing for the championship.
Were they not?
No, they weren't playing for the championship. They lost to San Diego State a week before they could have I believe.
Yeah.
It worries me and I it's I had his name, now I forget it. I think it's Dan something or Daniel something, the quarterback for Central Michigan. I am just not I think you're right that the defense for Central Michigan worries me to the point I know that the opt outs and the injuries are tough for Boise State.
I'm still going Broncos here with medium confidence because of my lack of faith in a bad MAC defense, which is also why I had the issues with NIU against I think Coastal that's who NIU is playing in their bowl matchup. So I'm going with with Boise in Tucson, which, by the way, sometimes I come across foods that are within a genre of food that I know I already like, whether it's you know, Italian food or Japanese food, or
Mexican food, or you know whatever. And I come across a new like subgenre of a food, and my ears tingle a new genus, right, a new genus, a new phylum inside of a kingdom. And there is a Sonoran Sonorias state of Mexico, a Sonoran specialty called a cadamelo catamelo to your you know, cottamelo like the candy bar almost, you know. And it's not quite a casadia. It's not quite a burrito. It's like a big or like a medium sized folded burrito, but it's technically a kind of
over stuffed casadia. It sort of splits the difference. And it's called a cadamelo. And there's a truck and there they are the places you can get in La and you know, through various places, but Tucson, being so close to the Sonoran state within Mexico, they've got a couple of standout places. It appears caramelo cadamelo King is a truck that makes these cadamellos and the thin flower tortillas and they charm on the grill and then they you know,
carne asada and beans and salsa. The first time I had one at a place called Sonora Toown, which you should go to in La My ears tingled like this speaks to me. I am dedicating as much of my Mexican food eating time to discovering and experimenting with cadamelos So Cadamelo king in Tucson area.
Excellent. All right, Yeah, go to the first of two playoff semi finals again. They're playing it on New Year's Eve, the biggest pet peeve of mine of all time in college football. And look, I'm a man, I'm forty. I'm not necessarily going out to the bars the way I used to on New Year's e even still, are you kidding me with this? Are you kidding me with this? Well?
What I mean, what would be your plan? I mean, you're forty now, you don't sleep, you're old. You center your life around the whims of a big, fluffy doggie. So what were you going to be doing otherwise if this game were on New Year's Day or January two or something like that on New Year's Eve.
Here's the thing, Dan, It's not about me. It's about explaining it to the loved ones. That makes it very difficult, very difficult, even though this is now the job. Really mean, they're playing it on New Year's Eve? Really?
I mean, did solid wife Kate have like, were you going to be taking a private jet to Macau? What were you going to be doing?
Okay?
Who's to say?
Okay, probably not doing anything this year? Okay, but even still, it's just I hate it. I hate it. This is okay and this is probably the Rose bowls fault or the Sugar Bowl. I don't know whose Bold fault it is, but figure this out. Good on New Year's Day. Good on New Year's Day, Thank you and Rand. First of two games. This one's played at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Arlington at AT and T Stadium three point thirty New Year's Eve, ESPN number four, Cincinnati at thirteen and
ohero number one, Alabama at twelve and one. Alabama, for what it's worth, favored by thirteen and a half points. We are going to do a much more exhaustive preview of the New Year's six and the playoff games as we get a little bit closer to those games. But the reason that we're doing this now is because we're trying to help you with your winter wonders Pool. Yeah, so we'll give you a brief overview here, maybe outline
or thinking. I don't know if it's going to come as any great surprize, but just to make sure we close the loop here and cover all of our bases. Yeah, I'm on Bama. I'm on them with medium high confidence. What is medium high confidence to you? What is government to you? Medium high confidence? Put like thirty on Alabama.
I mean I think that's full on high.
Thirty, like twenty eight somewhere in that twenty five to thirty let's say. Okay, between the two playoff games, though, I would say that I am less confident in this one than I am the George Michigan game. Why is that. I think Des Richards a good quarterback. I think Cincinnati can attack you multiple ways on offense. They don't have the amount of weapons out wide that Alabama does. Nobody really does outside of a couple teams, you know, namely Ohio State. But I think they can run a varied
enough offense that it can keep Alabama guessing. And so you combine that with a pretty good defense, combined with the fact that they've played really well in their big games this year. Wait, they pretty good. They played really well.
Yeah, come on, put some respect on this cincinnat defense. On Sauce Gardner's name. I I just I don't think this.
Is a slam dunk. And now I'm talking myself into maybe not that many confidence points, maybe maybe a little bit lower on the totem pole.
You're still like Bama the case for lower confidence and we'll get into specific matchups and specific you know, more granular details about this matchup is this is a rap poison game for Alabama. This is the game that it would take so much more or so much less. I think convincing from Nick Saban top down to his players to say, look we have Michigan, Look, we have Ohio State. Look we have Oklahoma State. Look we have whoever from a major conference in this bowl game. Whereas Cincinnati he
can say, look, they hung with Georgia last year. They gave Georgia everything they could handle last year in a New Year six game. Look they went undefeated. You guys didn't go undefeated. Cincinnati went undefeated. You can point to all these things droving forward Alabama running back. You know that this is a legit squad. This is not a cute story, but you can't change the fact that Cincinnati played in the American and not the Big twelve, Big
ten Pack twelve, acc whatever. And so there is that Oh my god, Bama's down fourteen to three and they might still win this game. But that's rat poison, right.
There is.
More convincing needed in the lead up to this game. Everybody's taking Bama. Everybody's talking Bama Georgia rematch or something like that. The mentality thing makes it tricky, especially with this is not a bulletproof Alabama team. We saw him against LSU, we saw him against Auburn, and so against a speedy secondary, an opportunistic pass rush and secondary against a legit offense. I don't think they have the Winter Wonders out wide, which is why that's the big scaret
about taking Cincinnati outright in a confidence pool situation. But man, I think this is a landmine of a matchup for Bama.
Yeah, it's I'm gonna revise a little bit downward, Okay, just out of respect to what Cincinnati did this year. I think we both are in agreement that we're on Bama. Yeah, I'll say I mean, but still speak with your chest like twenty three points, okay, twenty three points, Okay, I think that's reasonable. Were you eating in Arlington?
I mean it's DFW, I guess so you're all over the place. But in the greater area Norri hand Roll I may have mentioned that on the previous Yeah, yeah, I don't know if it was which which matchup we talked about those in Dallas, but also I also mentioned Cadillac. That's cattle ack if you understand, it's a barbecue place. But you can eat really well obviously in DFW area. I just like hand rolls man all right.
Second of two playoff semi finals at seven point thirty at the Capitol One Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, seven thirty pm Eastern Time on ESPN. Number three Georgia at twelve and one, about a seven and a half eight point favorite over the Michigan Wolverines, also twelve and one, champions of the Big Ten. Mm hm, I am on Georgia here, high confidence. No matter how many Michigan people email or tweet me and say that I'm biased, Yeah, I don't care. Sure.
I am speak with your chest, stay with it.
I am rooting for Michigan, believe it or not. Yes, I am rooting for Michigan. I want to see Jim Harbaugh get this thing. Okay, I'm still on Georgia, and I still don't think it's particularly close. And the reason for that is very simple. They sort of play similar styles, don't they. I bet yeah that they.
We don't need excellent quarterback play, but it's power rushing, it's opportunistic defense, it's you know, the pass rush being a huge key and probably the strongest thing that either team has going in this game.
Yeah, So I they play similar enough styles, and I just feel like the Georgia defense is good enough to take away that one thing that Michigan excels at, which is running the football right. And if this devolves to a game where Cade McNamara is throwing it forty times, which is very possible, I don't like that formula for Michigan. And maybe that's too simplistic, but that's how I feel
about it. And I totally get the argument, by the way, that it sort of cuts both ways, right, because it's not like George's offense overwhelmed anybody in the SEC title game, right, Stetson Bennett throw in fifty times isn't exactly you know that that's not exactly what Kirby smart wants him, throwing that many times into the teeth of a good defense, like come on, and this is a good Michigan defense.
To be fairer, they can cause problems for Georgia. There's even a chance that they're going to say enough of Stetson Bennett, we got to go to JT. Daniels. So maybe it's not a slam dunk. Obviously Vegas doesn't think it is. It's only a one score spread here. But I just feel very strongly that Georgia can do more damage to Michigan's offense than vice versa, which is why
I like them handily in this game. I just think Michigan's gonna have a have a hard time moving the ball, and yeah, for me, there's a better chance here of Georgia taking this one into rock Fight territory, grinding it out, doing the crock pot thing and thing, and winning by like seventeen points. So again, I'm rooting for Michigan. I like Jim Harbaugh. He's had a great run this season. I want to see them do this thing. I'd love nothing more than for Michigan to make it into the
end of the championship game. But I just don't see it, Dan, I don't see it. Yeah.
I guess what you can point to if you are hesitant about Michigan is I mean the couple performances right the Nebraska game, the Penn State game, and Penn State has one of the best defenses in the country. And Penn State's defense isn't where Georgia's is and can be.
So I hear you. I'm totally with you.
I like Georgia.
I'm not on the confidence level that you're at.
Michigan is what a not to put this on JJ McCarthy, but like kind of a failed hand off away from being undefeated, and so that's very difficult to do.
And they're not undefeated.
So there's the Rutgers second half, there's Nebraska, there's Penn State, there are you know, there are times where they just didn't dominate teams like Georgia dominated teams. I don't know what Georgia's schedule is in your mind compared to Michigan's, but I'm going Georgia as well. I'm going with the defense. I'm going with the depth that Georgia can turn to
on both sides of the ball at running back. Pickens now healthy and we saw him make a huge play against Bama, but in a huge game with a more balanced team than Iowa, to say the least, I think Kate McNamara will make plays. But if Kate McNamara throws an interception, that might be enough for Georgia to win this game, right, And that's you know, there are teams that were not able to take advantage Ohio State, you
know that just didn't have it. But man, I just think the formula for beating Georgia is to have a potentially excellent quarterback that's short of that which Bryce Young is. He's a Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a little too much. Now if Aiden Hutchinson and Devin o'jabo, David o'jabo forced two strip sacks or you know, popstats in Bennett and then he throws it straight up into the air to Dax Hill or something like that, Like, yeah, I could see that. I just think there are more bullet points
needed from Michigan to win this game. It's nowhere near impossible for Michigan to win this game. They just need this, that and the other thing. Whereas Georgia kind of just needs to play within a standard deviation of itself and not make, you know, killer mistakes and turnovers like they did against Bama.
So it's just easier to see.
So I have twenty eighteen to twenty two confidence points in Georgia.
Yeah, I probably go a little bit higher. I'm probably closer to that's fine, twenty eight thirty. But I just don't I don't see it. I think I think this is the kind of game and I kind of am doing a little bit of revisionist history here because I tweeted out after that SEC title game that Georgia was going to destroy Michigan. Then I looked at the numbers and it's like, okay, Like I could see a path here.
Yeah, I could see a path.
From Michigan to keep this one close to, you know, fight Georgia again. They just similar enough in style that I could see them hanging around and this being close. I just keep coming back to the fact that I think Michigan's gonna gonna ultimately be forced out of its game plan and that's going to be their undoing.
But no games in Miami, by the way, could be soggy. I don't know, if that changes any calculus for you, if this is a soggy game, we'll go.
Into more detail.
Obviously, now we're going into a lot of details about this game, and we said we wouldn't, but you know that changes a little bit of you know, is Michigan better prepared to win a rock fight? You know that's It's probably what both coaches want deep down.
Anyway.
Oh yeah, where do we go in Miami to eat? Head to win Wood. There's lots of different neighborhoods that are great in Miami. You a little van or whatever. Win Wood, cool area, a little more hipster for better or for worse. A lot of street art. Zach the Baker, great job, pastries, more savory, baked goods, Panther coffee, terrific, taco stand really good though it's kind of a rip off of Los Tacos number one in New York. Uh yeah, just walk around Winwood.
It's great. Zach the Baker delicious. We don't love it all right, Let's go to New Year's Day. Let's do it. Start with the Outback Bowl mm hmm, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida, twelve pm, ESPN two. It's Penn State at seven and five, Arkansas eight and four, Penn State favored by two. We got Treilon Burke's opting out for Arkansas, big receiver going pro built like t O, He's going to be a
force in the NFL. I agree. On the Penn State side, we got Brent Prye leaving four Virginia Tech their defensive coordinator. I have not seen if Johan Dotson is gonna opt out yet. I would expect that he probably would. Okay, I think I think this game and the rest of the New York New Year six, excuse me, is probably the best testament to the strategy that I mentioned last episode.
Early in this episode, we have no I have no idea who's winning these games, any of them, and so rather than go with the default number of confidence points, just put as few points as possible in these games. Yeah.
I don't want to.
Put forty in this game? Are you kidding me? I don't know who's winning. I have no idea. I think I go Arkansas. I think I go Arkansas with a little confidence because I kind of felt like Penn State was checked out at the end of the year. They still couldn't run the ball. They never figured that part out, and they have not played a quarterback all year like kJ Jefferson and he's gonna give him fits. It's a
good defense. I mean no, not specifically the physicality of kJ Jefferson, but on his level, I mean c J. Stroud, but just the mobile nature of KJJ not a runner. Yeah, yeah, they haven't played a guy like that all year, and it just feels like the kind of game where kJ gives them fits. And I don't know what Penn State's deal is going to be on offense. I saw Sean Clifford's coming back, which I hate and I'm not going to go into right now, but I just feel like
I gotta go to Arkansas here. Low confidence, low confidence, but give me, give me the Hogs.
Yeah, even who did penns like? They started extremely slow against Rutgers and they eventually won that they shut him out twenty seven thirty nothing. I don't know whatever it was. I'm just in a close game. This Penn State team has not performed. If we do think it's going to be, I just I'm going to Arkansas here, and it's very difficult because Penn State has the clear better defense. So
I'm now picking against a belief system thing. But Penn State now without their defensive coordinator in this game, so that changes how I feel about their defense a little bit. Now their staff is good and Poindexter decided not to leave. Correct the codc He is coming to Penn State.
He is coming back. He interviewed for Virginia, but he is back now with Penn State.
Right, Yeah, I'm going to Arkansas here. I'm going quarterback. I'm going motivation. You know Penn State, you know the close but no cigar games against Michigan and Ohio State. Yeah, I'm going to Arkansas here. Sam Pittman trying to By the way, did you see what he was asking for contract by.
Oh yeah yeah, woo woa.
And you know what, I don't blame him. I don't blame him. Double your salary go to three and a half to seven million. If he gets in six point two, it's a win. And like, how much is it worth to Arkansas's administration to not plumb the depths of the Chad Morris experiment? Again, Yeah, it's good amount, good amount of money. So I'm going to Arkansas here to finish on a high note. And uh, when when they're Outback Bowl, by the way out Back Steakhouse where Dan Lanning met
his wife, both working at Outback Steakhouse, New Oregon coach. Now, I have a soft spot for out Back in that are you going in?
Are you going out back in Tampa? No? Rules, just right?
No, by the way Outback created in Tampa, I believe, Yeah, that's founded in Tampa. No, I'm gonna go with the Adam. I mean burger pick and sandwich pick whatever dat's datz in Tampa?
All right? PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, State, farm Field and Glendale, Arizona, one pm, ESPN, Notre Dame at eleven and one, Oklahoma State at eleven and two. The Irish are favored by two. Kyle Hamilton, Kyron Williams out for Notre Dame, Brian Kelly out for Notre Dame. Off the LSU, which means welcome to the show. Marcus Freeman. Yeah, how do you feel about this game? I need to get an outsider perspective here. Maybe I'm biased, but I'll get into how I feel. How do you feel?
I think I like Notre Dame. So we have, you know, the coaching changes, of course, on both sides. Gymnall's leaving for Io State, I saw things from Spencer Sanders that make me worry about him throwing into a defense with or without Kyle Hamilton. I worry about that. And as good as Oklahoma State's defense is, I just I'm not there. I'm not there with the Pokes, and I understand being
able to win a game. How many picks at Spencer Sanders throw against Baylor four and they almost They came up four and a half inches short of winning that game, which is impressive in its own way. I think the Notre Dame program has been re energized now that players and staffers and fans don't have to pretend to like
Brian Kelly anymore. And so big game Marcus Freeman. Now there's a ton of unnecessary pressure right Everybody can't wait because he's technically the interim coach for this game, even though he has been promoted to head coach. This is not his program, This is not his stamp on the sport and on the program, because this is still a Brian Kelly program that Marcus Freeman happens to be coaching out a season that Brian Kelly started. So it's unfair to judge Marcus Freeman good or bad on what happens
in this game. But I still think that the vibes of you know, Tommy Reese sticking around despite having the opportunity to go to LS. You know, they lost a couple guys right as Brian Polly and a strength guy to LSU. The offensive line coach is gone, who I think Notre Dame fans are happy about. I am just going with the feel good vibes of the Irish in
this matchup. Despite no Kien Williams. I still think they're going to be able to move the ball a little bit, maybe early on against Oklahoma State, similar to what happened against Baylor. And I think that defense is still good enough to take advantage of Spencer Sanders' mistakes if and when they occur. So I'm going to Notre Dame here, I'm going to ride the vibes.
I agree. I agree. I think in a situation where both teams would be at full strength, Notre Dame wins. They're not at full strength now and there is turnover to consider. I think, though, that there will be enough of an emotional lift, as you referenced, with keeping Marcus Freeman on board. I also think we could see an unfettered Tommy Reese. We heard it unfettered Tommy Reese and the Ryan Rasilla podcast. Yeah, he's a man's man, Dan. He's out there, and I think he got what he
wanted to stay in South Bend. I think he's fired up about it, and I think we could see some more creativity. I don't know if that means Tyler Buckner. I don't know if it means different plays. I don't know what it looks like. But even with kiraen Williams sitting out, there's plenty of depth in the backfield. They'll
find a way to move the ball. You know, maybe Reese doesn't want to give too much away because Jim Knowles, the defensive coordinator for Oklahoma State, is going to Ohio State and Notre Dame opens up with Ohio State next year, and that's like four dimensional chess, right. But I think we're going to see some zazz here on offense. I think the defense will be fine. I think like low to medium confidence in Notre Dame. I genuinely think they are the better team tough against a good defense, no
doubt about it. Right. But the Spencer Sanders thing that's weird to me out you know how I feel about him?
Yeah, I mean, okay, So I'm looking at Mike Gundy's bowl history, for better or for worse. He's won four of five bowl games, but they've been relatively minor. Alamo Bowl, Camping World, Liberty Cheese. It lost the Texas Bowl two years ago. You know, won a Fiesta Bowl in twenty eleven. Was that against Stanford? I want to say, yes, forty one thirty eight against Stanford. So largely they've come to
play in bowl games. Oklahoma State and if I, if I can double back, what's the best thing in this game? It's Oklahoma State's defense still right, Yeah, same players, guys still have the same ability to make tackles in the open field and jump routes and rush the passer. That has me worried against a Notre Dame offensive line that has been inconsistent but improved and healthier.
Man, I don't know, I might.
Double like it's vibes versus actual performance to some man, I don't like. Notre Dame is not a bad team by any No, they're not. Man Jack Cone throwing into Oklahoma State's defense, there will be their defense.
We will go to the Cone zone at least once or twice in this game, where there's a very curious throw. But you know, Notre Dame's gotten more vertical with the offense. Yeah, Jack Cone, say what you will about him, but he does throw a pretty nice deep ball when he has time to throw. Mm hmm. They are still trying to find their weapons. Kevin Austin came along late in the year. They've obviously got Michael Maherer, so they're working this out on the fly. I think it was always going to
be a transition year. Going eleven and one is a pretty good season by any standard. Totally. I like Notre Dame load of medium confidence for me.
Wow, man, I'm going to disagree. I'm gonna go back on myself. I'm going with the defense. Okay, I'm going with the strongest thing in this game. I'm going with Oklahoma State here because what they did was they allowed a backup Baylor quarterback to have an awesome first quarter and then completely silenced Baylor. And I think Jack cones better than what was Blake shaping.
Is that the name of that? Yep?
All right, I'm still in Oklahoma State. I was too in love even without Jim Knowles. Was he staying for this game? He stayed there for this game?
Yeah?
Oh he is here? Okay, Yeah, I'm going I'm going pokes here. I am Maybe Baylor was just especially built to turn Spencer Sanders over because they forced its seven interceptions over the course of the their two games. Yeah, I think with time, I'm going pokes here?
Why not? All right? Were we eating by the way in Glendale?
This is Glendale, Arizona, correct, right not?
Yeah?
Yeah, this is the fiesta. Go to Pizza Aria Bianco. I mean, there's you can eat really well all over Arizona and the greater Phoenix area, but Pizzaria Bianco is my move when I'm there.
I just love it. All right, Let's go over to the Verbo Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium in Orlando, one pm ABC. Iowa ten and three, Kentucky nine and three. Kentucky favored by three. Okay, thank again. This game feels like a sixty minute coffin corner drill for the vibe. Yeah, Tyler Goodson is going pro. He's opting out for Iowa, which begs a real question here is like how is Iowa to score? How are they going to score. Maybe
they could turn over Will Levis a couple times. We know Will Levis has that bone.
I like that you're trying to build this Iowa, Like, how do they get to seventeen points? Build it for me? Brick by Brick.
I'm just I'm just not sure. Yeah, maybe they turnovers.
Yeah it's turnovers. Yeah, it's pick sixes.
I'm gonna go Kentucky here. Low confidence, low confidence, but let's let's let's go Kentucky. I don't have a great reason to pick Iowa. Yeah, I mean, previously on Iowa football scored three points in a game that was on a big stage. I'm going Kentucky here as well. I am going with.
The guy I really hoped. I don't think it's happening that Dan lann would hired offensive coordinator Liam Cohen. I'm going with that offense. You know, the defense I think has taken a step back for Kentucky this year, but I think on offense, if they're able to play relatively mistake free, it shouldn't be the most difficult. And Tyler Lindenbaum's playing right that the center for Iowa very much playing against Kentucky. This is a good game This is
just a full on good game. But I'm going Kentucky here. With the momentum of that Louisville win, I think they have more ways in which they can win.
All right, Where are we eating in Orlando? Again? I mentioned it on an earlier Bowl game? Did I not? Yes?
Nine oh three mills. Yeah, for a good soup and sandol, maybe some alcoholic beverages.
Rose Bowl Game presented by Capitol One venture X, not a sponsor. Rose Bowl. The stadium in Pasadena. You know where they play this one. You know when they played this one five pm when it should be ESPN Utah, their first ever trip to the Rose Bowl. They're ten and three, Ohio State ten and two. They are favored by six and one half points. So I think it says a lot about Ohio State that both Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson could decide tomorrow today, five minutes from now,
to opt out and they'd still be like loaded at White. Yeah, they're fine, and I think we're mostly going to get an Ohio State team that is all throttle, no bottle. The quote our good friend Guy Fieri. At time of recording, we're still waiting to see if anyone else is opting out, But I'm just gonna go ahead and assume that both those guys are gone for the Buckeyes. Interesting scenario here, though, mm hmm, because, as I said before, nobody sleep walks
into the Rose Bowl. Both teams are going to be motivated.
Yeah, I mean, you get the sense for the game, right and the lead up, right, you get that sense that this is a big deal stage that you're going to, you know, the Beef Bowl, you're doing, you going to Disneyland. Like this is not like a oh well, we're disappointed we're not in the playoff, like, No, the Rose Bowl is. It's somewhere between a Constellation round to me, a Constellation round and a playoff. So I mean, you're not going up for it.
You're not going and getting excited about the bomber jacket that you get. You're going and getting excited because you get to be granddaddy baby. It's the cathedral of college football. Yeah, granddaddy of o mall. Yeah. I am putting two confidence points on Utah. Okay. The reason for that is I saw the Michigan Ohio State game, and Michigan beat them by, among other things, playing bullyball. They bullied among the lines, and Utah has been doing that. Utah did that twice
to your team. Yeah, they can play that same style, and I think they can have some success against Ohio State. Their defense is also very comparable. It's not quite as good as Michigan's, but it's comparable enough. So I think that factor. I think, with everything Utah has been through, I just want to root for him, to be honest with you, I want to root for him in this game.
I'm not at all confident in it, but I could see a scenario in which they slow it down, they run the crap out of the ball, they play the same style that they did against Oregon, and they find some way to eke this one out. So let's go use two confidence points. Very low confidence.
Also, the team that Utah just beat into the ground, the Oregon Ducks twice. They beat Ohio State. Oregon beat Ohio State kind of playing bullyball in the same way Michigan did. That said, Oregon does not have much of a quarterback Ohio State does. I think if one or both of these guys do play, I think Ohio State is the team here with time. I think Utah is a good team. But I think Ohio State with time, with quarterback play in the Rose Bowl. We saw, you know,
a different quarterback, different situation last year. But we saw how Ohio State came to play last year against Clemson. Did they drop like fifty ish on Clemson?
I don't know.
I think the Buckeyes work it out. I really do think they work it out against Utah because with time, with that motivation, with the depth that they have on offense, I just don't think Ohio State has evolved to the place.
Where Oregon was at the end of the year. I think they've gotten better. And so I'm going buck eyes here. I'm rolling with the talent here. I know Utah Utahs.
It's gonna sound like I'm taking something away, or maybe I'm just bitter about them beating more whatever. Man, how do you pick against that those receivers?
I know, I just I know, I get it.
I just think Michigan's defense is at a better place than where Utah's defense is. And so I like the Utah players. They're young, they're young and hungry. I wouldn't be surprised if Utah won this game. But if you ask me to pick I would go Ohio State with like twelve confidence points.
Okay, yeah, I can see it, obviously, I can see it. Ohio States.
There's just there's no If Ohio State is seventy eight to eighty two percent of what they can be, what their ceiling is, Utah is gonna need to score thirty four points or something like that, which they can do. I just don't think they have the Winter Wonders.
I'll due respect to Britain Covey that Ohio State has, all right, we disagree, but that's fun. What are you eat in Pasadena, oh Man? What are you not eating in Passa?
You go to Lucky Boy and get great breakfast burritos. You can go to Glendale and go to Mini Kebab and you can mean get a caramelo at Sonoratown, Downtown Mariscos, Jalisco, U Street as in the letter you U Street pizza man. If you want specifics for LA food recommendations, I'm actually gonna be out in California from what the twenty fifth to the fourth. I'm not going to the game at
least I don't have plans to at this moment. Uh, just like, tweet me or email me, tell me where you're staying, and I'll get you straight.
The bat signal will go up, Dan will streighten you out. Okay, of course, final game here as per usual, the All Stage Sugar Bowl m HM, Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans. Pretty much eat anywhere in New Orleans, right, I can.
Do this, Yeah, I said, Bevy Kashawan Kashan Butcher like.
You just do whatever. I mean. Everywhere is good in New Orleans. Let's talk about Baylor. Let's talk about Old Miss. Yeah, Baylor eleven and two, Ole Miss ten and two, Baylor favored by a point in a half again eight forty five ESPN. Matt Carral said he's playing. Hmm, he said he's playing. We're still waiting on the official injury status of Gary Bohannon. I would assume if he's healthy, he'll
go for Baylor. If not, it'll be Blake Shapein and Blake Shapin started seventeen of seventeen in the Big twelve Championship. He'll be just fine. This is a three confidence point kind of game for me, because I have no idea. My initial gut was Old Miss. The numbers definitely trend more towards Baylor. At least the ones that I looked at. So I think I am going to go Baylor here. I think I'm going to finish this thing out again. One last ride with the Baylor Bears. I was dead
wrong on them to start. I warmed up to them quickly. They won the Big Twelve. It's been a hell of a season for Dave Randa. I think with time to prepare, I think given the fact they've got continuity, it's not like they're gonna have a bunch of opt outs or anything for that effect. I just think they're really playing well as a team right now, and I like Ole Miss. The defense is better than it's been in the past.
It still scares me a little bit, and so I think this could end up being a very close game again. The points spreads Baylor one and a half, so Vegas sees it two. I'm just gonna go with my gut here and say that Baylor's got it a little bit more together, and I'm gonna stick with the Bears.
Disagree, going All Miss I'm going with speed. I think All Misses defense is pretty good. The way that they won the uh the Egg Bowl impressed me, and so I am I'm on ole miss here. I worry a little bit about the fits and starts of Baylor's offense, that they can look sensational for a quarter or two quarters at whatever, and then kind of disappear at times. The turnovers scare me a little bit. With Gary Bohannon, if he is playing in this game, I'm won with
the quarterback. I'm going with a decent defense. Baylor has a very good defense. Decent defense, and a play caller in Lane Kiffin who I think is going to score points. I really do think they're gonna score points. So I'm going ole miss here.
Okay, final game here, or I should say the penultimate game here. Yeah. Houston, Tuesday, January fourth, the tax Act Texas Bowl in Houston at the nerg nine o'clock ESPN, LSU six and six, Kansas State seven and five. LSU favored by about a field goal. Here. Fun scenario unfolding for LSU. Both Max Johnson and Miles Brennan are in the transfer portal. They're not playing and Garrett Nusmeyer can't
play anymore this season, or they burn the red shirt. Right, So either you take the lumps with nuss Meyer, you burn the red shirt, or you start a walk on at quarterback with Tavian Folk or Matto doubt. I don't know what they're gonna do. I have not seen what they're going to do here, but that seems like not a great situation, especially given the fact that there's a ready a fair amount of turnover here and coach O not coaching in this game.
I don't believe he is. Now there's an interim situation. Yeah, I think it's the offensive line coach.
Yeah. So there's that, which is weird and uncertain, and then there's the case State thing, which is a little less weird and a little less uncertain. But we just don't know what the deal is gonna be. With Skyler Thompson at quarterback. He's been dealing with injury that kept him out the last game of the season. The last update I saw was December the seventh, so about a week ago, and at that point in time he still
wasn't practicing. So he's got time here. They don't play this game till the fourth If he's healthy, that would obviously be a nice boost for them. The other interesting factoid, and then I promise I'll get to my picks. This is the only game that I could find where they actually published what the gifts are that they're getting.
Oh hit me.
You get access to a gift suite, the Nike backpack, the Nike hat, the Nike jrawstring bag. Obviously the Texas Bowl. You get the belt buckle and the cowboy hat and also the team branded bandana, so he could really be a true cowboy. Great, not bad, No, not at all. Who do you pick? It is?
Brad Davis. He's the offensive line coach. He is the interim for LSU, head of the Brian Kellierra for the Tigers.
That's my best impression of a Northerner doing in all the tagles.
I'm going to go with LSU, okay, because could have a wild card walk on. This guy was on the bench the whole time. They could have that situation. And I still think that if it is a Will Howard Kansas State team that I enjoy not siding with that option. So I'm going to LSU here. I'm going LSU here now with a lot of like eight confidence points here because this one there's too many different variables that could swing this game. But uh yeah, I'm going to LSU here.
I think the defense might get a if it is Will Howard, I think they can get some short fields. And sometimes teams players rally around an interim situation, not because obviously Brad Davis is not getting the head job at LSU, but because they like him, because they want to play hard for him. So I'm going with LSU.
I'm going k State four points. But yeah, I'm with you.
In Houston. If you want nicer Mexican, go to Hugos.
I've been there.
It's insanely good Hugos for Mexican and then for via Cajun, which is I think at unique to Houston. So that's, you know, kind of a fusion between the Vietnamese influence of the immigrants in the seventies and the Cajun proximity and the Gulf and New Orleans and everything like that, and the movement between those two areas. Crawfish and noodles. Hey, Crawfish and noodles is the name of the place. Okay,
Houston on real food City. If you're going to this game, I mean, if you're an LSU fan, you're probably used to great food. But if you're going to this game, get there eight days early and eat five meals a day because that's what you should do. If you're spending time in Houston.
It's great.
The final game Truth Truth Barbecue.
If you're going there for barbecue, Truth Barbecue. The final game is on January the tenth, and that's the National Championship. They played at Lucas Oil Stadium. We don't know the matchup yet, No, we do not. We don't know the matchup yet. You have to pick it. And the way that the Winter Wonders game works is you can go back and you can change your pick, so you can move them around. You can change confidence points as the
game is going on. Obviously, once a game is played and it's kicked off, you're kind of locked in place. But we've got like a full month of games, so you can move stuff around if you want to. So, if you feel like this matchup in the National Championship is something that you feel very certain of, your take the liberty to move it around if you want to.
I put one point on it. I put one point on it, because then it sort of doesn't matter if you if you win or lose, if you if it ends up being let's say Michigan against Cincinnati, and you feel great about Michigan then you know, change your confidence points. Leave yourself that out, but you'll know soon enough you'll have plenty. But you have changed this.
You have time, No, not really, I guess because the games are thirty first, right, So I was gonna say, you have time to adjust this the confidence in this game after the thirty first, because there's still games on the first. You do could swap out the confidence on a game the first or a little bit after the first. How many games are after the first just the fourth, right, LS, here's like.
Six games, six games in total, so you have time if you want to swap things around. And yeah, the game is cool and that it lets you do that. But I think just for planning purposes, like I'm not going to go back in and change this, right, I'm probably gonna pick the Alabama Cincinnati bo that I have and I'm gonna put one point on it, and then maybe I'll change it if the matchup is different. But for planning purposes, go one point. I'm going to assume
it's Bama versus Georgia. We already broke that down a few weeks ago. I don't know if we saw anything. Maybe we'll see something in the playoffs. That will change your mind about how version two of that would go. But uh, there will be a time and place to preview that game. I think for now the move is one point.
I Uh, Indianapolis. I don't have any recommendations yet. And part of me was thinking like, well, you know, India is east of the Chicago Land area and west of PA. I know it's like a you know, three and a half four hour drive for me from the Chicago Land area. I was like, I wonder if it's like, you know, four or five hours from Tye as well, we could just sort of an equidistance. It's ten plus hours from me.
It's a drive, it's a good drive. Yeah.
I always forget how wide Pennsylvania is.
Five hours across Yeah, yeah, and so and then it's Ohio.
Right, it's Pennsylvania. Then Ohio is not narrow.
You can get to indian about nine if you didn't hit traffic, but.
Google Map says nine to fifty three.
Yeah, I'm to get there, get there in nine. But it's so it's along a long haul. You figure basically five five and a half to get across PA, talking another two to get across Ohio. And then yeah, yeah to get midway through Indiana an hour somewhere in that neighborhood.
So yeah, it's yeah, it's not close. It's what I'm learned that the Midwest, there are things close to me, like Milwaukee's not terribly far, Detroit and Arbor Madison, you know, all these places are like within an interesting drive because I'm sort of right in the middle of the Midwest in Chicago. But yeah, you're out there, man, you are
out there in PA. I actually did consider so because I'm obviously, you know, married to a Michigan fan, and so my extended social circle involves a lot of Michigan people. I was like, oh, maybe that would be fun to go to India if Michigan's there, and you know, maybe we'll just do the podcast from there and you know, see Michigan people I know, and like, I don't know if Michigan's actually going to be there, But then I
did see that driving distance for you. I mean, you can fly to He's just gonna be pricey with everybody coming in. And I was talking to a Michigan friend and they're here going down to Miami for the Georgia game, and I was like, man, you're flying to Miami last second around New Year's from the Midwest where all these Michigan fans are coming from. I was like, are tickets crazy for that game? He was like he told me. He was like, we actually we got a suite. I
was like, oh man, that's crazy. That's He's like, yeah, we're gonna try to illegally stuff like thirty people into like a fifteen person sweet or something.
I'm not going to say his name or her name. Maybe it's a her.
And I was like, and hotel. He's like, now I'm staying with a friend or sister or something like that. I was like, so tickets for a suite airfare and he was like, yeah, it's the most most expensive event I've ever committed myself to. It may ruin me financially. I'll have the Tiger King. I was like, well, uh, go blue, good luck, good luck with all of that. So I love yeah, all right, yeah, so I respect it. I you know, for teams that are not there in
these big games that often it's it's very cool. Now I get go balls, go playoff whatever.
It's cool. It's cool. All right, Well that does it. For Bolzetch number two, a long show we had a lot to cover. We appreciate you bearing with us here. Don't forget to go on out to play Winter Wonders dot com. That is our Bowl confidence Pool. We've gotten a bunch of people signing up since we started doing our previews show on Monday. We would encourage you to do the same. Uh, it is a Patreon only thing. You want to sign up and never sign up again, that's fine, but it'll be a lot of fun and
we're talking a lot about it here. We're excited to be doing the confidence pool against Playwinter Wonders dot com is how you can find the contest. Solid verbal dot Com is how you can find the podcast. We would encourage you please to going out to Apple or Spotify, anywhere you get your podcasts. Really, but those two in particular. If you like the show, that helps us more than we can ever put into words. And last, but not least, Solid Giveaway dot Com. Solid Giveaway dot Com is where
you go follow a few quick and easy steps. It's free to get your name in the running to win assigned Desmond Howard mini helmet. We're gonna draw that on the day of the National Championship, so maybe Michigan will be there. Maybe they won't, but in any case, if you're a Michigan fan or just a Desmond Howard fan and to for your chance to win that helmet. Yeah good, all righty Dan Long show, fun show. Appreciate everybody's patience bearing with us here. We hope this was useful for
you as you get your ballpicks ready. We will be back later in the week. You're gonna talk with Brandon Hoffman about recruiting, right, I am big recruiting.
Got early signing day, We've got uh we'll do a bruin a obviously for the subscribers on verballers dot com. The fun long bonus show we do every week and uh yeah, I it's a it's a very strange early signing period. Excited to pick Brandon's brain with all the new coaches and all the movement and transfers and people filling in gaps that didn't realize they were gonna have Brandon, of course, best in the biz Capital B.
That's all right. Thank you again for tuning in, for downloading, for listening, for supporting the show, for that guy over there, my good friend Dan Rubinstein, for myself, Ty Hildon Brand, thank you, so much. We'll talk to you all on Friday. In the meantime, stay solid, peace,