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Them folks ain't going to be playing, man. They're going to have Mike the Tiger right there outside the visitor's locker room.

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How close do you get to Mike the Tiger when you're the opposing team?

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He was right over my shoulder, but I'm over here like, Let's go. I'm like, Oh, I'm from Michigan. That's the whole Tiger, man. I ain't never seen no Tiger. It's a little hazard right here.

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I hear the music. You know what's happening?

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Stone or you look good.

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Oh, it's I look better than I feel. Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Triple Option, presented by Wendy's Try Wendy's News. Saucy Nugs today. Whether you're joining us for our first live stream ever or watching after the fact, thank you. We want to remind you to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast, as well as across social media at 3XOptionsShow. Remember, rate us, throw questions our way. We love to have interaction with our listeners and our viewers right there. New episode It's coming away every Wednesday. We're going to be doing these live streams throughout the rest of the season when the college football playoffs finally drop, and they finally dropped the first one here. Glad you're here with us. We've been waiting. We've been waiting for this one. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Get notified when we are live. If you have any questions during this, please submit them to the YouTube folks. They'll handle it. They'll get it out to us. All right, we're ready to talk College Football Playoff Rankings. The first one came out. I got my little cheat sheet here, guys.

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Okay, you got it. Let's start. You got it. Print it out? Yeah, I did. Commissioner.

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You look like the Commissioner right now.

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Go ahead, Robin. Do I?

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You look like you're part of the committee.

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I got the whole sheet printed out. You got the proper shirt on here, too, as well. All right, so let's talk about Blue? The 12-team bracket, but with the rankings. We're going to start because this is very interesting to me. The two teams out. Number 13 SMU from the ACC, number 14 Texas A&M. Those are the first two teams, as of now, out of the college football playoff picture. Again, these are the rankings. Number 12, Boise State. Number 11, Alabama. Saturday, big test, where they have that big win over Georgia, which has really helped keep them afloat. Notre Dame checking in at number 10, wins over A&M and Louisville, but that ugly loss to Northern Illinois. At number 9, B-Y-U representing the Big 12, the only Big 12 team. Undefeated. Undefeated. Put some respect on those three letters. The only Big 12 team in the top 12. This was the one we were always just curious to see where it would pop up. Indiana at number 8. They don't have the brand, they don't have the strength of schedule, but they're sitting there at eight. Tennessee's at seven. Penn State, who just fell to Ohio State last weekend at six.

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Back to the SEC, Texas at five. Unbeaten Miami, ranked number four. Georgia, ranked number three, which means the top two ranking spots are owned by Big Ten teams, The Ohio State and Oregon. Those are the rankings. But again, the bracket changes everything up. So we'll get to the bracket in a second. Coach, I'll start with you. Again, the committee ranked the top 25 teams, and down there at number 25, sneaking in unbeaten from West Point. It was a program that caught your eye.

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Yeah, I've been critical of the committee. I think they did a heck of a job. I've been looking at this thing for the last 20 minutes or so. Yeah, we talked about Army. That's a great story, but it's almost like Coach Prime has forgotten here a little bit. I know we're going to go see him, but we talked about Coach of the Year earlier. Why is he not involved in that? Colorado, arguably the worst program in America, not only two years ago, and now Coach Prime's got his team at 20. Think about that. I got Indiana, Prime, BIO, and Army. Those are the four that warm your heart. Those are all great stories, and there's a lot of football to be played, and we get to watch the Buffaloes this weekend. So that's what caught my eye. And the last one, Indiana, Tennessee ahead of Indiana. That's one thing I probably would have put in. I We're watching them both play. And of course, you got some incredible talent at Tennessee, but I'd take right now Indiana over Tennessee.

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And again, it's Tennessee just above Indiana.

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They're looking at strength of schedule. You say winss matter. They said who you beat matters.

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Brand matters, too, Mark, I think. What did you say? Brand. Brand matters. There's four SEC programs.

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Yeah, I think who you beat. Indiana hasn't really... They have their test coming up, but you talk about Tennessee and their schedule thus far and their wins that they've had this far. Obviously, the committee values that a little bit higher, I see.

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There's a slew of teams that are just on the outside of the top 12.

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They're all within striking distance, man.

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Yeah, and guess what? Three of them are from The SEC. Yeah, they're seven.

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They're seven in the top 16.

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They're sitting there in elimination game mode. They host Georgia on Saturday. All this loses.

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Everything is a elimination game in front of them. Everything is in front of them. Everything is in front of them. Everything is in front of them. Everything is in front of them. Unless you're Georgia, you probably have room for one loss. But Texas, perhaps. But Ole Miss, an elimination game versus Georgia. Lsu, Belmont, that's an elimination game. A&m, they're looking like they're going to be on a collision course with Texas.

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End of the season.

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End of the season. That's going to be an elimination matchup if both of them end up with no losses till then. So these teams at 14, 15, and 16 still control their own destiny. Sure. You look at Colorado, they control their own destiny, too. I love these rankings right here because even Clemson down there at the bottom, you got SMU Miami. You just got to get your foot into the Championship. You get into the Championship, you get an automatic burn.

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Let me I'll show this at you, Mark. I'm staring at this thing. So me and you played in the BCSA, or you played, I coached. You lost the game you're normally out. You're done. So when the rankings would come out, really, most of the country could care less. You're down about four teams. And then the four team, that was the first year we won it in 2014, but you still only probably had eight, nine teams. I'm looking at this. You got 24 teams. You got 24 potential- To have a shot. They're They're waking up tomorrow, going to work at their practice facility. Their coach is standing in front of the team. There's leaders like Mark Engram saying, We have a chance to make history and do this. And what do you think that practice will look like that day?

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They're hyped up. It's fast. It's fast moving around.

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It's so good.

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So good for the game. I love it. But, Stoneert, man, tell me this because I'm trying to still figure it out. There's a scenario where unless BIO is 13 and 0, Boise could have the 4 seed Yeah.

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So the top four conferences that are the highest-seated teams get the first round by. So right now, the one-seed is Oregon, the two-seed is Georgia, the three-seed is Miami, and the four-seed is BIO. So they are automatically, as of now, sitting in the quarter finals.

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But there's a scenario where if they lose a game and Boise continues to win out and Boisey is ranked higher than them. Correct. Boise gets the buy, even though- Boisey gets a four-seat. Even though BIO possibly could win their conference. Yeah.

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It's the highest ranked conference winner.

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Yeah. Is the Big 12 in BIO right now valued higher than Boise State and the Mountain West? Boise State living off that good loss to Oregon early on. Ashton Genti having a Heisman-type year. Also, Mark, you brought up a point when we're looking at this. There's some bid stealers out there. I'm a college hoops guy. There's always the bid stealers out there with March Madness. Smu is a bid stealer. Smu gets to the ACC Championship game, and let's say they win it, they're going. Freaking SMU.

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Is that great?

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They're in. They're in. Automatic bid.

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They are in. And guess what? Miami is probably going to be in as well. So now all of a sudden, you're saying there's two from the ACC that are sitting in there. I don't think... We have four from the SEC inside the 12 team bracket, four from the Big Ten inside the bracket, one each from the Big 12, ACC independent being Notre Dame and the Mountain West. I Ohio State's interesting coach because they were ranked number two right behind Oregon. But because Oregon right now is on top of the Big Ten, they are giving them the number one seed because they're going to win the the Big Ten Championship, which gives them a quarter final spot. So Ohio State may be number two in the rankings, but they are number five in the bracket. So as of now, the Buckeyes would have... If you're looking at the bracket right now, they would have the easiest path, I think, Having said that, they have to play an extra game. But it would be against Boise State, a home game. That home game is at their choice. It doesn't have to be in Columbus, Coach. Bad weather is rolling into Columbus.

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They could say, You know what? We don't want to harm our speed, guys. Let's go inside. Let's go to Indianapolis, and let's play a home game against Boise State.

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When do they have to make that decision?

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I think it's that week. I don't know the exact day, but- Can you imagine logistics of flipping that around?

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We're not going to play a shoot. We're going to Indianapolis. We're going to play inside.

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But they might. If you got that much- It makes sense. Skill and speed.

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It makes sense.

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Why makes it- Whether it's a great equalizer, right?

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Yeah, for sure. Then they'd have to go to BIO. Then what? That group of four games, that becomes the bowl games?

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Yes. What?

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Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl.

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Let's just talk, Mark, as you stare at these teams. You've played in the big one. I've got the coach in three of them. Did you play in two of them, Mark, or just one?

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I played in one. Playing in one.

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And you know this is what I do, an Ohio State. Just focus on them for a minute, the most physical team will win the national championship. Every one of these teams in front of on the picture, they have great skill. Some a little better than others, but great skill. The team that, and I used to say this to our players, the team that punches the hardest will win the national title. It's historic. I mean, it's time-tested. That's what happens. Ohio State, there were concerns. I don't have more concerns. I saw what I saw. We were live there. That was the best four-minute drill I can remember seeing. There was five minutes and 13 seconds left. They ran the ball 10 straight times for 59 yards on the road at Penn State. From the one-yard line. Against the defense, from the one-yard line. And they basically said, We're running the ball. Stop us. And I went back and watched that three or four times a day.

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It's what Michigan did to Penn State last season, right?

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Yeah, but Penn State forced the Wolverine to run a punch.

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Run it down your throat and make you like it. But what about that? What about that defense, Coach? They didn't allow Penn State to score one breakdown in the entire game. They gave up two field goals. They had an interception at the end of the first half. Then they had a goal line stand when the team needed it most.

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All right, here's what I'm going to do, Mark and Rob, right now, we're off script here. Give me one through five. Five is tough as hell. One, you're not sure. Three is medium. Okay? Toughness, Oregon. One through five.

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Is that a tough Alvin?

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Five is the toughest. Five, you're a tough cat.

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Five is the toughest.

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Three is average.

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I'm giving them three or four. I'm giving them about four right now.

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How they- I agree. How about Ohio State?

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Same. Here's my concern, though, Coach, is that it was-That was an equal game, coach.

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That game is they're heading for a collision on a rematch. For sure.

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That's going to be on neutral ground.

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Three games. That's going to be on neutral ground, and I'm not sure.

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But is Georgia a tough team? I'd say yes. I watch your defense. Georgia is a tough team. How I don't know about Miami. I don't know about Miami. Are they tough?

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I don't know if they're tough, but they're resilient.

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They got a great quarterback. I don't know if they're tough, but they're resilient. Great quarterbacks get beat if they're not tough.

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I just don't know if they're tough. I don't know if they're tough, but they are resilient, Coach. They've had to come back three times.

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Is Texas tough? Yes.

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Texas is tough.

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They just seen-not as tough as they were last year.

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They're three because when they saw a real tough team like the dogs-Hitting their face at home.

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Yes. How about Notre Dame? Is Notre Dame tough sitting there at number 10?

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Notre Dame's That tough.

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Right now, Notre Dame meeting Penn State in Happy Valley. The 10 versus 7 game.

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What about this Bama versus Texas matchup in the first round?

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Right? 6 versus 11. Look at that. Then above that, Tennessee versus Indiana, and then Ohio State, Boise State.

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I mean, as college football fans, this is awesome.

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I'm smiling with you.

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This is awesome. That's great, man.

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But like Coach said, you have 24 teams with a legit shot. They're waking up like, Okay, we got a chance. So this 12-team thing can shake up quickly. Really? The pretenders and the contenders will be separated here in November.

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There's 24 teams that there's no discussion about transfer portal.

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However, you lose no more. With one loss, there might be. You'll see a We got a question on the screen right now, guys.

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Does a one loss Indiana team that plays a close game in Columbus get left out because of a two loss SEC game? No. I don't think so. No. I think they got Michigan this weekend as Indiana. At number eight- Their strength of schedule is very questionable. We understand that. We get it. But what they're doing with their schedule, they're dismantling teams, winning everything by all you can do.

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All you can do is play who's on your schedule. But where you start matters. They're at number 8. If they were at number 10, 11, that's a possibility. At number 8, you don't drop more than three spots with a loss to Ohio State. So they run the table at number 8, and they lose to Ohio State. You can't bump down more than four spots. This one. Even if they bump down four spots, they're 12. So a one loss Indiana team does not get left out over a two loss SEC team, in my opinion, depending on how they play that game.

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And listen, you know the Big Ten is going to be fighting for that, right? Because there is back room conversations right now. The Big Ten wants as many programs in there as possible. Dittle for the- Sure they do.

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I want Penn State to play Indiana because they might get beat by Indiana. They might. I want Penn State to play Indy. I think right now, they line up. I think they get beat.

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We agree that the max amount of teams from the Big Ten that will get into the play also be four. I think it's going to be four unless Indiana or somebody just absolutely bottoms out Penn State, if they can't bounce back. But for the SEC, they're currently at four teams right now: Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama. But-there's three more. Lurking at 14 is A, 15 LSU, 16 to Ole Miss. Do Do you think the SEC market's five programs?

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I think they get four. I think they get four.

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I don't think they get five. I think it's addition by subtract, right? If somebody loses and goes down, somebody pops up.

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It also depends on if any of these teams implode and lose multiple games over the next month of the season, because that'd be the only case where a three-loss SEC team could get in. Because you got A&M, which they're favorable until they go see Texas. Texas is favorable until they go see A&M. And then LSU and Ben was in an elimination game. Elmiss is in an elimination game. I think the SEC gets four teams in, and people would just have to lay an egg and lose 2-3 games for there to possibly be a fifth team to go in.

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It could happen.

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It could be. That's the beauty of that football. That leaves only four left between everyone else. That's tough, man. Correct.

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So you get the ACC champ.

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But again, remember, how about if SMU steals that?

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Big 12, highest group of Big 12 has had a great season. That's 11, Coach.

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I would love to see two of them in the Big 12 in. I don't know how it's going to happen. Iowa State, Kansas State losing last weekend really helped Colorado's chances. How about Colorado makes a run to the Big 12 Championship Game, wins it. Let's go. Steals a bid. I'm brutal. Does BIO stick around? They're sitting there at number nine. That is a tough one. Can the Big 12 get two programs in? Brett, your mark is fighting for that real hard, and I don't blame them.

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It would possibly be them because you have the ACC champ. So we said four Big Ten, four ACC, that's eight. You go nine for the ACC champ, 10 for the Big 12 champ, 11 for the highest group of five bid, and then that's one more. So it could possibly be Big 12, or is it out of the ACC?

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The ACC just got really interesting.

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This is It's exciting, man.

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Or a five SEC, Mark. It could possibly be- There's some good teams bouncing around there.

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If people just got the runs and they crapped down their leg. If they got the runs, they can't hold up and they just crapped down their leg. Oh, my God.

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Too soon. Blue?

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Too soon, too close.

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Blue? Speaking of that, let's throw in a saucy nug right now. James Franklin versus the Ohio State, 1 and 10 now. Oh, my goodness, man. Seven losses after leading the game at some point. We're going to talk more about Coach Franklin a little bit later in the show and an incident after the game. But that is your saucy nug of the week. Try some at your nearest Wendy. So Penn State sitting there at number 6 in the rankings and number 7 seed. So right now, Penn State has a home game. So how about this? Three big 10 teams have home games. Oregon as a one seed, Ohio State as a five seed, Penn State as a seven seed, the SEC home games, Georgia as a two seed, Texas as a six seed, and Tennessee as an eight seed. Coach, I love the fact. I do really enjoy that point about there are over 20 programs right now that are saying to themselves, Hey, guys, we're still alive. Because that was not the conversation at this point last year. It was maybe 9 to 10 teams. Hey, guys, we might be able to make a little run.

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We can sneak in there. We just doubled that field.

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Yes. It's the motivation of the team, motivation of the coach. Every coach is going to show this and be congratulated, congratulate the players, but also say, use it for motivation. I can see right now that Bama and looking at some of those teams in front of them and say, Are you kidding me? We put a good run together. We are better than the number 11. So this is great motivation, and we haven't talked about this yet. How about the fan base is waking up right now saying, We got a shot at this stamp. This is incredible.

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All these stadiums throughout the duration of the season.

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I want to clarify something real quick. I did misspeak briefly. The quarterfinals are at neutral site. I was giving Oregon and Miami and Georgia home game one through four in the quarterfinals. They are at neutral site at those bowl games that you were talking about. Again, it all ends up in late January in Atlanta, Mercedes Benz Stadium. First ever college playoff rankings. We're going to be doing these live shows on YouTube until the last one comes out. The day that matters is, what is December ninth? Is that the day that... December eighth, that's the last bracket, comes out. Who right now, and we'll start wrapping this up here in a second, is on precarious terms right now. Who do you think is a little worried about where they're sitting? Alabama, maybe at number 11. I think Notre Dame is pretty good at 10 right now. They don't have a whole lot in front of them schedule-wise. But I think those SEC teams that are in outside of Georgia are concerned about what might happen and the other SEC programs that are riding up their tail a little bit.

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Well, right now in the SEC... Go ahead, Coach.

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I was just going to say, reality is, and I've been there, not in this format. But right now, why do players play? And there was a time, Rob and Mark, years ago, you played because you're supposed to play. You go play in a Rose Bowl, you go play in the Fiesta Bowl. Some teams, you're excited, just go play in a good bowl like the Outback But that's times changed right now. And I think once a team gets knocked officially out of the playoff, especially if you're a blue blood team, I'm looking at A&M, LSU, Alabama, Penn State, I'd put Clems in there. I'd put Ole Miss with high expectations. You lose that third game, there's some conversations going on in that locker room that aren't comfortable. There's going to be some agents, which I just wish they weren't in the locker rooms in college, but they're going to be having conversations with their player and their coach saying, Why is he not getting more touches? I'm going to go ahead and move on to the NFL. I'm going to maybe transfer. That's when it gets nasty, uncomfortable, and we can say, panic or patience. There's a lot of panic on those two lost teams right now that are real good programs.

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But the good thing is that these players are going to be sticking around longer through the course of the season because of the expanded playoffs, right? A lot of people might have, right? Red lines out of town already, and now they're sticking around.

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I wonder if we're going to find out if three is that magic number with a blue blood. When you get three losses, unless you're in the hunt for the championship, you're out.

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That's a good one.

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We'll see if that- It depends how the rest of the field plays, too.

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If the rest of the field has two and three losses, then you give them some favor with the schedule. I mean, look at Tennessee, man. They still play Georgia. They still got Varennabilt, who is a really good team this year. Then you talk about Georgia. They still have Ole Miss this weekend. Then they have Tennessee. This Georgia schedule has been just crazy. And so, playoffs are starting right now in the SEC. And Alabama and LSU is an elimination game. Ole Miss lose to Georgia. That's an elimination game. Which, Ole Miss is... Where does that game even play at? It's play at Ole Miss.

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Ole Miss is home this weekend. We're going to talk about that one.

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So I mean, the playoffs are starting right now in the SEC, and Georgia still has two games on the schedule, plus the SEC Championship. So the SEC is going to be strange coming up here in the next month.

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Can we finish with one last comment here? I can't believe we're giving SMU this much love, but they're sitting there at number 13, the first team out. How about the big signing for the must have? Let them know.

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Let them know what they got.

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Big signing for SMU this week.

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Swag King Cole.

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Cole Liners. Maddie's son signing up with SMU. Smu today. How cool is that?

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Qb1 at SMU, holding it down. Congratulations, Swag King Cole. That's my dog.

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Hey, you know who broke that news in my house?

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Who?

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My son, Camden, at TCU.

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He broke the news?

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Camden, in my house, he had called Cole today. He's like, Hey, dad, Cole's committing to SMU today. And meanwhile, Matt is sending us these cryptic text in the morning like, Big news today, guys. Something's happening. Big news. Follow me. And he totally forgot about it. Meanwhile, Kamden is calling from Fortworth like, Cole Liner. We came in like the new Chef.

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Kamden, like the new chef. Camden out here getting to SI school? Down there TCU?

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Come on, man. Let's go. Let's go, bro. I'm going to see the boy today or this weekend. After our Texas Tech trip. Can't wait for that trip, by the way, to Texas Tech. Tho some tortillas in Colorado at number 20 in the rankings at Texas Tech Saturday. Is that what they do?

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They throw tortillas?

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They teach themselves. They throw tortillas right when the game starts. They throw tortillas? Yeah. You'll learn. It's all in the wrist. It's all in the wrist.

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Where do they throw them at?

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Anybody? On the field? Players field, for sure. Don't worry. We'll educate you. We'll take care of you in Lubic. Coach Mark, any closing thoughts? Or did we check all these boxes here on the triple option?

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I'm excited, Coach. This is awesome. Everybody had questions about the 12-team playoff, how it would look, how it would be for college football. And this is amazing. I'm telling you, if college football is stock, I'm buying it, and I'm buying it in bulk.

[00:24:29]

Coming up next We're joined by 2005 number one overall NFL draft pick, Alex Smith. Welcome back to the Triple Option. Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram, and the Glue guy, former number one overall draft pick from Utah. Alex Smith, nice enough to join us, man. By the way, Alex looks like he could still play, right? If I was a GM on a team, I'm like, You know what? I bet that cat can still sling it. I bet he can avoid a couple of tackles. He still got the smarts upstairs for it. You're interested? You want to come join my team here?

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I wish. No, I'm good. I'm good where I am. We did this last Sunday for Sunday Countdown at ESPN. We were showing some Dexter Lawrence highlights, and we just showed him in street clothes, too, after his highlights, and it was immediately I'm like, I made the right decision. I'm in a good spot sitting at this desk. I want no piece of Nobody's coming for you on the desk, right?

[00:25:32]

No. There's nobody on the blind side at the desk.

[00:25:35]

Alex, great to see you, brother.

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Coach, great to be here.

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Hey, you got a great podcast. I'm sure we'll hit that here in a minute, The Glue Guys, and what a three special guys, but I'll let you hit that in a minute. So when you write your book, I think I got the the forward or the first chapter here. So how does an unranked high school recruit with one offer? He'll say two, but one was his uncle. So that does not count. Ron McBride offered him- It's still an offer, Coach. No, it's not. Ron McBride offered him at the University of Utah, and then he went on to become an all-American. He came on to He finished third in the Heisman. First overall draft pick in 2005, NFL draft, became really the father of the spread option offense, the way he ran it, and his tailback in high school in the wing T was none other than Reggie Bush. So how in the world did that happen?

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That's great. I mean, well, that's why you're right in the forward. It's funny how things happen in life. And definitely for me, looking back in my career, my entire journey, you never know what's around the corner. And I say that in the sense that when things sometimes look their worst or they're the bleakest or you're struggling the most, you just never know what's right around the corner. And that's certainly been the tale of my journey. And certainly with you stumbling into my life, Coach. I had one offer, like you said. They got all these ranks and stars and recruiting services. I had none, none, zero.

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That's crazy.

[00:27:17]

I threw the ball four times a game my senior year. We had a guy, Reggie, who had one of those trophies that you got behind you, Mark. And deservedly, one offer. Like Coach said, my uncle happened to be a division one head coach, and I think with some nepotism there, and he threw it out. But one offer. And really, I grew up... Saturdays were the most special day for me as a child. Nothing better. I grew up on the West Coast. Nothing better. There was college football on at 8:00 AM. You wake up, and I just love Saturdays in the fall. I loved everything about it. And it certainly, for me as a kid, was something that I dreamt about, that maybe one day I could do that. Wouldn't that be amazing? One It. One school gave me that chance, and I was a late bloomer. I mean, my senior year, I weighed... I don't know if I weighed 170 pounds. And slow, awkward, late bloomer. And I go up to Salt Lake. And my freshman year is an absolute disaster. I played seven plays and lost my redshirt ear. One of my seven plays was a pick six back in San Diego, my hometown, my whole high school there.

[00:28:29]

And It wasn't what I imagined college football to be. I felt like I got deceived, again, led on that I was going to play more. Our season went to crap, and Coach got fired by the end of the year. And it's like the one guy that believed in me is gone. What the hell, man? It just was looking so bleak. And then, man, the Utah hired this guy named Urban Meyer from Bowling Green. I didn't I hadn't even heard of Bowling Green. I didn't know where it was. I didn't know what it was. Ohio. Yeah. The offense he came in with their quarterback, Josh Harris, he was 240 pounds. Just a monster. Again, at that point, I couldn't have weighed 180. Just string bean. I couldn't run. But again, I go back to you just never know. And obviously, timing goes into so much of this. And Coach and all his crazy philosophies coming in, Dan Molen and Obviously, the spread option there at the core of it that really highlighted the quarterback position. And I was just certainly a product of amazing people around me, coaches and teammates, and went on a crazy run.

[00:29:43]

You talk about You're being overlooked, but obviously, we know what you were able to accomplish. College Football Hall of Fame last year, number one overall pick, super successful NFL career. What advice would you give to the youth or a young person out there who is getting overlooked, who doesn't have the stars, who doesn't have the offers? What would you tell them to motivate them to keep going?

[00:30:08]

I think there's this illusion, I think, that some people just have it easy. I think there's this illusion that Tom braided and Patrick Mahomes and these guys, it's smooth sailing. There's not a guy, and you know this, in an NFL locker room, that didn't have a ton of adversity along the way. Yes, sir. And there's a relentlessness, a resiliency, a stubbornness to guys that just keep coming back. They just keep coming back. And I would say that. And again, even going back, the rest of my career, again, I say it, the greatest moments of growth that I've had throughout my life all came from struggle, right? And just struggling and keep coming back and keep pushing. And one of them is this guy right here. Just tested me. I've never been tested before in my life, and I grew under those circumstances tremendously, right? Now, there's no way I'm the number one pick if I don't go through that, if I don't get pushed to those heights. And so I just think that everybody struggles. Struggle is normal, in fact. And so lean into it. It's not something to be feared. And for anybody out there trying to do something, I think that just is a part of the process and embrace it.

[00:31:22]

Come on, man.

[00:31:23]

That's money. I want to go a little bit more with that, Alex, to go off script here a little bit. But you were drafted number one by the Saints or by the 49ers. Alex, to the point, I was around great core. I had never seen someone with the mental makeup, the physical makeup that he developed, and the toughness at that position. I've never seen it. You can help someone here, Alex. Tell him about what you went through a little bit when that was caving in on you a little bit in Sanfran.

[00:31:53]

The poster child of number one picks is Payton Manning. That's what it's supposed to look like. I felt like I had to be that, right? And immediately. And so it just changed my entire demeanor. When I was with Coach, in college, I definitely had a chip on my shoulder. I mean, I was the kid that, again, I had one offer. I was determined to prove that I could play division one football. We would play the big schools, and it was like, Bring it on. Man, salivating at a chance to go like, nothing to lose. We were fearless. And then all of a sudden, I got drafted. And again, all these expectations, the weight of being the number one pick and a big NFL contract. And I felt like I had to be perfect. So everything I did in practice, walkthroughs, especially on game days, I was on eggshells. I was so scared to make the smallest mistakes. And on top of, obviously, again, the instability around me was just a recipe for a disaster, right? To go out there on eggshells. Our team's not very good. And I think Looking back, this was an important thing.

[00:33:02]

I felt like I was alone in that. All my self doubt, was I good enough? Was I deserving another number one pick? I was so determined to try to prove that to everybody. And I just felt like I was alone in that. It took a long time until finally, I felt like I got it my own way and said, screw this, man. I'm not living like this anymore. I'm not playing like this anymore. Terrified to make a mistake, trying to be perfect, trying to prove to all the Niner fans out there that again, that I was deserving of this pick.

[00:33:33]

When did that moment happen, Alex?

[00:33:36]

There were two big moments that coincided. One was this national TV game. I think it was about year six for me, five or six. And again, like I said, I'd been in this cycle of just... I'd had some success, but then I wouldn't. I was just so inconsistent. And again, I tiptoed out on the field, trying to be perfect. And we were playing the Philadelphia Philadelphia Eagles. This is Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles, and they were good. We were playing on national TV at Candlestick, so a home game. And I'll never forget, home games are almost harder for me, Rob, the weight of them, again, of our fan base, because we We're bad. Indeservedly, we get booed. It's just the weight of that. I used to look forward to road games, which is insane to say as a quarter, insane. Because then I got older in my career and it was like, to not have cadence is such a tool in the NFL as such a tool in the NFL in the QB. And so we're playing the Eagles, and I actually started the game pretty well. I mean, I threw a couple of touch downs and ran one, I think.

[00:34:36]

And we were playing good. We're going toe to toe. They were one of the best teams of football. And I made a couple of bonehead plays in the second half, trying to do too much. And the whole freaking stadium, all the candlesticks, starts chanting to back up quarterback's name. It was David Carr. And it's like, we want Carr. And I'm the starting quarterback. And in the same instant, the head coach, Mike Singletary, something had happened. I think maybe on this, again, I did have a bonehead play on this fumble, and he comes over and he's getting in in my face. And here's this... I just know this defense head coach who has no idea, I think, where I was at and what I was dealing with. He's coming over and he's in my face on the sidelines. It's a national TV game. I got the whole stadium, chant in the backup for his name. And it was a moment of me, a little bit of rock bottom. Again, I was holding on so tight, and these were the very people that I trying so hard to please. And I think for me, a moment of finally like, this isn't working.

[00:35:37]

I love the stories. This isn't working. And luckily enough, right there after that, we hired this crazy guy, Urban's best friend, Jim Harbaugh as head coach. And this is a guy that played quarterback for 15 years in the NFL, Jim, and he played for the Chargers, the San Diego Chargers, when I was growing up. And so I remember him watching him as a Charger fan. And if there's one thing Jim embodies is he does not care what other people think. This guy, again, I've joked about it, the pleated khakis, the tucked in sweatshirt, man, this guy truly doesn't care what other people think. Again, and I was consumed with what other people thought. Yes. And it was just a perfect... It was what I needed then and definitely had a profound impact on the rest of my career.

[00:36:32]

You got us. We were talking about more games other than that Chief's game. It was that divisional round game when the Saints came out there, back and forth. I was hurt. I was hurt, but man, that hurt. That was my rookie year. That was my rookie year. That 2011 game, the San Francisco, Saint, back to back, NFC divisional round.Unbelievable.

[00:36:52]

Playoff game.Yeah..

[00:36:54]

Vernon Davis, you hit him up the side. I was at home. I needed them play off. They're still coming in, man.

[00:37:03]

The Bounty Gate game. That game was a great game.

[00:37:07]

While we're talking college football, huge rivalry game this week, Utah and BIO. I grew up East Coast, right? I know about the Ohio States and the Floridas and the great stuff down in the Sunshine State in Texas. But growing up, like you say, Utah and BIO, I think you think, Oh, probably nice unassuming people, maybe some snowcap mountains. It should be really bucolic and pretty and just a normal football game. I've since learned that I'm incorrect. What was your moment where you were like, Oh, this is BIO versus Utah?

[00:37:44]

Yeah, The Holy War. I mean, anything the church versus the state, Rob.

[00:37:49]

The Church versus the State.

[00:37:51]

T-shirts, man. We're printing T-shirts right now.

[00:37:53]

Obviously, I didn't know about its intensity at all growing up, even on the West Coast. Again, these were schools that had been in the Wack and then the Mountain West, and certainly now are in the Big 12. But I think it had been flying under the radar. Certainly, my freshman year, getting up on campus is probably my biggest exposure to it. It was the last game of the season every single year. Regardless of record, it was its own season. You could be having a horrible year, but you win that game. There was something, at least. And that's exactly what it was my freshman year. Again, the coach got fired. It was a disaster, but we played them up in Salt Lake my freshman year. And I didn't play in the game, but remember, obviously, the intensity of it. And all week, you're watching videos of the old tapes and the history of it. It obviously went back such a long time. And then a guy that really threw gas on the fire is the guy above you here in the windows, Irvin. He had brought the the flavor from the Ohio State, Michigan rivalry to the Holy War.

[00:39:06]

And all of a sudden it was the team down south. He flipped it on us and us at Utah. We couldn't even say their name. It wasn't allowed. And I think the The whole thing was just, again, the leaning into the rivalry. This is what's amazing about sport, especially college sport. And again, we couldn't say their name. Like, all of a sudden, urinal cakes are out and you're pissing on Like, you are you cougars. Where do you buy urinal cakes, Coach?

[00:39:37]

Did you have a urinal cake guy in charge of that?

[00:39:40]

Cel phones had to get rid of all that stuff.

[00:39:42]

But all the year- It got a little So they were definitely... I remember in the offseason, you're doing Matt Drolls, you're doing conditioning. It's certainly a focus of our entire talk all season was large goals to accomplish. But even embedded in that, you talked about your rival, you talked about the team down south. And again, it was just such a point of motivation. And for us, so unique, the schools are only 45 minutes apart. And I think, Rob, to get to the point of why it's so intense. I mean, it's pretty inbred. The households are torn apart. Kyle Winningham went to BIO. I mean, this guy has won more games in Utah, I think, than anybody. Kalani, their head coach, was at Utah. And again, homes divided. Look at our quarterback, Isaac Wilson right now. His brother, Zack, went to BIO. Almost every house in Utah is exactly like that. They're just torn apart, and you're one or the other, really, right? Because it's the two main schools. No offense to Utah State. It's the two schools. Just incredibly, incredibly intense. Again, I do think that how intertwined it is is what makes it so unique.

[00:40:55]

We always have some fun, man. Coach, we got Matt Liner on our crew with us, man. Coach always says in '04 that you guys would have beat the Trojan's international Championship. Here we go.

[00:41:07]

Hell, yes, Mark.

[00:41:08]

Oh, hell, yeah.

[00:41:10]

Honestly, this is the messed-up thing. I'm glad we're getting into this. There's obviously been 20 years. This is just sitting on my chest. No playoff. We go undefeated. We waxed everybody that year. I mean, Texas A&M came up and got 50 hung on them.

[00:41:25]

Oregon-700 yards on North Carolina.

[00:41:27]

Let them have it, bro.

[00:41:29]

Let them I had it. I think people... We had dudes playing the NFL, Sioni Puja, Chris Kimiatu. We had some dudes up front, and there was this idea that maybe we couldn't play with the big schools. It just wasn't true. And somehow a one loss. Well, didn't USC have one loss or did Oklahoma have the one loss here? Somehow they get in the international Championship. It still baffles me.

[00:41:53]

We spoke about the ability to overcome adversity, that everything's not always just sunshine and rainbows. I I love that so much because people just think it's just always just one way, just up, up. No, it's valleys, it's depths. You got to fight through the dark times and the dark moments. And I think our world just needs to have that mindset. They're like, hey, it's not always easy. It's going to be tough. And you get better. The measure of a man, the measure of your character becomes how you handle that, how you handle that, how you overcome that, diversity. Just your ability to overcome that, diversity in football. You're a tremendous family, man. I follow the stories about your daughter, how strong she is, how strong your family is for her. And just tell the world, man. Encourage somebody today, man. What helps you to have that mindset? What helps you to keep that positivity for yourself, for your family? And how can you just spread that through the world, man?

[00:42:49]

Yeah, I think you brought up a good point. I don't think you realize, we all don't realize, I think, the effect we have on the people around us. And it's not always the things you say. It's more about, I think, the things you do and the example you set. And man, I'm so lucky. Again, I'm actually heading down later today to go down to San Antonio, Texas. And down in San Antonio, it's the Brook Army Medical Center, which is the largest military medical center, I think, in the world. I mean, it's the only level one trauma unit for every branch of the military. And this is where I did my rehab for my leg. And it's a special place down there called the Center for the Intrepid. With Veterans Day coming up, this is a place that changed my life. I was feeling sorry for myself when I broke my leg and the infection came in and they were talking about amputating it and all the surgeries. I was ashamed of my leg, embarrassed by it. Just pity party for myself, like how unlucky. And again, for months and months, stuck in a wheelchair, just wallowing in my own selfishness.

[00:43:58]

And then I get this chance. This Secretary Defense Designation, which is for civilians to have access to military medical care. And I got to go down to this amazing place. And it was really humbling, right? Because I was just playing football and you don't feel like you belong with our servicemen and women who literally sacrifice life and limb. And it's this center that's specifically for limb injuries, for leg injuries. Again, because over the decades in the Middle East, all these servicemen and women coming back from the roadside bombs and IEDs. So they built this special facility just for this. And here I am again. I go down there, my leg is all wrapped up. I don't even want to show it. Again, I'm just thinking about all the things I'll never be able to do again. And I go down there and they, man, they have this really cool philosophy. They believe in this thing called group suck. And so most physical therapy places, you do your physical therapy in a one on one situation. You go to a back room, you're on a table, you're doing your things. It's a very private, intimate thing.

[00:44:57]

Not at this place. It's specially designed So that everybody does their rehab out in the open. It's like one big open facility. Man, I go there again. I got my leg wrapped up. I'm hiding behind it. Again, ashamed. And man, there's double amputees, horrible burn victims, a bunch of people with injuries just like mine, man, and the scars are out in the open. They're bearing it all, and they are moving forward. They're charging. They were doing stuff in there that was, I mean, insane. And the impact it had on me to see that. And again, nothing they said. It was just the attitude, the mindset towards the adversity, leaning into the struggle. It changed my life. It's a day I will never forget. It's the first day I ever said out loud that I wanted to play football again, right? As scared as I was. I couldn't even stand on my leg. I'm on crutches with a metal cage bolted to my leg. And again, I just think the power of it, right? The power that you can have on one another, the seeds of hope that it planted for me, right? That there maybe was a future for me to stop looking in the rear view mirror, right?

[00:46:14]

And start looking forward to what can I do? It was the first place that made me curious, what do I have left? And changed my life. And it's no different than the teammates and coaches I've had throughout my career. It's the same thing, the same Coach Meyer, the effect you have on the people around you, you just don't realize the magnitude of it sometimes. And so for me, I take that forward. It's a challenge. Can I be that for anybody else? And certainly, a lot of people reach out to me that are going through things, physical trauma, certainly a lot of tib-fibs out there. And again, the challenge can it potentially be, you don't know who's watching. Can I potentially be that for somebody else is This is really cool.

[00:47:02]

Tell us what triggered your podcast, The Glue Guys, and what you guys hope to achieve with it.

[00:47:09]

Yeah. For everybody out there, it's with Shane Badier and Revi Gupta.

[00:47:14]

Shane Badier.

[00:47:15]

Yeah. I think just the connection of what makes great teams. I'm such a product of great teams and everything I've done. Going back to the '04 Utah team, to anything I did at the professional level, and even my rehab. Again, I just mentioned, I had such a great team, the military and my doctors and PTs that there's no way. I think people see the end result. They saw when I ran out there on the field two years later. But I didn't do that by myself. And certainly as a quarterback, I realized that I get way too much credit for things. And I'm just the result of great teams. And that's what the pot of blue guys is about, right? And on every team at the core of them, you got a bunch of guys that do what's best for the team. They put the team first, the scrappy guys, right? Like a Blue Guys, a basketball term. The guys grab a bunch of rebounds. They don't get the points, but you need them on your team to win, right? And every team has them. In football, so many of the special teams guys that do all the dirty work, change games.

[00:48:24]

It's about celebrating that, right? Team culture, good team culture, winning culture, the people that play all the different roles in that. And it's fun to explore. And it's no different in the business world. And I think that's the unique things that we jump into. It's not just in sports. It's all over the place. So it's been a ton It's been fun. Those two guys are the stars of the show, Shane and Ravi. So it's fun.

[00:48:50]

It's a great one. I highly recommend. I listen to it all the time now.

[00:48:53]

I know Alex. I know it very well. I got my two stars above me, and I just hang around. Hey, Alex, thanks for joining us. Safe travels down to San Antonio. I can't wait to see that. I'm assuming that's a feature that's coming up. Yeah, it'll be a piece.

[00:49:06]

It'll come out.

[00:49:07]

Yeah, that should be great.

[00:49:09]

Go Uts. Let's go.

[00:49:11]

Continued success. I know there's plenty more chapters to be written in your story in your book, and Coach will definitely write the foreword for you. Just give him an autograph copy.

[00:49:19]

I'm going to hold him to that. There you go.

[00:49:21]

Alex Smith, man. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

[00:49:23]

Thanks for having me on, guys.

[00:49:24]

All right, welcome back to the Triple Option I'm presented by The Wendy's. Right now, we're going to take a look at Coach of the Year. Resumes brought to you by our great partner, ZipRecruiter. Try ZipRecruiter for free. Ziprecruiter. Com/options. Ziprecruiter, the smartest way to hire. We're going to look at some Coach of the Year resumes. Last year, it was won by your new head coach right now, Mark Calin-Dvor, when he was with Washington. In '22, those Horn Frogs, Sunny Dykes down there at TCU and Jim Harbaugh in '21. Let's Here are some of the candidates right now. Coach, let's start with Kurt Signetti, because I think we all agree he's at the top of the list or certainly really close to it.

[00:50:10]

Kurt Signetti, a lot has been said, and I probably got a little bit more insight just because the way I watch film, I've done it for 37 years. There's things that I might notice that maybe Mark probably does as well, but I see things that most people don't see. I think there's a fine line between recruiting coaching. They're both what it takes to be successful. But I always tell people the guy that makes the one-handed catch over the top of two people in the end zone, that's God touched them and said, Let's make a great player. But the perimeter blocking, the goal line stand when everybody's in the proper gaps, there are just so many things that I see Indiana do. And how about this? I'm going to talk about this because they're playing each other. But who would have I thought, 365 removed from the worst team in the Big Ten. They're playing the best team in the Big Ten a year ago, and they're a 14.5 favorite. I'll tell you what, if someone would have... If Bear Bites were throwing a couple of bucks on that one, Mark. He'd be flying private to Big News.

[00:51:20]

He'd be eating. I mean, think about this. So Kurt Signetti is absolutely- He's not missing any meals.

[00:51:24]

He's all right. He's still eating.

[00:51:26]

Kurt Signetti is obviously a candidate, and Unless something changes, to me, he gets to be hopefully.

[00:51:32]

I don't know how it can change. What he's done already with that record and in position to get into Columbus in a couple of weeks unbeaten for a shot at the Big Ten Championship game. My goodness. You got one more, though. I like this next one, too. This is a good one.

[00:51:46]

Jeff Munk. Jeff and I have known each other a long time. I went to speak to his team. I've known him for a long time. You talk about coaching. There's not one player on that army team that probably got many scholarship offers it any to play Division One football. When you see their linemen, Mark, I mean, I swear they're 5, 10, 5, 11. I mean, they're rugged, tough guys to play together.

[00:52:11]

They're a bunch of Mark Ingrams on the line. Is that what you're telling me?

[00:52:14]

Hey, if they had that, they'd know I'd be clawing and scratching them. You can't measure what's in here.

[00:52:21]

You can't measure what's in here, though.

[00:52:22]

Coachable cats, though, Urban, right? Coachable dudes, for sure.

[00:52:24]

I mean, coachable, and now you got to... I mean, they don't stop. I've coached against Army Navy, Air Force, and they do not stop. I always tell people it's a nightmare playing in a Service Academy. It's even double nightmare when they're an undefeated Service Academy. That's what you got with Munkin and the Army.

[00:52:42]

All right, Coach, you got two guys. Mark, you're also bringing two into the conversation as well.

[00:52:47]

Yeah. Since it's two for Coach or two for me, might as well make it the douce douce. It's only right for the two, too. But, man, we got to show love to Mario Cristobal down there. Got Miami 9-0 for the second time in 22 years, they're looking to win their first ever AC Championship. You gave us that saucy nug a while ago, Stone.

[00:53:09]

That's hard to believe.

[00:53:10]

They have never won an AC Championship. Are you serious here? Pretty crazy. Yeah, he has them bawling, man. And you talk about those tough victories they had for a three-week stretch versus Virginia Tech, Cal, Louisville. You easily dropped one of those games. You're out of the conversation. And he was able to rally his team to come back on the road at Cal, come back on the road against Louisville. They were able to win those games. This is the team. They have a favorable schedule moving out. They're looking like they'll be on a collision course with whoever in the ACC Championship, maybe Clemson. We'll see. But Mario Cristobal has done an amazing job. They were three and five in conference play last year, seven and six overall. So they've already beat their win season total from last year. And they're undefeated, have probably the number one guy for the highest man right now in Cam Ward. So he's just done an unbelievable job down there in South Florida, about.

[00:54:01]

I think the knock, though, Mark, I agree with you, but I think the knock might be like, he should have gotten this program there a little bit quicker. I think that's maybe why people are a little hesitant. Hey, at least you got him there, right?

[00:54:10]

Hey, he's there right now. It's not about the coach of the past year or the past two years. It's about the coach of this year. And this year, they're undefeated. All right. And control their own destiny to a playoff birth.

[00:54:22]

So I hear you, Coach.

[00:54:25]

I hear you, Stoneer. But the man is doing it right now.

[00:54:28]

Okay.

[00:54:29]

The man is doing it right now.

[00:54:30]

Give me one more. Take me out West.

[00:54:31]

Then you talk about the Fighting Cougs out there. You know what I mean? Kalani Sataki. This was a team who lost five in a row to end their season last year. They come back, they're picked to finish last in the Big 12 this year, and all they do is come out and ball. They come out every single week, they ball. They play tough defense. They play solid offense. Offense is getting better and better. They're getting healthy. They got their backs. They got their receivers. They play special teams. That's all coaching. When you You got three phases all playing complementary football, that is a tremendous coaching job. You know that, Coach Meyer. If you ain't a good coach, you ain't going to have a good special teams unit. A good coach, a great coach, has a good special teams unit, a strong defense, a good offense. They all come together and play complementary football. So he's done an amazing job at BIO. They're 8-0. They got the Holy War against your youths coming up. Ain't it right, Coach?

[00:55:23]

Yeah, we're going to talk about that one in a second. Big.

[00:55:25]

Those are my two guys I got leading the candidacy. The candidacy for Coach of the Year.

[00:55:32]

Just so you remember, the conversation was to pick one guy, and then you guys went rogue and picked two. I'm staying by the rules here, and I got one. I'm a front runner. I'm going Dan Lanning. What he's done at Oregon with the expectations, You said he's been, got them there. He got them there immediately, man. Asap. A couple of little offensive line struggles in those opening weeks, and he sorted that out. Things I look for in a coach, and you guys might look at different cats, I'm looking at recruiters. I'm looking for motivators, winners, and thinkers. All right. So Dan Lanning, 31 and 5 overall, 9 and 0 this season, number one in the AP poll. That's winning, right? Recruiting three straight top 10 recruiting classes. They have the number one class right now for 2026. So he's got that. We talk about motivating his words, right? All we have to do is go back to pregame last year against Colorado. They're fighting for clicks. We're fighting for wins. I can just tell that dudes get in that locker room and he's able to instantaneously rally his troops. And then as far as thinking, this dude literally forced a midseason rule change because he found a timing loophole in that victory over Ohio State.

[00:56:45]

I think Dan Lanning is the complete package. But if I had to vote, it's going up to Bloomington. I think we all agree with what the Hoosiers have been doing.

[00:56:52]

Great candidate, so man.

[00:56:54]

Great choice. A tremendous year for coaching. I agree with you. Time now for Pick 6 brought to you by Bet MGM. Place your money line prop Parlay and same game, parlay bets at Bet MGM. Download the app today. As always, please gamble responsibly. Six games against the spread. Mark's got his deuce-deuce dog of the week. He's always trying to steal my dogs lately, I've noticed. Keep your paws off my dogs, Mark Ingram.

[00:57:18]

I don't really love my dogs.

[00:57:19]

I know. That's why you keep leaning over to me. Let's start in the Big Ten. Michigan is five and four. Michigan, the defending national champs, five and four against I said it.

[00:57:31]

Everybody thought I was crazy. Everybody thought I was crazy.

[00:57:34]

Spread 14 and a half, right? Only five unbeatens remain in FBS. Yes, the Hoosiers are one of them. And this Michigan team, Coach, they've dropped three of their last four.

[00:57:46]

Yeah, my gosh. One year difference. Like I said earlier, that Indiana had the worst record, the Big Ten, a coach on the chopping block, and one of the worst rosters in college football. One year ago, and the Wolverines had an all One of the best teams in recent history, maybe history, last year, behind an iconic head coach and arguably one of the top two, three, maybe number one roster, loaded with NFL talent. Here you are, and IU is now a 14, five-point favorite. It's an absolute mismatch on the numbers, but I don't know. I think the Wolverines might keep a little closer just because they do have some talent there. But Wolverines are 500 in league play. Kyrkoskeleti, it's a mismatch. How about this? Oregon or Indiana, number two scoring offense faces the 116th ranked scoring offense. So the number 2 offense against one of the worst. Number 7 defense, scoring defense against a team that's outside the top 50 in scoring defense. So this has the writing on the wall. 14 and a half, though, against the Wolverines. That's a tough cover. Big number. I'm going with my Coach of the Year candidate. They're going to cover that bad boy.

[00:59:07]

I'm going to put Indiana cover in 14 and a half.

[00:59:10]

I went back and forth on that. Two, by the way, the Signetti T-shirts in Bloomington that go with the Marlborough type look and everything, the Sigs. So good, man. They've done such a great job. I'm so happy for that community. Google me. I win. He's not wrong. Two ranked matchups this week, guys, and both of them, courtesy the SEC. Georgia, five and one in conference. What a surprise. They're tied with the Aggies on top of the SEC. Third road game against a ranked opponent for the Bulldogs this year. That is some street cred right there, what they're having to do week in and week out. They came from behind at the half to take care of Florida last week. Coach, you were talking about it on big noon. What Georgia are we going to see? Are we going to see the A team of Georgia, or are we going to see the B team of Georgia? The A team is unbeatable. The B team is very beatable. I think for the first half, we saw the B team of Georgia and Florida had the lead, a much-improved Florida team. Georgia able to flick that switch and turn it on in the second half.

[01:00:12]

Again, this, though, despite Carson Beck, man, these numbers from Carson Beck are really alarming.

[01:00:18]

I'm not sure I've ever seen that, Rob. I've never seen this from a high-speed candidate.

[01:00:22]

Not anymore.

[01:00:24]

He leads the SEC with 11 interceptions. Carson Beck, 11 picks thrown. He leads FBS over the last four weeks with eight interceptions thrown. And then a totally different story for Ole Miss and their quarterback, Jackson Dart. He's got the number one passing offense in FBS this season, 377 yards a game. Dart completes almost 72% of his passes, 24 total touchdons, just three interceptions. You go to last week against Arkansas, 5:15, six passing touchdowns, zero picks. And then, as we mentioned last week, this Ole Miss D, guys, it's legit. Number six scoring defense in the FBS, they only allow 13 points a game. The Rush defense, number 2 in FBS, allowing under 85 a game. Most sacks in FBS with 41, including 18 sacks in the last two games. It is hotty totty season down there. Ole Miss, they keep their playoff hopes alive with a home upset over Georgia. Yeah, Yeah. If you want a piece of that dog, you can have it, Mark. Or I could offer you 6-2 Alabama, three-point favorites, both programs at 6-2. Tigers, they did have a buy week, licked their wounds after that defeat to Texas A&M.

[01:01:45]

That would have been an easy dog to take if they were underdogs.

[01:01:48]

Right? I think it's fair to say this is a playoff elimination type game. Two programs, six and two, very much in the mix, have great pedigree, and I think the loser of this one is done for the season. How do you see it?

[01:02:03]

You are exactly right, Stone. All right. You got that right, Stone. Stone.

[01:02:09]

I know what you're referencing.

[01:02:12]

You got that right, Rob. You talk about this game is always just huge, man. This game just always has massive implications, and there's no difference this year. Both teams, you said same record, fighting for their college football playoff lives. And last time, they're both coming off a bye week. How fortunate. But I think both teams needed it. You have LSU who came off a tough loss to A&M before their buy week. You have Bama who struggled trying to get to the bye week with healthy, just regroup, refocus. And now it's time. And I got Alabama in this one. You know I got my crimson tight in this one. I'm trying to figure out everywhere I can to get there. I'm trying to figure out everywhere I can to get there, but I'm telling you the difference. Obviously, we know about they trust in us, Gareth Nusmaier. This electric offense, they're going to put up a lot of points. I think it's going to be a shootout. But I think the difference is going to be Jalen Melro. He had a week off to just refocused, to re-get his confidence, re-get his focus. And we saw Marcel Reid for A&M have a huge game versus him using his legs on the ground.

[01:03:20]

That was the difference when A&M came back to be LSU. It was his ability to change the game with his legs. I think it would be no different for Jalen Melro on the road, being able to utilize his legs, being able to use his play make ability to extend plays, to get out of trouble, and turn bad plays into positive plays, and take care of the football. We've been turning the football over. The defense has been playing a lot better, but the offense hadn't met him to his time. Earlier in the year, the offense was playing great. The defense wasn't. Now the defense is playing a lot better, and the offense has to catch up. So now, after this bye week, hopefully they could bring both things together, mesh both things together, and get a win in a tough place in Tiger Stadium in Death Valley at night. One of the That's the toughest venue to play in at night in Death Valley. Them folks ain't going to be playing, man. They're going to have Mike the Tiger right there outside the visitor's locker room.

[01:04:11]

How close do you get to Mike the Tiger when you're-Right there.

[01:04:15]

He was right over my shoulder, but I'm over here.

[01:04:17]

I mean, two feet.

[01:04:19]

Let's go. I'm like, Oh, I'm from Michigan. That's a whole Tiger, man. I ain't never seen no Tiger. It's a hazard right here. But no, I got the I'm not taking this one, man. I'm sorry Bayou Bangers. You all ain't been to the playoff anyway, other than freaking Burwell a while ago. So just let us handle this. Let us handle this. All right.

[01:04:41]

Big noon kickoff this week, guys. We are in Lubic, Texas. Texas Tech, 6-3, three-and-a-half point favorite over Colorado. That one live on Fox. Buffs, they used their buy week to fire up the Travis Hunter for Heisman campaign. Travis Travis flew out from, I think he was actually in Texas hanging out with Coach Prime, doing some fishing. Then they flew him up to Penn State, joined us on the set. Colorado currently tied for second in the Big 12 standings. Mark, you mentioned at BIO, all alone up top. They're tied with Iowa State at 4-1. The cyclones took a loss last week.

[01:05:18]

How are they tied if BIO is undefeated?

[01:05:21]

No, they're tied with Iowa State.

[01:05:24]

Oh, yeah, but didn't Iowa State just lose?

[01:05:26]

They did. They're tied at 4-1 in conference But BIO hasn't lost yet. I know. They're not tied with BIO. Bio is all alone in first. Oh, okay. My bad.

[01:05:34]

Colorado is tied with Iowa State. I ain't listening. My fault.

[01:05:37]

That's all right. Listening is hard sometimes. It is. Colorado. Yeah, just ask your kids. Colorado, they've won five of their last six. The only loss, it was a three-point defeat to Kansas State. They don't have any remaining games against ranked opponents. So they got Texas Tech this Saturday, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma State. The Buffs, yeah, you bet they've got a path to the Big 12 Championship game and to the playoffs. Yeah, this is legit, guys. This is why we're big noon kickoff. It's heading down to Lubbock to keep an eye on what Texas Tech is. But also, Coach Prime has got his Buffs. He had a chance to play into the postseason. They're at a really underrated Texas Tech side that upset then unbeaten Iowa State. In Ames last week. Here's the dilemma, though. Red Riders, number one scoring offense in the Big 12. Worst scoring defense in the conference, plus multiple turnovers in four straight games. They have a certified stud at tailback. Taj Brooks, 100 plus rushing yards.

[01:06:32]

What do you know about Taj?

[01:06:33]

Taj, 100 plus rushing yards in all eight games that he has played this year. He's averaging almost 131 a game. That's second most in the Big 12. Two straight seasons with a thousand yards rushing and 10 rushing touch downs. Lubik, man, it's going to be frothy. It's going to be in a frenzy. Big noon is going to be there. I want to say they pull off the upset. But the rest did buff with the pathway to the Big 10 title and the playoff somehow sneak out of Lubic with the win and cover it. That's life in the Big 12. Maybe the most entertaining conference this year with just the parody and the chaos.

[01:07:10]

I see you showing love to the R-Beast, though, Stoneer.

[01:07:12]

You like that? You know we love that. I did that, too.

[01:07:14]

We love to show the back's love. I see you.

[01:07:17]

Hey, let's stay in the Big 12. A game we talked about, B-Y-U, 8-0, four-point favorite in Salt Lake City at a Utah team that was picked to win the Big 12. Here they are, 4-4. B-y-u is picked to finish 13th, control their play off, destiny, and it is a monster rivalry game, one that you know firsthand, Coach.

[01:07:38]

Yeah, nasty rivalry game. B-y-u is one of those teams, the team that can't be beat, won't be beat. It's just one of those teams. We saw them score against Oklahoma State on the last play to go win the game. We saw them in person. The energy is big. Salt Lake City is about a 40-minute haul right down a little bit north of Provo. So they'll be a bunch of blue scattered in that beautiful red stadium. I tried to keep him out of there, and I was there. But I don't know, man. Like you said, BIO is 13th at preseason pick. My Uts were number one. It's been a show on offense ever since Cam RISE is down. They're averaging 12 points a game. Their quarterback, Isaac Wilson, has more turnovers than touch downs.

[01:08:23]

Zack Wilson's little brother.

[01:08:24]

Not very good. But the defense, Utah's typical Morgan Scali. He's going He's going to be the next head coach in waiting for Utah when Kyle decides to step down. They're number one in total defense, number one third down defense, number one red zone defense of the Big 12. So this could be a low scoring affair. Bio's top 25 in both scoring offense, scoring defense. Oh, man, I'm not sure I'll be welcome back in Salt Lake if I don't do it. But I think this is going to be a walk-off, low-scoring game, and I think Utah covers the spread. It started at It's at four and a half. It's at four. Vegas might know something. It's going down. I think they take care of the ball today. That quarterback's got to take care of the ball. Very low-scoring game. I think B to B while you might win it, but it's going to be real close.

[01:09:14]

Speaking of shrinking lines. How about what's happening in Happy Valley right now? Penn State down to a 13 and a half point home favorite over a five and four Washington team. Remember, last week we were there, Beaver Stadium, record crowd, saw James Franklin drop his 11th straight top five game. It's a whiteout on Saturday night, a whiteout with Washington in town. Mark, how do you see it?

[01:09:41]

Man, it was 16, and I didn't like that number. I really didn't like that number, but the 13, I don't know. It's like right on the cusp for me.

[01:09:53]

That's what Vegas does. They're good at that stuff.

[01:09:55]

Right on the cusp for me. But when I talk about the Huskies, they're just a scrappy team, and they've lost two games by double digits, right? So against Iowa, they got punished, and against Indiana, they lost by 14. So they're a scrappy team. They fought hard and beat USC last week. Then you have Penn State just had a tragic ending to their game, right? Can't get in from the three-yard line, right? Does this frustration-First and goal. Does this frustration carry over and linger a little bit? I think they get the win, but I think the Huskies will play them tough. So I'm going to take them to cover this spread. I'm going to take them to cover. And therefore, that'll be your dog of the week. But what do I know? So please don't put any money on it on my behalf.

[01:10:50]

You know plenty, man. You're the deuce deuce dog of the week. What would I know?

[01:10:52]

I don't know anything.

[01:10:54]

You're a high school winner. You're a national champion.

[01:10:56]

My dog's actually a cat. The dog meows. It's a cat dog. So So who really knows? There you go.

[01:11:03]

Here's what we do know, Mark. Interesting times at Penn State right now. We mentioned James Franklin, another loss, and then the way it happened last week to Ohio State. And then after the game, he had this interaction with a fan.

[01:11:17]

What's your name?

[01:11:25]

You don't be mad enough to call him. What's your name?

[01:11:29]

Ring the bell, and then the fan who's talking smack, walks away. Listen, we know this happens at high level athletics all the time. It doesn't have to be collegiate or whatnot. It's tough not to have those rabbit ears sometimes, Coach, I can imagine, right? Because there are so many things that you guys, players, coaches, staff, must hear on the sideline that you just have to look straight ahead and pretend that you haven't heard anything. But I think my advice is always just, just ignore it and move on. But boy, in the moment, it must be awfully, awfully hard and challenging.

[01:12:07]

Yeah, I'm surprised they let him get there. I always had two people with me that would never let me even because I'd lose my cooking He's not a person. James is not Ron. You're a human being. You get it right. Someone swings at you, swing a little harder back. However, his people should have never let him get over there and just keep walking them in. So there's accountability all the way around, head You can say head coaches get paid a lot of money. I get that. But when media people take unwarned shots at people and people, you're still a human being. So, yeah, I think people are going to jump all over him and all that. I'm not. He's a grown man. A grown man don't need to be talked to you like that. Are you going to have to answer for it? I think the people should never let him get close to that scenario.

[01:12:53]

He was going to ring a bell, right? What's that about? I don't know. Teach me something. What's the bell for?

[01:12:58]

End of the game, they ring that bell right there on the top of the field.

[01:13:00]

Even if you take an L? Yeah, he walked by that bell.

[01:13:04]

Yeah. Well, it wasn't a hefty ring.

[01:13:08]

But I'm interested about that. Some people are going to say, Oh, he's got to be bigger than that. Wait a minute now.

[01:13:15]

He really could have went crazy. He really could have went crazy.

[01:13:16]

He didn't even do nothing. Someone is saying, Hey, you guys stink, or something like that. That's different. But you get personal with someone, you got a right to defend yourself. So I think he should avoid that situation altogether and never even get close to that. To me, I'd meet with the administrator and said, Never let that happen. And then also I'd find out who that human being was that's saying... Now, once again, I guess you buy a ticket for a couple of hundred bucks, you can say the team stinks and all that, but you go after someone, you're not welcome in that stadium anymore. You got to go. I think it's a two-way street. I've changed over the years on that. I mean, once again, I'm an older guy now, too. Someone takes a swing at you, you swing back only a little bit.

[01:13:56]

Damn right. Listen, he didn't even He didn't really say nothing crazy. He just said, If you're going to talk, what's your name? He really could have said something crazy, but he didn't. So I'm like-Imagine media people are going to take shots at it because they think, well, coaches and players-Forget the media people.

[01:14:12]

Wait a minute. Coaches and There's no way that players are robber human beings now.

[01:14:16]

Listen, nobody hurts more than a coach and a player after a loss. I don't care what fan you are, how much money you spent. Nobody cares about winning or losing more than those coaches and those players. So you got something to say out the side of your neck, You're going to hear about it. People always think, Oh, you could say this to whoever. You could do this to whoever. You can't do that. No. People is growing up.

[01:14:38]

There's no accountability anymore, right? Everybody's just like this.

[01:14:41]

Same with media. When people say stuff that's not... You're like, Wait, what?

[01:14:46]

You have a job to do, but you could do it the right way. Just look at how we were at Penn State last week in the Kelsey situation. He got on TV and apologized about it last night. I don't think he needed to apologize. But you come over here talking crazy, talking derogatory, talking off the side of your neck to someone who has pride, who is proud about their name, who respects people, treats people the right way, but not going to let nobody disrespect them, then you got to deal with the consequences sometimes.

[01:15:12]

And what are they doing, Mark? They're sitting there with their phones filming it. They are literally poking it there, trying to get a reaction out of you for their Instagram hit to their ex files.

[01:15:22]

You want to do all this talking and all this tough, and then when something bad happened to you, you want to cry Wolf.

[01:15:27]

What's the first thing that cat did when he walked away like They're scared like a scared rabbit, man. Because you really don't want to smoke for real.

[01:15:34]

You really don't want to smoke for real. They talk all this mess, and you talk crazy to people behind a phone or on social media. Like, no, bro. People have grown, man, with families that treat people the right way, respect people the right way, but don't handle disrespect the right way. You feel me? I don't handle disrespect the right way. I don't take it lightly. And so when you do stuff like that, man, you got to sometimes got to deal with the repercussions of your actions.

[01:15:57]

Let's just be nice, people. Let's be nice and respectful. Simple solution. We don't have to do that. We love college football. We're super passionate about it. I want to remind you we've got-But you will get beat up. Yes. I'll be right behind Mark. Get him, Mark. We've got some live streams coming up. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel at 3xOptions. So you can get alerts every time we go live. We're going live every time those college football playoff rankings come out. You can follow us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast, as well as across social media at 3xOptionsShow. Again, please submit those questions. We love to interact with our fans. And new episodes come your way every Wednesday. As always, thank you to our sponsors, Wendy's Bet MGM and ZipRecruiter. Enjoy the college football this week.