CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK PREVIEW

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Hello, welcome to Unnecessary Roughness Championship Edition. Unnecessary Roughness with some steaks. Unnecessary Roughness sponsored by Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea. I got the peach in front of me right now. Oh, it's cold. Thank you, Lukey. I got the half and half. Although, considering it's six degrees outside right now, everything's cold. Can I say something? Yeah. I love it being this cold. No, you don't. I do. Nobody does. I do. I do so much. It's not even that cold outside. You're not that cold. None of you actually. It feels so neutral. Right. Thank you. Y'all are such crying pieces of shit, man. No, last night, I went out without my clothes. I got T-Bob a pass because he's never seen snow in his life, so he's still in the honeymoon phase. Yeah, it's fucking crazy. It's a winter wonderland out here. The Christmas vibes could not be higher. It is actually very cool for him that it's his first winter up here, and it is snowing already because a lot of people move up. Yeah. I was going to ask this question as we go forward. Thank you, Twisted Tea, for sponsoring this show. We love you, Twisted Tea. Nothing goes better than Twisted Tea. I got the OT. It's December 4th. Christmas is three weeks from today. What? It's December 4th. That's crazy. The question was, are you feeling it yet? No. Because T-Bob says he's feeling it. You feeling it? Yeah, I'm feeling it. I feel like we do this every year, but now we've added another head to the show who also did not grow up in cold weather, so I get a little annoyed when all the Southerners try to be like, oh, look at this joyous. It's nice. I'm like, you guys don't know shit. None of you know what the fuck it is. None of you grew up around snow, actual cold weather. We got Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, California, Vegas. None of you guys know what this shit's like. It's fucking brutal. But I would live in warm weather in a second if I could. I probably could. No question. You absolutely could, one. And two, I have been on the East Coast now. I mean, not just New York. When I moved to Boston, it's been over 10 years. And I will say this, 10 out of 10, you can always add more layers. You can put a million layers on. I love it. When it gets 100 degrees, 105 degrees every single day in the summer, it is fucking miserable. You're sweating on every inch of your body. Miss me with that. The cold weather is so lovely. Now it's cold. Not cold right now, but it can get pretty cold. But I'd cold 10 out of 10. I'd rather be snowing than fucking 105 every day. I'd rather. I'd rather be in the summer. Just give me a summer. If I may, for a second, advocate for being new to the snow and the weather and loving it. And I understand I'll eventually reach your point, Ev. I'm sure I'll fall prey to cynicism as well. But A, I keep saying this. I'm not going to jump there. And B, I think there might be. There might be a difference between city snow and suburb snow. When you're in the city and it's all gray and disgusting and muddy and full of piss and shit and human detritus and slushy versus like, I look out my window and all I see are picturesque trees and lawns and homes just covered in a wonderful white dress. I mean, they all look beautiful. I've never experienced anything like it. I've been in the Christmas spirit now for multiple weeks. We have garlic. And we're in the Christmas spirit. The tree's up. The ornaments and lights are going up on the tree tonight. Christmas is here. Every song I'm listening to hits harder. It's fun to wear heavy jackets. I love my snow boots. I got a snow blower doing that. And the driveway has been pretty fun thus far. I'm about to start salting my driveway. I love it. I fucking love it. And it's infinitely better than being so hot that you feel like you're going to die every time you step outside. All right. T-Bob, we'll go around the block quickly. We've got to go. We've got to get to these games. T-Bob, favorite Christmas song. Go. I know that Jerry's state claimant of this company, but ever since I was a little kid, it's always been the Christmas song. Chestnuts roasting on open fire. It's called the Christmas song. But yes, easily. That's also mine. And Jerry has not even ruined it. That's how much I love it. He sings it 24-7, 365 days a year. And it's also mine growing up. And then, oh, holy night, if we're going to go the Christian route. That one hits hard. All right. Wait, nobody else? Just me and T-Bob? You just know that you're a bitch. You just took mine. Oh, holy night is yours? I have said it every year, and you just did that. So that's fine. I don't think you can call me a bitch by saying I like oh, holy night. You religious bitch. Ev, what's yours? Give me the Mariah Carey. Give me the all I want for Christmas is you. That's what I'm slapping. Let me tell you something, Casey. I'm slapping Mariah. I've been having trouble getting in the Christmas spirit. I really have. And yesterday morning, I drive in so early. And I'm driving in, and I hit a Christmas thing, and it goes, I actually did oh, holy night radio. And I hit that, and I hit Silent Night. I'm easing. And then Mariah's song hits, and I just notice I'm fucking into it. Yup. Yup. All I want for Christmas is you just bangs. When it hits, she does a slow intro, and then it hits the dun-dun-dun, and then she just goes like- I don't want- Yeah. I would say- That's a fucking banger, dude. It is a banger. Mariah is the queen of Christmas, but if we're going Christmas pop, for me, Ariana Grande's Santa Tell Me is a bop. Ooh. That I cannot help but start to dance to. And I don't know if this is technically pop, but wham. Yeah. Right? I mean, wham is incredible at this time of year. Last Christmas, right? Yeah. Baby, It's Cold Outside? My daughters have been singing it. No. No. Baby, It's Cold Outside is a- That's a good one. It's also a little sus. If you really listen to the lyrics, there's a little- Well, I would ask you this, Casey. I had a female point this out to me one time, and I was like, oh, I think you're right, actually. She said it's not sus, because the point is, the woman wants it. She wants to stay. Yes. That he's not pressuring her, that it's a flirty back and forth between them. I would agree with that, and I do stay with that. Although, at some point, she does say, what is in this drink? At some point, she's like, yo, what did you put in my drink? Because now I'm all of a sudden wanting to say, I agree, she's looking for the excuse. She's doing the whole, hey, I don't actually want to leave, but I'm going to pretend like it. But then at some point, there seems like he might have slipped something in there. Beside the point, still a banger. When we talk about pop culture, Justin Bieber's "Drummer Boy" from when he was a child, that one hits pretty good, too. Nobody cares about Justin Bieber. With Ludacris, come on, Ludacris is hot in the streets right now. Use a hoe. We know this. What about "Good King Wenceslas"? We're just going to name every single song. "Dradle, dradle, dradle, I made it out of blood." "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"? That's like "Home Alone" style? Again, we're just naming all the songs now. So, I was talking to somebody recently, and we were, I don't know why the "Home Alone" guys came up, but he informed me that he lost his virginity, like accidentally with "Home Alone 2" on, like on ABC Family, like back when he was in high school. And I was like, that has to be such a weird feeling. I was like, because he's a grown man with a family. It's like, that has to suck. Like to know, like you're watching with your kids and you're just like, "Damn, lost my virginity this week." Yeah, but on the positive side, Tim Curry watched you lose your virginity. And I would love for Tim Curry to have watched me lose my virginity. Yeah, I lost mine to "Three Musketeers." "Three Musketeers" when Tim Curry was Cardinal Richelieu. I would have thought it would have been "Clue," Brandon. I'm surprised. Yeah. Anyway, let's go. Why Christmas, also? We have championship games this weekend. The movie is great as well. We have playoff discussions. We have all those things. It's going to be a quicker show, because not as many games. I just wrote down five questions that matter about these games. But I'll start off. We'll do the Venmo big game preview. Hi, Roughnecks. We'll be right back after this word from our sponsor. Stell Blue Coffee's new can lattes are here. And whether you're braving your morning commute or chasing your pup, Stell Blue cans are for those always on the go and for those who care. Stell Blue is more than just great coffee. Every purchase animal rescue organizations so when you drink Stella Blue you're not just fueling your day you're saving a dog's life try the new cans today taste the difference and make a difference all new Stella Blue coffee canned lattes now available at StellaBlueCoffee.com or subscribe on Amazon for 10% off and now back to the episode but yes the Big Ten Championship the number one versus number two team in the country Ohio State Indiana arguably and I know Diego Pavia is out there as well but arguably if one of these quarterbacks has a pretty good game probably the Heisman Trophy winning game of the year as well Brandon Walker would you agree with that so that was going to be my question I was going to lead it off with Big Ev seeing as his team is playing in it one of the negative Nelly's things that they say about this game and about all conference championship games are well they don't matter as much anymore it's a shame this doesn't matter yada yada yada I look at an Indiana team who would you know three years ago would kill for this opportunity to win a Big Ten Championship and still would I look at Ohio State team that's gone a couple years without winning it they absolutely want this Big Ten Championship and the role they've been on is too important to just end right now and then you have possibly the Heisman Trophy at stake so Big Ev what do you say to those negative Nancy's out there that say this game just doesn't matter no listen it matters listen does it matter the way it used to at a four-team playoff or something like that obviously not the stakes aren't quite the same but I think it still matters like winning your conference is still a big deal I mean that's kind of like the number one goal of every season it feels like is winning a conference in the conference um it definitely is big Heisman stakes I definitely agree on that I think it would take uh like a complete just defensive like 17-10 kind of game for Pavia to step up and win this which I don't think it's like completely out of the question but I think one of the quarterbacks will play well enough to to get it done no it definitely matters and I'll say selfishly from my point of view as an Ohio State fan I think it means a lot to me in the sense of I want to see the kind of focus and kind of effort they deliver coming off of this game I think it's going to be a big emotional dump like that was such a massive win for everyone in the program from day from the top down all the players wanted it for themselves but for day especially so so badly then how much he's he's just been eaten alive by the media and by everyone else for losing this game the last four years but that's kind of what I want to see I want to see like that focus that effort like I want to see the same level of intensity they've had every game of the season coming off such a big game like that but I do think we're I really do think we're just a little bit better everywhere like I genuinely believe that and I think that day has them in a mindset that like even though that I think even him doing the one with humility thing was a huge example to the team not just of like oh like I show class perspective but like hey we didn't just win a national title we beat Michigan we did what we were supposed to do now let's keep doing what we're supposed to do win the big 10 go on win national championship but I think we show up and we deliver like I I think we play really really well I think the defense dominates like it has every game I think it's like an Ohio State like 27 like 13 27 17 kind of win that's kind of how I envision this game going me and Liam are passing around our score predictor notepad right now and as we did last week when I believe I had 28 6 he had 35 10 it ended up being 27 9 actually I actually was a true story I don't know if I said it on the show I swear that was the number one question I and every single person that asked me I said 27 10 yeah and here because I was giving Michigan way too much respect they would score a touchdown shame on me here's the report the report from this room Brandon Walker says Ohio State 30 Indiana 21 Liam Blutman says Ohio State 35 Penn State uh Indiana 13 um so look he printed out these these lovely notes which I I really appreciate uh so when you look at at Indiana's offense though they are first in the big 10 in rush yards first in the big 10 yards per game they are fifth in yard and past yards per game and that to me I mean this is this is why I'm so excited about this game I absolutely think conference games matter but when you look at Ohio State's defense versus Indiana's offense this is by far the best offense uh that Ohio State is going to have faced uh I mean I know they played Texas week one but this is by absolutely hands down the best matchup uh that they have they're going to have I think Ohio State probably wins the game I think it's gonna be pretty close but I mean much on the line um of course they want to play but I mean this offense is really really really good and when you look at Ohio State's offense and how good they are they're third seventh second fourth in the conference and you look at Indiana and they're number one or number two across the board so I don't know I think it's gonna be a pretty close game of the top argue that we're also by far the best defense they've played yeah yeah 100 100 but I'm just saying that I am giving the credit to I mean that this is it comes down to I mean you look at the defense it's first first second first so yes absolutely of the top 10 defenses in the Big Ten this year Indiana played two of them they played Oregon they they looked uh you know good they played Iowa they didn't look good against Iowa they didn't play Michigan right they didn't play Washington they didn't play Northwestern they played oh excuse me excuse me they played a third team they played Penn State the eighth ranked defense in the Big Ten didn't look great so this Ohio State defense now now if you look at the worst defenses in the conference did Indiana play them did they play Purdue yeah did they play UCLA yeah did they play uh you know on and on and on yeah and yeah and yeah so like the point you just made is correct I believe this offense from Indiana is the best that that but you could also do that on the flip side for Ohio State's defense like go look at who's off with the offenses they played like you could do the exact same argument and I'm not trying to downplay Ohio State or Indiana but I don't this is a bigger issue with uh here's what you can't do I believe Ohio State I believe Indiana's offense really struggled when they played Iowa really struggled when they played Penn State you tell me who Ohio State's defense has struggled against I don't know that I've seen them struggle against anybody I don't even know what offense I would say is the best offense they faced it's that bad not Ohio State I'm saying that that that schedule is that bad and it's not their fault what is the probably in Illinois I would imagine it's the best office right so that so that's the thing is Washington it's easy and I'm you know I'm sitting I'm sitting looking at it from the SEC standpoint but it's also like these big conferences really do these teams because you can't play every single team in the conference so whether you want to throw shade at Indiana or A&M or Ohio State or whatever like at the end of the day if Illinois or Washington is the best offense that Ohio State has faced and then Indiana hasn't played a really good defense we're still like both of those teams are going to be playing real defenses and real offenses this upcoming weekend is my point so uh T-Bob what do you think about this game no I I I think Casey's hitting the nail on the head there uh I mean yeah like we want to play the game what's the best defense that Ohio State played they played Texas they scored 14. that's a very close game first game year a lot has happened since then Julian Satan's grown astronomically since then but it is interesting to me that uh we went through some of the stats there uh just how impressive Indiana is statistically and how close or ahead of Ohio State is and yet we they're there we we appear to believe that there is a very big gap between the two teams um I mean first and second in scoring defense first and third in scoring offense uh Indiana's first total offense hostage fourth Ohio State's first and total defense and it's their turnover margin Indiana this is maybe an area where they actually differ but Indiana a pretty unreal plus 17 on the year they're winning the turnover margin by one and a half per game on average Ohio State plus five maybe somebody keep an eye on there because I do agree with you Ohio State is better on a pure talent to talent basis but the gap is not as large I believe as it was last year or maybe some are paying out to me like even look at the receivers Smith the Tate or something special and extra normal but Cooper and Surratt are very good themselves and this is an Indiana team that they saw how they got their ass kicked by Ohio State last season they said we have to get better on the offensive line they brought a lot of transfers well um but and on the flip side like it's just good on good everywhere like if you want to talk about being disruptive Indiana first in the league by far in TFL's 103 Minnesota only at 84 Ohio State's fifth there um third down conversion rate they're one and two both converting over 56 percent on third down conversions allowed they're one and two only allowing 27 percent touchdown red zone percentage Indiana won 75 percent of the time Ohio State 6 69 percent of the time opponent red zone touchdown percentage which I thought Ohio State would win because they've been unbelievable when you get in that part of the field Ohio State second in the Big Ten allowing 35 Indiana won at 27 percent so I think these teams are close and I think the margins matter here and I think turnovers that gap there could tell the story here if Indiana can avoid a disaster like last year like once the punt return for a touchdown happened last year you knew that game was cooked also for uh um not for Dan Mendoza Curtis Rourke had no time to throw that Indiana offensive line was getting dominated I don't know if that's going to be the case this year they're going to be facing up with Arvel Reese Kane Curry Kane McDonald all those guys but Fernando Mendoza's been really good at getting the ball out of his hand this season so I like I like Ohio State uh because I think they're a bit better but I do think that Indiana is more of a traditionally dominant team than maybe people are thinking of them as I think this game is very close and I think Ohio State squeaks out a close one so to me I I think of an Ohio State that has been looking for a fight, right? An Ohio State that's been looking for, you know, Indiana had some tests against Iowa. They had some tests against Penn State. They were lucky to survive against Penn State, and that's fine. I don't really care about that. You are what your record says you are. I just remember when Michigan beat Ohio State last year and they were at rock bottom, they then turned into absolute a war machine that destroyed four quality teams. I remember when Tennessee lost to Ohio State, and we said, oh, Tennessee, what a fraud. Like, they destroyed four quality teams. Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, they beat by double digits, didn't really destroy them, and then Notre Dame they just handled pretty much with relative ease. It was closer, but they beat all four by double digits. And then they come into this season, they beat Texas, and the schedule just doesn't really allow them to have anything much. They kind of got to flex a little bit at Michigan the other day. This is just a team who's finally going to look across the field and see somebody that can match them a little bit, and I think we're going to see that elite version of Ohio State. I think that's me picking. Ohio State to win is more of just how much I respect how good they actually are and how often we haven't had to see it. Yeah, no, I agree. I think we should also highlight this is an elite coaching matchup as well. Yes. I mean, Kurt Cignetti is a superhuman game planner. What he's gotten out of this program in general speaks to that, but also his individual week-to-week plans. And, you know, whatever qualms we had about Ryan Day have been answered and then some. And now you can finally, actually let the Ryan Day resume speak for itself, you know? Like, you don't have to be worried about Bourne on third base or anything after he's won the Natty, after they've had the run that they have this season. It's just two of the best coaches, two top five coaches in the entire country. Wait, are we leaving this game? I have one more note on this game. A lot of people are just saying, I just want to point out, because I feel like this game's being papooed a little bit because the stakes are not what they would have been. Yeah. But we kind of need to appreciate what we're seeing here in 1v2 in the country, bringing up both these undefeated teams that are dominant in every single aspect of the game because it does not happen often, guys. This is the first time since 2006 that you have had 1v2 in a conference championship. It's not since those old Nick Saban, Alabama and Florida Urban Meyer teams that we have seen this. Because it's not natural to have. Because this is why the big conferences kind of suck. Because these two teams, there ought to be conferences where you have 9, 10, 11, 12 teams where these teams probably would have played in the regular season where everybody plays everybody and you figure out the two best teams to play in the conference championship game. And as it is right now, Ohio State and Indiana basically existed in separate worlds this year. They just didn't even exist in the same world and now they're getting together. They don't even feel like conference opponents. The bigger conferences suck. But you're right. It is very rare to get this and we have it right now. It happens once every 20 years, essentially. So, enjoy it. All right. So, Cracker Barrel Game of the Week. That's what we'll do right now. Game of the Week segment presented by Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel is giving you all the more of what you already love like those delicious hash brown casseroles, the fried okra, the macaroni and cheese. I'm just doing the sides. You know, the meatloaf, the chicken fried chicken. The meatloaf. The fried pork chops on a Monday night that I just love so much. It's even better that I remember. I get the same feeling but now there's more to it when I go to Cracker Barrel. See how Cracker Barrel is bringing you more crave-worthy comforts, country hospitality and all the more to enjoy. Swing by, visit Cracker Barrel today. Big Ev, we did just do the Ohio State-Indiana game. So, putting that one aside, what would be your Cracker Barrel Game of the Week? I think it has to be the Big 12 Championship game just because of the stakes. Just where BYU is sitting. It's funny because obviously Dave's been doing this Provo Dave thing but obviously so much of the discussion has been about Miami, Notre Dame. But BYU really is the team that it looks like could very well get shafted in this whole thing. Because what do you do with them if they lose a close game here? Where like their only losses are to a top, what the committee is referring to as a top four team in the country and I don't disagree with that. I think they've earned that. They've earned that spot. Their only loss is when their quarterback didn't play in a respectable Arizona State team. Like not a terrible loss. Yeah. So, I think that's the game I was excited for because I also, I mean, kind of the rallying cry of Satake stays at BYU. The team's super excited. They have a chance to do something special. Win the Big 12. I think they'll play the game more competitively. So, obviously, everyone will remember the first one. It was a bludgeoning and even the score doesn't fully do it justice. Like I think BYU scored a little late when really it was a bloodbath for most of that game. And do I think Tech's going to win? Yeah, I probably do. But I think BYU has enough to keep it close and make it an exciting game. And who knows, maybe they get a couple of bounces. They're able to take advantage of a turnover or something like that. Make it a game where it's all of a sudden it's a one-score game deep in the fourth quarter. And I mean, something that BYU's done time and time again this year is they've been very, very clutch. They're very smart. They're very tough. So, I think that's, the game outside of obviously just watching the Buckeyes, that to me is the game that by far I'm the most excited to watch. And I think it's clearly the biggest game because win or lose for BYU, chaos ensues for either them or the rest of that kind of back half of the top 12. Yeah, that is the linchpin of this whole thing, right? The committee has got themselves in a position where they can keep BYU in if they want. And if BYU loses by an unsatisfactory amount, they can kick them out and bring somebody else in. Texas Tech losing, though, what does that do? Do they fall from four to out? I like that. A lot of interesting questions out of that game. But T-Bob, what is the Cracker Barrel game of the week? Yeah, I'm not going to get fancy here. I think Big Ab nailed it. And it's kind of the stakes. And I don't know if this is a credit to something like this ridiculous 12-team system because really I'm just beginning to hate all the subjectivity more and more and more. Every single year. But at least it might be like a silver lining this year. Whereas normally I'd be hyper-focused on the SEC and the Big Ten here. But because of the ripple effects like Big Ab was getting at here with this Big 12 championship, it becomes fascinating to keep an eye on. Because right now you have the two auto bids that are either going to go to an ACC and group of five or two group of five teams if Duke wins, right? What that means is the cutoff is basically at number 10. As it stands now. If BYU wins, all of a sudden, the Big 12 is getting two teams in. That's going to bump that cutoff down to nine. And who loses then? Are both Miami and Notre Dame held out? If Alabama gets bludgeoned by Georgia, do they drop out? The ripple effects here are massive. And the thing about BYU is their resume, just from a blind resume standpoint, is on par or if not better than a lot of the teams that are ranked ahead of them. So they're playing angry. They're already getting screwed. You heard Kalani Sataki on What This Week. Talking about how he wishes that the actual football could decide these things. Like, let everybody play this week. And let's see who actually deserves to be in credit to Vanderbilt for reportedly trying to get one of those games going. The only thing I worry about for BYU here is the first game, man. I mean, Texas Tech, you want to talk about beating a team in their style? Texas Tech didn't run the ball efficiently, but they ran it 43 times for 150 yards. So again, not a lot of yards per carry, but they pummeled the pummeler. BYU, on the other hand, 67 yards, 27 carries. Like, as great as Bear Bachmeier is, everything with this BYU team goes to LJ Martin. And I don't know that I saw a lot in game number one that would lead me to believe that suddenly that BYU rushing attack is going to be able to crack that Texas Tech front seven. I mean, maybe it's a neutral site. Maybe that does something here. But I do like Texas Tech to win, although BYU wins, winning would both kind of be like, yeah, fuck yeah, the good guys. And I would love the madness that would ensue for some of the bigger brands. I think you just covered every single eventuality that could have ever happened in that game. Yeah, clearly. But you covered every single one. To be more succinct, all it is is that the line moving from 10 to 9 is fascinating if BYU wins. And there will be major anger and fallout because of that. Liam. What is the Cracker Barrel Game of the Week? The Cracker Barrel Game of the Week is so clearly Ohio State-Indiana, is it not? Sure. If that's what you want to say. That was a bit of a joke. Okay, continue. That joke didn't get picked up. That's okay. We'll go Georgia-Alabama. It's fine. We'll go Georgia-Alabama for this one because I think Ev hit the nail on the head the other day when we were talking about what happens if Alabama wins, is can the Big Ten get three teams in the top four spots, which would then give the SEC four home playoff games in the first round. I think it's a fascinating storyline here. What's Georgia going to be able to do against Alabama? Brandon, you walked in here and said, you think Alabama's going to win this game, aren't they? Yeah, I do too. So I'm fascinated to see what happens here. Does Alabama get punished for losing if it's by, like, do they get punished a good bit? I'm interested to see. Yeah, I'm just, again, great game. Gunner Stockton is underrated as maybe anybody in the country. Georgia's freshmen are starting to absolutely show out. Yeah, I mean, SEC championship game, as always. I completely agree. Cracker Barrel game of the week, Casey. Yeah, I completely agree. It's the SEC game, and you talk about ripple effects, and we went into Tuesday night's episode saying, well, it's kind of absurd that the commissioner of the, yeah, the commissioner of the cultural playoff committee is saying that nobody's going to move, and then you look at what's gonna actually happen. Alabama wins this game I don't see a world how they don't move them up into the top four I can't see a world where there's three big 10 teams and the SEC championship's not SEC champion is not there what's weird to me about this game and you know it's obviously Georgia Alabama it's the premier brands when you look at the rest of the SEC it's like Ole Miss's best season literally ever Oklahoma is right there A&M has had one of the best seasons ever and it's still Georgia and Alabama in the SEC championship it's just like so cliche and when you look at this Bama team and I know they were able to run the ball in the Iron Bowl they have been so bad on the ground this year and I think that's the key to this if Alabama can get a running game going they will beat Georgia if they look like they have running the ball for most of the season I think they're going to struggle but I think Alabama is going to win and that to me is the biggest chaos because when you move Alabama all the way up in the top four and then what the rest they're going to look like ideally four SEC home playoff games would be sick for TV I just don't see a world where that happens Alabama has to beat Georgia in the first place but that that chaos piece is massive as well yeah I think one thing about Alabama is uh in the first game I believe there was something like 8 of 12 on third down Georgia couldn't get him off the field so I would imagine Kirby's got to do something to heat Ty Simpson up and and and knock him off course a little bit 13th in the SEC in rush yards per game so that's crazy but you you make me sick and what did I do you make me sick t-bob oh ev you just make me fucking sick you guys pretend college football is all about the brand names and the tv and the Ohio States and the Indianas of the world and you you act like I'm sorry there's already a playoff happening folks there's already a playoff happening and guess what the two seed Montana State is hosting is just playing who Casey Yale Yale a team that was down 42 to 14 one week ago and they went 43 42 over Youngstown State I'm talking about Montana State and Yale but that's not all that's not all you are the worst that what was this on your extra notes that's I literally was just flipping through trying to how about the battle of Lehigh Valley how about the battle how about the battle of Pennsylvania huh how about the battle of Villanova and Lehigh huh what who who's who's got it better than us Liam who's got it better than us who does have in one opportunity for Lehigh opportunity for Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill who's interviewing for uh FBS jobs as we speak could he be Coastal's guy could he be Penn State could he steal the JMU job right from Billy Napier's grasp we'll find out only could he be Penn State Villanova throttled Harvard in the first round guess what Brandon nobody is talking about Harvard as a top 10 quarterback in the upcoming draft according to ESPN Harvard also has a higher uh recruiting class right now than Penn State and a higher GPA they signed two guys yesterday two guys yeah well okay well that's a that's a whole nother thing two guys they don't care they don't care about their recruiting class they're trying to build a roster completely through the portal I know but it's a tactic that's what Pat Kraft wants to do Kraft has disagreed with head coaches on they're interviewing for the job or like that they're speaking to about roster construction you make me sick Kraft wants it all done through the portal he wants the highest of the high town I'm sorry that's a late night banger on ESPN the deuce late night banger on ESPN the deuce is what I was gonna say five and a half point spread five and a half is what it is right now and you didn't even talk about your boys from Tarleton State Tarleton State playing um hold on Tarleton State fucking playing North Dakota I gotta find the the the spread on this one Brandon because I I like North Dakota in the upset there I love North Dakota I know that we talked a lot about Tarleton State and their speeds but there's gotta be something wacky I love the demons the fighting hawks I love the fighting hawks formerly the fighting soup plus four and a half yes the late night game on on ESPN the deuce you know what you should do you should lay in your bowl and branch sheets and watch that I will that's what you should do uh the holiday sales for bowl and branch are coming up and we all know the holidays are the time to splurge Brandon you know you want to spend a lot of extra money but you don't have to splurge on just anything you should splurge on nice sheets sure okay but the good thing about bowl and branches they are the highest quality and it is the best sale of the year 25% off site-wide the best-selling signature sheets feel made for you with the perfect perfect balance of softness and breathability for your best sleep as we've said it's the best sleep it's cold everywhere right now uh so they keep you nice and warm but they don't make you feel like you're overheating either and they also have crib sheets they have pajamas they have robes they have the best blankets Ev's got it right there right there on his couch he's got that that king-size blanket they are the absolute best comes with a 30-night guarantee so you can shop worry-free and again you don't just splurge on on just anything out there make sure you go and you treat yourself again I've been saying this whether it's for your mom your sister your girlfriend your wife your friends whatever get them a nice bowl and branch robe or some pajamas they will love it and they're going to love it and they're going to love it and they're going to love it will love it the Casey Smith guarantee give yourself and your loved ones the most extraordinary feeling with 25 off site-wide plus free shipping and extended returns shop now at bowl and branch dot com slash rough that's b-o-l-l-a-n-d branch dot com slash rough take 25 off exclusions you apply again this is a great holiday gift they also little cheat code for everybody out there it comes in a nice box with a ribbon and it's already kind of packaged for you don't even have to do anything just get them some nice sheets get them some nice pajamas shout out bowl and branch you know we we uh I wrote down five questions for this show and during the the kind of preamble here or during the ones we've talked about we've kind of already asked three of them and answered them uh those questions were you know let's make the case for Ohio State Indiana mattering we did that does the batman magic continue we kind of talked about that can BYU compete with tech this time around there are two questions left and number one question I would like to ask before we get going is Virginia versus seven and five Duke the worst conference championship game a power four conference power five conference has ever put on can you in your memory make a case there was a worst conference championship game than this because I am the SEC I am the SEC in the big 10 cannot remember one off the top of my head other than you know have there been years where a sacrificial lamb like Iowa or Northwestern has to the Big Ten West has to trot over to Indianapolis the Big Ten West feels like they did that for a few years yeah and there was a moment where the SEC East also did it and they did that for a few years and they did that for a few years and they did that for a few years and they did that for a few years and they did that for a few years to LSU or Alabama or Auburn like when when when Missouri one of those Missouri years when they won it they were just a sacrificial lamb to somebody uh but this is maybe this is like two sacrifices well this is this is where so like back whenever the the divisions were like that it was annoying because again it was like the Big Ten East and West are so lopsided but at least you knew why it was happening right you knew okay Michigan Ohio State Penn State whoever like they're going to just beat the shit out of somebody in Indianapolis that's just the way things are the ACC has no business in 2025 the year of our lord having Duke and Virginia in the conference championship it is disgusting and so I walked into the office this morning and PFT was the first person I saw and he said you know Casey I just saw Manny Diaz is now campaigning that Duke should get into the college football playoff if they win this weekend he can't be serious I know they have to I know they have to power for chance he is serious he can't I mean he's lying to himself he's looking in the mirror and lying straight to number one for Miami did you see that he's just he was saying Miami should should be in and you know I'm not a Manny Diaz guy but this is yes to answer your question yes this is this is worse and we'll all watch it well I mean I know it's it goes head to head with um the Big Ten champion no the I can't promise I'll watch it it goes Big Ten championship right I'm not you're gonna watch it I'm gonna I'm not gonna promise I'm gonna watch you're gonna have it on the quad box Rudolph's got it if Rudolph his own um Christmas vacation's been running pretty much around the clock I'm not gonna watch it I'm not gonna watch it I'm not gonna watch it I'm not gonna watch it I'm not gonna watch it I'm not gonna watch it I will at least look at Christmas vacation and see where he is you know if he's in the mall and he's talking to the hot sales lady about nipply a little nipply out I might I might stay there for a second nipply you know if they're sitting at home watching the lines yeah I can't see the line can you um yeah uh have we done that yet this year is this might as well take this opportunity to yeah anyway the scene the scene where he's looking outside with the pool is just yeah all Santa Claus I don't know Mark go a great a lot of great side characters if only if only if only me and Catherine had that money we sent to the tv preachers of screwing his wife what about his kids oh his kids can fend for themselves just yakking on a bone uh all right barking for the what barking for the what lady uh the yak lady the yak lady you ever seen her Clark she's got these big ears that come out ugly as sin but a sweet gal and a hell of a good cook um all right so there we go uh last question Liam I'll throw this to you you can start Virginia's 10 and 2 with a loss to NC State that wasn't a conference loss what the fuck are we doing the ACC the ACC screwed itself with this convoluted tiebreaker and it's weird ass shit nobody I think Virginia was it Virginia and Duke or Duke in Miami that had two uh similar conference opponents think Duke in Miami I think I mean these conferences are too big this is this is what they get they killed off the Pac-12 they're dissecting from everyone else they want these mega super big conferences and oh what the what happened whose fault is this now we got teams sneaking in they have no business yeah before we move on from this game then Brandon if you're so displeased with this what is worse the two group of five teams getting in or Virginia and the American champ I think Virginia is more equipped to compete than a than a second g5 okay uh okay um it's just a shame that we we we came up let's let 12 teams play and then we handicapped ourselves with rules and conditions where we're ended up going to have probably 10 deserving teams out of the 12 that are going to play. You can go all day. Is 12 the number? Is this the number? Is that the number? Yeah, but if you're going to create rules and conditions where you take spots away from the Vanderbilts, Miamis, Notre Dames of the world to hand them to Lane just because they won a bad conference or to Duke who just happened to win a grouping of teams that isn't very good, it's just a shame. Anyway, whatever, whatever, whatever. The Heisman, talked about it briefly earlier. Where's the world, Blutman, where Diego Pavia, who is in the clubhouse now, sticks around and steals this Heisman? Is it possible that the winning quarterback of the Big Ten championship game doesn't grab this trophy? Yeah, I mean, 2013, each guy throws an interception and it's not the offense winning the game, then I think that does Pavia's work for him. I think also will do Pavia's work for him. He should live stream himself. Watching this game and campaigning himself for Heisman in playoff stuff. That's what a true content creator would do. You know, you guys spoke to Diego on WUB. He is like, he's a WWE character. He prides himself in doing that stuff. Stream the game, Diego. I'm giving you a brilliant offer. You'll bring in, you'll probably get donations too. That's pretty cool. Good night out in town. Invite F after. That's the play, Diego. You're welcome. Big F, is there a world where the winner doesn't win the Heisman? I think the only way would be a super, super low scoring defensive battle. I really think that's the only way. I think even if one guy who wins throws a couple of touchdown passes, 200 yards, I even think something like that probably gets it done for you. But I will say, I mean, it is going to be, like Diego's going to have the better numbers in less games. So I think that will be like an argument for him. I, yeah. So I'm also, my brain's been in a pretzel. I just won the game of the week thing. So I'm pretty sure. Hey. On the app. My phone's been blown up. On the app. I just won the, I got a win though. It's just a freebie. You got to win. No, I know, but it's also like getting to do that. You got to go NFL game of the week though. This has been very much just the story of my life. When I'm hot, I'm hot. I'm cold. I'm cold. Big F, you know what you need to do? You know what you need to do? I'm streaking out. You need to, you need to get your ass to Indianapolis Saturday night and then get here to do that on Sunday. He's, but he's going to the big 12 championship. I'm going, I'm going, I'm going with, shout out Venmo. Venmo. Shout out Venmo. Oh, I didn't know where I was going. I'm going to Dallas. But now I'm texting, I'm texting our people because I've got to, I've got to move my flight around. I've got to figure some shit out. You got to get to Chicago now. You should just come. I'm going to get to Chicago, but also I'm doing, I'm trying to do, I'm trying to do it in a way where I can do both of our shows. But I'm trying to make that work. Wait, why? So, well, that's, yeah, no, you should just come straight to Chicago. What, I can't even, I don't even know what the game of the week this week is. What is it? The partial, maybe you haven't announced it. I don't think his free bet doesn't have to be. I think it does. It's on. I think it does. I think the rules, it has to be the game of the week. No, it was all game of the week. Sorry, sorry, sorry. It has to be in the Bears Packers game. Ev, that is massive. But I'm trying to work this out because I need, I need to go to the Big 12 championship. I also need to watch the Big 10 championship. I need to do our podcast and at like midnight. And then I also need to do the podcast at like 11 a.m. So I've got to figure out a way to get to Dallas. In Chicago, in between those times. I'm trying to make it work. You ought to be able to squeeze Dallas to Chicago by about 9, 10 a.m. Shouldn't be a problem. I'm trying to. That's what I'm trying to make work right now. You can do it. Is the Big 12 championship game at night? No, it's at 12. No, it's at noon. But it's at 11, 11 Dallas time. I have to be there through the entire game. But then I also, I can't miss any of the Big 10 championship. That's also part of the dilemma. And also you'll get there quick because DFW is very quick, or the airport is very close. To the stadium. Yeah, you'll be fine. Yeah, you can do that. Congratulations. I'll make it work right now. We're moving some things around. That's massive. All right. Congrats, Big F, dude. DraftKings, the rivalries, the marching bands, the upsets. Saturdays are made for football. This is the last official Saturday of the 2025 regular season, which is crazy. The DraftKings Sportsbook is celebrating college football's game of the week with special profit boost for all customers. Just opt in for one of the games this Saturday, and you'll score a single-use profit boost token for that game. Whether you're betting on your go-to team or an underdog, Saturdays are yours to own. With the DraftKings Sportsbook, download the DraftKings Sportsbook app, use promo code ROUGH. That's code ROUGH for all customers to get a special profit boost on the college game of the week in partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours, as Ev mentioned also. The Barstool game of the week is not just for us. You can get involved on Twitter, so go on DraftKings, pay attention to that as well. So who is in the parlay this week? I'm going. It'll be you two, and then I think we should do Ev. Okay. All right, so I'm in. Give me the Alabama Crimson Tide money line to beat the Georgia Bulldogs. Money line, okay. Then I'm just going to go. They're plus two and a half. I think they're going to win the game. Kirby has worms in his head when it comes to Alabama, even without Nick Saban. I'll take UNLV. Oh, okay. Plus four and a half against Boise State, I believe, in the Mountain West Championship game. And Casey Smith. Moulton. I'll take BYU to cover the points. What is, I mean, on this is. Twelve and a half. It says twelve and a half. Is it still twelve and a half? Yeah, plus 690. Thank you very much. There it is, plus 690 on the DraftKings Sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. In New York, call 877-8-HOPE-N-Y or text HOPE-N-Y 467-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas, fees may apply in Illinois. 21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. One profit boost per customer for DK Game of the Week only. Bet odds of minus 250 are longer required. Boost amount and maximum bet vary. Expires at the end of the game. Boost only applies to winnings. See terms. at sportsbook.draftkings.com slash promos. Both head coaches leaving for bigger jobs. You may ask yourself, well, why? But it's not just because they find themselves here with very good years. I think it's interesting. A guy, Jerry Smith, who covers Tulane, pointed this out. But it's a credit to both coaches that their former quarterbacks from last year in Chandler, Morris, and Darian Mensah are also going to be playing for a conference championship this weekend. And yet, no excuses, they still found a way to get their teams back to the conference. And so, I think it's interesting. To the American Championship. And for Morris, obviously, he was finding Messmaker out of nowhere. Never played quarterback before. Now leading the nation in passing. And then, for Tulane, it was a bit of luck in having Jake Retzloff have sex and have to leave BYU and end up down in Jew Orleans. I still don't understand how they confirmed that. You probably say, yeah, sure did. Uh-huh. I'm getting pussy. Listen, we talk depth charts, power rankings, playbooks all day. But who's got a playbook for you? That's where Experian steps in, your big financial friend. Your BFF helps you find ways to save money, track your FICO score, monitor your credit, and even match you with credit cards that fit your game plan. Here's the clutch move. Some of those cards are labeled no-ding decline. That means if you're not approved, your credit score stays safe. It's like having a financial coordinator in your corner minus the headset. Take control of your wallet and apply with confidence. Download the Experian app and meet your big financial friend today. Applying for no-ding decline cards won't hurt your credit scores if you aren't initially approved. Initial approval will result in a hard inquiry, which may impact your credit scores. We're getting out of here. But, Liam, your mouth looked like it wanted to say something. Oh, I was just going to say, yeah, I like North Texas in that game. Okay. I was going to, if you were going to ask more. I'm putting together all my conference championship picks right now on the parlay. I love that. We should make the announcement because we kind of talked about it a little bit at the end. We'll be live Saturday night and Sunday morning. And Sunday. So we will go live as soon as the night championship games are over to recap. And then when the college football playoff official bracket comes out, we will be reacting live. You know what I was thinking about? Do you remember the first year that we had the playoff and we did this and we were at the office and Joe Burrow was in the office and we missed some of it because you were staring at Joe Burrow? I mean, I was too, but you were just gawking at Joe Burrow. Well, I wasn't. You get that wrong. You were gawking at Joe Burrow. I was gawking at the Heisman Trophy. Remember, it was there too. Oh, well, I mean, who doesn't gawk at Joe Burrow? Yeah, we were like sitting there and Katie and Jack had cameras in our face like, hey, you guys have to react to this. And it was like, do you see what's in front of us right now? It's just, you know, the Heisman Trophy and maybe one of the hottest men of all time. James Madison, Jacksonville State, North Texas, UNLV, Texas Tech, Western Michigan, Georgia, Duke, Ohio State. $10 pays $1,426 conference championship parlay by Hope BYU wins. We should actually get that on the book. We need a Liam. I think you did. Just get it. Is it on the book, Liam? Like actually like officially through Jack? Tell Jack you want that on there. I'll tell him. We should bet on that. Good luck to all the people. In this room, whose team is playing this weekend. That is one person. I'm okay with it. Yeah. Good luck. Good luck, Ev. I'm okay with it. Getting the boys healthy. And let me tell you something. When you said Christmas was three weeks from today, I got me so excited, not because it's Christmas, but because that means I'm going to be back in College Station in less than three weeks. I haven't seen a game in College Station in a minute. All right. We'll see you Saturday. Thanks. Bye.