MIAMI INDIANA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP INSTANT REACTION

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Get it in there. Rub those. Yeah. All right. We're live. And we're live after the Indiana Hoosiers win the national championship 27-21. In case you have been under a rock for the last two years, the Indiana Hoosiers have just won the national title. I'm going to say, holy shit. Holy shit. The Indiana Hoosiers have just won the national championship. I want everybody to stop and appreciate that for a second. Because for all the hating I did over the last couple of years, we have long complained about college football. It's always Alabama, Ohio State, everybody. Amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing. And I can't see Big Evan T. Bob. I'm going to trust they're there somewhere. I know you're here. It's amazing, Casey. It's unreal. And I know leading up to this, there was a lot of conversations on, is it the best turnaround in sports history? I do believe that it is. Maybe I'm a little bit biased because I am a college football fan and I love college football more than any other sport. But Liam Blutman, this is really fucking cool for Indiana. And that game rocks so much. We finally got a good, like a legit good national championship game that came down to the wire. It couldn't have ended in a more fitting way than Carson Beck. Failing to throw a ball accurately, like downfield, just no arm strength. Thank goodness he doesn't actually have to go class tomorrow. Go to class tomorrow. Indiana, Kurt Cignay just played dynasty mode for four or five years. Just ran the table. Did, did what we dreamed about doing when we were kids, young adults playing in our living room, just playing as a unbelievable. We, uh, we, we've been here watching it at T Bob. I know you and Big Ev watched it along with us. Uh, uh, you, you run out of superlatives to talk about Cignetti and everything, but just on a, on a larger scale, what, what did we just fucking see? Yeah. Uh, the, the culmination of, as, as you kind of alluded to Brandon Casey, the culmination of, um, one of the wilder sports stories of our time, like maybe the wildest college football story that we've ever seen, almost assuredly. So, uh, but, but, but I would extend that to anywhere. Again, I've used this reference where it's like Leicester city winning the EPL, but maybe even weirder. And so, uh, I would extend that to anywhere. Again, I've used this reference where it's some ways, um, the game itself, that was a true championship team there, right? Three phases of the game, their best stuff wasn't working, finding ways to adjust. And I just love, uh, most of the decisions that Cignetti made, but I loved it. Did y'all hear the explanation of his fourth and five after the game, the draw? No, we came straight in here. It was, and we're going to talk about that call. I figured, I figured. So he basically, um, he basically said that they put that call in for this game alone because of how, how Miami had responded to that formation, uh, in the past. And so right there in the biggest moment, you see Cignetti's genius, which is combined with all the other disparate elements to create this super team that are the 2026 Indiana Hoosiers. They're just so complete, so tough, could not be more impressed. And look, I'm going to say, Brandon, like, I don't, you know, I get a lot of shit wrong. Everybody gets a lot of shit wrong. A lot of shit, right. I don't want to be like, but I feel like we, we had this game nailed to a wall here. We said this Miami team was particularly well suited to squaring up with Indiana, to maybe stopping what they do best. So they could stop Indiana from running the ball. In fact, when you saw that this Indiana offense was stymied, but the defense played well, special teams came through in the huge touchdown. And then in the biggest moments, another thing we've talked about Mendoza clearly better than Beck. Beck had his $4 million drive, but in the biggest moments, Mendoza consistently made the plays. And when Beck was presented, he was like, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't the same opportunity at the end of the game. He did not. The Indiana Hoosiers are national champions and like undoubted deserved undisputed national champions of 2026. Yeah. 16 and O they go through Ohio state. They go through Oregon. They go through Alabama. There wasn't very good, but they've owned the sport for a while. They go through now Miami big F third straight year, third straight big 10 champion. We'll get to that later. That's not, that's secondary to the fact Kurt Cignetti walked into the worst program in the history of college football, told him he was about to win, and did it. No, I mean, the Big Ten supremacy is just reality at this point. Yeah, again, we're not doing that stupid shit. Just talk about Indiana. We don't have to get into that Big Ten runs college football. We don't have to. You can shut him out if he's just going to say stupid shit. No, I mean, everyone said what Cignetti's done at Indiana, it's truly unquantifiable. Like, there's just nothing to compare it to. It's that special. It's that great. And I'll talk about something that T-Bob said at the end. These teams were very evenly matched. The difference was the quarterback play. And Beck had, overall, a decent game. Like, he made some big throws in some big spots. But, I mean, just every time Indiana needed one, a third down. And credit to the receiver, which obviously Becker made some big-time catches. But Mendoza just made big-time throw after big-time throw when they needed it. The fourth down call. The run. I mean, the way Cignetti set it up. Like, he knew they're going to be pinning their ears back. Middle's going to part like the Red Sea. Like, it's just the preparation. It's, you knew. We knew. We said Indiana's not going to make a mistake. And Miami limited the mistakes, but it was the blocked punt and the interception at the end. And that was the difference in the game. And the wrinkle there. Real quick, we're going to add context to what Ev's talking about. The wrinkle there on the QB draw, what Cignetti specifically talked about, is it's just QB draw, but how they blocked it was different than how they've blocked it. They've blocked it all year long. And it was specifically because they perfectly predicted how Miami would attack it at the biggest moment of the game. It's just flawless fucking execution. And how about Mendoza's toughness, dude? I'm scared. We kind of just reduced it to Mendoza outplaying Carson Beck. And I'm not sure that's the entire story of this game. I think Carson Beck, outside that last throw, really played a gutsy second half. Mendoza played a gutsy second half. But, like, Mendoza was getting shaken. He was getting shaken at times early by the Miami defense. Ultimately, that block punt, how big is that fucking block punt? That's the game. It was a three-point game, the block punt. I don't know that, on the whole, Mendoza played this incredible Heisman game. But in the moments, in the moments where your guy had to be your guy, Mendoza was the guy. It was like he was facing a relentless pass. A very good defense. It was tough sledding at times. But then there were, like, five key moments tonight. And he aced every single one of them. And Carson Beck aced most of them. And he didn't ace the last one. But like Liam said, that was the perfect way for that game to end, if you've been, like, a back-and-forth person on Carson Beck. I disagree with what Liam's saying that, too. You started the whole show saying Carson Beck predictably threw the interception. Like, I don't know. I thought he fought his ass off tonight, man. He did. I think he didn't. He did. But for the game to end that way, when you talk about these two quarterbacks and going into it, and you talk about the block punt, too, everybody in the country said when you go to this game, and I thought it was going to be a blowout, it wasn't. Liam thought the same thing. But it was if Miami makes any type of mistakes, and a block punt is not necessarily a mistake at all, but Indiana is going to capitalize on it. Oh, it's a big mistake. But I'm saying it's not. Like, obviously, it was also credit to Indiana as well. Yeah. So, you know, it was a mistake, but Indiana caused it. So I think that when you look at it, it's a mistake. But when you look at the narratives of these two teams, it played out almost exactly how so many people thought it would be, whether you thought it was going to be closer or not, because Indiana capitalized on Miami's mistakes, and then Carson Beck. does what Carson Beck does when they lose and that's turn the ball over again I hate ending it with that I thought everything you said was perfectly I but when they lost this year it's because he turns the ball over I I just I just feel like we just saw an all-time classic and I don't want to end it with the button of Carson Beck he played he played us he was super gutsy I didn't mean to make it so much about it was it was more me as well it was more just the slim margins like right it was you said Brandon like it was that Mendoza made every big play in every big moment and Beck just didn't make one play and that and that was really the game uh let's talk about the moments though the moments are what really stands out and and T-Bob you you you kind of went right to it but like I don't remember what the score was when the fourth and five happened 27 21 no no no I know the score final score I don't know what the score was when was it 17 14 it's 17 14 you're in the fourth quarter it is clear Miami has gotten up off the mat and they are fighting they are fighting they are fighting they've they've been down uh they've been down 10 a couple of times the block punt which would have taken out a lot of lesser teams they would have taken out and Miami fought right back and all they had to do was kind of get the ball back and get momentum but Indiana would never give them the air to breathe they would never give them the chance to really win the football game until the very end uh in that last two minute drive but like that fourth and five you can kick a field goal and go up 20 to 14 and be up six and trust your defense but Kirk Cennetti wins Google him and he and he and he's a fucking chest thumper and he's a fucking believer in his guys and he said god damn it I got the Heisman winner we're gonna call this play and and as as brilliant as the call was and I think it was great call I think it pales in comparison to the individual effort for Mendoza who who has the patience to follow his blocks in there makes a beautiful little Madden side shuffle juke to the right has the clear lane toughs it out gets the end zone I thought it was a Heisman winner saying by the way I'm the fucking Heisman winner and I'm about to win a national title and the way that and just to clarify that and I've said it perfectly it's the margin it's not to say that Carson Beck had a bad game and that's why they lost it's to say that in those moments Carson Beck did things that people have predicted and Fernando Mendoza did the opposite of that and did those big moments it's why he won the Heisman trophy when he stretches across the goal line and you just know it's going to be that's the snapshot right that's on the front of the newspapers that's what everybody looks at and I mean Ev you you we talked about Indiana when they played Ohio State it was like they just they play perfect football and there was multiple times tonight where Miami was getting to Fernando and it just didn't ever really shake him it just never never took him off his game and that's the difference in these two teams well they looked I mean Miami did have him I mean again the Indian offense looked more fallible than we've seen it thus far right like we knew about the eight touchdowns to five incompletions like if you look at Mendoza's final stat line you would never guess that we would be glazing him as hard as we are here uh because it was it was it was again like it was in the big moments that you had to make a play and Brandon you think about that for the five to draw you know like you said the juke running over diving across the end zone putting his body on the line John Elway in the Super Bowl style back in the day but also there was the fourth and five earlier in the drive and you want to talk about pushing your chips to the center of the table Signetti called two timeouts on that drive like they were all in dude all of a sudden if you go into a late game situation where you're in the middle of the game and you're in the middle of the where you do not have the lead and you've wasted those timeouts in those manners it's kind of like what the fuck are we doing dude and so and so to have the balls to to go all in to go for it to make the correct call and then for your guy to execute it it's just it's why they're national champs it's why Kurt Signetti just led the most um fantastical turnaround that we've ever seen in in in college football history hi Roughnecks we'll be right back after this word from our sponsor hey Alabama Stella Blue Coffee's new canned lattes are here and in a store near you crafted with 100% Colombian coffee each can is a good source of protein and comes in two smooth flavors espresso cafe mocha and espresso sweet cream whether you're braving your morning commute or chasing your pup Stella Blue cans are for those always on the go and for those who care Stella Blue is more than just great coffee it's about giving back I named the brand after my rescue dog Stella who inspired our mission to help more dogs find their forever homes every purchase supports 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 head to our store locator on stellabluecoffee.com and sign up to redeem a buy one get one free offer and now back to the episode I think the two most important men in winning this game tonight were Fernando Mendoza and Kurt Signetti but I think we should also point out number three does anybody know who number three is going to be it rhymes it's got to be Charlie B from Nashville I was like Becker surely doesn't rhyme those those two catches those two back shoulder catches uh on on big third and it was one we're both on third down one was fourth no third and five and fourth and five yeah third and five and fourth and five and both times they go to the back shoulder the first time he makes a ridiculous the body control he has to kind of like sit down in the chair and just reach down and get it fall to the ground the second one the coverage is good and and he just kind of fights through it he's being held and uh a quick shout out to the refs they let him fucking play tonight yeah they let him play I I I thought they they there were a lot of calls we like that you know in the NFL yesterday that's pass interference but it was both ways they let him go they let him figure this shit out so I want to give him a shout out but Charlie B from Nashville Tennessee T-Bob yeah I mean he he was he was just but then you and then you know the the running back combo of him and black they they were solid um uh Surratt and Cooper had some big conversions as well but nobody as big as Charlie B and the and and I it's interesting to point out the rest and I completely agree and if you if we remember back to earlier in the game they had a couple of those back shoulders that didn't work because of how handsy Miami was uh able to be and so to still trust your guys to go out there and execute when it already hadn't worked a couple of times that's big time. And I don't think we can get any further in this show without just celebrating the overall quality of the trenches on both sides for both teams. Indiana's somehow like they're fucking crazy undersized yet deadly effective front that somehow manages to shut down the run and play very effective zone pass coverage at the same time it it kind of boggles my mind Miami's offensive line clearing the way for Fletcher to make that a game and getting that offense going and sticking to the identity that Miami discovered halfway through the game. The season Indiana's offensive line closing out the game nearly then almost blown to the false start but just quality offensive and defensive line play like like two big fucking heavyweights and this is really the entire game as a whole but just trading blows man body blows good combination just the sweet science of football was on display tonight. Yeah it really was and it was a uh it was a lackluster first half as they were kind of feeling each other out and everything and kind of had the one drive uh which which ended in the touchdown Miami you know let's go for the 50 yard field goal at the end of the first half I thought that was a questionable decision after they went for fourth and one at their own 35 showing desperation showing we're going to win this game and then getting to the other 35 and being like ah we're good we're just going to try to kick it with our kicker who's like half 50 percent from this distance um that but that was that that's a minor nitpick nitpick because I I truly believe um the crystal the crystal ball doubters and the crystal ball haters and the crystal ball he has done things in the past to make you question him I guess this team was uh you know what 40 yards short of a national title tonight this this team was yeah was he put this team together uh with the right mix of defensive and offensive line talent he went out and got a veteran quarterback who did fall short in the end but like I you know crystal ball's got that thing humming again and they they play for a national title so I I thought he did a great job tonight and everything else uh what else uh Casey? You want another piece of business? Oh you can do a piece of business. Hi Roughnecks we'll be right back after this word from our sponsor. Stell Blue Coffee's new can lattes are here crafted with 100 percent Colombian coffee each can is a good source of protein and comes in two smooth flavors espresso cafe mocha and espresso sweet cream 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 it's about giving back. I named the brand after my restaurant. It's the rescue dog Stella who inspired our mission to help more dogs find their forever homes. Every purchase supports 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. Really quickly Liam we were talking about this early in the game too you go back to Charlie Becker he had those amazing catches and that's obviously the story of the game but he also had some drops early in the game that were a little bit concerning. Elijah Surratt's drop. Surratt's drops. Yeah Surratt's drop was crazy that felt really ominous at the time. Wrong guy wrong guy. There was something weird about that in the first half with Indiana's offense and it wasn't Charlie it was Surratt but what do you think was it just nerves like it was very bizarre there was one where he dropped it twice. uncharacteristically made Three or four kind of big mistakes. That Surratt drop, the false start on the second and one, that was ballgame if they get the first down. Miami doesn't have a chance. They have no life if Indiana just picks up a yarn. The false start, the roughing the passer there at the end, too. They give Miami even more life. Like, Indiana, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this unstoppable juggernaut of a team who doesn't make any single mistake made three or four big mistakes. Where did that come from? Maybe it was nerves. The reason I ask you is because you and I were the ones that were so sure that it was going to be a blowout because I didn't expect things like that to happen, and when Surratt did drop the ball twice, it was like, oh, holy shit, this team is beatable. I'd like to just point out, I think some of the offensive line mistakes can be pointed at the fact that they were blocking a raging wall of werewolves for the entire night. Yes, yeah. Like, it was kind of a result of some of the pressure that Miami was applying in a lot of ways. Can I shout out a Miami player real quick? Because everybody talks about Bane. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I got a question for you. Bane and Mesidor, 99 tonight. Moten, I believe he was hurt in the Ole Miss game. The defensive tackle. When he ripped a little boy down. He was Warren Sapp for much of the game. He was un-fucking-believable. Now, what's your question? Okay, so I agree with you, and I'm sure I could go and find some stuff, but I don't have any major Cristobal decisions that I disagree with, really. How did you? How do you feel about Cignetti kicking that field goal at the end? I would have gone for it. I would have gone for a kill. Okay, okay. That's what I'm kind of wanting to take the temperature of the room, because obviously, like, who am I to question Cignetti? But it does seem like with the consistency and trusting his Heisman guy to make the play when they needed it, it felt a little inconsistent to kick the field goal then to leave it in the defense's hands and not let Mendoza go to it. Now, obviously, I was wrong, right? Because look at what ended up happening. Cignetti was right. I just, at the time, I thought that was a bit interesting for Cignetti to go away from trusting Mendoza when he had every single time up to that point. Well, I think if you're Kurt Cignetti, you trust Fernando Mendoza 100%. I think you probably also trust your defense 100%. Yeah, that's what I said. You trust that Miami has to go 80 yards, 75 yards. It ended up being 80 after the penalty. 80 yards in a minute and 45 seconds with no timeouts with a quarterback who is prone to making mistakes. And the defense bent a little bit. They bent a little bit. Then they dummied him into throwing, thinking he had single coverage on the outside, and the guy just sank back in and caught the ball. So I think he probably did trust his quarterback, but trusting the defense worked out too. Yeah, fair. I think it was like fourth and two, fourth and three probably goes for it. Yeah. Yeah, maybe five is a little too long. Five or six is tough to go for it again. Like you said, you're going to make the kick. You believe in your kicker. Make them go, yeah, 80 yards in a minute and 40. You're thinking they're going to make a mistake. I give a lot of credit to Chris Ball. I mean, the adjustments offensively they made in the second half were incredible. Yeah. I mean, they got shut out in the first half, and they put together three really nice scoring drives. Yeah, against a defense that doesn't give up scoring drives. Yeah, I thought after the punt block, they got the ball back, and their offensive coordinator just all of a sudden started getting in his bag, drawing up, you know, getting Tony on one side of the field with one guy on him, getting the, you know, the touchdown, the second touchdown to Fletcher where they faked the toss to Tony and just slide him in and trap him into the inside. Unbelievable. I thought Shannon Dawson, I criticized him, even tweeted, he was the weakest part of the game, and then all of a sudden it flipped, and he really figured it out. Well, the way they came out of the locker room at halftime, you know, and they stopped Indiana right away. Twice. Yeah, right away. Because of the face mask, yeah. And coming out of the locker room, I mean, again, if you were on Indiana, you're like, okay, the first drive of this half is really going to set the tone, and the way that Miami came out was unbelievable. So, you know, a lot of credit to Miami, and you talk about, you know, Malachi, Tony, and Fletcher. Like, the individual guys are so talented, and this roster, I mean, you go back and I have no recollection of exactly what happened to Louisville in the SMU game because it feels like it was 10 years ago with how much break we've had other than the turnovers, but it's like, how did this talented of a team even lose two games in the regular season and not play for the ACC championship? I know it doesn't matter now because we're turning the page to the next season, but this team is really, really good. Indiana just happened to be a little bit better and make less mistakes. Well, I think we can learn some interesting things about college football from this year's Miami team and kind of the new era of college football where because you have more margin of error now, teams are allowed to kind of find themselves, and if you look at the two Miami losses, penalties were a massive part, right? And even tonight, they had some penalties that ended up hurting them. Like on the 85-yard touchdown drive Indiana had, they had a couple that helped to extend that drive. But it was also, at the time, Miami thought they were like a deep ball offense. They thought, okay, we paid Carson Beck, we got these great receivers, we're going to rely on him to bomb it like they did in that Notre Dame game, and they had to learn the hard lesson of, no, our actual identity, we're a road grader. Like, we need to run the ball and play great defense. And when they did that, that's when they truly became the team that they always could be. So, it's kind of interesting to think about maybe some hope that you can carry forward as a college football fan that, like, your team can make some mistakes, but maybe they're, there is a deeper identity, a more winning identity to be found through the course of the season. And nowadays, if you're good enough, you can maybe get back to fight for a national championship. And the reason I stopped you earlier, Big Ev, on the Big Ten talk, I wanted to have it here, and I wanted to have it in this conversation, in this context. I think, I even think, simplifying this to saying Indiana is the third straight Big Ten team to win it, three in a row for the conference, is even oversimplifying it and really doing a disservice to how fucking amazing it is to be a big team. It's amazing and unbelievable it is that Indiana did this. The Big Ten did not win tonight. Indiana, the worst team in the history of college football, they had not had a 10-win season in their history until last year. They go to the playoff, they go, they play Ohio State, and they get killed both times. And it doesn't set them back at all. It doesn't, I thought in my mind it would set them back. It would show, okay, well, you guys aren't who you think you are, because when you played a good team, you got killed. You got killed. They just went and got a better quarterback. They just went and got better at other places. They went and got better at center, which wasn't hard to do. They went and got better at a lot of places. They fixed every little problem. They didn't have big problems. They didn't have big problems at all. But they turned Curtis Rourke into Fernando Mendoza, and they just tweaked it a little bit. They were the number 19 preseason team. I'm not the only one that doubted this team. They were number 19, and Indiana, Indiana winning the Big Ten, Indiana winning the Big Ten is a miracle in what we know about Indiana. And now, marching through the playoff the way they did, this is such a bigger story than any conference. I think it's Indiana's story and Indiana's story alone. I think a week from now, we can talk about the Big Ten and their dominance and the fact that they're putting the SEC in the rearview mirror. But I just think Indiana is such a remarkable story. And Big F, go with that. I didn't give you any setup or anything. No, I mean, listen. I'll take it. It's deeper than the Big Ten. I think it just clearly shows. We talk about, like, the lane thing. He's kind of the glaring example right now. You can win anywhere. And that's not to say anyone can't win anywhere. Cignetti's a special, cut from a special cloth. Yeah. What he's done is special. Not everyone's going to be able to do that. But he's proven that it can be done. And it can be done anywhere in the power four. It can clearly be done. If it can be done in Indiana, it can be done anywhere. And I think that should be the biggest takeaway. Because for years, the people that I would talk to that aren't, like, as big, as big as big in the college football, as the junkies, like we are, the thing is, oh, the same teams win every year. It's always the same. It's BAM. It's Ohio State. It's Georgia. It's LSU. It's whoever. Not anymore. Not anymore. Yeah. There are seats at the table for everyone. It's there to be had. I mean, even look at when you break down even, like, some key members of the team. Serap. Pons. I forget the name of the guy who blocked the punt today. Like, these are guys he brought from JMU. These are JMU kids that are, like, cornerstone, paler, paler. These are pieces of this national title team. There's talent everywhere. If you can find them, develop them, you can win anywhere. I think that's even the bigger story than the Big Ten thing. Yeah. I mean, I finished the episode that we did last week, the preview. And I know, Brandon and T-Bob, you guys had to go. And it was the very end. But it was. And we talked about just that. And that's why it is so much of an indication on how good of a coach Kurt Cignetti really is. Because not only did Indiana turn around in two seasons, but the formula and everything that has been mentioned. You have to go into the transfer portal and find these guys. You have to get NIL support to get behind them. Then you have to put them all together on a roster and really develop them well very quickly to turn around. And the fact that he could do it at Indiana is just absolute proof that it can be done quite literally anywhere in the power four. It does not have to be at a Blue Blood or a brand name. And that's why when we look at all the landscape changes of college football in this era, Kurt Cignetti will be talked about forever. Because, you know, you talk about coaches. And how quickly they turn around programs. And they get these recruiting classes. He turned around the worst program in history at Indiana in two seasons because of the formula that he was able to put together in this new era. Well, not only that, but, like, he's just got Josh Hoover waiting in the wings from TCU. Yes. He's got Nick Marsh, the receiver from Michigan State. Like, he's just. If you think that Indiana's boosters were investing before, Mark Cuban might spend all night just writing checks. In his own shark tank. That was the other thing, Brandon. is that, like, Indiana might be the most sleepinest sleeping giant that we've ever seen in the sports history because of how large their alumni base is, right? Anytime you have that many people that went to the school, that's a giant bake roll from which to pull, especially because you're going to have a lot of rich ones. And now you have the billionaire. Like, you have Mark Cuban fully bought in. What do you need nowadays in college football? You need a billionaire. So, yes, Indiana, this is not a fluke. They are set up for sustained success. Brandon, if I wanted to engage with the Big Ten thing, I would say that it is impressive that it's been three different teams in three consecutive years. Like, that does speak to some overall conference strength, in my opinion. Yeah, it certainly does. And, like, with more there that could do it. Like, Oregon could do it. Like, these aren't the only three that could do it. Penn State could do it eventually. Like, that's the one thing about the SEC's run over 20 years where people acted like it was just Alabama-Georgia. Florida won a couple. Yes, you won a couple. Auburn won one. Like, it was five or six. Georgia got a couple. Yeah, it was six teams or whatever it was. And now the Big Ten team. It's one thing if Ohio State rips off three in a row. That just means Ohio State's elite. But the fact that Ohio State does it, Michigan does it, Indiana does it. And, again, like I said, Oregon's on deck to do it. And it's just – it's a hell of a conference at the top. And it's a new world in college football, and the Big Ten is leading us into it. But doesn't it feel so much weirder to say they're leading at the top? At the top with Indiana? Like, how soon is this really going to sink in? Because if it was Penn State this year, hypothetically, like, yeah, okay, three different teams, but it's Penn State. You know, Penn State's really good. They've got everybody. Like, I don't know when it's going to feel super normal to be like, wow, the Big Ten is leading the charge, and Indiana's the national champion. That is so weird. Go ahead, Liam. I don't think it'll ever feel normal. I think we'll look back in 40 years and just be like, we were alive in our prime to see Indiana, of all programs, dominate the college football scene. That's not to say they're not going to have success in the future. Of course they are. It's just such a, like you're saying, it's so jarring and unexpected and comically whimsy and fictional. Like, 40 years from now, yeah, we're going to look back on the Wikipedia of who won a title and just be like, that was one of the craziest things we've ever seen. We're not going to see anything like this ever again. Chad is talking about the age of the players, and I think that's important. I don't care. No, no, no, stop, stop, stop. Listen, listen. Indiana's not older than Miami. Miami's average starting age is older than that of Indiana. They were both old. Every team in this playoff was pretty much old. My point is, as much as we bitch about NIL, one thing it does, it keeps guys in college. Did y'all see the number of early entrants to the draft? It was like 40-something. A few years ago, it was over 130. So, like, for better or worse, talented players are, staying throughout their entire career in college, which means you get more high-executing, very entertaining football, like quality football like you saw tonight. Like, I think that's a benefit of the NIL era is that talent can actually come back to school and continue to develop because they're making money now. Also, I just don't, I agree. Like, I don't care because that is the formula. Like, everybody can go out and do it. Every single coach in America can go out and get a, quote, older roster if they want. Kurt Cignetti just was able, again, to get that formula and put it together. And I do think that it's weird when you hear Carson Beck sitting up there and being like, well, I graduated two years ago. I don't have to go to class. Like, yeah, that's bizarre. But the same way that people are like, well, you know, college athletes shouldn't be paid because it's supposed to be college. Well, it's a business now. We know that. You're going to have to just get over it. But it's not just Indiana. Indiana just did it the best this year. So, any coach can go do that. And to go out and get a one-year quarterback every year, that's allowed now. That's the formula that we're seeing work. That's just, that's kind of the way the cookie crumbles. Get over it. They spelled their uniform four years ago as Indinia. Did you see? And they just won national championship. I saw a picture of what was, the Twitter picture said it was a picture of Cignetti's first game in Indiana. Yeah. It was empty. It was just, it was flat out empty. It's amazing. I've got to see this. It's amazing. By the way, Blutman, show them the shirt that you have on right now. MarcelSports.com. I've got the new hoodies on as well. All the, all the merges out there. I have to ask you, Blutman, I know you've brought this up a few times over the, over the season. Remember last year when you were like nine, Windiana? Yeah, he was the first one on it. And then you jumped off. I didn't, I wouldn't say jumped off. I would say I was. You kind of did. I, I was cautious. Yeah, but. I didn't, I should have gone full speed ahead. I should have gotten the, I should have Georgia drove. You were the first one. Oh, all right. Listen to this. It hurts. It's Casey. Trust me. It hurts a little. It's just. Okay. So it doesn't say it in the ad, but we're going to be doing this with DraftKings. Yes. Hi, Roughnecks. We'll be right back after this word from our sponsor. Hey, Kirk Herbstreit here. When Hertz said they needed a football analyst, I assumed they wanted my help. Turns out they wanted Peter, my dog. I didn't even think Peter knew ball. Well, technically he knows that ball. Now Peter's part of the Hertz gold squad. And we'll be making weekly picks throughout the college football season. So whether you're coming to the stadium to cheer on Peter's picks or kicking off your own road trip, book direct at Hertz.com slash Peter. That's what we get to do now, boys, is with the, with the DraftKings sports book. There's no better time to place a future for the 2026 national champion than right now. Here are some odds. The, the, the favorite. Well, there's a couple of favorites. Indiana plus 700 to win the 2026 national championship. Who, who, who, who, who? Ohio state plus 700 to win the national title. Texas plus 750 to win the national title. Notre Dame, 750, Oregon, 850, Georgia, 900 LSU fighting tigers plus 1200 Texas tech plus 1400 A&M plus 1800. 16. Yeah. You got to put your glasses on big boy. I have dyscalculia too. It's okay. She's right. Texas A&M plus 1600 Alabama plus 1800 Miami of Florida plus 2000 USC plus 3,500 Oklahoma 3,500 Michigan 4,000 Ole Miss 4,000 Florida 5,000 Utah 6,000 Tennessee 6,000 on and on and on and on. T-Bob, who would you pick right now? You know what? Just say it. So we can move on. I hear the train. What did Gruden say? Train's coming down. That's right, baby. The lane train. I wasn't wrong, Brandon. I was just early when I chose LSU to win the natty this year. Okay. Because everybody knows Sam Levitt, Lane Kiffin, and the LSU Tigers are going to be lifting that national championship trophy in 2026. Are y'all all going to do this? Big F. Yes. What a dumb question. I gave your pick. Brandon. Yeah. Brandon. Yeah. It's the Ohio State Buckeyes 7-1. Who else would it be? Casey. Counts back. Love going in the portal. Rebuilding the defense. High-level veterans. Safeties. Interior D-line. Bringing some pass rushers back. Jeremiah Smith back. Got Bo Jackson back. Sayin' back. It's always the Buckeyes. 7-1. Casey Smith. Well, Brandon, if I wouldn't get it right, I would. If I would get us kicked off of YouTube, I would take off this lovely sweatshirt right here to reveal a maroon and white sports bra under here. And I'm going to show everybody right here my little Aggie ring with the diamonds. I'm going to take Texas A&M plus 1600. Mike Elko. Listen, everybody wanted to shit all over Marcel Reed. What did we talk about? Guys, when they're a little bit older, they have all that experience. They look a little bit better. Marcel Reed with another offseason. You're going to get better on defense. You're going to get weapons again to get Marcel. Give me plus 1600 to fight in Texas Aggies. Liam Blutman. You're telling me. Do it. I could put 10 buckaroos to win 6,000 smackers on the new JMU hype train, the UCLA Bruins. If I could, I'd run. I'd sprint to the studio to get my UCLA helmet and really immerse myself like our friends. But no, I'm split between Texas and Georgia. I'm eager to see what Georgia does. Georgia was just so young. Just make a pick. Just make a pick. Texas is disgusting. I think LSU is going to land seeding. But Texas with Goosby and the receivers that they've got. And Arch really did develop at the end of the year and got looking like he's scary. Texas, Texas, Texas. Sark's last ride? Question mark, question mark, question mark. It's never too early for me to beef with Liam about A&M apparently. All right. So let's move on. Wait, who's your pick? What's Mississippi State's odds? I couldn't scroll that far. I actually, if I were just picking from those favorites right there, I kind of agree with Liam. I think next year is a nasty, nasty bunch of Texas Longhorns. Now, as I say that, I say that like it's wide open. Like Ohio State, there's still, by the way, I know we got through this portal, but there's still going to be some changes this summer that change things. And who knows? But as of right now, I like Texas at plus 750. But Ohio State's probably. That's probably a good pick. I hate the A&M pick, if I'm being honest. And I hate the LSU pick, too, because, you know, he runs his mouth a lot, but he ain't ever won shit, so fuck him. Go ahead. Listen, it's never too early to talk about your team. Everybody wants to bitch and moan when your teams are good, but you know what? If there's a time to talk about your team, Brandon Walker, it's right now. It's a new season. Talk about Mississippi State. Ring that cowbell. So I want to ask you guys a question as we celebrate Indiana winning the national title, and I didn't see anything in the postgame, whether Cignetti said something amazing, Fernando Mendoza did his politician speech or whatever. Apparently, Fernando Mendoza said something sucks. He was awesome, dude. And I love Fernando. What did he say? I haven't seen it because we came right in here, but every single post I'm seeing is that he might have said something a little bit that everybody paused at. What did he say? Let me find this. Cadex celebrating with the boys. I mean, the quote that I think about with Fernando Mendoza postgame, he said, look, I'll die for those boys out there. I'm the field and they'll die for me. And that's why we're national champions. And he said it as his like face is bleeding, which is his arm is just one giant bruise. I mean, again, we can't get out of here without again, highlighting and celebrating the toughness of Fernando Mendoza. That fucking chin shot that he took early on that the refs let him take, extending the fake. Like, okay, dude, that was, and I liked it from Miami. That's good shit. Like, I don't even care if they throw the flag. You want to fucking get after that guy and make him feel. And they did. But whether it was Ohio state, this game, whenever Mendoza has gotten beat up, probably not as much as tonight, but he's got beat up all year long. He's always come back strong. What's big. I've listened to Mendoza say that he he'll take shots from the front or the back, whatever he needs to do. It's so it's the, at the very beginning of the quote, even think about it like that. Well, we're all very, we're all very perverted around here, but it's at the beginning of the quote that you said. But I, the first thing that I saw was our main account on Twitter that said, Fernando Mendoza said what in all caps. So yeah, it's, that's what I was listening to. Listen, you know what? I love him. He can do no wrong. Okay. But I do agree that the, the shot of him bleeding and you said it when we were in the cave, like in that moment, that's a champion shot. So yeah, you were like, that happened to the first fucking drive. I know. And I knew as soon as he fucking got bloodied, I was like, and they showed him up close. I was like, God damn it. That's a national champion shot right there. And by the way, just the juxtaposition, he did the juxtaposition of just like the body length. And I understand it was close to the end of the game. And, and, and I, again, I'm very pro crying. You want to cry, cry. Like I love it, but you said it at the same time I did Carson Beck looked like he was about to sob on the sideline. Well, at second, at second one, he realized it was over. Indiana was about to get a first down in the game. I think he was crying. And then that false start happened. He stood up and went and got his chin strap on and, and got ready and, and, and show love fighting that drive. He just made the one bad mistake. But I I'm okay with that. I'm just saying that you never saw Fernando. Mendoza even remotely, like when he was on the sidelines, every time they showed him, he had the bloody lip and he's just smiling. Like there's just so many about in fairness. He never had a chance to think he was about to lose. Like, like the Carson Beck was, was facing his mortality there. And Fernando Mendoza for their credit, never. I want to end this show with two questions. We'll go around. Uh, you have two more and T-Bob has one as well. Good God. How many we got? Hey, listen, it's the end of college football season. We've got to pay the bills. Hopefully can't get anything. And this show has got 30. Well, it's because people are listening tonight. I'll go ahead. I'll go ahead and do mine then. Yeah. Hi, Roughnecks. Hey, Kirk, Kirk street here during the college football season. My golden retriever, Peter and I are constantly on the road. Yep. Peter knows ball.