October 27, 2025 • 11 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Eric maclain of the ACC Network, college football analyst and
former Clemson Tiger offensive lineman back with us for his
Monday conversation. What's up, e mac How are you, buddy?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Man? A crazy weekend? I don't know what world we
think we're freaking living in and college football, but we're
just handing out fifty million dollar paychecks.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Left and right.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Brother, it is anarchy and chaos.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Well, and I know I asked you about it last week,
but I do want to ask you about it again
because it's crazy and I felt it coming for a
couple of weeks. I'm not the only one, but we
can see it now. I mean, we're going to have
at least, you know, twelve to fifteen jobs open up,
and that's without getting into the after effects of guys
leaving other jobs and therefore opening those up. Like what
is this, Eric? Is this a new era where everybody's
(00:41):
panicking to position themselves for the future because of how
different the sport is, Like this is like unprecedented, right,
Like what do you think this all amounts to?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, certainly feels like I might have some of our
researchers dig into that, because it's just it's chaos. Everywhere
you look. And my biggest question too, So let's say
this is, is you know the last domino to fall?
Or if there's more coming, who the heck are you
gonna go get?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Like if these you know, Marquee programs are you know
out there, these massive fish are out there, you know,
looking for their guy?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Who are you gonna get? You know? What are you
gonna do? Like?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Is if South Carolina makes a move, you can get
somebody better than Shane Beamer. I don't know, I don't
think so. So I'm just so shocked by all these things, man,
and the continued you know, whispers that I hear throughout
and in other programs that might follow suit. So it's
a it's a very interesting time and I don't know
(01:39):
what to chalk it up to. And listen at LSU,
I get maybe you know, the fit wasn't a thing,
cause I never thought it was, you know, I thought
when that news broke, which I think it took all
of us by huge surprise when when four years ago
Brian Kelly decided to go, you know, to LSU, I
never thought that the fit made sense. But that dude's
done nothing but win ten games and produce a heisman like,
(02:02):
it's crazy what you're getting fired for now? And to
say I get it, I mean I kind of do.
But at the end of the day, man.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
When is enough? Like enough?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I just don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
And if you're somebody else, how do you not look
at what.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
They did to coach oh who has fired what eighteen
months after winning a national championship? And then the same
thing here with Brian Kelly. How do you look at
those situations.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
And be like, hell, yeah, brother, like I want to
go there, I'm next. You just want to check I
guess right.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Other than that, it's crazy, it's great, it is.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
And I saw a quote from Lane Kiffin this morning
about how he never makes decisions based on money. He's
never been that way, and then at the end he
tacks on you know, Jimmy Sexton hates when I say
that out loud. And I always think of Jimmy because
he represents every big, you know, heavy hitter in college football.
And Jimmy's the guy who's negotiating the buyout terms and
all of these contracts more often than not, and we are,
(02:56):
you know, throwing away tens hundreds of millions of dollars
in eye out money. It is rather crazy. Do you
think though, Like with the professionalization of this sport and
it's changing the way that it is, we don't often
see NFL coaches walking away with fifty sixty seventy million
dollar buyouts. Does that start to change at some point
at the college level?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
It has to, And I honestly, I've had this conversation.
You're really at the middle of last week and a
couple of times over the weekend, like the market is
going to have to reset itself, Like these administrators, schools, boards, presidents, whatever,
whoever's involved, y'all need to take a step back and
be like, hold on now, we can't be paying people
(03:37):
fifty fricking million dollars to not coach, to not do
any I mean, that's just anarchy. It's ludicrous to agree
to that. So, you know, can the collective body come
together and be like, y'all don't do it. We're not
going to do it. Nobody do it sounds good? Probably not,
but that is what needs to happen, because it's just
crazy to sit here and look at that, and you're
(03:58):
absolutely right, that doesn't happen.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I don't think, you know, in any other.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
You know situation here, so I don't know how, I
don't know why how you figure it out, but it's uh,
it's chaotic to be paying that much money for nothing.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, get rid of I will say it did happen
here in our backyard. I'm pretty sure David Tepper paid
Matt Rule like sixty million to go away. Some of
that was mitigated, of course, by the Nebraska money. But
I guarantee you Dave Canalyis won't be walking away with
that in a couple of years if it doesn't work
out here. Eric McLain, ACC Network college football analysts hanging
out with us here on a Monday. Virginia holds on
to beating North Carolina Saturday in Chapel Hill overtime, big interception,
(04:34):
fourth down stop for the Who's defense. I mean literally
another week and Carolina comes up just you know, depending
on how you spent it, like a inches or a
foot short. They're two and five, zero to three in conference.
But I will say, Eric, it does look like they've
made some strides defensively.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, they look fantastic against Virginia. I mean, by far,
in a way, the best that they've.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Looked all year.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I mean, they look fast, physical, productive, you know, hitting
the quarterback making him uncomfortable. And it's unfortunate when a
team you.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Come up that short.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I did like the decision to go for two though,
you know in that moment you're probably gonna need a
couple of two point plays. Why not use your best
one right now and win it and let's just go
let's go home, you know, And and coming up that
short like it was a great play.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
You know, you just would.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Hope your running back would extend his arm, you know
a little bit and try to get this touchdown in
and he came up a little bit short there. So
you know, krudos to them best I've seen them. Look,
didn't know if we'd ever see him look like that
this year. And you know, for Virginia, I've got, yeah,
I got some alarms down and off in the back.
They're quiet, they're back there, but I've got some alarms
(05:41):
and maybe some flags starting to wave.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Man.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I mean these last three weeks, three games that they
just have not looked the same team that they are
not playing complimentary football right now. They're playing like in
spite of football, Like some one of the three phases
finds a way. But it's not helping. It's just we
just got to do this, you know. So they need
to get back to that running the football way more effectively.
(06:05):
Chandler Morris pushing the ball down field, you know, being
who he was, I thought he held onto the ball
way too long Saturday and took a bunch of hits
that he did not need to take, So that there
needs to be kind of a collective reset for UVA.
It feels like right now.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Eric Georgia Tech beat up on Syracuse over the weekend.
It wasn't a win that's going to impress anybody, but
Georgia Tech is now eight to o five and Ozero
a conference number seven team in the country. I know
it's all matchup dependent, but because of the way that
they play, do you look at this team as one
that you think if they get in they're a threat
and can win a playoff game or no?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
No, absolutely, Okay.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
I think when you have, you know, a guy like.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Haynes king Man who just needs to be seriously in
these Heisman you know contentions, whoever you know discusses that
or talks about that. This guy had almost four hundred
yards five touchdowns by himself, you know, against these guys,
and you look at the other top dogs you know
across the country, like a Ty Simpson or you know
(07:04):
Julian Sayans at Ohio.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
State or Pavia or.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
You know any of these other cats that are kind
of up there. For that running he has more total
yards and scores than all of them per game. And
so it's just it's fascinating to me how you know,
people just don't want to give this guy credit when
when he is truly the heart and soul of this team.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
And you know, it's funny.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You talk about if they get in, can.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
They do this?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
And that I think this year, more than ever can
be where you look at you know how dispersed talent is.
When you see the chaos and these games that we
have and a lot of people with with losses one
or more right now that probably still will get in.
It feels like more than ever, style in the way
you fight is going to matter. Like matchups this year
(07:49):
more than ever are going to matter. How teams handle
situational football is going to matter. And and I don't
know if there's you know, a more prepared team from
a physicality state point, and X is an O standpoint
that buster Faulkner, the offensive coordinator for Georgia Tech Presents.
And then just you talk about style, gritty, tough, hard
nos you know, for sixty minutes, can you can you
(08:12):
keep up with that?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
I just I don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
If people you know, can't you know that are of
equal talent. So I'm fascinated, you know, just to see
how this team handles it, how they move forward, because
they they're truly rolling right now, and the last probably
big test at the end of their schedule against Georgia
is going to be very telling for what they look
like the rest of the way.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
More impressive to you at this stage of a season,
Jake Dickert guiding Wake Forest to five and two beating
SMU or the fact that pitt is quietly six and
two four in one of the acc.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Oh man, I mean two both perceived very bad football
teams preseason, So I don't know, probably Jake Dickard probably right,
like I thought that they were going to be really,
really bad, and they have responded amazingly. And that defense
against that some you last week was sick. I mean,
guys flying around the field every other play. Its team
(09:06):
like there's just a swarm of black Jerseys flying around,
making plays, forcing turnovers galore, and as much as their
offense tried to give it away.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Those boys.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Fought like crazy to ultimately put their team in the
best position to win it, and they did so. Yeah,
I've been thrilled with him. He is an exceptional coach.
His energy, passion, you know, vision has always been something
that we were excited about. I just didn't know if
he had the guys this year to do it, and
it was going to take him some building and maybe
take him another offseason to get guys.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
But they are.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Absolutely finding a way. And you know, I do want
to touch on Pittsburgh really quick because they are playing
at such a high level right now since that change,
and you look at their schedule and who they play
ahead of them, having Miami, having Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.
These guys I think could play their way into this playoff.
It'll be fascinating to see if they went out. What
(10:00):
the heck are we going to do with the Pittsburgh
Panthers with the strength of schedule they have coming up.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
That's a great point. Last thing, real quick, Clemson hosting
Duke this weekend. Obviously, it's important for all parties involved,
Duke's trying to keep pace. I mean there's still three
and one in the ACC. What are your thoughts on
that matchup?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Yeah, I'm terrified, disgusted, don't want to watch, but we
got to do it, and I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Man, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I mean, I have no clue what to expect from
Clemson on a week out, weekend basis. And you know,
for a Duke team that obviously had a you know,
lost the last time they played, you know, just kind
of got out physical and couldn't last a full sixty
minutes against you know, Georgia Tech. They're at home, had
to buy week lick your wounds, and now you know
you had to to Clemson to face the Tigers, who
(10:45):
are you know, majorly struggling. I think from again, from
a style standpoint, Duke should throw the ball all over
the yard. I think that they're going to really try
to stress and push against those safeties and kind of
see what SMU did, you know, and push the ball
down and field. So if Clemson hasn't healed up, if
they haven't prepared accordingly, they could get embarrassed at home.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Eric, we appreciate you as always, brother, have a great week.
Stay strong. We'll talk to you next Monday.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Appreciate you brother, have a great show.
Eric maclain of the ACC Network, college football analyst and
former Clemson Tiger offensive lineman back with us for his
Monday conversation. What's up, e mac How are you, buddy?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Man? A crazy weekend? I don't know what world we
think we're freaking living in and college football, but we're
just handing out fifty million dollar paychecks.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Left and right.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Brother, it is anarchy and chaos.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Well, and I know I asked you about it last week,
but I do want to ask you about it again
because it's crazy and I felt it coming for a
couple of weeks. I'm not the only one, but we
can see it now. I mean, we're going to have
at least, you know, twelve to fifteen jobs open up,
and that's without getting into the after effects of guys
leaving other jobs and therefore opening those up. Like what
is this, Eric? Is this a new era where everybody's
(00:41):
panicking to position themselves for the future because of how
different the sport is, Like this is like unprecedented, right,
Like what do you think this all amounts to?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, certainly feels like I might have some of our
researchers dig into that, because it's just it's chaos. Everywhere
you look. And my biggest question too, So let's say
this is, is you know the last domino to fall?
Or if there's more coming, who the heck are you
gonna go get?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Right?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Like if these you know, Marquee programs are you know
out there, these massive fish are out there, you know,
looking for their guy?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Who are you gonna get? You know? What are you
gonna do? Like?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Is if South Carolina makes a move, you can get
somebody better than Shane Beamer. I don't know, I don't
think so. So I'm just so shocked by all these things, man,
and the continued you know, whispers that I hear throughout
and in other programs that might follow suit. So it's
a it's a very interesting time and I don't know
(01:39):
what to chalk it up to. And listen at LSU,
I get maybe you know, the fit wasn't a thing,
cause I never thought it was, you know, I thought
when that news broke, which I think it took all
of us by huge surprise when when four years ago
Brian Kelly decided to go, you know, to LSU, I
never thought that the fit made sense. But that dude's
done nothing but win ten games and produce a heisman like,
(02:02):
it's crazy what you're getting fired for now? And to
say I get it, I mean I kind of do.
But at the end of the day, man.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
When is enough? Like enough?
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I just don't know.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
And if you're somebody else, how do you not look
at what.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
They did to coach oh who has fired what eighteen
months after winning a national championship? And then the same
thing here with Brian Kelly. How do you look at
those situations.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
And be like, hell, yeah, brother, like I want to
go there, I'm next. You just want to check I
guess right.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Other than that, it's crazy, it's great, it is.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
And I saw a quote from Lane Kiffin this morning
about how he never makes decisions based on money. He's
never been that way, and then at the end he
tacks on you know, Jimmy Sexton hates when I say
that out loud. And I always think of Jimmy because
he represents every big, you know, heavy hitter in college football.
And Jimmy's the guy who's negotiating the buyout terms and
all of these contracts more often than not, and we are,
(02:56):
you know, throwing away tens hundreds of millions of dollars
in eye out money. It is rather crazy. Do you
think though, Like with the professionalization of this sport and
it's changing the way that it is, we don't often
see NFL coaches walking away with fifty sixty seventy million
dollar buyouts. Does that start to change at some point
at the college level?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
It has to, And I honestly, I've had this conversation.
You're really at the middle of last week and a
couple of times over the weekend, like the market is
going to have to reset itself, Like these administrators, schools, boards, presidents, whatever,
whoever's involved, y'all need to take a step back and
be like, hold on now, we can't be paying people
(03:37):
fifty fricking million dollars to not coach, to not do
any I mean, that's just anarchy. It's ludicrous to agree
to that. So, you know, can the collective body come
together and be like, y'all don't do it. We're not
going to do it. Nobody do it sounds good? Probably not,
but that is what needs to happen, because it's just
crazy to sit here and look at that, and you're
(03:58):
absolutely right, that doesn't happen.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I don't think, you know, in any other.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
You know situation here, so I don't know how, I
don't know why how you figure it out, but it's uh,
it's chaotic to be paying that much money for nothing.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, get rid of I will say it did happen
here in our backyard. I'm pretty sure David Tepper paid
Matt Rule like sixty million to go away. Some of
that was mitigated, of course, by the Nebraska money. But
I guarantee you Dave Canalyis won't be walking away with
that in a couple of years if it doesn't work
out here. Eric McLain, ACC Network college football analysts hanging
out with us here on a Monday. Virginia holds on
to beating North Carolina Saturday in Chapel Hill overtime, big interception,
(04:34):
fourth down stop for the Who's defense. I mean literally
another week and Carolina comes up just you know, depending
on how you spent it, like a inches or a
foot short. They're two and five, zero to three in conference.
But I will say, Eric, it does look like they've
made some strides defensively.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, they look fantastic against Virginia. I mean, by far,
in a way, the best that they've.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Looked all year.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
I mean, they look fast, physical, productive, you know, hitting
the quarterback making him uncomfortable. And it's unfortunate when a
team you.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Come up that short.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
I did like the decision to go for two though,
you know in that moment you're probably gonna need a
couple of two point plays. Why not use your best
one right now and win it and let's just go
let's go home, you know, And and coming up that
short like it was a great play.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
You know, you just would.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Hope your running back would extend his arm, you know
a little bit and try to get this touchdown in
and he came up a little bit short there. So
you know, krudos to them best I've seen them. Look,
didn't know if we'd ever see him look like that
this year. And you know, for Virginia, I've got, yeah,
I got some alarms down and off in the back.
They're quiet, they're back there, but I've got some alarms
(05:41):
and maybe some flags starting to wave.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Man.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I mean these last three weeks, three games that they
just have not looked the same team that they are
not playing complimentary football right now. They're playing like in
spite of football, Like some one of the three phases
finds a way. But it's not helping. It's just we
just got to do this, you know. So they need
to get back to that running the football way more effectively.
(06:05):
Chandler Morris pushing the ball down field, you know, being
who he was, I thought he held onto the ball
way too long Saturday and took a bunch of hits
that he did not need to take, So that there
needs to be kind of a collective reset for UVA.
It feels like right now.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Eric Georgia Tech beat up on Syracuse over the weekend.
It wasn't a win that's going to impress anybody, but
Georgia Tech is now eight to o five and Ozero
a conference number seven team in the country. I know
it's all matchup dependent, but because of the way that
they play, do you look at this team as one
that you think if they get in they're a threat
and can win a playoff game or no?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
No, absolutely, Okay.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
I think when you have, you know, a guy like.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Haynes king Man who just needs to be seriously in
these Heisman you know contentions, whoever you know discusses that
or talks about that. This guy had almost four hundred
yards five touchdowns by himself, you know, against these guys,
and you look at the other top dogs you know
across the country, like a Ty Simpson or you know
(07:04):
Julian Sayans at Ohio.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
State or Pavia or.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
You know any of these other cats that are kind
of up there. For that running he has more total
yards and scores than all of them per game. And
so it's just it's fascinating to me how you know,
people just don't want to give this guy credit when
when he is truly the heart and soul of this team.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
And you know, it's funny.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You talk about if they get in, can.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
They do this?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
And that I think this year, more than ever can
be where you look at you know how dispersed talent is.
When you see the chaos and these games that we
have and a lot of people with with losses one
or more right now that probably still will get in.
It feels like more than ever, style in the way
you fight is going to matter. Like matchups this year
(07:49):
more than ever are going to matter. How teams handle
situational football is going to matter. And and I don't
know if there's you know, a more prepared team from
a physicality state point, and X is an O standpoint
that buster Faulkner, the offensive coordinator for Georgia Tech Presents.
And then just you talk about style, gritty, tough, hard
nos you know, for sixty minutes, can you can you
(08:12):
keep up with that?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
I just I don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
If people you know, can't you know that are of
equal talent. So I'm fascinated, you know, just to see
how this team handles it, how they move forward, because
they they're truly rolling right now, and the last probably
big test at the end of their schedule against Georgia
is going to be very telling for what they look
like the rest of the way.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
More impressive to you at this stage of a season,
Jake Dickert guiding Wake Forest to five and two beating
SMU or the fact that pitt is quietly six and
two four in one of the acc.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Oh man, I mean two both perceived very bad football
teams preseason, So I don't know, probably Jake Dickard probably right,
like I thought that they were going to be really,
really bad, and they have responded amazingly. And that defense
against that some you last week was sick. I mean,
guys flying around the field every other play. Its team
(09:06):
like there's just a swarm of black Jerseys flying around,
making plays, forcing turnovers galore, and as much as their
offense tried to give it away.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
Those boys.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Fought like crazy to ultimately put their team in the
best position to win it, and they did so. Yeah,
I've been thrilled with him. He is an exceptional coach.
His energy, passion, you know, vision has always been something
that we were excited about. I just didn't know if
he had the guys this year to do it, and
it was going to take him some building and maybe
take him another offseason to get guys.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
But they are.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Absolutely finding a way. And you know, I do want
to touch on Pittsburgh really quick because they are playing
at such a high level right now since that change,
and you look at their schedule and who they play
ahead of them, having Miami, having Georgia Tech and Notre Dame.
These guys I think could play their way into this playoff.
It'll be fascinating to see if they went out. What
(10:00):
the heck are we going to do with the Pittsburgh
Panthers with the strength of schedule they have coming up.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
That's a great point. Last thing, real quick, Clemson hosting
Duke this weekend. Obviously, it's important for all parties involved,
Duke's trying to keep pace. I mean there's still three
and one in the ACC. What are your thoughts on
that matchup?
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Yeah, I'm terrified, disgusted, don't want to watch, but we
got to do it, and I don't know.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Man, we'll see.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I mean, I have no clue what to expect from
Clemson on a week out, weekend basis. And you know,
for a Duke team that obviously had a you know,
lost the last time they played, you know, just kind
of got out physical and couldn't last a full sixty
minutes against you know, Georgia Tech. They're at home, had
to buy week lick your wounds, and now you know
you had to to Clemson to face the Tigers, who
(10:45):
are you know, majorly struggling. I think from again, from
a style standpoint, Duke should throw the ball all over
the yard. I think that they're going to really try
to stress and push against those safeties and kind of
see what SMU did, you know, and push the ball
down and field. So if Clemson hasn't healed up, if
they haven't prepared accordingly, they could get embarrassed at home.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Eric, we appreciate you as always, brother, have a great week.
Stay strong. We'll talk to you next Monday.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Appreciate you brother, have a great show.
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Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!