January 2, 2026 • 40 mins
In the final hour, Aaron and Jason do a quick preview of the College Football Playoff Semifinal Preview, then do a preview of Week 18 in the NFL!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
If you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Welcome in everybody, Final Hour Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon.
Jason and Mike are out very deserved New Year's Day off,
as you heard the man Arators. Jason Martin filling in
until two a m. Eastern Time, Brian No filling in
for Ben Mallor they will bet Brian No will follow us.
(00:50):
Adam Osland. I stand corrected. That's Osland with a bunch
of a's and I'm not even gonna try to spell it.
Adam Ousland. Joe is in after us, by the way.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
VJ.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Husky and Arnie Spanier in for Jason and Mike on Friday,
JA Day.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
We'll be back one day.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Man.
Speaker 6 (01:07):
By the way, I feel like tower or trivia. There's
gonna be aro, There's gonna be a spin off show
on our program called The Torres Spelling.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Bee doesn't roll off the tongue nearly as well. Yeah
that's pretty good.
Speaker 6 (01:20):
Uh, that's about the laugh that deserves. But no, it
was just a rough It was kind of a rough
outing for you.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Yeah, I also gave I also defaulted.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
It's like being a sprinter that like defaults out of
the gates in a race, you know, like you get
disqualified before the race even begins.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Final question.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
The answer was Day, as in Ryan Day, and I
somehow set it in the lead up to trying to
set it up.
Speaker 6 (01:45):
So it was a very Connor Stallions like move by you.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
No Connor Stallions is ahead of things, man, I was
just way way way behind.
Speaker 6 (01:52):
Well, you were cheating very blatantly and got caught.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yeah, I know that that wasn't an attempt to cheat.
I was just trying to.
Speaker 6 (01:58):
Expel I know, I know. Yeah, it was just really
I know you were I know exactly what you were doing.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It was just really dumb. It's okay to admit that
it was dumb. You know it's not dumb. iHeartRadio app.
You can stream us wherever you happen to be. Catch
us in all of our favorite Fox Sports Radio shows
live twenty four to seven in the new and improved
iHeart Radio app.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Just search Fox Sports.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Radio in the app to stream us live all day,
every day, and be sure to select Fox Sports Radio
is one of your presets in the iHeart app, so
it always pops up at the top of your screen.
College football is final four results over the last twenty
four or so hours. Miami beats Ohio State late last
night on New Year's Eve, Oregon takes care of Texas
(02:38):
Tech twenty three to nothing. Indiana dominates Alabama, and the
most recent result was just insanity final score at the
Sugar Bowl. Ol Miss wins thirty nine to thirty four
and Old Miss field goal with six seconds left puts
them up thirty seven to thirty four.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
That was supposed to be the end of the game.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
The ensuing kickoff, Georgia tries a lateral throws it out
of bounds. It ends up being a safety. Old Miss
celebrates one second gets left put on the clock. How
about this, George is forced to kick off. Old Miss
doesn't really even try to recover the ball, not realizing
(03:20):
that time apparently would not come off the clock. Georgia
recovers it with one second left. A million different later
les does not matter. Old Miss wins. This was the
most recent result j Mart. Frankly, it was the most
competitive and entertaining game of the quarterfinals of the cover
(03:41):
a wide margin. Take it where you want, man, it's
unbelievable when Old misadvances. They will play now, of course,
against against who they plan. Why am I blanking? They're
playing Miami, Miami in the in the Fiesta Bowl next week.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
So I'm in the story. The story. It's storybook stuff,
it really is. I mean, with everything that they have
dealt with as a program outside of the head coach
to the left. But like I mean, there's speculation and
already talk going into this game that some of these
coaches might not be there for the semi final because
they're going to have to go to LSU. And you
(04:19):
want to make them, make them a bigger villain. Now,
make it even harder on Ole Miss going into this
semi final round against Miami. But you've got a guy
who stuck around, who got the job, who's in his
second game as head coach, and he's against the apex
of the sport. Really in Georgia and Kirby Smart in
(04:40):
a building that they have owned quite a lot, even
though they lost to Notre Dame last year, and they
just beat them. They flat beat them. They and they
made mistakes along the way. In the first half, they
were shooting themselves in the foot and then in the
second half they just stopped doing it. Guys started making
the catches. They were dropping. They had four dry in
(05:00):
the first half at Chambliss Trinidad. Chambliss was just outstanding
in this game, as he has been all season long.
Their defense was decleting Gunner Stockton over and over in
this game. This was his physical football games I've seen
in a very long time. Both teams just leaving it
out there on the field. It was a really impressive,
(05:22):
well played game in many many facets. But the idea
that Ole Miss could match Georgia's toughness, physicality, speed and
just beat them in an even game on a neutral
field shows you what that program has become. And I
think that the biggest story, unfortunately, is the absence of
(05:43):
Lane Kiffin. I know you said that earlier, and you're right, Like,
the thing that you're left thinking about more than anything
is how in the world could you leave this team
because you didn't think they could win it, or you
felt like you had to go take this. It's just
it's mind boggling and baffling to me, but they become
the favorite sentimentally, I think for anybody without a rooting interest,
(06:07):
I think the Indiana story is great. But this Ole
Miss story, with everything they have dealt with throughout the
course of this season, plus the story of zero Star
Trinidad Chambliss and what he's been able to do, is
just this is why we love sports. It's why we
stay up in all hours of the night with microphones
on our heads to talk about it is because of
(06:29):
stuff like this. It just doesn't get much better.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Well, and again, the Ole Miss is the story, but
Lane Kiffin is part of it. The other thing I
was saying about with Lane Kiffin and I know, we
probably should spend more time giving credit to the guys
that are still there. But on top of just the fact,
and we talked about this throughout the show. Everybody can
go back and download the podcast. I'll give you details
before we get off air. Here's the other thing is
one I already said it a minute ago, but you
(06:54):
know you coach as a coach, you spend your whole
career putting yourself in an opportunity to have a team
that is good enough to win the championship. And the
argument for Lane Kiffin was LSU provides me year over
year better chances, hypothetically. The thing is, there was nothing
hypothetical about this Old Miss situation. They were eleven to
(07:17):
one after the Egg Bowl when he was still head coach,
they were going to the playoff. And the other thing
and this is the part that I didn't mention before.
If Lane Kiffin feels like, and you know, the reporting
seems to indicate that he feels like being at a
blue blood year over year, is it's easier, which I'm
not even gonna criticize him for whatever.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
LSU historically is a better job than Ole Miss.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Okay, My only argument to that would be this is
that I understand that in a vacuum, LSU is a
better job. And I even besides the fact that you're
leaving a team that's good enough to win a championship,
if you're Lane Kiff and you're leaving a team that's
good enough to legitimately win a championship. But the other
part that I keep coming back to You're going to
have other opportunity of these in the future, doesn't matter.
(08:02):
It might not be LSU, it might be this school,
might be that school, might be Florida, it might be
Florida's whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
One of these.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Jobs is going to open again, and as long as
you are doing what you're doing your goal. That's the
part that trips me out is it's one thing if
you finish eight and four this year and you feel like, Okay,
we're not even close. I can't do it here, that's
one thing, But you had the opportunity right in front
of you. And then on top of that, it's not
like if you stayed this year, you're not going to
(08:30):
be the hottest candidate next year for whatever job opens up.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
If that makes sense. Yeah, And look, I think that's
why ultimately all miss one here because it wasn't going
to stop the way that the way that college football
has moved, and the bigger program's trying to pill for
the smaller programs or the ones with less tradition, less money,
whatever it is. The lang Kiffin always is looking somewhere else.
(08:53):
It seems like that's kind of been them, that's been
the storyline. Throughout his career. So if he didn't take
one this cycle, though there were some of those big
jobs that he craved four years ago or whatever like
that next year, there's gonna be another one, or there's
gonna be another one. There was gonna be another one.
I mean, let's say he hadn't taken LSU. What happens
when Michigan opened up, Like like there was gonna be
all of this was never going to stop. Whereas you
(09:16):
look at a guy like Pete Golding. If you find
a guy that you like and he's there, like that's
a guy that can stay there for a while and
maybe be happy there forever. You never know, like who
knows if he's the guy. I'm just saying, you were
going to be kind of sitting there hoping he didn't
cheat on you. Annually. It was gonna be the storyline
(09:39):
every single year. So at the very least, I think
you got out of that turnstile business, and now you
can go to just being a football team, being a
program with some kind of stability behind it, And I
think that might be ultimately in the long run, that's
gonna cause a lot less stress for the people in
Oxford than constantly wondering what next week is gonna look like.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
So I think this all speaks to a bigger picture.
You talked about the fact that Peak Golding is a
guy you can hold on to, and you know, we'll
get to the Rose Bowl maybe on the other side, but.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Peak Golding is a guy that you can hold on to.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
But in this era, this if there was ever an
era where you do stay at Ole Miss and maybe
a good example of this is what we saw in
the Rose Bowl. Kurt Signetti probably could have gotten the
Penn State job if you wanted it.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Oh, I would think so, yes.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yeah, you know, if he didn't want that one, maybe
he stays and he could have gotten Miss.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
The point being you don't have to leave. And I
saw this tweet.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I want to give credit where it's due, Brandon Walker
from Barstool Sports. I want your opinion on this, he
tweeted about an hour ago. Quote, this is the playoff
where it all officially changed. All the programs who used
to have a leg up on quote investing in players
like Bama, Georgia, Ohio State are out. The teams who
mastered nil in the Portal Indiana, Old Miss Miami are
in the old guard is replaced. I think it's accurate,
(10:58):
and I think it's another reason. And this doesn't even
necessarily have to be a lane Kiff in conversation, but
it proves you didn't have to leave. If you want
to do it's fine, but you didn't have to leave.
And I do think this is a turning of the
guard where the Georgia's, the Ohio States, the Alabamas, they
don't have the indisputable advantage going forward if they don't
(11:18):
know what they're doing.
Speaker 6 (11:19):
Yeah, and I mean, you're gonna evolve or you're gonna
perish in this college football. You have to understand what
you're in. And look that he didn't mention Oregon in
that tweet. But you know, they've got fil nice money
and they know how they know how to use the
portal too, and they've been pretty effective with the way
they've built that program as well. But like to that point,
(11:40):
you talk about the Ohio States of Alabama's, what about
the Clemsons. Dabo was famously, you know, pretty stubborn as
related to all this, Well, where do you where is
Clemson Now? They're looking up at Miami in a way
that they're nowhere close at this stage to what Mario
Cristobaul and what Miami is building and how they are
building that program, and that's gonna We're gonna continue to
(12:04):
see more and more of that. But but the bigger
thing is there is absolutely you're gonna find nobody that's
gonna be able to make an excuse that you can't
win in a place like Ole, miss If Kurt Signetti
wins a national championship in Indiana like periods, there's not
another answer, Like there's if you can win a championship
(12:26):
or even do what he's done already at head coach
there and only lose two games and absolutely throttle Alabama
in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Like, you can't tell
me you can't win an SEC school. You can't win
at all these schools because Indiana has been a laughingstock
of a program in terms of football. You could probably
(12:47):
find a lot of pretty big time college football fans
and say, name five players in Indiana that haven't played
in the last two seasons, and I don't think you
can find many people even come close.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Antoine Randall Ell, it's Rando L. Michael Pennix, Yeah, I
could call Michael Penix, H there was.
Speaker 6 (13:04):
There was one receiver. I remember that Torch's Western Kentucky
when I was there, and I can't even remember his name.
Now they've had they've had a couple of guys, right,
but most of them you would say, oh, he went
to Indiana. It wouldn't be something you knew about while
they were in Indiana. And now you're knowing a lot
of guys, and you're going to continue to know a
lot of guys. And you have the Heisman Trophy winner
(13:26):
at quarterback who just looks like he does everything right.
I saw one comment that I thought was pretty adept
about Fernando Mendoza, says the storyline about Fernando Mendoza, and
they were like, watch this be the case, And it
was kind of a joke comment. But I think there's
truth to it that the knock on Mendoza in the
NFL is going to be he's too nice to be
(13:46):
a leader, sure, because there's nothing to dislike about him,
like whatsoever. All the stories about him are phenomenal, the
whole that story they told on the broadcast about before
the Heisman. He asked for a list of all the
Heisman finalists or Heisman winners in the past that we're
going to be there, yea, so he could go and
(14:07):
research them and be able to talk to him. He
did the same thing before he got to IU. He
asked for pictures and names of everybody on the team.
So day one he's naming them like stuff like that's
just insane. But again, like the Old Guard is, it
feels like it's three or four generations ago because of
(14:29):
what college football has become. But yeah, I mean, you've
got new blood here. But that again speaks to there's
a short sightedness Slane Kiffin, because dude, you were already
playing the game. You were playing the new game, and
you were proving yourself and you were winning at the
new game. You were beating the old Guard in Oxford, Mississippi,
(14:51):
And instead of continuing to do that, you decided to
join an old Guard school and leave them behind. And
now they're two from a national championship.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Well, I'll tell you what one of those old Guard
schools Alabama. Oh well, we're gonna go ahead and discuss
them next.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Indiana. The thirty eight to three win in the Rose Bowl.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Part of it is the incredible Indiana story, but part
of it is where does Alabama go from here.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
That's next.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Aer Tors, Jason martin In for Jason Smith and Mike
harmon Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey,
this is Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 7 (15:38):
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight
Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines,
accurate stats to.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
Help you win big at the sportsbook.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And all the best guests.
Speaker 7 (15:57):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire Jason
McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Kurt Signetti Indiana Hoosiers thirty eight to three win. We're
gonna come back and talk about the team on the
other side of that situation. By the way, Aaron Towards
Jason martin In for Jason Smith and Mike Harmon, We'll come.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Back and do that in half a second.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Before we do the final time this evening, Mantu blanios.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
What's trending? Oh guys, it's been fun. It's been a
lot of fun. A lot about my spelling capability.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
We all did, Yes, we all did road r A D.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Yes, there's the A asilent.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
A is like in your name.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Yeah, exactly one of them is silent on there. That's
what threw me.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I always have to remember to add the second A
wh write out my name of course.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
No, I got you, I got you.
Speaker 5 (16:59):
We have the semi final set in the college football
playoff fellas the Sugar Bowl went down to the wire
between Ole Miss and Georgia. The Rebels were down nine
at the half, came back to win it thirty nine
to thirty four in a bizarre ending.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Go look it up if you haven't seen what happened.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
But basically, the Rebels hit the go ahead field goal
with six seconds left, and then somehow the Bulldogs got
called for a safety in their final kickoff, and even
then it didn't end, but Trinidad Shambliss threw for three
hundred and sixty two yards and two touchdowns. Ole Miss
will face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, January eighth,
Indiana crushed Alabama at the Rolls Bowl thirty eight to three,
(17:37):
Fernando Mendoza with a hat trick. He threw for one
hundred and ninety two yards and three touchdowns. And then
in the Orange Bowl Oregon shoutout Texas Tech twenty three zero,
where the Ducks had two interceptions, seven tackles for loss,
and four sec shutting down the Red Raider offense. So
Oregon and Indiana will face each other in the Peach
Bowl on Friday, January ninth. Other NFL news, Ackers quarterback
(18:00):
Jordan Love did clear concussion protocol, but he will sit
out until the playoffs. Bill's quarterback Josh Allen didn't practice
for a second straight day because of his foot injury.
Ravens fans Lamar Jackson is expected to start Sunday Night
football against the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Saints.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Wide receiver Chris ol Lave will missed the final game
of the season against the Falcons due to a blood
clot found in one of his lungs, but he has
no history of that, so he's expected to recover within
the next month. And then in the NBA, Yeah, guys,
the Clipper six in a row that's right. Clippers beat
the Jads one eighteen to one oh one. Kawhi Leonard
forty five points.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
That is right.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
Jalen Brown had a double double tonight twenty nine points
and ten rebounds as the Celtics beat the Kings one
twenty to one oh six. Cooper flagged twelve points, seven rebounds,
seven assists, but the Mavericks lost at home to the
seventy six Ers one twenty three to one oh eight.
Tyres Maxy had a good game thirty four points, eight
rebounds and ten assists.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Well.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
The Heat defeated the Pistons in Detroit one eighteen to
one twelve. Were former Clipper Norman Powell dropped thirty six points.
Kate Cunningham in the lost thirty one points, eight rebounds
and eleven assists. The Rockets have one four in a row.
They took down the Nets one twenty to ninety six.
And lastly here, seven time Major singles champion Venus Williams
was handed a wildcard to the Australian Open.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
She's forty five.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
She's gonna be the oldest woman ever to play at
the season opening Grand Slam. Guys, it's been fun back to.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
You thank you, Mantzi way, yes, you, and tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (19:22):
I am in tomorrow with our friend Dan Byer, Everyone's friend,
he's America's friend. Dan Byer and I are in from
twelve to four, so four pm Eastern to eight eastern.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Oh see that right time? No, of course not. Yes,
did I say that? We're off to four to three
to seven?
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Three to seven?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
There is something she's not trigonometry.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
I live in la Okay now and I spell wid three.
Oh yeah, I thought it was forest. No, I can't
do it.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
But Dan Byer and I and tomorrow, Yes, fantastic.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
We'll have a great show.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Thank you you guys. Have a good evening, Happy New Year.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Happy.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
I'm sure you'll be talking to a lot of the
same stuff that we are.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Let's get into it, get into it all.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Right, motz, have a great night. Let's get into it
really quickly. Jmart By the way, for anybody who doesn't
love college football, tough night. There are great NFL stories
going into the final weekend of the season. We understand
that we are respectful of that. But with three quarterfinals today,
one quarterfinal on New Year's Eve, this feels like the
time to go heavy on the games that have gone final.
(20:21):
We talked a lot about the Sugar Bowl that Monty
just gave you the details on Ole Miss wins thirty
nine to thirty four. Jay mart I do want to
go back to that Rose Bowl final score in Pasadena,
Goodness gracious, Indiana thirty eight Alabama three. And if you
missed any of it, you could go back and check
out the podcast. We spend a lot of time in
hour one talking about the Indiana Hoosiers. I do think
(20:44):
we have to spend a pretty significant amount of time
talking Alabama. Alabama finishes the year eleven and four.
Speaker 6 (20:51):
Overall.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Two of their.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Last three games were frankly blowout losses twenty eight to
seven loss in the SEC Championship game negative three yards
rushing in that game.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
They do beat.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Oklahoma, it is worth noting by the way they fell
down seventeen to nothing in that Oklahoma game, to their credit,
rally to win tonight in the Rose Bowl one hundred
and ninety three yards of total offense twenty three yards rushing,
the worst postseason loss in Alabama history. I'll tell you
what you know, listen, it is what it is. This
(21:26):
isn't like a Kaelin de Bourne needs to be fired thing.
But what I will say, and we had Ryan Foller
on earlier in the show they he did inherit a
lot of talent, I understand, maybe not quite as much
as people think. And I just feel like we're starting
to hit lows that I didn't think we would see
Alabama hit this fast. I know they were in the playoff,
(21:46):
I know they won eleven games, blown out by Georgia,
four losses overall, and just absolutely obliterated in Pasadena on
Thursday afternoon.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know what. I'm still really
curious to see what the reaction is going to be
from the louder Alabama fan in Tuscaloosa that lives or
dies by the team. Twenty four seven, three sixty five. Like,
I want to know what they have to say. And
(22:18):
you know, Ryan Vawler said he believes they'll be patient
in a lot of respects when it comes to the
coaching staff, particularly with Debor, and you would kind of
hope that they would. But I do think that you
begin to enter that territory where Bama fans gotten used
to a certain lifestyle and we're getting further and further
away from them living that lifestyle, and that becomes a
(22:42):
concern if you're a coach pretty quickly there maybe it
actually that tie can rise real fast, no pun intended
against you. And you look at this and you look
at the rest of the conference around him, just in
the sec they're getting by some teams right now, and
they've been caught by several others, and they are very
(23:04):
much of the old guard. And the question is how
patient are you going to be and how patient can
you afford to be? And you know, what is the
consensus going to be around the team, Because yes I
do and I said this, like I remember predicting that
Saban would be out within three years, and I think
it was one and a half and he retired. I
(23:27):
don't think he wanted to be a part of this
new version of what college football has become. I think
he knew he was going to be good on TV,
and he's been excellent on TV. But I also believe
he didn't want to be Belichick in New England at
the end. And I don't think he's gonna come back
into football because there's nothing left like what everyone thinks
(23:49):
of him now, his legacy is completely and totally intact.
What happens if Belichick leaves New England the year that
Brady goes to Tampa Bay, everything about him is completely different.
If he does come back and coach football, it goes
does TV, which I also thought he was pretty fun
on and enjoyed. But Saban, I think Saban left right
about the time where it was going to be much
(24:12):
harder for them to do what they had done, and
it was already difficult. It's incredibly hard to win in
college football. There's so much that goes into it. But
I think Valer was right, and you reiterated it a
moment ago. The cupboard was not just chocked full at
Bamma win Saban left, they had already been caught by Georgia.
(24:34):
You were starting to see some other teams emerging year
in and year out. They were not the most dominant
force on the football field anymore. And it wasn't because
Nick Saban was coaching worse. It was just a different landscape.
I think he saw it and he got out, and
I applaud him for it. I think he made the
right decision. He had done everything that you needed to do.
(24:56):
Came when the boar leaves Washington, you know, after the
go to a national championship game, and he goes to
Alabama and he replaces the greatest coach in the history
of the sport, and it's just a tough ask and
you just wonder how long or you just wonder what
the Bbama fans are thinking about him while their team
(25:17):
was just flat out and handled on the field today.
And yes, they were out coached. The Indiana staff out
coached them left, right and center. So that's my thing
is just when you look at Bama, I don't think
you should be surprised by what you saw today, but
if you had watched all season long, because I feel
like Indiana was sort of the final boss that fully
(25:39):
could expose everything we had seen in Alabama pretty much
since the South Carolina game that they should have lost.
Since that point, they really didn't play good football. They
didn't look good in the iron bol. We already saw
what happened against Georgia. They were in because of where
they had already been placed before they ever even played
the iron ball. All they had to do find a
(26:00):
way to win that game, and they did, and they
got into this thing even with the SEC championship loss.
But I do just look at the whole thing and
just say, I think this is the Alabama team. We
kind of said they were about four weeks into the season,
and then you started to back off because they went
on that streak, but they were a very flawed team
(26:20):
with some definite holes. Abama team that can't run the
football just doesn't even look like Alabama, especially when Indiana
was running it down their throat right at them, which
is exactly what Nick saban Steems used depride themselves on.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
So and that's why it's a little concerning to me
if you're an Alabama fan, is because you know, listen,
Kurt Signetti, we understand every situation a little bit different.
But he got the Indiana job the same time that
Kalen de Bor got the Alabama job. And it's not
to say that kalender Bor has been terrible, but in
that short amount of time, Kurt Signetti created a culture
(26:55):
of toughness and physicality and this and that, and so
it's like, I understand this notion of it's a new
world and you inherit it a lot. And you know, certainly,
like even coming into the season, there was kind of
talk of Debor got the job so late, and you
you know, players could enter the portal that you know,
he didn't want to basically, and I don't mean this
even in a negative way with Debor, but he was
(27:15):
basically like I kind of had to use the kid
gloves that that first time around, because you know, he
gets the job, players can enter the portal, and then
there was at the time a spring portal, so basically
he couldn't really coach the team the way they want it.
The only point I'm trying to make is that, like
I do think there is something to the notion that, like,
(27:36):
especially in this era two years in, like you kind
of are who you are, and like I don't know
that in an offseason you can now create like you're
always gonna have talent, but the the toughness, the whatever,
and it's just I don't know, I don't even know
what point I'm really trying to make.
Speaker 6 (27:54):
No, I think you're I think I do. I think
you I know what you're saying. There was something about
Alabama where there was an edge and a crispness to
what they did that was built on physicality and toughness
in the trenches, but also just the way that their
offense ran throughout most of Saban's tenure. There was a
(28:15):
level of power and physicality and just like man's game
kind of football. And I saw this comment actually around
the third fourth quarter of the game, and it basically said,
you know, two years in or whatever, three years in
to calein divorce time, now two years in to his
time at Alabama, and the mo on his offenses are
(28:40):
they're soft. That was something you could never say about
what the Alabama was before he got there, Like there's
just I don't know what it is like, but watching
them against Indiana in particular, but it was true against
Georgia too. They just didn't have that edge or that
(29:01):
extra something that terrified people. Like there's nothing about them
anymore that scares you. And that's just so weird based
on what we've come to know Alabama to be.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Yeah, and I'll say this too is that I think
the other thing as well. They quit during the game,
and I want to talk about that in half a second,
but here was Kirk Kurbstreet talking about this exact thing
during the game.
Speaker 8 (29:29):
It feels like Alabama, it's just strange to see.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
They're just existing, They're just out there.
Speaker 8 (29:36):
Nobody's penetrating nobody's.
Speaker 6 (29:39):
Playing with any fire.
Speaker 8 (29:41):
They're just it's almost like they feel defeated, like there's
nothing we can do. Nobody's making an impact player, not
even try their hands on their hips.
Speaker 6 (29:50):
They're just kind of out there.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
That was Kirk Kurbstreet during the Rose Bowl, and I
think that kind of speaks to maybe the point that
I was trying to get to. There is a physical toughness,
there's also just a mental toughness. And it's one thing
to lose, and it's one thing to even lose to
a better team. It's one thing to lose in a
game where you quit. And I do think Alabama quit.
I mean, listen, India has a great team. They deserve
all the quite literal flowers and figurative flowers that they
(30:15):
got after that Rose Bowl. But Alabama also did quit
during that game.
Speaker 6 (30:19):
Jmark, Yeah, it's hard not to say that. To say
they were existing is basically to say that they were
going through the motions as a football team. But there
was just there was no energy. They had been just
demoralized to a point where they just wanted the game
to be over, and so they were just I don't
(30:41):
even know if i'd call it the bare minimum. It
was just kind of like it's like they're playing with
the flu. It just didn't look right, No part of
it did. And look a lot of that goes to
Indiana and what they were doing, right, I mean, Mendoza
had two incompletions in the entire football game. Crazy right, Yeah,
just outstads stuff and they were running it down their
(31:02):
throat and everything else. But like they couldn't get off
the field on third downs, if they could even get
Indiana to third down situations everything. I mean, once uh,
once the quarterback change happened, you know, that made it
interesting for a couple of minutes just to see what,
uh what Mac was gonna do. But like generally speaking,
Alabama was beaten, Like they were beaten on the sidelines.
(31:26):
They're whatever unit was on the sidelines was watching the
game like, well, we're not coming back in this. Everybody
had that feeling there was there was nobody playing even
when they would make a play here and there, there
was none of that like Alabama moxie almost cockiness, that arrogance,
those like big time celebrations after plays. You got it.
(31:46):
You saw it twice in the entire game. And it
was the two sacks on Mendoza on the very first
drive where it's like, oh, okay, they're blitzing, so we're
seeing Kane Wamike, you know, do some, do some to
try and get Mendoz off the spot. They're forcing the
issue to try to be physical. But once they got
the ball back and Indiana scored for the first time, like,
(32:10):
it just didn't feel like the same team. And I
really did believe on the fourth down call and getting
all trickeration twice in a row, and we've got Ty
Simpson out here as a protector and then we're going
to bring him back underneath and all this other stuff
like and Signetti was just kind of stone faced on
the sideline like, yeah, I hope you don't think this
is going to work. But it felt to me watching
(32:32):
that like that is the call of a coach that
knows he can't win. That is such a desperation call
like that one right there. I think the Boar will
get some flak for that call because I don't think
that was being aggressive. I felt like that was desperate
and to do that that early in the game just
(32:52):
indicated that you didn't think that you could play with
them for four quarters. Or you certainly didn't think that
your defense had anything for them.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Game did feel over after that ty Simpson fumble?
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Yeah, sure, you.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Referenced the for people who were not able to watch
the game live. Debor went for it deep in his
own territory early in the game.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
They did not get it.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Indiana scored shortly thereafter, and then a ty Simpson fumble
late in the second quarter went to j Mart's point. Basically,
he got a first down, could have gotten down, try
to pick up extra yards. Frankly, kind of cost Alabama everything,
including ty Simpson, who left the game shortly thereafter with
a rib injury. But that fumble Indiana recovered, scored right
(33:36):
before the half. It was seventeen to nothing at that point,
and from there the game was basically over Fox Sports Radio,
This is the Jason Smith Show. Mike Harmen, Jason and
Mic are out Era Tors, Jason Martin taking you up
till two a m Eastern one segment left. JAMRT will
quickly look at the two semi finals and maybe for
the NFL audience even talk a little bit about a busy,
(33:57):
busy week eighteen Aer Tors Jason Martin, Fox.
Speaker 6 (34:00):
Sports thirty.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio. This is the Jason
Smith Show with Mike Harmon. Jason and Mike are out,
there'll be back Monday. Arnie Spaniard and VJ Husky in
this spot and twelve minutes from now, Adam Auslin filling
in for Ben Maler. Should mention if you missed any
of today's show, you're gonna want to catch the podcast.
(34:22):
Just search the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon wherever
you get your podcasts. Right after the show when we
get off air, the podcast will be posted by producer Bree.
Be sure to follow the podcast rate at five stars.
You can even provide a review.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
Again.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon where you get
your podcasts, and you'll find today's show and a best
of version posted right after we get off air. J
mart So, by the way, Jason Martin aratorres in. We
are also in every Saturday in this exact same time
slot eleven to two am Eastern time, eight to eleven Pacific, and.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
We're gonna be coming on.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
They're a pretty big NFL game, So tysher, give us
a little music, put us in the mood we have.
I don't think we've talked one single second of NFL,
and I think the bosses understand why.
Speaker 4 (35:11):
But we will be coming on.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
As I just said, off of that, Seattle San Francisco
game winner gets the number one seed. Winner gets home
field advantage throughout the playoffs. Any strong opinions on this one.
As San Francisco host Seattle, I.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
Don't know about strong opinions. I just I think it's
an important game for Seattle because the closer you get
to the postseason, the more you're gonna start to feel like, uh, oh,
is Sam Darnold ready for this?
Speaker 4 (35:43):
Ingo?
Speaker 6 (35:45):
I think that's that's the thing is I think you
want Sam Darnald to have a good game here. I
don't know how I feel about how it's gonna go,
but if he goes out there and has a dud,
you're gonna say, oh, no, I've seen this before. If
he goes out there and has a solid game, especially
against a San Francisco team that's really functioning well and
(36:07):
brock Perty's playing maybe the best football of his entire
career right now, I think that's the key is just
Donald needs to remind people he could potentially do this
at the end of the season as opposed to what
we've seen a couple times in his career, which is
pretty much up until it really matters, he's winning big games.
And look, he's done that this season. He's done it
even in the last couple of weeks. But we recall
(36:29):
how that ended last year in Minnesota, and he wants
to make sure people forget about that.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
So that was my exact thought on the game, is
that I don't think. I don't think that Sam Donald,
I don't even know. I do think that Sam Donald
can change the narrative. I don't know if he will,
and certainly he's going to be defined by what he
does in the playoffs, not in this game. But you
go out complete dud, one touchdown, three interceptions. There's gonna
(36:58):
be a lot of discourse coming in to our show
on Saturday night and then of course going into Sunday.
By the way, Jmart correct me if I'm wrong. So
Panthers Bucks, Yeah, is it for the division title or
because Atlanta beat the Rams? I believe Atlanta can somehow
get in.
Speaker 6 (37:16):
No, Atlanta can't get in.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
But not winning Boiler Yeah, it's not winning your in
for the West.
Speaker 6 (37:24):
It's well no, no, no, No, it's not win if
you're in if you're Tampa Bay, I think it is
if you're Carolina. Tampa Bay has played it so they
don't even control their own destiny anymore.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Okay, So let's after starting out six and two, just crazy. Yeah,
a lot of injuries. They have lost four straight coming
into this one, including to the Panthers just a few
weeks ago in Charlotte. This game is in Tampa. What
do you make of this one?
Speaker 6 (37:51):
Dude? I don't even know. Yeah, I mean really, I
don't know. I think Carolina, I mean, yeah, Look, Mike
Evans has come back off the injuries, but pretty good.
Over the last few weeks. That offense has regressed a lot.
They've done, They've dealt with a lot of injuries. I
get that Baker hadn't played nearly as well in this
last handful of weeks, and it's just been kind of
a tumultuous time. But you go back to that game
(38:13):
they found a way to lose to Atlanta on Monday
night or this Thursday night game. I think it was
just an atrocious way to lose in that situation. This
just seems like Tampa's gonna implode here, like really, of
the two, Carolina is the one this most deserving because
I feel like they've actually improved and played pretty hard football.
But you just never know, because you just what's Bryce
(38:35):
Young and the offense gonna give you. In that spot,
I think I'll take Carolina. But I mean, neither one
of these teams do I see doing much in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
So I agree, is yeah, somebody's got to win the division.
By the way, the tiebreaker, I'm trying to find it
really quick here, it's weird.
Speaker 4 (38:51):
Yeah, and it was.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Contingent on Atlanta winning, which they did, all right, So
Panthers win. If the Panthers win, they clinched NFC South.
If the Bucks win, Tampa wins the NFC.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
South with.
Speaker 6 (39:09):
Happen or something.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
Yeah, yeah, So the Saints would have to beat the
Falcons soon.
Speaker 6 (39:13):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
So Bucks win, Saints beat the Falcons, then the Bucks
are in Bucks win, Falcons beat the Saints. It's a
three way tie and it actually goes to tiebreakers, So
I don't it doesn't sound like if the Bucks win
and the Falcons win necessarily that they're eliminated.
Speaker 6 (39:36):
Listen, I think the Falcons are limited either way. Listen,
the South is a dumpster fire.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
Fansided dot Com is not helping me right now, Way
too many words to not tell me how this division
goes down real quick. Obviously the big one on Sunday night.
It's crazy, Jmart. You know, you and I obviously were
on air on Saturday when the Ravens beat the Packers,
and we're sitting there saying, yeah, okay, but as as
long as Pittsburgh beats Cleveland, this is a non starter.
(40:02):
Will Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland, setting up a winner, go
home AFC North title game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. I
know I just said any strong thoughts on this.
Speaker 6 (40:14):
One, Yeah, I think Baltimore wins it. I just do Lamar.
I think Lamar actually wants to make a statement in
this game. Things have not been good for him, and
even the media seems to have turned on him a
little bit in this last couple of weeks. They were
our Super Bowl pick Aaron coming into the year. I
think they're gonna find a way to sneak into the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
Yeah, I'll be quick, No, DK Metcalf, I actually feel
bad for Aaron Rodgers, Yes, but I'll take Baltimore as well.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
We got to get out of here.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
We'll be back eleven pm Eastern Time on Saturday. Want
to thank the crew, Alex Tysher on the board, producer
Bree Manzi Belanios for my partner Jason Martin I mentors.
We appreciate Jason and Mike letting us fill in. They'll
be back Monday. Adam all is the next Fox Sports
thirty
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
If you're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Welcome in everybody, Final Hour Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon.
Jason and Mike are out very deserved New Year's Day off,
as you heard the man Arators. Jason Martin filling in
until two a m. Eastern Time, Brian No filling in
for Ben Mallor they will bet Brian No will follow us.
(00:50):
Adam Osland. I stand corrected. That's Osland with a bunch
of a's and I'm not even gonna try to spell it.
Adam Ousland. Joe is in after us, by the way.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
VJ.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Husky and Arnie Spanier in for Jason and Mike on Friday,
JA Day.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
We'll be back one day.
Speaker 5 (01:07):
Man.
Speaker 6 (01:07):
By the way, I feel like tower or trivia. There's
gonna be aro, There's gonna be a spin off show
on our program called The Torres Spelling.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Bee doesn't roll off the tongue nearly as well. Yeah
that's pretty good.
Speaker 6 (01:20):
Uh, that's about the laugh that deserves. But no, it
was just a rough It was kind of a rough
outing for you.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Yeah, I also gave I also defaulted.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
It's like being a sprinter that like defaults out of
the gates in a race, you know, like you get
disqualified before the race even begins.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Final question.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
The answer was Day, as in Ryan Day, and I
somehow set it in the lead up to trying to
set it up.
Speaker 6 (01:45):
So it was a very Connor Stallions like move by you.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
No Connor Stallions is ahead of things, man, I was
just way way way behind.
Speaker 6 (01:52):
Well, you were cheating very blatantly and got caught.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yeah, I know that that wasn't an attempt to cheat.
I was just trying to.
Speaker 6 (01:58):
Expel I know, I know. Yeah, it was just really
I know you were I know exactly what you were doing.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
It was just really dumb. It's okay to admit that
it was dumb. You know it's not dumb. iHeartRadio app.
You can stream us wherever you happen to be. Catch
us in all of our favorite Fox Sports Radio shows
live twenty four to seven in the new and improved
iHeart Radio app.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Just search Fox Sports.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Radio in the app to stream us live all day,
every day, and be sure to select Fox Sports Radio
is one of your presets in the iHeart app, so
it always pops up at the top of your screen.
College football is final four results over the last twenty
four or so hours. Miami beats Ohio State late last
night on New Year's Eve, Oregon takes care of Texas
(02:38):
Tech twenty three to nothing. Indiana dominates Alabama, and the
most recent result was just insanity final score at the
Sugar Bowl. Ol Miss wins thirty nine to thirty four
and Old Miss field goal with six seconds left puts
them up thirty seven to thirty four.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
That was supposed to be the end of the game.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
The ensuing kickoff, Georgia tries a lateral throws it out
of bounds. It ends up being a safety. Old Miss
celebrates one second gets left put on the clock. How
about this, George is forced to kick off. Old Miss
doesn't really even try to recover the ball, not realizing
(03:20):
that time apparently would not come off the clock. Georgia
recovers it with one second left. A million different later
les does not matter. Old Miss wins. This was the
most recent result j Mart. Frankly, it was the most
competitive and entertaining game of the quarterfinals of the cover
(03:41):
a wide margin. Take it where you want, man, it's
unbelievable when Old misadvances. They will play now, of course,
against against who they plan. Why am I blanking? They're
playing Miami, Miami in the in the Fiesta Bowl next week.
Speaker 6 (03:58):
So I'm in the story. The story. It's storybook stuff,
it really is. I mean, with everything that they have
dealt with as a program outside of the head coach
to the left. But like I mean, there's speculation and
already talk going into this game that some of these
coaches might not be there for the semi final because
they're going to have to go to LSU. And you
(04:19):
want to make them, make them a bigger villain. Now,
make it even harder on Ole Miss going into this
semi final round against Miami. But you've got a guy
who stuck around, who got the job, who's in his
second game as head coach, and he's against the apex
of the sport. Really in Georgia and Kirby Smart in
(04:40):
a building that they have owned quite a lot, even
though they lost to Notre Dame last year, and they
just beat them. They flat beat them. They and they
made mistakes along the way. In the first half, they
were shooting themselves in the foot and then in the
second half they just stopped doing it. Guys started making
the catches. They were dropping. They had four dry in
(05:00):
the first half at Chambliss Trinidad. Chambliss was just outstanding
in this game, as he has been all season long.
Their defense was decleting Gunner Stockton over and over in
this game. This was his physical football games I've seen
in a very long time. Both teams just leaving it
out there on the field. It was a really impressive,
(05:22):
well played game in many many facets. But the idea
that Ole Miss could match Georgia's toughness, physicality, speed and
just beat them in an even game on a neutral
field shows you what that program has become. And I
think that the biggest story, unfortunately, is the absence of
(05:43):
Lane Kiffin. I know you said that earlier, and you're right, Like,
the thing that you're left thinking about more than anything
is how in the world could you leave this team
because you didn't think they could win it, or you
felt like you had to go take this. It's just
it's mind boggling and baffling to me, but they become
the favorite sentimentally, I think for anybody without a rooting interest,
(06:07):
I think the Indiana story is great. But this Ole
Miss story, with everything they have dealt with throughout the
course of this season, plus the story of zero Star
Trinidad Chambliss and what he's been able to do, is
just this is why we love sports. It's why we
stay up in all hours of the night with microphones
on our heads to talk about it is because of
(06:29):
stuff like this. It just doesn't get much better.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Well, and again, the Ole Miss is the story, but
Lane Kiffin is part of it. The other thing I
was saying about with Lane Kiffin and I know, we
probably should spend more time giving credit to the guys
that are still there. But on top of just the fact,
and we talked about this throughout the show. Everybody can
go back and download the podcast. I'll give you details
before we get off air. Here's the other thing is
one I already said it a minute ago, but you
(06:54):
know you coach as a coach, you spend your whole
career putting yourself in an opportunity to have a team
that is good enough to win the championship. And the
argument for Lane Kiffin was LSU provides me year over
year better chances, hypothetically. The thing is, there was nothing
hypothetical about this Old Miss situation. They were eleven to
(07:17):
one after the Egg Bowl when he was still head coach,
they were going to the playoff. And the other thing
and this is the part that I didn't mention before.
If Lane Kiffin feels like, and you know, the reporting
seems to indicate that he feels like being at a
blue blood year over year, is it's easier, which I'm
not even gonna criticize him for whatever.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
LSU historically is a better job than Ole Miss.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Okay, My only argument to that would be this is
that I understand that in a vacuum, LSU is a
better job. And I even besides the fact that you're
leaving a team that's good enough to win a championship,
if you're Lane Kiff and you're leaving a team that's
good enough to legitimately win a championship. But the other
part that I keep coming back to You're going to
have other opportunity of these in the future, doesn't matter.
(08:02):
It might not be LSU, it might be this school,
might be that school, might be Florida, it might be
Florida's whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
One of these.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Jobs is going to open again, and as long as
you are doing what you're doing your goal. That's the
part that trips me out is it's one thing if
you finish eight and four this year and you feel like, Okay,
we're not even close. I can't do it here, that's
one thing, But you had the opportunity right in front
of you. And then on top of that, it's not
like if you stayed this year, you're not going to
(08:30):
be the hottest candidate next year for whatever job opens up.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
If that makes sense. Yeah, And look, I think that's
why ultimately all miss one here because it wasn't going
to stop the way that the way that college football
has moved, and the bigger program's trying to pill for
the smaller programs or the ones with less tradition, less money,
whatever it is. The lang Kiffin always is looking somewhere else.
(08:53):
It seems like that's kind of been them, that's been
the storyline. Throughout his career. So if he didn't take
one this cycle, though there were some of those big
jobs that he craved four years ago or whatever like
that next year, there's gonna be another one, or there's
gonna be another one. There was gonna be another one.
I mean, let's say he hadn't taken LSU. What happens
when Michigan opened up, Like like there was gonna be
all of this was never going to stop. Whereas you
(09:16):
look at a guy like Pete Golding. If you find
a guy that you like and he's there, like that's
a guy that can stay there for a while and
maybe be happy there forever. You never know, like who
knows if he's the guy. I'm just saying, you were
going to be kind of sitting there hoping he didn't
cheat on you. Annually. It was gonna be the storyline
(09:39):
every single year. So at the very least, I think
you got out of that turnstile business, and now you
can go to just being a football team, being a
program with some kind of stability behind it, And I
think that might be ultimately in the long run, that's
gonna cause a lot less stress for the people in
Oxford than constantly wondering what next week is gonna look like.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
So I think this all speaks to a bigger picture.
You talked about the fact that Peak Golding is a
guy you can hold on to, and you know, we'll
get to the Rose Bowl maybe on the other side, but.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
Peak Golding is a guy that you can hold on to.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
But in this era, this if there was ever an
era where you do stay at Ole Miss and maybe
a good example of this is what we saw in
the Rose Bowl. Kurt Signetti probably could have gotten the
Penn State job if you wanted it.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Oh, I would think so, yes.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yeah, you know, if he didn't want that one, maybe
he stays and he could have gotten Miss.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
The point being you don't have to leave. And I
saw this tweet.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I want to give credit where it's due, Brandon Walker
from Barstool Sports. I want your opinion on this, he
tweeted about an hour ago. Quote, this is the playoff
where it all officially changed. All the programs who used
to have a leg up on quote investing in players
like Bama, Georgia, Ohio State are out. The teams who
mastered nil in the Portal Indiana, Old Miss Miami are
in the old guard is replaced. I think it's accurate,
(10:58):
and I think it's another reason. And this doesn't even
necessarily have to be a lane Kiff in conversation, but
it proves you didn't have to leave. If you want
to do it's fine, but you didn't have to leave.
And I do think this is a turning of the
guard where the Georgia's, the Ohio States, the Alabamas, they
don't have the indisputable advantage going forward if they don't
(11:18):
know what they're doing.
Speaker 6 (11:19):
Yeah, and I mean, you're gonna evolve or you're gonna
perish in this college football. You have to understand what
you're in. And look that he didn't mention Oregon in
that tweet. But you know, they've got fil nice money
and they know how they know how to use the
portal too, and they've been pretty effective with the way
they've built that program as well. But like to that point,
(11:40):
you talk about the Ohio States of Alabama's, what about
the Clemsons. Dabo was famously, you know, pretty stubborn as
related to all this, Well, where do you where is
Clemson Now? They're looking up at Miami in a way
that they're nowhere close at this stage to what Mario
Cristobaul and what Miami is building and how they are
building that program, and that's gonna We're gonna continue to
(12:04):
see more and more of that. But but the bigger
thing is there is absolutely you're gonna find nobody that's
gonna be able to make an excuse that you can't
win in a place like Ole, miss If Kurt Signetti
wins a national championship in Indiana like periods, there's not
another answer, Like there's if you can win a championship
(12:26):
or even do what he's done already at head coach
there and only lose two games and absolutely throttle Alabama
in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Like, you can't tell
me you can't win an SEC school. You can't win
at all these schools because Indiana has been a laughingstock
of a program in terms of football. You could probably
(12:47):
find a lot of pretty big time college football fans
and say, name five players in Indiana that haven't played
in the last two seasons, and I don't think you
can find many people even come close.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Antoine Randall Ell, it's Rando L. Michael Pennix, Yeah, I
could call Michael Penix, H there was.
Speaker 6 (13:04):
There was one receiver. I remember that Torch's Western Kentucky
when I was there, and I can't even remember his name.
Now they've had they've had a couple of guys, right,
but most of them you would say, oh, he went
to Indiana. It wouldn't be something you knew about while
they were in Indiana. And now you're knowing a lot
of guys, and you're going to continue to know a
lot of guys. And you have the Heisman Trophy winner
(13:26):
at quarterback who just looks like he does everything right.
I saw one comment that I thought was pretty adept
about Fernando Mendoza, says the storyline about Fernando Mendoza, and
they were like, watch this be the case, And it
was kind of a joke comment. But I think there's
truth to it that the knock on Mendoza in the
NFL is going to be he's too nice to be
(13:46):
a leader, sure, because there's nothing to dislike about him,
like whatsoever. All the stories about him are phenomenal, the
whole that story they told on the broadcast about before
the Heisman. He asked for a list of all the
Heisman finalists or Heisman winners in the past that we're
going to be there, yea, so he could go and
(14:07):
research them and be able to talk to him. He
did the same thing before he got to IU. He
asked for pictures and names of everybody on the team.
So day one he's naming them like stuff like that's
just insane. But again, like the Old Guard is, it
feels like it's three or four generations ago because of
(14:29):
what college football has become. But yeah, I mean, you've
got new blood here. But that again speaks to there's
a short sightedness Slane Kiffin, because dude, you were already
playing the game. You were playing the new game, and
you were proving yourself and you were winning at the
new game. You were beating the old Guard in Oxford, Mississippi,
(14:51):
And instead of continuing to do that, you decided to
join an old Guard school and leave them behind. And
now they're two from a national championship.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Well, I'll tell you what one of those old Guard
schools Alabama. Oh well, we're gonna go ahead and discuss
them next.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Indiana. The thirty eight to three win in the Rose Bowl.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Part of it is the incredible Indiana story, but part
of it is where does Alabama go from here.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
That's next.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Aer Tors, Jason martin In for Jason Smith and Mike
harmon Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app. Hey,
this is Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 7 (15:38):
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast, Straight Fire
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight
Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines,
accurate stats to.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
Help you win big at the sportsbook.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And all the best guests.
Speaker 7 (15:57):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire Jason
McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Kurt Signetti Indiana Hoosiers thirty eight to three win. We're
gonna come back and talk about the team on the
other side of that situation. By the way, Aaron Towards
Jason martin In for Jason Smith and Mike Harmon, We'll come.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Back and do that in half a second.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Before we do the final time this evening, Mantu blanios.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
What's trending? Oh guys, it's been fun. It's been a
lot of fun. A lot about my spelling capability.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
We all did, Yes, we all did road r A D.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Yes, there's the A asilent.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
A is like in your name.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
Yeah, exactly one of them is silent on there. That's
what threw me.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I always have to remember to add the second A
wh write out my name of course.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
No, I got you, I got you.
Speaker 5 (16:59):
We have the semi final set in the college football
playoff fellas the Sugar Bowl went down to the wire
between Ole Miss and Georgia. The Rebels were down nine
at the half, came back to win it thirty nine
to thirty four in a bizarre ending.
Speaker 4 (17:13):
Go look it up if you haven't seen what happened.
Speaker 5 (17:15):
But basically, the Rebels hit the go ahead field goal
with six seconds left, and then somehow the Bulldogs got
called for a safety in their final kickoff, and even
then it didn't end, but Trinidad Shambliss threw for three
hundred and sixty two yards and two touchdowns. Ole Miss
will face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, January eighth,
Indiana crushed Alabama at the Rolls Bowl thirty eight to three,
(17:37):
Fernando Mendoza with a hat trick. He threw for one
hundred and ninety two yards and three touchdowns. And then
in the Orange Bowl Oregon shoutout Texas Tech twenty three zero,
where the Ducks had two interceptions, seven tackles for loss,
and four sec shutting down the Red Raider offense. So
Oregon and Indiana will face each other in the Peach
Bowl on Friday, January ninth. Other NFL news, Ackers quarterback
(18:00):
Jordan Love did clear concussion protocol, but he will sit
out until the playoffs. Bill's quarterback Josh Allen didn't practice
for a second straight day because of his foot injury.
Ravens fans Lamar Jackson is expected to start Sunday Night
football against the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Saints.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Wide receiver Chris ol Lave will missed the final game
of the season against the Falcons due to a blood
clot found in one of his lungs, but he has
no history of that, so he's expected to recover within
the next month. And then in the NBA, Yeah, guys,
the Clipper six in a row that's right. Clippers beat
the Jads one eighteen to one oh one. Kawhi Leonard
forty five points.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
That is right.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
Jalen Brown had a double double tonight twenty nine points
and ten rebounds as the Celtics beat the Kings one
twenty to one oh six. Cooper flagged twelve points, seven rebounds,
seven assists, but the Mavericks lost at home to the
seventy six Ers one twenty three to one oh eight.
Tyres Maxy had a good game thirty four points, eight
rebounds and ten assists.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Well.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
The Heat defeated the Pistons in Detroit one eighteen to
one twelve. Were former Clipper Norman Powell dropped thirty six points.
Kate Cunningham in the lost thirty one points, eight rebounds
and eleven assists. The Rockets have one four in a row.
They took down the Nets one twenty to ninety six.
And lastly here, seven time Major singles champion Venus Williams
was handed a wildcard to the Australian Open.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
She's forty five.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
She's gonna be the oldest woman ever to play at
the season opening Grand Slam. Guys, it's been fun back to.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
You thank you, Mantzi way, yes, you, and tomorrow.
Speaker 5 (19:22):
I am in tomorrow with our friend Dan Byer, Everyone's friend,
he's America's friend. Dan Byer and I are in from
twelve to four, so four pm Eastern to eight eastern.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Oh see that right time? No, of course not. Yes,
did I say that? We're off to four to three
to seven?
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Three to seven?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
There is something she's not trigonometry.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
I live in la Okay now and I spell wid three.
Oh yeah, I thought it was forest. No, I can't
do it.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
But Dan Byer and I and tomorrow, Yes, fantastic.
Speaker 4 (19:50):
We'll have a great show.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
Thank you you guys. Have a good evening, Happy New Year.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Happy.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
I'm sure you'll be talking to a lot of the
same stuff that we are.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Let's get into it, get into it all.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Right, motz, have a great night. Let's get into it
really quickly. Jmart By the way, for anybody who doesn't
love college football, tough night. There are great NFL stories
going into the final weekend of the season. We understand
that we are respectful of that. But with three quarterfinals today,
one quarterfinal on New Year's Eve, this feels like the
time to go heavy on the games that have gone final.
(20:21):
We talked a lot about the Sugar Bowl that Monty
just gave you the details on Ole Miss wins thirty
nine to thirty four. Jay mart I do want to
go back to that Rose Bowl final score in Pasadena,
Goodness gracious, Indiana thirty eight Alabama three. And if you
missed any of it, you could go back and check
out the podcast. We spend a lot of time in
hour one talking about the Indiana Hoosiers. I do think
(20:44):
we have to spend a pretty significant amount of time
talking Alabama. Alabama finishes the year eleven and four.
Speaker 6 (20:51):
Overall.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Two of their.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Last three games were frankly blowout losses twenty eight to
seven loss in the SEC Championship game negative three yards
rushing in that game.
Speaker 6 (21:03):
They do beat.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Oklahoma, it is worth noting by the way they fell
down seventeen to nothing in that Oklahoma game, to their credit,
rally to win tonight in the Rose Bowl one hundred
and ninety three yards of total offense twenty three yards rushing,
the worst postseason loss in Alabama history. I'll tell you
what you know, listen, it is what it is. This
(21:26):
isn't like a Kaelin de Bourne needs to be fired thing.
But what I will say, and we had Ryan Foller
on earlier in the show they he did inherit a
lot of talent, I understand, maybe not quite as much
as people think. And I just feel like we're starting
to hit lows that I didn't think we would see
Alabama hit this fast. I know they were in the playoff,
(21:46):
I know they won eleven games, blown out by Georgia,
four losses overall, and just absolutely obliterated in Pasadena on
Thursday afternoon.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know what. I'm still really
curious to see what the reaction is going to be
from the louder Alabama fan in Tuscaloosa that lives or
dies by the team. Twenty four seven, three sixty five. Like,
I want to know what they have to say. And
(22:18):
you know, Ryan Vawler said he believes they'll be patient
in a lot of respects when it comes to the
coaching staff, particularly with Debor, and you would kind of
hope that they would. But I do think that you
begin to enter that territory where Bama fans gotten used
to a certain lifestyle and we're getting further and further
away from them living that lifestyle, and that becomes a
(22:42):
concern if you're a coach pretty quickly there maybe it
actually that tie can rise real fast, no pun intended
against you. And you look at this and you look
at the rest of the conference around him, just in
the sec they're getting by some teams right now, and
they've been caught by several others, and they are very
(23:04):
much of the old guard. And the question is how
patient are you going to be and how patient can
you afford to be? And you know, what is the
consensus going to be around the team, Because yes I
do and I said this, like I remember predicting that
Saban would be out within three years, and I think
it was one and a half and he retired. I
(23:27):
don't think he wanted to be a part of this
new version of what college football has become. I think
he knew he was going to be good on TV,
and he's been excellent on TV. But I also believe
he didn't want to be Belichick in New England at
the end. And I don't think he's gonna come back
into football because there's nothing left like what everyone thinks
(23:49):
of him now, his legacy is completely and totally intact.
What happens if Belichick leaves New England the year that
Brady goes to Tampa Bay, everything about him is completely different.
If he does come back and coach football, it goes
does TV, which I also thought he was pretty fun
on and enjoyed. But Saban, I think Saban left right
about the time where it was going to be much
(24:12):
harder for them to do what they had done, and
it was already difficult. It's incredibly hard to win in
college football. There's so much that goes into it. But
I think Valer was right, and you reiterated it a
moment ago. The cupboard was not just chocked full at
Bamma win Saban left, they had already been caught by Georgia.
(24:34):
You were starting to see some other teams emerging year
in and year out. They were not the most dominant
force on the football field anymore. And it wasn't because
Nick Saban was coaching worse. It was just a different landscape.
I think he saw it and he got out, and
I applaud him for it. I think he made the
right decision. He had done everything that you needed to do.
(24:56):
Came when the boar leaves Washington, you know, after the
go to a national championship game, and he goes to
Alabama and he replaces the greatest coach in the history
of the sport, and it's just a tough ask and
you just wonder how long or you just wonder what
the Bbama fans are thinking about him while their team
(25:17):
was just flat out and handled on the field today.
And yes, they were out coached. The Indiana staff out
coached them left, right and center. So that's my thing
is just when you look at Bama, I don't think
you should be surprised by what you saw today, but
if you had watched all season long, because I feel
like Indiana was sort of the final boss that fully
(25:39):
could expose everything we had seen in Alabama pretty much
since the South Carolina game that they should have lost.
Since that point, they really didn't play good football. They
didn't look good in the iron bol. We already saw
what happened against Georgia. They were in because of where
they had already been placed before they ever even played
the iron ball. All they had to do find a
(26:00):
way to win that game, and they did, and they
got into this thing even with the SEC championship loss.
But I do just look at the whole thing and
just say, I think this is the Alabama team. We
kind of said they were about four weeks into the season,
and then you started to back off because they went
on that streak, but they were a very flawed team
(26:20):
with some definite holes. Abama team that can't run the
football just doesn't even look like Alabama, especially when Indiana
was running it down their throat right at them, which
is exactly what Nick saban Steems used depride themselves on.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
So and that's why it's a little concerning to me
if you're an Alabama fan, is because you know, listen,
Kurt Signetti, we understand every situation a little bit different.
But he got the Indiana job the same time that
Kalen de Bor got the Alabama job. And it's not
to say that kalender Bor has been terrible, but in
that short amount of time, Kurt Signetti created a culture
(26:55):
of toughness and physicality and this and that, and so
it's like, I understand this notion of it's a new
world and you inherit it a lot. And you know, certainly,
like even coming into the season, there was kind of
talk of Debor got the job so late, and you
you know, players could enter the portal that you know,
he didn't want to basically, and I don't mean this
even in a negative way with Debor, but he was
(27:15):
basically like I kind of had to use the kid
gloves that that first time around, because you know, he
gets the job, players can enter the portal, and then
there was at the time a spring portal, so basically
he couldn't really coach the team the way they want it.
The only point I'm trying to make is that, like
I do think there is something to the notion that, like,
(27:36):
especially in this era two years in, like you kind
of are who you are, and like I don't know
that in an offseason you can now create like you're
always gonna have talent, but the the toughness, the whatever,
and it's just I don't know, I don't even know
what point I'm really trying to make.
Speaker 6 (27:54):
No, I think you're I think I do. I think
you I know what you're saying. There was something about
Alabama where there was an edge and a crispness to
what they did that was built on physicality and toughness
in the trenches, but also just the way that their
offense ran throughout most of Saban's tenure. There was a
(28:15):
level of power and physicality and just like man's game
kind of football. And I saw this comment actually around
the third fourth quarter of the game, and it basically said,
you know, two years in or whatever, three years in
to calein divorce time, now two years in to his
time at Alabama, and the mo on his offenses are
(28:40):
they're soft. That was something you could never say about
what the Alabama was before he got there, Like there's
just I don't know what it is like, but watching
them against Indiana in particular, but it was true against
Georgia too. They just didn't have that edge or that
(29:01):
extra something that terrified people. Like there's nothing about them
anymore that scares you. And that's just so weird based
on what we've come to know Alabama to be.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Yeah, and I'll say this too is that I think
the other thing as well. They quit during the game,
and I want to talk about that in half a second,
but here was Kirk Kurbstreet talking about this exact thing
during the game.
Speaker 8 (29:29):
It feels like Alabama, it's just strange to see.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
They're just existing, They're just out there.
Speaker 8 (29:36):
Nobody's penetrating nobody's.
Speaker 6 (29:39):
Playing with any fire.
Speaker 8 (29:41):
They're just it's almost like they feel defeated, like there's
nothing we can do. Nobody's making an impact player, not
even try their hands on their hips.
Speaker 6 (29:50):
They're just kind of out there.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
That was Kirk Kurbstreet during the Rose Bowl, and I
think that kind of speaks to maybe the point that
I was trying to get to. There is a physical toughness,
there's also just a mental toughness. And it's one thing
to lose, and it's one thing to even lose to
a better team. It's one thing to lose in a
game where you quit. And I do think Alabama quit.
I mean, listen, India has a great team. They deserve
all the quite literal flowers and figurative flowers that they
(30:15):
got after that Rose Bowl. But Alabama also did quit
during that game.
Speaker 6 (30:19):
Jmark, Yeah, it's hard not to say that. To say
they were existing is basically to say that they were
going through the motions as a football team. But there
was just there was no energy. They had been just
demoralized to a point where they just wanted the game
to be over, and so they were just I don't
(30:41):
even know if i'd call it the bare minimum. It
was just kind of like it's like they're playing with
the flu. It just didn't look right, No part of
it did. And look a lot of that goes to
Indiana and what they were doing, right, I mean, Mendoza
had two incompletions in the entire football game. Crazy right, Yeah,
just outstads stuff and they were running it down their
(31:02):
throat and everything else. But like they couldn't get off
the field on third downs, if they could even get
Indiana to third down situations everything. I mean, once uh,
once the quarterback change happened, you know, that made it
interesting for a couple of minutes just to see what,
uh what Mac was gonna do. But like generally speaking,
Alabama was beaten, Like they were beaten on the sidelines.
(31:26):
They're whatever unit was on the sidelines was watching the
game like, well, we're not coming back in this. Everybody
had that feeling there was there was nobody playing even
when they would make a play here and there, there
was none of that like Alabama moxie almost cockiness, that arrogance,
those like big time celebrations after plays. You got it.
(31:46):
You saw it twice in the entire game. And it
was the two sacks on Mendoza on the very first
drive where it's like, oh, okay, they're blitzing, so we're
seeing Kane Wamike, you know, do some, do some to
try and get Mendoz off the spot. They're forcing the
issue to try to be physical. But once they got
the ball back and Indiana scored for the first time, like,
(32:10):
it just didn't feel like the same team. And I
really did believe on the fourth down call and getting
all trickeration twice in a row, and we've got Ty
Simpson out here as a protector and then we're going
to bring him back underneath and all this other stuff
like and Signetti was just kind of stone faced on
the sideline like, yeah, I hope you don't think this
is going to work. But it felt to me watching
(32:32):
that like that is the call of a coach that
knows he can't win. That is such a desperation call
like that one right there. I think the Boar will
get some flak for that call because I don't think
that was being aggressive. I felt like that was desperate
and to do that that early in the game just
(32:52):
indicated that you didn't think that you could play with
them for four quarters. Or you certainly didn't think that
your defense had anything for them.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Game did feel over after that ty Simpson fumble?
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Yeah, sure, you.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Referenced the for people who were not able to watch
the game live. Debor went for it deep in his
own territory early in the game.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
They did not get it.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Indiana scored shortly thereafter, and then a ty Simpson fumble
late in the second quarter went to j Mart's point. Basically,
he got a first down, could have gotten down, try
to pick up extra yards. Frankly, kind of cost Alabama everything,
including ty Simpson, who left the game shortly thereafter with
a rib injury. But that fumble Indiana recovered, scored right
(33:36):
before the half. It was seventeen to nothing at that point,
and from there the game was basically over Fox Sports Radio,
This is the Jason Smith Show. Mike Harmen, Jason and
Mic are out Era Tors, Jason Martin taking you up
till two a m Eastern one segment left. JAMRT will
quickly look at the two semi finals and maybe for
the NFL audience even talk a little bit about a busy,
(33:57):
busy week eighteen Aer Tors Jason Martin, Fox.
Speaker 6 (34:00):
Sports thirty.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
Welcome back, everybody, Fox Sports Radio. This is the Jason
Smith Show with Mike Harmon. Jason and Mike are out,
there'll be back Monday. Arnie Spaniard and VJ Husky in
this spot and twelve minutes from now, Adam Auslin filling
in for Ben Maler. Should mention if you missed any
of today's show, you're gonna want to catch the podcast.
(34:22):
Just search the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon wherever
you get your podcasts. Right after the show when we
get off air, the podcast will be posted by producer Bree.
Be sure to follow the podcast rate at five stars.
You can even provide a review.
Speaker 4 (34:34):
Again.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
Just search Jason Smith and Mike Harmon where you get
your podcasts, and you'll find today's show and a best
of version posted right after we get off air. J
mart So, by the way, Jason Martin aratorres in. We
are also in every Saturday in this exact same time
slot eleven to two am Eastern time, eight to eleven Pacific, and.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
We're gonna be coming on.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
They're a pretty big NFL game, So tysher, give us
a little music, put us in the mood we have.
I don't think we've talked one single second of NFL,
and I think the bosses understand why.
Speaker 4 (35:11):
But we will be coming on.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
As I just said, off of that, Seattle San Francisco
game winner gets the number one seed. Winner gets home
field advantage throughout the playoffs. Any strong opinions on this one.
As San Francisco host Seattle, I.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
Don't know about strong opinions. I just I think it's
an important game for Seattle because the closer you get
to the postseason, the more you're gonna start to feel like, uh, oh,
is Sam Darnold ready for this?
Speaker 4 (35:43):
Ingo?
Speaker 6 (35:45):
I think that's that's the thing is I think you
want Sam Darnald to have a good game here. I
don't know how I feel about how it's gonna go,
but if he goes out there and has a dud,
you're gonna say, oh, no, I've seen this before. If
he goes out there and has a solid game, especially
against a San Francisco team that's really functioning well and
(36:07):
brock Perty's playing maybe the best football of his entire
career right now, I think that's the key is just
Donald needs to remind people he could potentially do this
at the end of the season as opposed to what
we've seen a couple times in his career, which is
pretty much up until it really matters, he's winning big games.
And look, he's done that this season. He's done it
even in the last couple of weeks. But we recall
(36:29):
how that ended last year in Minnesota, and he wants
to make sure people forget about that.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
So that was my exact thought on the game, is
that I don't think. I don't think that Sam Donald,
I don't even know. I do think that Sam Donald
can change the narrative. I don't know if he will,
and certainly he's going to be defined by what he
does in the playoffs, not in this game. But you
go out complete dud, one touchdown, three interceptions. There's gonna
(36:58):
be a lot of discourse coming in to our show
on Saturday night and then of course going into Sunday.
By the way, Jmart correct me if I'm wrong. So
Panthers Bucks, Yeah, is it for the division title or
because Atlanta beat the Rams? I believe Atlanta can somehow
get in.
Speaker 6 (37:16):
No, Atlanta can't get in.
Speaker 4 (37:19):
But not winning Boiler Yeah, it's not winning your in
for the West.
Speaker 6 (37:24):
It's well no, no, no, No, it's not win if
you're in if you're Tampa Bay, I think it is
if you're Carolina. Tampa Bay has played it so they
don't even control their own destiny anymore.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Okay, So let's after starting out six and two, just crazy. Yeah,
a lot of injuries. They have lost four straight coming
into this one, including to the Panthers just a few
weeks ago in Charlotte. This game is in Tampa. What
do you make of this one?
Speaker 6 (37:51):
Dude? I don't even know. Yeah, I mean really, I
don't know. I think Carolina, I mean, yeah, Look, Mike
Evans has come back off the injuries, but pretty good.
Over the last few weeks. That offense has regressed a lot.
They've done, They've dealt with a lot of injuries. I
get that Baker hadn't played nearly as well in this
last handful of weeks, and it's just been kind of
a tumultuous time. But you go back to that game
(38:13):
they found a way to lose to Atlanta on Monday
night or this Thursday night game. I think it was
just an atrocious way to lose in that situation. This
just seems like Tampa's gonna implode here, like really, of
the two, Carolina is the one this most deserving because
I feel like they've actually improved and played pretty hard football.
But you just never know, because you just what's Bryce
(38:35):
Young and the offense gonna give you. In that spot,
I think I'll take Carolina. But I mean, neither one
of these teams do I see doing much in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (38:42):
So I agree, is yeah, somebody's got to win the division.
By the way, the tiebreaker, I'm trying to find it
really quick here, it's weird.
Speaker 4 (38:51):
Yeah, and it was.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Contingent on Atlanta winning, which they did, all right, So
Panthers win. If the Panthers win, they clinched NFC South.
If the Bucks win, Tampa wins the NFC.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
South with.
Speaker 6 (39:09):
Happen or something.
Speaker 4 (39:10):
Yeah, yeah, So the Saints would have to beat the
Falcons soon.
Speaker 6 (39:13):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
So Bucks win, Saints beat the Falcons, then the Bucks
are in Bucks win, Falcons beat the Saints. It's a
three way tie and it actually goes to tiebreakers, So
I don't it doesn't sound like if the Bucks win
and the Falcons win necessarily that they're eliminated.
Speaker 6 (39:36):
Listen, I think the Falcons are limited either way. Listen,
the South is a dumpster fire.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
Fansided dot Com is not helping me right now, Way
too many words to not tell me how this division
goes down real quick. Obviously the big one on Sunday night.
It's crazy, Jmart. You know, you and I obviously were
on air on Saturday when the Ravens beat the Packers,
and we're sitting there saying, yeah, okay, but as as
long as Pittsburgh beats Cleveland, this is a non starter.
(40:02):
Will Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland, setting up a winner, go
home AFC North title game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. I
know I just said any strong thoughts on this.
Speaker 6 (40:14):
One, Yeah, I think Baltimore wins it. I just do Lamar.
I think Lamar actually wants to make a statement in
this game. Things have not been good for him, and
even the media seems to have turned on him a
little bit in this last couple of weeks. They were
our Super Bowl pick Aaron coming into the year. I
think they're gonna find a way to sneak into the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
Yeah, I'll be quick, No, DK Metcalf, I actually feel
bad for Aaron Rodgers, Yes, but I'll take Baltimore as well.
Speaker 4 (40:40):
We got to get out of here.
Speaker 3 (40:41):
We'll be back eleven pm Eastern Time on Saturday. Want
to thank the crew, Alex Tysher on the board, producer
Bree Manzi Belanios for my partner Jason Martin I mentors.
We appreciate Jason and Mike letting us fill in. They'll
be back Monday. Adam all is the next Fox Sports
thirty
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
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! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.