WEBVTT - Previewing The 2023 National Championship with Pat Forde

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<v Speaker 1>From the King of sports Books comes the Key sports

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<v Speaker 1>podcast Unleashed, presented by the MGM. Here's your host, Jerry

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<v Speaker 1>Ferrara and Olivia Harland Decker. Hey, everyone, welcome to Unleashed.

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<v Speaker 1>Olivia Harland Decker here and we've got a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>different of a show for you today. Like the rest

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<v Speaker 1>of the sports world and beyond, our thoughts continue to

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<v Speaker 1>be with Bill's safety Tomorrow Hamlin. I think a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of us are still processing our thoughts from something pretty

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<v Speaker 1>unprecedented we've never seen on a football field. Jerry and

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<v Speaker 1>I spoke and he will be taking this week off,

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<v Speaker 1>So as we continue to send our prayers up for

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<v Speaker 1>Tomorrow and his family, it's a huge reminder that these

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<v Speaker 1>are human beings playing this game that we love so much,

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<v Speaker 1>that we love to talk about every week. Like all

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<v Speaker 1>of you, I'm hoping for a report that Tomorrow will

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<v Speaker 1>be okay. Sounds like some good reports are coming out

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<v Speaker 1>of his camp now, and despite this awful situation, it's

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<v Speaker 1>really been incredible to see some humanity, some generosity, outpouring

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<v Speaker 1>of love from fans and media who have already donated

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<v Speaker 1>millions of dollars to Tomorrow Hamlin's Chasing M's charity. If

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<v Speaker 1>you want to look into that and donate, that'd be

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<v Speaker 1>a really great way to honor him right now. If

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<v Speaker 1>you want to contribute for his local community in Pittsburgh,

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<v Speaker 1>that's really great. There's a go fund me page. And

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<v Speaker 1>with heavy Hearts, We've got a different show this week,

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<v Speaker 1>shorter show this week, all focused on the college football

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<v Speaker 1>National Championship that is coming up. Welcome to twenty three.

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<v Speaker 1>We have a great National Championship preview episode today as

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<v Speaker 1>my George Bulldogs take on the TCU Horned Frogs Monday night,

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<v Speaker 1>Los Angeles So Fi Stadium. It is going to be

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<v Speaker 1>so much fun. Georgia opens as a thirteen and a

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<v Speaker 1>half point favorite. Now it's down to thirteen as I'm

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<v Speaker 1>recording on Tuesday. You can also take Georgia minus fived

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<v Speaker 1>money line if you're interested in that. Look. We saw

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<v Speaker 1>the over hit in both semifinal games, so everyone's amped

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<v Speaker 1>about that bet again at sixty two and a half

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<v Speaker 1>is the point total right now, and of the handle

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<v Speaker 1>is on the over so far, so everyone's like in that.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, with a championship game, so many people don't

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<v Speaker 1>have a dog in the fight. So that's a common bet.

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<v Speaker 1>They just want to see a lot of offense taking

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<v Speaker 1>the over and I'm going to as well. I can't

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<v Speaker 1>wait Monday night to help us out. In preview the

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<v Speaker 1>big game, we're bringing in s I s Pat forty.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're a loyal listener, you'll remember he was on

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<v Speaker 1>earlier in the season. He's fantastic senior writer college football.

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<v Speaker 1>He's also got a podcast. He's all over college football.

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<v Speaker 1>He knows it all. So it'll be fun to hear

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<v Speaker 1>about the Georgia O s U semifinal game because he

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<v Speaker 1>was covering that one, and pick his brain on the

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<v Speaker 1>national championship before we place our bets. I gotta gotta

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<v Speaker 1>do better this time. Unprecedented semifinal games though on New

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<v Speaker 1>Year's Eve, only three of the six team playoff games

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<v Speaker 1>that have ever been played in history of the college

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<v Speaker 1>football playoffs. Obviously it's not long. They had been decided

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<v Speaker 1>by one possession or less. That's only three of them. Look,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm thrilled my Bulldogs got out of there with a

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<v Speaker 1>win over the buck Eyes. But from a sports book perspective,

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<v Speaker 1>it would have been really great to have a team

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<v Speaker 1>the team from Ohio get in the championship because sports

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<v Speaker 1>betting was just legalized in the state. So welcome to

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<v Speaker 1>the party, Ohio, sports obsessed state. I used to live

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<v Speaker 1>in Cleveland when my husband played for the Calves. Those

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<v Speaker 1>fans of their teams, they are so good, So that

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<v Speaker 1>is a beautiful marriage now that sports gambling is in Ohio. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>let's break down both of the New Year's Eve college

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<v Speaker 1>football semifinal games. First step BSTA Bowl eight point underdog TCU.

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<v Speaker 1>They battle it out. They never trail to a stout

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<v Speaker 1>Michigan game in an absolute shootout horn Frog's wint that's

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<v Speaker 1>nineties six combined points. If you're doing the math, I

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<v Speaker 1>still can't believe it. Forty four points alone were scored

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<v Speaker 1>in the third quarter in Michigan's defense had been so

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<v Speaker 1>good all season. They had held opponents to like fourteen

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<v Speaker 1>points per game thirteen something like that all season. They

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<v Speaker 1>were incredible. But they could not defend Max Duggan, who

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<v Speaker 1>by the way, started the season as the backup to

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<v Speaker 1>a walk on at TCU. Just incredible. All their explosive,

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<v Speaker 1>big chunk plays. They were like unstoppable in Michigan. Offensively,

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<v Speaker 1>they couldn't score in the red zone in quarterback J. J.

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<v Speaker 1>McCarthy through two pick six is you're just not gonna

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<v Speaker 1>win like that. Okay, over to the Peach Bowl for

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<v Speaker 1>Georgia Ohio State. The Bulldogs may have played one of

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<v Speaker 1>their worst games in the past two years. Seriously, I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>stets And Bennett did not look like himself. He looked nervous,

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<v Speaker 1>by the way, something a lot of people don't realize

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<v Speaker 1>about Stetson Bennett. This is gonna blow your mind, just

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<v Speaker 1>like a blew mine. He's the same age as mar Jackson.

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<v Speaker 1>Let that sink in for a minute. We have one

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<v Speaker 1>more game of Stetson Bennett Monday night, So five Stadium.

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<v Speaker 1>It's gonna be so good. Uh. Somehow the Dogs just

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<v Speaker 1>rallied to beat the Buckey's forty two forty one. Stets

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<v Speaker 1>And Bennett really at the end of it, though his

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<v Speaker 1>numbers were good, gutsy coaching all around on both sides,

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<v Speaker 1>there was nothing held back. It was just a joy

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<v Speaker 1>to watch. But Ohio State really had control of the game.

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<v Speaker 1>They were up thirty in the fourth quarter going into

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<v Speaker 1>the fourth quarter. Quarterbacks E. J. Stroud was amazing. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>I heard that they did like fifteen hundred reps offensively

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<v Speaker 1>preparing for this game. They were just incredible. They were prepared,

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<v Speaker 1>they were well coached, all these things that we did

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<v Speaker 1>not see a couple of weeks ago. Last time, we

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<v Speaker 1>saw a High State against Michigan. So this was a

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<v Speaker 1>completely different Buckeye team and they lost players throughout the game.

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<v Speaker 1>They still had a shot on the leg of their

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<v Speaker 1>kicker fifty yard field goal, though, guys, I'm not sure

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<v Speaker 1>how fair that is for college kicker with the national

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<v Speaker 1>championship birth on the line. He missed the fifty yard

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<v Speaker 1>kick at the stroke of midnight. I know you've heard

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<v Speaker 1>it because everyone's using this term, but it's so good

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<v Speaker 1>I have to use it too. He kicked the ball in,

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<v Speaker 1>it landed in. Okay, now that we've set the table,

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<v Speaker 1>let's bring in our guest Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forty. Okay, Pat,

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<v Speaker 1>before we get into the matchups. For the casual college

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<v Speaker 1>football fan, can you explain how improbable it is for

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<v Speaker 1>TCU with a head coach in year one to make

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<v Speaker 1>it to the national Championship. And I know Larry Coker,

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<v Speaker 1>Gust mills On, they've done it, but those are a

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<v Speaker 1>major programs that were built to go to the distance

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<v Speaker 1>and we're talking about little TCU. Yeah, I think Olivia.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the most unlikely playoff team period and now to

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<v Speaker 1>make the championship game all the more unlikely. TCUs a

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<v Speaker 1>legitimate program in the Big twelve and sitting in a

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<v Speaker 1>hot out of talent and football passion in Dallas Fort Worth.

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<v Speaker 1>But they were five and seven last year. Nobody has

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<v Speaker 1>ever gone from unranked to the playoff. Yes, new coach

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<v Speaker 1>who had had some success at SMU but really hadn't

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<v Speaker 1>shown the chops to maybe compete for a national championship.

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<v Speaker 1>There picked seventh preseason in the Big twelve, and now

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<v Speaker 1>they're one of the last two standing for the national title.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's it's a wildly improbable, very fun story. This

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<v Speaker 1>sport doesn't really allow many cinderellas. If we're gonna call

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<v Speaker 1>TCU a Cinderella, why is that? This sport, as we've seen,

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<v Speaker 1>especially in the playoff era, there's a very small number

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<v Speaker 1>of programs that have even competed for a title. It's

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<v Speaker 1>been Alabama, it's been Clemson, it's been Ohio, State's been Georgia,

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<v Speaker 1>it's been Notre Dame, although Notre Dame hasn't made a

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<v Speaker 1>championship game. So to crack that's very small club is

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<v Speaker 1>hard to do. And it's interesting. Tc has come a

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<v Speaker 1>long way in a pretty quick amount of time. But

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<v Speaker 1>they were in four different conferences in the mid ninety nineties.

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<v Speaker 1>They were kind of a vagabond looking for their place.

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<v Speaker 1>Their facilities weren't very good, and then they invested and

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<v Speaker 1>they started building and you go down there now, I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>their stadium is just a treasure. It's fantastic. It's not huge,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, maybe, but it's beautiful. It's well appointed. The

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<v Speaker 1>suites looked like something out of like the Roman Empire. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>they're so opulent and all the other facilities that go

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<v Speaker 1>along with it. They have those two and I think

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<v Speaker 1>if you've got that, and you can sell that in

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<v Speaker 1>the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex and surrounding area, you're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>get players because there's a million of them there, and

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<v Speaker 1>so they have the ability to overcome that that underdog

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<v Speaker 1>label that they've carried. So you were in Atlanta, you

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<v Speaker 1>were covering the Georgia Ohio state game. How did you

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<v Speaker 1>watch the Michigan TCU game. I know sometimes they have

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<v Speaker 1>it on the JumboTron, but that had to be consuming

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<v Speaker 1>your thoughts at the time. Yeah, for sure, And yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I was at the stadium and it was kind of

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<v Speaker 1>interesting that Mercedes Been Stadium is a great place and

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<v Speaker 1>they do have like the the ribbon video ribbon basically

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<v Speaker 1>goes around the upper level and so you could see

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<v Speaker 1>it up there and it's huge and bright. But I

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<v Speaker 1>also had on a little screen next to me in

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<v Speaker 1>the press box, and so you're kind of watching in

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<v Speaker 1>both places at the same time. But the interesting thing

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<v Speaker 1>about it was as the Ohio State fans started to

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<v Speaker 1>come in, every time TC you did something big, they

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<v Speaker 1>would roar because they wanted to see Michigan lose. So yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it was it was an interesting dynamic. And the players

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<v Speaker 1>down on the field, We're starting to warm up and

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<v Speaker 1>at one point, like TC is making big play after

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<v Speaker 1>big play, and the Georgia kickers and sports staff are

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<v Speaker 1>all looking up and Steps and Bennett's just doing nothing

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<v Speaker 1>but warming up, throwing passes and stretching, and like he's

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<v Speaker 1>totally oblivious to what was going on around him, which

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<v Speaker 1>is I think one of the reasons he's been successful. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>Sticking with Steps and Bennett, you've covered him so much

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<v Speaker 1>in fact, the beginning of the season, that's when we

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<v Speaker 1>brought you on to talk about your cover story on him.

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<v Speaker 1>It was a great article. What did you see from him?

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<v Speaker 1>Because he looked nervous, it was uncharacteristic. Yeah, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think that that there was some stuff that well,

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<v Speaker 1>i'll Stay threw at him that they were not prepared

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<v Speaker 1>for or comfortable with. You know how Stay changed up

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of their defense from when we last saw

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<v Speaker 1>him against Michigan. They played a little more soft in

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<v Speaker 1>the back on the secondary, covered a little bit more

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<v Speaker 1>there as opposed to just go on hell bent to

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<v Speaker 1>try to rush. And I think that he was expecting

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<v Speaker 1>some open throws that weren't there. And the laundry he

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<v Speaker 1>had to stand in the pocket and hold the ball.

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<v Speaker 1>You could see that stress kind of getting to him.

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<v Speaker 1>And he did not play well. He said afterwards, he said,

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<v Speaker 1>I think I played about thirty minutes of just bad football.

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<v Speaker 1>And I you know, I don't think anybody would necessarily

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<v Speaker 1>disagree with him, But as is always the case with

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<v Speaker 1>Stepson Bennett, about when you're ready to say, oh he

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<v Speaker 1>can't do it, he doesn't, do you know, if there

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<v Speaker 1>was any Pappy Van Winkle consumed after does he wait

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<v Speaker 1>till you after he wins a natty? For that? That's

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<v Speaker 1>definitely gonna be a post natty thing. I think that's

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<v Speaker 1>what it was last year. He had a friend from

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<v Speaker 1>home that brought the pappy and I would imagine there

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<v Speaker 1>will be another bottle of Pappi in l A on

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<v Speaker 1>reserve if they do win. I imagine. So how do

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<v Speaker 1>you think, based on the vibe in the stadium really,

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<v Speaker 1>how the momentum changed after the no targeting call that

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<v Speaker 1>knocked Marvin Harrison Jr. Out of the game? And did

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<v Speaker 1>you agree with the call? I did agree with the call.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought they did a good job. I thought you

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<v Speaker 1>call it in real action, real real, live time. You

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<v Speaker 1>go back and review it. The replay official, the ESPN

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<v Speaker 1>analyst Matt Austin both agreed, and I agreed with them

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<v Speaker 1>that it was close, like a matter of inches, but

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<v Speaker 1>it was not targeting. For one thing, he didn't launch,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, he did not leave his feet to to

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<v Speaker 1>to go attack the head with his head. He hit

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<v Speaker 1>mostly shoulder two shoulder on Marvin Harrison. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>vicious hit, but I think it was a clean hit.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it was the right call. And absolutely could

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<v Speaker 1>helped change the game. For one thing, he prevented Marvin

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<v Speaker 1>Harrison from catching a touchdown. Second, he took their best

0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:53.160
<v Speaker 1>player out of the game, and you hate to see that.

0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:54.520
<v Speaker 1>You hate to see an injury, but it was a

0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:57.240
<v Speaker 1>legal football play. And then thirdly, the fact that it

0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:00.440
<v Speaker 1>was not targeting was huge because it did not give

0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:02.040
<v Speaker 1>them a first down. Then they had to kick the

0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:05.560
<v Speaker 1>field goal. And then after that, Ohio State's offense struggled

0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:08.480
<v Speaker 1>a bit too. They couldn't finish drives and and Georgia

0:12:08.640 --> 0:12:13.000
<v Speaker 1>slowly prepped back into the game. On the note of officiating,

0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:15.440
<v Speaker 1>if you're a Michigan fan, do you have a valid

0:12:15.520 --> 0:12:18.560
<v Speaker 1>argument that officiating kept you out of the championship? I

0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:21.320
<v Speaker 1>don't think so. I mean, you can be really angry,

0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:24.680
<v Speaker 1>first of all about the the overturned touchdown, which I

0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:27.640
<v Speaker 1>think that was a bad call. But you get the

0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.320
<v Speaker 1>ball first and goal on the one and you fumble

0:12:30.360 --> 0:12:33.480
<v Speaker 1>it without being hit, that's that's on you. And then

0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:36.960
<v Speaker 1>everything that transpired after that, in terms of not being

0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:41.200
<v Speaker 1>able to stop TCU and throwing other interceptions, that's on you.

0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:45.160
<v Speaker 1>The non targeting call at the end, look, that probably

0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:46.760
<v Speaker 1>could have been called but that doesn't win the game

0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:48.720
<v Speaker 1>for him, and it extends the game and gives them

0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:50.960
<v Speaker 1>a tiny smidgen of chance of a chance, but I

0:12:50.960 --> 0:12:52.960
<v Speaker 1>don't know whether it really helps them that, you know,

0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:56.800
<v Speaker 1>win the game. So look, there there's always controversial calls,

0:12:56.880 --> 0:13:00.800
<v Speaker 1>bad calls, close calls, and if you're Michigan, you can't

0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.640
<v Speaker 1>sit there and say that cost us the game. They

0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:06.120
<v Speaker 1>were favored by seven and a half points, They had

0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:09.079
<v Speaker 1>many chances and they couldn't get it done. Yeah, it's

0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:11.559
<v Speaker 1>it's crazy watching it back that TCU never trailed. It

0:13:11.559 --> 0:13:14.439
<v Speaker 1>didn't feel like it watching it. But uh, two great

0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:18.240
<v Speaker 1>games and really unprecedented seeing this on New Year's Eve,

0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:21.240
<v Speaker 1>only three of the six team playoff games in history

0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:23.520
<v Speaker 1>had been decided by a possession or less, and we

0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:26.319
<v Speaker 1>got our money's worth on those two. Now that you've

0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:28.480
<v Speaker 1>kind of sat back and reflected a bit on those

0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:33.640
<v Speaker 1>two games, which outcome seems more unprecedented, more unlikely, I

0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:36.560
<v Speaker 1>think i'd have to say TCU winning. Look, I was surprised.

0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:38.800
<v Speaker 1>I thought Georgia was gonna roll and I thought Michigan

0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:40.960
<v Speaker 1>was gonna roll. Like you said, they were both phenomenal

0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:42.719
<v Speaker 1>games and kind of what we've been waiting for ever

0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:45.520
<v Speaker 1>since the playoff came into being, So that was great,

0:13:45.559 --> 0:13:48.320
<v Speaker 1>But I think the the real surprise to me was

0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:52.680
<v Speaker 1>Michigan screwing up enough to lose and TCU just taking

0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:55.720
<v Speaker 1>advantage of it and taking hold of the game and

0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.560
<v Speaker 1>making the big plays, you know, so many of them.

0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.959
<v Speaker 1>I mean, the pick sixes were Hujo obviously, and those

0:14:01.000 --> 0:14:04.160
<v Speaker 1>were really nice defensive plays, but their defense made several

0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:06.400
<v Speaker 1>other big plays in the moment where they just were

0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:08.840
<v Speaker 1>not going to get run over by that Michigan running game.

0:14:09.360 --> 0:14:11.680
<v Speaker 1>And then they hit a couple of huge plays of

0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:14.240
<v Speaker 1>their own on offense, and they just rose to the occasion.

0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:16.480
<v Speaker 1>And that's kind of who that team has been. I mean,

0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:18.560
<v Speaker 1>I've loved watching them all year. They you know, they've

0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:22.560
<v Speaker 1>they've hearded with losses so many times, and then they

0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:25.520
<v Speaker 1>finally did losing the Big twelve championship game, and I

0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.200
<v Speaker 1>probably like a lot of other people, but well, all right,

0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:30.400
<v Speaker 1>they're out of pixie dust, and you know, they're a

0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:33.400
<v Speaker 1>good team, but they're not good enough, and they're they're

0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:35.960
<v Speaker 1>still really good team. They're really they're excellent, and so

0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:38.760
<v Speaker 1>that was it was very surprising but really cool to

0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:41.320
<v Speaker 1>see them win that game. On that note, what are

0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:43.680
<v Speaker 1>your thoughts on these games being played on New Year's Eve?

0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:45.960
<v Speaker 1>Do you think that's a good scheduling move. I know

0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.400
<v Speaker 1>they're talking about changing it. I'm not a fan at all,

0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:52.440
<v Speaker 1>and I remember I was there. Yeah, you know, I

0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:56.600
<v Speaker 1>was at the announcement whenever it was twenty twelve or

0:14:56.600 --> 0:14:59.160
<v Speaker 1>whatever they were going to the playoff and Bill Hancock

0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:01.840
<v Speaker 1>from College Football if So there said we are going

0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:05.280
<v Speaker 1>to remake the paradigm of New Year's Eve and basically

0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:10.720
<v Speaker 1>America watched college football on a night when America parties.

0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.240
<v Speaker 1>And look, I'm sorry that was arrogant, because you know

0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:16.360
<v Speaker 1>they were there were how many people, I mean, I'm

0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:21.240
<v Speaker 1>sure you heard from him who literally the Ohio State

0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:25.160
<v Speaker 1>field goal at the end was kicked in, two landed in,

0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:29.320
<v Speaker 1>and people are like, screw that. I want to watch

0:15:29.400 --> 0:15:32.000
<v Speaker 1>the ball drop. I want to celebrate the New Year.

0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:34.440
<v Speaker 1>And so the conflict there, which was created by the

0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:37.960
<v Speaker 1>playoff committee, which was created by ESPN, just I think

0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:41.040
<v Speaker 1>was was a very disservice to a lot of fans,

0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:43.520
<v Speaker 1>especially casual fans that aren't going to build their whole

0:15:43.560 --> 0:15:47.040
<v Speaker 1>life around watching two football games. I heard on your podcast,

0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:49.680
<v Speaker 1>Actually the story of the balloons dropping in a Columbus

0:15:49.760 --> 0:15:51.840
<v Speaker 1>bar and people couldn't see the outcome, and then they

0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:56.720
<v Speaker 1>started stomping balloons once they heard terrible. That's tough time

0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:59.239
<v Speaker 1>to try to celebrate a new year right there in Columbus.

0:15:59.400 --> 0:16:01.840
<v Speaker 1>It is. It is. Yeah, you're not getting your New

0:16:01.920 --> 0:16:04.600
<v Speaker 1>Year's kiss after that one. I don't think. Let's talk

0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:07.160
<v Speaker 1>real quickly about the matchup. Georgia opened as a thirteen

0:16:07.200 --> 0:16:10.760
<v Speaker 1>point favorite. Do you view this as David vers Goliath

0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:12.920
<v Speaker 1>is the Pixie Desk, like you mentioned, gonna run out

0:16:12.960 --> 0:16:16.960
<v Speaker 1>on TCU? Yeah, I think thirteen points too much. Have

0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:20.720
<v Speaker 1>you seen TCU? They're really really good. And again there

0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:23.760
<v Speaker 1>one loss, well, they scrapped and fought to get it

0:16:23.760 --> 0:16:26.080
<v Speaker 1>into overtime. They did get into overtime and came up

0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:29.120
<v Speaker 1>a half a yard short of at least extending the game.

0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:32.960
<v Speaker 1>So I think thirteen is a lot. I do think

0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:35.840
<v Speaker 1>if Georgia plays, it's a game. Georgia is better, and

0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:39.120
<v Speaker 1>Georgia will win and maybe win handing, maybe maybe win

0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:42.440
<v Speaker 1>by fourteen. I don't know. But we also and and

0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:45.640
<v Speaker 1>and the Georgia players like we're unanimous, like kind of

0:16:45.680 --> 0:16:48.720
<v Speaker 1>discussed that They didn't play very well against Olhouse State,

0:16:48.840 --> 0:16:50.560
<v Speaker 1>so they know they can play better. We've all seen

0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:54.560
<v Speaker 1>him play better. But TCU has some abilities to exploit

0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:57.160
<v Speaker 1>what Ohio State did, what l s U did in

0:16:57.200 --> 0:16:59.480
<v Speaker 1>the SEC championship game. I mean, they can throw the ball.

0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:01.560
<v Speaker 1>They they've got a quarterback who can do that. They

0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:05.159
<v Speaker 1>have a mobile quarterback as well. That Georgia defense in

0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.439
<v Speaker 1>the secondary particularly doesn't play better, it's gonna look a

0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.320
<v Speaker 1>lot like the game against Ohio State, I think, where

0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.159
<v Speaker 1>it's like whoever can make one big play at the

0:17:14.240 --> 0:17:16.520
<v Speaker 1>end of the game. We saw so much scoring in

0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:20.399
<v Speaker 1>those semifinal games. Both over is hitting comfortably. Do you

0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:23.159
<v Speaker 1>think we see more defense in the National Championship? The

0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:25.719
<v Speaker 1>over under right now sixty two and a half, sixty

0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:27.840
<v Speaker 1>two and a half, I'd be leaning over. I think.

0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:31.760
<v Speaker 1>I just think Georgie's defense is good. But what we've

0:17:31.800 --> 0:17:34.159
<v Speaker 1>seen against really good offenses here the last couple of

0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:36.320
<v Speaker 1>weeks is they've been able to expose the last couple

0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:39.840
<v Speaker 1>of games expose some of the shortcomings. They did lose

0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:43.199
<v Speaker 1>five first round draft picks off that defense, so to

0:17:43.280 --> 0:17:46.600
<v Speaker 1>ask them to come back and be able to just

0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:49.440
<v Speaker 1>shut teams down against probably too much. They look good

0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:51.280
<v Speaker 1>enough in the regular season that you just think they

0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:53.960
<v Speaker 1>just keep churning them out. But it's not quite the same.

0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:57.520
<v Speaker 1>And so you get up against elite personnel, elite scheme,

0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:01.320
<v Speaker 1>elite quarterback, and it's tough. And so I expect TC

0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:03.120
<v Speaker 1>you be able to move in score. But I also

0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:04.919
<v Speaker 1>expect Georgia to be able to move in score. And

0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:07.399
<v Speaker 1>that's you know, one thing that has sometimes been a

0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:10.680
<v Speaker 1>little bit lost is I mean, George's offense is really good.

0:18:10.720 --> 0:18:14.640
<v Speaker 1>They've got players, three running backs, five wide receivers, two

0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.760
<v Speaker 1>tight ends, we'll see whether Darnell Washington's coming back, and

0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:20.000
<v Speaker 1>a really good quarterback. So I think there's gonna be

0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:22.560
<v Speaker 1>a bunch of points. I would say over you know,

0:18:22.640 --> 0:18:24.920
<v Speaker 1>mid sixties in terms of a point total, would would

0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:27.479
<v Speaker 1>probably sound right to me. It's interesting what you were

0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.080
<v Speaker 1>just saying about the Georgia defense. When I covered them

0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:33.280
<v Speaker 1>in the SEC Championship. They kept saying, we're competing against

0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:36.359
<v Speaker 1>last year's Georgia's defense. You know, we're not competing against

0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:39.520
<v Speaker 1>other defenses in the country. It's it's interesting. They definitely

0:18:39.560 --> 0:18:41.840
<v Speaker 1>had a chip on their shoulder. It'll be interesting to

0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:43.959
<v Speaker 1>see how they come out Monday night, and so far,

0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:48.240
<v Speaker 1>do you have the final score prediction? I'm gonna say

0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:53.359
<v Speaker 1>Georgia thirty eight, TCU thirty one, and we get a

0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:57.000
<v Speaker 1>reaming for the first time in a decade. Alright, alright,

0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.159
<v Speaker 1>Pat forty, thanks so much for joining us. We promised

0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:00.960
<v Speaker 1>would get you on one more time before the Natty

0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:03.639
<v Speaker 1>and this is a lot of fun. Thank you, my pleasure, Olivia,

0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:23.720
<v Speaker 1>thank you. Uh. Pat is so good. We're so glad

0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:26.159
<v Speaker 1>he's a recurring guest. We had him early in the season.

0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:29.199
<v Speaker 1>It's great to have him right before the National Championship.

0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:31.800
<v Speaker 1>Make sure to follow all of his coverage at s

0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:35.160
<v Speaker 1>I and on Twitter. Follow him at by Pat forty.

0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:38.520
<v Speaker 1>He is a fantastic follow and great writer in the

0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:40.639
<v Speaker 1>sports so it's really great to be able to follow

0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:42.520
<v Speaker 1>him and have him on the show. We're really glad

0:19:42.560 --> 0:19:45.639
<v Speaker 1>he joined us. Next week. Jerry Ferrara, my co host,

0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:48.040
<v Speaker 1>he's back. We can't wait to get back into our

0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:50.919
<v Speaker 1>Entourage segment. I have a lot of watching to do.

0:19:51.000 --> 0:19:53.480
<v Speaker 1>I've got to get back. I've been slacking over the holidays,

0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:55.639
<v Speaker 1>not watching my entrage. It's gonna be a lot of

0:19:55.640 --> 0:19:59.720
<v Speaker 1>fun follow bet MGM on all social media and on YouTube.

0:19:59.760 --> 0:20:03.160
<v Speaker 1>We have every episode if you want to watch the episodes,

0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:04.760
<v Speaker 1>it's a lot of fun. You can kind of see

0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:08.240
<v Speaker 1>our reactions in real time. But happy New Year to everyone.

0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:12.320
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for joining for this college football National Championship preview

0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:19.200
<v Speaker 1>and we will see you next week.