It is another hour of the program, and it's great to have you with us. Always a delight to play a small role here in the jungle. One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. I'll be hacking Magoo and say, "Man, that first hour blew by, especially because we didn't have any guests." So we did take a phone call. We will get interactive again in twenty minutes, and then in forty minutes.
Since I tried to be generous with the phone. Phone call, I had, and I know you wanted much more of a dissertation on my detailed breakdown of why the twenty four team college football playoff is so fraudulent. We're going to talk about the games coming up tomorrow and get big picture thoughts on the conferences that matter, not the Big Twelve. What a muddled mess that is, and I don't gamble much. Here's a transition.
I'm Brian Weber in for Jim Rome, presented by FanDuel. But when I do, I'm going to one place and one place only, FanDuel. Clip that off, Alan. Thank you very much. I do look at lines just to get a general sense of the wisdom of crowds.
Notre Dame, a ten and a half point favorite, a BYU, and I know LJ Martin, their leading running back, is out. But Notre Dame hasn't played anybody.
Now you can say in retrospect, grinding out the win over Wisconsin looks more like a realistic test. We'll find out Wisconsin's validity when they take on UCLA in the post-Nico era tomorrow, and we'll start thinking about when we have this conversation with Scott Docterman. Great name, Scott Docterman. Get me a doctor. Get me Doctor Kildare.
Get me Doctor Frankenstein. National college writer for the Athletic. How many teams is the Big Ten going to be able to bully their way in? Oh, just a quick footnote to when we get to the twenty-four with the NFL conversation moments away. What's the under over on FanDuel predicts of how many teams from the SEC and the Big Ten are going to get into the field of twenty-four?
Fifteen and a half. Look at the NCAA tournament when the bracketology experts start going line by line. How do you think the expanded field of sixty-eight to seventy-six is going to be composed? Teams from the Big Ten and the SEC with losing conference records. Why is it going to happen?
Follow the money. A lot of rhetorical questions today. I do my best to self scout, not just out of vanity. I'll go back and watch a program.
Now, some of this, in fairness, other than getting the nodding from the full XR4Ti on the other side of the glass, as a solo host, and I don't even know if I could work with a partner anymore.
Now, if the price is right, sure, but and not not 1994. Last time I checked, when you work alone, another contemporary reference, you got to be Johnny and Ed. But yes, I am going to self-report a lot of the.
Well, have you considered? And then I pay it off, so I'll work on it on the fly. Let's get back to Thursday night football and connected with the games coming up that matter on Sunday. And if you haven't looked at the schedule, that's okay. It's my job, after all.
There are some less than stellar matchups. Again, I am not bashing the NFL. If you know me at all, it's from my cup of coffee when I tried my best to be a poor man's Regis Philbin. Although, if Brian Weber doesn't get fired. Kyle Brant's not writing a book.
Just just follow the dots there.
Somebody had to do a show at three o'clock in the morning called NFLAM. There were two days. If I didn't come out and do that show by myself, it would not have gone on the air. But I am not presumptuous enough to write a book because I know nobody cares. I well aware nobody cares.
And then other things I've done throughout this long career have been NFL driven. I think I have blown a friendship with somebody at the league who we used to exchange. Pleasantries by my stance on the X platform, which is BW Weber, Weber with two B's. Like, hey, CTE is a thing. How come nobody cares?
Oh, but let's play Thursday night football. And whether you care about brain injuries or not, I just want to see compelling games and I want watchable content. Last night was gruesome.
Now, some of that was predictable. Short week for Seattle, coming off that rugged game with the Forty Niners. We'll address the Forty Niners momentarily. Even though I am not as much of a Brock Purdy apologist. Five and zero is five and zero.
In fact, again, since I have no life, the four other times the Niners have been five and zero, they've made at least the NFC title game in all of them.
So it's boding well. Although with this team, the walking wounded, and we're not talking about transformers or electrical substations. And oh, by the way, Debo Samuel's hurt as well, but Bose is getting healthier. You don't know what two weeks looks like. Moving forward for the Niners, but they will take care of imploding Washington.
Still, if you watched or just red zoned around the majority of that game between the Niners, who did it again, one on the road in Seattle as they did last year, and the reigning champs. That was a old black and blue kind of feel to it. A lot of physicality. Sam Darnold dealing with not only no ground game whatsoever. He's got injuries on the offensive line.
Let's face it, he is statuesque, not in the classic James Mansfield kind of way, but he can't move. And we know he lasted what five plays in the opener, so he's. Also, probably less than 100 percent, but that's the entire league. Painkillers were invented for a reason, and are used every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday for our entertainment purposes.
So, Darnold sacked five times in that war of attrition on Sunday last night. Sacked five times again—a reflection of just how ferocious Denver's front seven is. A defensive. Approach that continues to work for the Broncos. Remember, Broncos were miraculous, just like Chicago in one-score games a year ago.
And my thought process was that can't continue, and I don't want to be nerdier than I am. I know that train has left the station a long time ago. I don't get into data-driven analysis. I got into this business because I like to talk and tell stories. But even I.
Know little thing called regression to the mean. If you're sensational in one-score games, that typically doesn't carry over. Here we are. Here the bleep we are. Denver did it again.
Fifteen and two in one-score games, dating back to last season, and they're winning despite Bonics. That was atrocious play last night. If you really want to get granular, and I'm not going to do it, they did nothing. Talking about the Broncos inside of the two-minute warning going to halftime, and then all the way through the second half and overtime. But then Sam Darnold became Sam Darnold because you are what you consistently do.
Leads the league in turnovers, dating back to the start of last year. And not only did he have two picks, but they came in the worst possible situations, inside the two-minute warning regulation. Got a gift from coaching malpractice from Sean Payton. I don't know what he was doing with the play calling, especially in that third-down passing situation in which Nick's tried to throw an interception, but thankfully, from the Denver point of view, it was dropped. Bo Nix.
Last night accounted for 107 yards, 107. Denver had 168 yards and won.
Now you can tell me coming in, what did we think that game was going to be? Defensive oriented because that's how Seattle won last year, along with Kenneth Walker the third. John Schneider is a highly respected GM. He decided. With ownerships backing, I'm sure.
Although ownership was in flux at that point because the Allen estate was selling the team, but you get my point. It's not just the GM unilaterally calling the shots. They decided back to the old trope: running backs are plug and play. Even when the running back was the Super Bowl MVP, they just did not want to pay. Kenneth Walker III.
How does Mahomes look now, coming back from a significant knee injury with a ground game for the first time in a decade in Kansas City?
So Seattle knew what the risk was, and obviously they tried to address it using a first-round pick on Jaden Price. You can't control injuries, but this negative serendipity—even that's contradiction. This negative outcome between Price and Charbonnet. Being banged up, Seattle can't run the ball at all, and they just stop trying. And with Kubiak going to the Silver and Black, they have a first-time play caller.
So if you're going to ask Sam Darnold to throw it over 50 times, you get what happened last night. You don't know when the picks are coming, but they're coming, and they came at the wrong situation.
So. We knew one of these teams because both of them won 14 games in the regular season. We're going to match their loss total from all of last year with a loss last night. That team turned out to be Seattle at three and three. Here's the real dilemma, and I'm Brian Weber in for Jim Rome.
Your interaction coming up in 12 minutes or so. Maybe another phone call. One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. In 13 minutes, we talk college football. Get you fully lined up for the marquee matchups on campus.
Tomorrow, when we are joined by Scott Docterman of the Athletic, not only does Seattle continue to have a challenging schedule, Kansas City and the Bears coming up.
Now you're going to start thinking about the division. Because while I have doubts that are primarily Brock Purdy centric, and I realize this is the worst time to do it, just as I had to take the L when my guy Matthew Stafford finally won that MVP last year. Oh man, I had a lot of content. I doubt, I doubt, yes, self-reporting again. I had a lot of sports talk radio meals on Matt Stafford being a stat compiler, Pat Stafford, Stat Padford, whatever it is.
He not only won the Super Bowl, he won the MVP. He's going to Hall Fame.
So now I have to shift. Brock Purdy is just a guy. And and you could tell me all day long. Thirteen touchdowns, one pick. Amazingly, he wasn't sacked until last week's game.
That's a pretty good start to the season. This is not a critique of Brock Purdy. I'm just telling it like it is. Also, it's my opinion, man. Just your opinion, man.
I now have to shift because I was trolling the Bay Area, but I can. Have I mentioned I went to school in the Bay Area? Hey, tomorrow is my thirty-fifth anniversary. I might have tech oligarchs that I went to college with listening right now on KMBR ten fifty. Yes, you own an island.
Just off the Dominican Republic, but I'm filling in for Jim Rome.
So scoreboard, look up at it. For a while, I was contending that Jeff Garcia was better than Brock Purdy. I'm going to throw that argument aside because it's nonsensical. Brock Purdy is doing precisely what he is asked to do, and there's nothing wrong with being a high-end game manager. Here's why he's succeeding.
Think about the health of the future Hall of Famers who are. Available, namely Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans. He's banged up, but he'll find a way to get on the field. And we saw the value of him in that dramatic win in Seattle. George Kittle.
Should I keep going? Fred Warner. Niners have a stacked. Roster. The issue has been they're never healthy at the same time.
Bosa theoretically getting closer to coming back on Sunday from his lingering calf issue.
So I'm not in any way trying to poke holes in the Niners' resume. It's flawless, and they'll go to six and zero. I just want to see it when it counts. And yeah. I am going to mention twenty-eight to three and other Kyle Shanahan failings in high-leverage situations.
But you can't do better than what San Francisco has done to start the year, putting more pressure on Seattle. And I have now shifted to being a troll of Sean McVay, which probably does not bode well for me returning during the holidays. Understanding who the host of this program is, how is the boy genius doing? At two and three. Only two teams in NFL history have started two and three and won the Super Bowl.
Nineteen eighty Raiders when Pastoreni got hurt, enter Stanford's own Jim Plunkett. Two thousand one Pats when Bledsoe got hurt, enter Brady. Does that mean that now Stafford has to get hurt? No, because check out the schedule coming up for the Rams, who should be one and four after that Sirianni masterclass, which he somehow trumped the following week in London. But to blow a fourteen point lead with four minutes to go is vintage Sirianni.
But we know what's coming up. For the Rams, Cardinals, Raiders, Chargers at Washington, they're going to be seven and three at the bye, with another game against Arizona before they're idle, so. When we think about the dynamics of that division, the Niners are establishing that they're for real. The Rams are going to come to life, and they still have not had Miles Garrett and Aaron Donald on the field at the same time. That's putting a lot of pressure on Seattle for a wild card.
But when you scan and peruse the NFC, you think the Vikings are going to keep this up.
Now, here's cliche number four hundred. We know when the weather gets cold, defense and special teams travel well. Brian Flores is a defensive mastermind. Long as they can keep those games under the same parameters as what we've seen to start the year, they're going to be in them. I just don't believe that Kyler Murray is going to get better.
I think we know who Kyler Murray is, and KOC can coach him up as much as he wants to. He is a quarterback whisperer. He should be shouting at the diminutive one, because if you think that Kevin O'Connell get the most out of Kyler Murray, okay, what happens when they get to the playoffs and Kyler Murray becomes Kyler Murray again, the way Sam Darnold? With Sam Darnold again, a couple years ago. Follow me here when they went on the road to Arizona when we had those horrific fires here in Southern California, and Darnold imploded in that playoff game against the Rams.
I'll throw it out to you. Other than the undefeated teams, we know that's low hanging fruit. Who are you really buying across the NFL? One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. You're a Bronco fan.
I can't argue with you, especially at four and two with that murderous schedule. I just can't, in any way, come up with a compelling argument to defend Bo Nix, especially after the atrocity of last night. You may say, "Well, he can only get better." That's always a compelling counter argument. Or we just have to play. Terrific defense, and it worked last year, right?
I mean, you're a Stidty performance away. Remember when Stidty Mania was running wild during the holidays? If Stidty. Had been more like what you thought, Stidley was going to be. You could have been in the Super Bowl, but they would have lost to that Seattle team with that formidable defense, asking Darnold to do nothing because he did nothing in an unwatchable Super Bowl and give the rock to Kenneth Walker the Third.
Patriots will address you coming up. We're going to get back to the NFL to start the final hour of the program. If you're a Bo Nix defender, you're going to tell me, well, Drake May has figured it out. Bo can do it, I guess. My observation would be, we've seen a lot more high-end football from Drake May.
As much as he benefited, as well as the entire team from the easiest schedule over the last 25 years in the NFL, but at least he could complete passes as he was the runner-up to the MVP, Matthew Stafford, last year. I haven't seen anything close to reasonable, serviceable front-line starting QB play from Bonics. One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. Interaction coming up. 25 minutes from now, we will take you on campus, get you fully set for the top five matchup between Ohio State and Indiana, and all the games that matter tomorrow.
When we're joined by Scott Docterman of the Athletic, straight ahead. As we saw the death of the Dodgers dynasty for now last night, we'll link it to the NBA. Yes, I'm talking NBA, and I'm justified. Ready or not, the NBA tips off on Tuesday.
So, we're going old school. We are just cranking up the wayback machine. Can the Knicks build a dynasty as fortunate as they were last year in the playoffs? We're going to have some broad thoughts about the NBA because, as much as I'm supposed to, I can't talk NFL for three hours. And yes, I'm a rebel with no cause, rebel with no clue, keeping the chair warm for Jim.
I'm Brian Weber, in for Jim here on the Jim Rome Show. You won the argument last night.
Some guy in the comments said your team's done. You came back with those stats. I don't want to use receipts. A jiff. Game over.
Not so fast. What the scoundrel do? He searched your username, found you on social. Then he had the audacity to plug your real name into a people search site. A pop, your home address along with your cell number, your wife's name, your kid's name.
That's no good. You won the argument, but you lost both your privacy and security. Those sites that dude is accessing are data brokers. They package up your life, sell it to anybody who asks. Incogni plays defense.
It's an online service. That sends removal requests on your behalf over four hundred twenty data brokers and people search sites for you. When your info sneaks back on, Incogni goes after it again with ferocity. I'm using Incogni to clear all the info off those challenging databases.
So talk all the trash you want, just keep your address off the internet. Go to incogni.com/room, get sixty percent off. That's quite a bargain. Incogni.com/room, sixty percent off the regular prices. They can't.
Inform you if they can't find you. You're listening to the Jim Rome Show. At Edward Jones, we believe rich means opening yourself to new possibilities. That's why your dedicated financial advisor meets you where you are, helping you move forward with confidence. Let's find your rich.
Edward Jones, member SIPC. Hello, I'm Ozempic, and I'm other GLP ones, kind of like him. Are you shaking a maraca? Nope, I'm shaking the pill version of Ozempic, which no one should ever do, except in ads like this. A nice disclaimer.
Hi, thanks. Ask your doctor about which FDA-approved uses of the Ozempic pen or pill may be right for you. Call one eight three three Ozempic or visit Ozempic dot com to view the medication guide and learn more about Ozempic semaglutide tablets nine milligrams and Ozempic semaglutide injection two milligrams. There's a pill. Ryan Weber back with you.
Appreciate you indulging not only my way too unjustified ego, but references that even I find a bit arcane. Although, if you're looking for something to watch, I'd recommend the short. Forty minutes, perfect time. Short, short, short on HBO Max. Produced by—is it still HBO Max for now?
Max, HBO. Doc is here. Doc is not here on Dennis Miller and his foray. To Monday Night Football, produced by NFL Films. Bring it up because even I found Miller when he would do the, the sort of Damocles cha-cha, was a little bit over the top, and then you become everything you make fun of.
And I say that to give myself these guidelines. We got to do this quickly because the great Scott Docterman. Waits for no man. In less than fifteen minutes, we're going to tackle the games that matter in college football tomorrow. When we're joined by the lead national college football writer for The Athletic, with a reminder, clones, I've got one question for you.
This one's not rhetorical. Why is Old Trapper beef jerky so good? There is something to be said for a family business that stands by quality and produces the world's finest beef jerky. Don't be fooled by other brands. All beef jerky is not the same.
Make sure you choose Old Trapper. We can actually see the quality through their iconic clear view packages. Every bite of Old Trapper is tender, never tough, because they use only the best ingredients from their lean strips of beef, seasoned with top quality spices to the real wood-fired smoke. Old Trapper delivers quality in every bite. And Old Trapper jerky comes in these flavors.
You know there are four of them, and they're mouth-watering, all-fresh. Classic beef jerky flavor, exceptionally tender, smoky and delicious. Teriyaki with that yellow label, old trapper. Turn that flavor dial up to eleven, hot and spicy, with a spice so nice you'll want to snack twice. And peppered tender seasoned beef.
Covered in cracked pepper, it is a cold beer's best friend. Grab and go with a four ounce bag, or load up with the eighteen ounceer, where there's enough for the whole team. If you don't see it, ask for Old Trapper by name, because no other jerky compares. Old Trapper, what is your beef? There are plenty of beefs in front of me, but I got to talk at least five minutes of NBA.
So I realize I am speaking quickly. That is my gimmick, after all. I'll do it with a little bit more alacrity. Mr. One G in the chat.
Stats. Padford is who we thought he was, and I let him off the hook. The anniversary of this rant. Four picks against Grossman and two fumbles. What do you see about the Bears of shut him down that way?
No, you know, I mean, we just the Bears are what we thought they were. What we thought they were. We played them in preseason. Who the hell takes the third game in the preseason like his bull? We played them in the third game.
Everybody played three quarters. The Bears are who we thought they were. That's why we took the damn field.
Now, if you want to crown them, then crown their ass. But they are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook. Thanks, coach. I love the PR show, going. Thanks, coach.
Didn't even do the.
Okay, next question. If I was more of a hack, I know that's not possible. We would spend the rest of the program greatest head coach and manager meltdowns of all time. You're not a jukebox, thankfully, Allen. Or I'd have Lee Elia.
Ripping the Cubs fans. No, no, no! Do not play. Thank you, Alan. I can't hear.
First of all, second of all, I'm trying to keep the show on the tracks. But I'm a sucker for all that nostalgia, and because I make it all about me. And I went to O'Reilly Auto Parts for this hair today. A lot of viscosity in there. I'll beat you to the joke.
I hosted the Denny Green Show. Friends called him Denny, the late great Dennis Green. What a gentleman! Wonderful guy. When he coached the Stanford Cardinal, and I was just so annoying.
I know you're going to find this hard to believe and persistent. He didn't have to do an interview with student media. He got paid to do it on then KCBS and. I just kept showing up, and he felt badly for me, I guess, and they let me hang around as often. And here we are, here the bleep we are, 35 years later.
So, if you're young out there and wondering how does this guy have a career, most of it is just showing up.
Now you have to be invited. See, that's the balancing act between being persistent and tenacious, and restraining orders. We keep moving. Gary in Central Ohio. Today's Bobby the Brain Heenan reference, better than last time's Bobby Rise from the Dead Ewing reference.
But it's closed. B Web from C Dot's Nemesis still printing the interwebs. No, my friend, Lauren, you can push in here for. Going to enjoy the simulcast together. Lorna's taking a nap.
I write everything out longhand. Why? You write it out longhand. You remember all these degrees, helping me be a filler host for the best show of all time. This is probably the most pressure on a big word Friday.
Dan in Allentown. When you ask Brian what time it is, he will tell you how to build a watch. Not only tell you how to build a watch, I'll tell you the schematics of how to build the factory. Are you happy? And a couple more.
Canadian hitman, hitman Canadian.
Well, Brewers, I haven't seen a massacre like that in L.A. for years. O.J., I got a Bruce. Thank you. Appreciate that.
Although Bruce Weber hasn't coached for years, but if you're old enough to drop a Bruce on me, we're the same age. Just probably by design to get me even more irate than normal. I can read off the screen like a pro, but I need the big font in front of me. I just wanted to let the clones know that the Dodgers took a big dump in their pants. They reached out to me.
Depends. I got a gig cleaning the toilets. Matt in L.A. Lou in the 509 wore manteau. Being over two weeks early, and Matt has earned the right to pick his spots.
I know he is prepared. Dare I say, locked and loaded. To respond to all of the vitriol, but he's not going to do it with a fill-in host. Probably he's also still miffed that I revealed that I figured out even when I was a fill-in hack for the late great Beast 980 here in Southern California. I tell you, it is tough to launch and sustain a sports talk radio station in this competitive marketplace.
That, in fact, he was calling in as Red in Riverside when I knew he was Matt in L.A. on the Jim Rome show, and now you know the rest of the story. My thought would be, Matt. We'll call. This program on Monday when Jim is back, and that's the best news I have for you.
The Hall of Famer returns on Monday. I've left myself two minutes to compare and contrast the Dodgers' declining dynasty. We could say it's dead, probably just on hold, as the entire sport will be till at least June because of the impending lockout. Although, how is this surprising? Because I realize people.
People don't pay attention to baseball at all, or much less than we used to. Milwaukee had the best record in all of baseball for a reason. Run differentials nerdy, but if you are outscoring your opponents by a lot, that implies you are good. Last time I checked, the Miz is this genetic freak. I don't understand how his arm has not fallen off.
Although old guy observation, those mphs are not accurate. They cannot be spot on. I'll give you one. Bob Feller got on a motorcycle the other way. There was a guy on a motorcycle, and Bob Feller threw a pitch that was faster than a motorcycle dude going 100 miles per hour.
And even I wasn't around for that, but I remember watching the short between episodes of the Three Stooges.
So the Dodgers were quite fortunate to have won last year. Do I need to remind you they went back to Toronto, trailing three two? Do I have to go through all of the events that went their way, including a centilla of an inch at home plate in Game Seven?
So, yes, it's jarring they got swept, especially because they swept Milwaukee the year before. In no way is it surprising that the better, younger, and more complete team won. Link that to the Knicks in 30 seconds. Even I can't do that. Here is my thought, though.
Reason I brought it up is this: the NBA is tipping off on Tuesday. Feels early. We got a deal. I don't want to be the guy going. Can you believe it's October 16th?
Man, time flies. But because hopefully I'll be back if I've not destroyed. The semblance of a career I had. I'll be back during the holidays, and I talk a lot of NBA. And then you turn off your station at that point, Mike Tyson.
The Eastern Conference this year is going to be so compelling.
So challenging to predict, especially when you factor in injuries. Because LeBron now is made of clay. Joel Embiid is never healthy, but if they're on the floor when we get to the postseason, along with Maxi and Jalen Brown and Edgcomb, that's an amazing roster. You know my thoughts on the Knicks. I am being presumptuous.
The Knicks got on a dynamic roll last year. I still don't know what happened, other than Atlanta was right opponent for them to flip from being down two one to being unstoppable. Remember. The Spurs had a 12-point lead in all the losses, including the 29-point colossal gag job. Still, they're the reigning champs, and even though the Knicks have to create drama, we don't know about a contract extension for Cat or Josh Hart, and they did lose Mitchell Robinson.
Barring injuries, they're going to be right there. Do I have to go through all the other teams in the East? My point is this. Nothing will ever until we decide as a society we don't want our kids playing football anymore, and it becomes marginalized like boxing because CTE is real and it's not going away. But nobody wants to hear that.
In the interim. Basketball, and I don't know why I am acting as a shill for Adam Silver. Basketball not only is a better sport aesthetically, just to watch, also quicker. I don't, I can't recall a time the NBA has been more interesting. I don't like the word storylines because that's a media contrivance, but more.
Things to talk about, more intriguing elements, so evenly distributed across the league.
So yes, I am pleased. The return of round ball, a round ball rock coming up on Tuesday. We did that quickly, did we not? Another rhetorical question coming up. The NFL returns in less than 25 minutes.
More thoughts on the fallout from Thursday night football. It wasn't watchable, but we watch because we love football.
Somehow, some way, despite a feeble performance, once more Denver got it done. We will play you an epic takedown, not a full blown rant, but close from the bearded wonder Ryan Fitzpatrick on the post game show on Prime Video to start the final hour of the program. Up next. We go to college football. What's going to decide the top five showdown between Ohio State and the defending national champion Indiana tomorrow in Bloomington?
We'll find out when we're joined by Scott Docterman of The Athletic. I'm Brian Weber. Always having a great time with you as we continue here on the Jim Rome Show. You're listening to the Jim Rome Show. Jim Rome takes on sports.
Everybody pointed out the obvious Harbaugh connection, and everybody, as it turns out, was right because nine is officially now a New York Giant. You know, you talk about selling low. Even the Niners got a fourth for Trey Lance. He's out of the building. We will take that fifth pick, and we will surely turn it into something more valuable than nine ever was to this organization.
The Jim Rome Show podcast. Follow and list. On your favorite platform, closing in on the final hour of the program, meaning last call for phone calls. We'll have an opportunity to chat coming up twenty past the hour. In the last hour of the show, about forty minutes from now, traffic and weather together one eight hundred six three six eight six eight six in less than twenty minutes.
Back to the NFL, but since you've endured my approach, unless you were long gone, but I'll just continue to do theater of the mind. You know I love college football more than the NFL, and I always want to connect with the Stute writer, like Scott Docterman, national college football writer for the Athletic. Scott Brian Weber, with you, you are. Mobile, how are you today, sir? I'm doing great.
I'm on my way to Indiana. I'm going to hit Purdue tonight and then go to Ohio State, Indiana tomorrow.
So I'm actually in Champaign, Illinois this minute.
So I'm hitting the the Bermuda Triangle of the Big Ten. Check in with Brett Belemah and tell him Jim Rome says hello. A friend to the program.
Well, this and this is not conditional. This is why I subscribe to the Athletic. You should consider as well, journalism matters. And Scott's actually going to. Venues and talking to people and reporting.
There's your commentary.
Okay, well, let's jump in the car with you. Go to Bloomington. I was making the point earlier, and I wasn't trolling Indiana, but I watched the entire game against Nebraska. I watched a lot of the game against Northwestern, and now looking back, Northwestern's probably better than I thought.
So that's a forgivable six-point win for the reigning national champs. But the way the Cornhuskers controlled most of that game poses this question to me: How? How good is Indiana, in your estimation? I think Indiana is very much capable of being a playoff team, but I'm really questioning whether they can be a Final Four team or be able to repeat. There's just something missing about this team right now.
And offensively, it's good, but it's not as dominant as it was a year ago. Defensively, they're they're good, but they're not shutting down teams the way they once did. And some of that is, hey, they're the defending champs, and everybody's going to take a crack at them. But the The other part is, like, like you said last week, very intense environment. Nebraska always is, and they needed a couple of big plays on offense in order to win.
They just weren't doing anything for the first three quarters, and then, you know, conversely, against Northwestern, if that game would have lasted another quarter, I think Northwestern would have won. It has a really interesting offense with Chip Kelly now, and they're really rolling. And I think Indiana had no chance of slowing that down if that game extended a little bit. Talking college football with Scott Dogerman of the Athletic. We recall the last time these teams met last year, in the Big Ten championship game.
Low scoring, rugged. What kind of game are you thinking that we could see tomorrow when IU and Ohio State get together? I think it'll be really similar. Last year, thirteen to ten. I thought that was a little lower than I would have expected because they both had explosive offenses.
But Ohio State is just so so running the football right now. Indiana, as we've said, you know, has kind of struggled against the good teams offensively.
So I expect this to be kind of one of those risk-averse games where neither team's going to want to really lose the game, so they're not going to go for it fourth and one at their own forty-six early.
So I think you'll play a lot of punt ball, but you know there are a couple of receivers though that make the price of admission, you know, worth it. And Jeremiah Smith for Ohio State and Charlie Becker for for Indiana. I mean, these are two guys who might be going to the top ten, and I think Jeremiah Smith may be number one overall.
So anything can happen when those two are on the field. Since you were in Scandton, Big Ten country, I'll dig deeper. Let's presume Ohio State, Indiana, a third team, maybe. Be Oregon if they figure it out because I think the committee will give them the asterisk for no Dante Moore in the UCLA loss. But let's let's walk through how viable you believe teams like UCLA are.
Understanding no Nico changes a lot. Iowa, Northwestern. When we get past the usual suspects, who else are you buying in the Big Ten this year? I would after these top two because I think Oregon just has a schedule that's going to be pretty relentless. I don't know that they're going to go unscathed and at nine and three in the Big Ten this year.
I don't think you get in the twelve team field next year. Of course they will, but but I would probably start with Iowa. Actually, I mean they're five and one, destroyed Washington last week, beat Michigan on the last play of the game, lost to Ohio State where there's no that's no sin in that. But the rest of their schedule, the only ranked team left is. Northwestern—they're playing the old Big Ten West.
I think they got a chance to go 11 and one, get to the Big Ten championship game. I would say USC has really impressed me coming back off of that loss against Oregon, going to Happy Valley in a wideout, and Penn State's not great right now, but I think still a very intimidating environment. They have really good players, and I think for them to be able to compete the way they did, I think they've got a really good chance. But but along with Ohio State, I think USC has the most difficult schedule remaining.
So again, nine and three is not going to get you in. Maybe it will for Ohio State, but I don't think it will for anybody else.
Now, Oregon—they'd have to run the table, and all their bulligans are used up. I mean, there was a an egregious non-call or screwed-up application of a call right there at the end of the the game that prevented them from getting a two-point conversion at the half-yard line, and and they lost by two points to UCLA.
So I think that may be a problem, but. You know UCLA is probably the most intriguing one to me because I don't know if they're gonna you know if they're gonna be as dynamic without Nico, but then again Bob Chesney has just completely flipped the culture there. They are they're playing good defense, they're disciplined, they're tough. You know they have beaten Oregon, they they beat Purdue in a shootout, and Purdue's improving. I think that they've got a chance to win maybe ten games if they win the the finale against USC, then maybe they have a chance of sneaking in.
So I. Would probably put the cap at four, and I think there's and then Northwestern. I'd be remiss not to mention them, but they do have a series of games where it's Oregon, Iowa, and Ohio State in succession.
So if they win two out of three of those games, sure. But I think I'd probably put them just slightly below maybe Iowa and USC.
Well, we know the. I'm sorry to interrupt. We know the importance of scheduling in the current 12-team bracket. UCLA, as you know, straightforward down the stretch. Conversely.
USC still has Ohio State, Indiana coming up, and maybe it's the crosstown showdown, UCLA and USC with playoff implications. I'm Brian Weber in for Jim Rome, talking college football with Scott Doakerman of the Athletic. Game day in Provo tomorrow for the first time in a long time. Scott, I am not that active in the gambling space, but I look just to get a sense of what the general public thinks. I was surprised understanding the LJ.
Martin injury of running back is significant. Notre Dame double-digit favorites on the road to BYU. How do you see this game? That is really challenging to think about it because I think BYU is so good at home, and it's going to be such a live wire environment that that's projecting a lot that they can go in and dominate the way that that's being expected. But I think that could be like a not a backdoor cover, but a late cover.
I think this could be a really close game through three and a half quarters. Then Notre Dame kind of punches one in late and makes it a double digit victory. But Notre Dame and Georgia to me are the two best teams in the country right now, and you know if Notre Dame could go out and win and win in convincing fashion, you know wouldn't surprise me at all. At some point, they end up number one in the country, and and conversely, though this is a huge game for BYU because another loss, if they lose in the Big Twelve Championship game, it may not allow allow them to get in to the to the tournament.
So I think it's really important for both teams to play well and to win because as we know. With a 12-team field, nothing's a given because last year Notre Dame, even at 10 and 2, didn't get in. And if Notre Dame would have gotten in the tournament, I think Notre Dame had a chance to win it. And we know for the Big 12, they've never had multiple bids, and it feels like another one bid situation this year. Got two minutes left to bring it up because this is an expansive, potentially answer, but you can do it on the clock.
Are you in favor of 24 teams and? What are the positives? I'm just gonna let you know. I don't want it to go to 24, but it's going to. What what what would the positive argument be in favor of an expanded bracket?
Okay, I'm on the limb. I'm the I'm pretty much the only national sports writer who likes it, and so and I and I wrote a column about it. All of my colleagues at the Athletic are on the other side, but here's here's some of the reasonings why for me. One is last year with three weeks to go in the regular season, there were 35 power conference teams with three losses or less. They're entering the most crucial period of the season, and 25 of them didn't have a chance to really advance and go to the tournament.
I thought that's. That just makes it look like that the back part of the season, the most important part of the season, really doesn't matter. When you got into the final week of the season, there were ten games that had direct impact on who got in and who didn't in a twenty-four team field. That means that those games from the final three weeks of the season all had great importance. Not who's going to go to the Duke's Mayo Bowl, who's going to go to the Citrus Bowl, and I think right now we have moved on since we went to a twelve-team field from.
The bowls being anything more than kind of glorified exhibitions. It used to be when, hey, we went to the Orange Bowl. That was a terrific season. And if you went to the Citrus, that was okay.
Now there's such a gulf between making the playoff and not making the playoff. And I know from the scheduling perspective, you take a look at at the Big Ten. You take a look at Indiana in particular. The reason why they scheduled like this was they did it a couple of years ago when they didn't think that they were going to actually be able to go to. The playoff, they just wanted to go to a bowl game, and and now they have that opportunity.
So they will change. And you did it in timely fashion. You beat the clock, as the old game show used to say. Scott, I really appreciate you taking the time to join us from the road. Enjoy all the games and safe travels.
Thank you so much for having me. Always great insights provided by Scott Doakerman of the Athletic. We are closing in on the final hour of the program. You still have a chance to pick up the phone. I'm an auctioneer.
One eight hundred six three six eight six eight six. Coming up, few more thoughts on the fallout from that unwatchable Thursday night football game, and we get you ready for the games of significance on Sunday here on the Jim Rome Show. The games just ended. The conversation. Starts now, the NFL digital reaction show.
And without further ado, player of the day, play of the day, game of the day, team of the day, and the fan of the day in the NFL. No wait, no breaks, no time to waste. It's NFL Instant Graham with Josh Graham live Sundays at 7 p.m. Eastern on YouTube, and listen anytime on your favorite platform.
