Hear that? That's now Crispier McCrispy Strips meeting creamy Caesar sauce.
Sounds Extra crispy. Caesar sauce at McDonald's for a limited time. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba. You know when you're locked in. Focused and fearless.
Welcome to the WNBA. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo three. From behind the Logo.
Every did you see that moment? You can! What records are going to be broken this season? All of it, right here. Lock in.
It's the WNBA on ESPN, all season long. Uh This is The Rich Eisen Show. Hey, everybody! Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck.
You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part.
Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment.
Now, on with the show. Oh. This is the Rich Eisen Show. The best player has to play. From the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
You're not going to just say we're rushing Mendozic no matter what. Cousins was a perfect solid. Today's guests. Texas head coach Steve Sarkeesian. Bay Area 49ers reporter Matt Mayoko.
ESPN Monday Night Football Announcer and Jeopardy host Joe Buck. And now, it's Rich Eisen.
Well, hey, everybody, welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show. Back here with you in Los Angeles, California. It's another fun day in our neighborhood here on this final Thursday of July, 2026, on the ESPN's app, along with Disney Plus, the ESPN Radio, SiriusXM Channel 80. Steve Sarkeesian will join us in less than 20 minutes' time, and I will do my best. To not mention the name Arch Manning in the first 10 seconds of our conversation.
Wow. You know, I mean, and I know that. This affects TJ, your trading card of Arch Manning that you're hoping will just gain in prominence. Cards, Rich, smoking. Cards, plural.
Uh but Steve's got a big um a big game coming up in his second game of the season. He's uh hosting The Ohio State University. And uh listen, uh The Ohio State was front and center at yesterday's Big Ten Media Week. Along with Oregon later on today, I do believe. the national champion head coach in college football that beat uh the Ohio State uh last year.
Um in the Big Ten championship game to launch uh itself uh to uh Greatness in Indiana. I do believe Coach Signetti is talking later on today. Oh, forgot.
So there's lots going on in the college football neighborhood. Steve Sarkeesian will join us. Matt Miyoko, who knows all the answers about what's going on with the San Francisco 49ers, and there's lots going on with them in our number two. And then Joe Buck will join us in support of ESPN Jeopardy that he is hosting. And it's on Hulu starting tomorrow.
So Joe will join us. He also calls Monday Night Football game. Oh, I've heard of that. Yeah. Super Bowl.
Joe's a longtime friend. Go way back at the car seat with Joe Buck. Set him up with his wife. I did.
Well, I mean, I didn't do that. He set himself up with his own wife, but he asked for her number through me. And why don't we? That's brought up every time. I think it's a great story.
It's a great story. It hasn't been brought up since we've been on Disney. Ladies and gentlemen. Um Last saw Joe and uh uh Michelle on a certain wedding weekend. Oh, Brockman's?
Yes, Brockman's. You mean Brockman got to go? Yeah, I invited Joe Buckman. What are we doing? Pretty cool.
He actually narrated the whole thing. At any rate, I don't want to get any more trouble than I already have. Susie's going to join us later as well. Oh, well, speaking of getting in trouble. He's driving herself down.
Oh, God. Yeah, full of things. I'm pretty sure, based upon what you said yesterday, you probably slept on this. Does her car have the coffee alerts? Um, yeah, there's a drowsy drowsiness detector in my car.
I haven't seen it in a while. Did you sleep on the couch last night? I did my thoughts. Thanks for asking. Who's outside?
Thanks for asking. 844-204 Rich number. I don't have to go around the room. These jamokes have already introduced me. Just saving you some time, baby.
Come on. You know what? You know who saved us some time today? Who's that? Baker Mayfield.
Oh. He held his training camp opening press conference. I love this dude. I do too, man, because normally people who are out of F's to give are much older than Baker Mayfield. You know what I mean?
My age. Right. There's 33. People of a certain age have certain fewer F's to give. Yes.
But Baker, I don't know. Did he come out of the womb that way? I don't know. But let's just put it this way: the guy who said, if I don't have a new contract, If the Bucks are going to make me play out my current contract one year and done. and basically have a franchise tag uh ability um in their back pocket.
On me, if that's the way they choose to go, and then I'm not talking about a contract as soon as I show up for work. That's what he said. Understandable. Don't have a contract when I show up for a training camp. Then we're done talking.
And he meant it. And we had uh Rick Stroud, who covers the team for uh for the uh Tampa Bay Times there. said, Yeah, he's going to hold to it. And it did not take long for Baker Mayfield to confirm. Uh that strategy is in fact In stone.
And then in terms of how he views Not having a new contract. The way that he views what this means for him. His family, his playing season, his future. He planted that flag. right in the middle of the press conference room.
from the podium. Yeah, I mean, obviously I've I've told you guys I've been pretty upfront and honest about my feelings about Tampa, it being home for Now our family, we're raising kids here. We love it here. I wanted the deal done and Set the deadline. And told them it was going to be all ball after that.
And I did mean that. And I don't know if they thought I was just going to. Take some of the offers that they gave, but um I'm at the point of my career and Understanding what I've brought to this franchise. One, I'm very, very thankful for the chance they gave me. Do not get me wrong on that.
But I've also known, I really know what I've brought to this franchise, leadership-wise, and even play-wise. It's been some of the best years of my career, and I think it's only going to trend upwards. Just being comfortable and feeling that.
So disappointing in that regard to not have. You know, to feel disrespected a little bit. And that's really the disappointing part: to feel undervalued after thinking you've earned it. This is not a poor me thing. There's a lot other people that have it way worse off, but I can sit here and look at other quarterbacks and peers and evaluate myself based on that and put myself in certain categories that I deserve to be compensated for that.
And I think I'm a franchise quarterback. I've been told I'm a franchise quarterback. It's been said publicly from ownership down here. And so to not have a deal done is very disappointing. I said the deadline was the deadline, and I addressed the team to let them know I meant that.
It's all ball. I'm with these guys. I think all the guys that have been here know exactly who I am. The guys that are new here, I wanted to address that because they might have had a notion prior to coming here about who I am as a person, but it's all team. It's all about winning here now and what we're going to do.
And hopefully, Vita gets his back fixed and gets his deal done. I mean, he's the second longest tenured buck behind CG, and Vita deserves that. He's the anchor of our defense, and so I hope they take care of him. It's disappointed to say the least, but It's all ball here and I know I'm gonna have a good year. I know this team, the things that we went through last year.
Put us in a good spot for this year. Depth-wise, a lot of guys have been thrown to the fire to be able to grow and learn fast. And it didn't go the way we wanted, but it's a new season and it's going to help us in the long run this year, added some new pieces. And so I'm excited about it. It's all ball from here.
After today, I'll answer a few more questions about the contract, but after today, I'm not answering anymore because I'm not negotiating anymore. Wow. We you know, listen. Not to Tell you how the sausage gets made, but We Don't usually play a sound by two and a half minutes long. No.
But we couldn't find the edit point there. Yeah. And there's more. It didn't even sound that long. As they say on game shows, butt weight.
Butt weight. There's more. Baker was asked, what does it like if in success for What does that look like? Obviously, you know, when you play in spite of It's not a fun feeling. Right.
But if you're betting on yourself, you kind of forget the spite a little bit. And then at some point, it's just like, okay, this is the way you wanted it. If you remember, Joe Flacco was once upon a time told by Steve Basciotti We're going to make you play things out. Win the Super Bowl and show up on my desk with a big bag. I'll fill it.
Remember that? And what happened with that, Richard? Joe Flaca won the Super Bowl and asked to have his bag filled up. And it was a bag. Right.
Here's Baker about what it looks like to succeed this year. I'm not the first one to go through it like this. This is kind of historically how they've done negotiations, which is disappointing when you think you're a cornerstone of the franchise to be treated like that. But This morning I n I know I'm no dummy. I know the contract and salary cap, what's going on.
Franchise tag isn't exactly in play for them. That'd be a lot of dead money.
So it's It is what it is. And Like I said, unfortunate, but I'm excited. I'm in the best shape I've ever been in, in a really good place, and I'm feeling really confident with the staff that Todd's put together that. We're going to have a really, really good team.
Okay. I got one more here. What's the setup of here again, uh Mike Hoskins? Oh, why do you set the deadline here?
Okay. Why is it so set in stone? He's made his feelings known here. Maybe if the Bucks are like wait We see the feelings are hard. This is not the way we really wanted it to go.
It was just a negotiation, and what's going on here? Like I told you guys, it's all ball and that's I don't want to talk about it. And if you've waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback, That's too bad 'cause it's only going to get worse from here. I'm going to have a really good year. It's only going to get large.
Oh, saved the best for last day. That is a significant thing. That's the flag planner. It's only going to get worse for you from here.
Now, obviously, that's just financially because they're all in the same boat, if you will, to try and get one of those parades. Where they flip trophies from boat to boat, like that's the idea, dad know. And listen, I appreciate that Baker threw in there, like, I understand, like, this is a champagne problem to most Americans. And if I'm putting out a uh more you know, most humans, I'm putting out here a, you know, I'm disrespected because they're making me play for $40 million. He understands what that means in the.
Outside of the world in which he resides, but he resides in The world in which he resides, which is the National Football League, and price tags for players. are, in fact, a measure of respect. It's always been that way. It will always be that way. It's the way of the world.
Certainly, when there are others who have not one divisions. There are others who have not won. A playoff game. There are others who have not followed the greatest of all time, but In their spots. and have been given contracts.
much larger than the one that he's even probably asking for. And that pisses him off. And it should. It absolutely Should. And, you know, for us, correct, like in the media, Um we're talking about it because if he was given the contract, You know, then on occasion when he's playing the game, we'd be like, is he living up to the contract or not?
It's a lot, much more of a heat-type story that Baker Mayfield is showing up dangerous every day because a fire has been lit under him, which is the way he, I think. He likes to play. Seems like it. But he doesn't like to play. When he feels disrespected by the people who are employing him and who he has taken advantage of the opportunity that they gave him and improved it.
and proved it. to a point where in the marketplace he deserves a contract that others who have not accomplished as much as he has. Have been given. by other franchises. But as you know, Other franchises in the National Football League sometimes don't matter to the one franchise that's employing you.
And that's the way of the world that also sucks. And it just is now going to be Baker pissed off, betting on himself. Helping the Bucks in the process, but it also helps his teammates, who he already talked about with Vita Vea. I love. The part of that soundbite where he said, I hope Vita's back gets better.
Gets his back better. Because listen, we all know Vita's back. And then if his back doesn't, you know, does respond to treatment, right? Then suddenly, oh, you know, now it's a foot, now it's something else.
Now it's just, you know, my heart. But when you do a back, though, yeah, you know, a back, you know, doesn't show up on an MRI, really, you know, sometimes. All right, listen. Here's the deal. We're going to be talking about it all season long.
And if Baker does, in fact, do what he's saying, that it's only going to get worse for the team from there, meaning better for him financially, because he's setting himself up and putting the Bucs in a position. Then he's going to have to go prove it. And that means winning this division.
Well, no doubt.
Okay, you have to look at what success means. That means winning this division. But not like 9-8 winning the division.
Well, I mean, it doesn't matter if it's 9-8 winning the division, if he's balled out, and the reason why there are 9-8 is other things that are beyond his control. Sure, but it looks better if you're 11 and 6. I understand that. That's all I'm saying. But that doesn't matter, too, if you get a ticket in a tournament and you go on a fat run.
Okay. Which he's done before. In fact, he's made it to divisional playoff games where he's come so damn close to a championship. Yeah, they were a drive away from the Final Four in Detroit when he was with the Bucs. Has anyone played their way?
Okay, I mean, he's done things. Things that others who have gotten bigger, fatter contracts have not done. But In his own world, there. He also says, I know the cap. Hey, if they're planning on franchise and tagging me next year, that doesn't work out either.
Yeah. But listen, I also know from my own world of negotiating contracts where I feel I'm not uh appropriately Uh viewed or valued That you get pissed off. And then once something happens and it comes together, you you're You're a professional and you b you go back to work for the same people that Try to give you a massive haircut. I mean, they're not They're not giving him a pay cut from what he's already been. contractually uh given He is just being told, this is all you're going to get right now.
And in the NFL, that's offensive. When others are paid more, with less on their resume than you have. And if that's the way the Bucs are going into the season, Baker's going to have to win the division. And then go on a nice run and be able to look at the glazers and just say, fill it up, man. With leaded.
93 octane. Racing. That's what's up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Baker planting a flag, everybody. Love it.
844-204-RICH is the number to dial. A SoFi personal loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible, overcoming high-interest credit card debt. Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low-fixed rate monthly payment, no fees required, and as soon as the same day, funding. That is correct. You can pull off your own debt-defying stunt with a SoFi personal loan.
Visit sofi.com/slash trick to learn more. Loans originated by SoFi Bank and a member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 6968-1969. Nine one six.
Steve Sarkeesian is about to join us. Texas Longhorns football and more when we come back. Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow.
The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need.
Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com/slash Eisen. Terms and conditions apply. Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high-interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an Audible with a SoFi personal loan.
It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast. Call an Audible on your debt today at sofi.com/slash debt play. Loans originated by SoFi Bank NA, member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply.
NMLS 696891. FastFunds terms apply at sofi.com/slash deadplay. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent, future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. Because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach.
We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability. Because the future isn't some far-off concept, it's already here.
Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Steve Sarkeesian, the Texas Longhorns head football coach, is here on the program.
So, what's the first order of business for you? Uh right now. August hits, then what? What do we have here?
Well, what we did, you know, so we finished up with the players today, um, and then they're going to get four days off.
So they'll be off, you know, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. They'll report back Tuesday. And Tuesday, I always say, is like the longest day of the year. That's check into the dorms. That's all of the meetings that they don't want to sit in, you know, all the protocol meetings.
And then we'll hit the grass on Wednesday for practice one. And, you know, I think inevitably at this stage, I think we've learned so much. You know, I think back to you know. Yeah. 20-25 years ago, the whole double days and just grinding the guys out.
But I think science has helped us in so much. And now, the kind of ramp-up stage of training camp I think is very important. And the NFL has taught us a lot of that. And it's this team growing together, you know, and it's developing the depth that's needed. You know, it's one thing to have the High-level quality players on the surface.
But I think what we've learned in college football now, because of the length of the playoffs, because of us now expanding to nine games in the SEC, you gotta have the depth available to you at every position. Because one injury can't knock you off. You've got to be able to find a way to navigate your way through a season and navigate your way through the playoffs. And so, developing that depth, I think, is going to be huge for us, that continuity. And then having a balanced football team, a versatile football team, to where you're not one-sided.
You got to play great offense, and that means you got to run it, you got to throw it, you got to do all the things, you got to play great defense. Um, and because a game's going to require that and games will require that, and you got to be good on special teams. And so, I think it's all those things adding up throughout training camp to put ourselves in the best position to be successful, not only at the start of the season in September, um, but but thinking throughout the season of October, November, December, and like for all of us, hopefully January. Yeah, and uh, talking about college football playoffs and schedules, and now, you know, regular season uh in conference for you is longer, and these are all changes that constantly happen in college football. Yeah, uh, and before we get into that part of our conversation, I just want to know if Five minutes in, I believe, to our chat right now.
Not that I'm looking for a compliment or anything. How long? Does it normally take for you to be interviewed and the words Arch Manning don't actually show up until next time? You know, I try to beat you to the punch. That's why I threw them in there, I think, in like the first or second sense.
You know, just throw a name, just throw the name in there, and then because I know we're going to circle back to it at some point. Yeah, oh no, we're going to, we're going to hover. You know what I mean? Circle back is one way, but. How's the kid?
He's doing great, man. Like, I'm really, I'm so proud of him. Um Why? Because anytime you have that name on the back of your jersey, that carries.
So much weight, you know. I mean, they're the first family of football. You know, when you think about Archie and the career he had, you think about Peyton and Eli and the gold jacket and the Super Bowl wins, and you think about just who they are as a family now with Cooper and what they've all done. And now here's this kid, and now he's got this name on the front of his jersey, too. And so he's carrying the weight of that.
And I think going into last season, You know, he worked extremely hard to get himself prepared for the season. He tried to get himself in the right mental space, but the expectations were just outlandish. And so many people built him up to be. You know, the greatest of all time, the first pick of the draft, the Heisman Trophy winner. That when we weren't very good at the start of the year as a team, and he wasn't at his best at the start of the year, it was almost like those same people that built him up.
Wanted to tear him down because he let them down because they all went on air and said all these things about him. It was almost like, well, he didn't live up to what they said he was supposed to be. But in reality, I think for himself, he learned a lot about himself. It was probably the first real adversity that he had faced in his life. And he found out about himself and he got on the other side of it.
He continued to work hard, he continued to be a great teammate. I thought he played really good football the second half of the season, most notably, you know, at the end. He had some great wins. And he came into this offseason looking to improve, you know, to improve fundamentally, to become a better leader, to really take the reins of this team as the quarterback, as the leader of the team. And the response from his teammates has been incredible.
You know, in the midst of all that last year, I thought probably the brightest spot of it all was his teammates supporting him and his teammates finding out how tough Arch Manning really is, not only physically, but mentally. And that served as a great motivator for them to know that the guy they have in that huddle week in and week out has that mental and physical toughness, that ability to persevere, that grit that great teams have to have. And I think that that really springboarded us into this season. And Arch has been a great leader. It shows this team has a different feel.
And that's a credit to a lot of people. But I would be remiss if I didn't say that, you know, part of that, why this team feels different is because of Arch Manning.
Well, I mean, the name on his back and on the front hasn't changed from last year.
So I'm just trying to see, like, are you suggesting that perhaps the fact that Everybody's talking about this is a big quarterback class coming in next year's draft. That the expectations for him are a little have a less of a spotlight on it because we're talking about so many others. Is that Is that where you're going with? No, no, I really don't think. I think what he learned, and it takes a minute.
No offense to you or anybody else that has an opinion of him. I don't think he cares. I really don't think he cares about what somebody says about him.
Some being good, some being bad. There's people out there who still think he's going to be the first pick of the draft. There's still people out there who still think he's going to win the Heisman Trophy. But there's plenty of other people who think he may not be. And that's okay too.
I just don't think it moves the needle for him. And I think it takes that experience of. Wearing the weight of the name on his back and wearing the weight of the name on the front of his jersey to understand that he still has to put that jersey on every Saturday. And the opinions of others are really irrelevant to his preparation, to his work ethic, to his drive, to the type of leader he is in that locker room, to the ultimately to the way he plays.
So did that change from last year to this year? Is that what I don't, I don't know necessarily if it changed. I just think that it was, you know, we're all human. And as much as, you know, he can say, I'm off social media and I, you know, I don't listen to that stuff. I think you have to go through it to really understand what that feels like.
Because I would be, I'll be frank. 99% of the people in his shoes at his age going through what he went through last year, I think could have destroyed him, could have melted him. And he didn't. I think he got stronger. I think he got better for it.
But how do you know? You don't know until you go through it. And I think him going through it all and getting on the other side of it and becoming, like I said, the player that he became and the way he ended the season. And you look at his numbers were tremendous to the type of leader he is, to the way that he represents our university, the way he represents his family. I think that you have to go through it.
You don't know because there's no manual for going through stuff like that. I mean, he was the most decorated college football player that had never played a game of all time. I mean, it was LeBronish, you know, to some degree. But the beauty for Arch is his. You know, his book's not completely written.
There's a lot more chapters to go, but I think he'll always be able to remember that chapter that may have changed kind of his approach, his focus, his attention to detail, his work ethic, his willingness to support others when they're going through some tough times. I think that's where this is going to be helpful for him. Steve Sarkeesian, Texas football head coach here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's get to the state of the union, if you will, of the college football world. I just came back from my alma mater, talked to Kyle Woodingham, and he said.
It's inevitable that the this this world of college football is just going to get towards what he thinks To get everybody on the same page with rules and things of that nature that everybody plays by, it's going to require sort of creating a mini NFL. 40 to 60 teams on one side of the One side of the line, and others maybe trying to get into that, others get relegated to that, maybe sort of like a super league NFL model. Would you agree with that? Coach? I would definitely not disagree.
I don't know. Surely the trajectory is telling us that that's kind of where we're headed. I do think that there are plenty of folks involved that are trying to maintain. What is the current model of college athletics? And there are plenty of smart people trying to figure this out.
There's plenty of folks on the other side of this saying that's the direction we need to go into. I will tell you, you know, I got this job in January of 2021 and You think about the amount of change we've had in five years from the transfer portal, which has really changed every single year, to NIL, to now what is revenue sharing and publicity rights, to conference realignment. You know, look at the SEC now, look at the Big Ten to where they were five years ago to where we are today, to college football playoff expansion from four teams to 12, and now talks of 16, potentially 24, to a potential super league, all these things. And so, you know, I think we've endured a lot of change in a short amount of time. I think we've got some really smart people that are trying to figure it out.
And I think, you know, one of the challenges is to, for us as coaches and really as players, is to not get consumed with. The what-ifs and where we might go and kind of be present, be where our feet are. This is where we are today. And how do we capitalize on where we are today to be the best team that we can be to represent our university and to try to be champions? And again, I don't think the change is over, clearly.
You know, what is the next piece of change? What does that look like? I don't know, you know, and we, like I said, we've got some great leadership at the University of Texas, we've got great leadership in the Southeastern Conference. There's great leaders in the Big Ten, so on and so forth. And what does this all look like?
And federal intervention and all the things we could sit here on this show and talk all day. For me, I can't consume myself with that. I've got 111 guys downstairs below me in that locker room that I owe my undivided attention to. And I try to keep my focus on them to try to put them in the best position to be successful within the parameters of the rules today.
Now, where we are tomorrow, I don't know. No, and I totally get that. Obviously, I'm asking you, Coach Sarkeesian, the day where you basically break your team for a four-day respite before it gets on and kraken for your season. I totally understand that, and that you're being where your feet are. The reason why I ask is because your ability to keep your feet where they are In success for future seasons, could shift between now or another time.
Again, where I just was at Michigan. Um you know with its champion circle. Putting together money so players can get paid, basically. I'm oversimplifying what they do just for the sake of this conversation. But we were hearing that.
future teams maybe next year, there could be two dozen rosters in college football that cost fifty million dollars. to hold together. And Ohio State, who you're seeing in in week two. Pardon me, the Ohio State, by the way, best of luck against them. I appreciate that.
Thank you. They're slapping a Chase logo on their jerseys.
Some other schools don't have that opportunity or won't do it or can't do it. You see where I'm going with that?
So, your ability to be able to keep your roster together. You already talked about how you spend a lot of your time fundraising like you're a politician. You know what I mean? That's what's going down. No, I think this, and you know, I was fortunate.
You know, I got a chance to work for Coach Staben for three years. And he used to use a line that stuck with me. He used to always say, adapt or die. And there's a reason dinosaurs aren't on the earth anymore, you know, in very simplistic form, right? In Coach Saban's words, yes.
Um, but I think that's very true, and I think about that, like I said, even the past five years, the evolution of college football. And I really believe this: that we've done a really good job of adapting to that. And I don't think our ability to adapt is going to come to a stop again, but I can't. Try to adapt to something that I don't know where it's headed next. I can have some foresight.
And I can say, hey, you know, this is where we might go, so let's think about it. But the reality is, this is where we are, and how are we going to take advantage of these opportunities at a place like Texas to. Again, be as successful as we can be. And I think that we've done that. I think that we've evolved.
But again, you know, like I caught a little bit of. I guess grief over something I said at SEC Media Days. And we talked about, you know, player retention on our roster, which is part of what you're saying. We've got to try to retain our players year in and year out. We're still recruiting high school football.
We're still trying to recruit really good high school players to develop in our program. But inevitably, the transfer portal to some degree has become free agency. And we went 10-3 last year. We played your alma mater in the Citrus Bowl, and it was a heck of a win for us, but we weren't a playoff team. And that's after back-to-back seasons of being in the semifinals with the ball inside the 10-yard line with an opportunity to go play for a national championship.
10 and 3 doesn't feel good enough. And so you have to evaluate your roster. And then you've got players on your current roster that other schools are recruiting and they're offering high amounts of money to. And then you have to make really difficult decisions because, like, coming off of last year's team, I had to let probably five or six really good players leave because of the amount of money that other schools were offering them. To ultimately clear cap space so that I could then go sign other transfers to where I felt like we could upgrade our roster.
And, you know, people are like, how could he say that out loud?
Well, I'm saying it out loud because that's the reality of where we're at in college football. You know, I mean, I could sit here and make up some story, but that's where we're at. And to think that we're the only school doing that, I think people have their head in the sand. And so, but that's where we're at. And that's the evolution and that's the ability to adapt to the times of where we're at in college football today.
And then last question for you before I let you go then. What's the right number of playoff teams, do you think? Because you just you know what I mean? Because you just you just said, again, we just had a whole mouthful over the last few minutes here. Coach Sarke because You're also talking about how you've got to get your roster deep enough.
To be able to get through the crucible of a playing season. And, you know, at some point, maybe you might rest starters in SEC regular season games, knowing, okay, if there's 24 getting in the tournament, I'm one of them. I need to make sure this kid's ready for December and January, right?
So what's the right number, do you think?
Well, I think that's the tricky thing. Like right now at 12, I don't think that that's a reality because you still want to play for a conference championship and you're still trying to get that first round by, right? Which is different in the NFL. You think about the NFL, you've got 32 teams, 14 teams make the playoffs and you see teams in the NFL, think about week 16, 17, 18 there now in the NFL, especially week 17, week 18, where teams that clinch their division do rest players. Because they do know that they have that buy, or they can't move their slot in the playoffs.
And so, you know, let's rest a Josh Allen or a Pat Mahomes or whomever, Jamar Chases, all the great ones. I don't think we're there yet in college football because of the way the 12-team playoff is structured. If that time comes when we get to 24. and or 16 or 24, whatever that looks like. I do think that may become a reality.
Because, again, we've got a responsibility to our universities to try to compete for championships, you know. Is that what we want in college athletics? Is that what we're looking for? And I think that that's where I credit Greg Sankey with the SEC that he somewhat pushed pause on expansion to say, hey, let's make sure we're looking at all of the unintended consequences of expansion of the playoffs. And what does that look like?
And what does that look like for our fan bases for a home game that they may come to against a potential rival? Uh and teams are sitting starters. You know, what does that look like? You know, what does it look like not having conference championship games anymore for college football? That's different than the NFL.
We're not the NFL, at least not yet. You know, our structure is different than theirs. And so, but to think that that's not a potential reality down the road, I think again, we would have our head in the sand. And so, I think that that's again, I think we're Commissioner Sankey's foresight and leadership. I appreciate not just being quick to jump to change and having a little bit of caution, having a little bit of pause, looking at all of the different factors involved, the media rights of the playoffs, conference championship games, potential resting of really good players at home games and potential robbery games.
What does that look like? You know, what does that feel like? Because that hasn't been what college football has been for decades upon decades. And now we've had.
So much change in a short amount of time that it's okay to slow down. It's okay to pump our brakes a little bit and step back and look at this thing maybe from a 10,000-foot view of where do we really want it to go? What do we want it to look like? And what are some of the inevitables? Because there's been some inevitables here, too, that we've had to adjust to and adapt to.
Coach, thanks for the time, man. This is a great chat. Despite, you know, normally, Somebody in the middle of an interview tells me their star player doesn't care what I have to say about him. Normally throws me off my game, but I was able to focus on, again, not seeking too many compliments, but I was able to overcome that.
Well, I think he respects you. I would say this, Rich.
So there's definitely a level of respect, not care. I just think that I don't know if you're moving the needle in the weight room about so you can do one more rap or not.
Well, listen, Arch may not know that his grandfather, once upon a time, made me an unofficial Manning. It might have been somewhat alcohol-infused for me at that Super Bowl night, but that happened, coach.
So let him know that.
Okay. Take care of yourself, man. Thanks for watching. Appreciate you guys. Hook him.
See y'all. There you go, ladies and gentlemen. Steve Sarquis. That's a delight. It all started with McConaughey, him saying McConaughey is in touch with Bijan, who, by the way, is in a launch position in Atlanta.
This year, fact. Yeah. That kid's amazing. But that's real talk right there, folks. How about that?
They have to make cap decisions. That's insane, man. It's not amateur athletics. But that's why, again, you're. But it isn't anymore, Chris.
I know. It is. It is in terms of their age. You know what I mean? But it isn't.
It is not anymore. It's professional.
Some players are not going into the NFL draft. Because you're like, if I'm a third rounder. I'm making less money. Right. I'm a second rounder.
I'm making less money. It's a truth. And that's why it's just like, let's figure out I don't know who the I think it's Sankey. We got to get him on. One more time, where I'm like, you run it, man.
It was funny when Coach was like, There are people out there that think Arch is going to win Heisman and be number one pick and you didn't look, but every time he said that, I was like, That's me. I know that.
Well, and and it's not like there's fewer people like that this year. But I am wondering if if if if the fact that there are f there's less heat on that subject matter 'cause there's You know, there's C. J. Carr, there's other ones, right? Yeah.
As opposed to last year. This year's the the quarterback draft of the century. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Maybe that will be helpful.
To the cause. Certainly, I hope it is for week two against Ohio State. I will be a burnt orange that day, sir. Or that night. Welcome.
O'Reilly Auto Parts can help take the guesswork out of your vehicle's check engine, ABS, or maintenance light with O'Reilly Veriscan. The service is free and provides a report with solutions verified by ASE certified master technicians. Ask for an O'Reilly Veriscan today. Rich Eisen here for Gusto. On my shows, we talk a lot about what happens in the spotlight, the games, the highlights, and the moments that get replayed and debated.
But in any successful operation, what happens behind the scenes matters just as much. Small businesses are no different. Payroll, hiring, onboarding, benefits, and all the details that keep things moving may not be the most visible part of the job, but they still have to be handled right. That's where Gusto comes in. Gusto is online payroll and benefits software built for small businesses.
It's all-in-one, remote-friendly, and incredibly easy to use.
So you can pay, hire, onboard, and support your team from anywhere. Automatic payroll, tax filing, simple direct deposits, health benefits, commuter benefits, workers' comp, four. 401k, you name it. Gusto makes it simple and has options for nearly every budget. And it's all built to save you time with built-in automated tools for offer letters, onboarding docks, direct deposit, and more.
Plus, you get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. No hidden fees, no surprises. Try Gusto today at gusto.com/slash rich and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free payroll at gusto.com/slash rich. One more time, gusto.com slash rich.
The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. Being a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire that costs time and money, but the right one, well, that helps your business grow. The challenge is finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in, people.
It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com/slash Eisen. Terms and conditions apply.
Okay. Everybody around these parts knows I'm a Big Ten man. Most of the time, I can uh I can stray. For instance, Steve Sarkeesian, week two against DeLastick. Best of luck, sir.
Big fan. Big, big, big fan. Big fan of your work. Big fan. I want that Arch Manning card to buy you all the yachts you want, a mansion and a yacht, like your Elmer J.
Fudd millionaire. Can't wait to have you over for a barbecue. And even though Tony Petiti, the Big Ten Commissioner, gave me my first. On-air gig after ESPN handed me a cardboard box in 2003, he called me up and he's like, We'd love you to do the late-night show for the U.S. Open on CBS, like in.
So I'm I'm forever indebted to him. Sure. But his idea of 24 playoff teams I don't like it at all. Too many?
Now, here's the thing. Of course, it's too many. 24? 24? Come on, man.
The last thing I want is the playoffs to be so. Wide ass open. That Regular season games suddenly don't matter as much.
Now, I know Commissioner Petiti saying, well, that will matter to teams. Yeah. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. That's going to be massive. It also does allow the revenue to come in because it's got to be a trade-off.
I want these conference championship games gone. I think they're. Wasteful. I think they do not matter. In the long scheme of things, already with 12 playoff teams, they don't matter.
I understand. And it's like, well, they don't matter in terms of making the playoffs. but it can knock you down from a a bye week or not. And teams that don't make the conference championships. Then get in anyway.
And the teams that battle for it, the loser gets penalized in a way. And somebody can get hurt. It's just it but the revenue's got to come into the point where You can get rid of those. I get it. It's a trade-off.
I just don't want a situation Where Michigan and Ohio State play each other in the last. Regular season game for both. And both of them arresting starters like it's a week 17 game in the NFL, a week 18 game in the NFL because both teams are already in the playoffs. What are you doing? We could face each other in two weeks.
I'm not going to show you the best of my game plan. Suddenly, the game just doesn't mean that much. Don't you think that would happen one day? Yes, this is why in the future. You're going to have to play that game first.
The whole thing. You want it to matter? Brockman. Play it week one. Play it week two.
There you go. I like that. It's reality. Yeah. Why wait?
No reason. I don't like it at all. If you don't, exactly what you said is going to happen. Yeah. And I don't like it.
Yeah. So Sark is right. Just hit pause. Let's see how 12 works. for a little while longer.
Before we go in this other direction. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
