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ESPN college football analyst Josh Pate. ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. And now, it's Rich ISEN.
Well, hey everybody, welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show Live here on Disney Plus, the ESPN app and ESPN Radio and SiriusXM. Channel 80, we are so pumped up. It is the month of September, and it is the month in which the National Football League begins its. Action with games that count. College football, week zero, if you will, is starting.
I mean, if this is called week zero, I'm sure North Carolina and TCU is like, what, were we in negative integers in Ireland? But Josh Pate is going to be joining us on this program to help kick off the college football season in 20 minutes' time. Jim Harbaugh is on this program in hour number three. And there's you throughout at 844-204-Rich Number to Dial. It's an Overreaction Monday on a Tuesday.
And Overreaction Monday is already in your RSS feeds from yesterday. Also, the episode can be seen on YouTube, youtube.com/slash rich eisen show for all that good stuff. Over 170,000 people have been kind enough to see that first episode in the first 24 hours of all of it.
So lock it in if you already haven't. Good to see you over there, Chris Brockman. What's going on? It's great to see you, man. How are you?
How are you, Jason? What's going on? Over there. I'm doing good. Happy to be here.
And how are you over there, TJ Jefferson? Candles lit, huh? I'm feeling like the guy who got the best draft grade last night for a fantasy football. Ah, well, we'll talk about that later on in the program. That's just how in the world of reality football.
In the world of reality football, we hit it a little bit on Monday's program. It and we I I just kind of want to Uh revisited. you know, lost amongst Aaron Donald saying, I'm back after two years of, you know, no action. And no activity. And here I am, and there is an update on whether he's suddenly.
Available or not for the first game in Australia that is coming up. I can't tell if it's one week from tomorrow or one week from Thursday. It could be I think one week from Friday technically for the teams that play in Australia. But we'll hit that later on. But um The lost amongst that was uh a teammate.
Aaron Donalds and the Rams the last time there was a Super Bowl here, and they won it. And his name is Odell Beckham Jr. Let's not forget Odell was part of that team. Oh, he was on a way to a superb Super Bowl. Gosh.
Right. We got robbed. And he got hurt. But he won the ring. Because Aaron Donald's pointing his finger.
Just think about it. Von Miller was on that team. Odell Beckham Jr. was on that team. Cooper Cup was the MVP of that Super Bowl, as we all know.
Stafford was no-looking his way down the field in a crucial instance, but Donald's the one who wrapped it up. Odell Beckham Jr. in this journey. That started in the 2014 season when the Giants chose him in the first round. only to have him uh Have a way station in Cleveland, and then his dad being part of the all-22s, you know, to point out what was going on there.
That started his journey from Los Angeles, Baltimore, where he hooked up with John Harbaugh, leading to another opportunity for him with the Giants, because here comes John Harbaugh. Right. Yeah. Lo and behold. He makes the team.
At age 14 years after being drafted. Or he's a little bit older than that, actually. Here he is. Back at 2014.
So 12 years after he's drafted, he's back with the Giants. It just doesn't happen. I'm still trying to look up the research here of how many times you've seen one team draft somebody, and 12 years later, he shows up at age thirty-three as that guy. Back with the team.
So kudos to him. He made it and the Giants are better for it. This is what he had to say. I talk to you about pressure and how I love it and I thrive off it, but it felt, that was the first time I felt like. In a position where it wasn't like, all right, this is guaranteed.
I know I'm gonna be here, I know I've always been dominant. Um There was a little bit of that pressure, like.
Okay, I have to go and get it. You know, I asked for this opportunity, I have it, and I'm right here. Seeing my son at the game Him being like that, you know what I mean? And it's like. I had that kind of like those tears when I got back to the hotel after figuring out.
You know, I'm gonna be here and I have an opportunity to Uh rewrite some of the last bit of the the chapter.
Okay. Don't know last year or whatever it is, I just know I'm gonna give my all. But definitely had that moment where it was like, You could let out some of the pain that I feel like I've went through. And it was just a very healing, very. very emotional uh Something I was very happy about.
It's pretty cool, man. He's back with the Giants, John Harbaugh. Um Mincing no words and saying he earned the spot. Get it?
Well, he played really well. You know, he looked like he was ready to help us. That was it. You just take the roster, you take the guys, you take the reps. The plays.
Uh what you what you need from From your players going into the season, and you picked the best guys, you know, and he was one of the best guys, he earned it. He earned his spot. I mean, from beginning to end. He earned it. You told him walking off the field yesterday, was kind of what he said.
Yeah, right at the end of practice. Yeah. Well, I mean, it was great. It was wonderful. He just.
I mean, I knew. Did you leave? What did you? I don't know. I sense accomplishment.
I feel like he felt like he accomplished something, but not finished, you know, and he said that. Just he wants to get now it's now it's time to to make a count. You know, that's that's where he's at. But I know he knows he accomplished a lot. It's kind of unheard of in some ways to be, you know.
Away for so long to come back. I don't know how many times this has actually been done. It'd be interesting to see, but. Um The uh the odds were probably against him, I would say. You know, and he overcame the odds and did it.
Now, now it's now what do you do with it? And that's what he's focused on.
Now, what do you do with it? Jalen Hyde, who the Giants drafted a couple of years ago, he got released. And Braxton Berrios as well. Um And Odell got the spot.
Now, Berrios was re-signed right away, and he's going to. With the intent of starting in week one against the Giants as the leading punt returner. Jalen Hyatt might stick around on that practice squad, but It really is amazing and needs to be pointed out. That these things happen in the National Football League. But the question is: now what?
Malik Nabers still up in the air technically for the first Sunday night, but I think he's going to play. Scataboo's back. You got Jackson Dart. You got these tight ends that the Giants are starting. Giants have four.
running backs. And You know. What's going to happen? When the Giants take that field. against the Cowboys on Sunday night football.
With Isaiah likely now. the big addition in the offseason along with Theo Johnson. If he can go. Let's go. Let's go.
You mentioned Jalen Highland. He wore number 13, now released. Get your 13 jerseys out.
Now Odell can go back to his old number. We saw Kentulo last night. Wearing the 13 throwback, and now it's all back to it. I love it. It's going to happen.
So if you got your 13s from 2014, bring them out in 26. Which I believe is Devin Singletary's number. I'm trying to follow all this. Um, That said. What will happen?
In the NFC East. And that's the way we begin our. Season Preview Week Predicting our divisions. Jim Harbaugh's Chargers. Um are going to be front and center.
In hour number three, when he joins this program. And we'll pick the AFC West before he joins us. But for the moment. Oh. Give us some music, please.
Yes, sir. It's time for us to reveal the NFC East, top to bottom, one through four. And I'm gonna go first. Do it. Normally I finish up.
No matter the anchor leg, if you will. I'm going first. You like the Shakari Richardson at least?
Now, listen, as much as I love the Giants. Changes and think John Harbaugh is going to plus this team up because that's what Harbaughs do when they join new teams. And um As much as I I'm excited for Jaden Daniels' return. This is a choice between the Cowboys and the Eagles to win the division. It is.
And so I'm gonna put the commanders fourth. Because I'm genuinely concerned. about What I'm reading on this offense, even though Chase Daniels said, I'm a former teammate of David Blau, and out of all the new coordinators, and all the new quarterbacks with old coordinators. The one combination I like the best is Jaden Daniels' David Blau. And I don't know.
You read about how they can't block anyone in practice. They can't block anybody in. You know. Team scrimmages. You can't block anybody in the preseason.
And the offense, we haven't really seen it yet. Bill Krosky-Merritt leading the top of that running back chart. I'm putting the commanders fourth until I see anything further, and I'm putting the giants third. With that chance to make a wild card if they can really put it all together.
Now, I love the Eagles, man. I always think you look past them at your own peril. Saquon's, you know, monster season follows it up with less than. AJ Brown is gone. But every single time you think that they're no longer the same sum of their parts.
They just beat the crap out of you. And defensively, they are so damn good and they are so big. Everybody that I have spoken to that have seen the Eagles in person this summer say they're the biggest team they've ever seen. Everybody is just Monster huge. Offensive line, defensive line, their defensive backs are big.
Everybody's big. Everybody is physically bigger than most. And they're always better. Then you think. the Philadelphia Eagles.
But that said. I've been talking about these Cowboys since the beginning of the new league year. And I think they are gonna I'm putting them there. I'm putting my, if you will, end of the road.
Now, time to predict who wins a division. Money where my mouth is. And I think this is real. I think the coach is real. I think the roster's real.
I think the defense has 100% been improved. to the point where the offense should be enough. And the defense is going to be... At times, dominant. How about that?
I'll say that word. Everybody's gonna have to think rethink the way they Look at the Dallas Cowboys. And that's the way I'm going with my NFC East predictions: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Commanders. I don't know if we're getting three and But um I'm definitely putting the top two in. For the tournament.
What do you got over there, Chris Brockman? Rich Eisen, meet the new graphic, same as the old graphic. You and I have the exact same: Commanders 4th, Giants 3rd, Eagles, 2nd. Cowboys win the division, Cowboys and Eagles. Make the playoffs.
I've seen all the things that you've seen about Washington. Very concerned that this might be a bottom-five team in the league this year, despite Jaden Daniels, you know, being as talented and healthy, you know, and trying to find that rookie form.
Well, let me ask you this: because I know where you're going to go. You don't. I know. I mean, you don't.
Okay. I I assume I'm I I'm assuming where you're gonna go.
Okay. We'll find out. Why do you think the Cowboys are winning this division? Because I've been on the record for months. Uh elite offense.
And I think in the National Football League, you've got to be able to score points. Yeah, stopping is cool, stopping teams, but you got to be able to run the football, which they proved they were able to do last year. I was very skeptical of the Javante Williams deal last season, and he really made me eat it. And I think that's a really solid and a good way TJ positioned for them. And then they just have elite pass catchers across the board.
They have two number one receivers. They have one of the best receiving tight ends. And I think Dak is awesome. And I think he's going to really remind everyone that this year. And yeah, look, Philly, injuries on the lines last year, offensive and defensive.
And so that kind of led to Saquon kind of struggling. I mean, he was going to regress after a 2,000-yard season. But I think he is going to remind people, too, that he's still an elite back. But I have a lot of questions surrounding Jalen Hurts and the passing game. And that's just, you know, enough.
They have enough to get 10 wins. I don't think it's enough to win the division. TJ? Yes. You have the floor.
I do. The NFC East. goes how for you? I mean, guys, believe it or not, I mean, I know what you said that you thought I was going to do, and I questioned you, but you were right. You just don't like, you know, where people go ahead and say something.
Took the air out of the bit. I went the same way as you guys, except I think I worded it a little bit differently if they put it up the way that I intended it to be at number four. Wow. We got the Washington football team coming in the forum with you guys on that. We got the little giants at three.
And then we got the Iggles, right? First-time play caller, rookie play Carla Chris, no AJ Brown. I know they're big. I know they're strong. I know they're bad.
They got Saquon. I don't understand, and I'm on record making a lot of Cowboys fans mad about this. I don't understand why people poo-poo Jalen Hurts so much, man. It doesn't make sense to me. Maybe they see something I don't.
I think the guy's really exceptional. And of course. Coming in number one. Defense gave up 30 points a game last year, Rich. Imagine if they just give up 20 this year with the offense that Chris said was elite.
Now we have a chance. Is that font small enough for you, for the Giants? Was this font proper? I mean, honestly, I wanted all of them to be in lowercase, but that's okay. Very good.
Cowboys, Eagles, Little Giants. Little Giants. Washington football teams.
Well, that's their name, isn't it? You keep going WFT, and all the Commanders fans think WTF with you. Yeah, but I guess we're all in sync here on the east, right? Yeah, we are. Yeah.
I approve. I just don't know if the Eagles are as good as... as ever. They might be. They might be.
I can't wait to see it, man. They are. And it's a round-robin in week number one. Because before the Giants and Cowboys finish up week one Sunday night, it is Washington and Philadelphia. And that is a big time football game, to say the least, because everybody in Washington will be hearing exactly what we have just been saying.
And the Philadelphia Eagles and the Commanders, that's a late window on Fox. Let's take a break here on the Rich Eisen Show. Josh Pate is about to join us in his first of many Tuesday times to join this program. One of the best in the business. Let's talk some college football.
Josh Pate coming up next. Mm. Yeah. The greats don't shy away from change. They attack it head on, with confidence, preparation, and a clear strategy.
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Mm-hmm. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Zero to zero to overtime. That's ACC football son. That one.
Josh Pate is joining us here on the Rich Eisen Show, Josh Pate's college football show, and a frequent contributor to ESPN and now hanging with the Bustin' Boys. We'll get to all of that. And also, Josh, thrilled to announce that you're going to be joining this show every Tuesday for the college football season, which I'm very appreciative of. You know, I reached out to you during the summer to talk about how I love you coming on this program, and you always make me smarter.
So let's jump right into it. Is there something going on with LSU and the SEC that is going to actually bleed into their roster and locker room and playing season and also their athletic department? What is going on on this whole front, Josh? Who, buddy, a lot.
So there's a lot of newness at LSU.
So you've got president, AD, head coach, a lot of it's churned.
So, LSU's been in the SEC for a long time, but some of the players down there, even though they've been in the SEC, they're new. I think when this whole thing first started, I think a lot of people looked at it, and maybe from 50,000 feet, they said, oh, it's just another legal entanglement. And in one stroke, it is. In another stroke, it's not at all because this has devolved into however anyone wants to present it. Really, what it is is.
Individual players kind of quietly backed by LSU with the support of LSU directly challenging the league. And the league saying, hey, if the NCAA can't enforce rules, we'll enforce league rules. And then a court down in Louisiana saying, uh-uh, no, you can't. And then the SEC saying, watch us. And that is the legal summary up to this point.
And now we look towards Thursday where this is all going to play out in a courtroom. I don't know if you put this on a streaming platform that they would accept this premise because it's a little too unbelievable, but that's what it's come to. And look, Rich. My instinct would normally be to say, no, I don't think LSU is going to put this much on the line as an institution to try and add a couple of pieces.
Now, they'd be good players. These are not just depth pieces, as some people have said. These would be contributors. These guys would play, not Saturday, because I think there's an acclimation period rule, but they would play pretty early for LSU. My instinct is to say, no, they wouldn't do that.
However, LSU Athletics has already done it with soccer.
So there are already players playing down there, just in another sport, that are flying in the face of this rule. And so, best I can tell, they fully intend to go through with this unless someone tells them, no, you literally cannot. And I don't really even know who that entity is right now. But I don't use the word theater a whole lot because I think sport works well enough. But this is kind of merged over into the theatrical part of college football and sports.
Well, I mean, if. Uh it's it's A member school is going to notice a loophole in a ruling, reach out to players that they would consider adding if said players just, you know, hey, wanted to hire a lawyer and go and try and get the proper ruling in, say, a courthouse in, oh, Louisiana. You know, like, let's just roll that and see if we hit the point, you know? And they did. And now, players from the NFL are coming as a feeder system to college.
And I totally understand that everybody is up in arms about it. And we're so close, Josh. To games being played for us to not talk about this. We're about to get lost in the first weekend of college football.
So, before that happens, this has to get fixed, right? And I don't know what the fix is. And I'm sitting there over the weekend and I'm watching Coach Drinkwitz. I'm watching Eli Drinkwitz of Missouri. um give a very well reasoned, impassioned Statement about calling this a clown show and something needs to be done.
And then he mentions this bill in Congress that doesn't get passed. And it was kind of typical where, with all due respect, he didn't know the name of the bill. He had to ask somebody for the help with the name of the bill. And then he mentioned some of the Senators who are behind the bill. You mispronounce the name of the senator from Washington who's behind the bill.
So it's just like. You know Yeah. Who to look to to know? You know what I mean? Certainly those who are making sense, but then don't know everything.
And it just drives me crazy.
So I turn to you as a sense of reason. Like, what do you think needs to be done, Josh Pay? Every time you and I talk, we agree on two things. Yes. One, Everything's messed up.
Two, something needs to be done. Then there's a third thing where we both go, but what is that thing? I don't really know what that thing is. All right, so I will tell you this, and I'm fully on board with your sentiment that I pray for the morning this Saturday where full everybody's play in and games have begun.
So we don't really have to talk about this if we don't want to anymore. There are some people out there sick enough who want to follow this. And to them, God bless them. I'm not one of them. But I will say, this is still going to play out.
Okay. So this one thing, if we drill down on this one thing, this is a one-time thing because it has to deal with that rule, that five-for-five NCAA rule that really only has a chance to impact the 2022 class in this way.
So if anyone tells you, oh, don't waste a whole bunch of time on this, it's isolated. They're technically right about this. But as you and I know, there are like 37 million other issues that do have much more shelf life that have to be dealt with.
So you're right. You can either go Congress or you can go collectively bargain. And that Senate bill, I do want to tell people this as much as they don't want to hear it. It is not dead at all. It is guaranteed to come up for a vote.
Rich, I'd still lean. You see me leaning like this. I'd still lean more towards the side that it does get passed in both Senate and House. Just what I'm hearing. Trust me, I'm not wasting a whole lot of time on this.
But if that happens, then what we have to do is we have to dive into the language of the bill. Because as you know, in this country, what you do is you pass a bill and then you find out what's in the bill.
So we have to find out in the bill. If there's even language that would have prevented something like this. Because, as best I could tell, with the different machinations that thing underwent before the Senate went on recess and they couldn't get it in for a vote, some of the language got taken out that would have theoretically prevented something like this. Again, I'm no legal scholar, that was just my interpretation of it. That thing may still get passed.
It just may happen a little bit later than people intended. But there are many, many experts in this field, of which I don't claim to be one, who would tell you, even after it gets passed, they're going to have a million issues with it.
So then you ask that person: okay, what would you do? Oh, I'd collectively bargain. And it's so funny how people just say that.
Well, that's how you solve it.
Okay, well, that sounds easy. I assume it's not that easy. And then there's another person who walks in, and this is a person who I have hung out with in the past, and they say, maybe the NFL ought to get involved for a little bit. Yeah, maybe, you know, they benefit a little bit from the current ecosystem that is college football, that doesn't charge them a dime for marketing, promotion, and development. Maybe they ought to get involved.
I heard Albert Breer ask that recently. I've asked that for years. That is the multi-billion dollar question to me: at what point does this mess merge over into the NFL's lane enough to where they say, okay, children, we're coming in. We've already figured this out a long time ago. Here, let's lend our hand to you.
All right, then one last question for you on this, Josh, before we turn to the games. At the end of the day, we will be lost in the games. but the only time we might bring all this stuff up. Is going to be when the College Football Playoff Committee makes its decisions. Based on who the hell knows what, right?
But at the end of the day, do you think? Um that All 12 teams that make the college football playoffs, or 10 of the 12. will be One through ten or one through twelve in how much it costs to put a roster together? Will we see that like in baseball where we're pointing out, up. the ones with the biggest payrolls make the playoffs or make the World Series.
Do you think that, that's where it's going to be because it's upwards of fifty million sometimes for teams to put together a team now in college football? Right. I really don't. I do think that there'll be a top 12 littered with big payrolls. I also think there will be a $30 million-plus payroll or two that goes seven and five this year.
And you'll look at it and you'll say, wow, that's not the determining factor there. It turns out that there's a lot still to this game of football that's always mattered.
Now, the difference is the number one ingredient is talent in that equation, and anybody worth their salt will tell you that. But that's not the meal. Those are just ingredients. It is still up to really good coaching staffs and really good organizations and really, really good culture to cook with those ingredients. And there are just some chefs out there that are better than others.
And dollar figures sometimes don't change that.
Okay, let's get to the games then. Josh Pate or the season itself. The best team in college football is Ohio State. Coming into the season? Josh?
Yeah, I got no problem with that. I think if I were to fill out a ballot, I think I may go Notre Dame number one, but it would be splitting hairs. I think there's a lot of benefit of doubt on Ohio State side that I think they've earned, so it's not even like I'm pushing back on this. Right. But I think people look at Texas maybe and they question a lot of the things that they would just take for granted with Ohio State.
But then again, there's proof of concept in one place versus still needing to do it in the other. I do think a team like Georgia is fascinating to me because they were number three in the preseason AP ballot, I believe. And yet they got zero first place votes, which is very atypical because the number six team got some first place votes.
So Georgia's at number three and got none. And it's so funny how this worldview has come to be adopted by everyone in a world I was told we couldn't agree on anything. And there's this agreement that, oh, we could put an SEC team as high as three, but don't do not rank them number one because we all know that the time has come and gone for an SEC team to win a national championship. Nobody gave Texas a first place vote. No one gave Ole Miss one.
There wasn't a single team from that league that got a first place vote.
Now, I'm not even necessarily telling you I'm pushing back on it because I don't have an SEC team winning the national title either. I just don't really recall a time where there's been this overarching concept that's been like this broadly believed and bought into in the preseason that everyone keeps telling you is going to be so uncertain and so unpredictable.
So that's funny to me, but Ohio State or Notre Dame, either one would be fine with me. And they win it all or no. What do you got? No.
Okay, so the way I believe in ranking teams at the start of a season is I'm literally trying to rank you where I think you'll start the season. If I'm predicting towards the end, I'm trying to figure out what you could be and what you will be.
So. I'm actually going with Miami to win the national championship because I think, as much as people look at those pass rushers, they lost, and you lost Carson Beck. I don't know why I did air quotes. It is true that he's not there anymore. I think, you know, Carson Beck is no longer there.
The preview magazine culture that. I grew up in, like a lot of people were accustomed to growing up in, they talk so much about. Lost production. And it doesn't concern itself nearly enough with, well, what's the backfill? Who's replacing it?
And in most places, it is true. If you lose offensive linemen and pass rushers and a quarterback like Miami lost, history says you take a step back. There are exceptions to all of those rules. Miami is simply an exception to that rule right now. And while I won't argue that they have another Ruben Bain and Akeem Mezador pairing on that team, I think there are a lot of guys, Lightfoot up front.
They brought in Damon Wilson in the portal. There are a number of guys. Truthfully, that would have been starting elsewhere last year that were just contributors and depth providers and role players for them. There could be stars this year. I think they upgraded a quarterback.
Like, this is the key for me. I got Mensa winning the Heisman. I think he's going to have a phenomenal year. I think he is a puzzle piece, like tailor-made fit for that Shannon Dawson offense. I think they'll go back to averaging over 40 points per game for the first time in a couple of years.
They got a really workable schedule, but also, I don't worry about that team not being hard-nosed and battle-tested because I've seen the way they practice every day.
So, I'd say Miami at Notre Dame is the game of the year in college football, if I had to call it right now. And that thing's in November instead of early in the season.
So, it's crisp, it's nice and cool. The leaves have changed colors. I'm so glad college football is back, Rich.
So, I'm going to Miami to win the national championship. Yeah, I was sensing that my third bite at the rules conundrum and the. you know, Mosh Pitt of college football's um leadership uh was beginning to, you know, wane on you, and you were looking forward to me finally turning the page to talk about stuff like this. All right, so um If you have doubts about the Ohio State, I've got to circle back on that because you said they deserve it. I don't know, man.
I mean, Saiyan looked pretty damn good towards the end of the year, and Jeremiah Smith could wind up actually popping his way into a top five of a quarterback heavy draft in the National Football League come next year. I mean. What's your two cents on on the Buckeyes here, Josh? Yeah, I don't have much to pick apart with them.
So, like I said, it would be splitting hairs. The only thing I wonder about, because I do think that there's a potential deficiency with all these teams. There's no super team out there.
So, if we were to play the devil's advocate role here, it would be very simple with Ohio State. It would be either one or the other or both of these things. Offensive line still gets overpowered against elite teams, or Their defensive year-over-year attrition, back-to-back cycles finally catches up with them, or three, it's both of those. I really have seen a lot of people circle Julian Sayyan as being this question mark or whatever. I think he's going to be a strength of the team.
Like, I think he'll be a big-time player this year. I don't worry about him. The only time I would worry about him would be in situations like they found themselves in against Miami where he's under constant duress. And at that point, there are very few quarterbacks that shine at this level or the next level, but especially this level.
So, just splitting hairs, man. They could easily win the national championship. I think Miami, when I looked at them, At their high end, I think they have a chance to be a little more dynamic. That's about it. And you know, what do you think is the game of the year in the Big Ten?
I mean, there's Oregon at Ohio State, there's Ohio State and Indiana as well. Like, what do you got for me on? on that for the Big Ten. Hey, maybe we don't need to overthink the room. Maybe it's the game.
Maybe Michigan's a little better than people think. I know you have no interest in talking to Michigan, but let me drag you kicking the street ahead of us for just a second, okay?
Someone challenged me the other day because I spoke, it was in a low tone, I said it in passing, and I was just like mildly complimentary of their wide receiver room. You know that, I mean, you know this. I don't think America knows that that white wide receiver room is the best one they've had in quite a while. That's correct. I think what happens also, it happened to Arch, it happened to Bryce Underwood.
In the modern era, one of the byproducts of paying players a whole lot of money is if you don't get immediate production, in other words, if their production doesn't meet your overinflated expectation right out of the gate, they're a bust and you cast them aside. That's not the way the quarterback position works, that's not the way it's ever worked.
So, I don't think it's the most insane thing in the world when you add more structure around a supremely talented quarterback who is entering year two, where development is supposed to have happened anyway, that I could see him. Just surge in performance level a little bit this year. When he's got the kind of supporting cast he has, when he's got maybe the best tailback out of high school football coming in, and Savion Hyder, and another one to go along with him, when you've got that Michigan offensive line that you know you'll have, and you've got a much better system that he fits in, probably than he was in last year, and a much better overall environment than the chaos that was going on around him last year. I don't doubt that I'll get a really good product from Michigan defensively.
So I was looking at some predictions the other day. It feels like everyone's got them nine and three.
So, I don't think it's a big stretch. If they go 10-2 to have them, I don't know, punch a little above the weight of expectation. And if they are in that range, then that means that game's a big one. But I also think, how can you overlook Ohio State going to Indiana? We've never had a game even approaching the galaxy of magnitude in Bloomington, Indiana, that that one will have.
And then I'm going to go three for three with Ohio State here for a second. Every big Ohio State home game since pretty much the dawn of Fox Sports having this media rights deal has been a noon kickoff. And finally, we get news officially over these past couple of days that the Oregon, Ohio State game, because of the way the broadcast draft works, is going to be a 330 kickoff. And that one's going to be huge. That's Oregon coming to town.
And finally, the Big Ten slate is deep enough with premier games that Fox can't get all of the big ones on big noon.
Now, I got no problem with big noon kickoff because it means I get to get home earlier, but fans hate it, and they should hate it because they never get the spectacle that some of these SEC teams get to have five or six times a year. And I want to leave you with this. Yes, sir. Well, from this point. USC at Penn State is the whiteout game.
So that's going to be a really big deal too.
Well, certainly since that has a new meaning in that campus, I went there. I did go there. I just want credit. All right, Joe. Before I let you go, your week.
Walk me through your week. I mean, your career's blown up, Josh.
So your week, you're going to have a you got a Friday show, you've got your show, you're on the road all the time. What do you got? What what's your you're looking like? Week two. What I would call a dream job 10 years ago is what it consists of.
So, Sunday night, we do our show. This is all on the YouTube channel. Sunday night, 8 Eastern, 7th Central. Monday, if you want to call it a down day, is my only down day. I breathe on Monday.
Tuesday, I am with you every morning/slash early afternoon, and then we'll do a live show that night. Wednesday, I do something with Busting with the Boys that appears on both of our YouTube channels. Thursday, I do my show. We will travel to a different campus every Friday morning. We'll do an afternoon show, two Eastern, one o'clock Central on ESPN, which I'm very excited about because I think if you properly capture the Friday afternoon college football vibe, which is way different than Saturday mornings, as we all know, I think we can hit a home run with that show unless we screw it up, in which case it's on us.
And then Saturday is the easiest day, Rich. You just go stand on the sideline and you watch a game and keep your mouth shut and then talk about it on Sunday. Josh, you're the man. I truly appreciate you. Like I told you, off-air, I have no problem.
Problem seeing it on the air as well. You're awesome. You make me smarter, and I just love the way that you dispense information and do it in such a style that is so easy to take in.
So I appreciate you, and I look forward to this season. Truly do. I appreciate you. It's going to be an awesome year. I cannot wait to do this every week.
Josh Pate, everybody. Josh Pate's college football show on YouTube. And then you just heard everything else that he's doing, including our spot every Tuesday right here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's take a break. We're back with your phone calls: 844-204-RICH, Nobody Dial.
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We say hello to the ESPN radio audience every single day, 12 to 3 Eastern.
So appreciative of being on this radio network all the time. Let's go to Chris and Baltimore here on the Rich Hisen Show. What's up, Chris? Hi, Rich and friends. Are you an Orioles fan?
Hi, Chris. By default, I am more football than baseball, but I grew up in Baltimore, been in Baltimore all my life. Did you see the way Colton Cows are called game in Colorado last night? That was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my entire life. I didn't.
I missed it, but I'll have to catch up on it. Oh, my God. Did you see this, Chris? No.
All right. Blast to center field. I looked this up now. With two outs in the ninth of a 2-1 game and one guy on base, it's a two-run shot as ticketed to end the game. To end it, and Kowser leaps and makes a game-saving, game-ending catch.
It's the greatest. Home run rob to walk off a game I've ever seen. Unreal. Wow. So look that one up, Chris.
What what you weren't clearly come calling in to talk about that. What do you got in your mind?
Well, I know your time is valuable, so let's get right down to brass tacks. I'd like to play the win-loss game for my Baltimore Ravens. All right, here we go. All right. All right, now.
The reluctant Oriel fan wants to play the win-loss game for the Baltimore Ravens. Let me get my paperwork here. All right, here we go. Music, please. I know this will sound like a generous win total, but I really think we have one of the most favorable schedules in the year this year.
All right, well, let's walk through it one by one. What happens at the Colts week one?
Okay. Well, it might be ancient history, but it's not water under the bridge. We still love beating the Colts. That's a win. All right.
Next up: Home for the Saints, home opener. Home opener, that's a decisive win. 2-0 now against the Cowboys in Rio. Bound to be a shootout, our first big challenge of the year, but I believe it'll be a hard-fought win.
Sorry, TJ. You're now 3-0 coming home to take on the Titans. All due respect to the brotherhood of all men. The Hares will win that one. At a boy, 4-0 at the Falcons.
Could be a sneaky game, trap game, but right now I'm going to say we win it. 5-0 at the Browns.
Now, now. I mean, as you know, it's not water under the bridge there either. What happens? Yeah, well, Todd's gonna be wishing he still had Garrett, and I don't mean Brad. That's a win.
Ladies and gentlemen, lines and wins. That's all he's doing right now. 6-0, Bengals at Ravens. Dre's going to stick it to his former team with a big fat W. 7-0 at the Bills.
I want to believe we'll get these guys this year, but in the interest of humility, I'll take these. In the interest of humility? By the way, great. Is that a fantasy? Humility.
Interest of humility. That might be a thing. All right, seven and one Jaguars to kick off week nine Thursday night. They got Moxie, but not enough. That's another winter.
All right, you're back on the winning trails. 8-1. Jim comes to face you on a Monday night. Chargers. Mentor's gonna know them better than they know themselves.
That's a win. At the Panthers. Gonna make Panthers look like pussycats. That's a win. 10-1 at the Texans.
Wow. That'll be a dish best served cold as we get revenge for their blowout of us last year. Win. 11-1, home for the Bucs. Could be sneaky, similar to the Falcons, but will be rested coming off the buy, so I'll say win.
12-1 at the Steelers.
Well, they almost always get us at least once a year, so I'm going to say in Pittsburgh is a loss. 12-2, home for the Browns. Flushum, that's a sweep on the Brown. 13-2 at the Bengals on Thursday night. New Year's Eve.
This could easily be the game of the year, and I'm gonna begrudgingly give it to Cincy. We split with him. All right, and then you're home for the Steelers. This is our redemption for the end of last season. We vanquish our rivals in front of a home crowd and send Rogers out with a whimper.
Chris, interest in humility in Baltimore. 14 and 3. Thanks, Rich. Thanks, buddy. That was a fun chat.
That was a fun win-loss game there. 14 and 3. Dang. Ravens 14 and 3 in Jesse Mitter's first year there. That would win them the one seed.
They'd get the one seed. That's a win the conference regular season record. Hey, man, you're going to figure Minter's going to tighten the defense. And if, again, they got this guy, Declan Doyle, kid. Uh New coordinator from the Ben Johnson world.
And everybody in Baltimore is like, hey. Jim got himself a new coordinator, and so now let's get Jesse Minter to bring one in himself. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show Podcast. You can watch and listen to The Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app, The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today.
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