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Something special about these Milwaukee Brewers. This is the Rich Eisen show. The Brewers are going to the World Series. From the Rich Eisen show studio in Los Angeles. I can't give enough praise to the Brewers.
Earlier on the show, former Bills head coach. Sean McDermott. Coming up, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton. ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel. And now it's Rich Eisen.
Hour number three of the Rich Eisen show is on the air. Disney Plus, ESPN app, ESPN Radio. We're all one big happy family. Eight four four two zero four. Rich number to dial.
We're going to take your phone calls on the back end of this interview. That we're going to just jump right into because his report certainly grabbed us by the lapels. That it's entirely possible, or it's feasible, or it's happening. A new college football playoff. System with twenty-four teams making it here on the Rich Eisen show is Pete Famel.
How you doing, Pete? Good to see you, Rich. I'm great. Live here in Provo, fired up for game day, and I think you are safe to go one idy out and say inevitability. For the 2014 playoff, it's it is it is coming.
One thing often I joke about in college sports compared to the NFL is that nothing is easy in college sports. Rich, so there's there's essentially been. An agreed upon move to this, and now they have to hash out a lot of the scheduling, long form contracts, all this kind of stuff. But if you if you saw what the CFP said yesterday, they basically went through with all of their stakeholders in a meeting yesterday. What was coming again until signatures are on the contract, it's not going to be announced, and that could be a week or so here.
Like it's not going to be it's it's not going to be imminent. But this is all in process and in motion, and I think maybe the most Surprising thing is, is rich. This is for you know twenty twenty seven. Like this is coming. I think.
For people following this, that's not surprising. But for you know the college football fan, who by the way is basically just getting used to a twelve team format, and we're again in the first year this year of a six year TV deal. You know the next five years, this thing is is is is is set to shift to twenty four.
Well, listen, I I know the answer to the question is why is money okay? That I get, but who wants this? Who wants it, Pete?
So let's go through the timeline of how this came rich, and I think through that it explains a little bit of it. And this is not a defense of it; this is an explanation of how we got here. Right.
So last August. We broke the story that the Big Ten had been socializing—that's a big word in these things—socializing a 24 and 2018 playoff model with its members. I remember hitting send on that story, and it was mocked. Rich, like, there's another way to say it. Like, media mocked it.
It was greeted chilly in the industry. Like, it—you know—if you had told me 14 months later, 15 months later that that was going to be a reality, I would have been gobsmacked, right?
So. That. Eventually picked up momentum, right? Like in in in then in February, we we we broke a story on the Big Ten socializing a twenty four team bracket and what it would look like and how it would work. And by then, there had been a shift.
You know, the ACC and the Big Twelve came out in favor of it. And ultimately, as much as this is a money money play, and let's face it, the money is at the root of this. I don't believe, Rich. This is about like the Campuses in conferences wanting more money. I really believe the root of this is wanting more access.
So let's start with the Big Ten. 18 teams in the Big Ten right now. Who was the main driver in the 76 team basketball expansion? Was the Big Ten. You know why they wanted a place for their eighth, ninth, and tenth team, right?
They wanted more access. They felt like their middle class was a cut above the you know the high end mid major class.
So that pushed through after after two three years.
Well, you now have an 18 team Big Ten in football, and the the root of Tony Patiti sort of initiating this conversation. And pushing for it is so the Big Ten has more access for its teams. Remember, Patini comes from an NFL background, Rich, and he's been very overt about this. He wants meaningful November games. The same way, like you know, Bills, Bills, Bills, Dolphins, when they're both seven and six, has wild card implications in November.
And I'm just like arbitrarily making up names, so it probably don't apply right now. I know that you know, yeah, just like the same way, like two. Good but not great NFL teams. Their stakes attached to a November game. He has made clear that he wants that with metaphorical Iowa versus Wisconsin.
Yeah, right. Who both would be. I hear you, Pete. And again, I know you're not. You're not.
You're not defending or anything like that. But the reason why I laugh is. How in the world is this going to make November more, you know, stake-filled when it it it neuters much of the regular season period? You know, I how honestly, like, why would Michigan versus Ohio State at the end of November? With both teams potentially having, you know, this maybe wishcasting for me this year, two losses, sure, which no longer in a twenty four team playoff would be putting you on the edge of maybe not making it until maybe you explain to me the mechanics of who makes and who is not when we're done with this part of the conversation.
Why in the world would Michigan and Ohio State put anybody meaningful out there if they're banged up or hurt or or or? Why would they put all of their eggs in a playbook? You know, pull out all the stops, basket. If they're going to both be in the playoffs in two, three weeks after that, that this how how does this make November more stakes filled, Pete? I don't get that.
Well. I'll answer your question, and then I'll finish answering the first question of how we got here. No, no, no, it's okay.
So that's a that's a very good question, a very valid question, because what this appears to do when we hypothetical it out, right? And people automatically go to Auburn, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, right? These these high stakes linchpin. I mean, I stood on the sideline for the kick six, right? One of the you know defining memories of my professional career, right?
I was there for crescendo one verse to one verse to Ohio. State when it was Lloyd Carr the weakboat died like like you I I literally got chills just saying it out loud I mean those are awesome meaningful moments but as we have now poured an extra billion or so into the player economy again not defending it just pointing it out schools who are now spending. Thirty, forty million dollars. Let's say median thirty for your powers, right? They want hope.
So the last holdout on this was was Greg Sankey. Greg Sankey is a very a very crafty executive, in that he he never like. Shows his cards until he absolutely has to. You know he would be a very good poker player, Greg Zenki, and so all along he has never said like I'm against this.
Now he, but what he has done is said we need to see this, we need to see the economics, we need to see what the CFP committee is going to look like. We we need to run this out, and one of the things that he talked about a lot at his spring meetings that they had to run out was the impact on the regular season. Right, I mean the regular season. College football. I don't think anyone really argues this.
Who's a you know follows all sports is the best regular season in sports. I don't think that's me as like college football guy saying that. I think that's that's a that is you know you pull a sports fan in the O'Hare Airport. They would you know who who follows everything. They would tell you yeah, college football regular season is there.
And the the risk of that. Sankey spoke at length at length about like how does pushing. More money to the end affect what has been you know very financially profitable and popular right in in the beginning and it's it's it's all very fair.
So at his basketball media days this week, Sankey mentioned twice like an openness to this.
Now again, he's never come out against it, but this was by far in a way the most open he has been. And I think what happened, Rich, is. There's been so the nine the nine game SEC is a big driver in this. Lane Kiffin mentioned it the other day when talking about injuries. They had obviously only played eight conference games before.
Everybody's getting an extra loss. Coaches are panicked about about their jobs. But I do think coaches don't drive these macro decisions in college football.
So let me be clear about that. The coaches all want more playoff. They they take a hundred team playoff, right? Like they all want they all want to save their jobs. That's just the you know I'm not being dismissive of them, but that's just the standpoint they they said.
Like basketball coaches would want to you know hundred sixty eight team NCAA tournament, right? The athletic directors though. In the SEC, especially, started to put pressure on their presidents. They're saying, "Hey, if we're at metaphorical middle of the road SEC team, let's say it's Missouri, let's say it's Kentucky, South Carolina, whatever, and we're paying twenty five million, thirty five million a year, we want hope, we want something to justify that expense." And the chances of those middle class lower lower end spending teams getting to twelve. Let's be honest, is not great, right?
But twenty four brings in a whole new layer of hope. Not defending it, but that's the mindset I, Rich, that that helped get us here at the at the spring SEC meetings this year.
So the Big Ten was already there, right? They were all unified front. They locked arms and they said, "We want twenty four." They had their you know they had their talking points ready and they were rolling. At the SEC, it was a little bit like.
Okay, all the coaches want it for sure. The ads, pretty much every ad was there on it, and and the presidents feel that at a certain point, right? And the presidents are looking at budgets, and the presidents know their donors are taxed, and the presidents are you know you know I'm extrapolating here, I'm not quoting anyone, but they're basically counting on Alabama, Georgia still being Alabama, Georgia from last week, right? And fill in fill in the blank from the high end regular season games, right? The the conversation becomes like does.
Ohio State Indiana, which is a great top five, top ten game this week. Does it still matter as much? No, it doesn't. It doesn't. Let's be honest.
It doesn't. Somebody loses once, even if Ohio State loses twice, it does not. It just, it does not.
So, a couple questions I have for you about this, Pete Fennel, is is are there any Buys? Do they know? Like, yeah, is it? It's not going to be one versus twenty-four, right? And and no, okay.
So, so what's the mechanics of what it looks like? I'm like the I'm like the worst schedule guy.
Now that I work at ESPN, I always make fun of it because everybody thinks from such a scheduling like mindset because that's what TV what TV people do. Eight eight buys, right?
So then we go twenty-four.
So then you have nine verse twenty-four, ten verse whatever it is, etc. etc.
So And then and then you have campus games. This is good. Everybody can agree on this. You have campus games week one. Yes, and then campus games week two.
Okay, probably should have more campus games from there, but they're still wed to the bowl system. You know, in in that way. But so you have because right now, if you get a buy like Oregon did two years ago in year last year, you don't get a home playoff game. And I will say this, Rich, like these home playoff games that we've gone to last year because we we'd go to two Friday and Saturday for for game day. They are electric.
Notre Dame, Indiana, electric, Oklahoma last year for Alabama, unbelievable. I've been to Oklahoma a dozen times, never seen it like that. Texas A and M, which is one of the great environments in all college football, eleven a.m. kick. It was rocking for that Miami game, as loud as a stadium as I've ever heard.
So I do think like that is a positive out of this is that they are shifting and evolving, but not fully divesting from the from the bowl system, and then it it plays out. From there, order semis, finals, and then when does it start? Because I imagine conference championship games are history now, right? Yes, they are gone. That is that is that is part of it, and those have really lost their juice.
If we're if we're if if we're being honest, they stunk. They stunk. They stunk, and it was beginning to hurt players. I'm being honest. It began.
No, Carson Beck teams that were playing them. Yeah, right. Carson Beck gets hurt for Georgia in the SEC title game, and Gunner Stockton starts against Notre Dame. I'm not saying Georgia beats Notre. Notre Dame with with Carson Beck, but they have better chance than Gunnar Stock to make an.
I believe it was his first career start.
So it starts right after the regular season ends next week.
So regular season ends. This is the way I understand it to be. Regular season ends, Thanksgiving weekend ish. We have a the off weekend, Notre Dame Heisman, and then it starts that I guess we we call it the second weekend in December.
Okay, and then we roll. Remember two things schedule wise that you know the casual college football fan probably isn't macro. Aware of here, one is week zero is now week one.
So you know how there's like seven or eight random hodgepodge games in week zero.
Now week zero is the first week of the season, so every everything moves up earlier. And there has been schedule creep. The national title game this year, which is January 25th, I believe. It's not the 25th; it's the 24th. I'm pretty sure it's the 25th.
So like everything is sort of there. There there sort of naturally been a spread that's going to allow this to you know allow this to work. From a from a scheduling aspect, but the whole thing's pretty jarring, right? If you're just like a you know a guy who like watches you know whatever casual you know Notre Dame fan that lives in Chicago, you're like whoa, like you know, and you just watch you know your team every Saturday and don't follow all of the machinations of the sport and how this goes. I mean, this is this is a significant moment in the history of college football.
There's no other way to say it.
Okay, and then so. Listen, I'm not against change at all.
Okay, but and I'm you know I'm I'm I can get into this if it does fix some of the other problems that I have no idea if this congressional bill is going to fix, and I have a lot of skepticism that anything that comes out of Congress is really going to be even handed. Between labor and management, to be very honest with you, Pete. And so, what I would want to know is: Is it going to fix the things that particularly rankle me, and I think a lot of other people? Which is free agency every year. For for the for for the for the student athletes, or a tech bro or a chicken energy magnet comes in, and suddenly your team is enriched with talented players, and some other team that doesn't have the tech bro reaching for the check.
Does not, or coaches get to go whenever they want because said energy magnet reaches for a check and then suddenly, oh, I'm out of here. This great job that was once upon a time my dream job is now a stepping stone job. See you later. And then there's the scheduling disparities. Is this now going to fix that?
Because the college football playoff system drives the bus. And changes everything for anybody that's in the bucket of being eligible to be in these playoffs, Pete. That's quite a question, Rich. Let me just say, you really, you really caught, you really caught a range of things there, from Congress to chicken energy magnets. This is all all valid, all valid points.
We'll be very clear about that. Yeah, this is how a coach winds up in an FBO on some, you know, G five flying off somewhere, you know, and fans are going nuts.
So let's start with Congress, Rich. I have been heavily skeptical, much like you indicated the whole time. This is not political discourse. This is just you know, is Congress a place for progress? Right, and the answer generally is no.
My joke has long been like, what are two more inert rulemaking bodies than college athletics and Congress?
So the marriage of them, not surprisingly, has been taboo.
Now, look, I did not imagine it would get. Through the Senate, right? Like, if you had asked me two months ago, I didn't think it would have done that. The House appears to have. Really long odds right now, and a lot of this is going to get determined after the election.
And the general tenor that's been indicated to me is that if the Democrats get the House, which they're expected to do, and certainly don't rely on me for political analysis, then it is unlikely that the Democrats are going to turn around and say, "You know what, President Trump, let's do you a solid. You really wanted this college sports bill let's let's push this through." So, but the longer this has gone on, the more it's gotten picked and pulled apart. The more I Hear from industry leaders in college athletics, being like, you know, we still want the one-time transfer and we want the protections. I mean, look, like I don't know if you saw the headline this morning. Charlie Baker and the NCA are suing the governor of Ohio.
In a court in Ohio for a for a transfer executive order that came out, like it is the whole thing is just preposterous. I want to give my colleague Dan Wetzel credit for this. He said, "If you tried to explain college football to like a guy who follows the Premier League in London, you're like, this is how it works." And you get into energy magnets and you know random state court rulings. Except they they almost they almost went to a super league, Pete. Which this is basically what.
This is where I think it's all headed, where the CFP puts all these teams in a bucket and says these are now new rules that Sankey and Patity most likely are fine with, but the other smaller schools might not be. That's why I am asking: Will this fix some of these problems? Do you think? Because then if they. I mean, they have no they have no authority to do anything.
I mean, the CFP is really just a TV contract, right?
Now they have an executive and they have a couple employees and everything like that, but the CFP is really they have they have. In terms of actually making transformative rules, they have no juice, right? They really—I mean—the CFP itself is is really just the the MOU now says that it's Tony Betidian, Greg. Thank you. Ultimately, drive the you know drive the decision making of this.
So, yes, I I have become comfortable, Rich, with the fact that college sports are. Wonderful but broken, and are always going to be wonderful and broken. And I want to give Keith Carter, the AD at Ole Miss, credit for this line. We were standing in the hallway at the SEC tournament last year for basketball, and you know, just having like the regular old industry conversation, whatever the you know that the the the flap of the day was. And he says, "It feels like for the last five years, we've been three years away from stability." It's a little bit like Fran Frischilla's line from the NBA draft.
He's three years away from being three years away. In it, like that, resonated with me now because we're like almost a year later, and we're really no closer to alleged stability. And just like the House settlement didn't settle anything, if this bill passes through Congress, certain things would get settled down, but it's not a fix. When you have a when you have a billion dollar industry. With no real like oversight, like no one's in charge, basically, and it's fundamentally unstable, and it doesn't want to be stable.
The NFL does a wonderful job, rich of thirty two teams, and we sign up for rules that build competitive equity.
Somebody had a great line to me the other day. They said, basically, college sports has found this wonderful level, and college football particularly has found this wonderful level of competitive equity right now. Working against each other, right? Like LS metaphorical LSU, Michigan, pick your big stadium, USC, whoever it is, Texas. They don't want the same set of rules for the for the low end teams with smaller stadiums in their league, right?
Like they just never have, and that's just like your advantage. I mean, Rich, you know it. Like, remember Michigan used to build the stadium to be bigger than Tennessee's stadium. Like these are the themes, and they're just now being rewritten with with quarterback contracts, right? They used to be the weight room size.
Or we put a new ten thousand seats on a third deck, or whatever it is, and now it's just gone on. But there's no one sitting in the room saying, "Hey, let's be peers," and and that's just that's just where we are.
So I I think like this quest for stability is a little bit naive, and like we just have to accept that this is this is a wonderful sport that is going to operate for a while here through a slow. Remember, the house settlement still has. I believe eight years left on it, Rich. And so, when slash if this congressional bill fails, everyone's like, "Well, we'll just self-govern." Well, you just can't all of a sudden like go back without checking with Judge Wilkin. And you can't just go back and like rewrite.
Okay, we want our cap to be this. Like it's all maddeningly, maddeningly complex.
Well, it's like the old, as you pointed out, the way you were your analogies. I always go stand-up comedy. Brian Regan once told a joke. He had a New Year's resolution to lose fifteen pounds, and he has twenty-five pounds to go. You know, that's that's what this sounds like.
Yes, Pete. Thanks for doing your your great work to break all this and to let us know what you what you know and and what I should be continue to be upset about. Yeah, no. I feel like explaining this different shows, Rich. I've become like the face of what happened.
It's just sort of like I'm just telling you how we got here, man. Like it is not popular. Look, there's no other way to say that. Like I looked at the the comments on the on the tweet when I broke the story yesterday, and it was just like, whoa, you know what I mean? Like when I was on Sports Center back in the day, talking about you know, I did a Sports Center piece about expanding the playoffs to 16, and this is before you know people could respond that you're an idiot in.
Yeah, and you see it in the palm of your hand. I got pushback about how you know it's going to dilute the regular season, which is the greatest thing about college football. And now twenty four games. That's why I laughed when I heard he was a former boss of mine at CBS Sports. He was the first guy to call me after I left ESPN, and I'm always grateful to Tony Patiti to call me and give me an opportunity to do the U.S.
Open for CBS after I left ESPN. And he's a smart guy, brilliant guy, very smart. Right, and so, but, but for him to say we're doing this to make November more relevant, it that's laughable. That's why I laughed. That's why I laughed.
You know, and so, and I, yeah, I really think it's access for team. You know, five, six, seven. That that's really the the the bigger. Does it matter? Does it matter?
November games. Listen, man, we're seeing these these these these five twelve games are you know are are non competitive. You know, I understand that eleven and twelve were the smaller schools. You replace James Madison with, you know, with all due respect, I guess you know, what would that be? Five, six, seven in the Big Ten or SEC?
Is that going to be more competitive? When Tennessee got waxed by Ohio State, I mean, waxed by them, like really? Come on!
So I'm sitting here in Utah today, Rich, and the story broke was in the Utah football facility, seeing them yesterday, and somebody walked up and somebody put a graphic out of what you know the projected to be this year. They'd be like, "Hey, we'd be hosting LSU," and then I see Kalani Sitaki at BYU practice, and he's like, "That's great news for us." So again, I understand your point, but like that's the constituency, like in the Big Twelve, very good top twenty-five programs, like that's an adrenaline shot. Like I was talking. Morgan Scali yesterday when I kind of had a a sense it was going to happen, and he was like. Yes, you know, and so, and again, that's just a random sampling of the place I happen to be today.
But that—that's who. When people say who wants this, that—that's who wants this. Like these places are spending big money. They have really competitive programs, and they want—they want a chance to, you know, they want a shot at the postseason.
So again, I feel like I'm the defender of this. No, that's great information. I'm giving the other side, but it was just like it just was empirical evidence that you know through serendipity of me being you know. In the state of Utah yesterday, and like it wasn't like, oh, that's cool. It was like overwhelmingly positive.
Pete, thanks for the time, man. Have a great, great rest of your college football weekend. We'll chat again soon. Thanks, Rich, senior writer of ESPN College Football. Pete Famel here on the Rich Eisen Show.
Oh yeah, I feel I've kind of feel that I was soapboxing a little bit there, but you know, well. Listen, like I said, just put a fine point on it. If the college football playoff world can be honed down to a collection of programs that are in a similar boat in terms of finances, in terms of conferences, and in terms of programs. Where we can get a uniformity for scheduling and NIL and transfer portal, and coaches cannot be bought out. Could you imagine in the NFL, one player, a one player could just go wherever they want every year, every year.
You have got to re-recruit the Denver Broncos every year, or Sean Payton. Can wind up in Green Bay because somebody who's really some, you know, someone from the Kohler family can buy them out, and just oh, now you're the coach there. Could you imagine? Of course not. If you can just go ahead and make that happen, because you've created a larger pool of playoff teams from a larger pool of programs.
Now you got me. Other than that, it's just the same old, same old. But now it's just a bunch of other schools can make it. I'm happy that there's a bunch of schools that ordinarily think they have no shot at the college football playoffs.
Now they do.
Okay.
Now we get to see how much they really don't have a shot on a bigger stage. We could potentially. I don't know. Who's in charge? Same people, okay.
Now, if it's going to be like maybe a co-commissioner between Patiti and Sankey, now let's let's talk. But it ain't the NCAA. Eight four four two zero four. Rich, number to dial here on the Rich Eisen Show. Our friends at SoFi are here to remind you: there's a SoFi personal loan to help you achieve something once thought impossible, and that's overcoming high interest credit card debt.
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Don't ask me how. I do not know, ladies and gentlemen. My brother was a Patriots fan, and we just started watching football together. And I've been a Seahawks fan ever since.
Okay, there you go. That's Mike in Calgary joining us, right? Is Mike in Calgary? We we took his phone call during the TV only segment. He was parking.
I talked about his parking. Then he told me about how the offensive line play of the Seahawks is. The problem, and that's the difference. It's not Ken Walker being somewhere else. It's the offensive line, and that may be the case as well.
But that's all fixable, I think. It's all fixable. And then I asked him if he was Irish, which you malved the words to me. He's Irish, didn't you? Said it in my ear.
You said it. You thought he was Irish. I mean, look. I mean, I thought he sounded very Rory-like. Dumb American.
They all kind of sound the same with those accents over there. But his disdain for confusing him as Irish is not like that. He's like, oh, come on, Rich. He's like, oh, come on. I lost a fan in many different ways.
Hire right the first time with LinkedIn Hiring Pro. Get started by posting a free job at LinkedIn.com/slash Eisen. All right. TJ, you want to hear the latest on Mike Pettin joining the team? You know I do.
Okay, Brian Schottenheimer. He was asked about it again.
Okay, yeah, man. Sunday night football. How's this defense going to look with Mike Pettin there, and who knows where Christian Parker is going to be? Is he upstairs? Is he downstairs?
Is he in the basement? We're going to bring out a new defensive coordinator, Gimp. Oh boy, what's going on? Whoa, come on! I went Pulp Fiction on you.
Is Z the new offensive coordinator as well? Who is Z? That's dead, baby. Oh, that's right.
So he's not. He's not joining the franchise. My bad.
Okay.
We're gonna find out where the watch was. The watch.
Okay.
Stuck.
Okay.
Oh yeah, I don't see Pet being involved, you know, day to day with the position group on the field, things like that. Like he's been here a couple days. He's not been on the practice field yet. He's been in the lab, as CP called it, which I love. You know, he's a film junkie.
He's one of the best. He's actually one of the first guys I ever saw that was, I would say, a computer. You know, expert. This is going back to the early two thousands in New York. I mean, so you know, he's he's constantly working on that, but he can go anywhere he wants.
But right now, he's he's getting caught up on things. He's getting up to date on us, the system, and I think that's where his time is going to be, you know, most spent. But again, you guys know me. When you are part of our staff or part of our family, you are you are welcome anywhere.
Okay.
This is fascinating. I like Shoddy. I'm just so do I. I root for him. I root for him.
And like I said, they're taking a swing. They're bringing somebody else in. He's in the lab. Yeah, I had no idea he was the Jets, DC and IT. I had no idea he was working in IT.
It's like computer from the Bears. There's Mike Pettin. Mike, put on a hat, man. Mike Pettin should be on the Titans stand, right? Oh boy, can't wait!
What if the Cowboys come out and just shut down the Packers, and all of a sudden it's lights out? Boy, we don't. Where's Parker going to be? Upstairs or downstairs? What's more likely?
He's upstairs or downstairs? I say Parker upstairs. Upstairs, you get a better view of everything. He's still a rookie. That's what I don't know.
But I liked what Sean McDermott said about being on the field and in the flow of the game and the leadership and being with the players. Yeah, they don't need that. They need they need him seeing the field better. If that's the issue, oh man, because I can see holes in the defense, and I'm not an all twenty two man. You're on the couch, on the couch, chilling.
Can't you have Petten up there, relaying back? Is he going to be anywhere? He's not on the field. He's in the lab. So what's that mean?
The lab can be the booth during games.
Okay, and he's relaying what he's seeing down to CP, and that he's there with the guys. What if he's downstairs, and they bring him out just to make a point? You know, you know what I mean. I'm trying to make a point. I'm trying to stop some.
I'm trying. I'm trying to continue the Pulp Fiction analogy. I see. You know what I mean. Keep them downstairs.
No, I, I see where you're going. Hop them out. Right.
What we need.
Meanwhile, meanwhile, the Cowboys fans looking for better defense look just like Ving Rhames. Enough. We haven't seen Pulp Fiction yet. I can't wait to show that. We need that's going to be a that's going to be a night.
We need someone to give the defense the shot. Give him the shot. Give him the shot. Very far. By the way, John Travolta is on our guest list.
Coming up shortly. Yes, I saw. Go down. We're going to go down a wormhole there. At first, I thought he was coming in.
I got real hype, but then I saw it was a zoom. Let's go to the phone line. Weather Tech. By the way, that's our coverage of the Dallas Cowboys. Going back to Canada, David in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
What's going on, David? David. Oh, Canada. You there, David? I can't.
Yeah, I'm here. How's it going? I'm doing fine. Where are you? Are you on campus?
Where are we? No, I'm originally from Manchaca, but I'm currently in South Carolina at the moment. Oh, okay.
So, but you're giving your all right.
So. You thought you had a better chance getting on, calling in from Ann Arbor, David. Honestly, think a little bit, yeah. Got a little leg up, couldn't hurt. Look at him, yeah.
Look at him playing possum, little rope a dope. Oh, I'm from Ann Arbor, but I'm calling in from South Carolina. You sound Irish, David. I was, I was born and raised in Ann Arbor.
Okay, very good. He knows how to get on your good side. Like me calling in, I'm Rich from Staten Island. I'm sitting here in El Segundo. That's funny.
Okay, what's up, David? What's on your mind? I just wanted to get your thoughts about Michigan getting two guys from the transfer portal mid-season. Yeah, I saw that tight end and a corner, right? Correct.
Yep, one from Miami, the other from Boise State. I don't know. Play this week, maybe even this year, but I just want to know if that sets some sort of precedent, and if these guys can possibly help how we're looking this year.
Well, listen, we the tight end group in Michigan has been non-existent, and that is, you know, not the way it normally goes. Loveland, AJ Barner, Marlon Klein. I could keep going down the list here, just naming three off the top of my head, and. That position group normally would be a an important position group for a quarterback that has seemingly had trouble seeing the field, and it's it's usually the best friend of a quarterback. Oh yeah, I don't know, man.
I'm I'm hoping for improvement. And Penn State, Michigan this weekend. Are we doing anything? We got something going on on this weekend. What you want to do?
I don't know. Let's go. Come on. I don't know. I don't like our chances.
Just for as much as I love sports, man, I pick some really bad teams. David, thanks for the call. Enjoy and go blue to you, sir. Honestly, I don't. I don't have a read on.
We could we could do the Randolph Mortimer gentleman. Oh yes, you know one dollar, one dollar.
Okay, let's do it. Normally, how one dollar? Michigan six and a half point favorite. Oh God, I don't. I mean, who in Las Vegas sets that?
Based on what? Based on what the fact that that Penn State once upon a time three and zero now three and three, so it is. Yes.
Okay.
All right. At the big house sounds good.
Okay.
I don't know. Listen, all I know is that I just hope you know. Ever since you took shoes from Oregon, they've looked like a different program. Hoping your Penn State fandom helps Michigan. Like I said, I'm starting to feel like am I?
Am I the Oregon Nebraska? It's still two for the mush, or you're the mush. Last time you said, when was the last time you saw him in Dodger Stadium?
So two for two, seeing him at Dodger Stadium closeout games. Yeah, completely. Twenty eighteen, twenty eighteen, game five World Series, Red Sox close it out. Last night, I ran in the valley. You must been like, "Oh no, I don't want to see you." As we're walking up to him, I told El Tuco, "I said this isn't good." By the way, wish for who?
Because I'm good in those games. Who who did you go with? What are you there for? I went. A couple of my boys were are from Milwaukee.
They're brewer fans. Is that right? That's cool. They must have been ecstatic, right? Out of their skulls.
They're going nuts, right? I just thought you and Sarah were wearing white. No, no, no, no, no. Sarah was home. Yeah, I went with a couple of brewers.
All right, eight four four two zero four. Rich, number to dial. My boy's going to close out this show, everybody. Coop, Coop. I told you, Otani was going to go yard.
You know what I'd like you to do, Coop? You want to do the Patriots win loss game from here on out? Yeah, that's what we're going to do. Yeah, that's what we're going to do. I'll tell you, do you?
Fifteen and two, Coop.
Okay, very good. Fifteen and two. You scoff? This guy was great. Coop wins four.
He's got a tougher schedule than the Bills, though, right? Yeah, everyone with the easy schedule. Josh Allen's schedule is so easy. I want to stand compared to Drake May last year. Talking around here, where are you at?
You disagree with someone? You make someone sound like a doofus. We'll be right back on the show. Hiring for a small business is hard. You don't often have a team of people helping out.
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Restrictions and fees apply. The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. It's whenever you're trying to dig your hand in. It try to. It's like so hard to find that Reese's Pieces.
Yeah, I know that. It does. Who's here, everybody? We just saw a video of T. J.
Jefferson. In the movie theater, putting Reese's pieces directly in the popcorn. You put your candy where your mouth is, sir.
Well done, and Cooper, you like putting directly in the popcorn, right? I approve. Like, it's not always not always in the popcorn works, but that's still a good combo if you really want. Yeah, because sometimes they'll drop down, and you really got to like. Yeah, exactly.
That's what I was saying. Like, it's it's they're hard to find. They almost like. But then when you find it, it's like gold. Yeah, exactly.
You weren't part of this conversation earlier. Yeah, but isn't that how you got kicked off of the boxing format by? Recording? Did you learn nothing? No, he was off.
He was shooting the screen. He wasn't shooting the screen. He was down on the ground. Yeah, I'm checking. And that was on Twitter.
Looking out for you. Looking out for you. We're just looking out. That's all we're doing. Ladies and gentlemen, our friends at Sonos.
We use it, right, Cooper? You love it. I use it a lot. The best moments don't always happen when we're sitting still, because maybe the game's in overtime, a favorite podcast is getting to the good part, or a playlist just found its groove. Cooper's playlists are all over the place.
With Sonos, it's a whole sound system in our house designed to let what we're listening to sound and sound follow us from room to room, so we can all stay with the moment as we move throughout the house.
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Jimmy in San Antonio. Let's finish up strong with one of our favorites. What's up, Jimmy? Como estamos, hermanos? Hey, hola, muchacho.
You want to answer in Spanish, cool? It's supposed to be in. I told you. I I saw the what's more likely thing earlier. The algebra.
Now you're telling me to speak Spanish. And it's like, oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, you're fine. I'm out of school stuff. He was told there'd be no Spanish on this test.
What's up, Jimmy? I'm like, I was not. Coop, Coop, let me give you some life advice. Life is short. Milk it for all it's worth.
Third reference. Two days. What's going on, Jimmy? That one like a wrench in a dodgeball, Rich. What's up, Jimmy?
I got a. What's more likely for Mister Cooper? First of all, Coop. By the way, if only your penmanship was as good as your attendance record, one hundred percent.
Okay, I know. I know your mother would love it if one of you guys became a doctor. You are halfway there. I've seen your handwriting.
Okay.
Oh, that's right.
He sent a thank you note to Jimmy. That's right. What's up, Jimmy? All right, Coop. Here we go, buddy.
What's more likely, Shadour Sanders? Starts and finishes a full NFL game, or JJ McCarthy named full-time starter after Week Nine. Great question. Rest of the season, that's all it's got to happen. Sedar will start, and finish a game for the Browns, or JJ McCarthy takes over for Jamis by Week Nine.
Oh, Sedar, I'm I'm going Sedar here because I feel like the chance for the Sean to either like. Get injured or something, because because Deshaun is compared to Jameis Winston, can get injured so much more quickly, and stuff can go down. And Shador can still play for sure. And I, I mean, you know that that you and I both love JJ so much, but it's it's gonna be hard for him to get the starting job. I mean, and it could be a possibility, but it's like, I I see what you're saying.
It's it's a hard decision. It's a good question. Yes, Jimmy. Rich, okay, your thoughts. We heard the sun.
No, I agree, and the same thing. I just think that Shador's going to get a shot, and and the Jameis Winston experience will will keep living. Thanks for calling, Jimmy. You're the man, brother. All right, guys, take care, Cooper.
Jimmy, Jimmy, be good. All right, give me the Patriots schedule. My my youngest son Cooper is here. Diehard Patriot fan. Let's do this.
Let's finish up strong. I like the music, please. All right, your Patriots are currently three and two. Cooper, Eisen. Let's finish up the rest of the season.
What happens this weekend against the Jets? What do you think? What I'm gonna say?
Okay.
Thank you. Now you're at the Bears on a short week at four and two. I think they'll win. Five and two. What happens at the Dolphins?
I think that one too.
Okay.
Now you are six and two. Home for the Packers. Hmm. I think we'll get it done. Yeah.
Okay.
Seven and two at in in Germany against the Lions. In Germany. Yep. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to three Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app.
The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast. The NBA on ESPN is happening now, and opening week is on a new level. Welcome to another season of the NBA on ESPN. New chapters begin in South Beach, and stars are out in LA. Two of the elite players are on display.
The King protects his new court.
