Best In The West (Hour 1)

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So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. Throughout the 60s and 70s, live from the police show yet not overly ostentatious, studios of CBS Sports Radio here in beautiful New York City, sitting on top of the 10th floor of 345 Hudson Street. Welcome on into a Halloween edition of the Zach Gelb Show across all the great local CBS Sports Radio affiliate, Sirius XM channel 158 and that free Odyssey app 855-2124CBS is number to jump on in 855-212-4227. If you go to my Instagram or my Twitter page at Zach Gelb, Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B, you could see Hot Take Kiki dressed up as Dwayne The Rock Johnson, and I went a little Jersey Shore this year, dressing up as Mike The Situation. We got an action packed show for you today, Jason Campbell, the former Auburn quarterback going to stop by. Hour 20 from now will react to Brian Harsin getting fired, didn't even make it two years as the head coach of War Eagle, and will maybe come up with the replacement or two for one Brian Harsin at Auburn. We're coming to you live from the Rocket Mortgage Studios.

Need to know what it takes for a home to fit your budget and your family. Well, Rocket Cannon, as you hear, producing this extravaganza for the next four hours is no other than Hot Take Kiki. His dumb producer, Hot Take Kiki. I got to start off with the NFC. The NFC this year makes absolutely zero sense.

No one could have been clairvoyant enough to predict the seven teams that would be in the postseason eight weeks in before the season started if you were to do so. Not a single person in the world, Eagles first place, seven and 0, Vikings six and one, Seahawks, the Seattle Seahawks, who were supposed to be in tank mode, five and three, the Atlanta Falcons, who's supposed to be a shoe in for a top three pick, four and four, Cowboys six and two, the Giants. We used to call them the stinking Giants. Now they're pretty damn good.

They're sitting at six and two. And then in seventh place, the last wild card spot right now, the San Francisco 49ers. All throughout the off season, we did show after show after show. Who's the top team in the NFC? Is it the LA Rams? Is it the Green Bay Packers?

Is it the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? All three of those teams at the season were to end today. We're basically halfway through the season. We'd be on the outside looking in come postseason time. We know the Bucks had an embarrassing performance against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football.

To kick off week eight, we talked about it. The Rams, what happened to the LA Rams? This was a team that was one of the more well-rounded teams last year. And they won the Super Bowl. This year, other than Cooper Cup, who should not have been in the game late as they were getting blown out by the 49ers.

And it looks like he survived a serious ankle scare. Other than Cooper Cup, they got nothing on offense, the Rams. The offensive line is horrible. Matthew Stafford constantly turns over the football.

Sean McVay's getting coach, out coach, week in and week out. And the Rams actually played a halfway decent first half. They were up 14 to 10 against the 49ers.

And I know the 49ers own them. Kyle Shanahan in the regular season and Jimmy Garoppolo had been Sean McVay's daddy. But with that being said, no Deebo Samuel in the game. Your team desperate for a victory and the LA Rams couldn't find a way with a four point lead. Which is not insurmountable, but a four point lead going into halftime. They couldn't even have a pulse in the second half.

They got outscored in the second half 21 to nothing. And the San Francisco 49ers didn't have Deebo Samuel. Now they did have run CMC Christian McCaffrey. He threw for a touchdown, he caught a touchdown.

And he also ran for a touchdown. And that's really all the 49ers needed. But to see where this NFC West is, which a year ago, was perceived to be the best division in football. This NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals don't look all that hot. They don't look like a playoff team. They lose the Vikings yesterday. The Rams right now, at best you can make a case that there'll be a seven seed.

But I don't feel good about that. They don't do anything other than Cooper Cup on offense. And then you look at the NFC West, Seattle gets a win up against the Giants yesterday. They're in first place at five and three in the NFC West. And the San Francisco 49ers, out of all the teams in the NFC West, if you look at the entire roster, they're the most well-rounded team and they have the most talent. So look at this NFC West, either the Seahawks or the 49ers are going to win it. I know the Rams aren't mathematically eliminated from winning the NFC West, but I can't see them this year winning the NFC West. It will either be San Francisco or it will be the Seattle Seahawks. And I think both those teams are gonna make the playoffs. I'm ready to say it, eight weeks into the season, I think the Rams are trending in the direction of missing the playoffs, winning the Super Bowl and then missing the playoffs. Because what they showed, or what they failed to show in the second half against the 49ers, that's a big time black eye. That is tough to recover from. They got outscored 21 to nothing in the second half.

That's just simply unacceptable against a divisional team. Where is the want to? Where is the desire? Where is the will?

Where's the fight? Where's the heart from the defending Super Bowl champions? And I would have never thought before the year started. Where the NFC is really turning into, I would have never thought whenever you talk about those teams in the NFC, but in the NFC West, if you would have told me before the season that the Rams at best would finish in third place, I would say you're out of your mind.

I never thought that would be possible. If you wanted to tell me they wouldn't have won the division okay, then second place locked to be a wild card team. But to be third place, I simply would have said, well, who's in front of them? And if you would have told me the Seahawks before the year with Geno Smith, who's leading the league in completion percentage, I would have said you're crazy. If you would have told me the Cardinals with DeAndre Hopkins out for the first six games of the season, I would have said you're crazy. The only team I could have said, okay, maybe they'll finish in front of the Rams would have been the 49ers, and probably the best thing to happen to the 49ers short term was Trey Lance get hurt this year and they insert Jimmy Garoppolo back into the game plan. So the NFC West is unpredictable this year from where we thought it was in July, in August, and the entire NFC is unpredictable. And that leads us to our poll question today. Through eight weeks, the Rams, Packers and Bucks combined only have nine wins.

Think about that for a second. The three best teams on paper entering the year in the NFC through eight weeks of the season, not two, not three, not four, eight weeks through the season. Nearly halfway through the season combined only have nine wins. Between those teams, the Rams, the Packers, Tampa Bay, how many of those teams will go on to make the playoffs? Tampa Bay is three and five. Tampa Bay is not trending and looking like a playoff team, but the NFC South is not good. The Panthers have two wins. The Saints got their third win. The Falcons are four and four.

I'm not gonna sit here and guarantee that the Falcons are going to the playoffs. So I can't eliminate Tampa Bay yet. But this is nearly a must win game for them. And basically a must win game for them next week, where you have Tampa going up against the Rams. And who would have ever thought eight weeks into the season going to week nine, that we'd be talking about a must win game for either Tampa or LA when they would go up against one another. But whoever wins this game probably saves their season. Whoever loses that game, you're already on life support.

The plug may be pulled after this weekend. And you look at Green Bay, the third team that we mentioned there. Green Bay didn't get embarrassed last night. And I thought they were gonna get embarrassed against Buffalo.

They never had a chance to win the game. But Green Bay on offense just looks lost. They don't have Devontae Adams. Devontae Adams is missing Aaron Rodgers. And Aaron Rodgers is missing Devontae Adams. And that's even with Romeo Dobbs actually playing good last night.

They just don't have the weapons. And it's weird to say this with the Packers, because you have Aaron Rodgers who won back to back MVPs. You wouldn't think you want to limit your best player. The way that the Packers are gonna rebound is going to be running the football with AJ Dillon and then also Aaron Jones. But then if you do that, in theory, it would help your team and behoove your team.

Because that's the way that you could utilize those two great weapons. You may annoy Rodgers in the process. And LaFleur has clearly displayed that he's not as good as what people thought he was. Yeah, I remember a year ago, I didn't have in my top 10 NFL head coaches. 13 and three, 13 and three people go, how do you not have a top 10 NFL head coach?

People called us at 855-212-4CBS from Wisconsin. And I said, he's got Aaron Rodgers. Now, if you're a great coach, you need a great quarterback, I fully get that.

But in big moments, he hasn't shown me anything. We saw what LaFleur did two years ago in the NFC title game. As they were down eight points, he kicked a field goal.

Inside the 10 yard line to get the ball back to Tom Brady. That didn't make any sense. And his team crumbled last year in the division around up against the San Francisco 49ers. And that Packers team, here's the difference really. And you could group the Packers and the Rams together compared to Tampa.

Tampa's division has been horrible. The Falcons right now are leading it, they're not above 500. Green Bay, it's not like that division's any good. The Bears, they're getting rid of Roquan Smith, they traded him today.

We know they're going in the opposite direction. The Lions, they absolutely stink. Minnesota Vikings, there were six and one. The Minnesota Vikings, I'll say this right now, I said this two weeks ago, I'll say it again, they're a lock to win this division. The LA Rams aren't winning the division.

So you better start turning your crap around because the NFC is a little bit better than what we thought it was going to be. And nine wins may not just be good enough to get a wild card spot. For Tampa, at least you have the luxury of still potentially winning that division. So between LA, Green Bay, and Tampa, how many of those teams will go on to make the playoffs?

That's the poll question at Zach Gelbatt, CBS Sports Radio. And here are the early returns, zero, one, two, or three of the options. Sitting in last place at 7.4% is three. Think about that, 7.4% say all three will go on to make the playoffs. Before the year, it was a lock that LA, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay will go on to make the playoffs. Second place, zero, 14.7%. Second place, 23.5%, say two, and then leading the way with 54.4% is one. So the most likely between LA, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay early on is that one of those teams will make the playoffs. Then two, then zero, and then three.

That's kinda wild. And if I had to sit here right now and give you my answer, I only think one is going to make it. And I would still lead Tampa Bay in the NFC South, but I don't feel great about it.

Ryan, there's a realistic shot. It's not crazy to say that all three missed the playoffs, cuz let's assume the Eagles win the NFC East, North, it's gonna be Minnesota, South. What happens if Atlanta wins it or the Saints get hot? All possibilities, NFC West, you probably go 49ers right now. You could then have wild card teams, Giants are gonna make a wild card spot, Dallas is gonna make a wild card spot. And it would not surprise me at this point, if I went San Francisco winning the NFC West, if Seattle ends up as a wild card team, cuz DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Geno Smith, and their defense has been really improving the last three weeks, I have to start really taking the Seahawks seriously. And that's something to kinda go with the entire trend to the NFC that I never thought I would say before the season did commence. Out of those three teams, LA, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay, Ryan, how many of those teams will go on to make the playoffs? I still am gonna say two.

Who are your two then? Rams Bucks. You really believe it in the Rams? Part of it is the talent they have on the team, part of it is I'm not fully sold on the Seahawks for another half of the season.

Okay, but what makes you think that Matthew Stafford is ever gonna get time this year? That line is horrendous. It's brutal. It's painful to watch. Their offense after being a Super Bowl winning offense a year ago has turned into one player that scares you. And that's Cooper Cup.

And you know it and I know it. One player in this league does not win games. You gotta have a team. I don't think they have a well-rounded team. That's why I'm starting to say I'm out on the Rams. I mean, it's fair, I'm kinda banking still my hope and cohesion that even though with all the injuries and all the switching, once you start to play with the five guys together for a while, they'll build continuity and get much better than they're playing right now.

So I'm gonna put my eggs in that basket. Well, if that's gonna be the case, Stafford's gonna have to have an MVP type of performance in the second half of the season. Because I don't see it from that run game. You better hope that this Cooper Cup news is reported the way that it is right now and it stays there, that it's not as serious as we thought it was to be. But they're one injury away from Cooper Cup to them having nothing you feel good about on the offensive side of the ball and that flash right in front of your eyes yesterday. I'll go one and I'll lean Tampa Bay just that Brady's able to rise to the top in a crappy NFC South that probably only takes eight wins to win this division. I don't feel great though, about any of the three Rams line is horrible. Green Bay is missing Davante Adams, they have no explosive threat in the wide receiving position and for Tampa Bay, it's all Brady. And yeah, Brady's nine touchdowns, one interception. But Mike Evans got to start catching the football. Leonard Burnett's got to be a dominant force now in the running game.

Chris Godwin, can he stay healthy? That's a big concern. But this NFC, what we thought it was going to be before the year, it is drastically different with the way that it's played out the first eight weeks of the season. It is the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio.

We'll take a timeout when we come on back Raiders, no show in week eight. And I have four or five of the biggest off season moves and the way that they're playing out right now in a positive way. We'll get to that on the other side, Zach Gelb show CBS Sports Radio. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today throughout the 60s and 70s. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show.

You can think of Riley Auto Parts where car care needs get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts, O'Reilly Auto Parts. We got to get into the Raiders right now. Woof.

They're two and five. This was a team last year that overcame so many things that were out of their control. Like what happened with Henry Ruggs, Damon Arnett, John Gruden, and the Raiders last year with Rich Basaccia and Derek Carr displayed toughness.

And they made the playoffs as a 10 and seven team and they got hot down the stretch. They moved on from Rich Basaccia. He was the Interim Head Coach.

He's now coaching special teams in Green Bay. They brought in David Ziegler and Josh McDaniels to be the new GM and the new head coach. And so far through their first seven games of the season, it's been a disaster. And Ryan, let me say this right out of the gate, shame on me because I thought going into this weekend, the Raiders were going to beat the Saints. Not that I got giddy after a victory over the Texans, but I looked at them at two and four and said maybe they could salvage their season. The next two weeks they play the Saints, they play the Jaguars, and you know what, they should be able to win both those games, get to four and four, and then they're two games after that, Colts and the Broncos.

So I thought there was a path to salvage this season. When you look at the Saints, no Michael Thomas, no Jarvis Landry, they're starting Andy Dandy Dalton at quarterback. This is a bad Saints team. They have a lot of talent, but they're a bad Saints team.

And the only reason why they have a shot to still make the playoffs is because the NFC South stinks. And the one guy you couldn't allow to get hot was Alvin Kamara. And Alvin Kamara yesterday was the Saints leading rusher and the Saints leading receiver. He had three total touchdowns. That's unacceptable.

That is ridiculous. And Alvin Kamara is a phenomenal player. Didn't have a touchdown though in the first seven weeks of the season, had three in week eight. And that loss yesterday is on the coaching staff because the one guy you had to stop or not even stop, contain, was Alvin Kamara and you couldn't contain him. And Josh McDaniels is a heck of an offensive coordinator, but what the bleep happened to that offense yesterday?

It was miserable. Didn't matter who. Callers did them.

Didn't matter. You only give 10 carries to Josh Jacobs, only 10? That guy's been red hot. You only give him 10 carries. I know they were down.

But if you watch the game, it was 10-0 for a while and then right before the end of the first half it got to 17-0. And what has happened to Davante Adams? I know he was sick, but he played. He was on the field.

He was active. One reception for three yards. Had a carry on an end-around, negative one yard. This Raiders team going into here, not to even love Derek Carr, and I say this all the time, anytime Derek Carr starts to look like a top 10 quarterback, he takes two steps backwards. But you look at this team, I know Waller didn't play yesterday, but they got weapons.

You have Hunter Enfro. You have Davante Adams. You have Josh Jacobs. And that offense has looked lost all throughout the year. And you look at it through their first seven games. They beat the Broncos, who are not good. And they beat the Texans. Those are their only two wins. And still with that being said, they looked good against Kansas City, got out to a lead, couldn't hold on. They threw three picks in week one against the Chargers, almost came back, blew a 20-point lead to the Cardinals, almost came back against the Titans, lost by two. And with all those things that I saw, even though they were two and four entering this week, I go, bad start, clearly not what you want.

But they're going up against the Saints, and I looked at that number all week. And I said, wow, Raiders minus a point and a half, I like the road favorite. I like the Raiders a lot, because the Saints, they're gonna have injuries left and right.

And the one guy, the one guy, you couldn't allow to go off and destroy you, you allowed that to happen. I know, I don't want to give the players a pass through yesterday, but my first reaction to this game all around, every coach, horrible, horrible, horrible performance hot take by the Raiders coaching staff. And I know that's gonna get you all fired up, because you have nothing to look forward to with your football season, and you're a man of spite, and you're still annoyed at Josh McDaniels for leaving your team at the altar a few years ago. I mean, you're seeing why I was concerned, why I was not buying into the Raiders in the first place.

You're seeing it so far on full display through these first seven games, and it's like, even on Sunday especially, this is a very bad saying to the offense, who was one of the worst in the NFL in terms of points per game allowed. Obviously, there's history there with Dennis Allen and his horrendous one and done with the Raiders. But this is an offensive genius in Josh McDaniels, who I will admit, is a very good offense coordinator, did a great job managing the Patriots offense in his time in New England, versus a defensive minded guy, Dennis Allen, and he got pantsed.

You mentioned it was embarrassing for the start. It took them 57 minutes in the game to get over midfield. And Dennis Allen is no Bill Belichick. I mean, I've never seen such offensive- He's no Buddy Ryan. No, this is not the 85 Bears defense that you're going against right here, where you can't move the ball.

It took 57 minutes of game time to cross midfield, or an offensive genius of a coach with you mentioned- On their last drive. Even though you don't have. Jared Sittem! The game's already over. You don't have, Jared.

Well, okay, no problem. You have Devonta Adams. You have Josh Jacobs.

You have Hunter Renfro. Derek Carr. But you can use injuries as an excuse.

The other team is more banged up than any team in the league. You're right. This is bad. Horrendous.

Now, I will say, you have the right message, but you may be the wrong messenger for this one. Why? Just because of the division they play in. I told you that the Raiders are going to be awful. Same division. You told me the Broncos are going to be the best team in this division. And I was absolutely wrong about someone 50-50 in that division. I was absolutely wrong with the Broncos and looking great about the Raiders.

And you know what? It's time to say it. Nathaniel Hackett rightfully so deserves a lot of criticism and blame. A lot of that same energy has to now be geared towards Josh McDaniels. Fair. Hackett's still worse, though, than McDaniels.

And I'm not saying it's by drastic measures and it's by leaps and bounds. But Hackett's still done a worse coaching job than Josh McDaniels now. It's like asking what disease would you rather have with the way that both of those coaches are coaching. But I think more people would have agreed that the Broncos before the year were viewed to be as a better team than the Raiders. A lot of people, I put them at third in the division, the Raiders, and I thought I was going out on a limb.

A lot of people had the Raiders finishing in fourth. But the question is, we discussed, right, with Nathaniel Hackett, I think we're all on the same page, that this guy, it's a dead man walk and he's going to get fired. Does Josh McDaniels even see your number two? And I would have to think, even though Mark Davis could be unpredictable, if his father was still alive, this would probably be one and done. But with the regime of Ziegler, McDaniels, and how close they are, I'm going to say that both will be back for year number two in the National Football League. But I don't think Derek, we talked about this weeks ago, with the way that Derek Carr's extension is structured, it's very easy to get out of that deal. I would say that Carr's not back next year, and they allow McDaniels to go find his quarterback is what I'm thinking. I think he will be back, but with that said, if you're Mark Davis, you spent, you gave up the draft capital and you paid divine to Adams, what do you want to get paid? You pay Darren Waller. I know the contract for Derek Carr compared to other quarterbacks and what the norm is not huge. You pay Derek Carr. Like the money's invested into the offensive side of football, you're not getting the results you want. I know it's one year again. There's still a long way to go.

And I'm with you. I think both, especially McDaniels will be back next year. You just wonder Mark Davis, like you're paying all this money. If you like Derek Carr, you think something's got to change. If you like the quarterback, you would think then the head coach would change. The Raiders though, did what the Raiders typically do.

They go for the sexy, splashy, big name hire. Say what you want about McDaniels. There was buzz when the Raiders hired McDaniels, even with his shortcomings in those two years, those two short years with the Denver Broncos. But that was a big name.

That was a headline name. And what they should have done is not try to fix something that wasn't broken. Just say what you want about Versace. I'm not saying you had to give Versace a five year extension. You could have named him the head coach and given him a two year extension and remove the interim tag.

They elected not to do so. Those players believed in Versace. I'm not saying they don't believe in Josh McDaniels, but whatever's going on with the Raiders right now, it's just simply not working. And whatever magic they had last year from Versace looked a whole lot better than what we've always seen for the first seven games of the Josh McDaniels era with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, all season moves wise, we all thought Devontae Adams would be a home run addition for the Las Vegas Raiders.

It's not been the case. And the Green Bay Packers, we knew would take a step back, but you still thought they were gonna be a top three team in the NFC, like Hickey, you were extremely critical of the Packers. You didn't think they were gonna be any good this year, but you said this will be the third best team in the NFC because the NFC on paper wasn't that good. Anytime I watch Adams with the Raiders and I look at Roger's body language and him just being frustrated, even when the Packers played okay last night against the Bills, even though they had no shot of winning the game from the earlier window to the Sunday night game. Whenever I saw Rogers, whenever I saw Adams, I keep on thinking to myself, they should still be on the same team. They should have found a way to make this work in Green Bay. And those two guys should have been together and I bet you Devontae Adams would have been happier. And I bet you Aaron Rodgers absolutely would have been happier. That's a move this off season. I think if you shoot both guys up with truth serum and ask if they wish they could have that back more so probably on Adams, Adams probably says so. And Rogers, you know, at this point, he would walk to Las Vegas.

He would punch a karma cleanse, do all that stuff all over again, walk to Vegas and then walk back to Lambeau field in order to get Devontae Adams back. It's very funny through seven-ray games, you see the exact piece that each are missing. It's each other. We had a lot of big moves this off season. Russell Wilson to the Broncos, Deshaun Watson getting traded to the Cleveland Browns, Devontae Adams, Tyreek Hill on the move. I'll give you the four best off season moves with what I've seen so far through the first eight weeks of the season in no order.

And I don't even think these are debatable, Ryan. AJ Brown going to the Philadelphia Eagles, Titans, I know they're five and two. That offense could use AJ Brown. AJ Brown in Philadelphia, they're seven and now he had three touchdowns yesterday. Von Miller, he finishes games for the Buffalo Bills and he did so up against the Kansas City Chiefs. Dolphins, Tyreek Hill, he's on pace to go well over 2,000 yards this season. And if two it didn't get hurt, the Dolphins record would be a whole lot better than five and three.

And then here's one that flew under the radar. And this team's gonna win the NFC North. The Vikings to Darius Smith, he had three sacks yesterday. He has nine and a half sacks on the season. This guy has been dynamite, he's been explosive, he was great in Green Bay. And he was a big time leader in that Green Bay team. He stays in division, goes to Minnesota, and that was a Vikings defense that's been horrible the last few years under Mike Zimmer, defensive minded coach. That defense looking a whole lot better through almost halfway through the season. Are any of those debatable?

Like do you have another one that could rival those four that I just gave you? Kahlil Mack to LA is interesting, but I would like to say prefers to Darius Smith and his impact on the Vikings compared to what Kahlil Mack's been able to do has been solid. But again, that charter's defense still has some work to do for how bad they were last year. But I don't think, yeah, I'm with you. I think those four are non-debatable top four moves for sure.

I'll give you one more. And I don't think anyone would have thought this when the move was made. The Seahawks getting rid of Russell Wilson could have been one of the best moves of the off season. Cause they got draft picks back, first round picks back. And not only that, not that Geno Smith, I think is going to go on to have this great career. Geno Smith's being a much better quarterback right now than Russell Wilson.

And you didn't have to go extend Russell Wilson and live with this contract for the next five, six, seven years. It is Zach Gelbshaw on CBS Sports Radio, Brian Harsin out at Auburn, when we come on back, we've assembled the list of 10 names. You'll get my thoughts on those 10 names of potential candidates to replace Brian Harsin at Auburn. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app, your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Most of all, you can completely customize your listening experience, follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later.

There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app, your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience, follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later.

There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app, your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience, follow topics you care about, like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to.

So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show. I remember two years ago, it is a Zach Gelb show on CBS sports radio when Auburn announced that they were cutting ties and letting Gus Malzahn loose. And I remember saying, be careful what you wish for Auburn fans, because Gus Malzahn may not have been a great coach. He did a good job though, for really the rest of college football standards up against Alabama. And I didn't think even though Auburn is considered to be a big job, that whoever Auburn hired when you heard the list of candidates, were gonna be drastically better than Gus Malzahn. I really doubt if they were gonna be able to bring in a guy that made you say, wow, okay, I'm all right with them getting rid of Gus Malzahn. And two years later, not even a full two years later, Brian Horson today is gonna get paid a whole lot of money to not coach Auburn moving forward.

Now this was inevitable even before the start of the season. And really once he got blown out by Penn State at Auburn, you knew that the end was near. It wasn't any more, even though the feeling before the year started that it wasn't a matter of if it was more just when, then it was really emphasized with that performance or lack of it against Penn State when Penn State clearly blew out Auburn in that football game. And it was just how much longer they gonna let this thing go on for. And surprisingly went on for longer than I would have thought of, cuz Vicky, you went to that Auburn Penn State game. That was like mid September, right?

Like September 19th, something around there, what do you remember the game of the year? September 18th. Yeah, I was surprised that we're sitting in October 31st and the news came down today. I thought it would happen a few weeks earlier, but so be it.

Here's the bottom line. Brian Harsin seemed to be doomed from the start. Cuz I remember us having this conversation was announced Brian Harsin. We didn't think that they upgraded their head football coach. And you know the fans at Auburn don't have patience to begin with. So he wasn't gonna be given time. He wasn't gonna be given a few years to bring in the Auburn recruits that he wanted to bring in.

And after one, year one with how ugly this got also personally with things in and leaked out, this thing was done so. And they gave him this year, but we all know he wasn't gonna survive the entire, even if he made it through the year, he was gonna be sent packing at the end of the season. And now you're in a spot, who do you hire? Cuz this next hire is pivotal. It's a big hire because you just failed, and you swung and miss, getting rid of Malzahn, who you probably should have just kept. And then if this was two years later, the results were the same, then you go swinging for a big name. But the hire of Brian Harsin, and it wasn't the guy they wanted from the start, there's no way.

Because you don't fire Gus Malzahn, no offense to Brian Harsin, to bring in Brian Harsin. So I'll be fascinated to see who they bring in from here. You got some names for me, Hickey? And I'll give you my reaction to the names that you throw my way. Let's start with the Lane Train, Lane Kiffin. Oh, I would love that. That would be a name if I'm an Auburn fan.

That would excite me. And I do think Lane would be really interested. He's at Ole Miss right now. I don't know if Lane could do a better job at Ole Miss than the one that he's currently doing.

And he's made some comments throughout the year that shows he's a little bit fed up already with the fans arriving late to games. I think he would jump in a heartbeat to go be the next head football coach at Auburn. How about a guy who just got a contract extension at Liberty, Hugh Freeze? So everyone says, and I was reading today, a lot of people were saying he would go in a second. He would go in a second. Does that mean Auburn's just not interested or not going to be interested in Hugh Freeze?

Cause I guess you take your money when you can. And I don't know how the buyout is structured and everything, but that contract he just got is what, like 30, $30 million guaranteed, 40, 40 million guaranteed. I would think that he's not going to be the next head coach of Auburn when he just signed that deal last week, but people say he's still in play and he would want the job. The question is, does Auburn want him?

I don't think they're going with Hugh Freeze. How about prime time Deon Sanders would bring excitement. And I know Deon's been interested in a power five job before going back to last year, Auburn would be a big enough one and it's in the SEC. You could have him going up against Nick Saban, that would be palpable buzz. He's done a really good job at Jackson State. I would hire Deon Sanders if I'm Auburn.

That would definitely be one of the names on my shortlist. So it's also announced today outside of just Brian Harson's firing that they're hiring Mississippi State Athletic Director to be their new athletic director at Auburn. How about then, Mike Leach, would you be interested in hiring him, the pirate? I would probably pass on Mike Leach. I feel like he should say at Mississippi State, would he jump?

I know the AD hired him. Would he jump to go to Auburn from Mississippi State, do you think? I think he would. He's easier recruiting, more resources. I don't think he's going to be the guy though. I would agree. I think you can do better if you're Auburn.

I would agree with that. It's an exciting hire. He's an interesting guy.

I'm not jumping up and down though. It's a mild level of excitement if you want with Mike Leach. He does fit Starkville very nicely.

That is for sure. How about a guy already in the state of Alabama? Alabama Office Coordinator, Bill O'Brien. Now I think O'Brien could be a really good college coach with what he showed at Penn State in those two years in the terrible state of that program. I feel like Bill O'Brien though isn't going to get an SEC job. I know he's at Alabama. When I think Bill O'Brien, I'm just thinking like Arizona State or Georgia Tech. I think he gets a Power Five job but not a creme de la creme job for the jobs open this year and Auburn would be one of those top jobs. Could you maybe see Bill O'Brien in Nebraska potentially?

I think Wisconsin's going to go to Leonard. I don't see him getting one of the top three jobs which would be Auburn. What about Matt Vrole? That's a good one because we saw what Matt did at Temple. We then saw what Matt did at Baylor. What doesn't come off to me though as an SEC coach? When I think of Matt Vrole, I'm thinking his next job is either in the Big Ten, the Pac Twelve or the Big Twelve. I would say one of those three conferences, I don't think his next job will be in the SEC.

And also Matt likes to build a program. We saw him take a two-win Temple team to back-to-back ten-win seasons. We saw him take a one-win Baylor team to two years later a Sugar Bowl. You don't get patience in the SEC. You don't get patience at a school like Auburn. Just ask Brian Harsin. Speaking of a builder, a guy who's turned around a perennially losing program very quickly is Kansas head coach Lance Leipold.

She'd be on the radar. I think he's a heck of a coach and look what he's done at Kansas in two short years. I think though for Auburn, it would be a smart hire but I think they'll go for a bigger name this time around.

All right, let's finish them with three big names. Let's start with Oklahoma State High coach Mike Gundy. Now remember, when Tennessee was open a few years ago, seemingly was willing to get the job.

It floored with the opportunity. I think he would be interested. He's a good coach, very good coach. I would not call him a great coach. I don't think Auburn would go for him. How about Urban Meyer, knows the SEC well, a lot of success.

I think, you know what? I did not even think about Urban until you just said it. I think Auburn would be interested and wouldn't Urban be interested? That's a big enough job for Urban Meyer, they'll have a conversation with Urban.

Oh, I think you're right about that. And finally, what about Coach L? What do you want to, I have no idea if he wants to coach again, but listen, he won a national title fair night with LSU. I don't think they're going Coach L. Big name. I like Coach L a lot. It seems like Coach L just seeing him out at parties, seeing him constantly on social media is enjoying the social scene a little bit too much to then tone it down and then become a head coach again at a major, major job. I don't think the priorities and the guy's a great recruiter everywhere he's gone. I don't think the priorities are there for Coach L and he doesn't need the money. He's made that clear.

They said, yeah, we're going to find, we're going to pay $18 million. Okay. Fine by me. If you had to give me three names right now, who are your top three from that list? Lane Kiffin, Hugh Freeze, Lance Leipold. Really Hugh Freeze? Hugh Freeze.

Guy wins in the SEC. Now look. It's a risk though.

Nothing. Can you trust that guy? You bend little rules.

You know, it's. Can you trust him though? He is. I'm not saying you can trust Urban Meyer necessarily. Publicly, he at least has played by the rules at Liberty.

I don't take the risk. What about the other jobs? I guess publicly. Zach Gelb show, CBS sports radio, Jason Campbell will join us coming up at seven 20 PM Eastern four 20 PM Pacific to discuss all removing on from Brian Harrison, who should be their next head coach. We come on back. We'll date you in the biggest stories of the world of sports with some audio. We call that segment the news brief throughout the sixties and seventies, the listening you love is on the free Odyssey app, your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience, follow topics you care about like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today. The listening you love is on the free Odyssey app, your trusted local radio stations, coverage of your favorite teams, live news from your hometown and millions of podcasts on demand. Best of all, you can completely customize your listening experience, follow topics you care about like leagues and teams, pause or rewind your local sports and news and add shows to your queue to catch up later. There's a lot to listen to. So get started and download the free Odyssey app today.