Onside/Offside (Hour 2)

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No long-term commitments or contracts. That's Stamps.com Code Program. Moist Mike has got a few questions. I'll give you a few answers. We call this segment Onside Offside. Manny Rodriguez, hit it! Zach's taking on the most polarizing issues in sports. Which side of the line of scrimmage will he end up on? Offside, defense number 69. It's Onsides Offsides with Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio. Alrighty, Big Mike CBS, Moist Mike, Michael Santer. Sometimes in my Twitter mentions they call him Santer.

I got that yesterday. Now I actually spelled your name wrong for a long time until we went on a trip together. I think it was to the draft. And this was in Las Vegas.

Yeah, so it had to be the draft. And you saw in my phone I spelled your name S-A-M-P-T-U-R. But it's S-A-M-T-U-R. But ever since working with you now on a full-time basis, whenever people rush to my DMs or rush to my social media accounts and they try to take shots at you. Like if we disagree or they just don't agree with your opinion. And actually the chat was very favorable to you yesterday. They were saying, Hey Santer, you're having some good opinions now to start off the new year.

New year, new Santer. But I did get a few tweets where I was trying to figure out who they were talking about. And then I'm like, Oh, they're talking about Santer and it wasn't even the right ballpark and how they spelled your name. I've gotten a lot of weird spellings. It's odd when I'm on the phone because every letter of my last name could be a different letter. S could be F, M could be N, T could be P. So I get all kinds of F-A-N-P-E-R all over the place. So I have to phonetically spell out the words. S isn't Sigma, A isn't Apple, M isn't Mary, T isn't Tango. And kind of use that old military language so that people can understand how to spell my name. You would think my name would be pretty easy. It's only eight letters. Zach, Gelb.

A lot of people, if they mess it up, will do Gelb, like G-I-L-B, which I don't know how. But you know what I've also realized? Any time I get into an Uber or a Lyft, people can't say Zach. Zach, Zach. Like, I don't think my name is uncommon. But I don't think I have been in an Uber in the last five months where I've got it in the car and someone said, Hey, Zach, how are you? It's Zach or Zach.

And I don't understand how that happened. There should be a K at the end of your name, so the fact that there's an H there just throws everything off. Oh, no, there shouldn't be.

I mean, there should be. Z-A-C-K? Yeah. I think more people spell it Z-A-C-H than Z-A-C-K. Zachary is with a C-H, but once you shorten it... Well, that is my name. My full name is Zachary.

Zachary Lazarus Gelb. And once you shorten it, you change the lettering, just like in Jonathan and John. Jonathan is usually J-O-N-A-T-H, and then John is J-O-H-N, right? So you add the H when you shorten it from Jonathan to John. Now I'm curious. Jonathan is not spelled with an H in there. I'm really curious here. I'm Googling this.

I'm trying to see if more people spell it C-H or C-K. Nah, don't really get any earlier results here. Anyway, let's get down to business. Let's get down to business. Well, apparently this is a big weekend in the NFL. There's a couple important games. Sam, there's no clue what I'm talking about right now.

I'm not even paying attention to what you're saying. I'm trying to do onside, offside, and you're distracting me with all this Zach and John stuff. Why should this game be different than any other day?

Well, that I know. Now the AFC South is on the line, and there are three teams that can either win the division or miss the playoffs altogether. Obviously Jacksonville, Houston, and the Colts. On Saturday, two of those teams faced off with the Texans traveling to Indy. Onside, offside, the Texans are the more dangerous team than the Colts. The Texans are the more dangerous team than the Colts.

Yes, onsides. I believe the Colts have been tremendous this year. They are playing with no fear, and I love Gardner Minshew, and Shane Steichen has impressed me immensely.

Immensely. I'm a big fan of Shane Steichen, but Michael Pittman Jr. has played better as of late. They now have Jonathan Taylor back. I just look at the Texans, and D'Amico Ryans and Steichen are similar. Young coaches both having success, but C.J. Stroud, when healthy, is the Offensive Rookie of the Year. And then defensively, Will Anderson Jr. is getting better and better and better down the stretch, and he is looking like a top three candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year. So I believe the star power and the star presence of the Texans makes them a more dangerous team, because even though Minshew is this miraculous guy and he goes and has these really good games, there is more of an elite level when you look at a Stroud and when you look at Will Anderson compared to what the Colts have to offer on their offensive side of the ball and defensive side of the ball.

So onsides. Alright, now just for the record, Zach Moss of the Indianapolis Colts spells it Z-A-C-K, as does Zach Martin, the future Hall of Fame guard for the Cowboys. You know who spells it with an H? Zach Wilson.

Good company you're in. The NFC South. They play for who? They play for the Colts, right? Zach Moss does and Zach Martin for the Cowboys. That was a rhetorical question.

I don't want to follow anything that happens with the Indianapolis Colts. I mean Zach Moss is one of the top running backs in the NFL this year, yardage-wise. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know. Hey listen, you can partner up with Zach Wilson all you want. He's probably just down the street. You know what?

Let me tell you. I'd be more than happy hanging out with Zach Wilson. If you see some of the nice people that Zach Wilson hangs out with, I would love to spend some company with the people that Zach Wilson hangs out with. You mean his mom's friends? Zach Wilson's mom. She's got it going on. Zach Wilson's mom's friends. They got it going on.

Zach Wilson hangs out with some very attractive females. What is it in Spanish, Manny? Bonita and then girls would be chicas, right? Well, you would want to say mujeres. Mujeres is more like women.

Okay. Mujeres bonitas, mujeres bellas. How do you say that? Mujeres.

Mujeres bonita. Well, bellas. Beautiful. Okay. Yeah. That's how you win. Bellas. I know a little Spanish.

Un poquito español. Ja, ja, ja, ja, ja. Keep it that way. Keep it that way. Now, speaking of the south, let's move over to the NFC and continue on with onside offside, you giggling mess.

The NFC south is also off the ground. It's a Friday. I'm in a good mood here. I know. With the guys in the YouTube chat a little bit loopy.

I may be a little loopy today as well. Sipping on that scissor if I see it. The NFC south. I wouldn't go that far. Take it easy. The NFC south is also up for grabs with the Bucks who win the division with the win over the Panthers, but Baker may field his bang up and his status is still up in the air.

Onside offside. If Baker plays and the Bucks still lose, that should be his last game as Tampa's starter. Well, they're playing the Carolina Panthers. Like I would say, nah, one game shouldn't determine someone's future and he's done enough to be on this team next year, but you lose to Carolina.

Like, yikes. I actually think the most intriguing part of that game is will David Tepper have any cajones and actually show his face this weekend? And will he be in his fancy schmancy luxury box?

And if the windows are open in that luxury box, throw a drink at David Tepper because he deserves it. But, if the Baker plays and the Bucks lose, that should be his last game as Tampa's starter. I would have to go onsides because, once again, of the opponent you're going up against. Gotta win this game.

Alright, moving on. My defending champion Chiefs take on the Chargers, but Casey is locked into the 3-seed no matter what happens, so Blaine Gabbert is starting in place of Patrick Mahomes. Onside offsides. The Chiefs would actually have been better off playing their starters to help work on those offensive woes they've been having.

Nah, that's an easy offside for me. If you have not fixed it yet, I don't think you're going to magically fix it in the final game of the season. And you don't even necessarily need to kind of fix your lack of issues or your present issues with wide receivers in a game.

But, I don't think there's much to gain here. The only thing that could happen is Mahomes plays, he gets hurt, and then you're really screwed. Like, you always have a chance as long as 15 is healthy, so I don't think you need to play 15 with nothing to really gain from this one. Because the Chiefs wide receivers, here's breaking news, even if he did play, they were still going to drop some footballs in this game. So, get ready for wildcard week and get ready for the playoffs. The Chiefs would have been better off playing their starters to help work on their offensive woes.

I would go offside. Now the Seahawks are still alive in the playoff race, needing a win and a Packers loss to clinch the final spot in the NFC. Head coach Pete Carroll is the oldest coach in the NFL at 72, about 6 months older than your boy Bill Belichick. So, onside offside, do you think Pete Carroll will continue coaching in the NFL longer than Bill Belichick?

You know, it's crazy. Pete Carroll's 72. He doesn't look anything like he's 72.

Or act like it. And he's in great shape. Like Belichick, little husky up top if you know what I'm saying. Belichick, he's tiptoeing out of people's houses in Nantucket after maybe getting a little booty call since he broke up with his long-time girlfriend. I'm not saying Belichick's looking old, but he's looking older than Pete Carroll. And I think Pete Carroll still has a ton of enthusiasm. I believe Belichick will eventually walk away when he passes the Don Shuler record for most wins ever.

So yeah, I would buy more stock just because he seems a little bit more youthful in Pete Carroll coaching longer than Belichick onsides. Now Lane Kiffin was lauded for dominating the transfer portal and landing a strong recruiting class. The Lane Train.

Choo choo! The Lane Train might be hitting a derailment possibly because Ole Miss got some bad luck losing their star running back Quinshaun Judkins who has entered the transfer portal. Judkins was second in the SEC in rushing with over 1,100 yards and had a second straight 15 touchdown season. Onside, offside, Lane Kiffin is facing the most pressure of any coach in the college next season. Now I know which way you might go after what we just talked about with Ryan Day, but I still think it's a good question.

It's a fair question, but I am easily going to say offside. When you say Lane Kiffin is facing the most pressure of any coach in college next season, I'll give you two just right off the top of the head. Ryan Day, obviously, and then my BFF James Franklin. Both of those guys have a lot more pressure.

I got one more for you. Lincoln Riley. Moving to a new conference, losing his quarterback, losing Malachi Nelson who is potentially going to Boise State who is your next five star starter. He's got to prove something at UFC.

So that's a great point that you've just brought up. And I have been on this train for now two years that Lincoln Riley is overrated and he should not have left Oklahoma. And now you go to USC who is now moving into the Big Ten. The one thing that I have that I think Lincoln Riley has in his favor, if he was still at Oklahoma and this stuff was happening, the fans would be all over him. I don't think the fans are all over him at USC.

I'm not saying USC doesn't have a passionate fan base, they do, but it's a little bit of a different mentality than the program of Oklahoma. So there is pressure. I just don't think there's pressure on Lincoln Riley yet to lose his job. I do think there's pressure entering this season with James Franklin and Ryan Day where if the season doesn't go a certain way, their seat's going to be on fire and they may be looking for a new home in 2025.

So I will go offside on that one. Next one. Alright, Klay Thompson is showing major signs of slowing down, averaging under 17 points a game and a career low 37.8% behind the arc. Earlier in the week, Klay opened up about his focus for the rest of the season. Steve and I had actually a great conversation yesterday. That helped me relax a lot. Sometimes I forget just how successful and how lucky I've been to be a part of championship teams and all-star games and gold medals. When you want to get back to that level so badly, you can kind of get in your own way. Rather than forcing it, we had a conversation about just enjoying this last chapter of my career and how lucky I truly am to still be playing this game. Being a better mentor for these young guys, meeting by example, having my energy right every game, and he helped me realize I do have negative energy, how that affects the team in a poor manner. So we had a great conversation.

That just helped me change my whole mindset. Onside, offside, the Warriors should trade Klay Thompson. Yeah, I think they should onside. It's the final year of his deal. I don't believe they should extend him. And I think what the Warriors need to do is realize the dynasty that they had, you need to start changing those pieces. Steph is the constant. Steph is still great. But you should have never extended Draymond Green.

That's not revisionist history because now Draymond's coming back from the suspension and all that stuff. I said that last offseason. Draymond was great when you needed him for all those years, but now the juice isn't worth the squeeze. And unfortunately for Klay, he could still play at a really high level, but his body has just suffered so many injuries. So I think maybe like the Lakers, the Sixers could be two teams that need shooters. They should try to go make a move for Klay Thompson. I think the Warriors should trade him because if you give him a new contract, unless it's on a cheap deal, which I don't think is going to be the case, I think you're just doubling down on what he did in the past and not what he's going to do in the future. So I would say onsides they should trade him.

Alright, last one. The Lakers have lost 9 to the last 12 since winning the in-season tournament, which is obviously very important, dropping to 17 and 18 overall and falling to 10th in the West. Now reports say there is, quote, deepening disconnect between the Lakers players and coach Darvin Ham. Onside, offside, Ham should be held responsible for the Lakers' struggles this year. Yeah, what a joke.

Seriously. And I'm not directly relating this to LeBron James because it's more than just LeBron James. But whenever a team is implying to their standard, it seems like the coach always gets fired when they're attached to LeBron James. And I have never really given the coach credit when LeBron James is playing there because LeBron, even though the Lakers have pushed back to some extent with Rob Polinka, but LeBron pretty much gets what he wants. And the crazy part is the Lakers are playing this poorly when Anthony Davis is actually playing some solid basketball and he's healthy, and LeBron has been healthy as well.

It's not like those two guys have really been unavailable throughout this year. But it is funny to me, in a league that is full of player empowerment, and it's all about how the players run the league, and it's the players, players, players, players, players, whenever the players don't play well enough, they never take the accountability. It's always on the coach. Whether it's Luke Walton, whether it's Frank Vogel, now it's Darvin Ham, you know, the whole David Blatt situation going to Cleveland. Heck, LeBron tried to get Eric Spulcher fired. He wanted Pat Riley to come from the upstairs booth that he was in and then go coach on the sideline. So it's always everybody else's fault, never the players' fault in the NBA. So you ask me, Ham should be held responsible for the Lakers' struggles? No, that's offside. But what probably will happen is this is the beginning of the end for Darvin Ham in LA, and this is just the start when you hear these things.

Alrighty, that is Onside, Offside. This is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. We'll take a break. We'll come on back. We will preview week 18, also go around the college football world with the transfer portal and also the national championship game on Monday night with former NFL and college quarterback Danny Connell.

You can check out Bet Online for a plethora of college football playoff championship lines and props, plus opening odds for the 2025 college football playoff championship. Danny Connell, what's happening? Appreciate you doing this once again. What's up, Zach? Happy New Year.

Hope you're fantastic. It's bittersweet, right? We got one more game to go to crown a national champion, but that means it's the end of college football season. But it's been a fun year, and I think we got a really fun championship game, too. Yeah, we'll talk about the championship in just a bit, but I gotta bring up Florida State.

I find the conversation the last week to be insufferable on both sides. Florida State gets smothered by Georgia. No crap. Florida State was without 20, 25 players from their actual team. Then Alabama loses to Michigan, and I hear how Florida State should be in the college football playoff. There's no logic here anymore. People aren't making sense anymore, and it's a span of like two days in between when someone says something that's stupid and then people say things that are even dumber a few days later. It's crazy. Welcome to the world of college football, where nothing makes sense, Zach.

I mean, it really is, because you can argue till you're blue in the face either way, right? I mean, whatever side you wanted to go, I had people coming at me saying, oh, see, this is why the committee got it right. Florida State got blown out. They had no business being in the playoff, even though we all know they didn't have about 80 percent of their offensive production on the field. And then, like you mentioned, as soon as Alabama took the field, Florida State fans were like, see, this is why we should have gotten in. It is all the evil genius of the minds behind college football, which made a very concerted effort 10 years ago when they started the college football playoff that there was going to be a team every year that got left out. And it would drive conversation.

It would drive interest. And yes, it would even drive people crazy, because every year somebody was going to get left out. I just hate that it had to be my alma mater that had the most egregious example of a Power Five Conference champion that got left out. And the good news is we're going to 12 next year, but I don't think it's going to stop people from going crazy and mad because of whether it's the top four seeds, which will get a buy.

The next four seeds, which will get a home playoff game on their site, or the 13th, 14th team who gets left out. The controversy isn't going anywhere, but the powers that be say that's great for the sport, and the ratings back that up, Zach. I also think the interesting part about this, and I don't think anyone has made this point this week, because I know Georgia lost to Alabama, but we talked about this, right? The committee said Alabama was better than Florida State, but then Florida State was better than Georgia. I think most people would say no, Georgia's better than Florida State, and I know the bowl game was the bowl game, but it was completely different rosters. No one this week is talking about what would have happened if Georgia got into this college football playoff, because I would have to think they would have been playing in the national championship game in some capacity on Monday night if they were one of the four teams. Yeah, I totally agree, but see, then it goes back to what year was it when the Patriots ran the table in the regular season?

They were perfect, right? And then they faced the New York Giants as their favorite. That team, if they would have gotten another chance at the Giants, they probably would have beat them, right? At some point, the games have to matter, which is why I thought Bama should have been left out losing to Texas, but if you're going to give Bama an extra chance, if you're going to give them a mull, again, why didn't you give to Georgia? Because Georgia would have been favored in a rematch, again, against Bama, and they showed how good they were against Florida State. It is all a mess, and like I said, we could argue different scenarios until we're blue in the face, any of them, and by the committee's own criteria, you could make a justification for any team not left out, any team should have been there.

It just drives me crazy, and I know it drives a lot of fans crazy, too. And I know you didn't mean it this way as Danny Cannell joins us, but the one thing that I can't stand is like last year when Saban said, oh, we would have been favored against any of these teams that we were going up against, the teams that they got in front of us. You were also favored two times last year, and you lost both of those games, so I don't care who the favorite is, you're right, the games need to matter to some degree, and let me be clear, Georgia didn't deserve to go this year because it's a mixture of who's the most deserving and who's the best team, regardless of what the committee does say. No doubt, and that's the blend of it, and that's why, and there's also the reason Florida State got left out, and the committee was very upfront and clear about this, they said they weren't the same team without Jordan Travis, their starting quarterback, and their offense looked atrocious. That was the minute I started getting nervous, because I was pretty much guaranteeing Florida State was in no matter what happened. If they ran the table, they were undefeated in the ACC with wins over LSU and Florida from the SEC, that was guaranteeing fans they were in. But the minute, even with Jordan Travis' injury, but the minute I watched that game, the ACC championship game versus Louisville, and it was gross, it was ugly, the offensive performance was atrocious, I was thinking, uh oh, the committee's watching this game too, and they were thinking, do we really want to put this offense on the national stage, because while yes, Florida State could have won, it would have been an ugly, defensive performance, like that's the way they would have been able to win in the playoffs, and I think that was the minute I started getting nervous, was that I was watching that game like it really wasn't.

This offense doesn't look adequate, even though months to prepare, maybe they get things ironed out, I hate that I understood why they went that direction. Talking to Danny Connell right now, I gotta get your thoughts on DJ Uenglele. I love him going to Florida State, getting back into the ACC, going up against Clemson and Davos Sweeney, and Davos become insufferable really the last two, three years, and everyone else is starting to catch up to him, and even surpass him in the ACC, as you saw Florida State win the ACC championship this year. Your reaction to DJ Uenglele joining your Seminoles? So, full disclosure Zach, I was, if there was a draft, I would have wanted to draft Cam Ward, the quarterback from Washington State. I think he was the most dynamic player, the biggest game changer, the guy who can kind of really take your program to a next level. Once he was, you know, he announced, now there's speculation that he announced as a leverage move, he hasn't hired an agent that he still could be in the mix until January 15th when they actually have to declare for the NFL draft, but once he was off the board, so to speak, then it was like, let's get DJ U, that's the direction they went. I think it's a safe play.

Like, I think it's a good move, I don't think it's a great move. I think Cam Ward would have been a player that all of a sudden you're picking Florida State again to go to the ACC championship, you're picking them again to go to the playoffs. I need to see DJ U take that next step, because he's been a polarizing quarterback from when he went to Clemson, he was a five star, supposed to be all everything, didn't pan out, then he goes to Oregon State, it's supposed to take that next level, and it was almost identical statistically to the season before at Clemson.

He needs to take that next jump. Like, he had 21 touchdown passes this past season to Oregon State. He's got to get that to 30 plus and, you know, less than, you know, single digit interceptions, 65% completion rate, but here's the thing that I do trust. Mike Norvell has been great with quarterbacks and great developing systems that fit his quarterback's skill set. I trust him to do that, but then not to mention you have all those question marks, those players that were sitting out in the bowl because they opted out for the NFL draft, they're gone. So he has a lot of players to replace, which he's been a transfer portal king, he's going to have to be just as active as he's been in years past if they want to replicate any type of the success they had this past season.

Danny Connell here with us. Will Howard to Ohio State, is that underwhelming to you? Like, did Ohio State get better with Kyle McCord going to Syracuse? How do you react to the Ohio State new quarterback?

They're better. It is an upgrade for Ohio State. He's more dynamic than Kyle McCord, he's a better runner, he's bigger arm, and I think he's played better with less talent. And I hate the year that Kyle McCord had where he feels it was a failure because for a first year starter, he was really good. Unfortunately, he plays at a place where the expectation is 40 plus touchdown passes, four interceptions. He wasn't the next in a long line of quarterbacks. Justin Fields, CJ Stroud, Dwayne Haskins, guys that have been lighting up the charts, he unfortunately fell just short of that. And still they were a one loss team. I just wish he would have stuck around and maybe tried to develop and get better. Because if you go back and look at players, like that's one thing we're so impatient.

And I say we, it's us as analysts, it's fans at Ohio State, and sometimes it's coaches. If this would have, like Joe Burrow, his first year at LSU that he transferred in there, I think he completed 52% of his passes. He was like 14 or 15 touchdown passes. Nick Bruce said it was more memorable on that team on that offense compared to Joe Burrow on offense, the running back.

Absolutely. So it was boring. He didn't look great. He might have been moved off now because people want to succeed now. Then he develops, gets comfortable in the system and puts the perfect season in 2019.

But unfortunately, we're not going to see that. But I do think Will Howard is an upgrade. But he still has to learn that system. And no more Marvin Harrison Jr. I know at one time it was wide receiver U, but Julian Fleming, one of their top targets, just transferred to Penn State.

This is the world of transfer portal where every single year there is a tremendous amount of turnover on everybody's roster. How far are you willing to go, Danny Connell, with Michael Peddix Jr. at the next level? Where should he be ranked when you look at these quarterbacks that are eligible to be in the NFL draft coming up in April?

Boy, that's going to be a fascinating discussion. And I think there's one player with a ton of pressure on him in this game. Both from what he has to do for his team to win, but also the draft boards. Because after watching what he did in the Sugar Bowl, I saw a bunch of people on social media saying, Holy cow, this kid can sling it. I'm like, what have you guys been watching? He's been doing this.

It's just been late at night. He's been tearing it up like you guys should have been paying attention. I do think coming before the Sugar Bowl, it was very clear.

Caleb Williams won, Drake made two, Jayden Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner, three. Then Peddix might have been a little bit of a gap. Well, he's closed that gap significantly.

And I think there's going to be some people that potentially jump him all the way to number two. Especially the recency bias of that Sugar Bowl. But if you dive into the tape, Texas' secondary was a weakness.

They're not very good. Now he's got to go against one of the best defenses in the country in Michigan. He'll be faced with a ferocious pass rush. If he replicates what he did in the Sugar Bowl, if he goes off for 400 plus and wins the game, watch out because he could jump to two. I don't think there's anything anybody can do to supplant Caleb Williams from the number one spot, but I think that number two spot is open for business. And if Michael Penick shreds apart Michigan's defense, I think he could be the second quarterback off the board. Wrapping up with Danny Connell, everyone is talking about Michael Penick Jr. because it's the sexy part from the semifinals, right?

He stole the show. So going into that game, it's like, oh, what's Michael Penick Jr. going to do up against Michigan? I look at this when I'm breaking it down, and we know what Michigan's bread and butter is. You saw it up against Penn State. It's Blake Coram. It's Donovan Edwards.

Their best defense against Michael Penick is going to be their offense and running the ball and chewing off clock and having Penick on the sideline and just playing that bully ball that they like to play with Coram and also Donovan Edwards. I think you are a very smart man, Zach, because that is exactly the matchup. Many don't say that, by the way.

We could use that as a drum. Thank you very much, Danny Connell. There you go. I'm giving you some props because everyone is talking about the strength versus strength matchup. Washington's offensive line is the Joe Moore award-winning. They're the best in the country. They've only given up 11 sacks all year versus Michigan's front seven. Yeah, it's going to be a fun matchup to watch, but I'm more concerned about strength versus weakness, and that is Michigan's run game that you mentioned. Their offensive line, which didn't look like it missed a beat despite losing Zach Sinter, one of their best guards, against Alabama. Blake Coram, one of the bigger workhorse backs in the country, they've got an identity against Washington's defense, which, if you follow advanced analytics, their rush defense is 130th in success rate. That is not good. That is towards the bottom, almost the last in all of FBS, all of college football.

So that concerns me greatly. But when I say that, I think Michigan is going to bring a physicality that Washington hasn't had. But guess who else brought physicality? Oregon did. And Washington matched it.

That's the one. In case you haven't noticed, I think Michigan's going to win. I'm laying the points with Michigan.

I think exactly what we're talking about takes place. And yet, everyone's been picking against Washington for the back half of the season. They were a 10-point dog against Oregon. People thought Oregon would march up and down the field against them, and they didn't.

So there's a small sliver of doubt. They're 5-0, straight up as underdogs, not just against the spread. 5-0 against, as with Kalen DeBoer as the head coach. So there's a part of me that's nervous, but I just feel like the third time is the charm for the Wolverines. I feel like this is a moment that's kind of been growing.

They've been there. They've got the experience in the playoffs. And I feel like they kicked the door down versus Alabama, and I think this is where they get back to the top of the college football world. Last thing I'll ask you, Danny Kanell, so you were talking about how you have Williams, May, Daniels, and then Michael Pennix Jr. And 2-4 is going to be fascinating, but no one's going to move past Caleb Williams as the No. 1 pick. Do you think the Bears are trading out of that No. 1 spot, or are they keeping that draft pick to select Caleb Williams and that means they would then trade Justin Fields? Boy, I tell you what, it is a decision they've got to make because typically, you know, if you're a team that, if you're a quarterback like Justin Fields, who's in this big decision year that you've got to make to determine your fate, you play well enough and you start winning, you're going to be out of that discussion for the No.

1 overall pick, but because of the trade to Carolina, it's out of his control. And I do think he's played better, and he's played well enough to earn that opportunity to kind of say, alright, let's trade down, let's see if we can get Marvin Harrison Jr., let's see if we can, you know, potentially turn this thing around, around me. Man, Caleb Williams, wait until you hear some of the things you're going to hear about him because it's going to be, he's the closest thing to Patrick Mahomes, he's a generational talent. And he embraces that. I talked to Williams and there was that quote, I think it was from Tom House, that there's nothing that Williams could do that Mahomes can't, something like that, and I said that to Williams at the Heisman and he was like, yeah, I see it the same exact way and with all the respect in the world to Patrick Mahomes. Right, he doesn't lack confidence one bit.

I'm hedging around your question because I'm really torn on what to do with it. I personally think you go with the known and I think with Justin Fields, you've seen kind of the worst case scenario, which I don't think is that bad. Like, I don't think he's a bust. I think if he is on the trade market, maybe it's a change of scenery that Justin Fields needs. I still think he could be a really good quarterback. We've seen before guys pitched as the number one overall pick. Go back and listen to some of the takes on Bryce Young. Now, he had size issues, but it really wasn't his size that was the issue this year. I mean, he's been healthy for the most part. I know he got knocked around early. He's also in a bleep show in Carolina.

Yeah, exactly, which is a complete mess. I still get nervous. I still think it's a coin flip around anybody no matter what they've done in college. I think Caleb Williams is going to be awesome, but you never know. At least we know with Justin Fields that he's not going to be a complete bust. And then I think it depends on the offer. Like, what's a team willing to give up to come up and get them? Trust me, there will be some desperate teams in the market for Caleb Williams that might offer you a king's ransom where you can go out there and take it. And then it just gives you the answer for you of what to do for your future.

You can check out Bet Online for a plethora of college football playoff championship lines and props, plus opening odds for the 2025 college football playoff championship. He is Danny Connell. Danny, always appreciate our conversations. Thank you. You got it, Zach. Enjoy the game. Thanks so much.

You as well. There he is, Danny Connell, joining us on CBS Sports Radio. This is the Zach Gelb show. Let's take a time out. We'll come on back. We'll update you on some of the biggest stories in the world of sports with some audio with the news brief. But update time first. Here's the act man, Rich Ackerman.

I think you are very smart man. Zach time for your daily news brief. We get you caught up on the rumors, reports and reconnaissance from the day in sports.

Alrighty, this is Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. Before we get to a news brief, let me tell you about my friends at Fairfield by Marriott. Let's take a look at who's got home field advantage in our NCAA football preview sponsored by Fairfield by Marriott. Fairfield by Marriott is official hotel partner of the NCAA with over 1,000 locations around the country. You will always have the home field advantage.

Visit Fairfield dot Marriott dot com to book your stay. There is just one game remaining in college football as Michigan and Washington face off in the national championship game at NRG stadium in Houston. Neither team has a home field advantage, though Ann Arbor is 1,000 miles closer to Houston than Seattle. But will that play a factor in the crowd? Well, I'll tell you this, as much as I love the Washington program, I can guarantee you there's going to be a lot more fans that are Michigan fans in that stadium than Washington fans.

That would just be my prediction. Alrighty, let's start it off with Brian Deball. Remember a few weeks ago, it was Ryan Dunleavy who was asking if he's ever tried Tommy Cutlets' mom's chicken cutlets. And he was like, oh, I'm on a diet to Ryan. And then the reporter said, well, Brian, Dabes, you know, Brian Deball, Dabes.

What about those cookies you eat all the time? Well, the media keeps on going back with Brian Deball. Here's a little conversation with the coach of the Giants and a reporter about some good hair.

Sunday, they hit certain thresholds. Are you aware of those? Sorry, I'm looking at your hair.

My hair? Yeah. Just jealous? I am, but you should look and you should flip your phone around and take a look at it. It is a little wild. But yes, I am. That's been about, I don't know, 30 years.

I forgot the question. Today you have a reporter just doing his job with some nice hair and Deball's like, oh, you got nice hair. And I don't think the reporter meant it the way that it first happened, but he was like, oh, you jealous?

And then everyone in the room laughed because you can't say that to a bald guy when you have these luscious locks. I want to know who the reporter is. I didn't recognize the voice right away, but man, Dave's taken a beat down about his lack of hair and his weight from the media the last few weeks. Let's go to Bo Melton of the Green Bay Packers. He says Jordan Love is a great leader.

Jay Love, he's a great guy. He goes to dinners at his house on Mondays. He has whole people come over. I don't think I'm saying it too much. We come over to his house on Mondays, we eat, we go over film. Before the week starts, we go over film as well. So I think just the bond of staying connected with him is big as a wide receiver.

Yeah, absolutely it is. And I do believe there's been a lot of drama. Here's breaking news in Green Bay the last two years prior to this one and not having to deal with the Aaron Rodgers drama just makes everyone be able to breathe a little bit easier in that locker room. Where you had all this drama, you had all this contentious fighting and then, alright, Rodgers gets dealt and the guy that just did everything the right way behind the scenes the last two years is the starting guy. And he can relate to those younger players more and he's really taking control of that locker room.

I don't think anyone should be surprised that now down the stretch the Green Bay Packers are starting to put things together and have a chance to make the playoffs this upcoming weekend if they beat the Chicago Bears. Let's get the play-by-play NBA on TNT. This is Nikola Jokic. What can't he do up against the Golden State Warriors? Maybe Steve Kerr shouldn't have started to say he shouldn't have been able to do something in that game of five minutes ago because it looked like the Warriors were going to blow out the Nuggets. And then in the final seconds, Nikola Jokic somehow hit this like half-court three-point shot to win the game.

Yeah, that's Kobe White. Wow. Wow.

Wow. That's crazy, bro. That was insane. Absolutely insane.

And you know what's even crazier? Nikola Jokic won a championship last year. And he didn't even look like he gave a rat's ass. It was nice to actually see a smile and a kid-like excitement from Nikola Jokic after having that crazy shot last night. Also, last evening in the association, you had the Milwaukee Bucks go up against the San Antonio Spurs. So you had Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembiniama.

Try to say both those names ten times fast. Giannis goes for 44 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. He also got blocked big time by Victor Wembiniama. And Wembiniama, as the kids call him, Wembi, had 27 points and 9 rebounds as well.

I think it's good. You see Wembi play really strong, and then Giannis takes it to the next level. That game was important to both to showcase, and Giannis basically reminded everyone, yeah, I'm still maybe not the best player in the NBA because that's right now Nikola Jokic, but one of the best players in the NBA. Here is Giannis, though, showing respect and raving about Wembi.

You haven't seen anything like that. So the sky is the limit, and as long as you work hard and you keep on having a positive attitude, energy towards the game, everything that he dreams of, it's going to happen for him. You know, it's very tough at sports to gain the respect of your peers instantly, and two athletes have done that this year, and they're not even through their rookie seasons. It is Victor Wembiniama with the San Antonio Spurs. You hear the way that Steph Lebron and Giannis talks about him, and then Conor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks as well, who has like 15 goals and 18 assists so far through the first half of the season.

He's been sensational. Those two guys, there was so much hype, and sometimes when there's so much hype, people try to poke fun at you, jab you, and they want to see you just fall down. Both of those guys, they are seeing it from their confidants and their co-workers that they understand how great those two guys are, and all the big names are showing them respect. Adrian and Marilyn, I'll get to you on the other side. 855-2124 CBS, 855-212-4227, you can jump on in. Also, still to come, Dolphins, Bills, huge matchup this weekend. What's on the line? We'll discuss next.