Next NFL Head Coach Fired After Saleh (Hour 2)

Alrighty, this is that Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. What a day this has been in the NFL. You've had Robert Sala fired as the HC of the NYJ. Jeff Ulbricht will take over.

And then just a few moments ago, we reacted to it. Drake May. The baton is going to Drake May, and he may be the Patriots quarterback of the future.

We'll have to wait and see, but he'll get his first start this weekend up against the Houston Texans. So when we look at Robert Sala, and I've pretty much said everything there is to say about this. I do think this was an Aaron Rodgers decision.

Woody Johnson was clearly embarrassed what happened in London. The relationship between Sala and Rodgers deteriorated quickly into this season, whether it was the comments about Rodgers' trip to Egypt being on an excused absence, other times where there have been moments on the sidelines, like when you saw Rodgers and Sala, the two score lead thing, which was just always weird. You know what? I was actually, Stu, I don't know if I told you this. When I went to the Patriot jet game, my seats were behind like 10 of the New York Jets wives and girlfriends. And when that Sala Rodgers icy situation happened, you know how I found out about it? I found out about it because one of the wives of the Jets said, you gotta see what happened, what's going on social media right now, between Aaron Rodgers and Robert Sala. And the phone was getting passed down the line of just the wives and girlfriends of some Jets offensive players.

I wanna say eight out of the 10 wives that were sitting in front of me or girlfriends that were sitting in front of me were all offensive players. And I said, I was looking at the video, cuz it was literally right in front of me. And I'm like, I didn't see that yet.

So I then went on my phone and I saw that whole situation go down. But the camel that really, the straw that really broke the camel's back was really the whole cadence comments. Cuz Rodgers at least played nice with all the other stuff. That was the thing that really perturbed him. And then you followed up with the loss in London. And then also, you get wind that according to Jonathan Jones of CBS, that Robert Sala was contemplating and wanted to, maybe as soon as Tuesday, which would be today, fire Nathaniel Hackett, who's like best friends, right?

Nate Hackett, best friends with Aaron Rodgers. This is just the Aaron Rodgers playbook, folks. Things don't go your way. You blame others.

You take no accountability. And you don't end up finding a way to win what it actually matters the most. And this idea that this decision is going to turn the Jets season around, I don't see it. It could get a little bit of a hot streak.

There could be a little bit of a run. Maybe the Jets can make the playoffs. But even if they're a wildcard team, that wasn't the objective of this team. I never thought the Jets were going to win the Super Bowl this year. I never thought they were getting to an AFC Championship game. I thought if everything went right for the Jets this year, if everything went right for the Jets this year, and you know everything never goes right for the Jets, they would be an AFC East champion at best. I didn't pick them to win the AFC East.

And then they'd win one playoff game before bowing out in the second round. I know that this year of football, there's not a lot of strong teams. I'm off tomorrow, but I'll be back on Thursday.

I'm headed to the Met game tomorrow and doing some actually work at the Met game as well. But for Thursday, when we do Take 5 Wednesday and a Thursday, like picking the top five teams in college football in the NFL this year is going to be really difficult. Because at least like in college, right, and the NFL, you know who one and two are. Right now, it's Texas and it's Ohio State. And in the NFL right now, it's the Chiefs and it's the Minnesota Vikings.

But just trying to figure out who's three, four and five is extremely difficult. Now, in the NFL, you have an AFC and NFC, seven the AFC get into playoffs, seven the NFC get into the playoffs. So with how ugly that the NFL season has been through the first five weeks, is it still possible the Jets make the playoffs?

Yes. But right now, how could you expect anything positive out of this team? And can the jet fan stop telling me about how much talent they have? Marco Belletti is not even a jet fan and he's gassing up this roster.

The Jets are such an overrated team. And this is my biggest gripe, my biggest gripe, Stu, and you know this, people rush to use the word great. If I use the word great on this show, two things either happen. One, I truly believe someone's great, or two, in the moment I misspoke.

I was just searching for a word and use great. But we are so quick to rush to say this guy's the GOAT, or this guy's great. In all off season I heard how great the Jets roster is. There's just certain teams in the NFL that no matter when you think they're getting it right, they still find the way to bleep it up.

And kind of look at this right now. We had the last few years, positive things being said about the Cleveland Browns. The Jets, there was positive things being said about them heading into the season. Those two franchises are an absolute embarrassment. And look where we are five weeks into the season.

The Browns, they have one win. They made the worst deal in the history of the NFL, drafting Jamarcus Russell, trading for Russell Wilson, and then giving him the contract. Like whatever deal you want to throw out there, it's not as bad as the Deshaun Watson deal. Cuz you gave up the picks, and then even though Russell Wilson got the contract, the Deshaun Watson contract was fully guaranteed when no one was going to give Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed deal.

And that dude just can't play football anymore. But look at both of those teams. Like we walked into this season with optimism about three NFL teams that historically are laughing stocks. The Lions, the Browns, and the Jets. Now the Lions, let's hope the good times continue to roll. Let's hope the Lions can find a way to get to the Super Bowl this year and win it all. But maybe for the Lions to do that, they needed the football world to balance out.

There was too many bad teams that started to become or thought of as good teams. And through five weeks of the season, the Cleveland Browns back right to the bottom. The New York Jets, they are treading water right now, and their head is going underneath the water. And they're coming back up for air for about two seconds before going back down underwater.

And now there's a lifeguard there that's throwing them a buoy. And they just got Sal out. Now we'll see if they could get that team back in and get them back to shore and at least make the playoffs.

But just making the playoffs wasn't the goal for the Jets this year. So as we move the page and turn the page on the next NFL head coach to get fired, who is going to be the next NFL head coach to get fired? Robert Sala, dunzo, out, finished after five weeks of the NFL season. So let's go division by division here. The AFC East. McDaniel's not getting fired in season. You get fired at the end of the year.

That's a possibility. Gerard Mayo is a first year head coach. The Buffalo Bills, it's like surprising to me.

They are afraid of moving on to the next chapter. Sean McDermott did some incredible things in Buffalo. That was a team that didn't make the playoffs for nearly two decades, and all they've done is made the playoffs underneath him. But he took them to a good spot. He can't take them to a great spot. At the end of the year, their minimum, if the Bills aren't in an AFC title game, I think Sean McDermott should be showed the door. But I don't think any of those coaches are going to get fired in season. AFC North.

I'll tell you, it's unfortunate. But I would not surprise me at the end of the year. Stefanski sent packing. I don't think he should. He's a two time coach of the Year Award winner. Any time to Sean Watson isn't his quarterback, he's had success.

He's made the playoffs two times in Cleveland, for crying out loud. But they're gonna have to make a decision. Do you keep on doubling and tripling down with after this year? There's two years left in that Watson contract. Or you know when there's a bad relationship with Watson and Stefanski right now that you say we're gonna actually keep the coach and get rid of the quarterback. We'll see if Watson's a quarterback through the rest of the season because there's a lot of noise about Jameis Winston. I think Zach Taylor's on the hot seat.

At one and four with this talent. I know the Bengals are cheap. You cannot find a way to miss the playoffs with this team. And right now, if you put a gun to my head to make the playoffs, I would say no. But I don't think Taylor nor Stefanski get fired in season. AFC South.

Yeah. Doug Peterson. They are potentially one loss away. They beat the Colts this past weekend. They almost blew that game.

If they lost that game after having that lead, he would have been fired. But now they go to London. Uh-oh. Stu, is this another go to London and then you come on back and you get fired? They played the Bears this weekend.

And that's, you know what? Very loseable game. These next two games, you played the Bears and the Patriots are going to be red hot after starting Drake May. You lose either of those games and the Bears are now getting hot. I don't think Shad Khan is going to keep Doug Peterson as his head coach. And that's a potential destination for Belichick at the end of the season. So Doug is someone I could see getting fired in season.

The AFC West. No one's getting fired there in season. We know Reed's untouchable. Harbaugh's untouchable. Sean Payton right now in that organization. I don't think he's great coach anymore, even though they are three and two now.

But he's untouchable. And Antonio Pierce just became the interim H.C. or the full-time head H.C. after being the interim head coach. So he's not going anywhere. So in the whole AFC, just the AFC, Stu, in season, the only guy I could see getting fired is probably Doug Peterson.

Yeah. Or forgot really bad in Buffalo to the point where, OK, we're talking about they could miss the playoffs if they don't make a change sometime in November, maybe. But I agree, it's probably Peterson is the only one. Yeah, like maybe at the end of the year, McDermott gets fired. Maybe at the end of the year, Stefanski gets fired or Zach Taylor gets fired. But in season, that's tough.

Yeah, I got maybe the last two weeks. Sure. But I would be surprised if those three guys get fired in season. Now, the NFC.

NFC East. I don't think Daybell's getting fired in season. I do believe Marrow wants him to be the coach next year. I don't think McCarthy gets fired in season.

Sirianni could. The Eagles are two and two. Now they are getting healthy. And the Eagles next four games are winnable games. You play the Browns, you play the Giants, you play the Bengals, you play the Jaguars.

If they really bleep the bed here, Sirianni could be on the way out. So that's a coach that could get fired in season. NFC North. No one's getting fired there in season. The Bears are starting to play well under Eberflus. You know, Eberflus may not be back next year, but I don't think he's getting fired in season.

NFC South. Raheem Morris, no. Todd Bowles, no. I don't think even as crazy as Tepper is that Canales is getting fired again, right?

A one and done guy in season. Dennis Allen. I don't think Dennis Allen is any good, Stu, as a head coach. And I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but Mickey Loomis said that he could basically go on to be Belichick.

So it's tough for you to say the guy could go on to be Belichick and then fire that coach in season. Now they started off two and out. Remember, everyone was hyping up the Saints. Oh, here comes the Saints.

Come marching in. Panthers and Cowboys, they blew them out. Since then, loss of the Eagles, loss of the Falcons, loss of the Chiefs. I don't think the Saints make the playoffs. I think Dennis Allen could be fired after the season. I would be surprised if he's getting fired in season, Stu.

I agree. I don't think they'll fire him in season. And no one in the NFC West is getting fired in season. So the two coaches that you really monitor, Sirianni and Peterson potentially getting fired in season. And I would say Peterson, because his team is one and four and you got two games that the Bears are solid.

They're building. The Patriots are no good. But you lose either of those games where your owner thought your team was supposed to be this year after your wiggle room for margin of error is out the window now after starting 0 and 4 and you finally got a win last week and now you're one and four.

You lose either of those games. Yeah, Dougie P. As much as I like him, you could turn out the lights. The party's over. Like, I don't think it's a matter anymore of if Doug Peterson's getting fired. I just think the question is, when does Doug Peterson get fired? It is Zach Gelb's show on the Infinity Sports Network, eight five five two one two forty two twenty seven eight five five two one two forty two twenty seven. If you want to jump on a phone line, talk about Drake May becoming the starting quarterback in New England. The Jets firing Robert Salah today. And who is the next NFL head coach to get fired? If I'm putting money down right now, it is Dougie P. Tom Luginbill is going to join us coming up, talk some college football at four forty p.m. Eastern time.

So 30 minutes from now. But when we come on back, we will do a little overreaction, proper reaction on this busy Tuesday edition of the Zach Gelb show. Another NFL week is complete, which means it's another week to freak out about your favorite team. Which takes are truly crazy, but sometimes the game can be so bad it's almost good. You know what I'm saying?

And which are so crazy? They might be right. He's six five. He's two hundred forty five pounds. He's probably a Popeye's biscuit away from being a tight end. Zach let you know in this week's edition of overreaction or proper reaction. All right, he's still overreaction, proper reaction time on a Tuesday. What do we got?

All right. Jayden Daniels is red hot and the early front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, with many even inserting him into the MVP discussion. However, head coach Dan Quinn wants everyone to slow their role on comparing Daniels to other stars around the league. I think everybody knows how exceptional and remarkable Lamar is. And so I get why people would say that here is somebody who's got athletic ability and can absolutely rip it as well. But I've always wanted Jayden to be the best version of him and absolutely go for it in that way.

They'll feature different ways in the offense than we do. But as far as like comparison, I didn't allow myself to kind of go down all that road. I just really wanted to kind of stay in all the things that he could do and how we would feature him in our offense with our guys. So overreaction or proper reaction. It is too soon to compare Daniels to Lamar Jackson.

I think that's an overreaction. Now, let me be clear. That's not me saying that he is Lamar. That's not me saying he is one, two NFL MVPs. But when you look at the way that Jayden Daniels play, just like how Lamar did in college and Lamar won a Heisman, Jayden Daniels won a Heisman, it's not the first time that we've heard comparisons of Jayden Daniels to Lamar Jackson.

Quite frankly, Dallas Turner, when he was a prospect and he eventually got drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, he joined us on this show. I have the tweet in front of me on April 24th and he says to us on that show that day that Lamar Jackson is his favorite quarterback. That's what Dallas Turner said. But he believes Jayden Daniels has the potential to be better than Lamar because we all know Lamar is the better running quarterback compared to Jayden Daniels. But we know Jayden Daniels has a ton of wheels and he could run. But the better thrower of the football is Jayden Daniels compared to Lamar Jackson. So the upside and the potential, you still got to accomplish it.

Potential means you haven't done it yet. But I don't think it's crazy when you watch Jayden Daniels to say, oh, I see some Lamar Jackson and he could be maybe Lamar with the better arm. It doesn't mean he definitely will be. And I'm usually a defender of Lamar and I think Lamar is better on what people give him credit for.

But yeah, when you watch it, it's tough to not think that. So I don't think it's too soon to compare him to Lamar Jackson. It's not me saying I think he's going to be better than Lamar because he's got to prove that. But I see why the comparisons are being made. So is it too soon to compare Daniels to Lamar Jackson?

I'll go over reaction then. So after the Saints burst out of the gate winning their first two games and scoring 91 points in those two wins, surprise, surprise, their car and company have come back to earth losing their last three while averaging just 16 points a game in those losses. Carr still has two years left on his deal with a dead cap number of 50 million dollars next season, but just 28 million dollars in 2026. So overreaction or proper reaction, the Saints should move on from Derek Carr after this season. You know who would say that this is an overreaction, Stu?

Any idea who would say that this question is an overreaction? Maybe a certain New York football writer. Yeah, Gary Myers. I like Gary. I was not expecting to get into it with Gary Myers last night on the good old cesspool of Twitter. But I think it just goes back to my disdain for Derek Carr, where I hate the woe is me crap and people thinking that this guy is actually some great quarterback. But last night on the good old cesspool of Twitter, I'm sitting there minding my own business.

I'm watching the game. And Stu, you know what? Maybe it's just because even though the Raiders stink because you're a Raiders fan and I protect my guys, I don't like when other people take shots at the Raiders who do it to themselves. They really do.

They write it for themselves. You know, maybe I was enjoying myself last night a little bit after a long days of work on a Monday, a long day of work on a Monday after a long weekend. So maybe that could have encouraged me to maybe be on edge a little bit. So I see that Gary Myers put out there exactly why did the Raiders get rid of Derek Carr? And I responded by saying the Raiders weren't wrong to get rid of Derek Carr. They just did a terrible job replacing him with Jimmy G. Derek Carr isn't bad, but there are many QBs that are better than him and he isn't a franchise QB.

The desire to get someone better was fair. Now, Stu, you're a Raiders fan. Do you think Mike tweet was that a line there?

No. I mean, if they would have had a better plan and maybe gotten Brady or Rogers or gone a rookie quarterback or something that was better than Jimmy Garoppolo, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion. And remember, at the point where Gary tweeted this out, it was after one touchdown pass.

Derek Carr also had a really bad pick in the game to where it looked like he was the punter for the Saints. He did. So Gary then responds, Zach, that's an argument full of holes. They got rid of him because they didn't want to pay him with no plan how to replace him. That's the definition of mismanagement. He's way better than Jimmy G. O'Connell or Minshew. What have they done in two years to get better at quarterback? Now, this is what Gary doesn't get, that it was fair to move on from Derek Carr. But yes, the Raiders are the Raiders and their replacement options weren't good. But the intent to move on was the right intent. It was the right decision.

So I wrote back to Gary. Once again, the idea to get rid of him on its own was more than fair. What happened after that is why the Raiders are the Raiders. But I don't fault them for wanting to get rid of him.

I do fault them for how they handle replacing him. So then Gary responds, they are not mutually exclusive. So here is a joke that I throw out there. This is clearly a joke how I respond.

Neither is you understanding that Derek Carr isn't a franchise QB and the Raiders are a mess of a franchise. And I know Gary's an older guy, so maybe doesn't get sarcasm on social media. And I threw a winky face in there. And he responds back. And once again, I've known Gary for years.

I usually like Gary, but this is just curmudgeon older writer douche. I guess I should defer to you with all the years you've covered the NFL. Now at that point, I could have responded back.

And if you hit low, I could find a way to hit lower. Trust me. But I said, I'm done with this.

I'm just done with this conversation. And just because you've covered the NFL for all these years, doesn't mean you're right. Like Skip Bayless covered the NFL for years. When was the last time that guy got an NFL opinion right?

It's just amazing how people can't get that. So your question is the Saints should move on from Derek Carr after the season? Uh, yeah, but don't do what the Raiders did.

Actually have a plan. Move on and have a plan to get better. But Derek Carr is not a franchise guy. The best he'll ever be looked at is like a top 15 quarterback. And whenever you think he's close to get in the top 10, he falls flat on his face and he goes back into that 15 to 20 category. All right, the next one, go ahead.

All right. The Texans are four and one and seem to be one of the few legitimate contenders to the Chiefs in the AFC. However, the team lost star wideout Nico Collins for the second half of Sunday's win over the Bills after he scored a 67 yard touchdown. Collins still leads the NFL in yards at 567 but is considered week to week with an injury overreaction or proper action. Other than Stroud, Collins is the most important offensive player for the Texans.

Ooh, it's a great question. I'm going to say overreaction and here's why. Because I look at the offensive line, I'm actually going to say it's Laramie tonsil. Now your question exactly was is the most important offensive player. Big guys matter.

So that's a big guy matters type of answer. They have enough to get by with Nico Collins being out. He is their number one wide receiver, but you could survive having him out for a few weeks with Stefan Diggs and tank Dell on that team and also Dalton Schultz, too. But you've got to protect your quarterback and keep him upright. So I still think it's Laramie tonsil is the most important player to that offense outside of Stroud. So when you say other than Stroud, Collins is the most important offensive player to the Texans, I will go overreaction, slight overreaction.

After dropping their first two games and looking like the worst team in the league, the Broncos have won three straight, including wins over the Bucks and Jets. Now Bo Nix still looks very much like a rookie but seems to be more and more comfortable each week, completing 71 percent of his passes for 206 yards and three total touchdowns in Sunday's win over, of course, my Raiders. Overreaction or proper reaction, you're starting to change your mind that Bo Nix could be an effective NFL starting quarterback overreaction. I got to see more.

I really do. You know, the Pittsburgh game, he wasn't terrible. The Tampa Bay game, he wasn't terrible.

I know that they're in a three game win streak. He did basically nothing in that game up against the Jets. He threw for 60 total yards and are the Raiders. Hey, I thought the Raiders were going to I plus them the three and a half points. You could have put whoever has the dog in a Broncos-Raiders game. For the Broncos with the dog, I would have plus three and a half points with the Broncos last week. I got to see more. Let's not get delirious after a three game win streak where, yes, Tampa's a good win. Feeding the Jets, the Jets are kind of dysfunctional and a mess and the Raiders are dysfunctional and a mess.

So I'm not ready to say that Bo Nix is going to be an effective NFL starting quarterback yet. I need to see more. Overreaction. All right.

And last one, talking about someone who's doing it again. Thirty nine year old reigning Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco has come off the bench to lead yet another impressive offense in two games for the Colts. Flacco has five touchdowns and no picks and leads the NFL with a 115.6 QB rating, while Indy's regular starter Anthony Richardson is second to last in that category ahead of just Bryce Young. However, Shane Steichen says the team is sticking with Richardson once he is back and healthy.

And I know you're not on social media, but just to, I guess, get it out the way. When healthy is Anthony Richardson, your starting quarterback? Yes, he is our starting quarterback.

So overreaction or proper reaction. The Colts should stick with Flacco even when Richardson is healthy overreaction. I love Joe Flacco, but Anthony Richardson, even though I don't think he's their franchise quarterback, he is the guy that they're hoping is their franchise quarterback. So you go back to him and you play him. It's not like the Colts are a win now team.

It's like they have this great team. You know, Joe Flacco, quite frankly, should still be in Cleveland. And imagine if he was if he was still the backup in Cleveland.

I'll tell you this. He wouldn't be the backup anymore. They would be starting Joe Flacco over to Sean Watson this week, and they'd pull the rug out from underneath the Sean Watson. But no, I don't think that the Colts should stick with Flacco even when Richardson is healthy. Now if Richardson plays like three bad games, you go back to Flacco.

But you got to see if this guy has it or not in this league. So that's an overreaction. We got more breaking NFL news. So Stu, you would say Robert Saleh getting fired today is big news, right?

Definitely. On a scale of big, medium, small Marco Belletti, Drake May becoming the Patriots starting quarterback. Big medium, small NFL news. That's pretty big. The Eagles are releasing linebacker Devin White, who, according to Ari Mirov, has not played in a game this season and will now become a free agent.

I would say minor news. But it is crazy how quickly a guy's career can just implode. And it's not like Devin White is some old guy. He was drafted in the first round in 2019. But you go back to before last season, he had the holdout, he requested the trade, and then the Bucks let him go at the end of this season.

He goes to Philadelphia, a team that has been struggling, and he can't even see the field. And I think that's the toughest part when you are the guy, first round pick, fifth overall, you play at LSU, and then you have moments where people start to doubt you for fair reason. You can't handle not being that great player anymore. And you have an opinion about yourself that is so high and you kind of talk yourself out of the league. And that's what I think is happening right now with Devin White. That's definitely part of it.

I think it's also sometimes fit. So maybe the Eagles just wasn't the right fit for him and whatever system. And I'm sure someone will pick him up. Now, will he be the Devin White that we saw a few years ago? No, that's that's debatable.

That's a no for me, dog. That's Randy Jackson. This is Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. We will talk about the crazy weekend that did transpire in college football. We come on back with Tom Luganville, who does a great job ESPN College Football Analyst Update Time First.

Here he is, Al Capitan, Marco Valletti. All righty, this is Zach Gelb show on the Infinity Sports Network. We'll talk some college football. What a weekend it was. Whenever people say it's going to be a down weekend in college football, I know no such thing exists. And that's always the weekend where the most chaos does transpire.

And that's what we saw this past weekend. So we'll talk with Tom Luganville right now does a great job covering college football for ESPN. And he's kind enough to jump on board with us. Tom, thanks for the time. How you been? I've been great, man. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Well, thanks so much for coming on. So Vanderbilt and Alabama, it's still one all these days later that I just still can't believe I was at a wedding on Saturday and I was watching the game on my phone. And even after having a few drinks, I was like, I know I'm drunk, but I'm this drunk to basically see that Vanderbilt is beating Alabama and taking it to them all these days later. How do you explain the Vanderbilt season where they beat Virginia Tech early on? They eventually lose to Georgia State. They lose to Missouri, who was perceived to be a good team.

And then after Alabama beats Georgia, Vanderbilt beats Alabama. It's really crazy. Before I answer that question, who in the hell is getting married during college football? Yeah. Hey, sometimes you have those situations pop up and I will admit, I will admit a buddy of mine.

He got married. I was thinking of not going. I looked at the college football schedule and it was a running joke on the show. I said he should have thought of not going. And I said, this is going to be a great weekend because no one thought it was going to be a great weekend. Yeah, no doubt.

I tell you what, what a weekend it was. You're right. No, I think the thing that makes the Alabama Vanderbilt game even more shocking is it wasn't flukey. It wasn't one of those deals where Alabama goes out and turns the ball over five times and they, they allow a punt return for a touchdown and you know, they throw a pick six and the other team takes advantage, right?

That's generally how these types of things happen from word go. On that day, I don't think Vanderbilt, the better team of full of athletes, two to three to pour deep on that day. They were the better football team. They were more physical.

They were better prepared. They had more energy, passion, effort, and by God, I've never seen an Alabama team tackle so poorly in my entire life. They had 17 runs where a Vanderbilt ball carrier gained four more yards after contact.

All right. And that, that's not Alabama football, right? And on what planet should Vanderbilt be winning a game against Alabama when you, when you look at them athlete for athlete, but I, I, you got to look at this thing and you've got to credit Clark Lee.

You've got to credit this program. Their resiliency think a little bit was a, a bad recipe for disaster. When you have that emotional rollercoaster the week before with Georgia and Alabama, and you somehow pull it off, you outlast Georgia, and then what do you do 18 to 22 year old kids? You take a breath, right? And then you look at the schedule and go, Oh, we got Vandy.

And it's just literally the kiss of death. And so I think that Vanderbilt deserves a lot of credit and we can't diminish their effort, their preparation and their execution. Cause it was outstanding. So from here on out for Alabama, they got South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, Mercer, Oklahoma, and Auburn. How many losses do you see Alabama have him authority one to their resume after losing a Vanderbilt by the end of the regular season?

Well, if they don't play well, maybe two, if they play well, I would probably say none because I would still call them the best team of a collective group of athletes. First year head coach, new offense, dynamic quarterback. Like I would be very, very surprised if what we just saw it goes on and takes a field against South Carolina. But the question you ask is interesting because it doesn't just apply now to Alabama. It applies to Georgia. It applies to old myths and it applies to Tennessee.

So as we start seeing the carnage of cannibalization over the next six weeks or so, the month of November and the SCC is going to be absolutely crazy. And now the pressure goes on to Texas. Don't screw it up, right? Like keep winning. If you're the Texas Longhorns, stay healthy, keep winning, get the red river, a rivalry out of the way. And then you've got, obviously you've got a big contest versus Georgia. Georgia still has to play old myths.

So there's a lot of different things that could unfold here that could be really, really interesting. Who do you think is though, you know, we don't know how it's going to look at the end of the year, but right now, who do you think will end up being the best team in the SCC at the end of the season? I think barring another injury or two, uh, it's probably the university of Texas. And I say that I'm not just talking about Quinn.

You are, as I'm talking about the, the dearth of running backs that have been injured, uh, with this football team. And it just shows the incredible depth that they've got. Uh, they're, they're just playing really good, clean football. I think top to bottom, they don't have very many deficiencies and their transfer portal additions have been strong ones.

They've been as advertised. I think those young backs have really risen to the occasion. Um, I would put Georgia, Texas and Alabama probably all in the same boat. If you're going to sit there and say, okay, we're splitting hairs on either talent or competitive depth or youth or transfer portal additions.

You could probably throw them all up against a wall, have them all play. And you know, they're going to split games out of each 10. Tom Lugenbill here with us right now on the Zach Gelb show, a and M, you know, I have a weird relationship with a and M right now because I hate what their fans did to Mark stoops, but I like Mike Elko a lot. Now, after what I saw week one against Notre Dame, I would have never thought we'd be talking about them potentially going to the college football playoff, but what they just did up against Missouri with Wegman coming back to, uh, outside of Vanderbilt, it was the most impressive performance I saw this weekend. Yeah. If Notre Dame and Texas a and M played again, I do not think Notre Dame would win that football game.

I just, I, I, and I think that's why we always got to remind ourselves it's it's where you play, who you play, but it's also when you, yeah, they'll see things are really big and important. Listen, I have felt since August that if you were dissecting the AP top 25 poll and you said, okay, who's probably the most over-ranked unworthy team of their ranking. I would have said Missouri without question. And I broadcasted their cotton bowl last year. I liked them. I thought they were good.

I thought they did a fantastic job. Eli drink whips and the rest of that staff and that team, putting them in the position to beat an Ohio state team, but they snuck up on everybody last year and they're not sneaking up on anybody now. And what Texas a and M did is I think they proved that while Missouri is good, worthy of being ranked, they're not a top 10 football team. Now what was impressive about a and M was not just their ability to run the football rate down Missouri's throat, but when you make that change at quarterback and, and Connor Wigman, who's won that job twice, right? Yeah. He's been injured, but he's obviously very, very talented. There's a reason why he's won the job. And then he goes 18 to 22, just start slicing and Dyson.

So you had all of the components working in your favor. I think it's exactly what Mike Elko and Colin Klein want to be on offense. They want to beat you up. They want to be play action.

They want to be RPO, but it starts on the ground with them. And dude, Zach, look at their schedule. Like we talk about schedule. You got LSU and Texas and everybody else, they're going to be favored by probably seven or more. If they beat LSU, I think they'll make the college football playoff.

Cause I'm not going to expect them to beat taxes. I'm not saying it's impossible, but as long as they beat LSU, they should be a team that's in the playoff. Yeah.

I think, you know, most notably, it's probably 10 and two, the threshold probably to, to ensure that you have a spot. And you know, a lot of that's dependent upon what happens in the big 10, what happens in the ACC, what happens in the, in the big 12. Um, so yeah, I think that, but what's made this whole thing so interesting is we've had losses by teams who everybody thought, well, that's a college football playoff team and they've all lost to somebody that people didn't think was a college football playoff team. So it's thrown a huge wrench in the works. Could Penn state, I know USC just lost this past week, but could you see Penn state going down to USC this weekend?

No, I couldn't. I think that, that aside from Michigan, Penn state's the best defensive team they will have faced to this point. Um, I really love what Andy Cole, Nikki, the new offensive coordinator at Penn state has done. He has revitalized the run game. They're dispersing the ball to everybody.

I think two, two weeks ago, uh, two or three weeks ago, they had 10 different players, uh, have a reception and on the season they'd had like nine different players score a touchdown. I mean, the dispersal of the ball is really good and drew our looks sharp. I was really surprised at the lack of explosive plays for SC on the road at Minnesota with that, that collection of wide outs, SC couldn't push the ball downfield. They ran the football fairly well with Woody marks and defensively. I think SC is, is back to being competitive. I don't know how good they are. Whereas last two to three years, they were just non-competitive. And so, uh, Penn state will be the better team.

I think going West is a lot easier than going East. Um, but a unique kick time, I guess you could say, and we'll see. It reminds me of an old Rose bowl matchup, you know? Right now, a hundred percent, uh, Oregon and Ohio state, who do you lean on that one right now, uh, early on the week? Well, everything I've seen from Ohio state, I absolutely love, but there's like a 2% part of me that says, damn, they haven't played anybody. You know, I get the, it's the same vibe I got after Kentucky beat Ole miss. And I kept saying old misted themselves, absolutely no favor scheduling that way because they were never put in a bind.

They were never challenged. They never faced adversity, never had to play from behind, never had to make some plays in a one possession game. I think Ohio state's as good as, as I believe my eyes are telling me they are, but they haven't had to do any of those things either.

So you go on the road outs and stadium. Again, I think it's a lot easier traveling West and Oregon. My issue with Oregon is I still can't get their performance versus Idaho and Boise state out of my mind and not because the games were close, but why they were close Idaho and Boise state pushed them around upfront. So if those two teams can do that, and I know a lot of that's mindset and preparation, you're playing Idaho, you're playing Boise state that likely won't be the mindset versus Ohio state, but I am worried a little bit about Oregon in the trenches versus Ohio state. And I need to see Dylan Gabriel in this Oregon offense, create some more explosive plays. That's really been lacking.

And so is the red zone production. Who's more likely to win the Heisman. Is it Ashton gente or Travis Hunter in your opinion? It will all depend. And I have a Heisman vote full disclosure. I think it will all depend on what your mentality is towards whether or not the team is a good team. Meaning that, you know, even when, when RG three won it, they were nine and three, that's hard to win a Heisman trophy on a nine and three team. You're generally 11 and O or 12 and O 11 and one, maybe 10 and two you're in a new year six bowl, or you're in the college football playoff, or you're playing for a championship. What if Colorado faces six and six, or what if they were to finish seven and five?

Do you have the mentality of the voter that, I just, I don't know. Well, I personally look at Colorado and while I think they are improved, if you took number 12 and number two off the field, they're a one and 11 football team. So take that for what you will. I think he's pound for pound the best football player in college football. Now he's got to stay healthy. Still a lot of football to play and it's all in conference going forward. But I think, you know, it's not just Ash and Gentia it's Cam Ward. Like what if Miami rolls through? I mean, he's been lighting it up and they don't play Clemson during the regular season.

So, but I would probably lean towards Travis. He is Tom Lugan. Bill does a great job covering college football for ESPN. Tom always appreciate it. We got to do it again soon. Thank you. You bet.

Thanks for having me, man. There you go. Tom Lugan Bill joining us right there on the infinity sports network. Could be a good weekend in college football. When you look at these matchups, you know, even on Friday night, you got Utah and Arizona State, South Carolina, Alabama this weekend.

You got Red River with Texas and Oklahoma. You got Penn State and USC. Obviously, we'll see what happens between Florida and Tennessee. Maybe a last stand for Billy Napier, Ohio State and Oregon Ole Miss LSU. Even Iowa State now undefeated at five and oh up against three and two West Virginia, Kansas State, Colorado going to be a good one. Got some good games this weekend in college football. Take a break. How much longer will Alan Rodgers play in the NFL? We'll talk about that next. And also Craig Cardin will join us 25 minutes from now.