Michigan Mauls Ohio State (Hour 1)

Is there something really absurd that skeeves you out? Getting a paper cut on my eyeball. A fear you can't shake? I'm going to leak ocular fluid down my cheeks.

It's going to go into my mouth and I will perish. Whatever scares you, I want to talk about it. Join me, Larry Mullins, on my new podcast, Your Weirdest Fears.

Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast from. Throughout the 60s and 70s, cops hunted down key figures of the Dixie Mafia, including its enigmatic ringleader, Kirksey Nix. I'm interested in making money.

I'm not interested in hurting people. Fifteen years into Kirksey's life sentence, the Dixie Mafia was practically folklore, but that would soon change. I'm Jed Lipinski. This is Gone South, a documentary podcast from C-13 Originals, a Cadence 13 studio. Season 2, The Dixie Mafia. Available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from the play 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 in to a Monday edition of the Zach Gelb Show across all of our great local CBS Sports Radio affiliates, Sirius XM, Channel 158, and that free Odyssey app. 855-212-4CBS. Remember to jump on in. 855-212-4227. You can always get at me on Instagram where I'm straight flexing or via the good old cesspool of Twitter, at Zach Gelb. That's Z-A-C-H-G-E-L-B. We are 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 can, and producing this extravaganza for the next four hours is no other than hot take hickey. I don't know about that hot take hickey. Greg McElroy is going to join us at the top of the hour. We'll go over what was a crazy weekend in college football. Down goes LSU. Down goes Clemson. We know Michigan just destroys Ohio State, and you have some head coaching jobs being filled. Matt ruled to Nebraska. Luke fickle to Wisconsin, which surprised a lot of people. Lane Kiffin, the lane train, staying put at Ole Miss. You freeze going to Auburn, and maybe Deion Sanders could be on the move. So we'll chat some college football with Greg McElroy at the top of the hour. And then at 9.20 p.m. Eastern, 6.20 p.m. Pacific, we will chat with the color analyst for Michigan football, former Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman John Jansen will be stopping by the Zach Gelb show.

A whole lot to do today. We've got to start with the NFL, as last night on Sunday Night Football, bum, bum, ba-da-bum, bum, ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-bum, you had the Philadelphia Eagles take down the Green Bay Packers, 42-33. The score does not really indicate the way that the game was going. I know at times it was back and forth, but Philadelphia was clearly the better team, and it felt like the margin should have been greater than the seven points that it was.

As Philadelphia does win the game, they improved to 10-1, and the Packers fought a 4-8. But the big takeaway from this game is that Aaron Rodgers is already dealing with a thumb fracture, now has a rib injury. He left the game after going 11 of 16, 140 yards, two passing touchdowns and two interceptions, and in did come Jordan Love.

And I don't want to get delirious. I don't want to freak out in the moment and say, oh, Jordan Love was sensational. Jordan Love was the greatest quarterback I've ever seen, but he played well in the small sample size.

Now, is that sustainable? Am I this big-time believer in Jordan Love? I'm not able to say that after one game, but you do leave that game where he goes 6 of 9 for 113 yards, had the passing touchdown to Christian Watson, and now all of a sudden all he could do is find the end zone. You leave the game feeling intrigued and wanting to see more of Jordan Love, and it's not saying trade Rodgers, get rid of Rodgers, he's awful. But at this point, there's no reason to play Aaron Rodgers the rest of the way, and I know that you could make an argument like I did a few weeks ago, well, you want him to build chemistry with these young wide receivers, but this team is going nowhere. They're not winning the division.

It's crazy. Minnesota could clinch the division this weekend, the Vikings, with a win, and then a Detroit loss versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, so they're still mathematically alive for a wild-card spot probably after this weekend if the Vikings, or if it's this weekend or next weekend if they clinch a division, but you're not making the playoffs, because you look at this Packers team, the defense is not performing to the level that it should be with the talent that they have, and offensively, the line's all banged up. The quarterback is extremely hurt right now, and the best part of this offense is the run game, but the run game means nothing if you're down in a lot of these games and trailing and have to throw the ball more than you would probably like. So I don't see a point now with how banged up Aaron Rodgers is to continue to play him, and I know what he said after the game, as long as we're mathematically alive, I'd like to be out there, but with five games left in the season, and Jordan Love's contract coming to a close soon, this is his third year in the league, I know they do it the fifth year option, I know Rodgers just signed an extension, you would think that he's going to be the quarterback next year because they just gave Rodgers a contract extension, but maybe Rodgers at the end of the year says, guys, I know he just signed a contract extension, but I kind of want out, because I don't see that this organization is moving in the right direction, and it's really stunning. I know they lost Devante Adams, but just losing one player should not set back a team this far. Like, they were 13-3, 13-3, 13-3 for the last three seasons, and they had their playoff shortcomings, but you look at this team, this is a massive step back. They're not even going to make the playoffs, and this is nothing new. We've known this for weeks, that the Green Bay Packers weren't going to make the playoffs. So as this just continues to get worse and worse and worse, and you had one week where it was sprinkled in with a little false hope, and people started to get delirious, oh, here comes the Packers, they had the fourth quarter comeback against the Dallas Cowboys, it all went right out the window on that Thursday Night Football a few dates later, as they lost to Tennessee. Like, you look at this team, this has been their last two months of football. They lost to the Giants, they lost to the Jets, they lost to the Commanders, they lost to the Bills, they lost to the Lions, they beat the Cowboys, they lost to Tennessee, and they lost to Philadelphia. This team sucks.

There's no other way around it. There's not even a path, and we're entering, what, week 13, where you could say, oh yeah, there's still a shot, they make the playoffs. And no one in their right mind would have thought that before the season started. Because as a Packers team, before the season started, we said, yeah, they're the third team in the NFC, but they got a shot to get to the Super Bowl because who knows what the Rams are going to do? Who knows what Tampa Bay is going to do? The Rams, they also stink, forget about them, they're horrible. And Tampa Bay's not any good, but the only reason they're going to make the postseason is because this NFC South, and this is not hyperbole, is maybe the worst division I've ever seen. That's how bad the NFC South is.

You know, and I won football yesterday, hot tekeke, how about this one? You had a stringer, Kevin Casey, who covers the Panthers, talk about how the Panthers could be a game out of first place. The Panthers stink. The Saints are horrible. They didn't score a single point against the 49ers.

This division is brutal. And I can't sit there as Tampa blows another lead and tell you Tampa Bay's this great football team because they're not. If they were in the NFC East, if they were in the AFC East, they would have a shot to make the playoffs. But because of the division they play in, it's not a wrap and they got an opportunity and they will make the postseason. But the Packers have been so severely disappointing because you looked at that division before the year, I know the Lions have played tough the last few weeks, but they're not world beaters. The Bears had a nice few weeks with Justin Fields and now unfortunately he's hurt.

But this Minnesota team, it's not like they're great. I know their record says otherwise, but they got blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles and blown out by the Dallas Cowboys. This Green Bay Packers team, here's the disappointing part and probably why the most disappointing team in football are one of the more disappointing teams in football.

They couldn't even prevent the ship from sinking heading into the last month or so of the season. And that's why I'll sit here today and say there's really no point with the injuries now piling up on Aaron Rodgers, whether he's going to be your guy next year or not, to play him down the stretch, to play him in the final five games of the season against the Bears, the Rams, the Dolphins, the Vikings and the Lions. They're not making the playoffs. Look how good the NFC East is. The NFC East has the possibility of having all four teams make the postseason.

Like, they're not in the same, like the commanders and giants both have seven wins. Are the Packers going to even get three more wins the rest of the way? Like, why should I expect, even though, you know, the schedule's not the worst thing in the world with the Bears, the Rams and the Lions featuring it, but why should I expect that this team's going to go on a run down the stretch They're not. So at least see what Jordan Love could do and then get Rodgers fully healed and get him rested for next year if he is going to be your guy next season.

And I don't know where you stand on this one, Hickey. I think this decision is really up to Aaron Rodgers. I think the Packers want him back next year. I don't know if Aaron Rodgers wants back next year, and he just signed the contract extension. But he's got to offer a deal of $50 million a year.

Who's going to decline that? Now, he had outs last year. He had a chance to get out of this and go somewhere else, and he elected not to do so. So with him signing that contract extension, you would think he would retire as a Green Bay Packer, but now with them taking a massive step back, you wonder if he reevaluates things and says, Guys, I know it could maybe negatively affect you on the dead cap, but then you get into pre-trade June 1 and post-trade June 1 where it maybe could alleviate some of the numbers, and you could move those around. But maybe Rodgers says, Yeah, I want to see what life is like outside of Lambeau Field, and I love my time as a Packer, but I'm not going to win another Super Bowl. Maybe I'm going to play two more years left in the NFL. Let's go test those other waters, something that I was not ready to do a year ago.

So, Hickey, let me ask you this. Do you agree that if it's up to the Packers, Rodgers is probably their quarterback next year, yes or no? If it's up to the Packers, that's the first question I'll ask.

I would probably lean towards yes. That they want him back. They would want him back. If it's up to Aaron Rodgers, or I'll ask it to you this way. Rodgers' offseason, does he go up to Gudekunz and say, Hmm, maybe we should explore a trade of me.

Maybe we should get talking and brainstorm some teams that I would accept a trade to. The only reason I would say no is just because he's talked about a lot about wanting to basically not be like Brett Favre and finish his career in Green Bay. But I will say at the same time, he's kind of always talked about not wanting to be like Brett Favre and has done a few similar things to Brett Favre. Now he's kind of getting towards his older age.

With that said, I would probably still say no. The drama has really picked up in intensity around Aaron Rodgers the last three years. Every offseason, we talk about where is Aaron Rodgers going. Same thing could be said for Russell Wilson. We got the answer with Russell Wilson.

He went to Denver, and Denver, not probably, they would, if they could go back now, reverse that trade, because that's been a catastrophe. But let's just say, let's play the game here. If Aaron Rodgers, at the end of the season, goes to Brian Gudekunz and says, I'm leaning towards requesting a trade.

I'm going to give you some options. You tell me, you be Aaron Rodgers if you'd be interested in joining this team, in these teams. The New York Jets.

I know Mike White played great yesterday. Is he the answer long term? Probably no. Zach Wilson's not the answer long term. The Jets have a good young roster. If you were Aaron Rodgers, would you want to go to New York and be the quarterback for the Jets? I would probably lean right now towards no.

Okay. The 49ers, the team that he wanted to get drafted by, did not get drafted by. I'm starting to think more and more by the day that Jimmy Garoppolo is actually going to be their quarterback next year. But that's been a team that's been deep into the postseason.

Rodgers knows it better than anybody because it's come at the expense of his team losing. Would you consider the 49ers if you're Aaron Rodgers? Absolutely. Okay, so we put the 49ers in the hopper.

How about the Las Vegas Raiders? Davante Adams is there. Yes.

Wow. I'm surprised that you said yes. Because even though you're operating in the brain of Aaron Rodgers, you hate Josh McDaniels. And I thought right away you would want to save Aaron Rodgers of Josh McDaniels. They have some talent on the roster. I think Aaron Rodgers would be able to get the most out of it compared to right now with Derek Carr. How about Tennessee?

Yes. I think that would be a great destination. Because Tennessee just doesn't have the quarterback that makes me say, okay, we could win a Super Bowl with him. They got a good defense. They got the best running back in the sport. And they got a top five head coach. I'm with you on Tennessee. This is a team that I floated out last year.

I will bring them up again. The Washington commanders. Disgraceful owner in Dan Snyder. But it looks like he's on the way out. You got Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson.

A lot of young talent on the defensive side of the ball. Would you embrace the commanders? Yes, if... Dan Snyder's not there. Dan Snyder has sold the team by that point.

Yes. What about the Seahawks? Been impressive this year with Geno Smith. Bad loss yesterday. You have Tyler Lockett. You have D.K. Metcalf. And a good coach in P. Carroll.

Hall of Fame coach in P. Carroll. Yeah. Two good weapons. Absolutely.

Okay. Now, I will just give you the NFC South. NFC South-wise.

Brady maybe moves on elsewhere. Would you consider Tampa? What about the Saints? The Panthers? I would imagine... Oh, maybe you throw Atlanta in the mix too? Would you consider any of those teams in the AFC South if you're Aaron Rodgers? Bucks? Absolutely.

Absolutely. But not the Saints? Not the Panthers? Not the Falcons? None of the other three. Okay. So that's a list.

That's right there. One, two, three, four, five, six teams that Hickey would consider if Aaron Rodgers wanted to trade. By the way, who's the biggest disappointment this year in the NFL, team-wise?

Because that's our poll question today. Between these three teams, who's the most disappointing team in the NFL this year? Packers, Rams, Broncos.

The early, early, early returns. Broncos, 52%. Rams, 30%.

And Packers, 18%. For you, who is the... Well, this is actually a loaded question for you because you were the guy that said, Nathaniel Hackett's going to be a top three coach in football. You were the guy that said, Russell Wilson's going to win the league MVP.

Russell Wilson's going to win the Super Bowl MVP. And you picked, obviously, the Broncos to win the Super Bowl. So I guess for you, this has to be the Broncos. I was just going to say, I feel like I can't sit here and answer that question, you know, any other team outside of the pack, outside of the Broncos, just because I did have them as my champ. Now, don't get me wrong. This is like asking, like, what disease would you rather have?

You don't want any of them, but one has to be worse than the other two. With that said... I don't think it's the Broncos.

I know I was on an island by myself and I realized that, again, there's a lot of people that rightfully had doubts. If you tell me right now, the Broncos were... I don't even know what the record is at this point.

It's just been so bad. The Broncos record and the Packers record, at this point in the season, I'll be more surprised with the Packers record. So right now, the Rams are three and eight, the Packers are four and eight, and the Denver Broncos are three and eight.

Now, let me just go through these real quickly. I don't think it's the Broncos. Now, my expectations for the years for the Broncos were there would be like eight and nine or nine and eight, and they would just miss out in the playoffs. Now, this is a big drop off from where I thought they were going to be because there's no way... I don't even know if they'll win another game this year.

That's how bad they are. But since I did not expect them to make the playoffs and I expected the other two teams, I can't say they're the biggest disappointment. It's got to be either the Packers or the Rams because at least you could have told me before the start of the year the Broncos would miss the playoffs in a loaded AFC West. Now, the AFC West probably is the biggest disappointing division because it's supposed to be the best division ever. But you look at the Rams and the Packers, I guess it's Green Bay because their division was perceived to be easier before the season started. And the fact that both these teams are both going to miss the playoffs, it's like flip a coin, but I would lean that the Packers are the most disappointing team because even though there would be a drop off of losing Devante Adams, did I even make the playoffs at all as crazy? Like the Rams, at least you could chalk it up to Stafford's been hurt. They don't have an offensive line. Cooper Cup, he's now most likely out for the season.

That's... I'm not excusing what the Rams have been doing, but I would go with the Green Bay Packers. I would order it Packers 1, then I would go Rams 2 and the Denver Broncos 3. 8-5-5, 2-1-2 for CBS, 8-5-5, 2-1-2, 42-27. Who's the most disappointing team in the NFL this year between these three teams on CBS Sports Radio, on Twitter and at Zach Gelb? Between these three teams, who's the most disappointing team in the NFL this year?

Packers, Rams and Broncos. We'll take a break. When we come on back, Michigan destroys once again Ohio State, O-H-N-O, and we will also talk about the chase to the last four teams standing for the college football playoff. So my biggest fear is there's going to be sneaks in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10-minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. We unpack where these fears come from. A rat climbed into my toilet.

And learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. So my biggest fear is there's going to be sneaks in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10-minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. We unpack where these fears come from.

A rat climbed into my toilet. And learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show. Oh, you can think of rally auto parts for all your car care needs. Get guaranteed low prices and excellent customer service from the professional parts people at O'Reilly Auto Parts. O-O-O-O-Reilly Auto Parts. You know who I heard from this weekend? Hot take hickey, who do you think I heard from in the aftermath of the Michigan-Ohio State game? I'm sure Leroy was popping off and running his mouth. Leroy Hoard was popping off but that wasn't the guy I was talking about. And he was taking another big swing at you. And you know what I did? Since Leroy Hoard has been a great friend to the show and he has just absolutely destroyed hickey for the last two months. With how great Michigan has been really the last two years in football.

I customized a jersey last night and I ordered myself a Michigan White number 33 Hoard jersey to support my friend Leroy Hoard. But that was not the guy I was talking about. Any other idea on what rat I heard from over the weekend? Rat? That probably is enjoying... No, no, no, no, no.

Not enjoying this. Would be upset. Come on.

Guy tweets us all the time. Oh, Buckeye Pat. Buckeye Pat. Oh, he must have been Irene.

And you know what? This is why I'm calling Buckeye Pat a rat. He didn't even tweet me about the Michigan-Ohio State game. All year long that rat, Buckeye Pat, has been tweeting me. You're Ohio State hater. How can you say Michigan is better? Man, you hate Ohio State.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You want to know what that guy tweeted me about this weekend? His first tweet, first time he scurried out of his little cave and came out of hiding. It was about the Cincinnati Bengals. Like, give me a break. I know Cincinnati had a good one yesterday.

Congratulations. Ted Karras was awesome after the game running off the field in Nashville. But when you've been running your mouth for two years, you can't be tweeting me about the Cincinnati Bengals when your Ohio State Buckeyes got embarrassed for a second year in a row. Hot take, Hickey. I thought that was a terrible job.

A brutal job. One of the more abysmal things I've ever seen on social media from Buckeye Pat. I actually forgot he was still on Twitter because I don't think I've seen him or heard from him since the Oregon loss last year.

So he's still tweeting you, which is good, but man, that guy's gotten MIA since the Oregon loss. Not to me. And he really doubled down after the Michigan loss last year. Go imagine where he is right now this year.

Not to me. Each and every day, I get a few tweets about him about Ohio State and how I'm an Ohio State hater. And I'll be honest, I was nervous going into this game because I didn't know what Donovan Edwards was going to be. And he was a force to be reckoned with, but coming off an injury and still banged up. And he was still able to put 200 yards on that sorry ass defense of Ohio State. And then you look at Blake Corum, Michigan just, this is the most, the worst part of your Ohio State fan. Michigan just embarrassed you without their best player being able to play in the game. If you're an Ohio State fan, even though your defense was horrible and you allowed the two big plays in the first half, you still went into halftime with a three-point lead. And your team had no guts, no heart, no courage in the second half.

They laid down and they just got beat up and ran all over by Michigan. And the craziest part too, Michigan's defense, their pass rush was nonexistent, but that secondary was awesome in the game. And I got to give credit to J.J. McCarthy, because I've been saying this all throughout the year, J.J. McCarthy, there was a lot of inconsistent play, there was a lot of times where he wasn't stepping up. And I said it all throughout the year, he's got to go have big plays and carry that team in that Ohio State game to win. And he was a major part of that, especially in the first half.

Then you had that third down run where he just said, I'm not even going to follow the blockers and just found the way to get in the end zone. McCarthy stepped up in a big time way. So Edwards and McCarthy and that secondary, the real story of the game from the Michigan side, but let's get to the Ohio State side. Ryan Day, last year, the coach under the most pressure in what was an open playoff field going into it was Kirby Smart. Kirby Smart was under the most pressure and then his team didn't win the SEC championship, still in the college football playoff. And it was, OK, can you finally slay the dragon of Alabama?

And he came through. There was a lot of pressure last year on Kirby Smart. Before the start of the season, we said there's a lot of pressure on Ryan Day because Alabama, you knew was going to be in the conversation.

You felt good about Georgia, but they lost all those pieces. And you looked at this Ohio State team, they were absolutely loaded, loaded on offense. And I got to give credit to Mike in Abilene, Texas, who's a big Ohio State fan, who about five, six weeks ago, he called in and he said, CJ Stroud is not as great as what people are saying he is.

He's good, not great. With all those weapons that they had, you had to find a way to win this game. And not only couldn't you win this game, Michigan without their best player, a guy that was going to win the Heisman Trophy, if he played in that game and was able to be healthy, and Blake Coram was having a marvelous season, he did nothing in the game because he was hurt. And you didn't even have a fight late in the game because Michigan beat you up in the trenches once again. And Hickey, I never thought it could get as bad as it was last year for Ohio State in the big house, just getting absolutely emasculated. And that game wasn't even close last year. This year, the game was close at halftime. And then the second half, Ohio State didn't even show up and at home, Ryan Day couldn't get the job done. Now, I'm not sitting here today calling for Ryan Day to be fired.

That would be Jackassery, but the pressure has picked up in a big way on Ryan Day because this is now two years in a row. Urban Meyer never lost to Michigan. Jim Harbaugh, his coaching career at Michigan was on life support.

He was going to walk out with the censorship grin on his face and was going to have to leave his alma mater. And against all odds, last year beat Ohio State, destroyed them and then was able to replicate it again this year and take it to a different level because now, I don't know about you, last year Michigan, they had no shot against Georgia. But this year, they should be in the championship game and we'll see what they could do up against Georgia because I think Michigan's better than TCU and I think Michigan's better than USC. But Michigan has not only closed the gap against Ohio State and we all thought for years Ohio State was so unbeatable in the Big Ten with what they were able to do, they've surpassed them now. It's not even, remember Ryan Day?

I can't wait to hang 100 on him. The last two years, you've had no heart, no pulse in this game and you've been out coached in every facet of the game and they're going to have to bring in now another defensive coordinator. This is horrible if you look at it in your Ohio State fan. Because that game is everything and they embarrassed you in the Big House last year and then in front of your home fans in the horseshoe, you had nothing.

Nothing. That was just wild, your reaction to the game. Yeah, I mean I was shocked because I really thought Ryan Day learned his lesson from last year that they were going to tighten up on defense, especially on the defensive line and slow down the run game. And to their credit for the first quarter and a half, I think Michigan had zero rushing yards as a team.

They did a good job but then you showed they just got worn down. They really could not truly make any adjustments and Ryan Day was out coached for the second year in a row. He was out coached by a guy who called out last year who said some guys are on third base and think they hit a triple. They're actually born on third base and then Ryan Day kind of backed it up by two years in a row not adjusting showing he can't right now out coach Jim Harbaugh. And when the talent is even greater in Ohio State's favor, they still just cannot figure out a way to win. Ryan Day was born on third base then for some reason said let me go to second base and then somehow got caught in a pickle between second and first base right now.

That was so embarrassing. Donovan Edwards, 216 rushing yards. Imagine if Blake Coram played. Blake Coram gave it two carries for six yards. If he was able to actually play in the game, it was 45 to 23 without Blake Coram.

Imagine what it would have been with Blake Coram. And objectively, look at the roster. Ohio State has the better roster. They have more talent.

They're the better team on paper. But Michigan has been the better team this year with the way that they played and they showed it once again on Saturday. Now when we shape things up, when you look at the college football playoff, we know Georgia's in. We know Michigan's in. I think after this weekend, Ticky, because there for a while it was, TCU's going to have to be undefeated to get in. Even if they lose the Big 12 championship without every other team has fallen to the pressure, I think TCU's in. Would you agree all three of those schools are locked? Without a doubt.

Okay. So then it comes down to, will USC win the Pac-12 championship? If they do, they're in and that's the four. But if they lose, then the question becomes, who's going to be your fourth school in if USC loses?

Because then they would be 11 and 2 and they would not have a Pac-12 championship. Who would then be that team that gets in and you kind of circle, because Tennessee is now falling, we know that. Clemson, we thought maybe there was an outside chance.

Once again, Hickey starts to lead the charge on a playoff push for a team. Oklahoma, Utah, and now it was Clemson. They go down to South Carolina. LSU, maybe you could have made a case to loss SEC champion. They're going to be the SEC championship game this weekend up against Georgia, but they now have three losses after losing to A&M. So it's really a conversation between Ohio State and Alabama. And if USC goes down, that would be a fascinating conversation.

Who gets in? Because you can look at Alabama. Yeah, they have two losses combined by four points. Ohio State has one loss.

They just got embarrassed, though, by Michigan and the game wasn't even close. I do think it's going to be Georgia, Michigan, TCU, USC, Ryan. But if it's not and let's say USC does go down, that Ohio State, Alabama debate is going to be a big one. It could be the craziest debate we've ever had for the college football playoff. It should be Ohio State, if that's the case.

But your reasoning on that? One loss. So one fewer losses. Better wins.

Like who's out? We talk about Alabama's, quote unquote, good losses. Number one, there's still losses.

And number two, who are they beating then? If we're talking about good losses, Ole Miss is free falling. I'm saying that's probably their best win this year is Ole Miss.

That's what we're talking about. You have Penn State win on the road for Ohio State better than anything Alabama has right now. They both play Ohio State beating Notre Dame as well, start the year. To me, two better wins than anything right now Alabama has. You're not wrong, but you always know the committee doesn't do what makes the most sense. And I could see the committee in an irrational way saying, well, Alabama, yeah, they have one more loss than Ohio State. But the margin there is only four points. One point loss to LSU and a three point loss to Tennessee. I could see that argument being made.

Now, I don't think it's going to get there. And I would imagine at this point you would agree, which if you're a USC fan, you may want Hickey to say that he thinks they're going to lose this weekend the way you predicted these teams. I saw this thought out there today and I kind of agree with it. Why should USC get punished if they lose, by the way, this week? Oh, because they're playing in a game where Ohio State and Alabama are not. Like, should they be in win or lose?

I think it's an interesting discussion. And you look at their only loss is Utah right now. And it was by one point, like if they lose to Utah again. And let's just say it's by like a field goal.

Then you look at the margin of the losses there. And you could use the same thing that maybe could be the argument there for Alabama. So I think it's going to be Georgia against USC, Michigan against TCU, and that's going to be the college football playoff semifinal. The way Caleb Williams is playing, I don't think they're losing this time around and they won't blow that lead again. TCU has gained everyone's respect.

Max Duggan has been a stud. We know Michigan will be Purdue and Georgia. They could lose by 50 to LSU.

They won't, but they're going to get in regardless. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today. Is there something really absurd that skeeves you out? Getting a paper cut on my eyeball? A fear you can't shake? I'm going to leak ocular fluid down my cheeks.

It's going to go into my mouth and I will perish. Whatever scares you, I want to talk about it. Join me, Larry Mullins, on my new podcast, Your Weirdest Fears. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast from. So my biggest fear is there's going to be snakes in the toilet. We're all afraid of that one strange thing. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new short 10 minute podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. We unpack where these fears come from.

A rat climbed into my toilet and learn how to manage them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to The Zach Gelb Show. He's live. He's nationwide on CBS Sports Radio. This is The Zach Gelb Show. Now joining me is the Pro Football Hall of Famer, the two time Super Bowl champion and the new head coach at Jackson State.

And that, of course, he needs no introduction really. Primetime, Deion Sanders. Deion, how you been? Zach, I love how we just having a casual conversation and you went to that radio voice. It was beautiful, man. You're awesome. You're awesome already. You're my dude already, man. I appreciate it.

Well, you know this and I know this. When the lights shine brightest, primetime players got to show up, right? You showed up, man. You showed up, Zach.

Here's your host, Zach Gelb. We'll see if Deion Sanders is going to continue to be the coach at Jackson State because he has been offered. He confirmed this, the Colorado job, and we'll see if he's going to take that.

We will discuss in a few minutes on that news item. But I think from the coaching carousel so far that has featured Lane Kiffin staying at Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze getting the Auburn job, Matt Rule going to Nebraska, and Luke Fickle going to Wisconsin, the most stunning one was Luke Fickle going to Wisconsin. Now we all know Wisconsin has a lot to offer.

Wisconsin is a great job. But Luke Fickle last year, who took Cincinnati to the college football playoff, a group of five school. And we know Cincinnati is on their way to the Big 12. I thought if Luke Fickle didn't leave last year, he was going to stay a few more years at Cincinnati. And there was maybe that thought last year he was going to take Notre Dame job.

That did not come to fruition. And you look at the Ohio State job, maybe that's going to be open in a few years if Ryan Day doesn't pick it up when it comes playing up against Michigan. Hickey, when I saw Luke Fickle, like last year when we saw Lincoln Riley leave Oklahoma to go to USC, it came out of nowhere and it was stunning. Luke Fickle leaving Cincinnati, it's not the same as Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma and going to USC, but it did feel very similar into the way that we found out about Lincoln Riley where it came out of nowhere. And it is a massive, mega home run hire and a major, major, major splash for Wisconsin because if he did what he did at Cincinnati, what could he do at Wisconsin?

I totally agree. I think this is so far the best hire of anyone made and I don't see, you know, any sort of hire surpassing Wisconsin. Again, Luke Fickle is a championship winning coach. There's a guy who's built winner after winner after winner and for Wisconsin, it's one of the things why I never understood the Jim Leonard push was they need, when they fire Paul Chris, they're trying to get to that next level. No offense to Jim Leonard, but he's still kind of in that same mold of traditional classic Wisconsin football.

You need to kind of go bring someone else in and get into that over the top level. I think Luke Fickle is that guy that's a great hire for him. Well, the thought in Jim Leonard would be he's one of their own and I get what you're saying, and there's no one that's going to be more invested in Wisconsin football than him.

That would be his dream job, but there would be a risk because he's never been a head coach before. For Luke Fickle, you know you have a consistent guy and I know I've seen this in the aftermath because some people, they feel bad for Jim Leonard, but also you could acknowledge that this is a great hire and it's a home run hire. There has been those some people that I've seen on social media say, well, Luke Fickle's only going to be there for a few years and leave. If that's the case, I don't think that means he's only there for a few years because he did a bad job and they're firing him. I think it's because he did a great job and then maybe another school comes calling, but I don't think that's a foregone conclusion. Wisconsin is a great job and we've seen a lot of movements at great jobs so far.

I don't think that's a foregone conclusion. Some are making it out to be that you're not going to have Luke Fickle lasting long with the Wisconsin Badgers. He doesn't seem like someone who's a jumper. Maybe outside of Ohio State, that's the only school he would leave to jump for, but he's in the Midwest. He's a Midwest guy. He was picky last year. Again, when he got to Cincinnati, he could have, you know, potentially had some big time job opportunities to leave. He's someone that again, like I said, if he's leaving Wisconsin, if that's the case and you're heartbroken, it's probably in the end of good things.

That means he did such a great job that he's going to get, you know, one he just simply could not turn down. Now, let's get to Matt Ruhle going to Nebraska. A month ago, I thought there was no way Matt Ruhle was going to Nebraska.

No way. And I think Trev Alberts and then also the president who used to be at the Naval Academy, Walter E. Carter, convinced Matt Ruhle to take this job with their alignment and also with the resources that are investing into him. And you heard on this show, I started to shift my tune two weeks ago and I started to feel like Matt Ruhle was going to get the Nebraska job. And then behind the scenes on Friday and then early Saturday morning, I know this was not broken until later Saturday night, but there was a big time sense from what I got behind the scenes that Matt Ruhle was getting this Nebraska job and it was happening.

And you saw the breaking news report that did happen Saturday afternoon. I forget when all this stuff did come out, but at some point Saturday afternoon, the Matt Ruhle is going to Nebraska. I think you have to separate Matt Ruhle the college coach and Matt Ruhle the NFL coach. Matt Ruhle did not work out in the NFL. He took a risk, went to the Carolina Panthers, it didn't work out, he didn't have a quarterback. But in college, he built a school that I love, it's my alma mater in Temple, into a back to back 10 win season guy, American Athletic Conference championship game appearance, then winning the American Athletic Conference up against Navy.

And then he went to Baylor, which was a dumpster fire with their scandal, one win the first year, next year improved, third year, had them in the Big 12 championship game, I know they lost to Oklahoma, and then had them in the Sugar Bowl. Matt Ruhle is a program builder and I think what Nebraska wants to be, physical football team, built in the trenches, I do believe this is a good match between Matt Ruhle and Nebraska. Your thoughts on the Matt Ruhle move?

Yeah, I like it a lot for both sides. This is a job that, again, we talked about, is kind of a sleeping giant for Nebraska. They've been a program that's been kind of buried for a while, they can't figure it out. And if you can, if you're Matt Ruhle, this is where you can kind of be there for a long time and really make Nebraska now nationally relevant again. And for Nebraska, you need a builder. You need someone who has a proven track record of taking over programs that have struggled, to say the least, and turned it around, and he's done that so far two different places. I got to give you credit because last week when there was a lot of reports that Lane Kiffin was going to get the Auburn job, you kept on saying, maybe it's part of you hoping, but you thought that Lane Kiffin was going to stay at Ole Miss, was very happy to see Lane Kiffin stay at Ole Miss, but you look at Hugh Freeze going to Auburn, we know what happened when he was at Ole Miss, we know the guy is a good coach, he has now reinvented himself at Liberty, now he will get that other opportunity at Auburn, Auburn has upgraded their coach from Brian Harsin that was there. We know this wasn't their first choice, I do think Lane Kiffin was their first choice, but now it's going to be Hugh Freeze getting the job. I'm not going to say that this is a great hire, and I don't mean that disrespectfully. I think this is a very good hire in Hugh Freeze, but it's one that I could see the fit and it does make a lot of sense. I honestly think he's a better fit than Lane Kiffin if everything was equal.

How so? He's beaten Nick Saban multiple times, he's a really good recruiter, he's had more success in the SEC, I think he's a more constant winner in the SEC and more trustworthy, as weird as that sounds, staying there at Auburn compared to Lane Kiffin, which again, who knows, maybe this is him transforming and now staying put longer, but I think for what Auburn was looking for and the immediate turnaround that they're hoping to get, I think Hugh Freeze is a better fit compared to Lane Kiffin. I think on the NIL side, that's what really intrigued me with Lane Kiffin, just with all those resources at Auburn. And finally, Deion Sanders has been offered the Colorado job, we'll see if he takes it. We know last year he was in the mix for TCU. I'm surprised he's not going to get a major job because we talk about NIL and the way that he could recruit and get people there. I would have thought that a bigger school than Colorado would take it, but I guess the path for Deion Sanders is going to be you have to prove yourself at a smaller school and then if you do well there in two years, you'll get a big-time job. I'm just surprised that Deion Sanders is going to have to prove himself at a smaller school in terms of the Goliaths of college football because I think that that would be a great investment and a great chance that we see how many guys get these jobs and they end up failing anyway.

I would run the risk with Deion Sanders at one of these bigger jobs, but now the decision is, does Deion Sanders want to go to a job like Colorado or stay put and just wait this thing out? What makes your skin crawl? No matter how absurd, I want to know.

Tails without fur on them, such as rats or opossums. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new podcast called Your Weirdest Fears. You send me your fear.

I'm just so weirded out about the texture and how they can just move around and flop. And then I go to the experts to learn how to overcome them. Listen and subscribe to Your Weirdest Fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from. Whenever you want. And did we mention it's all free? Download the Odyssey app today.

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