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00:00We're in a whole new world of college football with the college football playoff expanding
00:07to 12 teams.
00:08And I think the new world also includes not having a bleeping clue as to who is going
00:12to win the championship this year.
00:14I mean, it is crazy.
00:16Let's bring in Bill Bender from Sporting News.
00:17And, you know, Bill, even if we have the traditional four teams fighting it out in the college
00:23football playoff, I don't think that anybody really knows right now who the best team in
00:28the country is.
00:29I mean, you can have rankings, you can say that you think you know, but at this point,
00:33it's about as wide open as I've seen.
00:35Yeah, forget about the national championship.
00:37I can't figure out the SEC.
00:38There's nine teams with two losses or less.
00:42Nine teams that are ranked between Texas to Vanderbilt.
00:45It's been wild.
00:46The Big Ten, same deal.
00:47I mean, who do you think is the best team in the Big Ten right now?
00:51On paper, it's Oregon.
00:52Yeah, they beat Ohio State.
00:53They probably have the best shot of any of these top five teams to go undefeated into
01:00college football playoff championship games or the conference championship games.
01:03But who knows from there?
01:05And Georgia, Texas was yet another reminder that I don't know how to pick a top five game.
01:10I should have.
01:11I was on Texas last week.
01:12Georgia proved that wrong in a hurry.
01:13Yeah.
01:14No, I mean, these games have certainly been crazy.
01:17And by the way, a lot of the games, too, like over before they begin, and then all of a
01:20sudden, like late in the game, you're like, wait, maybe there's a shot here.
01:24But Oregon is the number one team in the country.
01:25And by virtue of the quarterback on Ohio State, not really knowing how much time was left.
01:29I mean, think about that for a minute.
01:31You probably could also say the same thing about Georgia.
01:34They had one bad half all season against Alabama.
01:37Since then, they've been really good.
01:38They get that win against Texas.
01:40I find it very interesting, Bill, that Kirby Smart is playing this underdog card, I guess.
01:48Nobody wants to believe in us.
01:50I'm like reading all this stuff saying, wait a second here.
01:52I'm like, you guys are always good.
01:53There's no underdog card here with Georgia.
01:57And they're one of those teams, Bill, that's going to be playing in the playoff.
02:00I guess the question in your mind is, were you impressed enough with that win over Georgia
02:03to think that they should be, let's say, one of the main contenders to win the championship?
02:09Yes.
02:10And because of the defense.
02:12That was angry, Georgia.
02:13Now allowing 1.1 yards per carry to a really good Texas team that had dominated everybody
02:20up to that point.
02:22Kirby plays the underdog card better than anybody.
02:24He plays it when they're 30-point favorites.
02:26He plays it when they're a rare underdog.
02:29But it worked.
02:30And they played well.
02:32Most impressive part of that game was after the pass interference debacle where the fans
02:37were throwing things on the field.
02:38They reversed the call.
02:39Texas scores.
02:40What does Georgia do?
02:41They take the ball down the field, 11 plays, 80 yards, touchdown, game over.
02:46That's national championship DNA.
02:48They still have it.
02:49Don't love their running game.
02:51I still think that there's some work to be done there.
02:54But this Georgia team is good enough to win a national title.
02:57Yeah, I would agree.
02:58All right.
02:59So Alabama, in a very rare situation in the history of college football going back, let's
03:05say, 20 years, two losses.
03:07We haven't even got to November.
03:08I mean, they're on the outside looking into this thing.
03:10But again, you know, SEC championship, end of the season.
03:13They've done this before.
03:15And they find their way back in.
03:16Tennessee, on the other hand, did exactly what they were supposed to do and take care
03:21of the Crimson Tide.
03:22And I think finally, Bill, it's fair to say that Tennessee is right smack in the middle
03:26of this championship picture.
03:27They needed that win.
03:29It's huge.
03:30Huge for Tennessee.
03:31They're doing it differently.
03:32You know, Josh Heupel has this reputation as an offense guy and getting the ball up
03:37and down the field.
03:38Their defense is good.
03:41It's really good.
03:42Nikko's getting better with each week.
03:44Iamali Ava gets the late touchdown pass.
03:46In the past, when Alabama takes that 17-14 lead on the rushing touchdown, Tennessee folds
03:52there in the past.
03:53They answered.
03:54They scored 10 points.
03:55I think with Alabama, what I'm looking at is a different problem each week.
04:00Against Vandy, couldn't get off the field on third down.
04:03Against South Carolina, situational football at the end of each half.
04:07Against Tennessee, couldn't stay on the field on third down.
04:09And Jalen Monroe had a bad turnover.
04:11So I don't know, Craig.
04:14Do you really think they can go to Tiger Stadium and beat LSU on the road the way they're playing
04:18right now?
04:19I'm not sure they can.
04:20Yeah.
04:21I mean, especially, is it Saturday night?
04:23I don't know.
04:24Because Saturday night, no one wins at LSU through the years.
04:26That's the way it's gone in Death Valley.
04:28OK.
04:29So, look.
04:30Surprise of the season.
04:31There's a couple surprises.
04:33The Academy's both being ranked.
04:34I think that's a big one.
04:35This is probably the biggest, though.
04:37The fact that Indiana is 7-0 on the season.
04:40Seven wins, no losses.
04:41They're doing it in blowout fashion.
04:44No one had this at the beginning of the year.
04:47And you know, look.
04:48Being undefeated definitely gives them a shot at the college football playoff.
04:52But what's really interesting, Bill, and we'll look at the odds to make the playoff, too,
04:56is that the oddsmakers are still sort of telling us there's a little bit of a paper tiger here.
05:00They're still 2-1 to make the college football playoff.
05:03Being 7-0.
05:04I mean, there's only a handful of games left for this team, too.
05:06How have they turned this around so quickly?
05:09How has that school gotten so good this year?
05:12Kurt Cignetti is probably the Big Ten version of Steve Spurrier.
05:15He brings in 13 transfers from James Madison.
05:19They bring in Curtis Rourke, the Ohio transfer quarterback, who is going to sit this week.
05:23That's probably why those odds are the way they are.
05:26He's an NFL quarterback.
05:27His brother played with Jacksonville.
05:28He's been outstanding.
05:30Throws the ball down the field well.
05:31They run the ball effectively.
05:32If they had a different uniform on, you'd think you were looking at Michigan or Penn
05:37State.
05:39You'd be playing with that kind of style.
05:40That was an eye-opening blowout against Nebraska.
05:43I thought that game was going to be close.
05:45It was 28-7 at halftime.
05:47The big thing with Indiana moving forward is they have to take care of business against
05:50Washington this week, against a Huskies team that can move the football without Rourke.
05:56Tavin Jackson's up at quarterback, and they'll be judged on the Michigan and Ohio State games.
06:00But Craig, there is a scenario.
06:01I painted it out this morning.
06:03Get this.
06:05Imagine Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana.
06:10There is a scenario where all five teams could be 11-1 and 8-1 in conference play.
06:15It requires Illinois upsetting Oregon, but the fact we're talking about it says how wild
06:19this could be.
06:20Yeah.
06:21It's crazy that the Big Ten, SEC, both conferences are having a great year.
06:26Real quick, Indiana plus 200 to get in.
06:30Kansas State with a big statement.
06:32Iowa plus 165 to make the college football playoff.
06:35Anything you like there in particular?
06:37I can't give you LSU because that's even money.
06:39You've got to pick something else.
06:40Give me the Wildcats.
06:41I still think they're the best team in the Big 12.
06:43They've gotten through all the tough road games.
06:45They play Iowa State at the end of the year.
06:47They run the ball.
06:48They stop the run.
06:49Avery Johnson's gotten better.
06:50I'm still on Kansas State as the Big 12 champion.
06:53And they impress every week.
06:54All right, Bill.
06:55Great stuff.
06:56We'll catch up later in the week.
06:57Thanks again for coming on Newswire.
06:58Hey, thank you.
07:02Thanks for having me.