Is Michigan deadly or just efficient? Can Ohio State disrupt Maryland’s offensive fireworks? Plus, who’s the actual best team in the nation, Brock Bowers is huge, and the “stupid/genius” upset picks get stupid-er.
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00:00 - Intro
4:39 - Michigan vs Nebraska Recap
11:28 - Michigan vs Minnesota Predictions
14:55 - Ohio State vs Maryland Predictions
27:00 - Other College Football News
30:08 - Stupid Genius Upset Picks
32:19 - Rutgers To The Rose Bowl
Is Michigan deadly or just efficient? Can Ohio State disrupt Maryland’s offensive fireworks? Plus, who’s the actual best team in the nation, Brock Bowers is huge, and the “stupid/genius” upset picks get stupid-er.
Follow us everywhere @RivalPod
Big thanks to our sponsors for their generous support:
Elevated Integrity: http://www.elevatedintegrity.com/
The JAE Company: https://thejaecompany.com/
Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/therivalry
Want more shows like this one? Visit https://riverradio.com
00:00 - Intro
4:39 - Michigan vs Nebraska Recap
11:28 - Michigan vs Minnesota Predictions
14:55 - Ohio State vs Maryland Predictions
27:00 - Other College Football News
30:08 - Stupid Genius Upset Picks
32:19 - Rutgers To The Rose Bowl
I did. I did a bunch of looking at it, so like surely Minnesota is better than this Number one? Don't call me surely number two. No, they're not. There's nothing quite like the game Michigan versus Ohio State. This is the rivalry sponsored by elevated integrity construction. It's going to be a spicy episode of the rivalry podcast. I'm Jase, that's JP, your Garbage Tree College Football podcast focused on the Michigan Ohio State College Football rivalry will kick things off with a little bit of wheel route to break the ice. And I want to say thanks to the J company for sponsoring wheel route and the rivalry podcast. Fall in love with your home all over again at the J A E companycom. And, by the way, while J P spins that wheel route on Patreon right now, we just slashed our membership prices. So for a dollar, for a dollar a month right now, we've got brand stinking new rivalry stickers. Be sure to grab yours. River radiocom slash rivalry.
Speaker 1:I like this one updated college football playoff picks says the wheel route.
Speaker 3:Okay, do you want me to go first?
Speaker 1:I think if you're ready to do your update, college football playoff teams, go for it.
Speaker 3:Here are my four, and some of these are based solely off of how I think schedules are going to turn out. I've got.
Speaker 1:Texas, I've got.
Speaker 3:Texas Ohio State. This is in no particular order. These are just four teams Texas, ohio State, florida State and Michigan. I want to say I don't think Florida State is good enough but I look at their schedule and it is just, I think. I think they have the easiest path.
Speaker 1:I don't know that. I disagree that they have the easiest path, but are they going to actually make it through that struggle?
Speaker 3:against some pretty bad teams. But they've always ended up winning them, and I wouldn't even say Clemson. Clemson was a decent team, Not not what they were in the past. But I don't know, I don't like that pick my personally but it just felt like the pick, let me make it because you have to. Their schedule is remember when I said like two minutes ago.
Speaker 1:This is going to be a spicy episode. I saw easy 30 seconds into this thing. All right, so again, no particular order for me either. I also am going to take Texas, because I had I've had Texas from the preseason, so I'm going to take.
Speaker 3:their only big game left is Oklahoma, if I'm remembering right, they play this upcoming weekend and then outside of that, they don't play another. They don't play another ranked team.
Speaker 1:So give me, give me Texas, give me Georgia.
Speaker 3:They've got a tough. They do couple games though.
Speaker 1:They do, but I just are they.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you what Georgia keeps finding a way, I don't know how good they don't look good and they have to play Tennessee at the end of the year at Tennessee and I know Tennessee isn't necessarily the Tennessee of last year, but if you don't think in the stadiums going to be amped up with a chance to knock off the Georgia Bulldogs, they're bound to face Alabama in the SEC title as well. But I think this weekend who just destroyed Florida and is also undefeated. They also have Ole Miss. That just upset LSU.
Speaker 1:It's hard for me to pick against the two time.
Speaker 3:I totally get it, but I don't think they win the whole thing.
Speaker 1:But I'm going to say Texas is in, I'm going to say Georgia's in, I've got Michigan in because I really believe in this Michigan team, and I'm going to throw Washington in there as well. I'm going to throw Washington in because and I'm curious to see what happens with the Huskies because they're going to obviously have to play USC and they're going to have to play Oregon. So we'll find out whether or not they're legit, but they're the number one offense in the country.
Speaker 3:Penn Ex juniors an insane quarterback. I mean the dude is just ridiculous you look at teams like USC.
Speaker 1:Okay, that obviously also has a very good offense. Usc's defense is not good. No, usc's defense, I think is ranked like 69th or 70th, and Washington will just carve them up. So we'll see what happens there, but I've got, I've got the Huskies in there and I think Washington has the. This race is wide open.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oregon is the one that messes me up with them, because I think Oregon could absolutely go in and take down the Washington Huskies.
Speaker 1:The national title race is as wide open this season as I think it's ever been there. There's seven or eight teams that could absolutely win the national championship this year.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of glaring weaknesses with a lot of the top 10.
Speaker 1:With a lot with, I would say with not all, but yeah, but majority, a majority of them.
Speaker 3:I look at and I go do I actually think they have what it takes? Florida state is my prime example. I don't. I don't believe in them. I think even if they make the playoffs first, then they're going to get destroyed first round in the semis. But I just looked at their schedule and I thought there is not a team that I think is on the level of them right now. And it it killed me because I want to go with what you said and put Georgia. But I just couldn't.
Speaker 1:Teams that have had weaknesses but didn't show many this weekend. Michigan, let's start with them. We'll have to say, on the bye week, of course, michigan played, in my estimation, about as perfect of a game as you could have wanted against Nebraska. Now, nebraska is not a good football team, no, but Nebraska's defense is a pretty stout. Who have they played? Don't, don't, don't at me with.
Speaker 3:I'm not trying to be a hater, but I'm gonna be a hater for a second. Who have they played?
Speaker 1:Nebraska's defense?
Speaker 3:I'm not going to answer my question Nebraska's defense has been good.
Speaker 1:Michigan did not have any trouble with them. But also I mean we had this conversation with Rutgers to Rutgers isn't a good football team, but Rutgers has a decent. It's true, it's true.
Speaker 3:They're a better.
Speaker 1:Their defense is decent, though Nebraska's in the same realm with Rutgers. I just they are.
Speaker 3:I don't know about that, I don't know their defenses.
Speaker 1:Is is decent Michigan, just no issues whatsoever. Mccarthy was sharp again. The run game was excellent. Roman Wilson now is tied for the lead in the country with eight receiving touchdowns on the year. It was a very. It was the type of output for Michigan that you wanted them to have first road game, because at some point going on the road is just difficult going on it's Nebraska.
Speaker 1:Going on. The road is difficult and by half time I think Three quarters of the stadium was empty. That's, it was the type of performance that I wanted to have.
Speaker 3:I can't handle a single part of this.
Speaker 1:Tell me, tell me where I'm wrong. Tell me where it is in Nebraska.
Speaker 3:What did you should?
Speaker 1:what did you want to see from Michigan that you didn't?
Speaker 3:know it's. It's not that I wanted. I just don't think you need to be hyping it up like you are. I think it was a game that everybody expected you to go in and do exactly what you did, and you did. Congratulations, bravo. You went in and beat the corn huskers Convincingly you should.
Speaker 1:You're a national title contender didn't you struggle with Indiana on the road?
Speaker 3:this is three quarters, one by 20. I'm fine with that 23 to 3. I'm fine, we're gonna talk about doing like it was the greatest win in the program history.
Speaker 1:I'm sure we did here's.
Speaker 3:Here's what I'm saying. If I were to tell you at the end of this game the top three statistical leaders were all Nebraska corn huskers, you would be pretty excited to see what the final score was. And it was not good. It was efficient and it wasn't good. It was not good. I didn't kind of call it because I think that I had it 42 to 6 or something.
Speaker 1:I was not far off.
Speaker 3:Which is maybe why I wasn't impressed, because I just I won't say not impressed. It's why I'm not building it up so much, because it's what I expected to happen. Mccarthy was what I called efficient, and this is what I was telling you before the show. This is what I was telling you before the show efficient. This is what I'm telling you before the show. It's gonna sound like I'm hating them really not the nation in completion percentage.
Speaker 1:My guy.
Speaker 3:This is what I'm saying. He was efficient. He was 12 of 16. He threw for what? 156, two touchdowns and one on the ground. He did what he needed to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you had a three touchdown day.
Speaker 3:It's played half the game great that in half the game. And then got you that's, that's efficient, that you don't need him to go out and put up amazing numbers.
Speaker 1:It's beyond efficient. He leads the country completion percentage. Okay, okay, that is a season.
Speaker 3:That is a season that is a season stat. I'm talking specifically this Nebraska.
Speaker 1:Tell me you didn't watch the game without telling you that game.
Speaker 3:I thought he was efficient, he. He went out and he performed his job the way he needed to do, at the level you expect him to do, and that's exactly what you want for Michigan. Quorum, I also thought, had an efficient day 4.6 yards per per carry.
Speaker 1:Not all those have to play our starters into the fourth quarter Look.
Speaker 3:I don't. Um, that's what I'm getting to. I think if you're Michigan, that's the exact same kind of game you want. You want an efficient game. You want Michigan starters to go out there and not have to do a lot. I don't. I don't want to see a stat line where McCarthy has to throw 25 to 30 times against Nebraska. Let him throw for 12 completions, a buck 50 and two touchdowns and then sit on the bench and share his teammates on you.
Speaker 1:It wasn't all around Heater.
Speaker 3:It that it is not hating, it is hating would be if I said that was a mediocre performance, efficient.
Speaker 1:He's in the word of using the word efficient.
Speaker 3:It's not a bad thing.
Speaker 1:I want to hear you say I'm going to give Michigan credit for a really nice performance. I will never say that okay, see, and that's what exactly my point.
Speaker 3:I will never say I feel like I'm giving them credit. I feel like if I'm, if this was an Ohio State game and they went out and McCord did this, I would say, yeah, it was efficient. It's exactly what I expected the Buckeyes to do. I expected Michigan to go away to Nebraska and absolutely throttle them into the ground, and that's what they did. And I don't want to see your starters have to play. If I'm a Michigan fan, I don't want to have to see my starters play because I want to be able to sit back and take a pregame nap.
Speaker 1:Run a half time now, run me over with a corn, with a corn tractor, what? What do they call those a combine? That's the thing, right?
Speaker 3:I don't know you just don't know. It's just in Nebraska.
Speaker 1:Also you can't definitively prove we weren't in Lincoln for the game. Was that a pumpkin patch with my kids and took a picture of this corn bin up close on our Instagram at rival pod. You have no idea if I was in Ohio or Nebraska had a better chance of stopping Michigan.
Speaker 1:The I'll say the one, the one weakness and this was pretty obvious for those of us that actually watched the game the one the one weakness for Michigan this is wild because Michigan's got one of the best defenses in the country is there are. There are these little moments where Michigan's Secondary looks like they fall asleep. It's not often, but there's. There's these slant routes which, again a little shades of Don Brown. There's these old slant routes, deep, and we saw a little bit of it with bowling green where they complete a couple deep passes. We saw that, like the third that touched on that, rutgers had just a missed assignment. So there was a, there was a little bit of that, and you can have a little bit of that and still give up seven points and be fine the one thing I want to say In my opinion.
Speaker 1:I'm talking to America, right now You're done talking to him a more Efficient, a more efficient offense is going to exploit that, and I you best believe that that's gonna be on film for the defense this week, because that's again when you've got everything else going well, you can hone in on those areas, because you gotta clean that up now that we're in the meat of the Big Ten schedule. That's the only glaring downside. I saw.
Speaker 3:All I want to say and remarks to you calling me a hater is, I'm pretty sure. A couple weeks ago, when Kai on McCord dominated Western Kentucky, who you thought we were gonna struggle with, you called his performance mid and that was essentially what he did here. Him and McCarthy played the same thing. They did what they had to do ever.
Speaker 1:You mentioned Kyle McCord and Jay McCarty in the same day.
Speaker 3:I'll say it right here I it's facts.
Speaker 1:I listen, I'm not even going to entertain.
Speaker 3:Now I'm just riled up, let's get out.
Speaker 1:You are way off base.
Speaker 3:Speaking about Kyron record, They've got a huge game coming up this weekend.
Speaker 1:Can we talk? I'm sorry, can we finish talking about Michigan and Minnesota?
Speaker 3:done for 10 minutes talking about that trash.
Speaker 1:Let's talk before we transition, if that's okay with you, friend. Let's talk about Minnesota, which is just Nebraska, but cold and worse.
Speaker 3:Very bad.
Speaker 1:I mean Minnesota is not good. Minnesota did beat Nebraska, but trailed Nebraska. The same team, Michigan, just beat 45 to seven or whatever it was.
Speaker 3:Minnesota trailed Nebraska 10 to three with two minutes to go in that game Didn't end up only being 13 to 10 or something like that, it was 13, 10.
Speaker 1:They scored a touchdown with two and a half to go and then an interception to set up a field goal. Minnesota is not good. They got beat 31, 13 by North Carolina. They trailed Louisiana in the mid third quarter and were beat by Northwestern yes, that Northwestern 37, 34 and overtime.
Speaker 3:The same Northwestern that Rutgers absolutely demolished. So this is going to be ugly I did.
Speaker 1:I did a bunch of looking at it so like surely Minnesota is better than this Number one? Don't call me surely Number two? No, they're not. Calliak man is here. Here's a compare. I did a little bit of comparison because you don't want to just you don't want to just stat watch, you want just a number watch. But stats and numbers do mean something.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, calliak man is 745 yards, five touchdowns, four interceptions. That's not great. Nope, McCarthy about 1100 yards, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions. All those came in the same game, by the way. Corum nine touchdowns, darius Taylor has four. This is just not good. On the defensive side of the ball, michigan's ranked third in the country Total defense. Minnesota is ranked 69th and is tied with USC. Let's cut to the chase 42 to 10 Michigan.
Speaker 3:Okay, I thought you were about to hate on me for a second because my score is 35 to 10. I thought you were going to give me a little bit of crap.
Speaker 1:I just I figure a night game.
Speaker 3:Same, 100%. I think I think the crowd's going to be into it. Yeah, for a little bit, for like the first minute until they kick off, and then that's when Michigan will go down and do what they do, and then it'll be done.
Speaker 1:They'll have their fun. It's not trying to, and it truly isn't trying to hate on Minnesota.
Speaker 3:It is absolutely.
Speaker 1:I expect Minnesota to get hyped up. They'll come out. They'll look good for a quarter and a half or so.
Speaker 3:I would know.
Speaker 1:And then Michigan's going to do what Michigan does, because Minnesota is just not a good football team. You take the. It's exactly what it should be a carbon copy of the game against Nebraska. Yeah, Crowd's hyped. Michigan takes them out of it right away and just steamrolls their way.
Speaker 3:The thing that's crazy is Michigan hasn't allowed an opponent to score over seven points all game, and I don't know why in my brain I'm thinking that Minnesota is going to be the team to change that. But there's something about that night game where I feel like maybe they get a touchdown early, which we saw happen against Rutgers. They get a touchdown early and then Michigan goes all right, we're done, and then they just steamroll in the rest of the game you done now and you're like that was cute.
Speaker 3:Watch this and it's like 24 to seven and a half.
Speaker 1:It's one of those things where again Michigan's playing like second and third stringers on offense and defense by the time you get into the late third and fourth quarter. So I figure Minnesota stars can probably exploit again even some of those like deep slant routes we've seen with some of the defense. Nebraska had a giant stat pad with a big run late in the game against Michigan's second team defense. That made it looks on paper a lot better, Like they performed a lot better than they really did. I'm expecting something like that to make this game look better. It's not going to be pretty.
Speaker 3:No, no, I got 35,. 10 is my final.
Speaker 1:All right, Go ahead and talk about. Talk about your demo. Ohio State team Go ahead.
Speaker 3:I'm going to be honest with you.
Speaker 1:I'm not nice. I'm on the bi-week, I'm not scared.
Speaker 3:I'm not scared of playing Maryland, but I do feel like they're getting a little bit of disrespect.
Speaker 1:Talk to me.
Speaker 3:So yesterday the line came out it's 21 point favorites for Ohio State. I saw this morning that actually went down to 17 and a half. You would comment it on Twitter. You thought it should be about 15 and a half. There is something in the back of my mind that just says this Maryland team is better than people are giving them credit for. I I think it's going to be an incredibly close game. I think people are underestimating them. Last year they played us super tough as well and we kind of had that same mindset.
Speaker 1:And last year Maryland was not a great team. They were fine.
Speaker 3:They were good. Their offense is always above average. The defense is what worries me. Last year, I think what propelled them over was Ohio State just had too much firepower, which is what I think is going to be the case this weekend. But I just I don't like the mindset that I feel like a lot of the country has right now going into this. It is two undefeated teams five weeks into the year. Maryland is five and oh and, and they've got a great quarterback that I think has been kind of waiting for his moment. I don't know if I've ever really seen him have like a career game like a defining career win In the big 10.
Speaker 3:And I don't think that's going to happen here, but I do think it's going to be a little sweaty. I've got 28 to 24. Wow, this, and I think.
Speaker 3:I when we talked about it coming back from Notre Dame where I thought two weeks was a great, a great preparation time. You've got two weeks to plan against another phenomenal quarterback and to get yourselves amped up and ready and I think if you utilize that right it's going to be good. But there's just a mindset around here right now, from the media to the national media, that this is going to be just a blowout. I think ESPN predicted it was like a 90 something percent chance that Ohio State wins. I just anytime you're overlooking an opponent that much it worries me about how the player's mentality is going to be. So I hope if Ohio State comes ready and and has actually taken these two weeks to prep, I'm going to be so far gone and I hope that that happens. I hope that it's an absolute blowout. But there's just a little bit inside of me that thinks we're going to take it a little bit easy and it's going to scare us and we're going to pull it out. I do think they win.
Speaker 1:But what was your 28,?
Speaker 3:24 and.
Speaker 1:This. Yeah, this is an interesting game. This is a. This is a tough one for me to try to analyze, so the only I, the only thing that I can do is I can go okay, what like opponents? If you played the only like opponent that they've played? And again, let me let me finish the talk because this is going to sound like I'm hating more than I am the only like opponent is Indiana 23 to 3 Ohio State first week of the year. 4417 from Maryland. That's not, that's not everything, but that's not nothing. Okay, these were. It was 10, 3 at the half. First game for Ohio State 10, 3 at the half. It was 27 to 3 at the half this past Saturday from Maryland. That's not everything, but that's not nothing.
Speaker 1:You mentioned Talia. Again, numbers for those who care about it 1500 yards, 13 touchdowns, three picks. Baller McCord's got about 1050, six touchdowns, one pick. Right now, on the passing offense side, surprisingly and this surprised me Ohio State and Maryland are within about 60 yards of each other in statistics. So there's a sense in which the Maryland passing offense is not so far beyond Ohio State, but it certainly feels that way and I think it's. It's the difference in in again what I'm going to call quarterback tiers, where you've got Talia is playing at a just a different level right now than Kyle McCord.
Speaker 3:When I think what helps is that it is a home game. I think if this was at Maryland I'd be a heck of a lot more nervous.
Speaker 1:This is one that down the line, because Michigan gets to finish with a gauntlet of at Penn State, at Maryland, ohio State. I've got that, everyone's got Ohio State obviously circled, penn State circled. I've got a big red sharpie around that Maryland.
Speaker 3:Penn State, then Maryland, then OSU, right in between those regardless of what happens at Penn State.
Speaker 1:Whether you win or lose, in one sense it doesn't matter.
Speaker 3:Realistically, maryland's going to be an eight, nine win team. That's still at least tough. That's still a tough team to face. I think the thing that is going to be interesting this game is watching Kyle McCord again, and I don't want to continually sound like a doubter because I don't doubt a huge piece of whether or not you have success.
Speaker 3:I don't doubt the leadership, but I think you've got to find a way and we've said it all season You've got to find a way to get the running game going so that he can open up the passing game. So you can find guys like Marvin Harrison, I think. After Marvin went down at Notre Dame with that ankle injury, giving him two weeks to kind of get that thing settled straight like this is huge. So I'm very curious to see what that's going to end up looking like. I just I don't think Maryland's defense has what it takes to continue to stick with them. I do think Maryland's going to score points, though, and that's going to make against a really good Ohio State defense.
Speaker 1:Well, and that's going to, I think that's going to be, that's going to be the big thing. Right, there is, what does Ohio State defense look like? Because they, and I'll give them, I'll give them credit because, again, as biased as I, as biased as we can both be, I think, at the heart of it, we're both pretty logical, yeah we try.
Speaker 1:We try to come back to. We're on extremes, but we come back to center. Okay, yeah, ohio State's defense has proven their legitimacy so far. Okay, I thought Western Kentucky would have more success. Ohio State shut them down. I thought Notre Dame would have more success. They shut them down. Now I don't think the offense played particularly well against Notre Dame.
Speaker 3:No, but that was a good defense, but.
Speaker 1:Maryland's defense is not at that same level. They just aren't. So what you may end up with and this is getting to my prediction is, I think you may have a butt ton of points scored in this game. Oh yeah, but I agree, I think. Obviously my hope as a Michigan fan is that Talia just lights it up and I go well well, well, let's see what happens here.
Speaker 3:But then you also poop your pants when you think about having to face that later on down the road.
Speaker 1:So there's a difference, though and Michigan the M Go blog, talks about this all the time there's a difference between September, maryland and November Maryland. Maryland, every year, looks really good in September, and by November it's like the hollowed out shell of a turtle. Yeah, it's Kevin from the office. I ran over a turtle in the parking lot. 100%, 3821, ohio State. I would love that, I do think, because I think it does stay close, but I think you get to the. You know, I think you're looking at 3121 and the fourth quarter sort of thing where it's man we got to get, we got to get. Stop here, man, we got to drive and score. I just think Ohio State has enough talent to get that done.
Speaker 1:The one thing that I think to push it so that, depending on where the line ends up to push it to, that they might cover if the line keeps dropping.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think the one thing that I keep getting a little bit more confidence in is the pass rush for OSU. Now I know I've seen stuff all over the place. Some people are just so obsessed with sacks. If you're not on the D line getting sacks, then you're irrelevant. That is just awful. That is an awful. Take Jack Sawyer and JT to a Moolooow have been getting to the quarterback. They haven't been getting a ton of sacks, but they've been applying pressure and I am curious how Tagavai Loa however you pronounce- it.
Speaker 1:I try to Moolooow and Tagavai Loa in the same sentence.
Speaker 3:Check me out. I'm proud of you for not abbreviating today. The hours in front of the mirror really, really paid off.
Speaker 1:I tell you've been watching film.
Speaker 3:Yeah, don't ask Laura, it's really weird. But I think them being able to apply some pressure in the backfield and maybe forcing some early throws, some untimely throws, I don't know. There's just something. I just don't love the disrespect I feel like the turtles are getting, so it makes me a little nervy.
Speaker 1:And you've got to believe, like as much as Ohio State is going to want to come into this game, and Michigan for that matter too, coming in against Minnesota, because the lines are pretty similar actually, again, should tell you both how bad Minnesota is and also the disrespect for Maryland. Yeah, as much as Ohio State is going to come in and say, we're focused, we're focused, we're focused. I'm with you because I think you, while they may say, well, that doesn't, the hype doesn't affect me, the line doesn't affect me, it does affect Maryland, because you better believe that Maryland's looking to echo and nobody believes in us. It's Bolton boards here, nobody, they remain unranked.
Speaker 1:The first team receiving votes, but they are unranked at five and, oh you know, 20, the line was set, at least at 21. And I'm sure it'll drop by the time this episode is out and produced and all that. Maryland's paying attention to that and I think that one of the big keys and you hit on it is going to have to be disciplined from Ohio State's defense. You're going to, and I agree with you. I think that's a great point. Actually, it's not that you have to get to Talia and sack him, but you have to force him to make decisions.
Speaker 3:He can't just sit back there and pick your part. Hartman did that against Notre Dame and it's why they were able to drive the field.
Speaker 1:The other piece of it is that if you force him out of the pocket, you better be play sound, discipline football because he can run on you. You've got to, and so that's what I mean by discipline football. It's not about don't take personal fouls, obviously, but it's about sound, fundamental football. Ohio State has more talent than Maryland, but if you don't play discipline football and you let him run on you, or you don't get pressure or you just fall asleep back there, he will eat you alive.
Speaker 1:The other X factor for me here is Roman Hemby. Roman Hemby is a very good running back. He has not had the stats that I thought he would have at this point in the year thus far, but he's going to be. The other factor is Ohio State is going to, because the run game opens up the pass game Again, sound fundamental defense. Ohio State has a good defensive line. You've got to force Ohio excuse me, you've got to force Maryland into passing situations, into passing downs, that you know what's coming. If they're running amok and Talia is getting time, man, it's going to be a world of hurt. I just don't expect that to happen because I think Ohio State does have a much improved defense, at least at this point in the season.
Speaker 3:And the run game has been solid so far throughout the year.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I think they'll be. I think they'll be fine. I've got 3821 Ohio State in this one.
Speaker 3:I'm 2824. We're actually going to be at the game. Yep, we're going to be posting so much stuff we've got.
Speaker 1:We're actually so much stuff, you guys were actually planning on doing?
Speaker 3:Is Taylor Swift going to be there? I've heard rumblings actually.
Speaker 2:I heard her and my.
Speaker 1:Harrison junior, it's going to be at the game.
Speaker 3:Is it us LeBron James? Is he actually?
Speaker 1:on.
Speaker 3:James. His son Bryce, is going to be going on an official visit this weekend for basketball and so NBA hasn't started yet, so maybe my guy LeBron James, we can get to rep a rivalry t-shirt that the space jam guy. It is space jam to get it right. Okay, we are going to be at the game. We're going to be posting stuff all over our socials. If you're not following us, what the heck are you even doing?
Speaker 3:Go and join that at rival pot on Twitter. On Instagram, we're also going to do something a little different. We're going to give you our three keys to the game leading up to the game that morning on YouTube. It's going to be a live. We're also going to be on Instagram as well, posting throughout the day. You can follow us again at rival pot on Twitter and Instagram. Tons and tons of stuff throughout the day, giving you kind of a behind the scenes look at what an OSU game day looks like.
Speaker 1:You can watch me vomit in the corner, if you'd like to every time I step in that stadium.
Speaker 1:I want to say a big thanks, by the way, to our friends that elevated integrity construction. Very thankful for Aaron, for Aaron Carroll and his team supporting the rivalry again this year. It's time to elevate your project. They have integrity in their name. You know that you can trust them, because when it's your project, the last thing you want to do is have some guesswork. You ever you don't want a contractor and come in and go yeah, man, I think we could probably have probably do that. I had a dentist do that where he? He it was Oklahoma, so what do you expect? But he's looking in there. He's going yeah, I think you got cavity back in your wisdom teeth, might need a root canal, but we might not know till we get in there. It's like absolutely not that for you, absolutely not Elevated integrity. They are better than a dentist in Oklahoma. They're not going to do that. Go with the folks with integrity in their name. It's elevated integritycom.
Speaker 1:We touched on this a little bit with the your four playoff teams, but I want you as the top. I think seven in the AP poll stayed unchanged this week, which is a bismol rank. Your top four teams right now in your first two out. Do you want me to go first? Cause I did. I prepped for this. I haven't.
Speaker 3:I haven't ready. It's different than what my college football picks that we discussed earlier, because that's just the correct.
Speaker 1:You're looking at the end of the year.
Speaker 3:In this moment I have Michigan. One say it again Never put the hold on.
Speaker 1:Get that trap, I'll burn it. Put the Wolverine head on. Don't tell him, I'll burn it the. Wolverine head on.
Speaker 3:I refuse. You know you want to. I've got Michigan one, ohio state two, texas three, georgia four and first two out first two out. I have Penn state in Oregon.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:But that's going to change.
Speaker 1:I mean I'm saying right now, right now, those are my top six. Give me Texas at one right now, I respect that because be this is the only team that I think, like I look at, I've got and I'll just say I've got Michigan at two. I think Texas right now is the most complete team in the country Like offense defense. They beat Alabama and, by the way, I'm not I'm not overlooking that win against Kansas either. They beat a decent Kansas.
Speaker 3:Okay, let's take it with a great song.
Speaker 1:That's not good, but a ranked, undefeated Kansas team. They beat him pretty handily. So I'm going to give Texas one. I've got Michigan two. I think Michigan is right there with Texas as one of the most complete teams in the country Offense defense. I'll give Ohio state number three because I think that win against Notre Dame is impressive. You got to respect that. And I'll put Georgia at four because I just I don't know how long Georgia can last, because George it's not that George is a bad team.
Speaker 1:No but there's a difference for me, and again we saw you know, not not so much, not definitely not this week, maybe a little bit with Rutgers, where there was some there's a difference between playing with your food for a quarter and a half and, oh my gosh, we almost lost to.
Speaker 3:Auburn, like there's a, there's a.
Speaker 1:There's a big difference between yeah, we didn't play a great game against Bowling Green, but we still beat him by four touchdowns or whatever, and boy are we lucky, we beat unranked Auburn. There's just a huge difference there.
Speaker 3:I saw a tweet that I wish I would have screen shot it so I could give him credit, but it said Brock Bowers is the best football team in the nation and it is the most accurate thing I've ever heard. He had like a buck 56. He was just insane. He bailed him out.
Speaker 1:And again, I shouldn't use the term bailing about. George is a good team, but yes, Brock Bowers is just an animal.
Speaker 3:It's an animal.
Speaker 1:And he's going to be a huge reason why they go, however far they go this season. Give me Washington at five. Organ at six, by the way, because I'm fine with that. I think Washington's impressive. Who have they played? I get it, but that can be said for just about, just about any team in the top 10 right now.
Speaker 3:Any game they've played they've taken care of pretty handily.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's been very little playing with our past week.
Speaker 3:They was Arizona that they like barely got by, but it was yeah, I.
Speaker 1:I Washington's a very good offense, very, very good offense. Let's move to stupid genius, which this is again brought to you by our friends at the J company. Fall in love with your home all over again. At the J companycom, the J A E companycom, the scoreboard is still 22. Nothing. Again, as a reminder, five points for picking your upset. Pick correctly, plus whatever the spread is that they've overcome, it's 22. Nothing, neither of us picked up points again this week. Nope, who did you have remind us?
Speaker 3:Who did I have? Last week, I think I went Colorado over USC. No, no, no, no, no, I went. Uh, you had Mississippi state versus Alabama's, which again not a bad pick, Not awful Shake out.
Speaker 1:Um, I had it to do. South Carolina, tennessee, tennessee, real well. Um, give me, give me Louisville over Notre Dame at six and a half.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:I think, listen, I know Notre Dame, I understand the way Notre Dame lost to Ohio. Say you could say, oh, they could be. They could be undefeated right now. Yeah, they also could have lost to Duke.
Speaker 3:Duke's good.
Speaker 1:But Duke's not great. Did you want to know, man, that first half from Duke where Notre Dame here here's, here's why? Let me give you just half a half a bit of reasoning. Notre Dame should have been up about 24 to nothing on Duke. At the half they, they once again, and it was kind of like the Ohio steak not quite as dramatic, but it was almost like the Ohio steak in where they had early chances to just really punch them in the mouth and just couldn't do it. That, I think, eventually is going to bite them. It obviously bit them against Ohio State. Yeah, it nearly bit them against against Duke. I think it bites him against Louisville. I think Louisville is hyped up. Louisville has struggled now for a bit but they're undefeated. They're finally ranked. It's night, it's at home. This, this has the makings of a perfect trap game, If you can even call it that. I know it's two ranked teams, but I'm going to call it a trap game anyway. The perfect trap game for Notre Dame Gimme Louisville six and a half.
Speaker 3:I'm impressed with Duke. I don't think they're a bad football team at all.
Speaker 1:I don't think they're bad. I just don't think that they're the way their first half. They were fortunate to still be in that game at that point.
Speaker 3:That's fair. That's fair. We haven't talked about this yet today. We skipped over this segment. Rutgers to the Rose Bowl.
Speaker 1:And who do they play this week?
Speaker 3:They're at Wisconsin, they are.
Speaker 1:DP.
Speaker 3:I I'm going to do a little bit of an audible here. I our producer, eric. This is my original pick, but I'm switching it cause I'm feeling vibes right now.
Speaker 1:My original pick this is why you have no points in stupid geniuses, because you're going based off vibes.
Speaker 3:Is it called genius genius? No, it's not. Hey with a rivalry podcast.
Speaker 2:It's stupid and genius. Go ahead, please go ahead.
Speaker 3:My original pick was number 21, missouri over number 23. Lsu there.
Speaker 1:What a boring upset.
Speaker 3:It is. It is but LSU six and a half point favorites, so I went with it. And it's a home game for Missouri, so I went with that. I'm switching it. I was checking, actually, while you were talking about the dentist story, I was looking, I was looking to see board. I was, I was so bored I was going to fall asleep. I had to do something else, literally anything else but I decided to pull up and see what the spread was, what the the line was for Rutgers, because there's just a thing that's just getting me right here where I think Rutgers is foreign one Okay, their next couple of games they play at Wisconsin, then they play, oh they play out Wisconsin At.
Speaker 2:Wisconsin, then they play Michigan state, that's a way, and then they play that which is a home game.
Speaker 3:Then they play at Indiana. There is a chance that Rutgers will be bowl eligible in the next three games. That is a statement I did not think I was going to say it could be a seven one Rutgers team potentially, and I'm feeling the vibes. Wisconsin is not that great.
Speaker 1:What's the spread against Wisconsin right now?
Speaker 3:14, I believe is what I saw. I was trying to look quick. It is currently uh, wisconsin is giving a 77.7% chance to win and the thing just went away. But yes, it was a 14 14 and a half it was a 14 point spread. Uh yeah, 14 over under is 47. So no one's going to score points. Nobody's scoring points, but Rutgers is going to score more of them. Give me those nights from Jersey over those badgers. I'm loving it.
Speaker 2:We're going to have a five and one.
Speaker 1:It's a new game.
Speaker 3:It's a noon game.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's better. Can't break it. Man can't pray. It was such a tough place to play. Though it's a tough place to play Not scared.
Speaker 3:Give me. This is the moment where Rutgers defines. It sounds weird. This is the moment where Rutgers comes in and they prove that they have actually developed and grown as a team. These are the kind of games where Wisconsin is having a little bit of a down year, as you could say. It's not the dominant. You go in there and they're a top 10 ranked team. On the road. They're currently unranked, I'm feeling it.
Speaker 1:Listen, I'm, I'm, I would love it. You know, I'm on board with Rutgers, which, by the way, so Rutgers to the Rose Bowl right now, at four and one big win over Wagner. Yep, what's the Shiano meter?
Speaker 3:three out of five. Still Okay, three out of five.
Speaker 1:This is the test. If they win Wisconsin, are you going to be in? That's a strong 4.84.
Speaker 3:It's a strong 4.84.
Speaker 1:Listen, I would love the flight. I would love to see Rutgers go into camp and I'll get the win. I don't know that. I didn't have the guts to make it my pick, obviously, but you know what?
Speaker 3:Hey, I'm down 22.
Speaker 1:Sometimes you got to do a four Roll the dice.
Speaker 3:Sometimes you got to throw four.
Speaker 1:We would also be remiss if we didn't mention that Michigan State once again paid a coach on a 10 year $95 million contract to lose to Iowa's backup quarterback. Obviously, we're still waiting to hear just how significant Kate McNamara's injury is, but prayers up for him. As much as we have enjoyed roasting him, you never want to see an injury like that no. And Kate, he's a he's a good dude. Yeah, we, you know, disagree on football, whatever that's fine, their offense is still bad.
Speaker 1:You're still bad, your offense is still bad but hopefully it's not as bad as it looked. Prayers up for him. Hopefully he recovers. Iowa manages to get a win, Cooper Dijine with a fantastic fantastic. I assume the Lions are going to take him next year in the draft as well because it's Sam LaPorte already, it's Jack Campbell.
Speaker 1:How about them Lions, though? Anyway, cooper Dijine, just phenomenal job. I don't know if I will win any more football games this year, I have no idea, but they did manage to beat Michigan State. Michigan State is imagine, doesn't hurt, imagine for a moment.
Speaker 3:Okay, hold on, let me get in the right head. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'll just name a bunch of numbers. I hope you're watching this. Imagine having three losses in September. Could never be. First of all, imagine having a loss. Second of all, imagine having three of them.
Speaker 3:And third of all imagine it still being another week when I get to roast you on this podcast.
Speaker 1:Cause you just lost to the Knights from.
Speaker 3:Piscataway, new Jersey, it's going to be beautiful.
Speaker 1:I'll be all in on Rutgers next week. My other I had Louisville over Notre Dame. My other stupid genius upset pick of the week is a Michigan State opens as three point favorites against the bi week and I'm taking the bi week, as you should. Who knows what'll come out. You know what you just you just net any given Saturday, my friend.
Speaker 3:If there's a tunnel involved, it's definitely going downhill.
Speaker 1:So any other college football from around the country that we need to cover in the last 60 seconds or so, colorado still irrelevant. That's fun.
Speaker 3:We can't even talk about that, that is. You want to talk about haters? Bring up Colorado with this man.
Speaker 1:They have lost the only two games against good teams that they played. What do you want me to say?
Speaker 3:Absolutely dominated UFC. In the second half they looked good. This is a team that won one stinking game last year.
Speaker 1:How many wins do you get for dominating a team in the second half? You don't get any. There it is. Thanks so much.
Speaker 3:When one game last year you get three already. You play two top 10 teams that are being talked about as being potential college football playoff finalists. I'm not upset about that. Watching them grow is incredible. Shadr Sanders is an absolute baller on social media at rival pod.
Speaker 1:And as a reminder, we've got stickers now for your laptop, your water bottle. You can stick them to your forehead, do whatever you want a buck a month. You're supporting the podcast, you're helping us say yes to opportunities like the college football playoff and you're going to get to spread the word so more people can enjoy the podcast as well. That's on Patreon to river radiocom. Slash rivalry at rival pod across social media will be in Columbus. Well, we're in Columbus now We'll be at the shoe closer to the Columbus.
Speaker 1:We'll be at the Maryland game on Saturday. Go blue.
Speaker 3:Go box. Oh wait.
Speaker 2:The rivalry is a production of river radio. Ministries. Want live updates from the show? Follow us on Twitter, instagram and YouTube at rival pod. Visit our Patreon and consider becoming a patron or exclusive bonus content, merch and more, and be sure to follow us wherever you're listening now for new episodes every Tuesday and if you like what you're hearing, call a friend so they can listen to you.