the nail in the coffin | A Cleveland sports podcast: college football playoff

Showing posts with label college football playoff. Show all posts

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Episode 201 – College football is changing (but not at the top of the polls), and the Bishop Sycamore fiasco

Bill Bender of the Sporting News is back on The Nail to talk about the new college football season, Texas and Oklahoma eying a jump to the SEC, and the implications of an alliance between the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC. Plus: Will anybody challenge Ohio State in the Big Ten? (Probably not.) Can anyone other than the perennial playoff programs finally break through and get a berth this year? (Also not likely!)

Later, the guys discuss how the Bishop Sycamore story quickly went from an amusing tale of an unqualified prep team scheming its way into a game on ESPN to something much, much worse.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Friday, January 15, 2021

Episode 189 – Shock and awesome: Browns stun Steelers, get ready for K.C.

Before the Browns head off to Kansas City for a divisional round matchup with the Chiefs, the guys look back on an unforgettable night in Pittsburgh that started with an avalanche—four first-quarter touchdowns!—and ended with the Browns winning their first playoff game since 1994. With coach Kevin Stefanski, cornerback Denzel Ward and others returning from the COVID-19 list, can the Browns keep up the magic in K.C.? Even if they don’t set records again, another fast start will probably be needed.

Plus: Nickelodeon’s slime-filled broadcast of Bears-Saints, a postmortem on Ohio State-Alabama and a lackluster college football season, and Ken Jennings’ start as “Jeopardy!” guest host (and the others scheduled to follow).

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Friday, January 8, 2021

Episode 188 – A COVID cloud is stealing the Browns’ and Buckeyes’ sunshine

The Browns are going to the playoffs! The Buckeyes are playing for a national championship! This is all supposed to be exciting…right? The guys discuss COVID-19 taking the air out of Northeast Ohio football fans’ balloon at the worst possible time, whether the Browns can overcome not having Kevin Stefanski and multiple starters, and the possibility that Monday’s national championship game between Ohio State and Alabama might not end up being on Monday after all.

Plus: Justin Fields was incredible leading OSU over Clemson in one of the Buckeyes’ most satisfying wins in years, and the Indians’ trade of Francisco Lindor is the latest painful reminder that Major League Baseball is a broken institution.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Photos from USA Today | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Episode 166 – Should old acquaintance be forgot: Browns close 2019 by cleaning house (again)

This Browns season was supposed to be different. It wasn’t, and the aftermath isn’t either: Jimmy Haslam is cleaning house and hitting the reset button once again. Head coach Freddie Kitchens was sent out the door on Sunday night, and GM John Dorsey followed on Tuesday afternoon. The guys look back on yet another year that went off the rails and take stock of the state of the franchise, from OBJ to Baker Mayfield to the Haslams, as another reboot begins.

Plus: An Ohio State-Clemson game that was every bit as good as expected, one inexplicable replay overturn, and one surprisingly conservative late-game decision by head coach Ryan Day, as well as the future of the Buckeyes and the legacies of the outgoing J.K. Dobbins and Chase Young.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Photos from Getty Images | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Friday, December 6, 2019

Episode 165 – ESPN vs. Fox Sports is college football’s hottest rivalry this year

College football’s biggest rivalry this season isn’t between any of the sport’s most familiar, storied programs. It’s ESPN, home of the College Football Playoff and proprietor of the long-running “GameDay” kickoff show, vs. Fox Sports, the irreverent upstart riding a wave of SEC fatigue and a suddenly hot pregame show of its own. Awful Announcing editor-in-chief Ben Koo, who recently wrote an in-depth analysis of the TV turf war, joins The Nail to discuss how Fox Sports has leveraged the perception of ESPN favoring the SEC, a strategy to put on its biggest games at noon, Ohio State’s dominant year, and a dash of Urban Meyer to make inroads against ESPN’s once-seemingly impenetrable stranglehold on college football coverage. ... Plus: The wacky late-night TV fun that is #Pac12AfterDark and the future of the College Football Playoff format.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

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Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Episode 164 – Climbing the mountain: Ohio State looms over rival, Browns trying to overtake theirs

Is The Game still THE game? Heading into its tilt with Michigan, Ohio State has reclaimed the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings and is steamrolling its way toward a playoff berth. The Wolverines and Coach Jim Harbaugh are still just trying to figure out how to break through for a win in this series. The guys discuss the stakes for the Buckeyes on Saturday (and whether a loss would even kill their playoff chances), the state of Michigan football under Harbaugh, and whether this year’s edition of The Game can be competitive.

Meanwhile, with the Browns and Steelers set to renew pleasantries just 10 days after all hell broke loose between the two teams in Cleveland, the guys cover Pittsburgh QB Mason Rudolph’s demotion (…as conveyed by Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath!) and what the Browns need to do to finally win at Heinz Field for the first time in 16 years.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Photos by Associated Press and Cleveland Browns Twitter | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin

Friday, December 28, 2018

Episode 138 – CFP semifinals and Rose Bowl preview with Mark Podolski

For the fourth straight year, News-Herald sports editor Mark Podolski joins the show to talk bowl games. The slate is a little lackluster this year, so The Nail’s traditional New Year’s Six preview is getting trimmed down to only the games anyone actually cares about – the College Football Playoff semifinals (Clemson vs. Notre Dame and Alabama vs. Oklahoma) and Ohio State’s surprisingly rare Rose Bowl appearance. Is another Alabama-Clemson championship game inevitable? Does Washington stand a chance in Urban Meyer’s last game on the Buckeyes’ sideline? And is it surprising that Dwayne Haskins is actually playing on New Year’s Day?

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Episode 136 – Rerun: Buckeyes miss out on College Football Playoff again

For the second straight year, Ohio State won the Big Ten championship, but missed out on the College Football Playoff, which, also for the second straight year, will include Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma. Being left out of the playoff field wasn’t a surprise, but also finishing behind two-loss Georgia this year? That’s a little more dubious. The guys discuss the selection committee’s wonky logic, the Big Ten’s struggle to get its champion into the playoff, and the value of a do-or-die regular season vs. an expanded playoff that lets in all worthy contenders.

Plus: A half-baked Fox vs. ESPN TV rights conspiracy theory and Dwayne Haskins’ Heisman odds.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Episode 104 – Alabama-Georgia fallout and the future of the College Football Playoff

On the verge of winning their first national championship in 37 years, the Georgia Bulldogs instead lost the title game on Monday night in the most excruciating way imaginable, and the Alabama evil empire reigns over college football again. The guys relive the game’s stunning closing moments and the unconventional ways they saw them unfold—Tom watched the full game on the announcer-free SkyCam feed that was part of ESPN’s megacast, while Travis went through the condensed version on Tuesday after following along on Twitter during the live game.

Plus: With UCF’s perfect season and teams just missing out on the playoff posting big bowl wins—not to mention Alabama’s shaky regular season résumé—has the door been pried open for an eight-team field? Expansion is probably inevitable, but the guys debate whether it should be.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Friday, January 5, 2018

Episode 103 – Decisions, decisions: Browns dive into a pivotal offseason

Mercifully, the Browns’ season is over, but the interesting times are just getting started. Tom and Travis discuss decisions made—John Dorsey replacing Sashi Brown, transitioning from collecting assets to acquiring players, and (against all odds) keeping Hue Jackson—and the decisions to come (read: “quarterback, quarterback and quarterback”). As the Browns sort through their issues, there’s one other decision that’s easy for the guys: Neither of them would be caught dead at this weekend’s 0-16 parade. … Plus: Thoughts on the Rose Bowl and the upcoming college football national championship game, Isaiah Thomas’ exciting Cavs debut and what to do with J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Episode 102 – Let’s go bowling! New Year’s Six college football preview

For the third straight year, Mark Podolski, sports editor of The News-Herald, joins Tom and Travis for a marathon rundown of college football’s New Year’s Six bowl games, including Ohio State-USC in the Cotton Bowl, as well as the College Football Playoff semifinals between Oklahoma and Georgia (Rose Bowl), and Clemson and Alabama (Sugar). Plus: Quarterbacks Sam Darnold of USC and Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, as well as Penn State running back Saquon Barkley (playing in the Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington), could figure prominently into the Browns’ draft plans in April. How much of an impact, if at all, will their bowl game performances have on where they land on draft day?

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Episode 099 – Playoff forgotten, Ohio State sent to Cotton

The College Football Playoff pairings were released on Sunday, and despite winning the Big Ten championship, the Ohio State Buckeyes were left out of the national title picture. Instead, they’re headed to the Cotton Bowl to face USC. The guys welcome Josh Poloha of Waiting For Next Year to figure out how Alabama moved up into the fourth playoff spot without playing in a conference title game, whether OSU ever had a realistic chance at getting in after all, and whether factors that weren’t supposed to matter – the potential for Clemson-Alabama III vs. a rematch of last year’s Clemson-Ohio State blowout, the Big Ten’s recent playoff history – actually played a role in determining this year’s field.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Episode 098 – Fight for 4: Bill Bender on Ohio State, Alabama and the College Football Playoff

Four games between top-10 teams in one day! Playoff implications abound! Saturday has all the makings of a great day for college football, but the biggest fight of the weekend could be waged on Sunday morning if perennial powerhouses Ohio State and Alabama are left to scrap for a fourth and final College Football Playoff berth. Bill Bender of the Sporting News is back on the show to help the guys navigate the battlefield. Quality wins? Bad losses? Conference titles? What will sway the selection committee? Do precedents matter? Are any other teams outside the current top four in the mix? Can any of those top four stay in even with a loss? It’s an action-packed – and, at times, contentious! – episode of The Nail.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Episode 056 – Let’s go bowling with Ohio State and the New Year’s Six

News-Herald sports editor Mark Podolski is back for our second annual college football bowl game extravaganza. In a colorful hour-plus, the guys cover: the playoff semifinals, including a potentially tremendous Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson, Western Michigan’s chances of pulling an upset vs. Wisconsin, which games can lift up a mostly lackluster bowl season, players skipping bowl games, the draft stock of North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky, and New Year’s Day being the latest sports tradition messed up by the (bleeping) NFL.

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Episode 053 – An episode about nothing? That’s gold, Jerry!

With no guests lined up or major Cleveland sports happenings to focus on this week, the guys borrow a line from their favorite comedian-turned-sitcom star and wander through all sorts of topics for an hour. From Deandre Liggins and water bottle tosses to 0-16 parades and Browns training camp locations to the MLB hot stove and the unreleased, original ending to the movie Major League, it's an episode about nothing that still offers something for everyone. Giddy up!

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Episode 052 – An OSU win for the history books; a Cavs team of a lifetime

The Buckeyes survived a ragged, dramatic game with Michigan and appear to be headed to the College Football Playoff. The guys relive a memorable Saturday afternoon and look ahead to what’s next for Ohio State and potential bowl game matchups. … PLUS: What follows “happily ever after”? The Cavs gave Cleveland a storybook ending in June, and are now settling into life as the defending NBA champions and a golden era in franchise history.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Episode 051 – Bill Bender of The Sporting News is back to talk Ohio State-Michigan

Before he heads down to the Horseshoe in Columbus this weekend, Bill Bender of The Sporting News is back on The Nail to get us ready for the 2016 edition of the best rivalry in sports, Ohio State vs. Michigan. From College Football Playoff implications to star players to endless storylines to potential history, this year’s installment of The Game should have it all, and Bill has everything you need to know before the kickoff at high noon on Saturday.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Episode 010 - New Year's Six college football extravaganza

News-Herald sports editor Mark Podolski joins us for a marathon edition of the show as we preview the New Year’s Six college football bowl games. Will Ohio State be motivated for its Fiesta Bowl matchup with Notre Dame? Is there a better setting in sports than the Rose Bowl? Is Alabama living off its reputation at this point or is the Tide dynasty still alive? What were the organizers of this thing thinking by allowing the semifinals to be played on New Year’s Eve? Will there be any reason to watch the Peach Bowl at noon on New Year’s Eve or the Sugar Bowl in primetime on New Year’s Day? (Spoiler: Sure, it’s still college football.)

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Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Episode 008 – Bucks to the Fiesta, Cavs near full strength

In a rare Sunday night episode, the guys look back on last weekend’s announcement that Ohio State is headed to the Fiesta Bowl to play Notre Dame. Plus, with Iman Shumpert back and Kyrie Irving returning soon, the Cavs are just about whole. What will be their keys to getting the most out of the rest of the regular season?

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Episode 007 - Last hope for the Buckeyes, T-shirt tosses in Loudville

With Ohio State sitting out conference championship weekend, the guys break down what needs to happen for the Buckeyes to have any chance of making the College Football Playoff. Plus: The Browns’ crazy loss on Monday Night Football was still a win in the long term, and Tom dodges T-shirts (and dumb fans) in Loudville to watch Cavs-Nets on Saturday night.