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Back here at CBS Sports HQ recapping our top story in college football. Ohio State freshman Luke Fahey, from Mission Viejo, less than 50 miles from Los Angeles. First start against his home team and, unfortunately, he couldn't perform against the Trojans. 21 of 38. And the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes lose on the road against the Trojans. Consider this. The Buckeyes hadn't lost two games before November since 2011. Wow. Urban Meyer was not yet coaching at Ohio State. Cardale Jones was in high school. Our colleague and Jeremiah Smith was 6 years old. And how about a little more history here?
Because this is something we haven't seen in a long time. The top two teams have lost to unranked opponents for four straight weeks for the first time since 2007. In the last four weeks, Texas lost to Oklahoma. Then Georgia lost to Auburn. Last week, number two seed BYU lost at UCF in double overtime. And this week, number two Ohio State loses at USC. Alright, back here with Richard Johnson, Brian McFadden and Ryan Kerrigan. Ohio State, the second-ranked team, was forced to turn to backup quarterback Luke Fahey, who failed in his first start while USC pulled off the upset. Julian Sand is out
indefinitely due to an injury to his throwing arm. So, Ryan, what's your outlook for Ohio State the rest of the way? Everything is still within their reach. Like we're burying them here, you know, just because they lost and that's it You're not burying them. I know it's not true, but yes, they are. But everything is still within their reach. They obviously have a more difficult path to travel. Oregon is coming off a big, big win over Northwestern today. They still have Northwestern on the schedule. Nebraska, the big one, the big one as you mentioned before, Richard, against Michigan at the end
of the season. But everything is still within this team's reach. And if you want to take something positive from tonight, it's that they defeated themselves just as much as USC did. That's not to take anything away from USC or discredit them in any way, but you look at the penalties they committed, the explosive plays that made the difference between winning and losing the game for them. There's still a lot to be, you know, excited and encouraged about if you're Ohio State. They still have everything they want within reach. And as you mentioned before, Hakeem, they won.This is their first loss in the conference. Their only other loss is against Texas. So they still have a lot ahead of them as a team.
Yes, mathematically they still have everything to achieve. It's right there within your reach. Now, will we see a different team if Luke Fahey is the quarterback from now on? Will we see progress in his ability to lead and be the ultimate playmaker for the offense? And what about the defense? Because I was very disappointed with what I saw from the defense in terms of the big plays they allowed, the efficiency they gave up to Maeva, not to mention the running game, right? The ground game was very, very impactful for USC. So those things need to improve right now. There is no room for error with two losses already, one outside the conference and, of course, their first loss in the conference happened tonight against USC. But
they can still go out and win a Big Ten championship. They can still make the playoffs and still have championship aspirations. But, as I said, if the quarterback's performance doesn't improve, I don't think they have much of a chance of winning a championship. Okay, now, next week, right? They return home to Columbus. And who are they up against? To Oregon. Oregon is using its backup quarterback. Dante Moore is out for the rest of the season. Dylan Raiola, he stepped forward today. Three touchdowns, no interceptions. He looked great in his victory. And now there will be two backup quarterbacks battling it out in Columbus. In other words, both seasons are currently hanging by a thread at CBS. That
game will be broadcast on CBS. We'll be talking about that next week. And you mention that both teams have a backup quarterback. Well, that's not really the case. Because Dylan Raiola has played a lot of American football. Absolutely. He was a starter once, and adjusted to go to Oregon to be the backup behind Dante Moore. And now that turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Oregon, because they have a veteran player to take over when Dante Moore left the game weeks ago and won't be returning. So, you still prefer Dylan Raiola over Luke Fickell? Absolutely So the quarterback advantage would go to Oregon in my opinion, but that was his first start.
We know what it's like for a first-year student to do their first tenure. You never expect him to be at his best. We just need to see progress. Yes, because the rest of the way is a must-win for Oregon, since they have a record of five and three. As we mentioned, Julian Sayin was injured two weeks ago in the Buckeyes' victory over Indiana. On Saturday, the defending champions went to overtime for the second week in a row. This time they beat Minnesota thanks to the heroic performances of kicker Paddy "The Baddy" Macateer, seventh-year quarterback Grant Wilson, and wide receiver Charlie Becker.
Richard, what's your assessment of Indiana right now? Are they still a top-five team in your eyes? I think with this Indiana team, I have them outside my top five and we'll get to that a little later in the show. The problem with Indiana right now is that they have flaws, and I think it's more than just Josh Hoover, who is clearly playing through a lot of pain. That's why they took him out of the game in favor of Grant Wilson. I think you have an Indiana team that's less like a machine than it was last year. It is less clinical than it was last year. The defense is really good. The defensive line, specifically, is very good But in many operational aspects where they are supposed to be elite
, they are failing. You saw it in Phase Three today. Two poorly kicked punts, a missed field goal, a blocked field goal, a poorly executed field goal or extra point, I think in the exchange between the long center and the bra. So yes, they had that great 60-yard field goal to send this to overtime, but it took a lot to get there, and they've found ways-like Charlie Becker in this game, Nick Marsh against Nebraska-to get their playmakers to step up when it really mattered. And all that's fine and dandy, but this Indiana team, this Indiana program, is chasing a championship and they're not getting right now, I think, the best version of themselves, the Hoosiers.
They really need a week off. They'll have one, but then USC lurks on the other side. And USC just showed you that when the Trojans play their best game, they can compete with the best in the country. So Indiana needs to be on the lookout for what USC brings to the table in a couple of weeks when they finish this bye week. Are they one of the top five teams in college football right now? No. No, because of the problems at the quarterback position along with the entire offense. You saw the graphic there, viewers. In their last four games, they averaged 17 points. If it weren't for their defense and how good they've been, we'd probably have
seen a few more losses on their schedule right now. So, until I see something different from their offense, which, as I said earlier during our show, I've been so confused about, even when Josh Hoover was healthy, it really wasn't working the way we thought it would when he became an Indiana Hoosier. When you look at the work Kurt Signetti has done with people like Curtis Rourke and Fernando Mendoza, we just haven't seen everything turn out as we thought. But, based on what I've seen in the last few weeks, especially with the injury, and then Grant Wilson came in and played quite well, no, they're not a top-five team. They have one, they have an elite defense, no doubt about it. A championship-caliber defense, but their offense is
n't quite at that level yet. And how long will it take them to be able to meet expectations as we had hoped regarding Josh Hoover when he's healthy, and even if he's not, Grant Wilson? Now, this is an incomplete team at the moment. You see, the elite defense right now. The offense is not where it needs to be. Today's special teams almost cost them the game. And you mention the 60-yard field goal, that was incredible at the end. But the special teams almost cost them the game. And then even the coaches' decisions with timeouts and clock management at the end of today's game, that almost cost them the game too. So, this is a team that has a lot to criticize, but they 're still there.
The week off comes at the perfect time for them. It will allow them to regain their health, regroup, and conduct a much-needed self-assessment to discover how they can be more productive and more efficient on the offensive. Think about this in the Big Ten, right? We're talking about a conference that has been very quarterback-driven in recent years, which has led to national championships. Now, in the middle of this Big Ten conversation, backup quarterback for Indiana, backup quarterback for Ohio State, backup quarterback for UCLA. Think about that. Backup quarterback for Oregon.
Backup quarterback for UCLA. Yes. It's, it's, it's crazy. And that's why the window is open. It's like you really don't know exactly who to pick when it comes to the Big Ten right now. Based on what we've seen from Ohio State, do you like their chances? Not really. We saw Oregon's difficulties, although they are still in the fight. Indiana, I mean, UCLA, you can't forget what they've done. And USC could still be a contender. If they just manage to improve their defense a little, they could be the ones who appear in the last hour like a thief in the night and steal the job.
November. Michigan also uses a backup quarterback, and he looks amazing. I must say, Tommy Eichenberg, phenomenal. November in November the Big Ten is going to be fascinating. I mean, you're going to have UCLA, they're going to Michigan at the end of the season, and they're playing against USC. And you have Or-like Oregon could sneak into the Big Ten championship game if the tie-breaking criteria favor them and they win everything. Ohio State, Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska, Michigan returning home. It's going to be We Forget About Nebraska. As you know, the closing round here in the Big Ten is going to be fascinating.
It's difficult to make a choice. If you had to give me your top three Big Ten teams, who would be in the top three right now based on how the teams are built And that very point is what's so interesting about it, because you have so many teams and so many variations, nobody is a finished product right now, Ryan. Yes, and what's so interesting about all the talk about backup quarterbacks is that UCLA and Indiana, the two teams that are at the top right now in the Big Ten conference, are built on defense and running the ball. So, I see that they can withstand, you know, losing their quarterback and Josh Hoover not being at his best, whereas we saw what happened tonight with Ohio State where, you know, they lose their main pillar and Julian
Sayin, and things got a little weird for them. Ryan, do you know what UCLA and Indiana have in common? Both have substance. Even when times get tough, they dig deeper. They delve deeper. They have substance. You can be sure of that. Hey, you know we're going to have some substance. Let's get some context. We're going to have a lot of fun on Tuesday. We'll have our first reveal of the college football playoffs. Richard and I will be here to analyze all of that. Okay Richard, before we move on to that, tell us who has risen the most after the ninth week.
The biggest climb has to be Wake Forest. I have Wake Forest in my hypothetical playoff bracket if we played today. They're playing really good American football. However, Geo Lopez's injury needs to be closely monitored. We'll have to see how this develops from here on out, but they're playing great football. Ke'Shawn Aumandis, if you're not familiar with that name, a wide receiver, you better learn it. That young man knows how to play. So Wake is a great story right now. Jake Dicker is doing a great job. Do you want to talk about a team that does more with less? Mjm. There aren't many teams in college football right now that do more with less than Wake Forest, and I'm talking from a roster spending standpoint. There
isn't much money on that roster compared to its peers in terms of college playoff rankings, or the potential ACC championship game in December if Wake Forest manages to keep winning. Wake Forest has been a breath of fresh air this season. P-Mac, Wake Forest scored in his first nine series against Virginia. I mean, the Demon Deacons on Halloween, now that was scary. That was terrifyingly good They were possessed today. And to Rich's point, they are playing some truly inspired football. We need to keep a close eye on the quarterback's situation, of course. As we said with other teams in the Big 10, when you don't have a quarterback, things change instantly. That's why that position is the most important on the
field. But they are playing with inspiration and it seems they have the advantage to face Miami at the Miami Invitational. The Miami Invitational. And they gave them a real fight in that game earlier this season. So, maybe you'll see something different the second time they face off, and we'll have a really fun game. Yes, and especially with SMU's defeat against Syracuse, the path is cleared for Wake Forest to reach Charlotte. Wake Forest has a 7-1 record and they're still looking good, Ryan. You saw them this afternoon and what they were capable of doing.
Yes, I mean, you're talking about the offensive. I mean, scoring in the first nine possessions, that's pretty hard to do. You'll win a lot of football matches when you do that. It's their second 40-point victory of the season. They beat Stanford earlier this month 57-3, and here's a 51-7 victory against Virginia. Very well, Richard, we have those who go up and those who go down. Hey, who tricked us here on Halloween Well, Ohio State is one of the ones that's going down. I'm not going to kick Ohio State out of my mythical college football playoff field, but they have to go down simply because they lost. I think they've fallen from the
number two spot. I have them in my playoff field right there, in sixth place. Uh, you know, I think the teams behind them, I don't necessarily think they're better than Ohio State if we played the game tomorrow, even with what Ohio State showed on the field against USC tonight. Very well, there you have it. Ohio State has fallen, slipped, and slid on Halloween. Trick or treat? My feet smell, give me something good to eat. Hey, you know you have to see it, see you later. Check out the latest edition of College Football Insiders, presented by a powerful team of reporters, including our very own Richard Johnson. This program offers the stories behind the headlines.
He makes things happen. Download and follow College Football Insider today. Three days until our first reveal of the college football playoffs. As we enter week nine, here's a look at the projected picture. Each of the four champions from the main conferences has a guaranteed spot. The highest-ranked team in the group of six also enters the tournament. Currently, Boise State. In addition, a new development: Notre Dame has a guaranteed place if it finishes among the top 12 in the final CFP ranking. I'm back with Richard Johnson, Bryant McFadden, Ryan Kerrigan. We saw the projected bracket, and now Richard will walk us through his 12- team prediction for the CFP. Alright, take the
reins, buddy. Okay, man. We're analyzing a lot of things in a college football season driven by parity. It's been a lot of fun. Let's put this chart together and see where we are so far in the season. Right now, I still have Miami in a comfortable position at number one. They had a scare, but they're still there. Georgia returns to number two. Notre Dame, number three. Well, guess which two teams are playing next week. I can't wait to see that. Notre Dame, I think they have to get the win against Miami, or things will get very, very interesting because the game against SMU can no longer be something to lean on in terms of their resume. And then, further down, how about Wake Forest? Wake Forest is my 11th seed, practically the last
of the major conference teams. You'd have Boise as the G6 representative, as the 12th seed in my tournament if it were being played right now. Kentucky is currently ranked 10th. And yes, they are behind Ole Miss. People are going to raise their eyebrows and wonder what's going on. For me, Kentucky has those two wins that were a coin toss. They are victories, and what they did is impressive, but they were not resounding triumphs. These were victories achieved by the skin of their teeth, almost at the last second. Utah and BYU are going to settle a lot regarding the Big 12 in a couple of weeks when they face off in the "Holy War And now let's talk about who's left
out, just shy of the mythical tournament if it were played right now. We have many teams with two losses, a mess of two losses that we will have to analyze this American football season due to so much parity. I think a team with three losses could still sneak in, a team with three losses in the regular season. But right now, this is what I have in the bubble, so to speak, if you want to call it that. You have Bama, Texas Tech, LSU and Texas right there. Texas and LSU play in a couple of weeks. Bama and LSU play next week to resolve this sort of college football playoff bubble, right? For me, the most obvious thing when looking at the
chart is that, if the season ended today, only three SEC teams would qualify. TRUE? Fortunately for all of us, there is still plenty of football to be played, but that is the nature of the picture if the season ended today. And I don't foresee only three SEC teams getting in. When you look at other notable teams that are in the bracket right now, you have BYU, with a great win against Notre Dame, but they lost their advantage by losing to UCF the way they did. And then, when you look at what Wake Forest has done, they've done a very, very good job beating the teams they're supposed to beat. And even in the midst of the defeat against Miami, they were very, very competitive. But other than that, the
run of games in the ACC hasn't been all that impressive. Well, there are a lot of things that will be decided in the SEC, but I don't think that in the end only three teams from the SEC will get in, Ryan, when all is said and done. Yes, I find the SEC really interesting. Ole Miss, I'd say your path seems pretty straightforward. They have some very winnable matches ahead. Kentucky has a slightly more difficult path. They have to go to Rocky Top. They have Florida, you know, they took a hit today, but they're still formidable. We saw what they did to Ole Miss several weeks ago. But then, what will Ohio State look like? We have, we have spent a large part of the program talking about them after their defeat tonight. But looking
ahead, they have a difficult schedule. Can they adapt? And can Luke Fickell lead this team to some victories? It's going to be interesting, but the SEC really fascinates me, especially with some of the matchups we have in November. How confident are you that one of your top four finishers will win a national championship? That is, your level of confidence in Miami, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Utah. I would say three of those teams. Yes, I definitely believe they can win a national championship. Utah, I 'm not entirely sure yet.
I really want to see Utah vs. BYU in the " Holy War" in a few weeks. Uh, they survived Houston last week. They're a good Houston team, but they survived Houston. Houston pushed them to the limit. I want to see them tested again against BYU, but I don't question the quality of Miami, Notre Dame, or Georgia as things stand right now. Obviously, I can't wait to see Miami and Notre Dame next week. I'm not going to give you my official prediction. Yes. But I'm telling you right now, Georgia is going to win everything. Ooh, that's fine. We're just keeping that to ourselves. That's not an official prediction.
TRUE. Record it. That's not official for me. So cut it out and use it. January 25th. They stumbled against Auburn, didn't they? Yes. They tripped. Well, it's a rivalry match. They stumbled. This team is dangerous. His ground game, Gunner Stockton is a great player, man. Uh, people want to underestimate him. Yes. And I'm tired of that. This guy is an absolute player. You want to talk about it, don't even make me start with his defense. They are the cream of the crop when it comes to defense. I know what Notre Dame does. I know what UCLA does defensively. I see what Indiana does defensively. But,
Georgia, Ryan, I mean, tell me right now, if you could pick one team out of those 12, which one would you bet on? I mean, it's hard to argue with Georgia. And you're talking about his defense. You see the big guy, you feel like you see a touchdown by one of their big players more often than you think. Honestly, after watching Miami tonight, I know it was a close game, but that's the pedigree of a team ready to win a championship. It's easy to say that a team is ready and that they are good when they win by 30 or 40 and everything looks great. When you're able to win those close, tough games, when you get that loose ball in the final moments, when you need it most, and your star players, Mensah and Tony, manage to
capitalize at the end of the game when it's most needed on third down in the red zone, that, that's championship material. If they can pull off a win against Notre Dame next week, watch out for Miami. I mean, I see exactly what Hakim says about Georgia. I think Georgia and Miami give me the most confidence that they can lift the trophy at the end of the day because they have star power and a high level at the quarterback position. People underestimate Gunner Stockton because he doesn't do it with much style, but he gets the job done and is a player who makes a difference. But their defense, that's where I would give Georgia the edge over Miami if I had to rank them.
They have a group of guys who look like what they hunt. And on offense, those are the guys you do n't want to mess with, because if you have a cheetah on your side, they have one just like it. You know, if you have a lion, they have a lion too. All their players look like what they hunt and they arrive there, and they arrive in a very bad mood. That's what I'm seeing with Miami, even a few weeks ago against Florida State, Ashton Dames had a lot of success against them. TRUE? And then you look at what Billy Edwards did tonight, Mhm. He had great success against them. I think Miami's defense this year isn't as good as last year's, but in my opinion, the offense is better this year. But those are the two teams at the
moment; If I had to give my vote of confidence on who will win championships, I would say Miami and Georgia as we see them today. We will learn a lot about Notre Dame next week. They have a guaranteed place in the playoffs if they finish within the top 12 in the final CFP ranking. But B-Mac, let's say Notre Dame loses to Miami next week, finishes the season with two losses, and you see the teams Richard left out. You saw Alabama lurking there, right? Would a Notre Dame team with two losses get in ahead of an SEC team with three losses?
I think so, based on them finishing within the top 12. But I think that shouldn't be the case, because we're talking about Alabama with two losses and LSU with two losses. Alabama and LSU will play next week. One of those teams will suffer a third defeat, right? And one of them will achieve another impressive victory. Whoever suffers their third loss, if the season were to end next week, especially if Notre Dame loses, would say that Alabama or LSU have a more impressive resume than Notre Dame.
We talked about this earlier during the program. What major victory does Notre Dame have if they lose to Miami, in addition to their loss to BYU? North Carolina's victory is important, because you saw what happened tonight. We're talking about North Carolina, which has a record of 500 right now. But you asked for a big win and that's on the schedule. If you tell me no, I can't. They don't have Ohio State there But exactly. You're trying to find one big win, but when you talk about LSU or Alabama, in my opinion, they have multiple big wins. Or if you want to mention a Texas team that has two losses. So that's where
the gray area is for me. Richard, you explained it perfectly when you said they would be in the top 12, but if they lose to Notre Dame, that means they lost to both of the qualified teams they faced this season. And now you really can't include SMU, who you'll see in a few weeks. SMU lost against Syracuse. So the advantage they had, Wisconsin in week one at Lambeau Field, they lost. Well, they didn't score a single point against Iowa. And now you have SMU, who were supposed to be a good opponent ; They will drop out of the top 25 this week. So where is the important victory? If you want to say that Notre Dame lost to them a third time, they achieved a 39-point victory against Ryan Kerrigan's Boilermakers.
Something characteristic of me. Right? You see? And in West Lafayette? You do n't just walk into West Lafayette and get a win. Of course not. Uh, I'm fascinated by where Notre Dame would theoretically rank in the initial CFP rankings if they lose to Miami. That is the true measure. I think it will tell us what the committee is trying to prepare. Remember, because last year they had the situation where they came out and presented the rankings. They had Miami too far from Notre Dame and then it seemed like they were just artificially inflating Miami and then, in the end, you saw what they did and
obviously they dragged Miami into the mix. Alabama also joined the dance. Notre Dame was left out as far as that bubble is concerned. And then Notre Dame, excuse me, and then Miami made their way to the national championship game. So, Miami proved when she entered the dance that she did belong there. So it will be fascinating how the committee treats a Notre Dame with two losses in their initial qualifiers if the Irish lose to the Canes. Yes, we're not doing a winners and losers segment this week, but my winner is Ryan Kerrigan. He's coming this week ready to start, prepared, being a total professional here. I love the conversation we 've had. It was a pleasure to be at the
table with you, Ryan. It was really fun and gave us great knowledge and perspective. Thank you, guys. Thank you. I'm grateful to have Ryan Kerrigan and the team, Richard Johnson, B-Mac, a regular here at CBS Sports HQ, as we take a look at the odds of winning the College Football National Championship. And hey, B-Mac, Las Vegas, you agree with me. Georgia plus 350 followed by Notre Dame and Miami. And LSU, do you watch LSU? Yes, they have to come in. Alabama. I mean, Ohio State plus 900. I don't know if they do n't look good. Yes, just let it go. It does n't look good, but I haven't lost hope. They are just, they are just two defeats. They can solve it.
