Pardon My Take
CFB Quarterfinals, Georgia, Ohio State and Bama Go Down, Week 18 Picks And Preview, Jerry O’Connell Recapping Our Fantasy Season And Fyre Fest Of The Week
02 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Oh, could this vintage store be any cuter? Right? And the best part? They accept Discover. Accept Discover? In a little place like this? I don't think so, Jennifer. Oh yeah, huh? Discover's accepted where I like to shop. Come on, baby, get with the times. Right, so we shouldn't get the parachute pants? You're making a comeback. I think.
Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen Report.
On today's part of my take, presented by DraftKings, we're back in studio. The whole crew's here. We got college football quarterfinals recap. Incredible last game that we just watched, Ole Miss versus Georgia. A couple other games weren't as exciting, but we're going to talk about all of them. We have the semifinals set. We're going to do our Week 18 picks and preview.
We have Hank and Zach back. We are also going to do our exit interview with Jerry O'Connell on our fantasy season. Maybe a little contentious. Runners up. Runners up. So we finished second. We want to just talk it out with Jerry, see what we can do better, what we can maybe give him to make it a better experience next year. And then we're going to finish with Firefest. And that's it.
It's going to be a great Friday show. And then we'll be back to three times a week next week. Thy ticket, Lady Jennifer of Coolidge.
Well, many thanks, good sir. Heareth my discover card. They accept Discover at Renaissance Fairs? Yeah, they do here.
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Chapter 2: What are the key highlights from the college football quarterfinals?
Discover is accepted at the places that I love to shop. Get it? With the times. With the times? You're playing the lute. Yeah, and it sounds pretty good, right?
Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. Based on the February 2025 Nielsen Report. Okay, let's go.
Hey! Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Chapter 3: What are the Week 18 NFL picks and previews?
Welcome to part of my take presented by DraftKings. The crown is yours. Today is Friday, January 2nd. Happy New Year's, guys. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. Happy 2026. And let me just say, to start 2026, if you are a regular fan of college football, let's say 95% of us out there that don't root for the Blue Bloods, Let's call us haters. What a start to the new year.
Because we watched in 24 hours Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia all lose. The Red Bloods. Yeah. And I think, if memory serves, since we've gone to the 14 playoff and now to the 12-team playoff, I think this might be the first year where none of those teams are in the Final Four. So, yeah, we got all new colors.
Yeah, we got Oregon versus Indiana in one side of the bracket, Ole Miss versus Miami in the other side. Joe Klatt's probably going to feel a little stupid right now because Miami, incredible. Let's start with that one, Miami. just absolutely manned up Ohio State on New Year's Eve.
It was shocking, but also not shocking because Miami had this in them, but in the fact that Ohio State just looked like they got bullied the entire time. The Julian Sane pick six obviously tilted the game, but my big takeaway from this game was not only obviously Miami can win the national title, but this felt like Mario Cristobal, like he coached a perfect game,
And even in that last drive that Miami had where you're like, are they going to get too conservative when they're up three? Are they, you know, six minutes left? No, no. There was a perfect drive, perfect use of the clock, absolutely big boydom. And Ohio State, listen, hand up. Sometimes you get it wrong. This Ohio State, not better than last year's Ohio State. Officially, yeah.
Well, they did beat Michigan. They did. Which last year's Ohio State team did not. But this year is 2026. Yes. So this team in 2026. Well, no, they lost in 2025. On which time zones? That's true. Not every time zone. We can't get into time zones. We can't do that. But yeah, Ohio State lost their last two games of the year. They lost to Indiana. My weird take here is that Michigan did it again.
They broke them? Ryan Day had spent so much energy to beat Michigan this year. After they beat Michigan... It was over. Their whole season was building up to that. Yeah, I do think that if you were to just say the last two weeks of each program, Michigan had a better last two weeks than Ohio State.
I hate that my head went there, but it did feel like Ryan Day obviously getting the monkey off his back, beating Michigan. The Indiana game and the Big Ten championship game was very close. They hit a field goal. It's different. This game, though, Miami, watching this game, you're like, Miami's the better team. From the opening drive, it felt like Miami was violent. Yeah.
They brought some bad intentions to the field. And yeah, Mario Cristobal, that defense, the defensive line and the linebackers for Miami, they were just beating the shit out of Ohio State. Ruben Bain. In a way, Ruben Bain is a monster. Yep. And I think we had the two best defensive players in college football. on the field with Bain and Caleb Downs for Ohio State. Both guys played great.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of the recent college football losses?
Unbelievably bad. Just unbelievable. And Barron Morton, I know he's been injured. I think he said he was like 85%. But still, it was so tough to watch. And credit to Oregon for just taking it to him and squeezing the life out of him. But that was not a... I wouldn't say that's a rewatchable game. It was a terrible game.
It was a bad football game.
I do think it's good for the time of day and New Year's Day. You'd rather have the stinker be early or hungover. You can just take a nap. It was a good sleep-through game, for sure. And for me, I really enjoyed watching this game. I kicked my feet back. I felt like today was a win for JMU.
Yeah.
It was just, yeah, Texas Tech could not move the ball against Oregon. I think Oregon is probably the second best team right now. I think the numbers would probably bear that out with the spreads that are coming out. Yeah, and it's going to be a great rematch. They played a good game earlier this season, too. Yeah. So, yeah, Oregon just kicked the shit out of them.
It was way, way worse of a game than I had even thought. Did you see, Zach, by the way, your nickname? We should have gotten this nickname for you, but unfortunately it's not yours. Did you see the Mateo Uyungle? I did see the concrete-centric nickname. Great nickname. Young Concrete. That's a good one. Great nickname. That's a good one.
Was he the one that they were like, he runs a 4'6", 40, and squats 775 pounds? There was one guy on Oregon's defense. I don't know if it was him or someone else, but they said four numbers in a row, and I just, how is this possible? But they have dudes. If you just call somebody Young Concrete, they're able to hit harder.
Yeah.
Just with that nickname. Young Concrete. And then Alabama, Indiana, which was absolute belt to ass. It was... It was just smothering by Indiana. They were trying to run the score up. They were trying to emasculate Alabama, and they did. From the very start, I guess the first drive from Indiana, they ended up punting, right?
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Chapter 5: What insights do the hosts share about playoff predictions?
But the five seed is still a very good path to the Super Bowl.
It's a good spot to be in, yeah.
But that's my hot take.
My hot take is this is more important. To win the Super Bowl, this is more important because neither the Ravens or Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl.
But think about those fan bases. If you're a fan of one of those teams, there's way more pressure on that game.
Yeah, and the Niners, obviously, if they lose, they go down to the six, right? Or the Rams have to win. No. If the Rams win, the Niners would go down to the six. So they would have to go to Philadelphia. The Bears can only play the Rams, Packers, or Niners.
I think the Seahawks have to be fifth. The worst they can be is fifth. Correct.
So it is a swing for the Niners. I do think that the Niners uniforms, those are better for Saturday. Those don't feel like Sunday night uniforms. That's true.
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Chapter 6: How do the hosts evaluate players' performances for the fantasy season?
So at least it is that. Okay, Sunday. We have the Saints-Falcons game, which hopefully will mean something. Yep. And we have Tyler Shuck, who's been incredible. Most offensive TDs in the fourth quarter of one score games this season. Tyler Shuck is fifth. He's only played six games.
rookie of the year no big deal tyler shuck has also turned around that saints defense too yep they're averaging 4.3 yards per play against on defense since tyler shuck that's that's the second best in the entire nfl that's what a guy like shuck does to an entire organization to entire city culture guy culture culture yeah if i told a falcons fan in late august
The Falcons defense is going to have 50-plus sacks.
Chapter 7: What are the key takeaways from Jerry O'Connell's exit interview?
Bijan's going to go for 2,200 yards, all-purpose yards. Kyle Pitts is going to have a really nice season. Drake London is going to be dominant. And they're going to have a really impactful rookie class. Yeah. And the division sucks. You'd be like, well, yeah, the Falcons are in the playoffs.
But then if you had said they also have to play musical chairs with their kicker.
Yeah. Then you'd be like, yep, that's the Falcons. I also said they are going to lose to the New York Jets and get blown out by the Miami Dolphins. Yeah. They're a big time what if, holy shit, how'd this happen kind of team. But also beat the Bills. And the Rams. And the Rams. They're a very strange team.
It's crazy.
It really does. The season kind of comes down to week one. Yeah. Young Waiku missed that. It was a 44-yard field goal. Yep. As time expired, he missed it. That was against the Bucs. If they win that game, then we're talking the Falcons in the playoffs.
yeah it's it's the the teams that are on the top of the list of wow this could have like we were that we were right there and if a couple things go different it's the falcons it's the vikings it's the lions yeah those are the teams where i'm like if you're a fan of one of those teams you have to be sitting there like that we're right there yeah and we we could have kirk cousins in the playoffs right now kirk cousins should kirk cousins be the starter next year
Well, I don't think they're going to pay him next year. I think he's done after this season. Okay. At least in Atlanta. By the way, the Falcons too. This is a crazy stat. So in the last decade, the Falcons are 53 and 78 in games when they are still playing for a playoff spot. They are 12 and four when mathematically eliminated. That's interesting. That makes me scared for shock.
They're really good when they're eliminated. Yeah. Also, I saw a stat. I think they're like 13-3 or something in the red helmets. Why wouldn't you just do that all the time? The red helmets are great. I like those. I still like Shuck. I got to believe that Shuck has just changed everything about that locker room. Yes. Everything about the facility. Something about Shuck. Okay, Browns at Bengals.
Bengals are minus 7.5. Overrunners 44.5. If this is it. There's two storylines in this game. It's Joe Flacco. This might be it. Yeah. If it's it. We love you forever. And then Miles Garrett, can he get a half a sack? And it sounds like Joe Burrow is not designing the entire premise of him playing quarterback around preventing Miles Garrett from getting that sack. Joe Flacco. Joe Flacco's playing.
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Chapter 8: What are the plans for next year's fantasy team?
This time of year, we have a lot of conversations with a lot of people regarding our fantasy team, our plans for next year. I don't want to say who I was talking to or where I was, but, you know, I'm doing my due diligence. Jerry, do you think that if you really – and I think you really care about this. It pretty much ruined your holidays, the championship, and going through it all.
But do you think that if you really wanted to show us how much you care, you would have been here in person? Listen, guys, I couldn't. It was my daughter's 17th birthday. They were having a party at our house. On Sunday, right? On Sunday. Yes. Today's Wednesday. Oh, here for this. Yeah, I half expected you to just walk in the door with your briefcase. Yeah, guys, it is.
I mean, like, you know, the AOL should know, like, all the smoke and mirrors that happens. We are recording this on New Year's Eve, and I have, like, a wife and children and stuff. You wanted me to fly to Chicago to have you guys fire me and play me messages from Schefter? No, I just was asking a simple question.
If you thought it was important to come here for the exit interview, then we would have thought it was important. Mm-hmm. Hey, guys, if it wasn't like the biggest holiday of the year, yeah, I would have been there. You're a big New Year's Eve guy. Oh, okay. If it was some random Wednesday in August, you know I would have been there. Yeah. You know what? I'm still on the Bengals.
Does the name Stephanie Niles mean anything to you guys? Stephanie Niles. I don't know. Oh, yeah. It's actually Jake Browning's wife who dresses up at those games.
Oh, yeah. Lovely lady.
Yeah, lovely lady. And don't put this on the bunk list. This is all respectfully. She's happily married. But she looks cute in all those things. It's cute. I like that. It's fun.
Jerry, have you ever been to a ditty New Year's Eve party? Oh. No, I have... I saw you going on to a different podcast and talk about how you've been to Diddy parties.
You did your Diddy stories on a different show? Yeah, we talked about this.
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