The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk · Blue Wire

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Picks for the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl

December 31, 2025·22 min·2 clips

Doug uncovers an ESPN article he calls a lie, accusing them of covering up the SEC's midness with SEO tricks.

Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises host this episode from AT&T Stadium ahead of their live Cotton Bowl coverage. They use the ongoing Vanderbilt-Iowa bowl game as a backdrop to discuss conference perceptions and make picks for the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The hosts analyze the Orange Bowl matchup between Oregon and Texas Tech, noting Oregon's offensive firepower and Texas Tech's transfer-heavy defensive line. They preview the Rose Bowl, focusing on Indiana coach Curt Cignetti's confident demeanor and his team's wins over Ohio State and at Texas. The Sugar Bowl discussion centers on Georgia's late-season form and Ole Miss's distracted coaching situation. Landis and Lesmerises highlight the Big Ten's 6-1 bowl record against the SEC's 2-5 mark during their recording. They express skepticism about the SEC's strength, citing Illinois's wins over Tennessee and South Carolina in recent years. A specific ESPN.com article published December 30, 2025, claiming the SEC is the "undisputed king" based on all-time bowl records becomes a major point of contention. The hosts question the timing and purpose of that article, suggesting it aims to manipulate search results away from the SEC's current bowl struggles. They reveal Oregon is favored by 2.5 points over Texas Tech, with a total set at 51.5, and both pick the Ducks to cover and the under. Indiana is a 7.5-point favorite over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, and both hosts pick the Hoosiers to cover while slightly leaning over the 47.5 total. For the Sugar Bowl, Georgia is a 6.5-point favorite over Ole Miss, with Landis predicting a comfortable Georgia win and Lesmerises forecasting a closer game. An interesting insight is their view that bowl results should influence conference perceptions more than they currently do. They argue the Vanderbilt-Iowa game specifically tests the SEC's perceived depth against the Big Ten's. The hosts find the ESPN article's focus on century-old data instead of the current season's results particularly disingenuous. They note Indiana's defensive line injuries but remain unconcerned due to Alabama's poor running game. The tone is highly conversational, humorous, and opinionated, featuring live reactions to the Vanderbilt-Iowa game. The style blends sports analysis with comedic conspiracy theorizing about media narratives. College football fans interested in playoff previews and conference rivalry debates will enjoy this episode. Listeners seeking a strictly formal, neutral analysis of the games might find the hosts' strong opinions and tangential discussions less appealing.

As heard by us

A live, opinionated playoff check-in with just enough hallway looseness to keep it moving.

Bill and Doug are back in the Cotton Bowl hallway, and the setup gives the episode a loose, useful shape. They use it to keep an eye on the other quarterfinals while a Vanderbilt-Iowa watch-along runs underneath.

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Why you'd press play

You want a live Rose Bowl read while Vanderbilt-Iowa is still on.

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