If you really look at the body of work and you look at the Southeastern Conference and what we have to go through every week, you look at the non-conference schedule we play to go to Ohio State in week one and lose by seven when we outgain them by nearly 200 yards. We got a really good football team and it'll be a disservice to our sport if this team's not a playoff team. Good stuff there, Coach. coach. Yeah, after a semester of skipping a few assignments and or showing up hung over for the midterm exam, college teams are now trying to cram themselves into the playoff. And I get it. And having been there myself, I respect it. Not the playoff part. Everything else, though. Now, I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but I've never been nominated for an Oscar.

So I guess I'll take the word of those who have when they say it's an honor just to be nominated. Okay, that's a lie. I'm not going to take their word for it. Because sure, it's exciting to get nominated, but it's still got to be a way bigger bummer when in the big moment they don't call your name. A bunch of years ago, one of the state lotteries was up to a billion dollars or whatever.

So I went out and bought a ticket and then a a few hours later, I found out I didn't win, which was emotionally inconvenient because I'd already made plans for that loot. Listen, a few of my all-time favorite seasons as a fan were about this very moment, trying to make it to January, obsessing over the standings, doing the math on the tiebreakers and all that. Back to the wall, no one believes in us, all that crap. Just as long as you don't start spending that loot and thinking your team might go to the Super Bowl. You see, your team is Rocky Balboa. Just getting to fight Apollo Creed is the win, even though you're not going to beat him. And that's how the NFL playoffs

work. Might hit your ear funny, but at the moment, the one seed bear should be the favorite

to go to the Super Bowl. Whether they're the NFC's actual best team is relevant, but getting

to play one less game is relevanter. I don't know what the word is. Like I said, I skipped school.

Thanks to lead wide mediocrity. Ooh, I skipped school. Thanks to lead-wide mediocrity.

Ooh, I mean parody. Needing your team's coin to only come up heads twice instead of three times

is huge. If you had to go undefeated against the blackjack dealer or else lose your hand,

you'd probably want to only have to play two hands of 21, not three, right?

From 1990 to 2019 to 16 playoff era, teams with a buy got to the Super Bowl 75, 80% of

the time, and of course it's come down since the playoffs expanded to 2020, went up to

a seventh game, but went down to just one team getting a buy, but still, five out of those

10 teams got to the Super Bowl. I might have skipped math class, but even I know that's one half getting a buy, but still, five out of those 10 teams got to the Super Bowl.

I might have skipped math class, but even I know that's one half.

Better odds even than a hand of blackjack.

During the same stretch, the seven seeds won one total game.

By the way, that one win was the one that convinced everybody Jordan Love was good enough to go to a Super Bowl.

And I happen to agree. But with the Bears at number one, how those two Green Bay Chicago

game shakeout could determine who barely sneaks into the postseason and who gets the

Super Bowl trip. And the winner is, not you, seven seed. Let's start the show.

Yes, hi, and hello, my fellow football Americans.

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