00:00Gino Toretta is on the Toyota of Hollywood hotline.
00:03The Heisman Trophy winner joins us on Thursdays, but today is Wednesday because he's traveling
00:09tomorrow, but he joins us courtesy of the local 519 Plumbers Union in football and
00:15in life.
00:16It's about being on the right team.
00:18Join the winning team at local 519 Plumbers Union, a proven path to a strong career.
00:24Visit plumbers519.com.
00:27All right, let's get right into it with the college football playoffs and the rankings.
00:33What was your reaction?
00:35So Sunday, you see Alabama comes up, so you know it's going to be between Miami and Notre
00:40Dame, and then they choose Miami after having ranked Notre Dame ahead of them the five previous
00:46weeks.
00:47So what was your initial reaction when you see Miami make it to the college football playoffs?
00:52Well, I think they tipped their hand, you know, the week prior when they said they were going
00:56to re-rank all teams.
00:57I think that when you end a season, I don't think in college football history have you
01:02ever said, okay, here's between these two teams, and they have the same record, and there was
01:08a head-to-head between them, that you've taken the loser.
01:11So I think they tipped their hand prior to that.
01:14I would probably agree with Coach Saban.
01:18I think that, you know, the Dominoes, really the ACC and their, you know, tiebreaker rules
01:27need to be revisited.
01:29Yeah.
01:30And Miami could have just won their way in, Notre Dame would have been in, and you'd have,
01:34you know, a lot more fan bases happy.
01:36I think that 10 teams that are in that playoff have a legit chance to win a championship.
01:42There's two teams that don't, let's be honest.
01:45I mean, the group of five, yeah, they had great seasons in that, but, you know, you're just
01:49talking about different personnel and different tests, and I would just say that two don't
01:55have a chance to make it all the way through.
01:57And I think that when we went, expanded the playoffs, weren't we trying to get the 12 best
02:02teams?
02:02I mean, just get the 12 highest ranked teams, throw them in a playoff.
02:06You know, there's a lot of changes.
02:07Get rid of the conference championship games, take it to 16, and let it eat at the end of
02:13the year.
02:14You know, move the schedule up, the scheduling with this transfer portal.
02:18You know, you got Kiffin's issues leaving schools in the middle of playoffs and things
02:24like that.
02:24But, you know, obviously I'm happy.
02:27You know, last year was the same three teams, Bama, Notre Dame, Miami.
02:31And this year, Notre Dame got left out, and Miami didn't.
02:36So, it is what it is.
02:38And, Gino, you were speaking in tongues.
02:41I'm going to tell you, Tulane and James Madison have no chance of beating anybody in this damn
02:47playoffs.
02:48Exactly.
02:48Why do they do that?
02:50Why don't they, like, Notre Dame beat YU.
02:52That should be 11 and 12.
02:54But you don't think there could be, like, a...
02:55But those are their rules.
02:57Those are their rules.
02:58Like, when we see George Mason go to the Final Four, like a Cinderella story that happens
03:03in March.
03:04It's not...
03:04It's not the NFL.
03:07It's not the Green Bay Packers making the playoffs as a wild card at 9 and 8.
03:11It's not...
03:12You know...
03:13I don't know.
03:14You and I could probably go to a game and say, okay, pick a team.
03:19Let's say it's Georgia, James Madison.
03:21Georgia, you know, Tulane.
03:23And we could just stand at the buses and watch both teams get off.
03:29And you'd be like, damn, there's no...
03:32That one team has no chance.
03:34I mean, Notre Dame, Alabama, in the BCS Championship in the Orange Bowl, I remember when those two
03:40teams, I was Manti Teo and all, you know, Notre Dame was like, we deserve to be here.
03:44Those teams walked out.
03:46Now, you're talking two Power Five Blue Bloods.
03:48But those teams walked out, and I remember thinking, damn, does Notre Dame not have
03:53a weight room?
03:53Because Alabama dudes were just yoked up.
03:57And I was like, Alabama's going to get...
03:59You know, Notre Dame's going to get blown up.
04:01And they were down 21-0 in like 10 minutes of the game.
04:04So, you know, we could...
04:06You, as just an average layman, could just look and just say, yeah, I'm not betting on
04:13that team to win.
04:14But what you're suggesting, in my opinion here, Gino, is that there should just be a
04:19college football playoff or a different league or a different whatever you want to call it
04:24for...
04:25Whatever.
04:25Write them a check.
04:27You know what I mean?
04:28Or just say, if you've got to have one, have one.
04:32Because really, what it got down to, it was it's got to be conference champions because
04:36of the ACC and their tiebreaker rules, and then Duke pulled out a great game and beat
04:44a team with five losses.
04:46You know, it's just...
04:48That's what opened the door for all of this and the whining of Notre Dame and, you know,
04:56then quitting.
04:58We're not going to go to a bowl game and this.
05:01I feel bad for the kids on Notre Dame that they're not going to...
05:04There's guys that aren't going to the NFL, that are seniors.
05:07You only get so many chances to lace them up.
05:10And their administration said, no, we're not playing...
05:12We're not going to play in a bowl game.
05:15And, Gino, and I'm with you, Notre Dame, Miami, the head-to-head men something.
05:19But it's crazy, Gino, because I watch Indiana, Ohio State head-to-head, and I still think
05:27Ohio State can win the national championship.
05:29I don't like...
05:30You let me know I'm wrong.
05:31I just...
05:32That team is loaded.
05:33Indiana's good.
05:34But you're talking about two teams on the same level.
05:38Like, I think you could make a case for how Notre Dame's playing at the end of the season
05:44that you say, hey, well, I think they would beat Miami right now.
05:47Like, I don't know what the odds makers would put the line at, because they have those kinds
05:52of players.
05:53I think we saw it, but I think it's Notre Dame minus five.
05:56I think it was Notre Dame minus five or five and a half.
05:59Yeah, so that's where...
06:01Yeah, it's two teams on the same level.
06:04I mean, it's like you watch Indiana, and, you know, and Channing, I don't know if you
06:09remember the play, but they ran like a play action.
06:12And it was a cross and grouse bootleg, and the tight end beat the Indiana linebacker from
06:19the opposite side to the inside.
06:21And I'm like, okay, in the NFL, that's just touchdown.
06:23I mean, he was two steps in front of him, and I think the guy's number was 22.
06:28He was thick.
06:29And I'm not saying he was the most fleet of foot in the world, but the tight end kind
06:34of slowed down, and then the kid caught up.
06:37And I'm like, that linebacker's got no chance in man coverage against a fast, but he just,
06:43he made a play.
06:44And that's where, like, you look at it, it's like, yeah, maybe they're not, every guy is
06:49not the best, and they're not, you know, you look at Ohio State's roster, and you're just
06:52like, damn, these dudes, these dudes are all going to have a chance to play on Sunday at
06:57some point in time.
06:58But, you know, I think that, you know, that's where they are still on the same level.
07:04And I think Indiana could beat anybody.
07:06I think Ohio State can beat anybody, even though they lost.
07:12I mean, you know, it was a missed field goal to tie it.
07:14They get to OT.
07:17You know, I was just, it was fun to watch, because it was a heavyweight battle, and they
07:23were beating the hell out of each other.
07:25Mendoza was getting ripped, and he was still dropping dimes all over the field.
07:29I mean, that dude put some throws in windows where I was just like, holy cow, this kid,
07:33you know, he's gotten more and more accurate as his career has progressed.
07:38What do you think about a week from Saturday, Miami and Texas A&M?
07:42How do they match up?
07:44Well, I think it's going to be a difficult environment.
07:46I mean, Texas A&M, we've gone there and beat them, you know, or, you know, so I think it's
07:53going to be a difficult environment, but Texas A&M showed, you know, they have some warts.
07:57They didn't play great.
07:58They got their butts kicked against Texas on the road their last game, but they got a
08:02dynamic quarterback, and anytime you've got a quarterback that's dynamic and can run
08:06and sling it, it makes you're 11 on 11.
08:10It's a tough game plan, especially you try to run man coverage and blitz as much as Miami
08:15does, but I think Miami got healthy at the right time.
08:20They had some guys dinged up on both sides of the ball.
08:23I think they're going to be healthy, but I wouldn't be afraid of them that they couldn't
08:29go in there and win that game, but it's going to be one hell of an environment to watch.
08:34And, you know, because you were on teams that talk trash.
08:37Y'all were trash talking Sons of Guns back in the day.
08:40No, no.
08:41We were choir boys.
08:43I was an altar boy, Channing.
08:46How do you feel about the Texas A&M?
08:50Their linemen are talking about, we're not worried about Ruben Bain.
08:53We're not worried about Mesador.
08:54Or he's not a threat.
08:56Does that encourage Ruben and Mesador?
08:59Or does that, like, who is that for?
09:01Because Ruben Bain's my favorite player in college football right now.
09:06Well, I can say this, Channing.
09:07You're not old enough to remember this, but we went to the Cotton Bowl to play Texas.
09:12And we were pissed because we were ranked fourth in the country.
09:15And our athletic department said we were going to have a chance to play the highest ranked team.
09:20And it was one or two.
09:21We played three.
09:23We played Texas, but we went to the Cotton Bowl because it was more money instead of we could have gone to the Citrus Bowl and played Georgia Tech and kicked their ass.
09:31So we go to the Cotton Bowl.
09:33Russell Maryland had won the Outland Trophy.
09:36Their left tackle, Stan Thomas, said he basically was like, tell Russell Maryland to bring the Outland Trophy to the game.
09:44I'm going to take it from him.
09:46That's essentially what we listen to all week.
09:49And it's like, hey, home environment, Cotton Bowl.
09:53And it was like the whole team.
09:55It wasn't just, you know, it wasn't just Russell.
09:59It was the whole team was like, wait a sec, bullcrap.
10:02This, you know what?
10:02They're talking about one of our guys.
10:04So, like, to me, like, that's just, I mean, I would imagine Coach Elko at Texas A&M chewed that kid's ass out because, I mean, dude, you're watching the film.
10:16You're like going, okay, this kid may be the first pick of the draft, and you're going to talk smack?
10:22I mean, Russell ended up being the first pick of the draft, and they were talking smack about him.
10:28So, I would say that's, you know, that's good for Miami.
10:31I would say this, Jay, you know, you talk about talking crap.
10:35I did it one time in a game, and I was a redshirt freshman, and we were playing Michigan State.
10:42Craig Erickson broke his hand, and we were beating them.
10:46But they had a good team.
10:47They had Percy Snow as a first-round linebacker.
10:49They had, like, three guys that were legit on their defense.
10:53And, man, Percy Snow chased me out of bounds, and he was talking smack.
10:59And I was just, like, freshman.
11:00I go, look at the bleeping scoreboard.
11:03And I'm, like, and I thought, like, as soon as that left my mouth, I'm, like, going, dude, this guy's, like, 265.
11:10I'm sitting in the middle.
11:12I'm, like, I'm, like, a buck 80.
11:14I'm, like, what the hell am I doing?
11:16I'm, like, that's just the dumbest thing in the world.
11:19And I had the rest of the game to play.
11:22So, I usually left the talking to the teammates after that one.
11:28You learned a good lesson, and it wasn't a hard lesson.
11:31No, no, it was quick.
11:33I was just, like, looking back at him, I was, like, I probably should have said that one.
11:37So many books on the chat, Jimmy Scared, LMAO.
11:42Jimmy's reaction when that Hockman and Crowder liner fired off while Gino was talking.
11:48Jimmy, you looked terrified back there.
11:50Are you okay?
11:51I'm fine.
11:52I was listening, and then all of a sudden, boom.
11:54Yeah, we all heard it.
11:55I mean, whatever.
11:56He handled that.
11:56Yeah, it fired off, and you put it down, and it was great.
11:59But you looked – I have never seen a face of panic the way that I saw you react to that
12:08as if we were all going to come in there and beat the hell out of you, like all four of us.
12:14I didn't expect it.
12:15I know.
12:16I know.
12:16I think something just tripped.
12:17I didn't see you push a button.
12:19No, I know.
12:19I didn't push nothing.
12:20Everything's good.
12:20Do you want to apologize to Gino?
12:22Sorry, Gino.
12:23Do you accept his apology?
12:24I do.
12:25I do.
12:26I'm glad we're going to end on a positive note.
12:29Gino Toretta, you can hear him every week with us, courtesy of the Local 519 Plumbers Union.
12:35With all the changes in how America does business, you can count on one thing, the union-trained
12:40plumbers of Local 519.
12:42Join a winning team today with Local 519 Plumbers Union, a proven path to a strong career.
12:49Visit Plumbers519.com.
12:52Thank you, as always, Gino.
12:53We'll talk to you again next week.
12:54Leading up to the Miami-Texas A&M game.
12:57So, there you go.
12:57See you, Gino.
Comments