ESPN college football analyst Marty Smith joined Tuesday’s edition of GoJo and Golic to discuss his time at the Cotton Bowl, the state of the SEC, and what we can expect in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
The Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas lived up to its billing of being a competitive, high-stakes game that would come down to which team could execute when it mattered. Smith, who was at the game, shared what it felt like to be on the sidelines of this epic showdown. He shared that the game felt ELECTRIC and that the energy was wonderful and it personifies what there is to love about college football. For Ohio State, Smith spotlighted the highs and lows of their journey from the pressure that was put on them going into this season, with the news coming out that they invested millions of dollars in NIL to build their roster, to losing to Michigan and having to use that as fuel to get them to where they are in the national championship game. He emphasized that this is not the same Buckeyes team we saw during the regular season. Ohio State held a players-only meeting led by team leaders like Jack Sawyer and Will Howard after losing to Michigan, where tough conversations ensued. Smith shared that meetings like that can either fracture or unite a team and in this case, it brought Ohio State together. Smith said the Buckeyes look DAMN GOOD and look like world-beaters right now!
“They just look like world-beaters right now. They're just DAMN good, and it was wild to watch…That strip sack by Sawyer was as loud a stadium as I've ever been in.” @MartySmithESPN pic.twitter.com/xjYd8761Qr
— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) January 14, 2025
As far as the national championship game goes, Ohio State is a 8.5 point favorite over the Fighting Irish at DraftKings Sportsbook. Smith gave insight on how he believes next Monday night will shake out. Smith spoke glowingly about Marcus Freeman, saying he is a fantastic leader and Smith championed his ability to delegate, which is often tricky for head coaches. He highlighted the toughness and determination that the Fighting Irish bring to the gridiron. Although he is not a betting man, Smith contends that the point spread is a bit much, and even though he is leaning toward Ohio State with his prediction, he still believes it will be a really good football game.
No one is more in tune with the SEC than Smith, given the years he has covered the league; GoJo asked if the sky is falling around SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s office, given that the conference has failed to get a team into the College Football Playoff national championship two straight years. Smith pointed out Sankey probably did not forecast that there wouldn’t be an SEC representative in the title game but stressed in this new era of college football he does not understand why it’s so surprising. Smith shared that the challenging schedules faced by SEC teams made their road to the postseason more difficult than some other programs. However, when it came time to execute, mistakes cost them, such as Georgia’s costly turnovers and special teams errors against Notre Dame or Texas’ untimely turnovers against Ohio State.
Despite these setbacks, Smith dismissed the idea that the SEC is in decline, calling it a laughable narrative. He pointed out that recruiting remains strong, and the absence of an SEC team in the national championship doesn’t signify the sky is falling. Instead, he praised the upcoming matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame, calling it a clash of two blue-blood programs worthy of the spotlight.
"Two straight years where there's not going to be an SEC team competing in the College Football National Championship. Is this a trend you're buying into?" @mikegolicjr
— GoJo and Golic (@GoJoandGolic) January 14, 2025
"Certainly, Greg Sankey is not happy about that. It's something he didn't expect, but in this era of College… pic.twitter.com/9lRIO0g3mV
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Marty Smith on Tiger Woods TGL Debut & Ohio State Hype + Rams Embarrass Darnold’s Vikings + Cowboys Coaching Search & Deion Sanders
Hour 2: Jason Fitz on Mike McCarthy, Vrabel’s Patriots and The Raiders’ Trifecta Search + NFL Playoffs Post Mortem Talk
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information
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