Well, friends, here we are again. There’s just one final game remaining in the college football season, which means that this is the final show of the 13th season of this here little pod.

One of us is still feeling the agony of defeat in the semifinals. One of us is feeling anxious over the chance of winning a national title. And one of us is in a hotel room already excited about Week 0 next season. Yep. That seems about right.

We begin, per usual, with an extensive look back at the Orange and Cotton bowls. Discussion points include Drew Allar’s fixation with Tyler Warren, Andy Kotelnicki’s end-of-game plan, Sark’s inexplicable goal-line playcalling and Jack Sawyer’s monster play that has already gone down in Buckeye lore.

And then … the game at hand.

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (7:30 ET Monday, ESPN): We’ll be honest – we underestimated Notre Dame this postseason. (Remember how we all picked them to lose to Indiana? Yeah. That.) But after pulling out a win against Penn State, the Irish have proven to be a formidable foe. They’ll likely be able to give the Ohio State ground game fits. But do they have the horses to keep up with the Buckeye receiving corps? We’re not so sure. And thus, we’re predicting a win for Crappy’s beloved … with a whole bunch of complicated feelings for that one pesky loss.

We wrap up our 2024-25 season by announcing our Bowlapalooza champion (and revealing the epic bobblehead trophy, which may or may not require burritos). We are grateful to our Bowlapalooza participants — Steve Cavendish, Dan Eschenfelder, Braden Gall and Jake Rose — for participating in the most ridiculous bowl preview show on the internet, and to Andrew Maraniss for joining us earlier this season after Vandy’s epic win. (Also of note, Diego Pavia will be back next season, and Auburn’s coming to Nashville. Anchor down!)

But most of all, we’re grateful to you — our listeners, readers, and viewers — who continue to tolerate us rambling on about college football for more than an hour each week. This show, quite frankly, wouldn’t exist without you. So, thank you.

And so … on to Season 14? We sure think so. Carla, Crappy and AJ will be back sometime in August (if not before!) to start the rollercoaster all over again. Cheers, friends.

A new year is upon us, and as this new era of college football continues, there are many important questions still to be answered.

How rich can the lore and canon of the Pop-Tarts Bowl truly become? What happened to Alabama? How good is the Big Ten? (We’re looking you squarely in the eyes, SEC.) And, most importantly, is it a valid marriage if a Cheez-It officiates the wedding?

Yes, we’re being just a bit ridiculous here, but that’s the nature of both bowl season and The Carla and Crappy Show. (You knew that already.)

The four College Football Playoff quarterfinal games were not ridiculous, however, unless you’re referencing Cam Skattebo’s MVP effort in the Peach Bowl. The New Year’s Four bowls certainly did not disappoint, and they’ve caused us to set our sights on something somewhat unthinkable at the beginning of it all: An all-Big Ten national title game. But before we get ahead of ourselves (OK, who are we kidding? We’re definitely getting ahead of ourselves.), there are two semifinal games to sort out which teams will be the final two standing.

Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (7:30 ET Thursday, ESPN): The Penn State ground game stood out in the Fiesta Bowl, although Ashton Jeanty still got his 100-yard game. The creativity on offense (minus a couple of dumb decisions) must continue in the semis. (Also, yes, keep hitting that Tyler Warren button.) While Notre Dame’s offense was not spectacular against Georgia, its defense held Travis Etienne to 30 yards rushing. That’s … not a lot. Combine that with the Irish’s return game, and the Nits will have their hands full.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State (7:30 ET Friday, ESPN): Ohio State has looked like a team possessed in the playoff. They’ve steamrolled Tennessee and Oregon and now take on a Texas team that nearly (and maybe should have) lost to Arizona State. It’s essentially a home game for the Horns, but do they have what it takes to slow down that Bucks offensive right now? Texas has not played a complete game yet this season.

We conclude with a reminder of the other national title games happening this week, including the DIII Stagg Bowl: Mount Union vs. North Central (8 ET Sunday, ESPN) and the FCS national title game between No. 2 North Dakota State and No. 1 Montana State (7 ET Monday, ESPN).

And so, yes, if the all-Big Ten national championship becomes a thing, you can expect to hear AJ as the host of our final playoff show next week … because Carla and Crappy may not be speaking to each other. (We kid. Kind of.) Enjoy all of the college football you can, boys and girls. The season is coming to an end. Cheers.

We’ve reached the time of the year when, as the meme suggests, “we don’t know what day it is, what we should be doing, and we’re full of cheese.” While that list is nearly perfect, it doesn’t include that you can turn on your TV at almost any time and find a college football bowl game to watch.

Hi, friends. We hope you’re enjoying your holiday and Bowlapalooza seasons and basking in their glory. AJ, Carla, and Crappy certainly have been, and there’s even more consequential football in the next several days that require additional discussion, even if we’re all distracted by the Holiday Bowl.

We begin with a recap of the good and ridiculous stuff that we’ve seen thus far in bowl games, including the incredible FCS semifinals, bowl games that got unexpectedly chippy, and a quote for the ages from Northern Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

We also look back at the first-round games of the College Football Playoff and dip our toes into the discourse on the lopsided openers and the validity of the playoff format and seedings. (Spoiler alert: Yes, SMU and Indiana deserved to be there.)

And then, before digging into the playoff quarterfinal games, we take a brief look at the lead-in bowl games on New Year’s Eve:

ReliaQuest Bowl: No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan (Noon ET Tuesday, ESPN): Even Crappy is pulling for the B1G in this one because, no, Bama didn’t deserve a playoff spot. We’re sorry. (Not really.)

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Louisville vs. Washington (2 ET Tuesday, CBS): It’s second only to the Rose Bowl in aesthetics and should be a good game to boot. (Also, shout out to the 2008 Sun Bowl.)

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: No. 15 South Carolina vs. No. 20 Illinois (3 ET Tuesday, ABC): We covered this game during Bowlapalooza, but have your snacking crackers at the ready.

Kinder’s Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. LSU (3:30 ET Tuesday, ESPN): This should be points on points on points on … well, you get the idea.

With the frivolity behind us, it’s time to get down to it. The field of eight will be narrowed to four in the … New Year’s Four bowls? (Is that what we’re calling them now?)

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State (7:30 ET Tuesday, ESPN): The Nittany Lions went beast mode defensively in the first round. They will need that kind of effort again – without the help of the comfy confines of Beaver Stadium – to slow down Ashton Jeanty and the Boise offensive attack.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Arizona State (1 ET Wednesday, ESPN): Cam Skattebo is a delight … unless you’re trying to defend him. We’re all still somewhat confused about Texas. Which version of the Horns will we get here? And will they be good enough to shut down the Sun Devils?

Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Oregon (5 ET Wednesday, ESPN): Oregon is fast and talented on offense, but if Ohio State can put together the same effort on both sides of the ball as it did against Tennessee in the first round, this rematch could play out differently than it did on October 12.

Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia (8:45 ET Wednesday, ESPN): No Carson Beck for Georgia. No Rylie Mills for Notre Dame. This game is going to be an absolute slugfest in the trenches. Hammer the under.

With friendly reminders about the end of Bowlapalooza (which continues on past New Year’s Day, friends!) and the DIII title game, we wish you all a continued happy holiday season. Enjoy that cheese … and all of the college football. Cheers, yinz.