Colin Cowherd Podcast - NFL Win Totals, USC vs. Notre Dame Revival? Steelers Headed For Disaster?

John Middlekauff is with me for a quick run through the big stuff, and I want to open on Notre Dame and USC circling back; with the playoff at twelve, Big Ten and SEC bulked up, and the ACC giving Notre Dame no juice, USC basically said we’ll play you on our terms early in Los Angeles, not buried in our league grind, and Notre Dame blinked.

Being tied to the ACC has boxed Notre Dame in, and with NIL out of control and Title Nine in play, there’s buzz about capping what players and coaches can make; money, playoff math, and scheduling are pushing everyone toward an NFL‑style structure where Notre Dame eventually lands in a Big Ten‑type setup.

Notre Dame’s slate is thin, that USC date matters more than they’ll admit, and the Trojans will keep it early so it does not collide with Ohio State, Michigan, and the rest of their conference gauntlet.

It is a shame because the talent under Marcus Freeman is real, and if Notre Dame were locked to the SEC or Big Ten we would be getting Notre Dame versus Washington or Oregon instead of a soft mix, while Belichick at North Carolina is the cautionary tale that the Patriot way does not land with teenagers when you lack difference makers.

Belichick’s late‑Patriots drafts were brutal—constant reaches, slow offenses, specialists too high—and people around the league always said he is not a personnel evaluator.

College kids need connection and simplicity at times, not Wall Street‑cold intensity and pro‑level complexity, and when your roster is light and your quarterback is average you cannot coach them like thirty‑year‑old pros and expect it to click.

Celebrity coaches rarely win in college—Colorado is loud but gets pushed around—and the winners are grinders like Lanning and Whittingham, while in the NFL Nick Caserio left New England and quietly crushed drafts in Houston, stacking real skill talent.

Remove quarterback from the equation and Houston’s roster can go toe to toe with anyone on defense and across the lineup.

Two different people told me they are not sure Omar Khan is a personnel guy, the Rodgers mystery in Pittsburgh made it weirder, and if a blue‑blood brand is going to skid over the next few years I could see it being the Steelers with another top‑priced defense and no clear offensive identity.

That draft‑day fiasco with Makai Lemon showed real sloppiness—Dallas knew their target—and I have heard Khan is not deep on tape or contracts, so they feel stuck flirting with Rodgers while he is stuck flirting back, and the post‑Colbert transition has been bumpy in a way Steelers fans can feel.

The best teams in pro sports today share elite front offices—look at OKC, Boston, Detroit, Kansas City—and in a hard‑cap league the GM matters as much as the star, which is why Pittsburgh’s slide could happen fast.

On Buffalo, an analytic roster model had them near the top, and I think Brandon Beane gets dinged for not winning it all even though they are strong at quarterback, running back, left tackle, and tight end, added a smart receiver, and hit real needs with this draft; how do you see Beane and the Bills big picture?

Beane became polarizing after McDermott was shoved out and the defense kept cracking, but aside from the Von Miller miss there have been plenty of hits like Shakir, Cook, and both tight ends, and when your quarterback papers over issues you never get full GM credit because, beyond Allen, there are not many first‑round‑trade type pieces.

Let me throw some totals at you—New England sits at nine and a half with the Jets and Dolphins on the schedule, which bakes in wins and still says the market is skeptical.

I would lean under for New England unless Drake May levels up fast, and while I respect their staff and toughness, the environment around them and a tougher slate can pull them back toward nine; for San Francisco, ten and seven feels like the safe lane given losses, staff churn, and a division that knows each other well.

In the North, the Vikings at eight and a half and the Bears at nine and a half feel like a compliment to Kevin O’Connell and a nod to Caleb with Ben Johnson, but that Minnesota number still looks rich to me.

I would pound Minnesota’s under and slot them last with five to seven wins, the Lions look steadier, the Bears look like a playoff team, and Green Bay has quiet receiver‑room friction while LaFleur prefers a run‑first bend that not every wideout loves, whereas Cincinnati’s front office keeps making aggressive, sensible upgrades.

Baltimore regrouped after missing on Crosby, added Hendrickson, drafted starting‑caliber trench help, and if Lamar’s burst returns they are dangerous, but last year he looked like a pitcher down several miles an hour.

He did not look right, and that is the ballgame for them; good stuff, John Middlekauff, former NFL scout—see you soon, buddy, shoot your shot.