The first round of the inaugural expanded College Football Playoff has come and gone. There are countless opinions, but I think we can all agree that this new format was a massive win for the sport we all love.

Another thing in sports that we love is taking the helmet off of players and getting to know them.

I’ve been around Dillon Gabriel since June at the Elite 11 Finals and as I’ve said many times, his It Factor is as high as any quarterback I’ve ever been around in my career.

How was that cultivated? Where did that come from? Well, we went straight to the source and welcomed his mother, Dori Gabriel, to Y-Option in our Holiday episode, thanks to our founding partner 76.

From Hawaii to our studio, she shared what the kitchen table was like in her home, how her and her husband Garrett (a former QB at Hawai’i himself) guided Dillon, her thoughts on #VanLife, her experience in NYC at the Heisman and how the Oregon Duck community has impacted her family in powerful ways.

It’s a powerful episode as so many parents are seeking wisdom while guiding their children as athletes in this new world of athletics in youth sports, high school and college athletics. As a parent of two young boys, I easily took away principles I’ll share with our kids and hope they get to meet the Gabriel family at the Rose Bowl on New Years Day.

Before we get to the quarterfinals let’s look back on the CFP from the lens of the West Coast as a few things also stood out:

* It looked cold in those games! I almost wished it was snowing to make the temperature look even more unique.

* The home crowds had an impact and kept the pageantry in bowl season, which all too often feels corporate. I’d vote for the quarterfinals to be home games too. More on that in today’s podcast.

* Ohio State played their best game of the season. They drilled Tennessee on the field, but I was more interested in what went on off the field since their game against Michigan. I said before the game that this team MUST play free and let it rip and they did exactly that. The Buckeyes looked loose, aggressive, and not concerned about living up to their or anyone else's expectations and for the first time this year looked the part of legit national title contenders.

* Speaking of the Natty, among the winners over the weekend, I could see all four of them in the final game of this season.

We will be sure to dive into all of that in advance of New Years Eve but in the meantime, be sure to enjoy your holiday season and our conversation with Dori Gabriel.

Much love,

Yogi

This episode is executive produced by Jim Thornby and edited by Victor Ren.

This podcast is a Best Coast Media production

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