The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell

Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... Merry Christmas Eve! Jake Crain of Crain & Company joins the show for a special Christmas Eve edition of the show. Breaking down Auburn, Florida, and Penn State's head coach hirings before diving into the College Football Playoff. Looking back at the first round performances from Miami, Oregon, and Alabama plus what's ahead for those team in their second round matchups.

Happy Holidays!

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... CFP Prediction Tuesday! J.D. dives into the second round of the College Football Playoff, breaking down the matchups and predicting a winner in the Cotton Bowl between Miami and Ohio State, the Orange Bowl with Oregon vs Texas, the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Indiana, and Ole Miss vs Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

J.D. also opens the show with the latest on Michigan's head coach search, talks about the latest in the transfer portal, and ends things with an honest look at Texas A&M and Oklahoma following their respective eliminations from the postseason. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM! 

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... Who's under the most pressure in the College Football Playoff? J.D. reveals his CFP pressure rankings ahead of the first round, a top 10 that includes players, coaches, and others who will have all eyes on them this postseason. But before that, J.D. reacts to Kenny Dillingham's recent comments regarding his status with Arizona State as the Michigan head coaching job still looms large.

We also talk about a handful of teams that still had "good" seasons and potentially bright futures next season despite not making the College Football Playoff before ending the show with our annual CFP Unit Draft. Where J.D. and producer Kaiden Smith draft quarterbacks, defenses, coaching staffs, and more heading into the College Football Playoff. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM! 

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... Which quarterbacks are going where this offseason? J.D. predicts where signal callers like DJ Lagway, Sam Leavitt, Dylan Raiola, Brandan Sorsby, and others are headed this offseason after all recently announcing they'll be entering the transfer portal. But before that, we break down what's being missed in the marquee first round CFP matchups. Unpacking the keys to the game in Alabama vs Oklahoma and Miami vs Texas A&M.

We also check in with the Florida Gators after some recent roster and personnel moves in Gainesville early in the Jon Sumrall era. Ending the show with a draft of the most exciting potential hypotheticals in the College Football Playoff with producer Kaiden Smith. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM!

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... What's J.D. feeling better about a week removed from his College Football Playoff predictions? J.D. doubles down on his takes in the rematch between Alabama and Oklahoma and Miami's playoff game at Texas A&M before diving back into his CFP bracket prediction. Reassessing picking Georgia and Oregon to meet in the national championship and Ohio State winning a potential rematch with Indiana. 

But before all of that, we rank all of the quarterbacks in the College Football Playoff. A list that may surprise you. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM!

See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. US promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... Our official College Football Playoff bracket prediction! J.D. goes game by game through the CFP bracket, picking who he thinks will win every single matchup and will be crowned a national champion in Miami next month. 

Before jumping into the bracket, J.D. creates tiers for each of the newly hired head coaches in the Power 4 and breaks down two major hinge points for Texas A&M and Oklahoma that could propel them through the CFP and cause potential madness in the postseason. Ending the show with the most prestigious awards in college football, the 2025 Progrum Awards. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM!

See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. US promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... College Football Playoff Predictions! Some shows may wait to preview the CFP first round games, but not The Hard Count. As J.D. dives into Alabama's rematch with Oklahoma in Norman and Miami and Texas A&M squaring off to start this year's CFP.

Before previewing the other first round matchups, we also break down what each team with a first round bye needs to do if they want to win a national championship. Diving into what a national championship run would look like for Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech before predicting Tulane vs Ole Miss and JMU vs Oregon to close the show. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM! 

See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. US promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. 

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell ... The official College Football Playoff field is set, but what needs to change next season regarding the CFP? J.D. dives into the changes that we'll see regarding the college football postseason next year before diving into our voicemail box. Answering your questions that you asked at 629-888-3931.

You the listeners spoke up about the College Football Playoff and we react to it all, from Alabama making the cut, to Miami jumping over Notre Dame into the top 12, and what the path to a national championship looks like for teams like Texas A&M, Georgia, and more. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM! 

See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. US promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. 

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Welcome to The Sunday Sprint, a collection of J.D.'s takes following Saturday's college football action that have been taken from the On3 YouTube channel and tailored for The Hard Count's podcast audience. Today on the sprint, we react moments after the College Football Playoff Committee selected the official 12-team playoff field. Breaking down where the committee was right and wrong about teams like Alabama, Miami, and Notre Dame.

J.D. also dives into the CFP outlook for teams like Georgia after a dominant SEC Championship win, Ohio State following their first loss of the season, and Oregon who seemingly has a nice path to potentially make it to the national championship. Closing out the episode with an early look at first round playoff matchups between Miami and Texas A&M along with Alabama's rematch with Oklahoma in Norman this time around.

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM!
 

See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. US promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

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Today on The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell  ... What's being missed in the SEC and Big Ten Championship games? J.D. reveals some major keys in Ohio State's matchup with Indiana and Georgia's rematch with Alabama in Atlanta.

Then we pull out the coach translator to break down Lane Kiffin's introductory press conference with LSU and what Jon Sumrall said at the podium at Florida. Two new coaches that gave a look at what the future could look like at their new respective SEC programs. Finally to conclude the show J.D. and producer Kaiden Smith make their final predictions for conference title weekend. 

The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell is presented by BetMGM! If you haven’t signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code "HARDCOUNT" and you will get up to a $1500 First Bet Offer on your first wager with BetMGM!

See BetMGM.com for Terms. 21+ only. US promotional offers not available in New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). First Bet Offer for new customers only. Subject to eligibility requirements. Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel.

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