Jesse Palmer had the best view of one of this month’s College Football Playoff games, being on the broadcast push for the Peach Bowl between No. 4 Arizona State and No. 5 Texas.
The Longhorns were the heavy favorites and the previous playoff games weren’t particularly close, so the pressure was on the Sun Devils.
In the end they achieved a classic, as the Longhorns needed double overtime to reach the semifinals. However, Palmer himself still thinks “some adjustments” need to be made to the qualifying format.
“I think the conference champions should get in. However, I don’t think they should be given an automatic bye in the quarterfinals. It just seemed to me, as a college football fan, to watch Oregon play Ohio State and see” Georgia plays Notre Dame, those seemed like semifinal games to me and not necessarily quarterfinal games,” Palmer said in a recent interview with Pak Gazette Digital.
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ESPN’s Jesse Palmer before the Texas Longhorns’ college football playoff quarterfinal against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on January 1, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta . (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Now, Arizona State, to me, is one of the best stories this year in all of college football. A team that went 3-9 last year and went through all the NCAA sanctions and everything they had What a great year to go, Cam Skattebo is easily one of the best players in college football… It was amazing how well they played on the field with Texas… There’s no doubt about it… I still think they need each other. some adjustments to the college football playoff format look at the. arizona state “Specifically that particular team, they’re easily talented and nowhere near good enough to make it to the semifinals, for sure.”
Ultimately, Texas lost its semifinal matchup to Ohio State on Friday night, but Palmer says Quinn Ewers faced many uphill battles all year.
“I give a lot of credit to Quinn Ewers. It’s very difficult as a quarterback not to look over your shoulder. There’s a lot of buzz around Arch Manning when he came out, right? And Arch Manning played very well in the two and a half games. “That Quinn Ewers got hurt and all of a sudden, in the middle of the season, they lost to Georgia. “There were a lot of people who wanted a quarterback change,” Palmer said.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers warms up before a first-round game against Clemson in the College Football Playoff on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Palmer faced a similar situation in Florida, where he was on the same roster as Rex Grossman and top recruit Brock Berlin.
“I’m sitting there thinking, ‘If I throw an interception or we lose a game, I’m going to lose my job.’ And to his credit, Quinn Ewers just put his head down and kept playing,” Palmer said.
Now, the national championship is a week away and the NFL playoffs are underway. Viewing parties are underway and that’s why Palmer has teamed up with Helluva Good Dips to make sure football fans eat well this time of year.
Former NFL player Jesse Palmer arrives for the 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theatre. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
“This is my favorite time of year. It’s a time to get together with friends and family and watch the big games, and I’m excited to part ways with Helluva Good to really raise and take the experience of watching the big games to the next level” Palmer said. “Helluva Good dips are a staple in my house, they have been for a long, long time and certainly at viewing parties too. And it will be no different this year. College Football Playoff, the big game coming up in the NFL “There will be chips, salsa and beer. So there’s no better combination than that.”
The sauce brand has teamed up with Harpoon Brewery to make a French onion-flavored beer, which is perfect for Palmer.
“This is like Jimmie Johnson, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin in the Super Bowl,” Palmer joked. “French onion sauce is my favorite Helluva Good sauce, so that’s that part, and it just so happens that Harpoon IPA is my favorite beer flavor, and it’s like a combination of the two. And when people try this “They’re going to be impressed. It’s incredible.”
In a couple of months, chips, dip and beer will return to the NFL Draft, where at the moment it looks like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward will be the top two picks. A lot can change, but Palmer doesn’t see anyone else sneaking into those picks, and teams will have to be aggressive if they want a quarterback.
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, #2, warms up before the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Alamodome. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
“Shedeur is incredibly athletic. I would say he’s incredibly accurate and probably a little more dangerous from the pocket. Cam is a guy who’s a little better off the schedule, but I think he’s just a natural passer and has the X factor. “Palmer said. “There can be some movement and it takes some ammunition to move forward and catch one of those guys.”
