Urban Meyer Talks Fernando Mendoza, Lane Kiffin, And Doing Away With The CFP Committee
"I think that was a really hard thing to walk away from that team," Meyer said of Lane Kiffin's decision to leave Ole Miss.
FOX college football analyst and coaching great Urban Meyer joined OutKick's Dan Dakich for a special episode of Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich live from Kilroy's Bar & Grill in Downtown Indianapolis ahead of the Big Ten Championship between Indiana and Ohio State.
The two talked about an array of topics, and one big one had to do with Hoosiers' junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza and whether or not he should stay in Bloomington or move on to the NFL.
Mendoza Should Stay In College
"I think he should come back," Meyer said. "He's making a bunch of money, and he's not ready. He's not ready. I don't think he's ready."
Meyer pointed out how it's rare to see quarterbacks hit the ground running at the NFL level and that they often benefit from starting behind a veteran, pointing to Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers as examples.
"Same thing in college," Meyer said, before adding the extra benefit of Mendoza likely being able to make more money in college than he would in the NFL.
They also talked about the situation surrounding newly-hired LSU head coach and now-ex-Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.
Urban Reaction To Lane Kiffin's Decision
"I think he's gotta do what he's gotta do," Meyer said. "I think that was a really hard thing to walk away from that team."
Dakich asked if Meyer would have done the same thing, pointing to his return to coaching after leaving Utah for Florida.
"I did it, though," he said. "I left Utah to go to Florida, and they asked me to come back and coach in the BCS game. I think when you're saying it's a rival, and it's a playoff, and they have a good team. So it's a tough situation."
And speaking of the College Football Playoff, Meyer also talked about why he thinks it's time to do away with the CFP committee.
Urban Wants To Do Away With The Committee
"Alabama — (if) they lose — are they in (the Playoff)?" Dakich asked.
"They've got to be in… because you can't count the (SEC Championship)," he said. "The committee's got to go away. We've got to do a play in.
He went on to explain a 4-4-2-2-1-1 devised by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.
"That way, you can schedule who you want," Meyer said. "If I'm (Ohio State head coach) Ryan Day, I don't play that game next year at Texas."