Mitch and Braden make their final officially official College Football Playoff predictions complete with in-depth analysis of each game. What is at stake in both games besides getting to the national title game? What can Kirby Smart do to stop Baker Mayfield? Can Jalen Hurts find success on third down? Which quarterback do you trust the most (not named Baker)? Can Georgia pound the OU front seven? And what are our New Year's Eve plans/playoff viewing menus?

The guys take a look at the first early National Signing Day and its impact on college football. Did college football fans simply care less? And is that a good or bad thing? Did anyone have a better day than Georgia? Is the Big 12 back? Did programs with new coaches suffer the most?

The results are in... we are happy to report that Athlon Sports is awesome once again! And, a holiday debate to end all holiday debates.

The guys look back at the first year head coaches in 2017 and evaluate each hire after their first year of action. Some names (Coach O, Lincoln Riley, Lane Kiffin) look even better while others (PJ Fleck, Matt Rhule, Randy Edsall) have raised some questions. Still others are hard to pinpoint like Willie Taggart and Tom Herman.

We take a quick look at some headlines and Braden recaps his first Garth Brooks experience.

After two weeks, Braden has changed his National Championship pick and Mitch totally understands why. Is this year's crop of first time head coaches a trend that fans should expect to continue? Or is head coaching experience still vital to success? (or both?)

The Psychology of the Early Signing Period is very interesting from multiple angles. What happens if a player wants to sign but can't? Who should sign and who should wait it out? Does it help the schools or the recruits or both?

And Trevor Lawrence vs. Justin Fields?

Mitch and Braden go in-depth on each coaching hire in major college football this season. How badly did Tennessee actually screw up its hire? Did UCLA win the carousel? Dan Mullen vs. Willie Taggart in the state of Florida? Was Scott Frost a gift from the college football gods? Can Jimbo Fisher do something no else has ever done? And what the hell is going on in the Pac-12?

Bowl season is here the guys offer a few holiday reminders about bowl games and what they mean (or not mean). There is an important warning, one hot button issue has faded away and we have a way to reduce the number of bowls (if that's your thing).

Which small bowl games would you want to go to? And do we expect legitimate games in the New Year's Six bowls?

A special edition of the POD, the guys support the Committee's decision to put Alabama in over Ohio State. It was the right thing to do and they explain why. Clemson, Oklahoma and Georgia (as Braden predicted) easily earned their way in as well. And will the events of this season lead to expansion?

Oh, and the guys make their picks for the national championship tournament, breaking down both the Rose and Sugar Bowls.

The guys recap Tuesday's rankings and what it might mean for the Playoff. Is Alabama poised to get in or does Ohio State have a better path? Are USC and TCU underrated? Is Miami being overvalued?

Then each of us makes predictions on each of the conference championship games and what the Playoff would look like. Mitch is picking one big upset and a boring ranking on Sunday while Braden is also picking one big upset and a wild shake up on Sunday.

And do Alabama's playoff hopes hinge on the Mountain West title game?

The coaching carousel took a wild turn this weekend as multiple programs - Arizona St, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Nebraska - joined the search for a new head coach, while another was simply a train wreck.

What the hell has happened at Tennessee?

Meanwhile, UCLA and Florida make home run hires as well and it appears the Huskers are on their way to one as well.

Alabama and Miami both lost but can both still get into the playoff? How good can Auburn be? TCU and Stanford also clinch championship game berths but can either compete?

And Dilly Dilly has been retired.

The guys recap the rankings and discuss why Miami moved up one spot - Mitch is angry about it. Oklahoma, Miami, Wisconsin and Georgia are all heavy favorites but should they be concerned about their rivalry matchups?

How does the Pac-12 play out this weekend as the Apple Cup will decide who goes to the conference championship game.

We've discovered the most SEC thing ever and are now rooting for it to happen. But the first chapter would have to be Auburn winning the Iron Bowl. We break down the game and explain this potentially bizarre scenario.

Ohio St-Michigan and South Carolina-Clemson also carry huge significance this weekend as well.

And cold turkey sandwiches - how do you like yours?