The first round of the College Football Playoff (CFP) was supposed to be a celebration of the sport’s expansion, a chance for the “little guys” to prove they belong on the same turf as the giants. Instead, for fans of Tulane and James Madison University (JMU), it became a weekend of sobering reality and “belt to ass” football. On the latest episode of The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty, the atmosphere was a mix of smoke-filled victory and raw, emotional devastation as Tulane legend Shaun King clapped back at critics while simultaneously tearing into his own alma mater’s performance.
Coach JB opened the show in typical fashion—puffing on a victory cigar. His celebration wasn’t for a powerhouse, but for JMU merely covering the spread against Oregon. However, the tone quickly shifted from smug satisfaction to a brutal critique of the current state of college football. JB didn’t mince words, labeling the inclusion of certain Group of Five (G5) teams in the playoff a “mockery” of the system. According to JB and co-host Darnell “Big Smitty” Smith, the talent gap has become a chasm that grit and “diamond in the rough” recruiting can no longer bridge.
The focal point of the frustration was the lopsided rematch between Ole Miss and Tulane. After being dominated earlier in the season, Tulane had a chance for redemption on the biggest stage. Instead, they were dismantled. “I’ve never been more embarrassed,” Shaun King admitted, his voice heavy with the weight of a rough weekend. King, who usually stands as the fiercest defender of the G5, described himself as “emotionally hijacked” and “unstable” after watching the Green Wave get outscored by an aggregate of 120-17 across two games against the Rebels this year.
King’s “emotional journey” involved more than just watching a scoreboard; it involved the literal destruction of property. “I broke a couple of TVs,” King confessed, noting that he had to shut down his social media because his DMs were flooded with fans and trolls alike. His critique of the team was scathing. He pointed to a lack of “hair on fire” effort and specifically called out the quarterback play as “ass from start to finish.” For a man who bled Tulane green, seeing his team play like the “Bad News Bears” in a playoff game was a bridge too far.
The debate between King and Coach JB touched on a deeper, more systemic issue in modern college sports: the impact of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and the transfer portal. JB argued that the days of Boise State or Utah pulling off legendary upsets against Oklahoma or Alabama are effectively over. In the past, scholarships were the only currency, allowing G5 schools to develop “dogs” from the junior college (JUCO) ranks or three-star recruits that Power Five schools overlooked. Today, money talks. As JB pointed out, any “NFL caliber” player at a school like Tulane or JMU is likely to be poached by a bigger program before they ever reach their senior year.
“There’s no shot,” JB insisted. “Resource-wise, scholarship-wise, and dollars… it doesn’t make sense.” He highlighted that even last year, SMU and Boise State were “mollywapped” in the first round. By repeating the same selection process with even less competitive G5 teams this year, JB argues the committee is simply “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
King tried to provide context, noting that Tulane only brought back five starters from the previous year, suggesting that even reaching this stage was an overachievement. However, he quickly checked himself with the mantra, “To whom much is given, much is required.” He issued a stern warning to future G5 representatives: if the playoff construction doesn’t change, these teams must “show up and show out” or risk losing their seat at the table entirely.
The conversation took a sharp turn into the psychological toll of the game. JB suggested that Ole Miss didn’t just win on the field; they took Tulane’s confidence. “In football, there’s a cause and effect,” JB explained. “You can take the soul out of somebody… you go out there with a plan until you get hit in the mouth.” King agreed, citing a pivotal moment where an interception turned a potential 7-7 game into a 14-0 deficit, causing the team to spiral.
As the smoke cleared from JB’s cigar, the message was clear: the gap is widening. While Shaun King remains a legend and a fierce advocate for his school, even he couldn’t ignore the “embarrassment” of Saturday’s performance. The “realest show” in sports didn’t offer any sugar-coating—just a hard look at a playoff system that might be setting up its smaller participants for nothing but a high-profile beatdown. For Tulane, the road back to respectability will be long, and for Shaun King, there are a few more TVs that need replacing.
