Jesse Palmer had the best view of one of the College Football Playoff games this month when he was in the broadcast boost for the Peach Bowl between No. 4 Arizona State and no. 5 Texas.
The Longhorns were heavy favorites and each of the previous playoff games wasn’t particularly close – so the pressure was on the Sun Devils.
They ultimately delivered a classic as the Longhorns needed double overtime to reach the semifinals. However, Palmer himself still believes that “some tweaking” is needed for the seeding format.
“I think conference champions should get in. I don’t think they should have an automatic bye in the quarterfinals, though. It just felt like to me, just as a college football fan, watching Oregon play Ohio State and watching Georgia play Notre Ladies, they felt like semifinal games to me and not necessarily quarterfinal games,” Palmer said in a recent interview with Pakinomist Digital.
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Jesse Palmer of ESPN before the Texas Longhorns vs. Arizona State Sun Devils College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Jan. 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 biggest stories this year in all of college football. A team that was 3-9 last year and went through all the NCAA sanctions and everything they had to go through, remarkable year , Cam Skattebo easily one of the best players in college football … It was amazing how well they belonged on the field with the Texas Playoff format, but if you just look at Arizona State specifically as that team specifically, They are easily talented and nothing good enough to get to the semi-finals, no doubt.”
Ultimately, Texas dropped their semifinal game to Ohio State on Friday night, but Palmer says Quinn Ewers faced plenty of uphill battles throughout the year.
“I give Quinn Ewers a lot of credit. It’s so hard as a quarterback not to look over your shoulder. There’s so much hype around Arch Manning when he showed up, right? And Arch Manning played so well in those two and a half games that Quinn Ewers was hurt and then all of a sudden, midway through 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 Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Palmer dealt with a similar situation at Florida, where he was on the same roster as Rex Grossman and top recruit Brock Berlin.
“I’m sitting there thinking to myself, ‘if I throw an interception or we lose a game, I’ll lose my job.’ And to Quinn Ewers’ credit, he’s just put his head down, he just keeps going to play,” Palmer said.
Now the national championship is a week away and the NFL playoffs are underway. The viewing parties are in full swing, which is why Palmer has partnered with Helluva Good Dips to ensure football fans eat well this time of year.
Former NFL player Jesse Palmer arrives at the 2017 ESPYS at the Microsoft Theater. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
“This is my favorite time of the year. It’s a time to be with friends and family and watch the big games and I’m excited to ditch Helluva Good to really bring up and take the big game viewing party experience to next level,” Palmer said. “Helluva Good dips are a staple in my house, they have been for a long, long time and certainly at parties too. And this year will be no different. The College Football Playoff, the big game coming up in the NFL There will be chips, dips and beer, so there’s no better combination than that.
The Dip brand has partnered with Harpoon Brewery to create a French onion-flavored beer, which is right next door to Palmer.
“This is like Jimmie Johnson, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin in the Super Bowl,” Palmer said. “French onion dip is my favorite Helluva Good dip, so that’s the part, and it just so happens that Harpoon IPA is my favorite flavor in beer, and it’s kind of like a combination of the two. And when people try this, they’re going to be blown away. It’s incredible.”
In a few months, it’s back to chips, dip and beer for the NFL Draft, where it currently 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 these 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 the Alamodome. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Photos)
“Shedeur is incredibly athletic. I’d say he’s incredibly accurate and probably a little bit more dangerous from the pocket. Cam’s a guy who’s a little better off the scheme, but I think is just a natural passer and has the X-factor.. .” Palmer said. “There might be some movement and some ammunition needed to move up to grab one of those guys.”
