Many devoted college football fans make a habit of watching multiple games across networks throughout the season, along with the pregame shows and other festivities. As the sport approaches its fourth week of regular-season play, people are starting to make their plans for where they will watch Deion Sanders’ undefeated Colorado Buffaloes taking on Oregon at 3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST on ABC. Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo revealed on Wednesday’s edition of First Take that he will be alone at his home this weekend, as his wife is away. He already has his routine planned out in full.
Starting the day on Saturday, he sees that the forecast in the New York metropolitan area is calling for rain, which will prohibit him from playing golf or tennis. He will sit down, make an early cocktail and take half of a gummy ahead of the Florida State matchup against the Clemson Tigers. When the clock strikes 3:25, Russo says he will be “sauced” and put a call into his friend, Fat Rob, who he described at the start of the segment.
“He’s my buddy [and] a former priest in the Vatican. He lived there for five years,” Russo said. “For five years, he was up there when they would do the smoke when they would see who the next priest was – that was him – the next pope.”
Russo nearly gave out Fat Rob’s phone number live on the air and described how his call would sound on Sunday. By this point, ESPN analyst Marcus Spears and featured commentator Stephen A. Smith were consumed with both laughter and disbelief.
“Where am I?,” Spears said with an incredulous, yet countenance evoking a sense of captivation.
“‘Rob, you know what, what the hell. I can’t root for Oregon; I’ll pretend on TV,” Russo said. “Put 10 dimes on Colorado and Deion; let’s win the game.’ By 3:25, I’ll be sitting down with my shorts; little T-shirt; cocktail [and] I’ll have the other half of the gummy.”
“You save it for later!?,” First Take host Molly Qerim exclaimed. “I thought you were just rationing it.”
Russo then conveyed that he hopes Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN’s lead college football broadcast booth, would be announcing the Colorado-Oregon game. No one on the air voiced, however, that it will be Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer on that matchup.
Nonetheless, Russo is excited for a day of college football to himself while his wife is on a road trip, something he previously spoke about when First Take was live from the US Open earlier this month.
“I want to be clear – you’re doing this all by yourself?,” Qerim asked. “You’re just going to hang out by yourself and do all of this?”
“I’m an only child – I’m my favorite company,” Russo replied.