Barstool Pick Em: Bad Breath Derails The Podcast | Week 9 (October 22, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this lively episode of Barstool Pick Em, Big Cat, Dave Portnoy (Pres), and Rico Bosco tackle Week 9 of the college football season with their signature blend of irreverence, gambling therapy, and inside jokes. The podcast weaves through in-depth postmortems on recent bad beats, sharp betting insights, mascot death gambling rules, and the pitfalls of living on the road during football season. This week, conversations go wildly sideways—from mispronunciations and inside Barstool drama to a running joke about bad breath derailing Bosco’s big meeting with sponsors.

Table of Contents

1. Season Reflections & Gambling Slumps (01:37 - 07:56)
2. Bad Beats: Recapping Recent Agony (02:50 - 12:46)
3. Rules, Refs, and Gambling Anguish (07:57 - 13:19)
4. Inside Barstool: Drama, Mascots & The Gorilla Moment (13:20 - 27:00)
5. Bizarre House Tours, Chairs & Wine Cellars (27:00 - 34:00)
6. Bosco’s Spring Break House Dilemma (34:00 - 38:33)
7. Listener Mailbags & Gumgate: The Bad Breath Bit (40:00 - 47:00)
8. Game Previews & Gambling Cards (50:23 - 74:37)
   • Notable Mortal Locks
9. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
10. Timestamps of Key Segments

Season Reflections & Gambling Slumps (01:37 - 07:56)

• Hosts reflect on how quickly the season is passing. Big Cat realizes, "I keep saying bad start, but we’re in the middle to end now. It’s not a start, it’s just what the season is." (03:22)
• Discussion about measuring a football season in “quarters”—with Dave noting you can’t just claim “bad start” when it’s already the second half.

Bad Beats: Recapping Recent Agony (02:50 - 12:46)

• Dave Portnoy recaps several devastating losses from his gambling card: Oregon rolling, Vandy covering, but losing five games “by a combined three points.” (04:32)

• The panel obsesses over brutal endings: missed kicks, questionable reviews (Tennessee knee/no knee), and the comedy of “field goal wars.”

• Quote: “Tennessee had 47 plays from the one yard line and didn’t score. It was surreal.” – Dave (12:13)

• Rants about Auburn and Duke being perennial “losers,” frustrating sharp bettors with constant letdowns.

  • “Auburn are losers. Like, they have found a way to lose every game this year... invent new ways to lose.” – Big Cat (07:19)

Rules, Refs, and Gambling Anguish (07:57 - 13:19)

• The gang debates the difference between toe-drag and heel-down rules on catches in college football, ignited by end-zone replay controversies. (10:29)
• Discussion on coaching animosity and how it affects late scoring and covering spreads: “You need to know who hates each other and who likes each other, because it does matter.” – Big Cat (10:24)
• Tech woes: Dave relates being behind on live games and texting drama.

Inside Barstool: Drama, Mascots & The Gorilla Moment (13:20 - 27:00)

• The “Gorilla” bit (Rico’s over-the-top chest-pounding meltdown) is recapped with glee, as Meek Phil gets under Rico’s skin in the gambling cave. Clip is sent to Dave, who enjoys the show. (15:03, 26:04)

  • “He’s just like, ‘You want the gorilla? You want the gorilla?’... poke the gorilla, poke his cage, you don't want him.” – Big Cat (15:03, 26:53)
  • “Harsh as Harambe, [Rico] was misunderstood.” – Rico (26:54)

• Multiple mascot/mascot-death jokes, plus Meek Phil’s growing role as a lovable antagonist.

Bizarre House Tours, Chairs & Wine Cellars (27:00 - 34:00)

• Tangent about strange features in Dave’s multi-million dollar house: wine cellars, immovable chairs, and the indignity of using a plastic chair mat on an expensive rug.
• “You can’t do the plastic thing on a rug in a 30 million dollar house.” – Big Cat (32:44)

Bosco’s Spring Break House Dilemma (34:00 - 38:33)

• Bosco’s participation in the fabled “spring break house” depends on the timing—a comedic back-and-forth of scheduling semantics, with classic Rico logic and confusion.

Listener Mailbags & Gumgate: The Bad Breath Bit (40:00 - 47:00)

• Big Cat throws a curveball at Rico before Bosco’s big sponsor pitch: “Just make sure your breath smells good.” (40:12)
  • This sets off a lighthearted but persistent fight about implications, insults, pledge-master routines, and the rumor mill (with Nadu).
  • “That insinuates… that’s gotcha culture!” – Dave (40:27)
• The crew spins out into jokes about gum guys, Meek Phil as a personal assistant, and neuro gum.
• “There’s certain things you joke about… you don’t want to be told you smell bad breath.” – Dave (42:17)

Game Previews & Gambling Cards (50:23 - 74:37)

• The crew breaks down five key matchups—ole-fashioned capping, each giving their reasoning, leans, and the classic regretful double losers.

Highlights:

• Ole Miss at Oklahoma:

  • Confusion over picks, with Dave initially mixing up teams: “I screwed up. I meant Ole Miss.” (51:31)
  • “Is that okay?” – Big Cat, in mock-exasperation about agreeing picks (52:24)

• Big night games, helmet revenge, coaching distractions, and the importance of emotional angles:

  • Commentary on upsets, emotional letdowns, and scheduling traps.
  • “If I take Texas A&M and the over, that’s an LSU 17–13 win.” – Big Cat (61:37)
  • “You can’t rebound from a double loser in the night window.” – Dave (61:53)

Notable Mortal Locks

• Big Cat: “Pitt -6.5 vs NC State”—cites QB switch and defense. (68:57)
• Dave: “Vanderbilt -2.5 vs Missouri”—“I don’t think Missouri's that good. This Vanderbilt team, their moxie…” (57:29, 64:41)
• Rico: “Oregon team total over 38.5” (71:08). Wants to bomb Oregon points every which way.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On gambling futility:
  • “At some point, it’s not a start. It’s just what the season is.” – Big Cat (03:22)
• On bad beats:
  • “I lost five games like that. The great field goal off of 2025 with Indiana, Michigan State...” – Dave (03:31)
• On coaching beefs:
  • “You need to know who hates each other and who likes each other, because it does matter.” – Big Cat (10:24)
• On Bosco logic:
  • “Slow thinker, fast talk.” – Dave (33:59)
• On the gum/breath saga:
  • “Just make sure your breath smells good.” – Big Cat (40:12)
  • “That insinuates! ... That’s gotcha culture!” – Dave (40:27)
• On postmortem pain:
  • “Tennessee had 47 plays from the one yard line and didn’t score. It was surreal.” – Dave (12:13)
• On “the gorilla”:
  • “You want the gorilla?!” – Rico (15:03, 26:53)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Season Reflection, Gambling Slump: 01:37–07:56
• Bad Beats, Saturday Recap: 03:28, 04:33, 06:02, 12:13
• Auburn/Rant on Losers & Sharps: 07:19–07:56
• Replay/Rules Rants: 07:57–13:19
• Coaching Animus & Gambling Impact: 10:10–10:29
• Gorilla, Meek Phil, In-Cave Drama: 13:20–27:00
• House Tour, Chair Debate: 27:00–34:00
• Bosco’s Spring Break House Debate: 34:00–38:33
• Gum/Breath Gate, Meeting Pressure: 40:00–47:00
• Game Previews, Cards, Mortal Locks: 50:23–74:37

Episode Tone

• Signature irreverent Barstool camaraderie: Roasting, inside jokes, and manufactured drama thread throughout.
• Genuine gambling lament: The hosts wear their (failed) bets and near-misses like badges of honor.
• Balls-to-the-wall honesty, with no pretense: Ego takes a backseat to comedy—even when it stings.

This show blends unvarnished sports fandom, degenerate gambling commiseration, and Barstool’s unique reality-TV energy, making for an episode that’s half college football breakdown, half therapy, and all Barstool. If you haven’t listened, this summary will catch you up on every heartbreak, inside-joke, and haranguing minute.