Ringer Tailgate – College Pipelines on Display at Super Bowl LX

Date: February 11, 2026
Hosts: Van Lathan, Joel Anderson, Tate Frazier, with Billy Gill

Overview

This episode of Ringer Tailgate delivers the show's signature blend of sharp college football analysis, irreverent banter, and personal stories. The hosts recap Super Bowl 60, examine the college football pipelines on display in the big game, discuss how college football can borrow from the NFL’s spectacle, and detour into tales from Radio Row and campus moped culture. A lively debate about the future of college athletics and some classic college basketball talk round out this energetic, wide-ranging post-Super Bowl hangout.

Main Topics & Segment Timestamps

1. Opening & Super Bowl Impressions (03:03–09:18)
2. What College Football Can Learn from the Super Bowl (06:49–12:18)
3. Vegas as the Sports Capital & Storytime Detours (10:39–23:44)
4. Radio Row, Group Text Conspiracies, and Super Bowl Atmosphere (23:44–32:32)
5. Which College "Won" Super Bowl 60? (40:48–46:22)
6. Quarterback Factories & College to NFL Pipeline (46:22–51:04)
7. Moped Stories & College Life Tangent (51:04–57:14)
8. Herbstreit’s “Breakaway” Proposal and CFB’s Future (57:32–62:58)
9. Eligibility Decisions, Ole Miss QB Waiver (65:15–67:16)
10. Big Van On Campus: Is College Basketball Fumbling Its Moment? (68:17–76:00)
11. UNC vs. Duke, Basketball Propaganda & NBA Comparisons (76:00–84:15)
12. Final Thoughts, Comedian Guest Jokes, and Wrap-Up (84:15–90:03)

1. Opening & Super Bowl Impressions

(03:03–09:18)

• Immediate Reaction: The hosts agree Super Bowl 60 (Seahawks win) lacked energy, storylines, and star power:
  • Van Lathan: “This was the most disinterested in a Super Bowl I’ve been in a long time. There weren’t any really compelling storylines.” [03:34]
  • Joel Anderson: “I do like defensive football, but I like it when there’s a great offense struggling to figure it out… in this case, just two average quarterbacks.” [05:24]
• Apathy Confirmed:
  • Billy Gill later reaffirms: “Van was right. There wasn’t really an energy for the Super Bowl this year… it was just a boring game.” [23:51]
• Personal Tangents: Joel touches on attending a friend’s funeral; Van reminisces about last year’s New Orleans Super Bowl. [02:08–04:21]

2. What College Football Can Learn from the Super Bowl

(06:49–12:18)

• Joel proposes: “The CFP needs a real televised halftime show. College football could do that!” [06:49]
• Van Lathan: “What lessons can [CFB] learn? What could they steal?” [07:26]
• Billy, Tate, and Joel brainstorm potential college halftime performers—Dochii for Tampa, Pitbull/Gloria Estefan in Miami, big Vegas names from Celine Dion to Usher for busier venues.

3. Vegas as the Sports Capital & Storytime Detours

(10:39–23:44)

• Van declares: “Vegas is about to become the sports capital of America. The NBA is going there, NFL’s already there... [but] I still believe a lot of sports culture in Vegas is going to end up in some tremendous scandal at some point.” [10:57, 12:03]
• The conversation derails into tales of Las Vegas, legal gray zones, and Joel’s quasi-journalistic (and somewhat suspect) drives out to Pahrump to see Heidi Fleiss’s house:
  • Joel Anderson: “I just do shit for the story, man.” [13:54]
  • Van Lathan: “You cannot point to a story that I’ve told… as creepy, as weird, as off-putting as you just driving to Heidi Fleiss’s house.” [21:06]
• Extended side stories unfold, including Joel’s history of showing up at subjects’ homes “for the scoop,” producing laughter and friendly ridicule among the hosts.

4. Radio Row, Group Text Conspiracies & Super Bowl Atmosphere

(23:44–32:32)

• Billy at Radio Row: No buzz; confirms the general lack of intrigue or excitement.
• Billy describes his travel odyssey between SF, Miami, and LA before Super Bowl Sunday and triggers Joel’s paranoia about secret group texts:
  • Joel Anderson: “You really would just start a whole other thread of Van and Tate to ask them if they want to go to lunch?” [25:33]
• This sparks a running gag about secret communications and Joel’s status as the “most aggrieved” panelist.

5. Which College "Won" Super Bowl 60?

(40:48–46:22)

• Quick rundown of college pipelines represented in the game:
  • Alabama: 7 players
  • LSU: 5
  • Michigan, USC: 4 each
  • Other notable mentions: Auburn, Illinois, Ohio State, etc.
• Joel: “USC did. Darnold won, their linebacker got the interception… USC football played it perfectly on social.” [41:26]
• Van: “This is a milestone for SC. For this to be the crowning moment of an SC quarterback in the Super Bowl, it’s a big deal for their program.” [44:25]
• Consensus: USC “won” Super Bowl 60; Sam Darnold’s win as first SC QB Super Bowl champion seals it.

6. QB Factories & College–NFL Pipelines

(46:22–51:04)

• The group riffs on which schools are legitimate “quarterback factories,” debating the credentials of Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan, Cal, and SC.
  • Van Lathan: “Quarterback is difficult, bro… Is there any one college that puts elite guys into the league over and over again?”
• They note the sporadic nature of college-to-NFL QB success, even among powerhouse programs.

7. Moped Stories & College Life Tangent

(51:04–57:14)

• A hilarious interlude as Tate reveals his college moped photo:
  • Van: “Tate, you thought you was in Sons of Anarchy in this.”
  • Joel: “I can just look at this picture and tell Tate has had a good life, man.” [54:19]
• They roast his “not a moped, it’s a mini bike,” riff about parking tickets and helmet style, and reflect on the status “pull” a moped provided on campus.

8. Herbstreit’s Breakaway Proposal & CFB’s Future

(57:32–62:58)

• Kirk Herbstreit posited the Power 4 should break away from the NCAA; hosts debate serious reform vs. hot takes.
  • Van: “If there needs to be change… it’s not going to come in hot takes. It’s going to come in serious discussion…” [58:17]
  • Joel (on the classic antitrust/elitism issues): “Whenever you hear people talk like that, it just makes a lot of sense why we have segregation…” [62:25]
• The group agrees actual solutions—how to balance competitions, athlete empowerment, revenue—are more valuable than constant complaint.

9. Eligibility Decisions – Ole Miss QB’s Waiver

(65:15–67:16)

• NCAA denied Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss’s waiver for a 6th season of eligibility.
  • Van: “I thought for sure he would win. These fights are rarely lost.” [65:15]
  • Joel: “That cost this man a lot of money, bro. He could make $6 million this year potentially… I did hear from his reps they’re appealing; it isn’t over.” [67:16]

10. Big Van On Campus: Is College Basketball Fumbling Its Moment?

(68:17–76:00)

• Van asks whether college basketball is squandering its richest freshman class in years amid structural chaos.
  • Van: “With all the talk around the off-court stuff… is college basketball fumbling a really golden opportunity with all the talent…?” [68:18]
• Tate laments basketball’s coverage:
  • “Either super in depth analytics or they don't let you enjoy the conversation… I just feel like, honestly, the media around college basketball is either too deep in the weeds or in the wrong weeds.” [70:11]
• They discuss dynamic freshmen, player development, and how college hoops still out-rates the NBA—despite lackluster media coverage.

11. UNC vs. Duke, Basketball Propaganda & NBA Comparisons

(76:00–84:15)

• Banter over whether Duke is “far ahead” of UNC:
  • Van: “Duke is far ahead of North Carolina in terms of relevance and great players.” [76:14]
  • Tate fires back with recency (Nat’l Championships, title games): “Who’s the last one to win a championship? …Who’s the last team to go to the national championship game?” [76:38]
• They swap notes on NBA prospects (Zach Edey, Armando Bacot), the love/hate NBA writers have for CBB, and memorable “propaganda” around players.

12. Final Thoughts & Comedian Guest Jokes

(84:15–90:03)

• The guys riff on Tom Segura’s celebrity status vs. Bill Bellamy’s, social media clout, and (good-naturedly) expose Joel for not knowing either—“I was getting her [Octavia Spencer] confused with another Octavia…” [88:15]
• Lighthearted, rapid-fire wrap-up.
• Final “raise the roof” applause and sign-off.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Super Bowl’s vibe:
  • Van: “As a sports event, very meaningful—the Super Bowl just wasn’t my thing this year.” [05:17]
• Joel on halftime shows:
  • “The CFP needs a real televised halftime show. College football could do that!” [06:49]
• On Vegas and scandal potential:
  • Van: “I still believe a lot of sports culture in Vegas is going to end up in some tremendous scandal at some point. I still think it’s coming.” [12:03]
• On journalism hustle:
  • Joel: “Sometimes I just do shit for the story, man.” [13:54]
• On the group text conspiracy:
  • Joel: “It takes a lot to be more aggrieved than I am… Joel’s propensity to be aggrieved is not only hysterical, it’s astounding.” —Van [25:55]
• On college pipelines:
  • “USC did [win the Super Bowl]… Darnold… Uchena Nuasu… USC football played it perfectly…” —Joel [41:26]
• On CFB realignment:
  • “There’s a certain currency online in just complaining over and over again and coming with the hot takes, but not as much movement to address some issues in the sport.” —Van [61:43]
• On college hoops media:
  • “College basketball media is always fumbling. That’s part of their problem.” —Tate [69:32]
• On moped memories:
  • “Tate, you thought you was in Sons of Anarchy in this [photo].” —Van [52:01]
• Banter on QB factories:
  • “Quarterback’s difficult, bro. Can we think of any one college… that puts elite guys into the league over and over?” —Van [46:22]

Summary

This episode is a classic Ringer Tailgate: free-ranging, comedic, but loaded with insight. The crew unpacks Super Bowl 60’s college football storylines, diagnoses the event’s lack of “buzz,” and critiques both the college pipelines on display and the current football/media landscape. Van and Tate’s college moped memories and Joel’s journalistic drive-bys provide comedic relief, while conversations on future reforms and the state of college basketball add substance. If you missed the episode, you missed irreverence, community, real football insight, and some top-shelf sports radio camaraderie.

Key moments:

• Super Bowl 60 as anticlimax & commentary on college pipelines
• Half-serious calls for CFP (college football playoffs) to create their own "Super Bowl spectacle"
• Rich college-to-NFL player discussions
• Going deep on media and structural issues in both CFB and college basketball
• Moped-gang initiation, group text in-jokes, and Ringer Tailgate’s signature storytelling flavor