Episode Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 1: Best Limited Fake (feat. Jessica Smetana)
Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz
Special Guest: Jessica Smetana
Theme: A mix of irreverent college football talk, playful games, deep-dive sports minutiae, and the beloved Suey Awards “Best Limited Fake” segment. The episode showcases the show’s signature blend of sports analysis, inside jokes, sprawling tangents, and memorable fake impressions.

Episode Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan, Stugotz, Jessica Smetana, and the crew launch into the college football season while celebrating one of the show’s most cherished traditions: the “Best Limited Fake” category for the Suey Awards. The episode is heavy on college football anticipation, full of signature banter, and interspersed with a comedy trivia game. Jessica brings distinctive insight as a Notre Dame fan and podcast host, while the group debates which upcoming games matter most, the meaning of football “spookiness,” and the quirky phenomena of invented college football national championships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jessica’s Return and Miami “Spookiness”

[02:04 – 03:39]

• Dan welcomes Jessica back, playfully referencing her past rants about Miami’s lack of Halloween “spookiness.”
• Jessica jokes, “It was Miami traffic. It was understandable because it wasn’t also spooky. …I just think it’s because Miami wasn’t spooky and it sucked.” (Jessica Smetana, 02:36)
• Shifts into a discussion of sports “spookiness,” with Jessica noting that the Miami football team isn’t “spooky” for Notre Dame—but is impressed by Miami’s chances.

2. Game Time: “Brit or Knit”

[04:10 – 07:04]

• Jessica revives a classic show game: guessing which silly-sounding names are actual British football clubs (“Brit”) or made-up/non-clubs (“Knit”).
• The segment’s playful tone highlights Dan’s confusion and the show’s love of British oddities, with memorable lines like:
  “Did this rise to the level of classic? …I don’t feel like everyone—why is this a classic?” (Dan, 04:24)
• Jessica’s soccer fandom and show trivia bring laughs, especially as Dan repeatedly flubs the simple “Brit or Knit” answers.
• Notable game highlights:
  • “Grimsby Town” (Actual club: Brit)
  • “Shepherd’s Bush” (Not a club: Knit, it’s a Tube stop)
  • “Accrington Stanley” (Actual club: Brit)
  • “Cock Fosters Football Club” (Not a club: Knit, it’s a Tube stop)
  • “Tooting Broadway” (Not a club: Knit, another Tube stop)

3. College Football Hype and Hyperbole

[07:45 – 12:20]

• Dan references Mel Kiper Jr.’s statement on Get Up:
  “48 years I’ve been covering college football. Never remember a game as anticipated as this one [Ohio State vs Texas].”
• Jessica pushes back on media hyperbole:
  “Can I just say that hyperbole is an epidemic right now…We say that about everything and we just need to end the hyperbole.” (Jessica, 08:28)
• Discussion of why this opening weekend is different (Arch Manning’s debut, recent high-profile matchups deemed “game of the century”—yet many others just as compelling).
• Both agree it’s a big weekend with LSU vs Clemson and other intriguing games, not just Ohio State–Texas.

4. Diving into College Football Storylines

[12:20 – 16:24]

• Jessica brings fun CFB tidbits:
  • The sudden ban on the nickname “Farmageddon” for Kansas State–Iowa State.
  • “Are farms cool?” – the show polls the audience about the supposed offense of farm-based football rivalry branding.
  • Discussion of Stanford’s (struggling) football fortunes, including the viral story of a Stanford transfer doing a lengthy, sensual TikTok dance as a celebration and being penalized.
  • Hawaii’s kicker, who learned to kick via YouTube, is cited as a quirky highlight.

5. Most Interesting College Football Storylines This Weekend

[16:24 – 17:16, 28:41 – 31:30]

• Panel lists the five most interesting things/games for the weekend, with a focus on “players, not teams.”

• Jessica’s Top Five College Football Teams (outside projected playoff contenders) she’s most excited to watch:

  1. Nebraska: On the rise with new talent; played at Arrowhead Stadium.
  2. South Carolina: QB Lenora Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart
  3. Texas Tech: Big spending, narrow competitive margin in the Big 12
  4. Vanderbilt: Underdog story, returning talent, and a charismatic head coach
  5. North Carolina: Favorable schedule, could make a surprising run

• “Dad, but Lenora Sellers is very fun to watch. He’s one of the most exciting quarterbacks, flying a little under the radar…” (Jessica, 30:11)

6. The Absurdity of Claimed National Championships

[24:03 – 27:53]

• Spirited debate on Auburn and UCF “claiming” national championships via dubious retroactive logic.
• Jessica delivers a mini-history lesson on Auburn’s claimed titles:
  • “The national championship is like a made-up thing. …no one played for a national championship until modern history. Then everyone voted on it for a really long time…” (Jessica, 27:23)
• Dan, Jeremy, and Jess riff on the silliness of championship claims and related merch/shirts.

7. Revisiting Crowds: Is Hard Rock Stadium "Hostile"?

[21:51 – 24:03]

• Referencing Jessica’s podcast Echoes (with Mike Golic) and guest Ian Book, former Notre Dame QB, who claims Hard Rock Stadium is among the loudest he’s played in.
• Jessica gently teases his memory and explains her follow-ups, while Dan laughs at Miami fans clinging to the 2017 “Turnover Chain” era.

Segment Highlight: Suey Awards—Best Limited Fake

[33:13 – 43:54]

The annual tradition of “Best Limited Fake” (impressions and fake voices) nominees returns. The crew playfully revisits some of the year’s funniest show impressions, featuring:

• Roy Bellamy as Flanagan’s Voice
• Tony Kolatiyud as Nikola Jokic
• Amin Elhassan as Patrick Mahomes, Jack Nicholson, Stephen A. Smith, John Taffer, and more
• Chris Cody & Mike Ryan as Adam Sandler, Dan Le Batard, and more
• Greg Cody as John Facenda, Joe Biden ("Werewolf of Scranton," "alien from Scranton")
• Charlie Kravitz as Dan Le Batard
• Billy Gill as Shaggy, David Beckham
• Hank Azaria (calling in) as Jack Nicholson
• Special: Listener submissions, including “Steve from Sex and the City”

Notable Quotes:

• “I do my eyebrows and then I die and a rat comes around and all of a sudden we win an Oscar.” (Amin Elhassan, as Jack Nicholson)
• “My dad said, Joey, someday you could be vice president. Not bad. Try it without the mask.” (Greg Cody as Joe Biden, 43:54)
• “Our matey, gather round for a tale of the Heat Clippers showdown…” (Amin Elhassan, as Pirate GPT Recap, 42:18)

The impression contest is a comedic staple, celebrated by listeners and hosts alike for its winking, self-deprecating humor.

Memorable Moments & Running Jokes

• The crew’s refusal to let go of old college football games, especially Miami’s 2017 season.
• Dan’s confusion and exasperated tone during “Brit or Knit,” as he continually mixes up the answers.
• “Are farms cool?”—A semi-serious poll of the show’s fandom, poking fun at the supposed cancellation of the “Farmageddon” moniker.
• Jessica’s on-air interruptions by her adorable pet Willow, “Willow just kicked my computer. …She’s just stretching out on the bed…” (Jessica, 02:58 & 24:46)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jessica’s Miami “Spookiness” Rant: [02:04-03:39]
• “Brit or Knit” Soccer Game: [04:10-07:04]
• College Football Hyperbole & Mel Kiper Riff: [07:45-09:47]
• Alternate Big Games/LSU vs Clemson: [09:47-11:49]
• Farmageddon & Rivalry Culture: [12:47-14:38]
• Stanford-Hawaii Recap & TikTok Dance: [14:45-16:24]
• Most Interesting College Football Storylines: [16:24-17:16]
• Hard Rock Stadium “Hostile” Debate: [21:51-24:03]
• Claiming National Championships Riff: [24:03-27:53]
• Jessica’s Anticipated College Football Teams: [28:41-31:30]
• Suey Awards—Best Limited Fake Compilation: [33:13-43:54]

Tone & Style

The episode is fast-paced, warm, and irreverent—a pitch-perfect blend of sports nerdery, show-specific banter, and inclusive in-jokes. The tone is friendly, arch, and occasionally self-deprecating, with a rhythm familiar to longtime listeners but accessible to newcomers.

For New Listeners

This episode provides a classic Le Batard Show mixture: serious sports talk never gets too serious, and comedy is always close at hand—whether in absurd trivia, affectionate ribbing, or epic “limited fakes.” Jessica Smetana’s chemistry with the crew is excellent, and recurring show motifs (college football eccentricities, fake championship claims, legendary impressions) are on full display.

If you want irreverence, insight, and inside jokes—the Le Batard Show delivers once again.