Hour 2: College Football Is BACK (feat. Jessica Smetana)

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Hour 2: College Football Is BACK"

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Date: August 19, 2025
Main Guests: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Jessica Smetana, Greg Cote, Billy, Jeremy, Des

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Episode Overview

This lively hour bounces between the imminent return of college football and the trademark absurdist banter of the Le Batard crew. With Jessica Smetana joining (known for her podcast "Echoes" with Mike Golic Jr.), the group tackles everything from branding controversies in college football (Week Zero vs. “Long Week One”), NIL-induced recruiting drama, and Auburn’s creative national championship count—plus detours into popcorn, press conferences as fan experiences, and the merits (or not) of weight classes in Little League. It’s a heady, playful mix of insight, debate, and running jokes, all wrapped in anticipation for a chaotic new season.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Popcorn, Podcasts & Chicago Pride

• [01:59–02:39] The episode kicks off with a lighthearted exchange about Chicago’s obsession with caramel-cheddar popcorn (shouted out via ex-NBA player Eddie Curry’s new podcast, “Caramel & Cheddar”).
  • Jessica Smetana: "[The cheddar-caramel combo] is a Garrett's popcorn thing that people come from all over the place and get in those big, you know, tins of popcorn. And it's a delicious combo. You wouldn't expect it, but I mean, it's been around as long as I've been around..."

2. Debate: Week Zero vs. “Long Week One” Branding

• [03:03–04:03] The crew notes how ESPN and others are downplaying the “Week Zero” moniker, trying to rebrand the early slate of games.
  • Dan: "Why was it ever called Week Zero? It's got branding, pal! And it’s Week Zero."
  • Jessica pushbacks, saying some outlets still use the term, if less loudly.

3. Journalism & ESPN’s NFL Relationship

• [04:39–05:43] Dan raises the ethical tightrope ESPN walks, now that the NFL has a direct stake. Jessica and Greg discuss the reality of implicit pressure in media:
  • Jessica: "...I think the concept of for-profit journalism just, it’s not something that goes together."
  • Both agree subtle pressures shape coverage, even without explicit instructions.

4. Notre Dame QB Drama & Auburn’s Absurd Play-calling

• [05:44–07:24] Query: Why can’t Notre Dame settle on a starting QB? Jessica downplays any real crisis and segues into Auburn’s chaotic approach—three QBs, three play-callers, and multiplying confusion.
  • Jessica: "I mean, I think it's at least better than Auburn's situation... three play callers, three quarterbacks. I mean, I think that's nine different combinations if I'm doing the math correctly."

5. Auburn & the Tall Tale of National Championships

• [07:38–09:32] Auburn suddenly claims nine national titles, adding multiple ancient years (and even 2004, when they didn’t win the BCS).
  • Jessica: "If you want to claim that UCF [was national champ], like, that’s fine. Good for you guys...but people are probably going to make fun of you, especially if you are Auburn."
  • Billy: “If you’re Auburn, you should be above just deciding, you know what? I woke up today and I have now more national championships. More dignity.”

6. USC NIL Maneuvers & Recruiting Edge

• [16:49–19:29] USC has 32 commitments for the class of 2026; Dan and Jessica discuss the unique state law letting them pay high schoolers NIL money (before NCAA clearinghouse approval). Jessica notes USC’s renewed focus on local recruiting after struggles by head coach Lincoln Riley.
  • Dan: “What do you make of USC kind of exploiting these rules and paying high schoolers directly?”
  • Jessica: “I think the bigger thing for USC was that they were losing a lot of the recruiting battles around their region...”

7. The Business of Fan Access: Oklahoma Sells Press Conference Seats

• [19:57–23:13] Weirder ways to monetize college football: Oklahoma is charging fans ~$679 for seats at post-game press conferences… where they can’t even ask questions.
  • Jessica: “Why would you want to? It’s so boring!”
  • Billy: “I think even a fan will sit in one and be like, I don’t need to do it again, though.”

8. Should Little League Have Weight Classes?

• [24:04–25:51] Greg suggests splitting Little League by both age and weight to prevent mismatches; Jessica and others foreground the potential for hurt feelings.
  • Jessica: “I think we should protect children's feelings sometimes!"

9. Indiana’s Laughably Easy Non-Conference Schedule

• [26:52–30:21] Dan and Jessica break down Indiana’s “SEC-model” scheduling: five years without a single Power Four non-conference opponent.
  • Jessica: "It is sort of an abomination...Yeah, it’s like you drop a game to Ohio State or Michigan...but you still have these three wins under your belt going into conference play...just is really, really lame and not fun to watch."

10. Random Top Fives, Posters, and Nicknames

• [30:31–36:19] Jeremy and Jessica audit the previous day’s show, spinning off into mini top fives (best baseball nicknames, posters from his childhood room).
  • Standout nickname: "Cal Raleigh, the Big Dumper."
  • Posters: Beatles-themed, 1998 home run chase, "The Joker: Why So Serious?" ("The Dark Knight is far superior to The Dark Knight Rises.")

11. Stanford’s Tumultuous Offseason & Hawaii Game Preview

• [37:02–38:50] Jessica explains Stanford’s odd predicament: mid-spring coaching resignation due to bullying allegations, Andrew Luck as interim GM, Frank Reich as interim head coach, and poor transfer/portal results.
  • Jessica: "...interim coach in college football, is that a thing that happens very often for a full season? No..."
  • The group notes Hawai'i is a rare favorite.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On ESPN Editorial Pressure:

  • "You don't have to be told, but there's just pressure...I think the concept of for-profit journalism just, it’s not something that goes together."
    – Jessica Smetana [05:11]

• On Auburn’s Newfound National Titles:

  • "How did Auburn just wake up today and say, you know what, we have nine national championships now. Thank you everybody. Moving on."
    – Billy [07:38]

• On Oklahoma Fans Paying for Press Conferences:

  • "Why would you want to? It’s so boring! The game is so much more exciting."
    – Jessica Smetana [20:27]

• On Indiana’s Scheduling Philosophy:

  • "He’s not even trying to fool anyone...He has blatantly been like we're going to do a quote, “SEC model of scheduling” and schedule FCS teams every year."
    – Jessica Smetana [27:23]

• On NIL & USC’s Approach:

  • "They operate in a state...where you can actually pay NIL to high schoolers before you actually have to present that to the Clearinghouse."
    – Dan Le Batard [17:11]

• Snappy Banter:

  • "If you’re Avery Johnson and you’re not Avery Johnson, you got to have a different name."
    – Des [16:49]
  • "You know who should be cheating? Mrs. Met on Mr. Met. And he can watch if he wants."
    – Jessica Smetana [26:34]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:09] Chicago Popcorn Culture
• [03:09] “Week Zero” Branding Debate
• [04:39] ESPN’s NFL Ownership: Journalism & Ethics
• [05:44] Notre Dame/Auburn QB Sagas
• [07:38] Auburn’s Claim to 9 National Championships
• [10:33] Weekend Coaching Debuts, UNLV, and Sicko's Delight Games
• [16:49] Avery Johnson Name Confusion & USC NIL Loopholes
• [19:57] Oklahoma Sells Press Conference Access
• [24:04] Little League Weight Class Debate
• [26:52] Indiana’s “SEC-Style” Non-Conference Scheduling
• [30:31] Show Audit, Nicknames, Posters, The Beatles, The Joker
• [37:02] Stanford’s Coaching Crisis and Hawaii Preview

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Tone & Style

Conversational, irreverent, and opinionated—Dan and crew blend actual analysis with plenty of detours, inside jokes, and gleeful mockery of sports’ traditions and absurdities. Smetana brings energy and deep CFB knowledge, never above roasting her own alma mater or mocking the sport’s tendency toward self-mythologizing.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode delivers classic Le Batard: part sports preview, part industry critique, and part comedic chaos, all underpinned by a genuine excitement for the unpredictability of college football’s new season. If you want updates on bizarre schedule machinations, NIL impact, or just want a laugh about popcorn and national championship claims, this hour is a must.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

Look, every football game is a grind. And if you're like Dan and the crew, you know there's no such thing as one size fits all. Your sleep should be just as custom as coach's game plan. That's where sleep number comes in. You get to call your own plays. Softer, firmer, cooler, warmer. Your side, your comfort. Change it whenever you want. No more feeling stuck like a busted play. And for all the late night fights over the thermostat climate series cools up 20 times faster than the competition. True temp betting kicks heat and humidity to the sidelines so you can actually stay chill all night. Bottom line, sleep number is like having a sleep coach in your corner adjusting to you all night. Because your best game starts with the right rest. Why choose a sleep number? Smart bed so you can sleep just the way that you like. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like. Your sleep number setting. Sleep number's biggest sale of the year is here. All beds on sale up to 50% off the limited edition smart bed, limited time, exclusively at a sleep number store near you. Sleep number, official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com for details.

[Jessica Smetana]

This is the Dan Levatar show with.

[Billy]

The Stu Guts podcast.

[Jeremy]

The Sueys are back and they're presented by Miller Lite. The 2025 series kick off Monday, August 25th. The only awards show where chaos reigns and nonsense wins. Only on the Dan LeBatard show with stugots.

[Des]

It's a lot of production value we put into that, including the fake Star wars music fanfare music.

[Dan LeBatard]

Royalty free.

[Des]

Oh, my God.

[Dan LeBatard]

Easy with a fake.

[Des]

Oh, royalty free. Yes, you're right. I should use those terms. Welcome in Jessica Smetana. She's got the podcast the Echoes with Mike Golik Jr. Is it the echoes or just echoes?

[Jessica Smetana]

Echoes. Echoes. Echoes. It's the Echoes.

[Des]

Okay.

[Jessica Smetana]

Echoes. Echoes.

[Des]

Oh, you were doing Echo.

[Jessica Smetana]

Oh, I was doing Chris's, but yeah, there you go. Hey, I mean, I heard you wanted to talk about popcorn.

[Des]

Yes, I do. I want to start right there because of course, Greg discovered today that Eddie Curry has a podcast. What's it called? Cheddar and caramel.

[Dan LeBatard]

Caramel and cheddar.

[Des]

Caramel and cheddar. That he. His girlfriend, Eddie Curry's from Chicago. And I said, chicago people are very, very proud of their popcorn. How did that start?

[Jessica Smetana]

I have no idea. But the cheddar caramel combo is a Garrett's popcorn thing that people come from all over the place and get in those big, you know, tins of popcorn. And it's a delicious combo. You wouldn't expect it, but I mean, it's been around as long as I've been around, so must go. Must go back quite a bit.

[Des]

I remember working I can't was a New Yorker in Phoenix. We had like a big ass tin of Garrett's, and I was like, what's the big deal? And literally daily, I'm like, oh, just shoveling it into my face. It's. It's hard to explain because I've always been like, no, I want fresh popcorn. I want hot buttered popcorn.

[Dan LeBatard]

Amina Al Hasan, I know that this is Jessica's fault, but how dare you?

[Des]

How dare I what?

[Jessica Smetana]

What?

[Dan LeBatard]

It's. It's Week Zero. We got, we got bands in the stands. We, we, we got football.

[Jessica Smetana]

I don't think they're calling it Week zero anymore, though.

[Dan LeBatard]

They're trying to get away from it, but. What is it?

[Jessica Smetana]

Yeah, it's like a long week one.

[Dan LeBatard]

Why was it ever called Week Zero's got branding, pal. And it's Week Zero.

[Greg]

Who's.

[Jessica Smetana]

Who's not. Who's trying to get away from Week Zero?

[Dan LeBatard]

It has been downplayed. I've noticed that.

[Jessica Smetana]

Where I haven't seen that. I mean, I know on like the ESPN schedule on the website, it'll say week one, but that's always been. That's always been the case.

[Dan LeBatard]

But in their marketing, jazz, like, we're not hearing so much. Week Zero.

[Des]

Yeah.

[Billy]

In the past, if you would watch on sportscent or whatever, they would refer to it as Week zero, and they.

[Des]

Wouldn'T shut up about it.

[Jessica Smetana]

But do you watch SportsCenter daily?

[Dan LeBatard]

Did you watch last night with Rich Eisen? I saw the intro.

[Jessica Smetana]

Did not. But I saw the Cincinnati Bengals Commanders game that was on before, and I saw that they were advertising it. What a game. By the way, has preseason football always been this bad? I'm sorry, I'm taking us on a journey here. But I mean, it's been bad this year.

[Dan LeBatard]

Jess, let me tell you. Old school intro with the saxophones and everything. Old school graphic package. Did they do that Rich Eisen monologue?

[Jessica Smetana]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

And then he takes the reins and it's a modern. It's a modern set behind him. He's there solo. The soothing voice of Rich Eisen. The lower thirds, the old sports center.

[Des]

Did they start four by three and grainy and then expand.

[Jessica Smetana]

Save this topic for Dan. Dan's going to do a whole bit about. They're trying to distract you from NFL being, you know, owning espn, whatever, yada, yada. Save this for Dan. This is a Dan topic.

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, all that stuff I saw. Ian rapoport was hosting McAfee. It seemed like yesterday was kind of.

[Des]

Like the launch of they Take over, right?

[Dan LeBatard]

I guess. Let me ask you a journalism question, because you and Griffin, Greg, have the journalism bona fides here. We'll begin with you, Jess. Naturally, people are going to be very critical of any of ESPN's coverage on the NFL, given the NFL's ownership stake on this. Now, I've heard interviews from Mina Kimes on Football America saying she's never been told what to say. We know from our time over at espn, sometimes you're not directly told, but you are certainly given opinions and know which kind of direction they want to steer you in. How do you think ESPN talent's going to navigate this?

[Jessica Smetana]

I mean, it's a great question, and I wonder if there's even, you know, you don't have to be told, but there's just pressure that, you know, it's a partner situation, like, and that's something that I think we even deal with on the Levitar show, right? Like, we know we have certain things that you don't tell us we can't say, but, like, we know maybe we should be careful around. So, I mean, that's just what happens in a corporate journalism world, no matter where you work or what you do. And that is why, you know, I think a lot of people, I think the concept of for profit journalism just, it's not something that goes together.

[Des]

Greg?

[Greg]

Well, I have a journalism question for Jess, but it's sort of off track of that a little bit. Jess, I'm wondering why can't Notre Dame pick a starting quarterback and how you.

[Jeremy]

Want no part of the Journal.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's all right.

[Greg]

No, no, no, no. Let him cook. And how is that going over in South Bend? Because it seems to me that if you can't pick a starting quarterback, it means neither one of them is that outstanding.

[Jessica Smetana]

Echoes. Echoes. Yeah. Greg, I think a lot of people are like, what's the hold up here? But I like, I think as long as they name it by the end of this week, I don't think it's that big of a deal because from all accounts, both quarterbacks are getting a ton of reps in practice, so they're going to be ready to go no matter who it is. I think it's at least better than Auburn's situation, which is that they have three quarterbacks. And Hugh Freeze has said, Greg, all three could end up playing in their opening game against Baylor. That is a sneaky good power four game because Baylor went from being is Dave Aranda on the hot seat last season to they figured out a little bit of nil and recruiting stuff that they didn't have figured out before. They had a really solid end of their season last year. Auburn, on the other hand, they're like, we have three quarterbacks, we have three play callers. They've said their offensive coordinator is going to call first down, Hugh Freeze is going to call second down and then their quarterbacks coach is going to call third down. But Hugh Freeze is like, I can overrule any of it at any time. So there's like three play callers, three quarterbacks. I mean, I think that's nine different combinations if I'm doing the math correctly. And on top of that, they're like, by the way, we're also going to claim all these extra national championships that we weren't claiming before because we were only claiming the AP voted national championships. Greg, I'm sure you remember back in the day when the national championship was something that people voted on pre BCS era.

[Greg]

Yes.

[Jessica Smetana]

And can explain that a little bit. But very weird off season. And that's called a transition. That's how I transitioned from your question about Notre Dame to something that I said I wanted to talk about on my little topic sheet today, which I am only allowed to reference when Dan's not here.

[Billy]

How did Auburn just wake up today and say, you know what, we have nine national championships now. Thank you everybody. Moving on.

[Jessica Smetana]

It's a great question, Billy. I think previously they had, According to On3, they had recognized two national championships in their stadium and then they had three in their media guide. So the two in the stadium were the 1957 one, in the 2010 one, which were the AP national titles. And then they had three more that were in their football media guide. And then today they were like, there's also going to be four more. And now they're adding 1910, 1914, 1958 in 2004.

[Billy]

That was, that was a good year. That's the weird one. Like the 1910s and 1913.

[Jessica Smetana]

Okay, whatever.

[Billy]

Like what do I know? 2004, like I was alive. I know you didn't win the national championship.

[Jessica Smetana]

Yeah, well that's my question. So like, does it. I mean, I personally have no problem with schools claiming whatever national championships they want to claim, like Jeremy's alma mater. I don't give a Shit, if you want to claim that ucf, like that's fine. Good for you guys. You can use it for marketing purposes and like reunion purposes.

[Jeremy]

Like, why are you okay with that?

[Jessica Smetana]

I don't claim a national championship. You literally can't. In college football, at least you used to be able to. It's harder now.

[Billy]

UCF stuff though, like, if you're Auburn, you should be above just deciding, you know what? I woke up today and I have now more national championship, more dignity.

[Jessica Smetana]

Billy. I think some people would definitely agree with that. But I think that, you know, the national championship has always been something that's been up for debate over the years. There was voting pre bowl game, there was voting post bowl game, there was split votes at points in history. So there are claimed national championships titles and their unclaimed national titles. And I guess if you want to do it, like, I have no problem with it. But people are probably going to make fun of you, especially if you are Auburn. And I think that that's okay. I mean, if you weigh out the pros and cons of. Are we going to get clowned on the Internet versus are we now saying we have like nine national championships or whatever? It is. Like, I guess you do the math in your head and you're like, cool. I think it's worth it.

[Des]

What's the upside in claiming a national championship in a year that everyone remembers? Like, what?

[Jessica Smetana]

I don't remember 2004, for the record. I think, I think that they can.

[Jeremy]

Get away with that in 10 years.

[Billy]

Everyone will forget. So at some point, yeah, you just see it says like 2004 national championship and you're going to like, look it up.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm cool.

[Billy]

Who they beat?

[Dan LeBatard]

Jason Campbell and them boys. I remember that. But that was in the BCS era where they specifically installed the formula to avoid circumstances like that where he had multiple people claiming a national title.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, an undefeated team that didn't get an invite to the championship. And so ultimately they go undefeated and they say, hey, we probably should have been there. And thus national champions makes sense to me, right?

[Jessica Smetana]

I mean, yeah, they, they went undefeated. They won the Sugar bowl and the SEC and they were like, we finished second in the AP in the coaches poll, but we were 13 and oh, we should have. We can claim this one because we won all our games. I guess Florida State. The question is now, have they tried to claim 2023, Mike? Because feels like something maybe. Although they lost their bowl game, they.

[Dan LeBatard]

Lost by 70 points. The ball, it lost by 70 points this weekend. Slate informally, I guess, maybe possibly. FKA Week 0 does have a bunch of coaching debuts. Frank Reich, maybe surprising many in the audience. He's at Stanford. Now. The one I want to talk about is Dan Mullen because it seems like UNLV finally, they had a very messy nil year last year. Their quarterback leaves, but they have dialed in nil. And believe it or not, Dan Mullen, in his first season at UNLV has better odds to make it to the CFP than Florida State University has. What sicko's delight are you locked into this weekend?

[Jessica Smetana]

I mean, all of the games are very tantalizing to me. I think we'll start with Farmageddon. I mean, what was your question? Because I saw that you wanted to get in here briefly. Before we start with Farmageddon, I found.

[Des]

The quote from the athletic director from Auburn and it says quote. For too long, Auburn has chosen a humble approach to our program storied history. That's how it's. And then he goes on to explain why they're gonna do. But just that's. His explanation is like, we've been too humble.

[Jeremy]

He learned from the best. I mean, when A beats you and ultimately wins a national championship, doing it and claiming that national championship, you just got to follow suit with one of the blue blood programs.

[Jessica Smetana]

Anyways, we'll go back to not UCF talk. Thank you, Jeremy.

[Jeremy]

Miss you too.

[Jessica Smetana]

I know, I know I brought it up. But anyways, okay, so, yes, I mean, they were, they were like, we were humble. Now we're not humble anymore. We're one of the blue bloods, baby. And I think that that's. That's great for them. So this weekend is the first ever ranked versus ranked matchup in Ireland at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Now, you may all remember I attended this game two years ago with Lehman, and it was. I just had the time of my life. It was spectacular. However, that game was Notre Dame and Navy and Notre Dame was like two touchdown plus favorite or something. So this time around, I mean, this is a big matchup. Last year was also a big matchup, but it was because it was an upset. It was because Georgia Tech beat Florida State and it was the first game of the season. We were all like dialed in at Florida State and we're like, either Georgia Tech's really good or Florida State is not very good. And it turns out both of those things were true. Georgia Tech should have been Georgia. I mean. And I will hold that against them for a long time. However, this week, this weekend Kansas State and Iowa State, both of these teams coming off of pretty solid seasons. Last year was Iowa State's first ever 11 win season. Their head coach, Matt Campbell has done a really good job of raising the floor at Iowa State, but he's still like knocking against the season, you know, or the ceiling I guess with, you know, 10 win season, 11 win season. So are they going to make it to a Big 12 championship win? Well, it would help if they won this weekend. So this game actually has pretty big conference implications and both teams have returning quarterbacks that are going to be starting in this game that are coming back. Rocco Becht is playing for Iowa State and Avery Johnson is playing for Kansas State. Avery Johnson's a really fun quarterback to watch because he's kind of crazy. He's like all over the place. He's an explosive runner and like really great at play action passing, but he's not super accurate as a passer. So I am very excited to see how that works out.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay guys, I mean look, every football game is a grind and if you're like Dan and the crew, you know there's no such thing as one size fits all. Your sleep should be just as custom as Coach's game plan. That's where Sleep Number comes in. You get to call your own plays. Softer, firmer, cooler, warmer. Your side, your comfort. Change it whenever you want. No more feeling stuck like a busted play. And for all the late night fights over the thermostat climate series cools up 20 times faster than the competition. True temp bedding kicks heat and humidity to the sidelines so you can actually stay chill all night long. Bottom line, Sleep Number is like having a sleep coach in your corner adjusting to you all night because your best game starts with the right rest. Why choose a Sleep number Smart bed so you can sleep just the way that you like. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like. Your Sleep Number Setting Sleep Number's biggest sale of the year is here. All beds on sale up to 50% off the limited edition smart bed limited time exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you. Sleep Number Official Sleep and Wellness partner of the NFL. See store or sleepnumber.com for details.

[Jeremy]

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[Jessica Smetana]

This product contains nicotine.

[Jeremy]

Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[Jessica Smetana]

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[Jeremy]

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[Jessica Smetana]

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[Jeremy]

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[Billy]

Don LeBatard I don't like smutty either.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stugats.

[Jessica Smetana]

Women stay home in the kitchen where they belong.

[Billy]

This is the Don Levatar show with the stugats.

[Des]

Clear out because I feel, I fear we're having another Bryce Harper, Ron Harper situation. Is Avery Johnson related to the Avery Johnson?

[Dan LeBatard]

Not remotely.

[Des]

Okay. Is he white? Yeah, it's the same. Same thing with Ron Harper. The white Ron Harper. If you're Avery Johnson and you're not Avery Johnson, you got to have a different name.

[Dan LeBatard]

He could be a sneaky Heisman candidate. One of these Big 12 teams is going to make a run. I saw that Texas Tech has spent a lot of money. They just lost their USC running back. And I want to focus a little bit on usc, because usc. I don't know if you noticed this, Jess, but they have 32 commitments for the class of 2026. The reason for this is they operate in a state, California. There are some other states, too, where you can actually pay nil to high schoolers before they. Before you actually have to present that to the clearinghouse. So far, I know Miami has attempted to submit nil deals. I haven't heard of a single school that has had an nil deal approved yet by Deloitte, who is overseeing the nil Clearinghouse. It seems as though they're kicking the can down the road, what do you make of USC kind of exploiting these rules and paying high schoolers directly? We're talking about juniors, we're talking about 16, 17 year olds to get their commitment and get their nil funded that way so they're not subject to this new screwy way.

[Jessica Smetana]

I did see a story maybe a month ago that the clearinghouse was rejecting some deals, but I don't know if there's been a follow up, if that was just because of like the stalemate between the collectives and the, you know, the clearinghouse.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, they reverse course settlement.

[Jessica Smetana]

Now they're like, yeah, collectives are a legitimate business operation. So we're cool with that. But yeah, Mike, to answer your question, I mean, I think the bigger. That is certainly a part of it, but I think the bigger thing for USC was that they were losing a lot of the recruiting battles around their region because reportedly like Lincoln Riley was just not have. He didn't have great relationships around there and just was not really focused on it. And so he was under a lot of scrutiny last season for that. And that's why they hired Notre Dame's, you know, personnel GM guy, Chad Bowden to come in and help with recruiting there. And they have definitely improved in that aspect. And I think that if nothing else, he's going to really help with the Southern California recruiting because that was like what Pete Carroll excelled at. And why they were such a powerhouse was because they got all of those five star guys around Southern California. They weren't leaving to go to Southeast schools or Notre Dame or Texas schools. So I mean, I really think it's like USC just needs to take advantage of their regional, like you said. I mean, the laws certainly contribute to that, but I think they need to take advantage of their regional advantage there and just like focus on what made them great, you know, 20 years ago with sprinkling in portal stuff and just having a better defense generally.

[Des]

Don't you hate when that happens? When you're trying to say something and use the same word twice? Taking advantage of the regional advantage, like, yes, I wish there was a better way to say that.

[Jessica Smetana]

I feel like. I feel like Austin Powers every single time.

[Des]

Allow me to.

[Jessica Smetana]

What do you know about her whereabouts?

[Des]

I allow myself to introduce myself.

[Jeremy]

Do you mean like saying if you're Avery Johnson and you're not Avery Johnson, you need a different name?

[Des]

You absolutely need a different name.

[Greg]

Yeah, I can't have a famous name, Jess. This is in the same realm as Mike's line of thought. I think with Schools now wanting more and more revenue sources to pay for players to buy transfers. Oklahoma is now selling fan access to post game news conferences. I'm just wondering what you think of that.

[Jessica Smetana]

I hadn't seen that story. To selling fan access to like a press conference.

[Billy]

Yeah, it's like.

[Jeremy]

It's like 500 bucks or something.

[Billy]

You get to sit in the back and you don't get asked questions, but you just.

[Jessica Smetana]

Why would you want to be so boring? Yes. I remember when I was a young reporter, Greg. I was covering Notre Dame men's basketball and Duke was in town, and I had to go to Mike Chefsky's press conference. And I had grown up watching men's basketball, basketball and was a huge basketball fan. And I was like, this is so cool. I'm gonna see Coach K in person at a press conference and maybe even ask him a question. So I rolled up, I sat in the press conference, I listened to him talk for like 15 minutes, and I was like, wow, these are really, really boring. The game is so much more exciting than this. I mean, if I were a fan, I would probably want to just pay extra to have closer seats. But I guess any advantage you can get in selling access, I think people.

[Jeremy]

Are gonna buy the axis.

[Billy]

I think people are gonna be doing it.

[Des]

Losers are gonna.

[Greg]

No, no. The first game has sold out.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Greg]

Like the fan. Not a surprise to the opener. And it. And it's. It's like, it's a weird amount. It's like $679 or something like that.

[Jeremy]

But I'll just watch it on YouTube.

[Des]

Yeah, like, absolutely no advantage to being in that room. It's usually hot in there.

[Jeremy]

Disadvantage.

[Greg]

Honestly, it's super crowded, so if you.

[Jessica Smetana]

Lose, it's like really depressing. Like you. You rarely get to see a Brian Kelly fist slam on the table. Like, you rarely get a moment in a press conference where you're like, wow, that was pretty.

[Jeremy]

Dennis Green.

[Des]

Jessica, your first press conference. I'm imagining you wore a beret and you had like a folder and stuff, and it was with those color coded tabs. And you were there ready to take like furious notes, and everyone else was looking at you like you're crazy. It reminds me of. I was. Was when during the playoffs, I went to Pacers, Knicks, and Greg Doyle was there and he was asking, like, very kind of pointed questions at Pascal Siakam about why didn't you guys bring it today? Or whatever. How it's the playoffs. How couldn't you not? And I shit you not, every time he asked a question, and then Pascal Siakam would start answering. Greg Doyle would start feverishly typing on his laptop. That was from, like, 2007. And it sounded exactly like this, This. I, I, it was so loud, I could not hear what Pascal was saying. I was just like, what's happening here? There's, there's no way he's actually transcribing what's being said.

[Greg]

Yeah, that's super annoying. That goes on today. You know, you're at a Eric sp for a postgame press conference.

[Jeremy]

You hear Ira clacking away.

[Billy]

Yes, always.

[Jessica Smetana]

Always.

[Greg]

Am I right?

[Jeremy]

Ira is a big offender.

[Jessica Smetana]

Yes.

[Greg]

I wasn't going to mention him, but.

[Jeremy]

You know, but once the name got.

[Des]

Brought up, yeah, Jeremy said in my.

[Jessica Smetana]

Ear, I can't think of more boring. I guess if you're just like a, a regular fan and you don't have a lot of access to the football program, like, being in the same room as, like, Brent Venables maybe is something you can brag about to people or think is cool. But I just find press conferences to be very, a very dry venue. I mean, literally a drive venue. They don't sell alcohol there.

[Jeremy]

But I think, to Jess's point, I think everybody who buys this ticket will learn that very quickly.

[Billy]

You know, we're just being brats because we've done.

[Jeremy]

But no, but I think, but I think even a fan will sit in one of those and be like, and just be like, like, I don't need to do it again, though. Like, it wasn't that fun. Like, it was maybe cool, but, like, okay, I got it.

[Des]

Like, it's what you do it. And you realize that, like, you said, the Denny Green or the, or the Brian Kelly.

[Dan LeBatard]

Rare.

[Des]

Like, it's so rare.

[Dan LeBatard]

Come after me. I'm 40.

[Des]

Yeah, that one. Like, that one. That's the only reason I know Mike Gundy's name.

[Jessica Smetana]

Right? And now he's over 50, so that happened so long ago.

[Billy]

I like the idea of thinking, even though it's not going to be that, because they can't ask questions of it turning into, like, a UFC, like, Conor McGregor press conference, where fans just grabbed the microphone like Conor, and then, like.

[Jeremy]

Insulting the other people and they're like.

[Billy]

Break out in song. Yeah. Hey, Jess, can I ask you a question? Not on the things that you want to talk about. Greg mentioned this earlier. Greg thinks there should be a weight limit in the call in the Little League World Series.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Billy]

Oh, like, no, fatty.

[Jessica Smetana]

Instead of going by age, they go by, like, heavyweights, middleweights, you got to do both.

[Greg]

You got to do both. Both, yeah. Because if the pitcher meets the age requirement, but he's like, you know, 6:1, 210 pounds. I don't care how old he is. He shouldn't be pitching to a little kid who looks like a little kid. You know what I mean?

[Jeremy]

So a little Pedro Martinez is fine. Like a kid that's small but just throws gas.

[Greg]

Like, you're cool with that? You gotta go by age and size, in my opinion.

[Billy]

You like the idea of kids cutting weight the day before the big game.

[Greg]

You do what you gotta do.

[Jessica Smetana]

You like the idea of, like, a kid who's, like, bigger that maybe gets made fun of a lot in school, being told he can't play because he's too big.

[Des]

Well, he can play. He can play in his own weight class, right?

[Greg]

Yeah. It's like boxing.

[Jessica Smetana]

He has to play up. Up with bigger kids.

[Greg]

Think of it as boxing.

[Des]

Get rock.

[Jessica Smetana]

I mean, I feel like they're. If kids are that big and dominant in their age group, can't they play with older kids sometimes? Like, I. When I played youth soccer, there were, like, some girls that were just, like, you know, way better than, like, most of the kids our age that would play with the older girls. But they didn't do it in, like, a mean way, like, oh, you're too fat. Like, Well, I would never.

[Greg]

I would never call a kid. I would never call a kid fat.

[Billy]

Yeah. What would you call, like. What would you name? I guess the different divisions. They'd be like, the little ones are always like, the mighty mites or something like that, Right?

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Billy]

And then, like, the larger ones, like, you get like, a middle. And then, like, porkies, something like.

[Greg]

That's a nice, neutral word.

[Billy]

Okay. The hefty kids.

[Des]

Neutral. Hefty. Hefty. Hefty.

[Jessica Smetana]

I think we should protect children's feelings sometimes. And this feels maybe a little. But I'm not a. I'm not a parent, so I don't know. Someone else can probably tell me.

[Des]

Des is the last person we should ask about this. She hates kids.

[Greg]

But I'm. Yeah. And I'm also protecting the little kids.

[Jessica Smetana]

And you'd think I'd be the one who'd be like, yeah, tell that kid he's gotta go.

[Billy]

That kid sucks.

[Jessica Smetana]

That kid's hefty baby of the year. Screw you, Bart Harley Jarvis. I'm gonna kill you. Reality Switzerland, I mean, knows what I'm talking about.

[Des]

I do.

[Jessica Smetana]

Don LeBatard, Mr. Mr. Shirt, if I may say, for A second Miami, they were simulating the snap count the entire game and they were clapping at the line of scrimmage. And the only thing I want to see clapping are them cheeks on Mrs. Met in my face, my shirt. All right, so that's one thing.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stoogats.

[Jessica Smetana]

They're a bunch of cheaters, Dan. And you know who should be cheating? Mrs. Met on Mr. Met. And he can watch if he wants.

[Billy]

This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stugats.

[Dan LeBatard]

Jess, is Indiana gonna do it again? Last season they found a way to have a pretty winnable schedule even though they're in the Big Ten, which obviously added teams and is difficult. And now you alerted me to their non conference schedule, which is an absolute joke which should absolutely be held against them. It seems as though Signetti is trying to fool folks in here and just leverage and siphon off of the Big Ten's reputation. He can lose two games inside of that conference, not play anybody outside of conference and end up right back where he was last year.

[Jessica Smetana]

Let me start from the beginning where you said the Big Ten has added teams. Yes. And I think that people think that that means it's like automatically your schedule is difficult, which is not necessarily true because there's so many teams that your schedule could be vastly different than one of your conferences peers because there's so many frickin teams now. So the balance of the schedules are going to be very uneven going forward. And some of this is just why having conversations about like schedule, like strength of schedule and stuff like that is sort of a crapshoot. Because a team could schedule a game against another team 10 years down the road, which is often what the, you know, lead time is on some of these home and home series. And that team could have fired their coach the year before and you would have no way of knowing. So you can't necessarily ding them for that. However, in Indiana's case, Kurt Signetti had, has is not. He's not even trying to like fool anyone. He has blatantly been like we're going to do a quote unquote SEC model of ScheDuling and Schedule FCS teams every year because he, you know, he's claiming and all the other Big Ten coaches claimed at media days that the SEC only plays eight conference games, the Big Ten plays nine so they shouldn't have to play any of these tough non conference games because it's, you know, woe is them, it's so unfair, etc. Etc. So he actually canceled a series with Virginia which is like one of the bottom ACC teams. So if you can't even keep your game against Virginia, like, what are we doing here? But over the next five seasons, Mike, did you look at what their non conference schedule is? Because next year or this year it's Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, who just moved up to fbs, Indiana State, fcs. Next year it's Colorado State, Howard, Western Kentucky. The year after that, Kennesaw state, Indiana state, UMass. And then 2028, Austin P, Eastern Michigan, Miami of Ohio. And then in 2029 they have ball State, Eastern Illinois and Western Kentucky. So no power for teams. Barely a group of six thrown in there. Like an elite group of six thrown in there. I mean, you know, Western Kentucky and Colorado State have been decent over the last few years, but like, these are all games that Indiana. I mean, I don't even want to say Indiana should win because historically they, they wouldn't automatically win these games. It's just in the last year that, that the opinion of them has sort of changed a little bit with Signetti being able to just recruit talent at a higher level. But anywho, it is sort of an abomination because I think in their minds, like a. He wants to keep his job. I get that. But in their minds, yeah, it's like you drop a game to Ohio State or Michigan in the regular season or Penn State or Illinois, but you still have these three wins under your belt going into conference play. You don't need to do too much to get that, you know, that at large bid into the playoff. Especially if your conference commissioner is now saying, what have we expanded to 24, 28 teams in the playoffs? What if we had seven auto bids for the College Football Playoff for the Big Ten? Like, it just, it just is really, really lame, I think, and not, not fun to watch.

[Des]

Jessica, Jeremy wasn't in yesterday, so he had a bunch of observations about yesterday's show that he want to go through. I want you to audit yesterday's show alongside him, if you will.

[Jessica Smetana]

Will I will.

[Jeremy]

So it's. It's in the form of a top five. Oh, I. Chris's transition to the jackpocket line read yesterday was fabulous.

[Dan LeBatard]

Incredible.

[Des]

Once I learned what jackpocket was, I'm all in.

[Jeremy]

Number five.

[Billy]

I think you were in before you knew what it was just based on the name.

[Jeremy]

Perhaps Tony's crash out might be the moment of the year on this show.

[Des]

And that's number five from.

[Jeremy]

Yes, that's number five because we, we got into it. It's an observation I don't know how much deeper we need to. But it was, was incredible, an amazing moment.

[Des]

Jeff, did you, did you see the crash out by?

[Jessica Smetana]

I did watch like the first 40 minutes of yesterday's show and I had no idea, I had no idea what was going on. I don't know anything about mma, but it was funny to watch Tony crash out. So I will see you.

[Jeremy]

Two time cancer survivor calling that the worst night of his life was truly remarkable.

[Dan LeBatard]

Thanks, Mark.

[Jeremy]

Number four. We had that whole Dylan Gabriel conversation without like any contact context being applied to his quote.

[Jessica Smetana]

UCF defender coming in. Oh, look, I, I agree with you because I did see that as he.

[Jeremy]

Said it before he claims it. Is there proof? I don't know about that, but I, I did send you yesterday during that conversation, Chris, the actual question that was asked of him and the reporter asked, you gave us some fabulous wisdom on how you tune out the noise and don't let it infiltrate yourself. Will you share that with everybody at home? So clearly he had just shared that line earlier in the week with the reporter who then specifically asked him for it. And when it was clipped for the Internet, nobody put the question that was there. Nobody provided the context. And then neither did we multiple days later. So I just felt like we, we left the kid. It hung out to dry. And I'm not a huge Dylan Gabriel guy, but that's.

[Des]

I will.

[Jeremy]

That's a lot.

[Dan LeBatard]

You are a huge Dylan Gabriel guy.

[Jeremy]

I was in 2019.

[Des]

Also, I will refer you back to my top five list from earlier. Things people pretend to care about. When someone on this show says something funny that might also have a factual error.

[Jeremy]

Yeah, I'm the one guy that cares, which is why nobody likes me here. Number three. The way we talked about the. Yeah, the way we talked about the streaming wars was pretty privileged. That's why people also don't like me. We just talked about it like, well, I can afford it. I have all of them. It's just annoying. How about all of the people who just want access to their sports but can't afford to have all of these different streaming services?

[Des]

But then this is where I'll push back on you. So you're back to where life was like 15 years ago.

[Jeremy]

That would've been great.

[Des]

But I'm just saying, like, all that's happening now is, yes, there are haves and have nots. They have nots don't have as many streaming options, but they still gonna get some of the games because they have some of these options.

[Jeremy]

You'd like to think that the advancement of technology would actually be a benefit for society, but it's.

[Des]

Where do you live?

[Billy]

We have robot Olympics now.

[Greg]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jeremy]

How about that, Number two?

[Jessica Smetana]

Yeah. I mean, Jeremy, I think to butt in for a second, it's like things were never free before, but you also couldn't watch every single out of market game. So I kind of get why I have to pay extra for that now. Like, if I want to watch Steelers games, but I live in Florida, I get why they charge me for that. I agree that it sucks as a consumer, but, you know, when have big. When is big business ever cared about consumer output?

[Jeremy]

All right, good conversation. We brought up the consumers. I'm just happy that we did that, not just through our own lens. Number two, we talked about. We're always through the.

[Dan LeBatard]

We're always viewing this through the prism of consumers that are spending too much. I don't understand. Congratulations on fighting for the smaller guy as opposed to the medium guy also.

[Des]

But we're always doing this through our own lens. You talk about Dylan Gabriel in a positive way. Like who? What other lens are you using? Right there.

[Jeremy]

Journalism.

[Jessica Smetana]

Number two, this is making me have to go to the bathroom.

[Jeremy]

Chris, please. Thank you.

[Greg]

That was so annoying.

[Des]

Never stop midstream. You gotta do the good for your pelvis.

[Jeremy]

I thought he was talking about me speaking. Number two, you guys talked about basketball nicknames yesterday. And the. Oh, man, that is. Is very distracting. And the fact that there aren't very many good ones. So I have a mini top five within the top five top five baseball technique exception.

[Des]

No, I like this. Give it to me.

[Jeremy]

Number five, the Dark Knight for Matt Harvey.

[Greg]

Technically hasn't retired yet.

[Jeremy]

Number four, El Mago for Javier Baez. Number three for Vinny Pasquatino. The Pasquatch.

[Des]

I don't like that one.

[Jeremy]

Number two for Jostenson. And I forget his last name. A minor league player. But Yostin spun is spelled with like 8,000 letters. It's the password. And number one, Cal Raleigh, the Big Dumper.

[Des]

Where's Dick Mountain? On that list.

[Jeremy]

And then number one, we talked about posters. Another mini top five top five posters that I had on my childhood bedroom. Oli, The Abbey Road out album. Oli, the sergeant Peppers album.

[Des]

Wow, look at that.

[Jeremy]

Oli, the Yellow Submarine album. Number five, a poster of all the Beatles albums. Number four, John Lennon. Imagine.

[Des]

Oh, my God.

[Jeremy]

Number three, a poster that I purchased that was a picture of myself playing in my first 10 and under travel baseball tournament at Walt Disney World.

[Billy]

How much did you Win five Golden Sports.

[Des]

Tell me you didn't have a room.

[Jeremy]

This is childhood. Number two, the 1998 home run chase where Mark McGuire was the center cut of it. And then Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey Jr. Were in the corners.

[Dan LeBatard]

Cheaters, cheaters.

[Jeremy]

And number one, the Joker. Why so serious? Because the Dark Knight is far superior to the Dark Knight Rise.

[Des]

No, it's not. Jess, you're with me, right? Dark Knight Rise is a better movie. As Hines Ward in it. As Hines Ward.

[Jessica Smetana]

I mean, I think that. But if you took out the entire middle hour of the Dark Knight Rises where he's just, like, trying and failing repeatedly to get out of that hole in the desert, the movie would still be okay. Character development. It's just a long sequence, but anyways, yes. I mean, they're both fantastic. And Dark Knight filmed in Chicago. Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh. It's like if Christopher Nolan took my brain and was like, what do we do? Let's make these movies weird.

[Des]

Maybe you deception ahead.

[Jessica Smetana]

Exact. That's true. Do you guys want to talk about Hawaii and Stanford before. Before I leave?

[Des]

Yes.

[Dan LeBatard]

Simi Chang and them boys.

[Des]

Tayson, that's the Hawaii game.

[Dan LeBatard]

Frank Reich versus Timmy Chang.

[Jessica Smetana]

It's up to that 7:30. Wait, hold.

[Des]

Hold on. Is it the Frank Reich or is it just another situation where the guy named the same name?

[Jessica Smetana]

Let me explain. Let me explain. Amin, do you know what happened at Stanford this offseason to their football program?

[Des]

No, what happened?

[Jessica Smetana]

Their head coach was he resigned in the spring. Slash was told to resign because a story came out in ESPN that he was bullying and belittling to his female colleagues. And just in general, not. Not great, not up to the standard. So random coaching search had to happen in, like, April this year. Oh, wow. Who the GM of the Stanford Cardinal football program is?

[Des]

I'm gonna guess it's someone who wishes people a happy June.

[Jessica Smetana]

It is Andrew Luck. He brought in Frank Reich to be the interim head coach for this season. And so interim coach in college football, Is that a thing that happens very often for a full season? No, because how do you recruit players to come play for your program if you're like, I'm, by the way, I'm not going to be here and I have no idea who is. So they're already sort of starting on their back foot, I guess, for this season because that was a thing that I don't think anyone expected to happen in the off season. So Frank, Brian, Greg is the interim head coach. They, their quarterback from last year transferred to Auburn he's one of the three Auburn quarterbacks that might play in the opener. And so it's not looking good for Stanford this year. I mean, they were very bad last year. They were, they've been three and nine like the last like four seasons. It's, they have not been able to compete really in the Portal Nil era yet. And so Hawaii is actually a two and a half point favorite.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, it's Mike Ryan. Those sprinklers are starting to slowly come up on the football field. Time that we have with summer is dwindling. I'm sure you're already doing that thing where you're going through your photo album, flipping through the photos that you've taken this summer, already reminiscing about the good times that you have. I know I did. And in many of the pictures that I went back to reminisce over, I had a beautiful white can of Miller Light in my hand because I love making good times during the summer a Miller time. And it's a good reminder we're losing time on this summer. So why don't you share the moments that you have with a white can of Miller Lite like I have. Whether it's a long weekend or a full on vacation, it is the perfect time to get the crew back together. And since 1975, Miller Lite has been the go to way to stock the cooler and celebrate those moments. This year marks 50 years of Miller time. 50 years of great taste, great friends and unforgettable memories. Brewed for flavor with simple ingredients like malted barley, it delivers rich balanced toffee note flavor and that golden color color that just hits different Miller Light. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to Millerlight. Com Dan to find delivery options near you or you can pick up some Miller Light pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Cheers to 50 years of Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.