Podcast Summary: The Big Suey – The Cuban Heisman Speech (feat. Josh Pate)

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Release Date: December 15, 2025
Primary Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Jeremy, Mike Ryan, Tony, Greg
Special Guest: Josh Pate (college football analyst)

Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this “Big Suey” episode dives into the wild landscape of college football in 2025, centering on the seismic rise of underdog programs like Indiana, Heisman drama, coaching carousel intrigue (notably Michigan), and, most memorably, the show’s comedic Miami-flavored twist on the Cuban Heisman Trophy acceptance speech. Analyst Josh Pate joins for thoughtful, honest breakdowns, while the crew’s banter delivers both insight and laughs on sports and culture, with a uniquely South Florida flair.
Primary theme: How recent changes (transfer portal, NIL, and parity) are reshaping college football, and what Mendoza’s historic Heisman win means for Miami and beyond.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. College Football Parity and Indiana’s Cinderella Story

[02:15]–[06:03]

• Josh Pate: Challenges listeners to find a football parallel for Indiana’s meteoric rise:
  • "Indiana exists in the Big Ten so that Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, etc, can rack up wins. ...He imports his James Madison roster. James Madison makes the playoff the next year, mind you, Indiana makes the playoff and then gets better the year after that and makes the playoff and is the number one overall seed." [02:39]
• The crew marvels at the sudden success of historically downtrodden programs:
  • Vanderbilt, Missouri, Texas Tech, Indiana—best years ever.
• Pate’s take:
  • "You can just get a coach now and a coach and quarterback can go from North Texas to Oklahoma State and you can fix your program by just doing it that quickly." [04:19]
  • Cautions this approach is "fraught with vulnerability"; Florida State is a cautionary tale.
  • Observes that the decline in dominant offensive/defensive lines nationwide (even among “blue bloods”) has opened the door for new power structures in college football.

2. The Michigan Job Search & Coaching Carousel

[07:04]–[10:09]

• Debate over risk/reward of taking the Michigan head coach job:

  • Dan: “If I'm a head coach, am I signing with a program that may be under scrutiny? Will I still have that same AD that hired me?" [07:04]
  • Pate:
    • "It's like an untapped oil field up there from an NIL donor perspective. And it's the Michigan job." [09:02]
    • Unsure if current AD (Ward Manuel) is staying—many donors didn’t like the previous regime.
    • Michigan is waiting for a hard “no” from Kalen DeBoer before moving down their list.
    • Names Kenny Dillingham and Jed Fish as likely real candidates.
    • “I think they're really ready to spend and I think a lot of candidates are going to be sold on that idea." [09:18]

• Mike Ryan asks about Pate’s cryptic prediction (earlier in the season) that a "big job" was about to open:

  • Pate admits it was Michigan, but says even insiders didn’t know the NCAA would give cause to fire the coach until very late.

3. Fernando Mendoza: The First Cuban-American Heisman Winner & Pavia Runner-Up Drama

[12:27]–[15:47]

• Greg Cody highlights the significance of Mendoza’s win, and calls out runner-up Diego Pavia for “embarrassing” Instagram behavior:

  • "Mendoza is the first Cuban American ever to win the Heisman. He was great with his speech. Indiana Cinderella story. ...And then Pavia, the runner up, embarrasses himself in his school by what he wrote on Instagram." [12:34]

• Josh Pate crafts a nuanced defense:

  • “If you're going to take Diego Pavia, you got to develop this different filter...you don't get the kind of competitive character you get from a guy that's five-eight, on a good day, playing at a Heisman level without a little bit of that mental edge." [12:55]
  • Notes that Pavia, for pure on-field value, arguably deserved more consideration.

• Jeremy and Josh frame the win as both deserved and a function of narrative momentum from Indiana’s late-season success.

  • Notable stat debate: "Cam Ward threw for 2,000 more yards than Mendoza... Pavia more passing yards in one fewer games than Mendoza and led Vanderbilt in rushing." [15:08]
  • Consensus: The "shocking" success of programs like Indiana is the story of the season.

4. Miami’s Heisman Moment: “The Speech”

[20:22]–[21:24], [41:04]–[42:56]

• The group riffs on Mendoza’s real acceptance speech, then imagines what a “truly Miami” Cuban-American Heisman speech would sound like.
• Tony crafts and delivers a parody speech that becomes a highlight of the episode, referencing Cuban-American immigrant life, Miami geography, tailgates, Noche Buena, and family wisdom.
  • "If the AC is broken, you open the window. If the door is closed, you knock louder. And if that doesn't work, you break that shit down..." [41:10]
  • "They told us to be quieter, to be smaller, to be less Miami. ...But, nah, that's not gonna happen, baby. We're loud, we're late, we're Cuban, and we're not apologizing for it. So tonight, this Heisman isn't going in a trophy case, Dan. You know where it's going? It's going to La Carreta on Bird Road. Miami. Esta pa’ nosotros. Te amo, Miami." [42:34]
• The crew erupts in laughter and applause, celebrating both cultural pride and Tony’s comedic performance.

5. Funniest Thing from the Sports Weekend & Standout Moments

[22:01]–[29:57]

• Roundtable bits include:

  • Announcers torching Seahawks’ Brady Russell for dropping his first (and “last ever”) catch [23:15]
  • John Cena’s scripted “quit” in WWE and the blurred line between sports and performance.
  • Brady gifting linemen luxury SUVs on a one-year lease (“beggars can’t be cheesers”) [28:41]

• Mike Ryan’s betting goof: Losing a bet that Philip Rivers (now 44, out of football for years) would gain at least half a rushing yard, only to see him finish with negative yardage.

  • "I followed him with the bet... Oh come on. ...Negative five yards." [31:03]

• Quick hits:

  • Lionel Messi’s wild India tour (including a 70-foot Messi statue) [27:21]
  • Dennis Erickson’s game-day vomiting habit
  • Dolphins and Chiefs playoff scenarios

6. NFL Weekend and Philip Rivers Nostalgia

[36:11]–[39:28]

• Deep dive on Rivers’ surprise return, the simultaneous thrill and comedy of watching a 44-year-old QB barely move the offense but still nearly lead his team to a win.
  • "For him to show up on a couple days notice, clearly out of shape, haven't played in five years against what is reputed to be the league's toughest defense...that was really impressive." [32:08]
• The phenomenon of instant field goals from “impossibly far away” and debates about how rule changes (e.g., touchbacks) are tilting game strategy.

7. Top Overlooked NFL Plays & Defensive Player of the Year Chatter

[43:01]–[46:47]

• Jeremy’s “Top 5 Plays No One’s Talking About”:
  • Tracy’s catch on his back (Giants)
  • Messy, improbable receptions, Calais Campbell’s field goal block, Monteric Brown’s interception, and “holy guacamole” penalty.
• Praise for Myles Garrett (potential DPOY) as perhaps the most “unblockable” pass rusher ever, but Greg wonders if his being on a bad team will cost him the award.
• Throwback reference: Cortez Kennedy won DPOY with a 2–14 Seahawks squad [46:47]

8. The Origin of “A Little Birdie Told Me”

[47:03]–[47:24]

• The show closes with a humorous and oddly scholarly investigation into the origins of the “little birdie” idiom, tracing it from Shakespeare back through Norse mythology to the Old Testament (Ecclesiastes).
  • "Curse not the king...for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter." [47:24]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Josh Pate on Indiana’s rise:
  "I guess you'd have to go to college basketball, Dan, to find the most ready parallel for it. I'm just not sure it really happens in college football." [02:39]

• On transfer/NIL impact:
  "As the portal as NIL is elevating the level that those programs can operate at...no one, wire to wire, possesses [dominance] that way Bama would have been a decade ago." [05:17]

• Tony delivers the “most Miami Heisman speech”:
  "We're loud, we're late, we're Cuban, and we're not apologizing for it. So tonight, this Heisman isn't going in a trophy case, Dan. ...It's going to La Carreta on Bird Road." [42:34]

• On the “little birdie” idiom:
  "Curse not the king...for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter." [47:24]

Episode Structure & Flow

• Opening: Intro and College Football parity chat with Josh Pate
• Middle: Heisman aftermath, Michigan search, program debates, Miami local humor, funny sports weekend roundtable
• Peak: Tony’s Cuban Miami Heisman speech
• Close: Play recaps, DPOY debate, “little birdie” origin trivia

Summary

This episode is both a celebration of chaos in college football and a loving ode to Miami’s unique football (and cultural) ecosystem. Listeners get rare perspective on tectonic shifts in the sport, ridiculous local highlights, and amusing takes on both serious and silly sports news. Tony’s “Miami Heisman Speech” is the comedic centerpiece—instantly re-tweetable and sure to live on as a meme—and the crew’s chemistry is palpable throughout.

Recommended for:

• Fans wanting smart, fun college football talk rooted in current events
• Listeners craving quick wit, unique South Florida perspective, and moments of heartfelt cultural pride

Skippable:

• Ads and sponsor reads (not summarized here)
• Show’s intros/outros (per instructions)