The Dan Patrick Show: The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

Date: August 28, 2025
Host: Dan Patrick (with Paul Pabst, Todd Fritz, Seton, Marvin)

Episode Overview

This lively “Best Of” episode of The Dan Patrick Show revolves around the arrival of football season, the shifting college sports landscape, humorous team banter, and a deep-dive interview with ESPN’s Chris Fowler on the history and evolution of College GameDay. The hosts mix sports analysis with nostalgia and light-hearted locker room storytelling, threading in debates on when fall officially begins, insights into NFL broadcast ethics, and some classic school-lunch memories.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Football Season Kicks Off (00:00–10:22)

• College Football Slate: Dan and the crew run through the night’s college football matchups and weekend highlights, such as Ohio State vs. Texas, Alabama at Florida State, and LSU at Clemson.
• The Poll Question: Early debate centers on “When does fall start?” Is it September 1, the first day of college football, or the official equinox? The consensus: for sports fans, fall means football, and September 1 just feels right.
• Pacing for Football Overload: The hosts discuss how to approach the deluge of games – sample everything or save energy:

  “I'm not going to be like all wall to wall seven o'clock till midnight watching... That's being honest.” (Dan, 09:51)
  Paul jokes that watching football all night is mandatory for their line of work—and just “awesome.”

Sports, Statistics, and Some Mets Hype (10:22–13:32)

• NFL and Player Updates: Quick notes on Micah Parsons’ situation in Dallas, Richie Rice’s return to the Chiefs after a suspension, Terry McLaurin back at Commanders' practice, and a dominant Shohei Ohtani pitching line.
• Mets’ Nolan McLean Rising Star:
  Dan gushes over the Mets rookie pitcher:

  “Man, we need to find out how many [of his strikeouts] are swing and miss...” (13:32)
  Dan likens McLean’s slider to an interstate lane change and considers nickname options—Todd’s “the ball breaker” is quickly workshopped out.

When Does Fall Really Start? (16:17–29:06)

• Listener/Expert Call—Meteorological Fall: Brian, a meteorologist, chimes in: “June, July, August—those are your summer months. September, October, November is your fall.” (15:10)
• Nostalgia—School Lunch Stories:
  The guys bond over their lunchboxes (Evel Knievel, Dukes of Hazzard), the contents of their grade-school meals, and trading up for better snacks.

  “I was embarrassed at lunch. I really was. And then my mom one day says, well, why don’t you buy your lunch?” (Dan, 17:27)

• Labor Day as the Seasonal Turning Point: Todd wonders if emotionally, people just want to hold onto summer, while Dan wants “more fall, the better” (28:33).

Tom Brady: Broadcaster and Minority Owner – Ethics in the Booth (29:06–36:41)

• NFL Grants Brady Access to Production Meetings: Dan discusses headlines about Tom Brady being allowed inside team meetings as a Fox analyst despite minority ownership in the Raiders.

  “He shouldn’t be in these meetings. You’re a minority owner of the Raiders…” (Dan, 31:52) “If I’m a coach and I play the Raiders at some point this season ... how forthcoming do you want to be here?” (Dan, 33:23)

• Conflict of Interest?: The team agrees this sets an awkward precedent; Paul draws a parallel:

  “Imagine if Brady was still playing... and [the announcer] had a piece of the Jets. You think he’s going to hold back a little extra?” (Paul, 34:02)

• NFL ‘Rules-Until-They-Don’t’: Seton vents at the league:

  “There are rules in place for a reason. Until they don’t need to be in place. Well, no, they do still need to be in place. We just don’t want them in place anymore. Yes. Well, for Tom.” (34:49)

Listener Fun – Superstitions and Nostalgia (36:41–43:18)

• Listener Calls:
  • Michael from South Bend asks about the show’s live appearances and likens missing bagels to McDonald’s breakfast cut-off times.
  • Keith in Charlotte offers wild numerological coincidences (Panthers’ Super Bowl runs, Ohio State championships, and Jennifer Lopez divorces in the same years).
• 30 for 30 – SMU Football Documentary:
  Dan recalls the outlandish booster payments, tying it to the current world of NIL and college football’s unchanging booster culture.

  “What has really changed? Boosters, they want their team to be good. What’s it going to take?” (Dan, 42:17)

Feature Interview: Chris Fowler (49:03–64:26)

College GameDay Origins: A Campus Revolution

• Convincing ESPN to Go On-Campus: Fowler shares that initial reluctance was high—management doubted anyone would show up for a remote broadcast.

  “We didn’t know what we were doing ... people were kind of wandering by. Let me check out the Heismans. Wait a minute. What’s going on over there?” (Fowler, 51:54)

• It Worked Instantly: Kids love cameras; the “magic” was clear from the jump.

Lee Corso Memories and Headgear Lore

• Corso’s Brash Takes:

  “He was like a hot take guy before that existed. Right. But he did it, you know, with taste.” (Fowler, 55:25) Not yet the “lovable grandpa,” early Corso “pissed off players, coaches, fans.”

• Birth of the Headgear Gag:
  The famous mascot head tradition began with reluctant schools. Kirk Herbstreit’s wife helped secure Brutus Buckeye’s head for the first time.

  “The minute he puts it on ... we’re onto something.” (Fowler, 56:20)

• Celebrity Picker Mayhem:
  Bill Murray, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn all wanted to riff with Corso. Bill Murray’s chaotic guest stint left Corso nearly “atomically” tackled and an actual spear tossed off-set.

The State of College Football

• Transfer Portal/NIL Chaos:
  Fowler’s take: The lack of transfer/order bothers him—“can’t have the chaos of unrestricted free agency”—but he’s not one to whine about change. He likes the new playoff format as is.
• Dion Sanders and Coaching Characters:
  Comparing Bill Belichick’s move to college ranks (now with North Carolina) and Dion’s spectacle at Colorado—one a compelling entertainer, the other less so, but still a ratings draw for curiosity.

Tennis: US Open (59:10–59:46)

• Men’s Game: Strong new rivalry emerging post-Big Three (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic), centered on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
• Women’s Game: Wide open and “least predictable event in sports”—every major seems up for grabs; Coco Gauff as the rising star.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On When College Football Season ‘Officially’ Starts:

  “I think you have to base it on temperature in the Midwest, east coast. And you woke up today and it was about 53 degrees—that’s football, right?” (Dan Patrick, 07:50)

• On Tom Brady’s Dual Role:

  “You’re either a minority owner who is very active from what I’m told, or you’re going to be a broadcaster.” (Dan, 33:23)

• On Corso as a ‘Hot Take’ Machine:

  “He would say stuff that would piss off players, coaches, fans... And that helped spark things, helped get eyeballs and interest on the show.” (Fowler, 54:26)

• On College Football’s Transfer/NIL Era:

  “You can’t have the chaos of unrestricted free agency with multiple windows... There needs to be some order.” (Fowler, 59:52)

• On Nostalgia and Lunches:

  “I had a paper bag ... my mom would just say, bring it home, Danny. And I go, okay. I never had a book bag or a lunchbox.” (Dan Patrick, 15:37)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–07:38: Football opening banter, poll question teased
• 07:38–10:22: Debating when fall begins, fall and football nostalgia
• 13:23–13:32: Mets rookie Nolan McLean discussion
• 15:10–17:14: Meteorologist Brian calls, lunchbox nostalgia ensues
• 29:06–36:41: Tom Brady access to NFL meetings / ethics segment
• 36:41–43:18: Listener call-ins, SMU 30 for 30, NIL talk
• 49:03–64:26: Chris Fowler interview (GameDay, Corso, state of college football and tennis)

Conclusion

This “Best Of” episode pairs football fever with fun stories and some sharp sports commentary, topped with a meaningful, inside-baseball interview with Chris Fowler. Discussions around the start of fall, nostalgia for school lunches, and evolving football traditions offer listeners plenty of laughs and food for thought, while the team’s reflections on Tom Brady’s broadcast ethics, NIL, and the future of college football keep the conversation relevant and insightful. The Chris Fowler segment, rich with ESPN lore and Corso anecdotes, is a can’t-miss for any fan of sports broadcasting history.