PMS 2.0 1617 College Football Thursday - Lainey Wilson, Nick Saban, Shams Charania, Chase Daniel, Kayvon Thibodeaux

3 Sep 2026 · 2 h 13 min · 49 chapters

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In short

College Football Week 1 preview plus heavy discussion of the “Protect College Sports” legal fight over whether players who tried out/played pro can return to college, with major implications for LSU and other programs. The show also covers betting spreads, roster turnover via the transfer portal, and the 500th College GameDay roadshow in Baton Rouge.

Guests (backgrounds)

  1. Lainey Wilson: Grammy-winning country artist and Grand Ole Opry member; LSU fan; celebrity guest picker.
  2. Chase Daniel: former NFL quarterback; joins as a game analyst for the Colorado vs. Georgia Tech broadcast.
  3. A.J. Hawk: former college football national champion and NFL player (Super Bowl champion); former Packers linebacker; college football analyst.
  4. Nick Saban: former Alabama/LSU head coach; seven-time national champion; discusses LSU/Clemson and broader college sports governance.
  5. (Mentioned) Shams Charania: NBA reporter referenced in the episode title but not clearly heard in the transcript segment provided.

Key claims

  • Georgia Tech’s QB situation changes after Haynes King; Alberto Mendoza (transfer from Indiana) is expected to be athletic and effective.
  • Transfer portal churn is extreme (example: Oklahoma State cited with 91 new players).
  • Legal precedent could reshape college sports eligibility; commissioners going to court is portrayed as unprecedented.
  • Betting advice: don’t overbet week-one spreads because teams are not the same as last year.

Notable examples

  • LSU vs. Clemson at Death Valley; LSU has 53 new players and 53 departures.
  • Oklahoma State “91 new players” example of culture reset.
  • West Virginia odds discussion; Pat White jersey retirement at WVU.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Previewing College Football Week One

0:15 to 2:24

Discussion on the key matchups and players for the week one games.

“You know, it's a little bit of a thin Thunderdome today as we celebrate college football week one kicking off in a massive way tonight on ESPN.”

Court Case in Baton Rouge

2:24 to 4:48

Details about a crucial court case involving college football regulations.

“so we'll see how that goes this evening.”

Impact of NCAA Regulations

4:48 to 6:30

Exploration of NCAA regulations and their effect on college football dynamics.

“Now, state judge and everything like that holds a lot of power and has held a lot of power for a long time in college sports as a whole.”

Introduction of A.J. Hawk

6:30 to 7:46

A.J. Hawk joins the show to discuss college football developments.

“The Toxic Table is here at Boston Conner and at Tone Diggs.”

Lainey Wilson as Celebrity Picker

7:46 to 10:42

Lainey Wilson talks about her excitement as the guest picker for college game day.

“is a college football national champion, Super Bowl champion, Ryder Cup winner, ladies and gentlemen, A.J.”

Lainey Wilson's Music Journey

10:42 to 14:01

Lainey shares insights on her music career and upcoming performances.

“You know, I'm just trying to keep up with you out here.”

Lainey Wilson Talks Music and LSU Games

14:01 to 17:15

Lainey Wilson shares insights about her music career and excitement for LSU games.

“We just got finished with a Chris Stapleton tour, which was so much fun.”

Duck Hodges and His Legacy

17:16 to 19:16

The hosts discuss Duck Hodges' impact and his unique skills as a duck caller.

“You know, because a duck call, I guess you do have to judge by the sound on whether or not it's a good duck call.”

Nick Saban Joins the Show

19:17 to 22:02

Nick Saban discusses his documentary and reflects on his coaching career.

“That's why I apologize for missing the Rockets.”

Navigating College Sports Regulations

22:03 to 24:54

Nick Saban addresses the chaos in college sports and the need for regulations.

“And, you know, now, oh, this should be okay.”
Show all 49 chapters

Previewing LSU vs. Clemson Game

24:55 to 28:00

Discussion on the upcoming LSU vs. Clemson game and its implications for the season.

“and it's not just football, even though football's getting a big spotlight.”

Previewing LSU vs. Clemson Matchup

28:00 to 28:44

Discussing the challenges and expectations for LSU's first game against Clemson.

“especially on defense and at the receiver core.”

Coach Saban on Alabama's Defense

28:44 to 29:28

Nick Saban shares insights on Alabama's defensive strategies and the new quarterback.

“As we know, you're in the middle of an incredible Thursday over there, a couple of days removed, and we appreciate you joining us here instead of Friday because we are off tomorrow.”

Lessons from Tiger Stadium Atmosphere

29:28 to 32:25

Saban reflects on the importance of player performance over home field advantage in Tiger Stadium.

“Well, you know, first of all, I love talking ball with anybody that wants to talk.”

The Reality of Playing in Tiger Stadium

32:25 to 32:45

Saban emphasizes the need for players to perform despite external pressures.

“And I know when there's this kind of hype for a game, like there is for this Clemson game, Lane's first game, new era, all that kind of stuff, I hope that does not impact LSU's team.”

Navigating Coaching Dynamics

32:45 to 34:11

Discussion on the complexities of coaching relationships, particularly with Saban.

“I do appreciate somebody coming in and saying, we don't agree on some things.”

The Evolution of Alabama's Defense

34:11 to 36:49

Exploring the changes in Alabama's defensive strategies and the impact of recruits.

“But on that note, not easy to be there, I assume, AJ.”

Big Ten vs. SEC: Championship Depth

36:49 to 38:13

A debate on the competitive depth of the Big Ten and SEC conferences.

“Like, that's the one thing about the D.C.”

West Virginia's Championship Potential

38:13 to 40:59

Analyzing West Virginia's odds and potential in the Big 12 this season.

“Or will the Big 12 potentially produce an absolute monster that's beating?”

Field Goal Kicking Contest Announcement

40:59 to 42:01

Excitement builds for the upcoming field goal kicking contest and jersey retirements.

“We know Chris Ball is going to go absolutely crazy.”

Celebrating Pat White's Jersey Retirement

42:01 to 44:41

Discussion about the retirement of Pat White's jersey and his impact on West Virginia football.

“So I don't know if we're going to have the ability to change that completely because just, you know, room in places.”

Steve Ballmer's Unique Approach to Ownership

44:42 to 47:10

Exploration of Steve Ballmer's eccentric personality and ownership style in the NBA.

“Okay, let's pivot away from college football with chaos happening this weekend and in courtrooms in Baton Rouge.”

NBA Penalties and Kawhi Leonard's Case

47:11 to 56:00

In-depth analysis of the NBA's severe penalties regarding the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard's involvement.

“His people vehemently deny the allegations.”

NBA Trade Discussion

56:00 to 57:00

Analysis of the ongoing trades involving notable NBA players.

“But then even more than that, you're getting a lot of stain on his legacy, clearly his name.”

Football Season Excitement

58:00 to 1:02:06

Discussion on the upcoming college football season and their tour.

“He is the greatest, and AJ muted his mic for that because he didn't want to be...”

Georgia Tech vs. Colorado Preview

1:02:06 to 1:08:56

Detailed analysis of the upcoming game between Georgia Tech and Colorado.

“Not only Lainey Wilson is the celebrity guest picker for their 500th Roadshow.”

NFL Insights and Predictions

1:08:57 to 1:10:03

Chase Daniel shares thoughts on the Rams' defense and offensive strategies.

“I mean, that's just going to be a how you're doing, keep and move and Brent Keyes here type of night.”

Analyzing Defensive Strategies in Football

1:10:03 to 1:11:42

Learn about strategic defensive line formations and key player roles.

“They were saying these guys could do it.”

Quarterback and Offensive Coordinator Matchups

1:11:43 to 1:13:33

Discover exciting QB and OC combinations to watch in the upcoming season.

“Yeah, Chase, a lot of different matchups this year as far as QB and OCs.”

College Football Week Preview

1:13:34 to 1:17:43

Get insights on key matchups and storylines for the upcoming college football weekend.

“Well, I think we'll see how this court ruling plays out.”

Legal Battles in College Football

1:17:44 to 1:19:58

Explore the implications of ongoing court cases affecting college football dynamics.

“right outside the Mercedes Benz stadium that I'm looking at right now.”

Future of the Arizona Cardinals

1:19:59 to 1:24:00

Discuss the rebuilding phase of the Arizona Cardinals and their new direction.

“I think maybe – I don't know how you tie – Not the SEC, not that SEC.”

Arizona Cardinals' Future and Challenges

1:24:00 to 1:27:38

Discussing the Arizona Cardinals' current state and future outlook as they rebuild.

“We do believe the offense is going to run well.”

Coach Cignetti on Team Preparation

1:28:18 to 1:31:35

Coach Cignetti discusses the mindset and preparation for the upcoming season.

“How many of the last year doesn't matter messages have you been sending to your team?”

Evaluating the New Season and Roster

1:31:36 to 1:35:02

Insights on the new roster and what to expect from the team this season.

“And obviously you had to do some disruption, not only in Bloomington, across the national board, and it ends up working out.”

Legacy and Community Impact of Coach Cignetti

1:35:03 to 1:38:00

Discussion on Cignetti's impact as a leader and his local connections.

“But we can only control what we can control.”

Local Pride and College Football

1:38:00 to 1:41:30

Discussing local pride in Plum and excitement for college football season.

“All right, well, I'm going to start taking credit for it.”

Kayvon Thibodeau Joins the Show

1:41:30 to 1:47:10

Kayvon Thibodeau discusses his role with JPMorgan Chase and the Giants.

“Thank you for doing this with JPMorgan Chase.”

Managing Finances as an Athlete

1:47:10 to 1:51:50

Kayvon shares insights on athlete finances and the importance of education.

“But every year is a new year to prove and reprove yourself in this league.”

Recap of Recent Events

1:52:58 to 1:54:49

Discussion about George Pickens golfing and MLB home runs.

“A couple oh-nos as we are up against a hard out here.”

Weekend Plans and College Football

1:54:49 to 1:56:04

Excitement for upcoming college football events and game day.

“Got to bring my load down to Baton Rouge.”

Fantasy Football Draft Insights

1:56:04 to 2:01:07

Analysis of fantasy football draft strategies and team names.

“To Mike Hawk, which is AJ's team, his team is very high in the power rankings.”

Collusion and Trade Discussions

2:01:07 to 2:03:28

Debate on trade agreements and collusion in fantasy leagues.

“Sounds like a couple of the team's owners don't like it.”

Coaching Disappointments

2:03:28 to 2:05:51

Discussion on disappointment with certain football coaches.

“Maybe more people should potentially think about doing that in the AI world.”

Disappointment in Kiffin

2:06:00 to 2:06:36

The hosts express their disappointment in Lane Kiffin's choices and the situation at Ole Miss.

“I feel like you feel personally hurt by like Kiffin.”

Neighborhood Traffic Issues

2:06:36 to 2:07:27

Discussion about recent traffic issues and a dangerous incident involving a drunk driver near their studio.

“but the new traffic flow outside of Thunderdome is something.”

Bobby Carpenter's Gassers

2:07:27 to 2:09:20

The hosts talk about Bobby Carpenter's recent physical challenges and his responses to critics.

“I guess it was a pretty big little situation out here.”

Charity Event Disappointments

2:09:20 to 2:11:22

A.J. discusses a recent charity event and the dynamics of invites among friends.

“Bobby Carpenter's name popped up in the text yesterday as I was on like two different calls, and I just got like so excited.”

Ending on a Positive Note

2:11:22 to 2:12:34

The hosts reinforce camaraderie and uplift their audience before wrapping up the show.

“I understand it because a lot of times I want to invite you guys over, but then like I don't want to invite some of the people in here over so then nobody gets an invite.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Pat McAfee:Hello, beautiful people, and welcome to our humble abode, the DraftKings Thunderdome. On this College Football Thursday, September 3rd, 2026, this sports program begins now. Football! You know, it's a little bit of a thin Thunderdome today as we celebrate college football week one kicking off in a massive way tonight on ESPN. And as Colorado and Coach Prime travel down to Atlanta to take on Coach Key and Georgia Tech in week one action, that could potentially tell a story for the rest of the season, especially down there in the ACC. Georgia Tech, they lose Haynes King. Obviously, he's a superstar.

0:39Pat McAfee:We appreciated what he did for our boost and our pick in that Hall of Fame game in the fourth quarter where he was running wild, just like he did for Georgia Tech. So it's kind of a new era at Georgia Tech. And this is the Alberto Mendoza era. Oh, yeah. Yes, Fernando's little brother who got some time in the Big Ten Championship whenever Fernando, in his words, got cracked, no pause, from Caden Curry. Alberto Mendoza got some reps in there. Now Alberto Mendoza transfers from Indiana down to Georgia Tech. He'll be the quarterback this evening, and I'll tell you, I think he's a player. I think if he's anything like Fernando, he's obviously a little bit shorter, but I think he's very athletic.

1:13Pat McAfee:I think he's going to be good for this Georgia Tech team. And I also know the running back, Justice Haynes, 10 touchdowns, seven games for Michigan last year. Damn. Got hurt. He's gone. He transfers from Michigan to Georgia Tech. His dad, Veron Haynes, Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl champ. Five-star recruit out of Alpharetta, Georgia. Goes to Alabama first, then he goes to Michigan. Now he's back in Georgia at Georgia Tech in Atlanta. It's like, I don't know. I've been seeing... I love Coach Prime. Maybe more than anybody else that has a microphone in front of him because of how much he inspired me to be who I am as athlete and person.

1:46Pat McAfee:You know, there's a couple people in there that I grew up watching that I'm a huge fan of. I mean, Deion made everything awesome. On the microphone, on the field, on the football field, on the baseball field. Then whenever he got into social media, like his words, his pre-everything, I am a huge Coach Prime fan. I haven't seen a lot of videos coming out of camp this year that are telling me that they're going to be able to tackle any of these guys. No. And it's a six-and-a-half-point game, is what DraftKings is saying down there in Atlanta. I believe last year they would not have covered if this was the spread, and they obviously had a Haynes King as their quarterback, so maybe that's what the sportsbooks are thinking.

2:21Pat McAfee:For me, though, I'm pretty up on this Georgia Tech team. Not that I'm down on Colorado, but I am up on Georgia Tech, so we'll see how that goes this evening. They're not the only game. Missouri's playing tonight. Can't wait to dive into it. We'll have Chase Daniel joining us in here in a matter of a few, I believe. He's on the call tonight for the Georgia Tech-Colorado game. Then we got Idaho and Utah. Utah always in the conversation late for the Big 12. Idaho, though, hey, don't be sleeping on the potatoes. Good program. Okay, they go wild potentially. So we got some, you know, potential implications long term starting this evening.

2:57Pat McAfee:And obviously we kick off college football week one that is going to be so outrageous. I cannot wait to get down to Baton Rouge. We'll be down there tomorrow getting ready for college game day's 500th road show. And right now there is a court case happening in Baton Rouge from our source. Says commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, Greg Sankey, is at this court appearance alongside the SEC lawyers. In there, obviously, to fight for the fact that anybody that signed up for a professional team and tried out or played for a professional team is not allowed to come back to college because of the five for five injunction.

3:34Pat McAfee:this particular class across the board at football, and then I believe there's some soccer and softball players that potentially missed the 5-for-5 injunction. They said they wanted to go pro. Then they found out that they could potentially redraw or withdraw that to go back to college because of a couple injunctions in courts around the country. So Baton Rouge, Louisiana is in the middle of the story because the injunction basically got a few football players back on the LSU Tigers there with Lane Kiffin. Very late, obviously very loud. Pete Thamel has been sending us photos. No cameras or recording devices allowed in the courtroom.

4:08Pat McAfee:Good. But he did send a photo of the sign to outside of the courtroom. So, like, we're not able to get into the courtroom. Okay. But we can see that, boom. It's that way. Courtrooms is right here. It's coming right down here. No, sorry. Right down here. Courtrooms that way. So right down that hallway there. Sankey's there. Stone cold Greg Sankey walks in there. In there, in Baton Rouge, fighting against an LSU injunction, basically, in LSU's town, standing up for potentially the future of all college sports. Now, state judge and everything like that holds a lot of power and has held a lot of power for a long time in college sports as a whole.

4:55Pat McAfee:The NCAA was very scared to kind of regulate anything because they would get sued. It would end up one of these courts. They would lose. So they decided that they don't have enough time to get sued on things. So they decided the only thing they could really regulate is like text messages in times where you're not allowed to text the old school rules. Cheeseburgers are not allowed to be had at this particular time. But all of the money stuff, the employee stuff, the labor stuff, they weren't able to touch because inevitably they get sued and they wouldn't be able to win. So that's why you saw eight, nine years potentially of people playing college football throughout the COVID stuff.

5:26Pat McAfee:You've seen obviously a potential gambling on your own sport case get passed through. So there's really been no regulation by anybody because everybody's been scared to get sued and lose, NCAA in particular. Then the Big 12 situation happens with Soresby at Texas Tech. Your mark, commissioner of the Big 12, kind of comes out and says, we ain't doing it. Not in our conference. Not in any of our towns is that allowed. Like a publicly bullying situation happens where all the teams all signed a vote, said, hey, we all agree that this is not allowed. They're going to potentially pull games, maybe suspend if that happens.

6:01Pat McAfee:Then inevitably, Soarsby and Texas Tech go their separate ways. Texas Tech now moving on with a different quarterback. Soarsby has to wait until next draft to get into the NFL. So there's been some regulation by a commissioner before, but it's never been somebody going into the courthouse and saying this is what it is. And if they win, that potentially sets precedent for every other commissioner to maybe regulate their own conferences. So, there's a lot on the line, and obviously it's all happening in Baton Rouge. Cannot wait to get down there. The Toxic Table is here at Boston Conner and at Tone Diggs.

6:34Pat McAfee:AP Tone, good to see you. Great to be here. Fantastic Cowboy hat. Thank you. Hot out. Tonight, six-and-a-half point spread for the Colorado-Georgia Tech game. Yep. What are the spreads looking like for the first week of college ball? A lot of huge ones. A lot of very large spreads. A lot of blowouts potentially. But somebody's going to get got, right? Don't we think there's a chance somebody gets got out here? Yeah, I think someone will get got. It happens every single year. But when you look at a ton, a ton, a ton of huge spreads, the games that aren't big spreads, you know, are your FBS on FBS situations.

7:04Baylor, Auburn, we're looking at up there. UCLA and Cal, Ole Miss and Louisville, like SMU and Florida State. Those are some of the shorter ones. And obviously tonight, Colorado and Georgia Tech. But there's a lot of big spreads out there. There's a lot of turnover in college football, obviously season to season. So when you're looking at these, you know, be careful. because the team that you bet on last year is not the same team as this year. So maybe, you know, I don't want to say treat it as like a preseason, but maybe don't put your max units on these week one games unless you have a really good feel.

7:36Maybe let's see these teams for a couple of weeks before we really, really get deep into weeks.

7:39Pat McAfee:Yeah, because I think there's a chance that some coaches don't even know who their teams are. Joining us now live from an attic in Ohio is a college football national champion, Super Bowl champion, Ryder Cup winner, ladies and gentlemen, A.J. Hawk. Yeah, holler! College football week one, AJ, let's go! Yeah, holler! Yeah, I mean, do you think there's any other sport or level to where coaches really aren't sure what they're going to get week one more than NCAA college football right now? I think at some places, Oklahoma State has 91 new players. Damn. 91? 91. That's the record. That's like you're starting over from scratch, basically.

8:16That's like, hey, we just started a football team.

8:19Pat McAfee:A lot of people reference Prime whenever he went to Colorado. Remember the luggage line? He's bringing his own. I think it was like 80-some transfers, like 83 or something like that. They're up over 90. So from North Texas, Coach transfers in. I think he brings a lot of his guys. Obviously, a lot of Oklahoma State people leave, but 91 new players in the locker room. I mean, if you want to rebuild a culture, change a culture immediately, you can do that just by bringing a bunch of people that have no idea what the place is. Have no idea how to get to a restaurant. Have no idea how to get gas. have no idea where to eat, have no idea where the weight room is, but hell yeah, we're here to win some football games.

8:53Pat McAfee:It's really hitting a restart button that you could have never done in the past because it used to be if you take a guy's scholarship, like you're never going to get a recruit from that entire city ever again because it was such a bad thing. Now it's like, hey, you know, there's a portal waiting on you. I think, you know. Yeah. And then it's 91 new guys are coming in. Crazy. We would like to replace this whole place. Think about the 14 guys, right, because 105 on the roster. 14 guys are like, we are kind of the, we're the old man around here. We understand what it used to be like. There's not a lot of us left anymore.

9:27Pat McAfee:Obviously, we ran us out of town, but we are still here. College football is the most chaotic, awesome thing that's absolutely going. AJ, this weekend, the first college game day of the season, the 500th roadshow for the institution that is the phenomenal college game day show live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the epicenter of all the buzz of college sports as a whole right now. And at the end of every single college game day is the picks. And there's good picks and there's bad picks. But there's always a celebrity guest picker. It is our honor to say that the celebrity guest picker for the 500th Roadshow in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to kick off the biggest and best season yet.

10:22Ladies and gentlemen, none other than a Grammy Award winning. What?

10:29Pat McAfee:Grand Ole Opry member having. What?

10:34Pat McAfee:Football wife. What? Ladies and gentlemen, Lainey Wilson. I like that, Andrew. I appreciate that Pat. Hey, not bad. You know, I'm just trying to keep up with you out here. You know, you and Duck have been inspiring me because I'm thinking always, every time I leave my house, I go, you know what this is for? It's for Jesus. It's for Jones. It's for mom. Okay? And then I got my phone, keys, my wallet, and then Duck. Right? That's where we're pointing at. Oh, my gosh. Is that what it is? Hey, you know what? I think you might know the dance better than he does. I've been watching him fail for a couple months at this entire thing, but we do love the way he played football, and we love the way you two operate.

11:15Pat McAfee:And I love the fact that you're our first celebrity guest picker of the year. I love that you know ball, and I love that you love Louisiana. Can you tell me a little bit about this and what your kind of thoughts heading into Saturday morning are? Well, I'm fired up. First of all, I'm just fired up to go back home. I cannot tell you the amount of fun that I have had at LSU football games. So we are planning on just letting it all hang out because that's what Louisiana folks like to do. So I'm just, I'm fired up. I mean, it's just, it's a good time of the year, you know? I mean, it's just, speaking of good times, dude, that song.

11:53Pat McAfee:Lainey, hey, don't be saying that. They're going to kill you for saying that it might be okay. Well, I just want to say I've been jamming out this morning, and that is one of my favorite ones on the record. I'm not going to lie to you. Okay, let's go. Okay, okay, let's keep it. Hold up, there's another one I got to say. I know we're getting off topic, but I love Oops, too. Okay, all right, hold on. Okay, thank you, Miss Laney, Grammy Award winner, Grand Ole Opry. Okay, let's move along. Okay, let's not talk about that. Okay, okay. This is about you and game day having an incredible start to the season because let's talk about the musical.

12:22Pat McAfee:I think we're going to get some performances by Laney Wilson on Saturday as well. Is that accurate? You are, but I can't tell you what they are because that's going to be a little surprise. Hey, listen, just know that I'll have the Jesus, Jones, Mom, if I'm Keith Walton, you if you need it. AJ has a question for you about Saturday. Yeah, Laney, are you anxious at all about making all the picks? Obviously, you've got to pick more than just the big game that you will be on premises for. But, like, yeah, what's your process like? I would assume Duck is helping you out a little bit. Duck is helping me out.

12:52I've been doing my studying. I've been going to the Lord. I have been. Honestly, I've been, like, pulling up some stats. I was with Duck and Hardy last night, and they were giving me some of their opinions. So, I'm doing my research. I'm going to have my own thoughts and my own picks. but I am doing my research.

13:11Pat McAfee:Okay, Miss Laney, you need to know, you can write notes. Definitely write notes. We all have them up there. Okay, so I can bring my journal. Yes, obviously not too much, because you're just going to want to look down and, like, little reminders, but don't think that you shouldn't have some sort of notes up there. We all will have them. So, like, I think that's – Yeah, okay, good, good, good. Because there's some of those games where there's actually 91 new players on the team. So, like, trying to remember everything that you would want. Like, we're not even able to do that at this point in the season.

13:41Pat McAfee:So don't be scared to take your notes up there. You will not look like you don't know what you're talking about. And I think you need to know whatever pick you make, the right one. I'm going with my gut. That's how I do most things in life, whether it comes to writing music, releases, whatever it is. I go with my gut. So that's probably what it's going to be mainly based off of. Tell me about music right now. Where are we? Are we writing right now? We're recording? We're touring? What do you got going on? We're doing it all. We just got finished with a Chris Stapleton tour, which was so much fun.

14:11I mean, there's just nobody like Chris Stapleton. And we've been doing lots of fairs and festivals this year, and we are just getting fired up for the next chapter. I'm ready to turn the page, and we're about to be turning the page. I like this.

14:24Pat McAfee:Turn the page. Let's go to the next page of the book, which has obviously been incredible alongside Duck. We appreciate how much you love Duck. We want to let you know that. Because we are very appreciative. We think Duck's one of the most hilarious professional athletes in the history. I love that, man. He's a hoot. Yeah, not only a hoot. He really is. His career with the Steelers was like very good times. Great times. I know, and you know what? Pat, I was not around for that time, so this is all hearsay. You know, every now and then he'll pull up his YouTube page. I'm like, okay, I need proof.

15:01Pat McAfee:Yes, I love to hear that. Oh, that is incredible that that's the way you talk to Duck. He's just Grammy Award winner right there. The Grammy just sits up on the dinner table. Hey, yeah, you had a good Monday night, didn't you, Duck? Yeah, I remember that. Good completions, good throws. He was awesome. And obviously you still hear him on that quacker, right? He is the greatest Duck caller ever exists, and I assume you get to hear that? I say I'm the best Duck caller ever because I get to say, hey, Duck. That was clever. Tone has a question for you, Lainey. Yeah, Laney, you talked about having fun at LSU games, and everyone talks about LSU Death Valley at night.

15:39What can we expect the blood alcohol content of the majority of LSU fans to be on Saturday night? Oh, my gosh. I'm just saying we need to be lifting them up right now. We need to be lifting them up. I know myself, I'm going to be having a good time. I told you all earlier I was going to be letting my hair down, and I have a feeling everybody in the stadium is going to be doing the same. So I look forward to, of course, watching the game, but also doing a little bit of people watching.

16:05Pat McAfee:Yeah, I'm excited to get down there and everything you're saying right there. I'm excited to do that. The only time I'd ever been down there, I just heard about this song. And I don't know if you're singing it or not. I think I'll be. AJ, do you know what the song is I'm talking about? Can you start it out for me a little bit? Well, it goes, hey, oh, I'm worried that. What do they say after that? Are you supposed to be doing that? That is the song. From my understanding, it's just that part of it. Oh, I thought they say something after that. I don't know. That's it. That's it. That is it. Okay, I thought so.

16:42Pat McAfee:I thought that was it. All right, so we're all on the same page. I'm excited to get down there. Lainey, thank you so much for letting us be a part of the announcement of you being the celebrity guest picker. And also, I can't wait to watch you perform. I've never been to a Lainey concert. I saw you at the ACM Awards. It was outrageous how talented you are. I saw you at the Grand Ole Opry. You're so talented. I can't wait to watch you do your thing and get the perfect picks at the end. Thank you, Fran. I'm ready. Ladies and gentlemen, that's a Grammy Award winner, Lainey Wilson. Yeah, Lainey. You see, duck call her.

17:18Pat McAfee:She just calls him. That was good. I liked that a lot. Yeah, that was great. I thought that was pretty clever. You know, because a duck call, I guess you do have to judge by the sound on whether or not it's a good duck call. Now, and if the duck call works, does it care if it doesn't sound as perfect as a potential? This is a whole competition. People need to notice. Okay, I don't think everybody knows this. Duck Hodges. Devlin Duck Hodges. That's the guy. Who let everybody know that they need to register to vote. That's right. Okay, he is a famous moment. He did more for politics than, oh. Anybody maybe in history.

17:50In history.

17:51Pat McAfee:Former starter for Pittsburgh Steelers. Almost led him to a playoff. He is a world-renowned duck caller at these duck contests. Not just state fairs. I think they're doing this in a bigger way. If you need a duck pulled from the sky, if you need a duck to think that another duck is down there on the ground, you give this guy one of them, he will get any duck. He's got different languages of duck. Is he better than? Riley Duckman? Duckman. So I brought this up to Devlin Duck Hodges. Yeah. And I said, Riley has Duckman right there on his shit, you know, and his bar is called Duck Blind. Feels like he might be.

18:31Pat McAfee:His name is what? I said, Duckman right there. He goes, I'm just Duck. And I was like, great answer. That is a phenomenal answer right there. Eleni and Duck, seemingly in. Just a hilarious story. Duck Hodges? Yes. Yes, as a whole. Ducky's legend. Club country. He's also got a golf thing going right now, I think. Good for him. A little real estate, I think he's doing. Oh, nice. Yeah, he's in there, bro. He's awesome. Love that. Those are great vibes. I can't wait to get down there to Baton Rouge. A man who's won a national championship down there will also be a huge talking point, I think, to everything happening around the LSU Tigers right now.

19:08Pat McAfee:Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest of all time, former head coach at Alabama, LSU, Michigan state miami dolphins cleveland brine's lazy gentlemen nick sabin how you doing pat did i miss any there did i miss any there toledo i think but that's that's okay when you move as much as i did you can't expect everybody to remember every stop no i think you're with people like you we're supposed to yeah so let's just uh yeah i think for everybody else maybe not But for people like you, I think people like me are supposed to know. That's why I apologize for missing the Rockets. And, you know, Kent State could have had him too.

19:49Pat McAfee:He was an alumni graduate. They just didn't want it to happen. Maybe some other time. Maybe later in life. Coach, let's talk about this documentary coming out this year. Obviously, we'll talk about what's happening in LSU here in a couple days now. We're kicking off the season tonight in Atlanta. And this is going to be spectacular. And it's going to be an honor to be alongside of you. But this documentary, I remember they teased it last year. it's dropping here very soon how do you feel about the entire process and what do you think people are going to take away from it or hope they take away from it well yeah a lot of people wanted me to write a book and i wrote a book i don't know in 2003 after we won the national championship in uh at lsu and you know the guy that was supposed to write the book i spent three months giving them information and then you know i said this is not about me so i had to go back and rewrite the whole thing so instead of writing a book i thought maybe letting people do a documentary would be something that would actually be more telling for people to understand sort of the process of things that we went through that helped us be successful as well as you know all the people who contributed to that because there was a ton of people good people that really made it happen for us.

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21:07So, you know, I haven't seen this yet, so I'm kind of anxious to see how it comes out. But I hope it's a tribute to all the players and coaches and people and organizations and administrators who created an atmosphere and environment where we could have success. And I think they deserve a lot of credit.

21:26Pat McAfee:Yeah. And I assume there'll be a lot of light shined on a lot of people who've done a lot of great work, including the lovely Miss Terry, who we all are a huge fan of. I assume it will spotlight her roles in all of these types of things in the building and the recruiting and stuff like that. But I want you to know it's going to be cool to learn even more about you. And I think you listening to the people that you affected talk about you, I hope you take those flowers in. Because I know you're a big, yeah, next thing, next thing, next thing. I hope whenever you hear all these people from so many different backgrounds, and they had their lives changed by you, I hope you take that in.

21:59Pat McAfee:And I hope you really settle in the fact that the good old West Virginia boy did very well with this life and we are lucky and thankful that we get a chance to bullshit with you every single week october 8th that comes out we'll certainly be watching let's talk a little bit about this weekend lsu hey you've been in the middle of all this okay with the protect college sports act i think they did right in trying to recruit you to be a part of that we just saw the psa that you just put out about needing to pass this and saving collegesports.com i believe people can go and hopefully help us get some guardrails and regulations in this but sankey showed up at the courtroom today we just found out sankey's down there with the sec battling against the louisiana folks about the injunction about pro players then there was a soresby case feels like it is pretty chaotic are we anywhere near having an answer you think coach and how do you kind of view what's happening in louisiana right now and how it affects potentially going forward yeah well i i think you know we obviously need some guard rails in college athletics especially in football and basketball where you know you have so much revenue and now people are making you know money and it's become pretty much of a business but we really don't have any guard rails and just like this whole situation with i mean just think pat five or ten years ago or even when you played in the league i mean it was not even anything that could ever be a thought in your mind that a pro player would come back and play college football.

23:27I mean, it was like unfathomable. And, you know, now, oh, this should be okay. We have some rule or some law somewhere in some state that I should be able to get cut, even though I decided to become a pro. I got paid some money for it. Now I can go back to college and play. Crazy. I mean, it's absolutely crazy. But we have this happening in multiple transfers. We have it happening in guys that are 26 and 27 years old competing against 18-year-olds. I mean, we have all kinds of issues that need to be addressed. And I think antitrust legislation and making it law from a federal standpoint is the only way that you can do that.

24:10Now, if I was LSU, I'd be very careful about how I proceed here because they may win this case in Louisiana, but if people keep appealing it, it may get changed down the road and they may have consequences relative to that. So sometimes you can win, but also lose in the end. So, and I don't want to see that happen to LSU and I don't want to see it happen to Lane. So I hope this all gets resolved in a way that we can move forward without creating issues.

24:43Pat McAfee:Many folks have won battles while losing the entire war in the past and haven't been able to see the whole forest through the trees. There's a bunch of those types of quotes that are cliche, but it's real about what the long-term effects could be of this all. Now, I guess because it's only this class, there is some stuff, and it's not just football, even though football's getting a big spotlight. There's some soccer, there's some softball, there's basketball problems they're having. And I appreciate the fact that you've been willing to say, like, all right, I'll dabble in a world that I don't want to really be in, the politics world to try to get something done to save all of college sports, women's sports, Olympic sports, football sports.

25:15Pat McAfee:But what we do know is whenever that gets passed, you should get celebrated. But once we get past this and the game start, let's go. And I think that's how we're all kind of feeling about Saturday getting started. Tonight is certainly a great kickoff to it all, as we have Colorado and Georgia Tech leading the way here, and it's going to be a great game on ESPN. But Saturday, game day Saturday morning down there in Baton Rouge. I was down there once. It was absolutely absurd, obviously. It was an insane morning. And then, obviously, it led into an insane series of events down there in Baton Rouge.

25:48Pat McAfee:What are you expecting from Saturday morning for the first college game day of the year? And then what are you expecting 7.30 Eastern, wherever this ball kicks off? LSU, I mean, they got to – first time Clemson's not ranked. LSU obviously in the news for a lot of things. Most talented transfer portal. Lane Kiffin can win with anybody. I mean, it just feels, doesn't it? It feels very heavy that LSU favored by 10. Maybe they win by 100 points. Dabo's a pretty good football coach, is he not? Like, what do you kind of think going into the game and how all this affects it, Coach? Well, first of all, let me sort of speak about the passion.

26:22I've been on both sides of this passion, winning a national championship there, getting patted on the back, seeing New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl go completely crazy when we won in 2003. And then when I came back there in 2008, I think, or 7 or whenever it was, having every bottle, every chant that you could ever think of, getting burned in effigy. So I've seen both sides of the passion. But what I would say about this game in particular is the people will be very passionate. They're very excited. You know, Lane's created a lot of excitement, rightfully so. He's a good coach. He's got a great chance to do great things for LSU and in the state of Louisiana.

27:04And we're certainly rooting for him because, you know, we have a lot of good friends in Louisiana. But at the same time, I think they've done a lot to revamp the roster. They have 53 new players on their team. I think that's about right. But there's also 53 guys that aren't there anymore. So you lose them on the back end and people don't talk about that much. So that can affect the depth of your team. And whether they have enough depth on their team to be a real contender, I think remains to be seen. But I do like their team, and I think they're going to be better than people think. But at the same time, I also think Clemson is going to be a lot better than they were.

27:42I think they've got a lot of returning players. I think they were young last year. I think they've got a little more maturity as a team. And I think Dabo is a really good coach. I think changing offensive coordinators, having a new offensive coordinator. I know he has a new quarterback. But they have really good players, I think, in some critical positions, especially on defense and at the receiver core. So I do think they'll be a lot better.

28:09Pat McAfee:Yeah, and can they protect the quarterback? I mean, that is the big question. Can Vezina stay on his feet? If he can, Wesco and Moore can eat, you know. And now, granted, LSU's secondary is unbelievable. I think they were number one in the SEC, so it's not just going to be as easy as you think it would, especially with the amount of talent that the two wide receivers certainly have. But I think this is going to be a game, man, especially with all the jitters that could potentially be coming from everybody. 53 new people down there at LSU. They're playing down, you know, Death Valley for the first time as well, 730 prime time.

28:38Pat McAfee:And then you talk about Clemson having to go in there at first game. That's a daunting place. That is a certainly daunting place. Okay, last question here. As we know, you're in the middle of an incredible Thursday over there, a couple of days removed, and we appreciate you joining us here instead of Friday because we are off tomorrow. Tone has a question about a headline that just hit the Internet. Yeah, Coach, I saw Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Womack came out and he was talking about how he picked your brain this offseason and said that you guys don't see eye to eye on everything, but you do agree on a lot of stuff and maybe playing more man to man in the secondary this year with one of the most talented secondaries in the entire country.

29:12How cool is it still to be able to talk ball at Alabama and I'm not saying influence what they do, but just be a part of it? And then what are also your thoughts on the decision to go with quarterback Keelan Russell, who I believe is the highest rated recruit that they've ever gotten at Alabama? Yeah. Well, you know, first of all, I love talking ball with anybody that wants to talk. And a lot of people, you know, call me and, you know, we get the opportunity to do that, which I think is good. You know, Kane has come over several times and we talk about things. You know, Kirby, myself, some of the other guys are real, you know, Split safety man-to-man is a lot different than middle of the field man-to-man.

29:56I think it's a little safer. I still think you can get good run support out of split safeties. And that's a thing that Kane has not done a lot of, but I think he wants to add to things that he wants to do in the future, which I think could be beneficial, and take a little bit of pressure off the secondary because you put a lot of pressure on the corners when you play middle of the field coverage, and those guys are out there on an island playing man-to-man. And they have good corners. So, you know, the corners put the sort of limitations on your defense, and I don't think they're going to have any limitations on theirs, and I hope they do play more man-to-man.

30:33So Keelan Russell, on the other hand, I think this guy's very talented. How ready he is to play, I can't really speak to that, but I think the guy's very talented. I do think that the big question for Alabama is going to be, again, how have they fixed the offensive line how is that going to impact the quarterback position but i do know that keon russell is probably the best guy they have to be able to be a playmaker and make plays when things break down and aren't perfect which may be really important for

31:06Pat McAfee:alabama's offense this year we thought we saw ty simpson get ragdoll around oh yeah yeah he was running for his life a good bit you know there's a lot of sprint running you know pat i wanted to comment on something you said before about you know tiger stadium and one of the issues that when i first became the coach at lsu there was so much passion and so much energy and enthusiasm for games i sometimes thought that the players just took it for granted that when they played at home um things would go the way they wanted them to go and a couple times early on when i was there, they didn't go very well.

31:46I mean, we lost a UAB or something. And I think the players just took it for granted that we're playing at home. It's a great atmosphere. It'll affect the other team and we'll win. I actually put a sign up in the locker room that said it's not Tiger Stadium. It's not the atmosphere in Tiger Stadium. It's the Tigers in the stadium that make a difference. So I wanted the players to know that they still had to impact the game and play, high-quality football if they were going to have a chance to be successful and that the crowd was not going to make any plays in the game and that we needed to be responsible for making those plays.

32:25And I know when there's this kind of hype for a game, like there is for this Clemson game, Lane's first game, new era, all that kind of stuff, I hope that does not impact LSU's team.

32:37Pat McAfee:You're the best, Coach. We appreciate the hell out of you. See you this weekend down there in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. national champion seven times. I do appreciate somebody coming in and saying, we don't agree on some things. It's like, maybe you should. Uh-oh. Yeah. Ladies and gentlemen, that's Coach Nick Saban. Hey, Coach. I get it. You got an ego, too. Guy won seven national champions. Low on Bama's defense this year now. He's regarding it. No, no, he's trying to learn it. He's trying to add it. Sure. We disagree. As soon as I read that, I was like, what's going on? Why are we doing this? Why do we – he's the greatest of all time.

33:14Pat McAfee:The field that you walk on is literally this guy's field. And, oh, yeah, he works with the secondary. That's like his – Bingo. It's like his entire thing. We disagree on some stuff. It's like, all right. Good luck, dude. Okay. Why? This feels like it's the right answer, you know. But that is – just like we said about Kalen DeBoer, I mean, you're in Coach Saban's building. You know, it's literally named after him. You got to create your own path. They have a great opportunity this year. first time not ranked in the top 10 long time they have success and get going that fan base and crowd are going to obviously fall in love with him and i think saban's done a really good job of saying like hey this is their thing not my thing i'm here just to assist you got that little goat shadow just on the field and from the top where the office is so to be able to operate in there is obviously not easy so i'm not going to act like that's an easy thing but i'm not saying publicly many times that i disagree with the uh the greatest of all time i think that is yeah he should probably try to get in his pocket, see what he's doing, and maybe figure that out.

34:12Pat McAfee:But on that note, not easy to be there, I assume, AJ. No. I would just put it myself like in Kalen DeBoer's shoes, thinking if I was at Alabama on the sidelines, you're in the fourth quarter, it's winding down, you know you're going to lose a game, and Saban's like up in the box. That would be a horrendously terrible feeling. Just knowing. You've been there for, I don't know if they've lost, but you've been there for some of it. Who was it? Texas they lost to. Was it Texas down there? We were on the sideline for that. Yeah, his field. Was it Texas? I thought it was Vandy, maybe. Maybe Vandy. I don't know.

34:43Pat McAfee:Whatever it was. Got a chance to go sit in his box, stand in his box while watching the game. He got the field named after him, I believe. And it was like in anyone's college football hall of fame. It was like a big, hey, Coach Saban's here. The place went crazy. Got to go sit in his suite, watch him kind of do it. The other team scored. And him standing up and literally just like kind of, all right, okay. Stretches back. Then just kind of walks over, goes grab something, comes back, sits back down. Miss Terry's just right next to him. Then something bad happens that he hates, like somebody was left wide ass open, and he just stands up.

35:16Pat McAfee:And it's like you can see he is still literally coaching the team. I think he's trying to respect everything, obviously, especially whenever he's on game day, because that's a huge platform for college football. Anything he says that could be perceived as a slight towards a decision that Kalen DeBoer or anybody at Alabama has made, they're going to blow that up, say that there's a problem. You know what I mean? And Alabama fans will literally walk behind Coach Saban right into a fire. If that is what Coach Saban said we should be doing, that's what they will do for him because of what he did for the city.

35:49Pat McAfee:And obviously he feels the same way about them. Still has house, still lives, you know, that entire thing. So he has to be – obviously Kalen DeBoer has to be very mentally tough. But he has to be so cognizant every single time, understanding what his words could potentially do to the entire culture of the team that they're trying to build there. I think he would like Kalen DeBoer to be very successful. Oh, yeah. I think he would like that to not be a conversation piece every single week because I think he really cares about the Alabama football program as a whole. Yeah, I feel like DeBoer, I get the whole, like, you don't want to do the exact same things, but the D.C.

36:19thing makes no sense. Like, if you were to go back, like, Nick Saban's thing sure is being Nick Saban, but it's winning. So if you were to go back and look at Nick Saban's defense, like, his defense was always good. He learned, you know, secondary with Bill and Cleveland and going from there. And also, like, that's part of being in a tree. We talk about now in the NFL, like, oh, all these offenses are built from McVay or from Shanahan or wherever the hell it's from. Defense, the same thing. Like, you think Kirby Smart went to Georgia and he was like, hey, we got to completely change our defense because this is what Nick Saban ran.

36:49I can't just run the same thing. Like, that's the one thing about the D.C. that just doesn't make much sense. That's who you should be asking and getting the most information from and running the stuff that they were running, even though maybe you don't see it the same way. But as far as like the board, it does feel like they're on their way.

37:04Pat McAfee:I think so. The fact that they got the highest recruit in the history of Bama at quarterback nonetheless, not like wide receiver Julio Jones, all those guys are an O-lineman, D-lineman guy in the secondary, anything like that. They got the quarterback now, and they have three years of that. That's massive. Yeah, the one thing they need to figure out, which Coach Saban talked about, is the offensive line. They have four new starters, I believe, on there, and they were like 120th in yard per rush last year. They could not run the ball to save their lives. So that'll be interesting to see how they attack that with who.

37:33Second year, Ryan Grubb is back with DeBoer in this situation. But also for as far as like number one recruiting or whatever, the last three classes for DeBoer have been like number two, number three, and number three. So they're still getting guys. He's getting his guys in. So that could make a big difference this year too.

37:50Pat McAfee:What if Kellen DeBoer in Alabama does it for the SEC? You know, three times the Big Ten has started the season and ended the season as national champions in a row. Three different schools. They don't talk about the depth of the Big Ten enough. The SEC has the depth. Well, I don't know. The Big Ten's three deep on national championships in the last three years. Can the SEC do it? Or will the Big 12 potentially produce an absolute monster that's beating? How about the AAC? I don't think we've got to worry about them, but the AAC. Tech's got a chance. Texas Tech is the team? Yes, they certainly have a chance.

38:28Pat McAfee:Well. The Big 12's got a lot of teams. BYU, Utah. Yeah. You've got a lot of teams that potentially have a chance. Utah also, defensive-minded coach now. Yep. DC stays up there. Going to lock that thing down. Big Bear up there in BYU. He's only getting bigger. Bear box. Absolutely. Wearing 4 '7 out there, hopefully still. Bear coach, awesome. Yeah, exactly. And I trust Cody Campbell and Joey McGuire to put together a roster, no matter what happens otherwise. So Texas Tech's going to be. You start talking about the depth of the Big 12, and then you add in, oh, yeah, West Virginia is about to go absolutely crazy.

39:00Pat McAfee:Quick question, AJ, as you make that face. I don't like the smirk on your face. Yeah. What's up? Must be nice at the top. Dickhead. Yeah. Okay, people not in the top ten for the first time. It's like, oh, yeah. Yeah, let's see if we can reach the top 35 here, and I think we certainly can. Tony, what was Arizona State's odds at the beginning of the season whenever they won the Big 12? It was two years ago. No, I believe they were like plus 10 ,000 to win the Big 12 before they went on their run with Sam Levitt and the boys. Okay, so follow up now. What is West Virginia's odds right now to win the Big 12?

39:33Plus 5 ,300, I believe.

39:34Pat McAfee:Oh, is that right? Half of that. What's that, AJ? We know you're about to – you probably already made this bet, didn't you? Yeah, found out about this thing yesterday by Tone. Tone said, hey, I just want to – because, you know, this weekend on game day, obviously running through subjects that are going to be brought up, you know, conversation pieces, hey, what's happening. Have your stuff ready. Got it, got it, got it. Me and Tone hitting the – I'll tell you what, hitting the internet, hitting the – had books out yesterday, flipping through pages of books. You know, had this entire thing. Had a library?

40:04Pat McAfee:Yeah, magazine. I guess big, thick magazines more so than anything else. So, you know, we're trying to get in there. It's been a lot of that this week as we get back into college game day. And then all of a sudden Tone goes, hey, it's your West Virginia winning the Big 12 thing. Arizona State plus 10 ,000 two years ago. They won it. West Virginia plus 5 ,200 or something. I'm like, that tells me. Very doable. We're doing it. They're a flyer. What was Duke's chances to win the ACC last year? Does anybody care that Duke won the ACC last year? Everybody knows they won it, too. Exactly. Hey, there's a bunch of fun facts about who won what.

40:37Pat McAfee:All we know is Miami almost didn't even get into the college football playoff, and then they ended up in the national championship. They feel like they're even better. And they get the ACC champion quarterback to come down there, and they have another year of experience with that guy, Malachi Tony, who might be up for the Heisman this year if they continue to utilize him the way he was utilized last year. We know their defense is going to be stat and physical. We know Chris Ball is going to go absolutely crazy. The ACC, I mean, if Clemson, you know, if Clemson, no way, right? I think they're ready.

41:09No way, what, they win? Get pounded. How big of dogs are they? Ten. I'm not a – Man, imagine going in there and getting a win to start the season with everything surrounding. It's going to be a wild atmosphere.

41:20Pat McAfee:Yeah, it is going to be absurd down there. Can't wait to get there. Thank you, college football, for doing its thing. The field goal kicking is easy contest is up. Okay. Let's go. We are doing that. Potentially. Uprights are there. Potentially the biggest season yet. Okay. Yeah, for the field goal kicking contest. Excited for some news for that one on Saturday morning as we roll that out. Very pumped and excited about that. And I assume that Louisiana is going to produce some incredible kickers for said contest. It's going to be a big number to start the season. Remember, season goes up. So I have to make it a 55 yarder.

42:03Pat McAfee:So I don't know if we're going to have the ability to change that completely because just, you know, room in places. But I do think we should back it up maybe to 40 yards. But 33 is where it will remain at the time being. and I'm already getting videos from people that are saying they're preparing for future stops. You know, hey, this is in my part of the country. I thought about that, actually. So people are preparing to try to get there because obviously it's the first 300 people get a ticket. Then that ticket is randomly pulled, and whenever it's pulled, that is the winner. And then you have – there's new rules that you have like a one-minute or two-minute, three-minute period to figure out who – if you're having somebody, you've got to do that now.

42:38Pat McAfee:If you're doing it, you've got to do it now. Everything has to be happening now, but we're back up and running. I'm very excited for that. and also pumped up for Pat White. The number five is officially being retired in Morgantown this weekend before kickoff. Congratulations to Pat White. Let's go, Pat. This is a jersey they're selling. I believe it's an NIL store throwback Pat White jersey here. That's filthy. Yeah, it is. That is sick. Yeah, it's awesome. That's going to crush it, Frat House's Donner. Yeah, it should, honestly. Actually, anywhere. What's up, Frat Boys? Donner, Frat Row. Bought a couple, lads.

43:11Pat McAfee:Yeah. Because I think this is NIL towards Pat. I think Pat is also doing that as he's coaching the West Virginia Mountaineers as well. If NIL would have been around, this guy potentially owns the state of West Virginia, or at least part of it, for what he did for the state. I was very lucky to be teammates with him. I got a chance to watch his entire career from behind the scenes and obviously on the sidelines. He and I, obviously, I would either punt or kick a field goal. So we are crossing paths every single series, basically. Great times, great relationships, great leadership. I mean, absolute great football player.

43:48Pat McAfee:And I think it's a great decision by West Virginia to retire the five. We've been pounding that drum for a little bit now, you know. Hey, four bowl games. They were the two, him and Steve Slayton, on the NCAA game. Primetime football Thursday nights. We had the highest ratings before NFL one. It was all because this guy was driving the ship. He was the most electrifying player I had ever seen. And he would take over a game any moment, and he would also lay the wood. I mean, a lot of people remember him getting hit, which certainly happened because he was a running quarterback and everything like that.

44:21Pat McAfee:But he's de-cleated a couple people, too, for Steve Slayton or Noel Devine whenever they were running. He's just a classic football player. Also got drafted like five times, played professional baseball, stayed committed to football, and then he tried baseball a little bit, got into the minors and then decided it wasn't for him. Then he started coaching. It's like, I'm happy for him. I'm proud of him, man. Legit. Okay, let's pivot away from college football with chaos happening this weekend and in courtrooms in Baton Rouge. And let's go to the NBA to have some chaos. Now, since we have learned of this character, Steve Ballmer, we've known that this guy's a little bit of a wild card.

44:59Pat McAfee:This guy might have a little dip in his chip. This guy has got some real pizzazz. Here's him whenever he was with Microsoft. $1 ,000 question for the field. What is the most asked question that I've received this week? Sideburns. What the hell are we supposed to do about.NET, Steve? It's a very good question, and it's got a very, very clear answer. Developers, the key to.NET, the key to industry transformation, The key to success is developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers. Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, developers.

45:50Yes!

45:51Pat McAfee:Yes! Yes! Yes! I mean, it's just an absolute madman. You know, that is a nerd event there where, you know, a leader of said super geniuses is up there sweating his ass off. doing the things he's doing, presenting to developers. He's juicing up developers. So this guy, seemingly super competitive, obviously has the pizzazz and a moxie. Then he gets into ownership in sports. He's at the NBA. He becomes the owner of the Clippers. And all of a sudden, he wants to build some super arena. And the one thing that he was most jacked up about whenever we heard him speak about it from the construction site with a hard hat was...

46:29Toilets! 1 ,160 toilets. Toilets and urinals. Three times the NBA. Every time we're toilet security. We do not want people waiting in line. We want them to get back to their damn seats at the end of the half before the game. Clock.

46:46Pat McAfee:Of course, we know what you meant. Yes, getting back to... So, this man was a unicorn immediately. From jump. Just an absolute alien, seemingly, in all facets of his... He has the thigh slap grab moment that he's already had. It's like everything this guy does is out of a movie. And now he's potentially supervillain who's utilizing different methods to potentially rig a system or cheat a system that has been put in place. His people vehemently deny the allegations. The NBA came out and said, harshest penalty in the history of professional sports, basically. Ladies and gentlemen, joining us now to dive in a little bit deeper to what just took place with the Clippers, the Kawhi Leonard, the circumventing the salary cap allegations, and the penalty that seemingly is harsher than anything we've ever seen.

47:35Pat McAfee:A year ban, five first-round picks, six-month ban here, fine here, year ban here. Those are big numbers. Obviously, something very, very serious took place. Adam Silver said this is what it's going to be. What was it and why was it? To tell a senior NBA insider for ESPN, Shams Sharaya. Yeah, Shams. Shams, okay, so we know Steve Ballmer. Thank you for joining us. You look fantastic. We know Steve Ballmer is a character, a character, if you will. But it feels like in this particular case, something happened that Adam Silver was not happy about at all. And there was a report at one point that there was nothing found and we're going to move on actually with this entire thing.

48:14Pat McAfee:Then the NBA was like, nope, that's not true at all. There was a trade of Kawhi Leonard to Toronto that was supposed to happen. And the NBA said, nope, you should probably wait until we're done with our investigation. Did we know that the investigation was coming to a point at this time? And what really does this all say about the situation? Kind of open floor for you, Shams. Yeah, what this says is this is the most severe punishment given out in American pro sports. That's for sure. And what this does say at the end of it is, above all, Adam Silver is the judge. He's the jury. He's got the final word.

48:45And the NBA had Wachtell Lipton, a third-party law firm, basically commissioned as the investigator, the lead investigator for this last September. And then they published that 36-page report yesterday on Wednesday. But my understanding is back in late July, the Clippers already received all of the findings that the NBA had from Wachtell Lipton on all the charges, all the emails, all the text message, everything that they've got here in this 36-page report. And things always come up at the last second. There's always more information. This is always fluid. That's what goes into these types of investigations.

49:24There's all these different sides, right? It's the Clippers. It's Steve Ballmer. It's Steve Ballmer's lawyers. It's the Clippers lawyers. It's the NBA. It's Adam Silver. It's the lawyers at the league. It's the Wachtell Lipton lawyers as well. And then there's the whole Kawhi Leonard, then his agent, then his former business rep, Then it's the union representatives. And so there's all these people, there's all these sides. So these are complex stories, no question. But when the league went to the Clippers in July, my understanding is they were looking for the Clippers to basically fall on the sword here, to like admit the wrongdoing, to cooperate.

49:59But there was none of that. The Clippers, even to this day, this morning, Thursday, right now, 1249 p.m. Eastern time, they are vehemently standing by their statements that they did not do anything wrong. And at the crux of this is the introductions that the NBA found that rose to the level of not just normal introductions that teams make. Teams in the NBA are allowed, Pat, to make introductions to their players and sponsors, right and so any individual player likely 60 to 70 percent of their sponsors are coming directly with the with the team sponsors just because it's in-house well you can introduce a player like the Clippers could have introduced Kawhi Leonard to Daktronics or any of these other four companies that they've been alleged that they've been found to basically brokering these deals the issue here is that there is proof at least on one occasion Jillian Zucker the president of business who got suspended for a full year well she basically according to the nba's findings negotiated a deal in the millions with a company and a middleman the middle agent for kawai leonard on behalf of kawai leonard before it even reached the point of an introduction and so cases like that are why when i talked to team executives last night one mentioned to me the clippers basically acted as some form of a power agent for kawai leonard in some instances And that's where it rises from just introductions or just an innocent situation to, okay, there is some intent here on circumventing the salary cap.

51:37Pat McAfee:Okay, because thank you for all that information. Obviously, it's a lot. I think there's, you know, in the NFL, players make appearances at, like, team-sponsored events. And then there is, like, per diem or a payment that's made. But the teams have always said, we can't give you any more than that or you can't earn any more of that because, obviously, we have to report every single dollar. and there's a salary cap, and yada, yada, yada. So I assume that there has been team deals, you said 60%, with players that have happened in the past. The problem here is that they were telling these people, hey, this is what you're going to have to give to Kawhi Leonard.

52:08Pat McAfee:Is that why they're upset about it? In follow-up, there was no finding of Steve Ballmer putting money into a company, and then that company sending money to Kawhi Leonard, right? Because I think a lot of people think that was potentially happening. Like, I think that is... There's yeah, there's like you can look at everything circumstantially, you know, like the Clippers are, you know, paying seven million and then Kawhi is getting seven million. Like why? Like but there's no like that. There's no like definitive like the money went from Steve Ballmer's bank account to this company and then it went right like that.

52:47But again, you can read through the circumstances, you can read through all of it, and that's where the lines get blurred a little bit, and there is that gray area. But I don't know why anyone involved in this situation managed these deals the way they did. To have deals in the tens of millions of dollars of range, like Kawhi Leonard, these deals were being inked and discussed and talked about during 2020 and 2021. This is during the COVID pandemic when businesses were basically at times using COVID in the pandemic. And that was around the country as a reason why businesses were actually suffering, that money wasn't as available.

53:29Like I talk to agents and players now, like these endorsement deals were not hot and popping during COVID times in 2020 and 2021. But for some reason, Kawhi Leonard was getting tens and millions of dollars in endorsement deals. And by mid-2021, he had already pocketed over$10 million in endorsement deals with basically no obligation. And so that is a red flag. You add all the circumstances together, and then you have the text message proof or the email proof of the business rep dealing with, you know, basically a middleman before it even got to Kawhi. These are all the things that the league is looking, you know, looked into, will continue to look into.

54:09and Wachtell Lipton did say there's more stuff coming to us as well. And we'll see where that could end up down the line whenever that point is.

54:16Pat McAfee:Okay, because there's so many different defenses. College players are utilizing this right now for no-show type appearances. Well, actually, one appearance we negotiated with him to be worth$5 million. So there's always those types of back-end stuff that's happening. Quickly, because we have a hardout coming in about two and a half minutes, Kawhi Leonard,$700 ,000 fine, no suspension, and we assume trade is back on to Toronto? And why do you think he only got only$700 ,000, a lot of money, but in comparison to what he has earned, I guess you have to keep it real. No suspension, no nothing. Did Kawhi know nothing?

54:49Pat McAfee:And then if he knew nothing, why is he getting suspended? Or why is he getting fined? Yeah, a lot of questions around the league. Why was Kawhi Leonard's penalty just$700 ,000 in restitution? Why did he not get fined? Or why did he not get suspended? Why did he not get his contract voided? Well, the NBA did publish that report with Wachtell Lipton, 36 pages. There was no evidence there that showed that he had knowledge or he firsthand worked on circumventing the salary cap. Basically, Dennis Robertson, the uncle, had all the power, had all the say-so, just like Adam Silver does with the NBA. Dennis Robertson, everyone around the NBA knows it.

55:27He ran Kawhi Leonard. He ran his life. And so that, you know, when you talk to people around the players union, it's they're using this as a cautionary tale of what can happen when someone has this much power around you and you're the player. So if Kawhi Leonard is just thinking about playing basketball, maybe not looking at his bank account and seeing what's actually going on, that is what the NBA is taking him at his word because they just don't have the proof that he had the knowledge, nor did Wachtell Lipton find that proof. And so absent of that proof, you can't just void his contract or suspend him based on a pretext.

55:59But again, he is taking that penalty,$700 ,000 of improper benefits to his uncle. But then even more than that, you're getting a lot of stain on his legacy, clearly his name. And he was very brazen with the way he behaved with his inner circle. There's no doubt about it. And that's the penalty that he's living with. But the trade as of right now, both sides, the Clippers and Raptors, they're moving forward as if the trade is going to happen. there's sequencing that has to occur but the trade call is what's next lining that up with the nba and both sides have already spoken uh wednesday night and they both have the intention of moving forward here with this trade kawhi leonard to toronto and brandon ingram grady dick two first round picks uh two second round picks and one pick swap would be going to the clippers and you talk about five first round picks you lose well you're getting some of that back here in this toronto deal okay

56:50Pat McAfee:literally two seconds here. They're going to renegotiate a deal with him too up there in Toronto? The expectation is there will be an extension here to come with Kawhi Leonard as well. That's Shams. We're back on the other side. Be a friend, tell your friends something nice.

57:05This episode is brought to you by the Hulu original series, Chad Powers, starring Glenn Powell. This season, the walls are closing in on Chad's biggest secret. And with his future on the field hanging in the balance, he'll have to win back the one coach who wants nothing to do with him. Watch the new season of Chad Powers, streaming now on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Every game, every practice, every moment. We rely on energy more than we realize. From the courts and fields we play on, to the gear athletes use, to the technology and transportation that bring fans together, energy powers it all.

57:38And energy transfer helps safely deliver the energy that keeps it all moving. Oil and natural gas help make thousands of everyday products possible, supporting sports and the moments that connect us. So whether you're playing, watching, or cheering it on, it takes energy. Visit ittakesenergy.com to learn more.

58:00Pat McAfee:Football! He is the greatest, and AJ muted his mic for that because he didn't want to be... No, I tried to jump the gun so I timed it up. Did I not time it up? That's AJ Hawk, ladies and gentlemen, the Toxic. You did! Hey, it's college football. Good timing there. Toxic Table is at Boston Corner and at Tone Diggs. Ty Schmidt, we love you, brother. Shout out. We'll see Ty on Monday. We're off tomorrow. Just a couple house cleaning notes. Off tomorrow. We'll be fully focused on Baton Rouge on College Game Day Saturday. You know, we're going on a little bit of a football tour here. Here we go. You know, going on a little bit of a football tour.

58:33Pat McAfee:That's kind of how I'm viewing this particular fall. A lot of musicians obviously work multiple nights in different towns. Wrestlers obviously work in multiple different towns. Feels like we're just going on a nice football tour for the fall. I've heard a lot of chatter about me potentially dying this fall and maybe oversaturation and not going to be able to know enough stuff. It's like, yeah, right, man. We are about to enjoy the hell out of this football season. This is the greatest gift outside of, like, daughter and son and obviously like that. Greatest gift that I've ever been presented. Us as a team getting a chance to do football this way that we're about to do it.

59:08Pat McAfee:We're incredibly pumped. Now, speaking of gifts, and I didn't know we were going right to DoorDash right now, but I'm pumped that we are. DoorDash is giving away a house. Okay? What? You don't see it on this particular. Don't fan for free. Don't fan for free, baby. Don't do it. Don't do it. I don't know how it made its way back. Honestly, I don't know how it did, but I appreciate that this is there. What are you doing? You're scanning the QR code? You said I could get a house? No. I want to see. You can get money towards a house. Okay? By scanning that? You scan this. First of all, college students all fall.

59:42Is it Steve Ballmer's money?

59:44Pat McAfee:No, and it's not Walters either. Everybody needs to relax and just kind of let me tell you what's happening because it's a very good thing that DoorDash is doing here. Okay, if you, while being a fan of your team, okay, on Saturdays, college game day Saturdays, you can earn points while DoorDashing on college Saturdays, and then that gets you into running for a potential Dodge Charger, Hellcat. What? Money towards a house. free groceries for a year, all these types of things. So if you were to use DoorDash and you are to DoorDash through your life on Saturdays, you will earn points that get you into potential running for a house.

1:00:27Pat McAfee:Now, you don't know that. I've got to explain all that because on the graphic it says, don't fan for free, and they've got pizza and a burger. And I appreciate DoorDash's partnership. I love DoorDash. Oh, it's the best. We think DoorDash is one of the greatest adventures of all time. Everything's good. Shorts, underwear, food, steak, pizza. You name it. Drinks, all drinks, every drink. We, sorry, Delta 9 drinks. Sure. Other, you know, there's all that. We love DoorDash. We just think what they're doing is awesome. And we. We'd like this to showcase what's going on. They're giving away enough money for a house.

1:01:01Pat McAfee:Yeah. So you'll have to use the money for a house or can I use it for anything I want? I think it has to go probably towards a house. I think it says house money. Yes, house money. I just want to make sure. What would you use the money for? Because, you know. I don't know. No, you can't wire it to China. Wheel of Fortune, though, which I don't know if there's been a follow-up on the Washington Post article, but on Wheel of Fortune, you win a prize. You do get the cash value of that. So we don't know if you could potentially cash value this thing out of, I don't need a house, please, thanks, but I would like that money.

1:01:32I think they show up at your house with a big check that says it has to go to a house.

1:01:35Pat McAfee:Publishers Clearinghouse. I love that. I always hoped, like, God, we'd win. Anytime I saw one of those publicly, I would get in there, and then I watched a video that was on a commercial, and they were never showing. They showed up a lot of houses that look like my house, but never actually my house. It was kind of a bummer. I appreciated them doing that. Shout out to DoorDash. Don't fan for free. earn and win while you're fanning on college Saturdays. Free dash pass for every college student is why. You have to prove that you're a college student. You give free dash pass. That's incredible. So they're giving back in a big way.

1:02:02Pat McAfee:They're an incredible company. We're very, very grateful for them. Huge conversation last hour. Not only Lainey Wilson is the celebrity guest picker for their 500th Roadshow. Shout to her and Duck making her way down to Baton Rouge. Then obviously catch up with Nick Saban. Nick Saban talks about how the environment and the hype could potentially make your players believe that they don't have to play good football. Like Death Valley and all this juice is going to win you the game regardless because they talk about away games at night, especially in the SEC, what the record is. It's like you've got to play as well.

1:02:33Pat McAfee:We haven't talked anything about Lane Kiffin and his football team. We've only talked about Lane Kiffin and who he's been trying to get on his football team, which are guys that were in some of these training camps around the NFL. They've got a tight end. Trey Dez Green is going to be wearing number seven. We're talking about this Daquan Wright guy who's coming back. From the Cleveland Browns, it's like, obviously, he was second team all SEC last year. I think he's very talented. He's with the Browns. Yeah. And now with the Chiefs, I believe. We're talking about him as a tight end. It's like, they actually got the tight end.

1:03:02Pat McAfee:They have the number one guy. The preseason number one guy. Six foot seven, 243. Sam Levitt, quarterback. Unbelievable. Led that Arizona State team that was plus 10 ,000 odds to the Big 12 to get into the college football playoffs. It's like, they got a very talented roster down there. And then Clemson, everybody's overlooking them. It's like we could potentially have the greatest start to a season yet. Like, actually could have the greatest start to a season yet. Excited about it. It all kicks off tonight, Tone. What should we be looking at for these numbers this evening as we try to take advantage of the best sports book on earth?

1:03:33Pat McAfee:Draft King. Yeah, tonight, obviously, the main game, the one where it's not a 40-point spread, is Colorado and Georgia Tech. These two teams did play last year. We talked about that earlier. 27-20, Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech ran for 320 yards in that game. Haynes King, I think, had 150 on the ground himself. So this is kind of a measuring stick game for these two programs who have a ton of turnover. We talked about it. Alberto Mendoza is the quarterback for Georgia Tech, so it's his new era. It's not Haynes King anymore. Georgia Tech has turned into a very, very solid program down there that loves to run the football, so watch out for that.

1:04:10And then Prime needs to get it done this year. You know, the first year with Shadur and Travis Hunter was awesome. They were really, really good. The last two years have not been great. Juju Lewis is a very, very talented quarterback, so we'll see what Prime in Colorado has in store for this year for us tonight as well.

1:04:25Pat McAfee:Juju Lewis back in Georgia, he threw for 14 touchdowns in the state championship one game. I forget what the numbers are. It's not 14 touchdowns, but it's something. The record. It's something like that with how talented he was down in Georgia, which is why he got handed the keys literally in a promo shoot for social media from Shador to be the next one for the Buffs. Not a lot of chatter about them on the field this year. Excited to see what they have. Justice Haynes running back for Georgia Tech is somebody to keep an eye on tonight. He was at Michigan last year, was at Alabama before that. He's from Alpharetta, Georgia.

1:04:55Pat McAfee:He's a five-star guy. He's going to get the ball a lot tonight. They're going to run the shit out of the ball. Yeah. Or attempt to it. Can Colorado tackle him? I mean, that is going to be the huge question. Joining us now is a man that's going to be on the call. Former NFL quarterback, Missouri superstar. Ladies and gentlemen, congrats to him getting a call of tonight's game and also all the other amplified stuff that he has going on this football season. Love seeing former players crush it. This guy definitely doing that. Ladies and gentlemen, Chase Daniels. Yeah, Chase! Hey, good to see you, brother.

1:05:26Pat McAfee:How was life down there in Atlanta? It's good, man. It's busy. We're doing this game, obviously, tonight, honored and blessed. I can't even imagine what your schedule is like because you do, like, 55 more things than I do, and I'm doing, like, SEC Nation on Saturday. I'm prepping for this game here. We're doing the 5 p.m. Sports Center tonight with Matt Berry. Like, just a little taste of, like, everything you do in the Monday night camp. And you're, dude, you guys, the whole crew is on another level. So props to you guys. Well, thank you, Chase. That's very kind of you. We've been doing this for a while now.

1:05:58Pat McAfee:You know, the Daily Show grind thing is a good way to cut your teeth, I think. Yeah. I think it's a good way to cut your teeth. We used to do radio. We were doing radio for, like, three, four hours. So, I mean, you're going to crush it. We can't wait to watch you. And we think your brain is going to be good over top of games. Not that this is the first time you're calling games, but certainly a more amplified calling of games, especially tonight. Let's hear your thoughts on tonight. Because Justice Haynes, Georgia Tech, we've been just super excited about because obviously we saw him go crazy last year.

1:06:25Pat McAfee:He's a home run hitter. Bruce, literally earlier in the week, said to the entire group, is anybody going to be able to tackle this guy? Is that not what your thoughts were, Bruce? Yeah, he's an explosive play machine on a Michigan team last year that didn't have a ton of explosive plays that weren't including Justice Haynes. He is super-duper fast, and he's also pretty physical. He's a beast. And his dad, Super Bowl champ, he's from Georgia. It feels like tonight is an opportunity for him to go crazy. What are your thoughts on tonight's game, how you kind of see it, Chase? Yeah, starting with Georgia Tech, for me, they're going to run the piss out of the ball.

1:06:54I mean, Malachi Hosley coming back as well, and then Justice Haynes. I mean, look, Georgia Tech in general, they have not done well in the portal, and that's by design, meaning like Brent Key, only 20 transfer portals brought in compared to Colorado's 43, prime as the most in the power four. But when you watch this Georgia tech team, to me, they are all about identity and their identity right now is running the football. They have one receiver coming back, Jordan Allen. So I don't know how that's going to happen there. They will run the football. And this is what we were talking about with our game group.

1:07:28They need to run the football 50 times between Hoseley, Justice Haynes, and then Alberto Mendoza. Like I was talking to Fernando Mendoza about Alberto Mendoza, his brother making his first career start. Like, think about it from that perspective. When you're making your first career start, a sold-out stadium at home, you haven't done a whole bunch, lean on the run game, lean on those big hogs up front. So I really like that for Georgia Tech. And then when you go over to the Colorado side of things, to me, it starts with that go-go offense. I know right when I got on, you guys were talking about Juju Lewis.

1:08:00Big spot for him nationally. Really big, high-profile recruit. Only his third career start. and it's going to be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion is going to unleash him because it is a third career start, a lot of growth still to go. And then when you look at that receiver room, though, Pat, and guys like Danny Scudero coming over from San Jose State, he led the country in receiving yards last year. DeAndre Moore was the University of Texas' second leading receiver last year. And then you got Cam Perry, who led the nation in yards per catch at 23 yards. If they can unleash the pass game against the secondary from Georgia Tech, that's just all right.

1:08:42It should be a good game going into the fourth quarter.

1:08:44Pat McAfee:Okay, so maybe Juju is the difference there back in his home state of Georgia. I just don't know who can tackle. I don't know much about the defense other than Coach Sapp's not there anymore. No. So I don't know anything about that. And it hasn't been great. So hopefully they're able to figure that out, especially with the – I mean, that's just going to be a how you're doing, keep and move and Brent Keyes here type of night. I'll be excited to see if Colorado can stop. All right, let's pivot away from tonight and let's talk more ball. Go ahead, AJ. Yeah, Chase, I wanted to pivot to the NFL quickly.

1:09:13The Rams, with what they're doing right now, we've got Aaron Donald and Miles Garrett out there. If you are an opposing offensive coordinator, I guess, what's the plan? What are you going to do? How would you try to attack them? And also, are they going to run the table and win the whole thing? Yeah, I mean, to answer your point on run the table and win the whole thing, I mean, on paper, AJ, they look like they can and they look like they should. But, like, when was the last time we saw a favorite from the very beginning run the entire table right? You've got to stay healthy. You've got to make plays.

1:09:40You've got to be opportunistic. You've got to get lucky sometimes. You guys know. Have you seen it, Chase? Have you seen somebody go wire to wire like DeFave and actually go on and do it? I mean, who would it be? Chiefs in 2023 or 2024, we looked it up. They were plus 600, though. They weren't as short. Yeah. And so, to me, it's a lot of pressure.

1:09:59Pat McAfee:The 72 Dolphins, they were saying going into the season. They were undefeated, baby. They were saying these guys could do it. You know, that's really the only time. You'd have to be so opportunistic. And as far as, like, offensive coordinator, like if I'm an offensive coordinator planning against that D-line, I mean, Ada, you would know. Like, it's all one-on-one blocks. You're going to get into a bare front, a jam front. You're going to play five across. And you're going to say, we're going to get one-on-one matchups every single time. We're going to drop eight. We're going to rush five. We can get pressure with four.

1:10:31I think I'm going to be really interested to see how the Rams use Aaron Donald. Yes. I know he's a freak. Yes. I know he's one of the greatest defensive tackles of all time. And yes, I know he's in great shape, worked out with the Rams, obviously a few times. How often do they use him at the beginning of the season? Because I want to see them, you know, sprinkle him in on the third down, obviously run cyber, but save him for that long season. I mean, you're going to be playing 20 games, 21 games. If you have it all.

1:10:56Pat McAfee:I want him out there. I think he wants to be out there too. That's why he was doing. I know. I think that's why he was doing all the training that he was doing. I think he was not training for a package. You know, and Schefter mentioned that whenever we first talked about this with Aaron Donald. Schefter was like, what a perfect situation to go back to. Obviously, the Rams very good. He could get 15, 20 plays a game or whatever if he wants to. It's like, I don't think that's what Aaron Donald's preparing for. I think he wants to come back and wreck games. I think he wants to be full-time participant here alongside Myles Garrett, who might not be.

1:11:28Pat McAfee:Is he okay? He's hurt, too. Got some swelling. We're talking about the Avengers, but we got knees swelling, and we haven't seen a guy on the field for two years. Hopefully they're able to piece it together because this could be a spectacle literally everywhere that they go. Excited for that. Okay, let's pivot from the defensive side to the offensive side. Go ahead, Con, man. Yeah, Chase, a lot of different matchups this year as far as QB and OCs. Got a lot of new guys in new places. The Eagles and Jalen Hurts, new O.C., Jaden Daniels, a bunch of them really around the league. Who are you most excited to watch this year as far as quarterback, OC combos go, and who do you expect to have a big year that maybe people aren't looking at?

1:12:05Yeah, that's a great question. It's without a doubt Jaden Daniels. New offensive coordinator David Blau. I played with him. He was the third-string quarterback in 2020 for the Detroit Lions. Think Ben Johnson meets old-school Darryl Bevel where they're taking shots down the football field. A lot of motions, a lot of shifts. Jaden Daniels had the greatest rookie season of all time, not even close two years ago. People seem to have forgotten what he is about and how he was. He got hurt last year, obviously didn't play a lot. It's going to be a new look offense, right? Like Stephon Diggs is stepping in among others, but you're going to see, and I talked to David Blah, you're going to see a different offense for Jaden.

1:12:45They're going to put him under center, still have that shotgun RPO run game, but they are going to stretch defenses vertically. There's going to be some trick plays. You're going to see a lot more at the line of scrimmage. Hey, check, check, alert, alert, letting Jaden Daniels use his mind. And when he was coming out and I studied him in 2024 out of LSU, I thought he was one of the best pure pocket passers I had seen in college. It's not like you're locking onto one and then you're running. Everyone knows about his running ability. You're locking onto one and you see it two, three, four, just the way he gets through progressions to me is excellent.

1:13:18I do think that, you know, they got to figure out that offensive line and really just shore up how they're going to go about it find their identity but i think jayden daniels is going to show everyone that that rookie season was who he was and not that second year sophomore slump even

1:13:32Pat McAfee:though he was hurt every coach but dan quinn fired after last season whole new staff on the offense and on the defense and the number five i think is still being warned down lsu not a lot of positive things coming out this offseason i like to hear that jayden daniels potentially going to get back on top he was a phenomenal football player let's pivot back to college shall we there's some storylines developing that we think chase daniels will obviously have the right answer for go ahead yeah chase obviously you have a great game tonight and a lot of people have made a lot about how there's only one ranked matchup this weekend but what is something else that you're looking forward to this weekend i mean iam aliava and saga pull a teleplay on saturday night and kind of like an old pack 12 after dark match up there cj car goes against wisconsin you've got byron brown and dj lagway in that game old miss in louisville obviously what is uh something else that you're maybe looking forward to this weekend as you go through the games?

1:14:22Well, I think we'll see how this court ruling plays out. For me, it's Clemson, LSU. Clemson has lost a lot of guys. I think they had nine guys drafted, new quarterback starting on the road, Death Valley at night, Lane Kiffin, Portal Kings. How does Sam Levitt handle everything? That's going to be a huge storyline. And then, look, I also think Davo's going to have some things for Lane that maybe Lane doesn't understand. And I just think it's a very difficult place to play at night. And it's going to be a huge litmus test for where Clemson and LSU are at. And the other game is the Ole Miss-Louisville matchup.

1:14:58To me, one of the more underrated games, not a lot of people talking about it. This Louisville team will be better than you think. How does Ole Miss, with a new play caller handle, with Keewon Lacey and Trinidad Chambers, who I think you guys know I'm really high on. But this Louisville team, I think they're going to play Ole Miss a little bit tighter than a lot of people think. But a good first week matchup for me.

1:15:21Pat McAfee:How about Chase Daniel giving us all the breakdown on college football? Love it. Have we ever thought about Chase Daniel maybe diving into a court case? Hey, Chase, you're a former SEC quarterback. What are your thoughts on this breaking news? The SEC, Greg Sankey suing. Okay, if I had a lawsuit against LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin, defendants waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes to play football for LSU during the 2026-2027 season. Now, remember, this is all happening in a Baton Rouge courthouse right now. Wow. So, Greg Sankey, who we did not know if he was going to be showing up at this particular court hearing.

1:15:59Pat McAfee:We had no idea. We knew what lawyers were going to be there. I think he stone-cold Steve Austin through the courthouse, right? Holy hell, the commission's here. I hope we got footage of this from behind the scenes of him deciding to come do this, walk into the beehive, into the buzzsaw that is Baton Rouge for this injunction. And not only are they saying, not only do we defend to what we're saying, we'd like to file suit, actually, against what's happening on your side. You that, we counter. You sue us? Nah. We sue you. How about that? This is a huge deal because I think this is a commissioner in a conference trying to regulate their shit.

1:16:33Pat McAfee:This would be big for the next couple years until this Protect College Sports Act goes through for some sort of regulation, I think. But if you're LSU, you're saying, hey, there's people that are going to be able to lose employment opportunities because of what you're doing. They can definitely go with that particular angle. This is just getting started, I think, Jason. This is in your conference, Chase. Uh-oh. This is your conference where it's happening, that brother. We're such a litigious country. Like, you sue, I sue. We counter sue. We all sue. And, like, I just don't understand that. And, look, it's more like fluffing your chest up like the commissioner is walking through.

1:17:03Like, hey, you're going to do this. I'm going to do that. And so forth and so on. I just think it's LSU trying to have and play within the rules. But then here's where I land on all this, guys. Like at the end of the day, regardless of the court ruling that comes down today, is Lane Kiffin going to have the cojones to actually follow through with playing those guys? Like that's my thing with Daquan Wright and some other guys. That's what I'm going to wonder and see. And it's just like, hey, you know, Lane's a villain. I know Lane's a friend of the show, but he's a villain. I love Lane. I think he's great.

1:17:36He's trying to do what he can to win, but it's going to be an interesting match that we're going to be talking about all week. And SEC nation is going to cover it in depth when we're here, right outside the Mercedes Benz stadium that I'm looking at right now. It's going to be fascinating to see if he act, because the rosters are due 24 hours tomorrow before they play. Like, are they going to play him? I don't know. Yeah.

1:17:59Pat McAfee:Are they going to list them on the roster? I think that would be the first step to potentially telling Sankey and them. I don't think so. We'll have to listen to the ruling. Trey Wallace is reporting that Louisiana Attorney General Liz Merle starts off her remarks outside of Baton Rouge Courthouse with, Go Tigers! She has a purple shirt on in that photo as well. Can we scroll down here? Let's listen to what she has to say, actually. Let's go back to the beginning. Let's turn some audio up here. 58 seconds. Shout out to Trey Wallace for this video outside of Courthouse. Is this before or after?

1:18:26Pat McAfee:This is before the entire thing. Okay, this is... Go Tigers! You issued an amicus brief last night. Why is it so important for your office to get involved? Look, I think this is about fundamental fairness and giving these players a fair forum and an opportunity to be heard. I mean, my brief is very simple. It says this was a bait and switch and it was unfair to them. And they deserve a forum where they can have a fair hearing about how they are being treated by the NCAA and by the SEC. This is obviously not the only hearing that's happening around the country. So, you know, I always find it kind of peculiar when I'm reading about this issue nationally that there's so much of a focus on Louisiana and on LSU in particular when, in fact, these hearings are taking place all over the country.

1:19:17So, you know, I think it's obvious that these players are seeking a fair forum to have their grievances heard, and I think they deserve that. Go Tigers.

1:19:26Pat McAfee:I appreciate that. Obviously, college football is, as Pete Thamel would say, If you're looking for stability, I don't think college football is where you want it at. We got an attorney general saying, go Tigers, walking into a courthouse. We got the SEC suing LSU and Lane Kiffin in an Alabama court. Oh, is that where the – They're suing them in an Alabama court because I believe what the SEC is home, then Mobile, okay, I believe. Is that not the – You think Atlanta. Atlanta, yeah. But I don't – I think it's in Alabama. I think maybe – I don't know how you tie – Not the SEC, not that SEC. No, no, not the tax commission.

1:20:08Not the security exchange. Not Washington, D.C. Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham, Alabama is where the SEC is headed.

1:20:15Pat McAfee:So they're suing him because this is our rules. This is where we are headquartered at. So we're suing you in an Alabama court. We're currently sitting in a Louisiana court. And we got a huge game coming up in just two days, kicking off tonight's college football week one. What an insane time to be alive. We're lucky for it. We can't wait to watch you this season. Good luck out there, Chase. Thanks, guys. Appreciate you. Ladies and gentlemen, that's Chase Daniel. Yeah, Chase. Pete Tham was reporting that the SEC has filed a federal lawsuit in Alabama shooing LSU and Lane Kiffin. Per Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrow, she mentioned in a break in a state court hearing in Louisiana.

1:20:53Pat McAfee:Wow. So we thought maybe today we'd find an answer. We could. If LSU just says, what are we doing? There's more mud. What are we doing? Let's just be done with this shit. Who cares? I don't know if that's happening. We got the best damn tight ends. We already talked about it. Why do we – we don't need this guy. So, Xavier and Harris, D lineman, that's potentially going to join the LSU team. Yeah. Six-foot-eight. D tackle. Okay? Nobody's mentioned his name. They don't have any of it. He is a – He might be probably more important. Yeah, because they got two freshmen D tackled. Now, granted, they're number one and number two – In the world.

1:21:26Pat McAfee:In the entire class. They're too fresh for a de-tackle, but Xavier and Harris, 6 '8", coming in there I think would be a little bit of an assist. You know, because it's not just one player. There's multiple players. Jack Pyburn might be joining them afresh out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I think, camp as he led the entire NFL preseason. Xavier and Harris, go ahead, pal. Pyburn, he accepted an offer from one of the NFL teams. Oh, he was the one of the Chiefs. Yes. Okay, so Daquan Wright. That's who you had. Yeah, yeah. Potentially going there. So, hey. Just be done with it, damn it. There is seemingly a way to be done with this.

1:21:57Pat McAfee:Yeah. Now, I don't know, though, after the lawsuit, because Sankey's suing what damage has already been done. You already did this, right? You already broke our rules. This has already happened. So let's say Lane Kiffin and LSU walk into that courthouse today. Governor Jeff Landry's there. Hey, everybody. Greeting everybody. Hey, welcome to Louisiana. I mean, obviously not on best terms, but hey, welcome to our state here. $100 billion SpaceX invests in Louisiana. We got the biggest rocket place in the man. Okay. Welcome to Louisiana. We know it's not great, but we'll get to the bottom of it. What did they walk in and say?

1:22:32Pat McAfee:All right. We just wanted to see. We just wanted to see what was happening. Because that's kind of what happened with the Sores Beat Texas Tech case with Big 12, where the Big 12 was like kind of pressuring in, pressuring in, pressuring in. Is this what you really want? Is this what you really want? We're not going to. And then all of a sudden, okay. You. Okay. That's what we thought. This one, Sankey showing up at the courthouse. Unannounced, right? Yeah. Did not know that. Definitely not known. Coming in. that's funny what you guys are saying. Actually, we're suing your fucking ass in a different state.

1:23:00Pat McAfee:Is this really what you want to do right now? This really friendly court down here in Baton Rouge, but I think up there in Birmingham, we got a little bit of say. I think we got a little, okay, and they're hoping that that happens. So I think that could all unfold in the next 24 hours, and we will look at it as a wild off-season story, pointing out what college football chaos truly looks like in the state that we're in with no guardrails, no regulation, no rules, but we got a lot of money and employment and labor on the line. That's kind of what is happening, and hopefully by the time Saturday comes, This will all be in the past.

1:23:27Pat McAfee:We don't have to talk about anybody. Let's talk about how incredible these football teams are, which LSU could potentially be this year if we were to talk about just them as a football team. A little on Dabo Swinney coming in there doing his thing. And a lot of teams getting off to the races of a college football season that's very long, going to have to take on a lot of adversity, and phenomenal football is going to be played. Speaking of phenomenal football, congratulations to Michael Wilson. Out there in Arizona, new coach, LaFleur, offensive-minded coach, Quarterback, obviously, Jacoby Brissett.

1:23:57Pat McAfee:Carson Beck had an incredible preseason run. We do believe the offense is going to run well. The wide receiver position is a huge deal in this particular offense. 75 mil. Is that what I read there? Yeah, up to 78 or something. Like 25, 26 a year. I'm saying this. Now they have to spend money. Okay, the salary cap floor. You have to spend money. The Arizona Cardinals are building a brand-new practice facility out there. Brought in a new head coach. Investing in, hopefully, the future. It's like, is it really a new era out there in Arizona? Because they have a couple years here where they are not expected to win many games.

1:24:31Pat McAfee:At all. It's kind of like how the New Orleans Saints were a few years back. Whenever they were in salary cap hell and they were in a tough division, people were like, the Saints probably not going to be good. They bring in Kelly Moe. They start playing a little bit better than everybody expected. Consider it a successful season, even though they were nowhere near making it to the Super Bowl. Feels like the Arizona Cardinals have that for a couple years as they try to build what they are for the future. And maybe they're able to get back into conversation of relevance. Michael Wilson, hell of a football player.

1:24:57Pat McAfee:Congrats to him getting$78 million with$47 of that guaranteed upon signing. I love what's kind of going on over there in Arizona. No real expectations, but if we're good in the next couple years, that's a good thing, AJ. Yeah, I guess. Do they have the lowest over-under of all the teams when you come to odds as far as overall wins this season? I think they're – aren't they tied? I think 3.5 is the bottom, and they're tied. Yeah, 3.5. Okay, 3.5. I mean, yeah, terrible. You don't want to be in that position. But for Newey head coach LaFleur and everything, hey, no one's expecting anything from us.

1:25:32It's like an old-school major league. Let's go out there and shock the world. You go get six wins, imagine. That's like a moral victory, even though we don't have any of those. But no one's expecting anything from these guys.

1:25:41Pat McAfee:Oh, and I think that's why a lot of people were asking Jacoby Brissett why he was sitting out because how many games they won last year. And it's like, well, without me, you guys literally had nothing. And we like Jacoby Brissett. We love Jacoby Brissett. but there wasn't a lot of success over there. So if they did hit the reset button at the quarterback position after trading Kyler Murray away, I think we would all completely understand. Instead, they bring him in there for$17 million a year, I do believe, or something along those lines. He's going to be able to hopefully transition them into whatever era they're going to get to.

1:26:08Pat McAfee:But their defense played hard as hell last year. Obviously, with LaFleur, we think their offense is going to have success. If they become a problem for teams down the stretch, I think their fans will be like, yes, okay. As long as we have some players that we know on the field. We have some hope. You just got to give them some hope heading into next year. Three and a half over under. What a nightmare staring down the season if you're a fan going, here we go again. Even though your city's awesome, stadium's awesome, brand is awesome, logo's awesome, this year doesn't feel like the potential outcome might be, but hopefully in the next couple years.

1:26:37Yeah, and, I mean, they're set kind of at the skill positions now because Michael Wilson will be there until 2029. I think I saw if Marv gets it together, which it looks like he is, that's a great wide receiver. Trey McBride, love, obviously, who we talked about. But now if they get a quarterback in that situation, they're going to be fun to watch. Like when Jacoby took over last year, they were scoring in upper 20s, low 30s every single game. They couldn't get any stops, but they were trying really hard. But they're at least a fun – at least they're a bad team that's fun to watch. They're not scoring like 16.

1:27:07They were trying really hard, Tony. Yes, they were. They were.

1:27:09Pat McAfee:They were. Sometimes. That's good. They got the Rams, the Seahawks, reigning Super Bowl champs, and the Niners in their division. Okay? And how do we talk about all of them right now? High. Very high. I think they play the AFC West, if I'm not mistaken. The West play each other, so yeah. Yeah, so you also got the Chiefs, and you got the Chargers, and the Broncos are in the AFC Championship. So, tough year, but hey, Mike's going to be there for the build. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mike's going to be there for the build. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who's coming off a season in which there was no flubs.

1:27:41Pat McAfee:There was no flaws. Perfect season. Now, he would say that not everything was perfect on every single rep, But whenever you're 16-0, I mean, that's just kind of how it goes. That's in the rear view, though. We got a whole new season with a whole new group of guys. What happened last year does not matter. The only thing that happens is against North Texas. Now, each play is six, seven seconds long, and each play has its own identity. Each play lives on of itself. It does not affect the next play or the previous play. Ladies and gentlemen, joining us now, national champion, Yinzer Paisan legend, West Virginia Mountaineer, head coach of the IU Hoosier football team.

1:28:16Pat McAfee:Ladies and gentlemen, Kurt Cignetti. Yeah, Cig. Coach, how you doing? What's up? Hey, thank you for joining us. How many of the last year doesn't matter messages have you been sending to your team? And do you think they have got that message pretty clear at this stage, just a few days removed from the start of the 2026 season? You know, I really haven't had to send that message very often because it's more about the process and how we do things and the standards, which, you know, we want them to meet the bar consistently. and it's been more about that and they understand that uh there's a subtle reminder now and then but they're smart enough now you know you hope as as the head coach that uh you know that uh hungry humble uh levels where it needs to be i think it is but we'll learn about our team saturday we had charlie on and uh charlie becker on and you you would have loved it i mean we asked him about it he said i don't know anything about that i just know that we got north texas coming up and And then we said, have you guys been, you know, kind of reaping the benefits of what you did last year down there on campus?

1:29:21Pat McAfee:He goes, we have not won a single game. We got North Texas coming up. So know that Charlie has gotten the messaging loud and clear. Can you tell me a little bit about this offense? Obviously, Josh Hoover, new quarterback, coming in for the number one overall pick and Heisman winner, Fernando. I think we heard some reports that maybe offense looks better at this time of year than it did a year ago. Where do you kind of stand right now with how the offense looks? Yeah, I don't know where those reports come from. Okay, so that's not real. Great. I'm happy to hear that, actually. That's a clarification that I think a lot of us were kind of running with there for a bit.

1:29:52I will say this. I mean, last year in the opener against Old Dominion, they ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run the first play of the game. We were down 7-0 before you can blink an eye. And then we had a 90-yard punt return for itself. We didn't score our first offensive touchdown until three minutes ago in the second quarter. But we were inside the 10-6 times and scored 17 points. So we weren't really an offensive juggernaut last year coming out of the open.

1:30:17Pat McAfee:Okay, so this year are you going to be a juggernaut or at least more of a juggernaut? How do you feel about the new offensive quarterback? I guess we'll find out Saturday. I think Josh is in a really good place. He's settled in. He's not thinking. He's playing with confidence. I think the guys have a lot of confidence in him. He's been stringing good practices together. I think he's come a long way. And like everybody else on the team, I'm sure he's excited to play. Offensively in general, it always starts up front with the line. We've got four veteran guys starting up front. I like our running back group a lot.

1:30:52I think we've got three guys we can rotate in and out. And we've got a couple top-notch receivers that have proven production at this level. And Tyler Morris is back from an injury, didn't get to play last year, made some big plays at Michigan, has one more year. And then we've got some young guys with talent. So tight ends are a little young, but, you know, we've got a chance on offense. First thing we've got to do, as you know, is protect the ball. No pre-snap penalties, all that stuff I always talk about. Where you win it, you can't beat yourself. So, you know, defense has been coming along fine.

1:31:27Special teams, you know, like our specialists a lot. It's time to play a game.

1:31:32Pat McAfee:Okay, time to play a game. We'll find out, won't we, against North Texas. And it's crazy still to think that the Indiana Hoosiers are national champions in football. And I know you can't think about that. But it wasn't that long ago you were walking into that basketball court after experiencing an entire day in Bloomington and realizing what the football team was, is, and the expectations are when you call your shot, inevitably. And obviously you had to do some disruption, not only in Bloomington, across the national board, and it ends up working out. Now, everybody else is saying, we just need to do what Sig did in Indiana.

1:32:06Pat McAfee:I don't think, obviously, it's as easy as that, but there's a lot of people thinking like that. Go ahead, Con, man. Yeah, Coach, obviously not everyone can evaluate talent the way you can and take advantage of everybody's skill set, but have you had other coaches reach out this offseason just like, hey, what the hell do you do? How do you do this? What can we do to take from you? Has there been any conversations like that? And have you kind of given out any knowledge or are you keeping it all to yourself so the Hoosiers go back to back? I think there's a lot of people probably interested. Some have reached out to me and others on our staff for sure.

1:32:40I mean, you can't change who you are. You know, we have a certain way of doing things and certain things we've been preaching for a long time because we've been together a long time. So, you know, it's worked in the past, but it is in the past, like you said, and you've got to do it again. and it's a whole new group of guys. But I like the pieces we have, the blueprint, the process has been successful consistently. And I'm looking forward to learning about this team on Saturday and developing them.

1:33:13Pat McAfee:AJ has a follow-up about learning about the team on Saturday. Go ahead, brother. Yeah, Coach, we always wonder, like, going into week one, there's so much unknown. As a head coach, what is it like, especially now in this era when you have so much turnover on your roster? Or do you know, like, how much do you know about your team and how much are you going to learn from that first game? I think I'm going to learn a lot. How much do I know? I know what I've seen at practice. Now we have to respond and put it between the white lines. You know, can we play, play in, play out consistently from play one to 150 with great effort, you know, and compartmentalize and play that one play at a time and on to the next play like it's nothing, nothing game on the line.

1:33:55Can we play disciplined, poised, penalty-free? Are we affected by success or failure? Do we get satisfied if we jump up to a lead? All those things that we preach, I'm interested to see how close they can come to the bar. And, you know, all the openers, to be quite honest with you, you walk away probably with more critiques in the opening game than maybe any other you'll play. But there's always a lot of improvement to be made. They're never perfect or quite where you want them to be. So I think the biggest thing you're trying to get done is not do the things that can cost you a football game.

1:34:42Pre-snap penalties, turnovers, egregious misassignments, special teams, gaffes. And play as consistently as possible and physical. Fly around, start to finish, play in, play out. So you've got to have respect for your opponent. Look. He's in them all.

1:34:59Pat McAfee:He's in them all. He's froze right there. A lot of new bases. They've got 50 transfers, 70 new players. There's a lot of unknowns there. But we can only control what we can control. We can control us, and that's why we've got to have a great practice today. I'll tell you, you just hit them all, I think. I've never seen somebody string all of the football mindset mantras together like that. And I think that is why they're looking at you, the world is, as maybe one of the greatest leaders we have, brother. I don't know if you know that. That is being talked about you from the outside world. I think, obviously, you win the national championship.

1:35:35Pat McAfee:A lot of people know who you are. They're looking back at your old speeches whenever you're saying, And, you know, everything you were just saying to a group of people and then just flowing right through it and go, that's an easy any business. And you just kind of keep it rolling. A lot of people learning about you. A lot of people loving a lot about you. I think the thing I love most is your people, very loyal to you. And you take care of your people. Tone has a question about that. Yeah, Coach, I do. Obviously, special teams coordinator Grant Cain, he's back. Mad scientist Brian Haynes, defense coordinator, he's back.

1:36:05Oh, the two Pittsburgh guys, the offensive geniuses, Sinceri and Shanahan, they're back. How awesome is it that all of your coordinators are back? And how nice is it for you that when you do have, like, your JMU guys have now moved on to the NFL, there might be a couple left over. But having the coaches still and everyone else to kind of integrate into that system for the new players coming in. Yeah, and really all the other coaches too. Quite a few of them have been with me a long time. They're great coaches. John Miller, Pat Koontz, and Ole Adams, Rod O 'Jong, Buda Williams, whom I forget, Bob Bostadline coach.

1:36:39you know it helps a lot because we're on the same page and it filters down to the players it's easier to get them on the same page and get buy-in when the message is very clear and concise now you still you get what you demand and you got to keep the standards high which is important and but I think we're in a pretty good place right now and we'll see you get what you demand you either coach it or allow it you know just all of them right baby either coach it or you're allowing it to happen yeah exactly i mean coach you were born to do this

1:37:18Pat McAfee:uh we're so lucky that we're getting to watch it in this particular era especially with where we are here in indianapolis and our ties to hoosier all around us literally all day every day congrats on all the success i did not know though i talked to a brother i think you used to spend summers in plumb is that right oh yeah every summer uh you know middle school and even the high school you know holiday park right yeah yeah the kunkles they had a they had a swimming pool you know that was a big deal back then yeah you know i know the kunkles yeah yeah you and frank yeah i think i was told by his brother hey we spent the summers in plumb like every single summer i'm like so plumb created maybe the greatest leader of all time i did not know we need to start claiming that.

1:38:04Easy now.

1:38:05Pat McAfee:Yeah, okay. All right, well, I'm going to start taking credit for it. We love that you were drinking some plum water, though, that got you to where you are. Congrats on all the success. You're doing really good for all of us, pal. All right, guys, I appreciate you. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Kurt Signetti. Yes, sir. The Kunkels, yeah, of course. Kunkels had a pool, buff ground pool. We love jumping in it. Kunkels. There was a Jason Kunkel, I believe. I assume this would be their dad. Kurt Kunkel. Oh, you actually know the Kunkles? Like, you really do? Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. Wow. A lot of Plum families are just there, you know?

1:38:38Pat McAfee:Like, we got generations. Not a lot of the Ingers leave the city. Yeah, you are here. Okay, this is where home is. Got it. You know, a lot of pride in Plum, man. A lot of pride in Plum, especially now. We got, hey, our sports, we're winning. We are winning. We got a quarterback, little John Nonnenberg. I think he threw for three touchdowns, ran for one in the opener. Yeah, I think. That plays. Yeah, we got a real team, I think. A bunch of dogs everywhere. Obviously, if you're in Plum, you're a dog. We understand that. So our sports are rolling. We created Kurt Signetti. That's pretty cool. I didn't know that.

1:39:10Pat McAfee:You know, NIL for Plum is open, Coach. If you would like to help out any of the lads back there, that would be a beautiful thing. I can't wait to get started. I mean, just talking to Coach right there, it takes me immediately back to the college football playoffs last year whenever we're doing field pass and just watching him, like, literally just break down a moment in a situation and then go talk to his coaches. and then just all of the anxiety, the pressure, the tension, the energy, the electricity. It's like all of that's coming back. We're so close to that right now, AJ. We're literally so close to that.

1:39:39Pat McAfee:Go ahead, Connor. What's that? I'm sorry. I don't want to – I would say the warm-ups to me are special. These college warm-ups, when we see them all come out, you know, you never know. Some teams are talking trash back and forth to each other. But watching them, like we all know, anyone that played sports at any level, especially football, the anxious nerves slash energy in warm-ups, You can feel that, especially when you get to be down on the field like we have been sometimes. You can feel it, you know, as the Brahma Bull has said. Oh, yeah. But just all of the things, Con, man, I didn't want to cut you off, but I think you were about to talk about the greatness that's about to take place.

1:40:11Yeah, no, not at all. It's just the week one excitement is so awesome. And when you bring up college football playoff right there, it just takes you back even to the Big Ten championship. Like watching Indiana and Ohio State and how big the conference title games are, because that is kind of the next one. It's like, hey, week one has got a great slate, But some of these big matchups that are coming, like Texas-Ohio State week two, is going to be huge. Both those teams are in the top four for odds to win the national championship. And you get that week two, and you would think that's just one of those one-offs that you don't get that often.

1:40:43There's a game like that every single week, it feels like. So it really is just one of those things that you're just so lucky and blessed to be able to watch football going forward.

1:40:52Pat McAfee:We've made it. Let's enjoy it. Joining us now, ladies and gentlemen, is a man who is trying to take care of fellow athletes, I do believe. Nice. Alongside JPMorgan Chase in the Athlete Council, which has stars like Tom Brady. What? Jalen Brunson. What? Asia Wilson. What? Alex Morgan. What? Megan Rapinoe. Dwayne Wade. What? And this man, ladies and gentlemen, former number five overall pick for the New York Giants out of Oregon. The man who's going to be breaking down what he's doing with JPMorgan Chase and what he's going to be doing for John Harbaugh this season. Ladies and gentlemen, stud, Kayvon Thibodeau.

1:41:31Yeah, Kayvon! Sir, how's everybody doing?

1:41:34Pat McAfee:Hey, great, how are you? Thank you for doing this with JPMorgan Chase. From my understanding of reading about it, you're going to be checking in with them, letting them know what your life is like so they can be better equipped to handle athletes' finances and take care of next generation. Is that accurate with what this council is meant to be? Yeah, I think it's really meant to, you know, get an insight from the player perspective on what we need. I think, you know, there's a big challenge when finding the parallels between kind of finance and the day-to-day life of an athlete. But it's kind of on us to help the younger generation with NIL being, you know, attainable to really understand, you know, how to build their legacy and their finance.

1:42:13Pat McAfee:Yeah, and help themselves in the future. You know, future you'll be thankful if you take care of it right now. All of us have been through a little bit of a run, maybe where you thought to yourself, man, they shouldn't have given me money. This is a bad idea. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself there. Obviously show up year two with about$25 left in my bank account after a great offseason after year one. So maybe, Kayvon, you could go back in time and talk to a young me and say, hey, that's not the smartest decision. Let's talk about the money story because Kawhi Leonard, it's happening right now.

1:42:40Pat McAfee:You know, there's massive, massive things happening where Kawhi did not know somebody else had complete control of his money. I think educating people about finances and what is possible in the future, especially in the athlete world, is brilliant. I love what you're doing here, Kayvon. So good luck with that. Let's talk a little bit about football now. This Giants team, obviously brand new culture, brand new environment. You guys go down to West Virginia. We're doing all ball. Come back, we're doing all ball. How do you feel about Coach Harbaugh, and what do you expect from the team this year versus maybe years past?

1:43:09I love Harbaugh. I'm super excited about, you know, what the team has in store. I don't want to give away too much but it's going to be nasty man the defense is going to be nasty the offense is looking good I'm excited we got some weapons we got a good system in place so shit the sky's the limit

1:43:26Pat McAfee:I think the sky what has Harbaugh been like you enjoy him day to day have you gotten to know him better like what is your relationship with him and your team's relationship with him I would say he's definitely different than you see on TV you know and then I guess what I thought of him kind of coming in and now playing for him but I think he's a great coach I think he's a player's guy. You know, he does it a certain way, and I think it's easy to buy in when you see somebody who lays it all on the line like that. And I just mean from the idea of, like, you stand for something or fall for anything, and he's a guy who's real old school, but you grow to love it.

1:43:59Pat McAfee:Yeah, he's in there, what, squatting still, right? Oh, yeah. Everybody talks about his brother. Yeah, he's like 63, 64, still squatting, hitting 400 pounds. Yeah, he's doing it. Yeah, he's a football guy. I think his entire family, you know, football people through and through. AJ has a question for you, Kayvon. Yeah, just about training camp. Obviously, you guys went down to West Virginia. Pat mentioned we know hardballs camps have kind of people talked about it for years. Like it's no nonsense, like all business camps, usually pretty physical. I guess. How did you guys come through that? It sounds like everything went great down there and you guys worked hard and loved it.

1:44:28But like, what was it like being part of it? I think it was pretty great, man. I think, you know, for me, you know, I like to kind of look at things from a, I guess, a worldview. And after seeing how hard we practice and seeing people able to stay healthy, you know, we had a few guys get hurt in the beginning, you know, before in OTAs, but coming into the training camp, I think we really went really solid, you know, in how much work we were able to get done and how much better we got as a team without, you know, people getting hurt, as you can, you know, see across the league.

1:44:55Pat McAfee:Giants defensive coordinator Denard Wilson said this about Kayvon Thibodeau. He's probably one of the hardest working individuals that I've ever met. He's a glue guy from a team standpoint, from a unit standpoint. He's well-respected. He'll speak his mind. He's a guy that his teammates love being around him, and he wants somebody that's always around that's just true and honest with him because he's going to have some crazy questions, okay? I think he's comfortable being around this coaching staff. We accept him for who he is and what he represents. Obviously, that's high praise from your defense coordinator.

1:45:26Pat McAfee:What do you think that means? Tell me some of these questions we're asking. I would like to hear this because I just heard you say I have a worldview on some stuff. Obviously, it got mentioned about the crypto conversations whenever you came out of college. It does seem like you are a deep thinker. And I think if you're around the right people, they will only amplify that and spotlight that. It sounds like defense coordinator is that. Can you tell me about your relationship with him and what that means with some of the questions you're asking? Maybe I could start asking them as well. I think, you know, I think you ask questions to understand.

1:45:55And I think when you are able to be around people who, you know, want the best for you. And I think I've heard a phrase that say, like, you know, the greatest teachers can teach anybody. So being able to, for me, be a sponge with Denard, I think it's been great. Even with Harbaugh, like those guys are very detailed. They want to be involved as much as they can, and they want to see you succeed. So for them, you know, they're finding different ways to just break down the defense for not just me, but for everybody, for all the young guys coming in. And I think, you know, I've always been a guy who I don't necessarily ask the question for me, but I ask the question for the room.

1:46:32You know, because some guys are, you know, can be afraid or they might be too nervous to act like they or feel like they don't know. So for me, I've never been afraid to kind of get those answers.

1:46:43Pat McAfee:Yeah, and your teammates appreciating and respecting you is a big part of that, obviously. Because if you speak up for your teammates and you're wrong, obviously, they're going to run your ass out of town. You know, if you're speaking up for the right reasons, they'll go, we love this guy. This is, we need this, you know. But there's some battles that get into speaking the mind of people. So when you get to a place where you're celebrated as opposed to just tolerated, I think magic can happen. Do you feel that with this new Giants staff and how you feel about the defense? You know, it's a meritocracy in football.

1:47:08You got to do something first. And I think now it's crazy even looking at me being in my fifth year. But every year is a new year to prove and reprove yourself in this league. So for me, I think, you know, I had a great OTA. I had a great camp. And just, you know, through how I play and how everybody plays, you know, you're just constantly building respect from your teammates and from the coaches.

1:47:26Pat McAfee:Are we wearing the big elbow sleeve again? Just my first time getting a look, really. Not bad. Maybe both of them. Bionic arms. You know, I'm actually, I might let go of the elbow braces this year. I don't think I'll be wearing them this year. Okay, that feels like breaking news. That is a massive team. That might be breaking news. Yeah, it feels like it is breaking news. Obviously, you're breaking quarterbacks in half when you get the opportunity. But we need our quarterback to not get broken in half. Connor has a question for you, Kayvon. Speaker 2 4 Yeah, K Vaughn. There's a report during your training camp that basically when Jackson Darts slid one time, the whole defense erupted start, you know, clapping for him, pat him on the head.

1:48:02Is that something you guys are reminding him of every single day? And what have you seen from him year one to year two and how comfortable he is just being the franchise quarterback of the giants? Speaker 2 4 Yeah, I would say that's one of those, like, don't touch the hot stove type situations. You know, he's a guy who loves to run. That's the way he plays. He's he loves the game. But you know, for us, we're like those big brothers. that are like, bro, like, we love you. You got on the red jersey in practice, but please slide. We need you. No blue tents this year, man. Yeah, no blue tents. Jeez.

1:48:32He's developed. I think he's primed to go. The coaching staff has really, you know, took heed to him and the team has took heed to him. And I think even with going against the defense and Denards, it's really given him the best opportunity to challenge himself, you know, in training camp.

1:48:48Pat McAfee:Yeah, a blue tent in preseason game. Yeah, it wasn't happening. Can't have that. Okay, now he wasn't thrilled about it either. I do think some of those things are a little jump-the-gun-ish. You know, we play a violent sport, and sometimes, you know, a guy just wants to get up and shake it off. After talking to him about that, he said he was fine. You know, sometimes they call it from New York and make you go into the Blue 10. But hopefully, you know, this season he'll be able to take some hits and keep it rolling. You need to tell him not to take a catnap on the ground after he gets hit that because we're all kind of worried about it.

1:49:17Pat McAfee:We're all kind of worried about it. He got jacked up. But I think he just got comfortable, too. You know, like, alarm goes off, and you're like snooze, and then you roll over, and somehow it's the most comfortable you've ever been in your life. I wonder if that's what he felt on the ground. Plus feeling it. Might have missed it. You know, like, oh, wow, it's so nice to be back on a football field. Yeah, I love the turf here. Maybe just lay down because of that. We don't know, Kayvon. You would know better than us. Sometimes you're just catching your breath, man. Sometimes you just got to get up.

1:49:43You got to just take a beat, take a beat, and get back into it.

1:49:46Pat McAfee:Preseason football, we're back in this thing. Get up, you. Out. You spent way too long. I was breathing. I love it. At least let me wiggle back to me huddle. You know, we appreciate you, man. Thank you for joining us. Good luck this season. And thank you for doing what you're doing for other athletes. That's really cool. Yes, sir. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, that's New York Giant, Kayvon Thibodeau. Yay, Kayvon. A lot of other athletes. Jalen Brunson on that list that you read. I didn't even put that together. Yeah, Jalen Brunson's on there representing basketball. Dwayne Reed also representing basketball.

1:50:17Pat McAfee:Kayvon Thibodeau. Tom Brady representing football. Sue Bird, Asia Wilson, and, yep, representing basketball. Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe representing soccer. Sure, yeah. You know, it's across all board. Different levels of payments as well here, you know. Different levels of money here. Yeah, for sure. Dwayne Wade owns the Utah Jazz. That's right, yep. And the Mammon. Tom Brady owns two professional sports, three professional sports. Yeah, Bowman and MFC. Asia Wilson and Sue Bird. Sue Bird didn't even get to reap the benefit here of the million-dollar max that just happened. So I think it's supposed to be, I assume, all levels of payment, how we can take care of you and help.

1:50:58Pat McAfee:I think that's a big deal because money management and swindling has been happening for a long time, especially to athletes and others that maybe don't know a lot or have a lot of information going into it. It's like learning about all that. I got drafted 2009, 2008. every rich person i would go on to meet they lost all their money in 2008 yep and it's like okay so i don't trust a single person to do anything it just vanishes yeah it's just somehow everybody's money just gone it's kind of a fun little game it's like i would like to at least enjoy my money no this is smart if i'm gonna lose it no no you invest in this you definitely get bang bang bang think about the future you won't have to work it's like yeah but what if 2008 happened everybody i heard everybody lost all their money it's like no we got it thanks a lot mortgage companies Yeah.

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1:52:57Pat McAfee:All right, let's wrap up this glorious Thursday with a couple oh-nos, shall we? A couple oh-nos as we are up against a hard out here. I don't know if you guys saw this or not. George Pickens was golfing with the Dallas Cowboys, and I think it needs to be watched just to understand what one of the most athletic people to ever exist does with a golf club, but also how tight the Dallas Cowboys are. Let's listen in. Who's that guy?

1:53:31Okay,

1:53:34Pat McAfee:who's the guy standing front left right in front of the tee box there? We need to get him out of there. My goodness. Okay, we need to get him. What are we doing? I don't like how reckless they are potentially with tee box etiquette and where to stand potentially with a not good golfer, but I do like that all the boys are out there laughing, having a good time, and they're comfortable enough with each other that they'll stand right in front of a guy that can't drive a golf ball. I like where the Cowboys are. Might fall off a cliff, too. You get hit by a ball and fall off the cliff. Yeah. I mean, just worst case scenario for guy front left there.

1:54:02Pat McAfee:GP would hop back on the saddle and blast one. He did pipe one. Yeah, because he's obviously an incredible athlete, but certainly an oh-no as we look around. And then there's a couple highlights that need to be. Nine home runs were hitting a game this year. What? This week. The Cubs hit nine home runs. Nine? Nine of them. You want big bombs? Well, the Chicago Cubs got nine of them for it. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. It ended on a 40-mile-an-hour floater when they hit the ninth one. As we wrap up here and head into the greatest weekend we've had in a long time, because college football is about to kick off in a huge way, be live on college game day, 9 a.m.

1:54:44Pat McAfee:Eastern, Saturday morning. That feels good to say. We'll see you in Baton Rouge. Be a friend. Tell a friend something nice. It might change their life. Have the greatest weekend of all time. Goodbye. Okay, a pretty good little send-off. Yeah. Man. Baton Rouge. Operator, won't you put me on through? Got to bring my load down to Baton Rouge. Hurry up, put a buddy on the line. Gotta say my dog just one more time. That is sick just to think about. What's the forecast? Like 72, the high? No, yeah. There's some tropical storms down there. I guess it's going to be pretty thick. You know, not that Louisiana isn't normally pretty thick, but I guess it's going to be pretty thick down there.

1:55:20Pat McAfee:And hopefully there isn't any storms that come through. Obviously, we've got a celebration to have. But if it's raining down there, I think that adds to the entire football scene. I think that's a good thing, not a bad thing. It's 93 here. We shouldn't act like going outside up here right now. Hawk, I'm assuming it's the same in Ohio. It's hot as fuck everywhere. And I honestly think it's awesome. Okay? It's September. We are two months away from being like, fuck, this sucks. All right. I like that you like the heat right now. I truly do. Like, even just sitting outside, it's like, you know what?

1:55:50It could be worse. It could be fucking 30 degrees.

1:55:53Pat McAfee:You got called in yesterday from sitting outside to do the fantasy football draft. That took about an hour and a half, two hours. I didn't know you guys were making so many picks. So who ended up with the best team? Is there a power ranking? There actually are. There are. To Mike Hawk, which is AJ's team, his team is very high in the power rankings. I do believe Ty, who was actually incapacitated for the entire draft, so the computer, he was auto-drafted. Oh, the computer range itself is the highest draft. I believe he ended up with the number one team in the power rankings. And, yeah, there's Mike Hawk right there.

1:56:25And also Zito, Indiana Bears. Also an auto-draft. Ended up with the number two team. Oh, the computer likes its own picks.

1:56:32Pat McAfee:Yes, it does. It does feel like the auto-drafters here had a little bit of a success story, but that's the thing about fantasy football. It's a nice game. Bingo. And that never works out how it ends up being at the end of the year. Especially with ESPN. Okay, so let's go through some of the names here because I can only see a portion of them. Mike Hawk right there is obviously one. Evans Excel. Excellent team. Yeah, I haven't named my team yet. Still workshopping. He loves Microsoft Excel. Okay. Yeah, that's what I thought maybe. If we could go through the team names. Shugging down beers. I like that.

1:57:04Shugging. Like a play on Tyler Shuck's name.

1:57:06Pat McAfee:Yeah, Tyler. You got it. Bruce's baloney boppers. Yep. That's his pregame meal. The Maduke men. Yep. Men, obviously. Who's that? That's Nick. Nicky Skates. Okay, I like Maduke men. Giggsie baby. That is Tony Giggs. Tony Giggs, baby. Okay, I like that. Giggsie baby. Don't talk to me about heritage. Cartage. That's a kind of ode to McGee from Ty Schmidt. That's Ty Schmidt. Okay. Gordo gang. That's Gertie. Oh, okay. House of Butler. Oh, he's really into the house of the thing. Dragon. Yeah. He's really into it. His team fucking sucks, unfortunately. I saw him take a couple laps trying to figure out who he was going to pick.

1:57:48Pat McAfee:Yeah. You guys are really heckling him. This is the first time he's taking it serious. I think we should maybe understand that because you guys are trying to bully him out of last night. He took two running backs, which, you know, you only have to start two, but if one of them get hurt or if one of them are in a bye week, he doesn't have a full lineup to start. So it's tough. So he's got to make some trades, but he heard running backs are the most important position. Maybe one of them will get hurt heading into the season. So we not only have the House of Butler team, we also have, as he headed to the roster, Bubba Gompino.

1:58:18Pat McAfee:Like that. Yeah, just classic. Solid squad. Yeah, this is what – the bone zone. Yeah. Who's the bone zone? That would be the bone, the bone, titties himself. I thought it was potentially Bailey McComas because Bailey McComas is the bone zone. Like when you think of the bone. Yeah, yeah. That's where he lived. Mike Hawk, self-explanatory. Tick-tock on the clock. Shout out, talk. That's a good name on there. He also allegedly very good fantasy footballer. Very good fantasy football player. It's one of those things where it doesn't make any sense, but somehow he always pulls it out. Well, he edited a six-minute video down to a three-minute video in two and a half minutes today.

1:58:54Pat McAfee:Exactly. I didn't know how he did that. It was certainly, he's impressive. The Indiana Bears. Okay, that's Ziti. That's Ziti, yep. Okay, I like that he's pushing maybe for a new name up there. He's good with it. I like that because he lives here, so maybe we get a. The Shaboobies team. Shaboobies? Yeah, that is the wordsmith. Mitt McMahon, I believe. Mitt? Yeah, I believe that is Mitt. Shaboobies. So it's like one. I couldn't even think to get into his brain what it means. Is that supposed to be Shaboozy? Or Shaboo? It could be Shaboozy. No, it's just because he thinks boobs are great, probably.

1:59:28Pat McAfee:So instead of like shebang, it's like Shaboobies. Yeah, I think so. I do think that, AJ. AJ, it is funny that you think I think that boobies are great, and I do, but it's actually a play on something, I assume. We don't know. Shaboobies. Where is he? Mitt, are you near a microphone, pal? What is Shaboobies a play on Shaboosey, or is it just a play on shabang, or is it a play on I just like boobs, man? I was listening to a Shabuzi song, and this just came in my head while I was making my name. He's an artist. I just thought it was funny. Who is he? Boobies. He actually probably heard Shabuzi's name said, and he was like, did they say Boobies?

2:00:07Pat McAfee:No, that's a clever name, though, actually. I'm going to do that. Shabubies, obviously right above SEAL Team Knicks. Now you know who that is since Bone Zone's taken from D-Bone. Okay, Bill would definitely get the SEALs in there. I appreciate that. Shout out to Knicks being utilized in a SEAL Team thing. and then Evan's excellent team. I just haven't had any time to think of a clever name. Keep it. I mean, that is pretty clever. I think he called myself AJ's Astounding Team before. E-E-E-E-E-E-E. That's real. I like that. So you're the E-E-T. Yeah, let's go with it. Sweet. And then in the trenches, that's AQ Shipland?

2:00:45Pat McAfee:That is AQ Shipland. He has a very formidable team, actually. He was very nervous after the draft. He was like, hey, that was my first one. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. Is my team okay? And he actually does have a great team. You guys, there's already been a trade request. Yeah. Yeah. And that's up to you, Commissioner. You're the commissioner of the league, so you can kind of. You got to prove it or not. You know, let people know what's going on. I like action. I like trades. Absolutely. Sounds like a couple of the team's owners don't like it. I believe there's already been a couple people who have voted to veto this particular trade that Bone initiated alongside SEAL Team Nick's bill this morning.

2:01:20Pat McAfee:So I would like to let everybody know in my, if I am to be running league. Yes. Which you are. More trades better. I want K. Okay. If you're able to get somebody to agree to a deal, that's on you guys. And this trade is fine. Push the trade through. I just got to put, can I go on there and ask to trade somebody? You're just going to accept it? Yeah. No, we would have to. We are approving every single trade, of course. Yeah. And the other team has to accept it. It's not like you can ask for my best players and pack and say, yes. Like I would have to accept it. then Pat can approve it and we can push it through.

2:01:51Pat McAfee:If you two lads figure out your own business and agree on a deal, who would I be to say no? Exactly. Not going to ever do that. Got to look out for collusion, though, Mr. Commissioner. There are a lot of teams in this league. A lot of horses might be out of the race pretty early. We got to make sure there isn't some teaming up going on. We will certainly keep our eyes on any potential tanking and supporting of other teams that might take place in the Thunder, DraftKings, Thunderdome, Thunder League. Yes, and that's also on us, too, as owners. This is our league. We can't just let collusion come into it.

2:02:25You have final say, but we have to police ourselves in some. This is your league. These are our teams. Okay. We love them. That's back soon. How many players did you draft, Hoggo? Because we were kind of confused. Sometimes you did pick a guy, and then other times it felt like you let the computer take the wheel. Oh, really? I picked my first two. and then I trusted Sweet Blake in the computer.

2:02:50Pat McAfee:Sweet Blake trusted the computer a little bit too much. Yeah, he did. From our understanding. He liked it. He loved that computer. We've been on top of the AI story since the very beginning. You're right. To be honest. Sweet Blake. Yeah. AI experts right now don't even know what we're talking about. That man was in love. Is that man alive? Definitely. Yeah. He's half a robot. He hasn't left his computer. He has three kids with that computer. He's just a part of it now. They're one. 3D printing them things. Like this, right? Yeah. He's been a dick in a server for two years. We don't think physically he's actually doing that.

2:03:24Pat McAfee:I actually don't know. Mentally. He probably built a fleshlight thing into a stack of computers. Maybe. That's what people are saying about him, and I didn't like that because he was so invested in the future of society that he really wanted everybody to know, like, hey, these things are getting feelings, and I'm getting feelings too. Yeah. I gotta step away. Shout out to Sweet Blake doing that. Maybe more people should potentially think about doing that in the AI world. Made a movie about it. They're pushing it a little bit to what movie they are. Her? Oh, is that Joaquin? Joaquin Phoenix. He falls in love with Scarlett Johansson.

2:03:54Was it good? No, I've never seen it. I haven't seen it. Joaquin hates milk. Hates milk. Oh, goodness. That guy hates killing cows.

2:04:03Pat McAfee:Well, separating cows from their milk. Yes. He's a vegan? I don't know. I think he's like, I don't know. He actually gave an answer. What happens if you don't milk a dairy cow? What happens? Their teats. They pop like balloons. yeah explode everywhere he gave an answer he gave an answer about that uh about that interview there it had something to do with like his brother or something i don't know it had a very sentimental meaning not to do with the cats well i walking phoenix the artist bro yeah yeah he's a beast you're in the middle of your artistry you gotta do what you have that's napoleon all right let's get the hell out of here let's head down to baton rouge hey good luck man let's go oh man hey have fun yeah i think it's gonna be a good time i think it's gonna be a blast awesome time laney wilson performing too that's a big deal that's gonna be sweet most if you see lane tell them to get his together man yeah and tell him i ain't his friend i heard someone say that we're friends of the program he ain't a friend of mine tell him i said that tell him i was a huge fan he broke my heart yeah what i got your back me too really yeah ain't no friend of mine i'm a Kirby's smart.

2:05:11No friend of his is no friend of mine. What?

2:05:14Pat McAfee:I got his back. If you're not a friend of his, you're not a friend of mine. Bingo. You said no friend of his is a friend of mine. I'm team Kirby. That's kind of the opposite you're talking about. Yeah, every new. Kirby, Ryan Day, Dan Lanning. Boom. Those are our guys. Marcus Freeman. Marcus Freeman. Crystal Ball. SIG. Mario. Crystal Ball. Fuck that guy. That's how a lot of people feel, man. I was, I'm not kidding. A year ago right now, I was pulling for Ole Miss to win the national championship. He sucked you in. And now, fuck it. He sucked you down too. You were in there too. I mean, face-to-face, I tell him I love him, but.

2:05:54I wouldn't. This is one of those things where I'd be like, yeah, fuck you. Really? Yes. Absolutely. I feel like you feel personally hurt by like Kiffin. It's not even personally hurt. It's more like I'm bummed out. Okay, so it's disappointment. It's disappointment. It's complete disappointment. It was like, man, I can see this guy having a statue outside Ole Miss like Saban does outside of Alabama. And instead, they wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire. Pete Golden. Pete Golden.

2:06:27Pat McAfee:All right, let's get out of here. We appreciate you all so much for allowing us to do this for a living. If it wasn't for all of you, we wouldn't be able to do this. I'll tell you what. but the new traffic flow outside of Thunderdome is something. It's actually kind of nice. Yeah, it's quiet. So quiet. Then there's like a, you know, a string of like 14 cars coming right down the middle of this neighborhood over here. Yeah. And I wonder how they feel just, oh, great. You guys just plowing through our neighborhood now as the roundabout gets built into place. Allegedly, yesterday, we had police stop by around 5 o 'clockish or so, 5.15, and said, hey, do you have a camera shooting out to the roundabout?

2:07:05Pat McAfee:I'm like, I don't think so, man. and we have it to the gate or whatever, you know, so we can see if somebody's here or whatever. We don't have a why. He goes, I guess some drunk driver yesterday came through this, like, 90 miles an hour or whatever, rolling on just hubcaps or whatever, just the rims, no wheels, in the afternoon rolling through here. It's like, damn, pretty dangerous operation we got around. Can you wreck? Yeah, wrecked. Got arrested. Big time. Oh, jeez. I guess it was a pretty big little situation out here. I didn't hear any of it. And that's when I knew that that's not good. Guy was going 90 miles an hour into the construction site, literally 200 yards outside his building.

2:07:40Pat McAfee:I didn't hear any of that. I was on call. Fortress of solitude. Soundproof. I guess. But I'll tell you what, they can certainly affect what's going on out here. Shout out to the construction workers out there doing their thing today. We appreciate you, lads. Crushing it. Crushing it. Absolutely crushing it. We appreciate them doing this work in this heat. But also, it seems like they're operating very efficiently. We respect and appreciate that as they get after it out here. Are you okay, Tony? It seemed like you were getting real excited to say something, but then he backed off the microphone.

2:08:05Pat McAfee:Yep. And I'm going to keep it that way. You got it. Thank you. We will see you. What did it have to do with, Tone? What was the topic? AJ, we're on the exit ramp here. I'll text you after. My bad. I do like the journalism follow-up, though. What's Bobby Carpenter up to? What do you mean? He got done running 20 half-casters a couple weeks ago. He's pissed that people are talking shit on that linebacker room. Really? Oh, yeah. It's very. I wouldn't say people. Bob will respond to one random week and act like the world's attacking the whole room. I like that you need that. I agree. Somebody finding chips to put on the shoulder, I certainly like people that do that, especially for a football season as it goes forward.

2:08:51Pat McAfee:How old is he now? He's 40? 43. And he ran how many gassers? 20 half gassers. That was our college test. He runs in the same time, same rest time as we do back then. Every birthday year. This year, it felt like he was the most unprepared. Yeah, like it was the background. Yeah, and he did it. Felt like he was like, uh-oh, I see it now. And he quoted Schlegel. He said something. He said, bang, bang, Anthony Schlegel. Something. It was a good quote. Schlegel has like 50 of them, so I don't know which one. Bobby Carpenter's name popped up in the text yesterday as I was on like two different calls, and I just got like so excited.

2:09:27Pat McAfee:I don't know how many people's names pop up in text messages where I just get like immediately, yes. Can't wait to see what this is. There's a handful. That was first time, long time. I saw Robert Carpenter pop up on the phone, and I was like, yes. What the fuck is this guy up to right now? This is him. This is previous. Yeah, it's a couple years ago. That's his 40-year-old run, I think. Yeah, this is 41, maybe. 2023? No, maybe 40. This was his 40th. He looked good. He was preparing for his 40th, I think. 43, he did not prepare for as much. Remember, this guy's a morning talk show in Columbus.

2:09:59Pat McAfee:Yep. Okay, 6 a.m., probably 5 a.m. wake-up call. He's 43 years old, running a test at 18-, 19-year-olds who are in the prime of their life, getting pushed harder than they've ever been pushed before, and he's still doing it. We're proud of Bobby. We're proud of old Robert. And thank you for being a hilarious human. And, A.J., what were you dressed up as? There was some Patriot game thing that you were at? We had our charity event. Had our charity event, yeah. I was like an American, back in the day, American. Just refuses to invite us. Again. Refuses. I've invited you guys many. There you have it.

2:10:35There you have it. How the fuck have you ever done that? Thanks, Hoggle.

2:10:38Pat McAfee:I didn't even get an invite to this thing. I saw it pop on the screen. I love America. And I see AJ dressed up the way he is. If we can find that photo, if you find AJ dressed up the way he was dressed. Bobby Carpenter's IG. Yeah. And is this the, is this, when was this? Was my name. A couple weeks ago. This was a couple weeks ago. Thanks, Captain Crunch. I'll tell you what. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I invited you guys many times. No, you didn't. Come on, man. That's a bold-faced lie. And listen, we've been reading it all over the internet. There's a lot of people that don't want to invite us to their stuff.

2:11:09Pat McAfee:Yeah, I get it. Sure. There's people we're friends with, we thought, that were just like, to hell with these people. So we understand it. Believe me, we understand more than anybody. Just know that we're all bummed out. We missed out on seeing you in real life dressed like this. This is what we need to start seeing more of. You see that? Yeah. I understand it because a lot of times I want to invite you guys over, but then like I don't want to invite some of the people in here over so then nobody gets an invite. So it's not, you know, I think we're in the process where if I, an invite is more of like a, why, why would you invite me to this?

2:11:37That's what it's like. No.

2:11:39Pat McAfee:What? Don't ever get to that point in life, especially if friends. We'd be honored. Okay, good. I honestly, I feel like a, you know, like a, a ball and chain. If I send something to you or a burden, if you try to ask you to come like, oh man, this person's going to have to feel bad saying no now. I don't like, I don't like doing that. No, I don't think you should think that we feel bad saying no. I think everybody kind of understands that we're pretty busy and we got a lot of shit going on. But, man, seeing the invite feels good. Seeing the invite. See, I took it the other way. No, seeing the invite feels good.

2:12:07Pat McAfee:It's like we're invited. Like people want it. Yeah. Because think about all the things that have been said about me and about us over the last, it would have been really nice to get invited to AJ's event after everything. Especially when you get to dress up like Mel Gibson in the Patriots. The fun we had at his birthday party that time. I'll never forget it. Yeah, I appreciate it. That was, thank you. Bruce robbed the hotel. I mean, how could I ever forget the good time? All right. There's something going on. Allegedly. There's something going on outside. We've got to go check it out. Be a friend.

2:12:31Pat McAfee:Tell a friend something nice. You might change your life. We're in this thing together. We appreciate all of you so much. Team on me. Team on three. Have the greatest weekend of all time, baby. One, two, three. Team. Goodbye. Mysteries unravel and stunning truths are revealed when 2020 investigates. Follow the clues, the evidence, the breaking new details. ABC's 2020 means. True murder. mystery. Shocking. If you follow true crime in 2020, then you've got to listen to this. Subscribe now to 2020 True Crime Plus. Ad-free, exclusive true crime content. Search 2020 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts and start your free trial.

2:13:12Pat McAfee:Terms apply. In ESPN's wild world of college football, every Saturday begins with a ritual. And then, the migration turns to mayhem. Predators hunt Territories are defended Rivals clash In this wild world Legends are unleashed on Saturdays No one brings you closer to the wild Than ESPN College football on ESPN Continues Labor Day weekend Witness the wild on ABC ESPN And the ESPN app

From the publisher

On today's College Football Thursday Pat, AJ Hawk, and the boys have a STACKED show as college ball kicks off Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. County Music Superstar Lainey Wilson joins the show to reveal that she will be the celebrity guest picker for College GameDay and talks about her excitement to return home, the next chapter of her career and her husband, Pittsburgh Steelers legend Duck Hodges. Also joining the progrum is 7x National Champion and the GOAT Nick Saban to talk about this weekend, LSU, and his 6-part series titled ‘Saban’ coming to the ESPN app October 8th, Senior NBA Insider for ESPN Shams Charania to discuss the MASSIVE news that broke yesterday afternoon with the NBA handing the Los Angeles Clippers one of the largest punishments in league history. ESPN College Football and NFL Analyst Chase Daniel who’s on the call tonight for Colorado vs. Georgia Tech, breaks down the game itself along with LSU vs. Clemson, and what QB-Offensive Coordinator duo he’s looking forward to the most this NFL season, Indiana Football Head Coach Curt Cignetti reflects on last season after winning a National Championship and his outlook on this upcoming season as the team gears up for North Texas, then Kayvon Thibodeaux stops by on behalf of JP Morgan and Chase, and discusses everything with the New York Giants as he enters his 5th year with the franchise with a new staff and Head Coach Make sure to subscribe to ⁠youtube.com/thepatmcafeeshow⁠ or watch on ESPN (12-2 EDT), ESPN’s Youtube (12-3 EDT), or ESPN+.We appreciate the hell out of all of YOU, we’ll see you tomorrow. Cheers.

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