September 4, 2026 • 37 mins
Stu and the guys talk some college football as they first official week has begun. Stu and the fellas welcome Chris "The Bear" Fallica onto the show to talk football betting.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to Stugatz & Company Live Podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday from 3 to
5 p.m. Eastern, noon to 2 p.m. Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for Stugatz & Company
live at foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Now let's get this party started.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Taylor, put it on
the poll, please. That's still got 798X. Do you have
to pull the plug on the fireworks show if you
lose at home as a 30-point favorite?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Rutgers last night loses at.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Home to UMass. UMass got paid over a million dollars
for that game. Rutgers had a firework show planned, scheduled
after the game because, of course, they thought they were
going to win.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
They were favored by 30 points over UMass.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
They lose the game and still go forward with a
firework show.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I mean.
Speaker 5 (00:58):
See, if that's me and I'm taking my kid, I'm
not selling him on going to see Rutgers football. I'm like, hey,
do you want to go see some fireworks? But we
just have to watch this football game beforehand. So I
don't think you cancel the fireworks. I think that's why
everybody was there.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
So the fireworks are the main attraction is what you're
saying for some.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
For some.
Speaker 6 (01:16):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (01:16):
For Rutgers, UMass game was the warm-up act.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Right.
Speaker 6 (01:20):
My two biggest observations from yesterday's games. Yes. I've never
been more sure that Deion Sanders is going to be
the next Florida State coach. We're just trending towards that direction.
It was impressive how good Colorado looked in the trenches
where Georgia Tech is normally a team that prides themselves
in that. And for the most part, Colorado was the
(01:41):
ones pushing them around. Like Georgia Tech scored their one
touchdown off a kick return. And then the other option
from Rutgers-UMass, We have never needed promotion and relegation more
in college football because there is no reason why Rutgers
should be playing Big Ten football.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
UMass should. Yeah, Pop Watson. Pop Watson.
Speaker 6 (02:04):
Pop Watson transfers in from Virginia Tech, and that's kind
of what I love about the transfer portal, where a
team like UMass spends years without beating an FBS opponent,
and then all of a sudden they have access to
a quarterback from Virginia Tech, Pop Watson, who... He was
okay at Virginia Tech. He was nothing special. But against Rutgers,
you don't really need him to be special. You just
(02:24):
need him to be a competent quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So let's just be clear on what it is you're saying.
Rutgers does not deserve to be in the Big 20?
Speaker 6 (02:31):
Correct.
Speaker 8 (02:31):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Go ahead, Mike.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
He looked at the UMass roster and went, I'm going there,
and I'm going to be their Superman.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
By the way, is it Brent Key? Is that the
head coach at Georgia Tech? Is that his name?
Speaker 6 (02:47):
Yeah, he'll be there for eternity.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Will he?
Speaker 9 (02:49):
I mean.
Speaker 8 (02:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Because he has a strut that I'm not certain has
been earned. I mean, he struts around like a coach,
like he's the best coach in America.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I love him.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
He looks like a football coach. But I'm not certain
he has earned the right to strut around the way
that he does. And I am not certain that he
has earned the right for Taylor to say that he'll
be at Georgia Tech forever.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
I mean.
Speaker 7 (03:11):
I think he lost his chance.
Speaker 10 (03:12):
I think if he was going to leave Georgia Tech
last offseason with all those job openings and he was
one of the sexy names getting thrown out, the fact
that he didn't and then comes out and loses to
Colorado at home, you.
Speaker 7 (03:25):
Might have missed your window there, buddy.
Speaker 6 (03:27):
He's a Georgia Tech alum, and Georgia Tech is a
program in the ACC. They don't have national title expectations.
They don't have double-digit win expectations. This isn't the time
when Georgia Tech was running the triple option and dominating
the college football world. If Georgia Tech wins seven, eight
games a year and they're good for one upset every season,
(03:49):
Brent Key's got a job for life there.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Perhaps.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Put that on the poll.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
You wait around for football.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I mean, you just wait and you wait and you wait.
And then finally you get Georgia Tech. You get Colorado.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's on a Thursday night. You're sitting there.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
You're watching the game with your daughter. And she turns
to you at some point in the third quarter and says, Dad,
this is really boring.
Speaker 7 (04:13):
And you have no answer.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Hard to disagree.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
This is what I hate, though, because, yes, the game
was boring. Yes, I might have fallen asleep for parts
of the game. But then you wake up and you're saying, wait.
This game is still within striking distance. This score hasn't
changed since the last time my eyes were open. And
then they're lining up for the kick. Captain's their kicker.
They just need a... Field goal to win the game.
(04:40):
This is going to be his third walk-off field goal
at Georgia Tech. And we get a Colorado block field
goal to end the game.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Put it on the poll. Should the kicker ever be
your captain?
Speaker 6 (04:51):
It's a bad sign for.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Our team, yeah.
Speaker 7 (04:53):
No, that's a bad look.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I mean, you're looking for leadership in the kicker's room.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Unless you got.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
Like, a grammatica out there. I don't want– that's the
only exception I'll make for a kicker being a captain.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Right. Bear is going to join us here in a
few minutes. He'll get us ready for a college football
week one here with his picks, the NFL as well.
Field Yates is going to join us. Gino Toretta is
going to join us as well in.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Hour number two.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
How do you guys feel about Labor Day weekend? Sad weekend?
Fun weekend? A little bit of both? Like, because for me–
It's the end of the summer, and that makes me sad.
Most people sad. But it's also the start of football season.
It's a bittersweet holiday weekend, is it not?
Speaker 5 (05:35):
Yeah, I wouldn't put it up there with Memorial Day
weekend or July 4th weekend, but the fact that It means, okay,
we're getting to football now.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
It's here.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I'm in.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
I'm in.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
I think it's about where you're at in life. For you,
kids back to school, you get football. You don't care
about the summer.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
You hate the beach. You hate the sand. You hate
the sun.
Speaker 7 (05:56):
I hate everything.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Except football.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
But football. What a weekend for you.
Speaker 6 (06:02):
Getting to Labor Day weekend is a win for me
just because of you're getting to college football. You're getting
to the NFL. And then, Stu, we're in South Florida.
We're saying goodbye to weather that's like 110 degrees and
saying hello to weather that's like 85 degrees. That's a
win for us.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
It won't be 85 down here for another five months.
Speaker 7 (06:24):
Just in time for it to go back to 110.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Taylor, are you making a trip this weekend? Where are
you going this weekend?
Speaker 6 (06:30):
I'm considering doing a drive to Baton Rouge, but it's
like a 12 hour drive.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (06:36):
The tickets are reasonable. The drive is is the unreasonable part.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
It's hard to get on a bird. Well, no, it's
very hard to get to from here, I think.
Speaker 7 (06:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
And you would have to fly to New Orleans and
then rent a car and drive from New Orleans to
Baton Rouge. And at this point, Mikey, I've missed the
window where flights were in my budget.
Speaker 7 (06:55):
Not a bad drive.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
12 hours.
Speaker 6 (06:59):
That's just 12 hours of me listening to a lot
of sports podcasts, really.
Speaker 7 (07:02):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You turned down a free trip to Dublin, Ireland to
see North Carolina play, and that was on a bird.
But you are willing to drive to Baton Rouge to
see LSU and Clemson, huh?
Speaker 6 (07:13):
I hate international football. It's the same game every year.
It's terrible football. I don't care if it's my alma mater.
I would rather go see football in SEC country and
be rubbing elbows with the folks in Baton Rouge.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Go Tigers!
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I figured no one loves international football more than you.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
You're 1-0 playing international football.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
People are going to retire that way too.
Speaker 8 (07:36):
Be sure to catch live editions of Stu Gatz and
Company live weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 p.m. Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Field Yates, Gino Toretta going to join us in hour
number two. We'll wrap up the week by updating the
poll questions. But let's get to the bear here as
we head into week one of the college football season. Bear,
listen to me. Last night was interesting. I grew up
in the Northeast and I am laughing over the idea
that Rutgers would be favored by 30 points over anybody.
Speaker 9 (08:07):
How?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Because UMass hadn't beaten a team in the a power four,
power five league. And since they went up to the
FBS level, they scored 14 points, I believe, four times
last year.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
In any game.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
The bigger question from all the conference expansion talk, why?
I think we're going to reach a point where we're
going to have like conference-like contractions. I know the times
have changed and we're adapting and evolving in college football
as we go along.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
What does Rutgers bring to the Big Ten?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Nothing.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
The football team stinks.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
The basketball team stinks. Like, I don't think any of
their non-reb sports are like upper echelon in the Big Ten.
They don't rate. They're close to New York in terms
of proximity. Not like anyone in New York is chosen
to watch and turn the television on. Like, Is there
a point where the Big Ten was like, just kind
(09:08):
of is like, nah.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Go to the A-10 or whatever.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
I mean, they have 20 teams now, so you just
shave it down to 19 is what you're saying.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Exactly like that's the and i think with.
Speaker 9 (09:20):
The big 19 college sports like do you trim a
team and do you bring in a team that actually
has a legitimate football team or has a legitimate basketball
team or has a legitimate not like if you can
talk about like oh.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Nebraska what nebraska at least got an unbelievable volleyball team
right maryland has a good women's basketball program and maybe
if you want to talk about teams that don't really
know but.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
What what is rutgers bringing to the big 10 Nothing. Well, no,
they bring us laughs. I mean, they do. I mean,
to have a firework show after being a 30-point favorite
at home and losing that game outright and still going
on with a firework show, I appreciate Rutgers, and I
want them to stay right there. How about that?
Speaker 5 (10:00):
And they paid $ 1.
Speaker 7 (10:04):
5 million to UNAS to play that game.
Speaker 10 (10:06):
And I would just say, you know, if you're already
pot committed, go ahead and play the fireworks.
Speaker 7 (10:11):
You already spent the money on them anyway. What's another
couple of grand? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Yeah. Let's take Rutgers out of the big 20 and
put our UMass in. How's that, Seth? What do you think?
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
What'd you make of Colorado pulling that one out on
the road? Georgia Tech, I'm so accustomed to Georgia Tech
getting off to that 2-0, 3-0 start and being ranked
like number nine in the country. And then they just
fall out of the top 25 eventually. Not the case
this year. But Deion gets a big win on the road.
That was impressive for Colorado.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
That was because we all laughed and had our chuckles
at the videos that they were sending out and kind
of looking like an undersized JV team.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
But they.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
that's an alarming loss for Georgia tech, man.
Speaker 9 (10:55):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Like if you're Brent key and you pride yourself on
running game and offensive line and toughness in the trenches
and you get manhandled by Colorado up front and both
sides of the ball, that is a bad, bad deal.
But give, give CU credit. They, they really should have
been up bigger in the game. It probably should not
have come down to what it did at the end,
(11:16):
but that they, they came out and they made the
plays when they had to.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
And, and, Good for them for winning.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
I wouldn't be surprised if my big noon travels have
me headed to Boulder in a couple weeks.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
All right, we'll get to some picks here in a
few minutes. Everyone very thrilled with Bear last week because
he gave us North Carolina. And Virginia. And Virginia. Taylor
is thrilled because Carolina is off, which means they get
to be 1-0 for another week. He can sit back
and relax and not have to worry about Bill Belichick.
(11:47):
losing another game to Canes by Stanford tonight. Bear went
to the University of Miami. So we will get to
the picks here in just a second. But what do
you make of what's going on? I don't like discussing
it either. I can't wait for the games to start.
But Lane Kiffin, I mean, this guy and the SEC,
and now you have the SEC suing LSU, and Lane
(12:08):
Kiffin doesn't give a bleep about any of it, including
the kids. And this is, listen, my overall problem, with
Lane Kiffin is this. He comes out of a meeting,
he announces to everyone, my kids are okay with this.
They're on board with me getting professional players and bringing
them here to LSU. And what I'm telling Lane Kiffin is,
(12:30):
I don't care what they say. I don't care if
every one of them says, yeah, we're okay with this, coach.
They're afraid to say otherwise. Lane Kiffin is trying to
justify something that cannot be justified. These kids want to play.
They don't want competition. They've been there the entire time,
and now two kids are going to waltz in who
(12:52):
play to the University of Mississippi and take somebody else's
playing time.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Nobody, and I mean nobody, not one kid in that
locker room is.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Okay with this.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
That's the biggest thing that I have an issue with
here is that the kids that are on the team,
the young kids that are looking to get an opportunity
to play, that's who this is hurting.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Yes. What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Every possible decision that is being made and going to
court is ultimately hurting the sport.
Speaker 8 (13:24):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Getting recruited, kids have sat and waited a year with
the expectation that they're going to move in.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
He can't play them. Not even Lane can.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Be that obtuse to play these guys, knowing the potential ramifications.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Down the line.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Just imagine the reaction if one of those kids says, hey,
you know what, Lane? I'm not okay with this. This
is BS.
Speaker 7 (13:51):
He's too afraid to say it.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Correct. No one's going to disagree.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
And I don't want to say I don't blame Lane,
but all these.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Coaches, it's all about self-preservation. All they want to do
is win.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Here's another thing that not many people will bring up
or have brought up.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Some have.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
What does this say about Lane and his opinion of
the roster that he has? He's looking to bring back
a couple of guys that didn't make it in camp
in an NFL and are looking to come back. Is
this a potential sign of, like, maybe my team isn't
as good as I thought it was and I can
really help myself out now?
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Yeah. I don't blame Lane either. I mean, he's doing stuff,
I guess– He's doing stuff that he can do. OK,
so I don't blame him for that. Just don't sell
me on every kid in the locker room is OK
with what it is you're doing. That's all. That's what
I care about, because they're not not one of them. Yeah, Mike, you're.
Speaker 7 (14:52):
Saying we don't blame Lane and we don't blame. Then
who are we blaming?
Speaker 10 (14:56):
Because I'm looking at like the scape of college football.
And while I don't agree with what's happening.
Speaker 7 (15:03):
We kind of have to be like, well, this is
kind of what you asked for. You wanted to be
paid like professionals. You wanted to make the money and
all that. We got to kind of treat you like professionals.
Speaker 10 (15:11):
And yeah, we keep saying the kid is going to
be upset and the kid's going to be upset. But
the kid is now being like, nope, I deserve to
be paid for my, and he does. But at some point,
all the other stuff that comes with making all that
money has to come with it. And that is somebody
else is better.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Yes, but not somebody else who already turned pro. I
don't think any of the kids ever expected they'd be
dealing with that, and that's the problem.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
I agree with you. I agree, and this feels icky.
This just feels icky.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
All of it feels icky. But at the same time,
I go.
Speaker 7 (15:42):
Well, this is kind of the slope you went down,
isn't it?
Speaker 9 (15:45):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
No, but I think kids are okay. I think they
realize the game has changed, that people are going to
come in, that they're going to have to deal with
people coming in from the transfer portal that they weren't expecting.
What they didn't factor in was that Lane Kiffin was
going to go to the NFL and get guys who
weren't good enough or didn't want to be there yet,
who have already declared themselves for the NFL, and have
them come back to college. I don't think any kid
(16:07):
could have envisioned that, you know? Is that fair, Bear? Fair, Bear.
I like that.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I think that is fair. I think, ultimately.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
when Mikey was saying it was about who do we blame,
I don't want to blame. I think the blame does
lie ultimately with the NCAA for not having their eyes
wide open as to what was going on and not
thinking that we were headed towards ultimately a situation where
we're going to have players that need to be paid
(16:42):
and this is going to ultimately end with some type
of collective bargaining agreement and I know that creates other
issues down there with employment status and taxes and however else,
but that's the only way to, to make this as
clean and for you kind of get, you get five, you.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Get five years to play for this.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
You can get caught all the other things that, that,
that is ultimately what has to happen. None of the,
none of the government intervention where it's clear the government
is looking out for the, for the, for the schools
and the university and the conferences and not the players.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
It's, it's, I can't believe I'm rooting for Dabo Swinney.
All right, let's get into the weekend. I can't believe
this is the conversation we're having headed into college football
week one. Week zero was last week. There are games
to be played. We're sitting here stuck in a courtroom.
It is just unbelievable. All right, Bear, we have the
pen and paper out. And by we, Mikey has the
(17:38):
pen and paper out. He snapshots it and he sends
it over to me.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
And I send it to you and then we all
place the bets before we put the episode out so
as the line is.
Speaker 7 (17:46):
Not to move.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So what are you thinking about this weekend, Bear? What
are we thinking?
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I laid the points with Miami tonight against Stanford, laid
24 and a half.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
I just think it's going to be a hard time
for Stanford to move the ball and score points.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
Their offensive line is devastated today.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
With injuries after week one, I don't think that they'll
be able to block Miami. I think Miami, they have
a bunch of guys who are looking to get into
the rotation and get playing time in addition to the
starters already. Mario has had a tendency to kind of
run it up on Stanford in the past after a
couple of really bad losses to the Cardinal earlier in
(18:26):
his coaching career. So I laid 24 and a half
with Miami. I took two with Cal against UCLA.
Speaker 9 (18:34):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
I think one of my.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Unproven, unscientific theories that I have no research result based
on is when a line moves across zero, Cal opened up.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
As the favorite in this game.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
And now UCLA is the favorite.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I love when you get the team that was the
favorite and they are now the underdog. Again, I've got
nothing to prove that this is right or wrong, but
in my own head, I like this.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
It should be a fun game. I think both offenses
will be good.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I think Cal's roster right now is better than UCLA.
I took Cal plus two. I took Oregon minus 24
and a half.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
If I could just stop you for a second here.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
He wants to back up.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
With the Hurricanes and Stanford quickly. Is that as much
Stanford being bad as it is Miami being good? Your
thoughts on tonight's game?
Speaker 4 (19:29):
I think it's a perfect storm.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I think it's both.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I think Miami is much better on the defensive side
of the ball than a lot of people think they're
going to be. And I think just the situation with
Stanford and their offensive line uh and not really having
the the skill position players to put a threat into
miami so that's where i am at mikey what can
you tell me about.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Tarleton state yep what can you tell me about tarleton state.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Uh charlton state tarleton state the texas um yep.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
You're going to be saying, yup, to take the two
and a half points against Bowling Green.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Yeah. They gave up, Tarleton had an opener.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
They gave up 30 against Prairie View last week, which
isn't great, but their offense, they got a really good
quarterback running back combination. Dylan Hines, Caden Anderson's team made
FCS playoffs last year. I believe they're top five right
now in the preseason and, Bowling Green completely collapsed down
the stretch last week. Offensively, in the quarterback situation, they
(20:44):
got problems. They're a slight favorite at home. There's no
home field at Bowling Green. So I took Harlan State
plus two and a half.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
All right. You were headed to Oregon at one point,
and that cut you off.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
That's okay. I love Oregon. I love Oregon. This might
be my favorite play of the week. This might be
my unloaded.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I think Oregon on the defensive line is going to
wreak havoc on Boise. Boise is kind of weak at
the quarterback position, weak on the offensive line. A couple
of years ago, remember Ashton Genting, they went to Oregon
and played the Ducks tight. But I think everybody coming
back for Oregon, pointing to this season, it feels like
a big win for Oregon. And I got two more
(21:30):
for you.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Okay. Wow. Exciting. I mean, listen, it's college football week one.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
I mean, Oh, I know.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I try not to go crazy week one, but then something,
what happens a lot of times is, and you'll, I'm
sure you've discovered this and Mikey's discovered it. And Taylor,
like there's certain people out there in certain sites that
you'd like to fade. Like when certain they, they pick
a side and you're like, I got to take the
(21:58):
other side just for, for prerogative's sake. I laid 29
and a half with Texas against Texas State. I think
it's too easy to say that they're just going to
pull their starters. They got Ohio State next week. They're
looking ahead to that. They don't care. Texas's roster is loaded.
Cam Coleman, one of the best wide receivers in the country.
(22:21):
We'll see what happens with Arch this year. They're going
to put up a bunch of points on Texas State.
I don't think even if they pull their starters, it's
going to be a big deal. And then one of
my ugly dogs of the week is FIU.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Ooh, an ugly dog. FIU, Billy Gill going to be
thrilled about this pick. Yes.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Getting, getting 14 and a half against South Florida. Brian
Hartline's first game as USF head coach, the Bulls, but FIU,
Simmons is building a little bit of a, a culture there.
They were, they were kind of plucky at point times
last year. Um, Good running game, solid on the defensive
(23:02):
side of the ball, really. They're kind of that team
that you're getting guys from Florida that maybe they're not
good enough to play at the big three or whomever else.
But the depth and athleticism here, 14 and a half
against a new look USF team with Brian Hartline in
his first game as head coach. I'll take the Golden
(23:22):
Panthers there.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Is that game at Pitbull stadium?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
It is up at a Raymond James pirate ship, a
big sombrero or whatever stadium it is right now.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Backfield.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yes. You know, what's happening with FI FIU and other
programs is you're right. They're getting kids that maybe weren't
good enough to go to Miami. They're getting kids who
go to Miami, USF, Florida, Florida state, who aren't getting
the playing time. They thought they were going to play
at FIU reaps the benefits. of getting some of those kids.
That's the good thing about the transfer portal is those
kids get an opportunity if indeed they want it, you know?
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
All right, so he likes FIU. We have to come
up with names for these. The unloaded game.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Unload the clip is Oregon versus Boise. Unload the clip,
take the money clip off, and start going like.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
If I use the dirty dog of the week.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah. Mikey, you have all these written down?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
All of them.
Speaker 7 (24:30):
What is this, my first day?
Speaker 1 (24:32):
No, it's not your first rodeo. I'm just wondering if
we need to announce him again to the audience in
the event that they missed him. It's a podcast.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Rewind it. Give us another listen.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
He's such a jerk. All right, Mikey A., listen, it's
a big football weekend. The NFL kicks off next week
as well. So what do you think? Do we keep
Bear around here to get his NFL season totals, some over-unders?
What do you think here?
Speaker 7 (24:57):
I think we need to.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
I think my wallet needs to. We come back. We
come back with Bear. Chris Felica. Check him out. Bear Bets,
wherever you get your podcasts. We're back with Bear and
his NFL future picks right after this.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
Be sure to catch live editions of Stu Godson Company
live weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 p.m.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Pacific.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Bear, before we get to the NFL, Taylor raised a
very interesting question on the show yesterday. I've been thinking
about it for a long time. Can you be, I've
been all night, actually. Can you be a fan? Can
your favorite player of your favorite team be a guy
that you never saw play? Meaning you weren't born when
he was playing. Like if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan
(25:44):
and you were born after Roger Staubach retired, so you
never saw him play. And someone says, hey, who's your
favorite Cowboy? Can your response be Roger Staubach?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
No.
Speaker 7 (25:56):
That's ridiculous. That's a ridiculous, ridiculous question.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Taylor thinks you can?
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Well, no, I think it's different for different teams. If
you ask Jet fans who is their favorite Jet of
all time, many of them might say Joe Namath. And
I understand why, even though they hadn't seen him play,
and I understand why.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
They haven't had anyone better to root for since, you know?
Speaker 5 (26:18):
They've had Darrell Rivas. They've had Curtis Martin. They've had, no,
this is crazy. This is a crazy question.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
All right.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
I'm in.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
I think maybe there's a different word to use than favorite.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Maybe best, most impactful, legendary.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
But yeah, no, favorite, like, I.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Couldn't say my favorite Jet was, even though I did
see I was four when Joe Namath played his last season.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
In the NFL.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I'm just saying I don't blame someone if they say
Joe Namath just because the Jets have been– you do, Mikey.
Speaker 7 (26:53):
I do. I do because all you know of Joe
Namath is the highlights.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
You don't know– you didn't watch him start to finish
in any game and see, oh, man, he missed that guy,
but I know he's going to come back because I've
watched him.
Speaker 7 (27:08):
No, all you know is highlights. I don't want to
hear it.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
So if an Oiler fan says, hey, my favorite Oiler
of all time is Wayne Gretzky, he can't say that
even though he never saw Gretzky play?
Speaker 7 (27:18):
No, he can't. OK, because he never saw him play.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
I mean, but if you hold on a second, if
you were born after Michael Jordan retired and you're a
Chicago Bulls fan. And all you've heard growing up in
that city is Michael Jordan this, Michael Jordan that. He
was the greatest. And the Bulls have been lousy since
Jordan retired. Why can't Michael Jordan be your favorite Bull.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Of all time?
Speaker 10 (27:43):
You could have him as the best player of all time.
You could have him as the best Bull of all time.
But he can't be your favorite. You don't know the
hurt when he.
Speaker 7 (27:56):
Left to play baseball and the joy of having him
come back. You didn't have that. You can't have that
be your thing.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
All right.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
He could be the greatest, but no, Joe Kim Noah
is everybody's favorite ball.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Well, someone brought up Derek Rose yesterday. He won an MVP.
So I guess I don't know. Maybe I understand what
you're saying. All right, let's get to the NFL here. Bear.
It kicks off in six days. Very excited. What are
you thinking here?
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Giants under seven and a half wins is certainly something
that's there.
Speaker 9 (28:30):
Really?
Speaker 4 (28:30):
I don't, I think that, Yeah, I'm not high on
the Giants at all. Okay. I think it's so bizarre. Oh,
OBJ is back.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
And the fact that OBJ might be your number two
or number three wide receiver, that's a problem.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
It is.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Neighbors not being fully healthy. I was just watching TV
here before, and Skadaboo wasn't sure he really wanted to
play again. Jackson Dart lives in the tent. Like, I
know they had a great draft. But they're not as
good as the Eagles in that division. They're not as
good as the Cowboys. They're closer to the Commanders than
(29:09):
they are. And you look at the late season schedule,
I don't know how they're getting to eight wins.
Speaker 7 (29:15):
But, Bear, did you see that catch in 2014? I mean, come.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
On.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
One moment Hall of Fame. Who else? What else are
you looking at for the season?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I bet the Ravens to win the Super Bowl. I
think people are kind of, people are sleeping, I think,
a little bit on the Ravens this year.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
So wait, when did you put this in, Bear?
Speaker 4 (29:35):
The hand is up.
Speaker 7 (29:36):
Yes, when did you put this in?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
When did I put it in?
Speaker 3 (29:41):
Yes, what were the odds when you put it in?
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Oh, 12-1.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
12-1, I don't know what they are now.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I think people are, like, look, people high on the
Bengals in that division, and nobody else, I think, is
any good in this.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Steelers stink. Uh, Browns are terrible.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
But I think people, because Harbaugh's gone, it's a first-year
head coach, I think people view that as a negative.
What I've heard in camp this year, like the attention
to detail, and it's kind of like a.
Re-motivated, like Lamar, I'm told, is like having fun again
for the first time in a couple of years because
(30:23):
apparently it wasn't great. I think after the year they
had last year and all the questions about playoff Lamar,
I think the Ravens are going to be pretty good.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
And I know there are some.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
I don't know if it's up in every state. You
can bet, like, who will the last undefeated team be.
I bet this as well for the Ravens.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
I forget. It might have been 17-1 maybe. I can't
recall what it was. So forgive me if I gave
the wrong info, but if you look at the Ravens schedule,
I believe week three, they have the Cowboys, but all
other six games that they have are super winnable. So
if you can get to week three, they beat the Cowboys,
(31:08):
and then you're looking at 7-0 might be doable.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
But I am high on the Ravens this year, but
it's a little bit of a bet against the Bengals
and the buzz and the steam.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
That the Bengals have. But I think the Ravens are
poised for a big season.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Bear, what else are you looking at here?
Speaker 2 (31:25):
If you're looking for a real super ridiculous long shot
in the rookie of the year markets, R. Mason Thomas
from the Kansas City Chiefs is a rookie from Oklahoma,
really disruptive pass rusher. He's getting a lot of buzz.
He was 75-1. I don't know what he is now.
(31:46):
It's probably considerably lower. But he might be worth it
because in that Kansas City defense, someone is going to
have to. pressure the passer he could be the beneficiary
of all the uh the attention chris jones and some
others are getting offensive side of the ball giovante williams
is someone uh running running back from denver that i
(32:08):
think is worth a play he was i believe it
was 55 to 1 right when i bet him he's
a good player yeah i mentioned the cowboys before with
the giants i bet the cowboys to win the division Wow.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
I hate the fact that I'm doing that. I hate
the fact that I'm buying into that.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
I usually like laugh when I hear about, are the
Cowboys a Super Bowl contender?
Speaker 4 (32:31):
Are the Cowboys getting Dak Prescott? Is he the best court?
But it's hard to argue that they don't have a
ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
And they made massive improvements on the defensive side, whether
it was free agency, trades, I think they are going
to be light years better than they were last year.
And if they can stay healthy, like Cowboys stock, Brian Schottenheimer,
coach of the year, like 18-1, 16-1, Cowboys to win
the division at like plus 205.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
All of those things, I think, make a ton. Schotty,
it's weird.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
We always talk about these coaches who like when they become,
go from coordinator to head coach and it never pans out.
shotty is like the opposite of that he's a much
better head coach yes then was coordinator and that's it's
rare so like he wasn't every night he did take
a couple of shots at him as coordinator and maybe
(33:32):
you look and whatever but as.
Speaker 7 (33:33):
A head coach right he's a he's much.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Better as a head because i i'm i'm a lot
higher on the cowboys i think than uh than i've
ever been and probably than i ever wanted to be.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Uh shotty's done a good job and that interest that
division is interesting from this standpoint Dallas has stability. I
can't believe I'm saying it, but they have some stability there.
And when you compare it to the rest of the division, Giants,
new head coach, questions still about Jackson, Darb, Philadelphia, they
lose A.J. Brown, and we're constantly questioning Nick Sirianni. But
(34:03):
it's going to be interesting to see how the Eagles
look without A.J. Brown. And then, of course, you have
the Commanders with Jaden Daniels coming back from an injury.
And so why not the Cowboys? I actually like that pick.
I love that pick. It's my favorite pick of all
the picks you've given us here.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Yes. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
You got it.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
I got one more for you.
Speaker 7 (34:20):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Remember this time last year, we're sitting here. Is Matthew
Stafford ever going to play again? How's Matthew Stafford's back?
Is he ever going to be healthy? Who will the
Rams quarterback be? It's no way Matthew Stafford's going to play.
And then he went out, had an MVP season.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
Stayed healthy. Now we're just talking like, oh, it's a
foregone conclusion. Oh, he's fine. There's no worry about it.
He played last year. He'll be okay.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
When you're looking at these player props, more things can
go wrong than can go right. I bet Stafford under 38,
99 and a half passing yards. Adams is a year
older who knows if Pook is going to be suspended
or if he.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
Can stay healthy.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Like, Can Stafford say, like, we're all assuming that this
is going to go swimmingly this year in L.A. And
we hope it does. We'd love to see everything go
well and him have a great year like the talent.
But who's to say it doesn't get nicked up? Who's
to say Bacta doesn't flare up? Who's to say his finger,
(35:27):
they only had hand problems in the past? Under 38,
99 and a half passing yards on Stafford.
Speaker 6 (35:33):
All right.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
I like it, Mikey. I like that. I like it.
The NFL ones I love. I mean, I'm not saying
I don't love the college ones, but I love the
Cowboys and I love that Stafford bet right there. Who
is to say, Bear? Who?
Speaker 2 (35:46):
In that division as well, like they're just being anointed.
Everyone's forgetting about the Seahawks. Seahawks won the damn Super
Bowl last year and it's like they're.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
Like total afterthought.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Yes. How do you feel about this bet? Taking Seattle
to not make the playoffs?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
I don't hate taking Seattle to miss the playoff or
the Rams to miss the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
Look at the Rams' first five games.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
Look at... Other than the one game, I think they
have the Giants in the first five games.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
There are four losable games in the first five games.
If you look at a Rams season win total under,
Rams to miss the playoff, all of those.
Speaker 4 (36:29):
I kind of equated this with college football as well.
I think we talked about last week.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Someone that we don't expect to miss the playoff is
going to miss the playoff. And it's going to happen
that way in the NFL as well. Someone who I
think is bulletproof and great and a Super Bowl contender,
something is going to happen where they're going to hit,
whether it's the Rams, whether it's the Seahawks.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Whether it's the Bills, whether it's.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
The Bengals, someone is going to hit a rough patch
and they're going to be sitting there nine and eight
and hoping that the tie breaks fall their way at
the end of the season.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Of course, it happens every year. The Rams just quickly here.
San Francisco, that game's in Australia, neutral field. Then they're
home with the Giants. And this is the, I think
this is the gauntlet you're kind of talking about here.
Three consecutive weeks at Denver, at Philadelphia, home with Buffalo. Stuff.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
All right, Bear. We appreciate it, as always. Bears, Bets,
wherever you get your podcast, if you want all those
picks for the upcoming week and the upcoming season.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Enjoy Bloomington, Indiana.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
I don't know how you can, but enjoy it. Do
your best. Hang in there.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Actually, good little town.
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Good little town?
Speaker 4 (37:40):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Good little college town. Yeah, I love a good little
college town.
Speaker 8 (37:43):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Walk around all day, ask people and report back to
us on Monday if they would rather win a basketball
championship or a football championship this season. We appreciate you
doing this. Field Yates coming up next.
Thanks for listening to Stugatz & Company Live Podcast. Be
sure to catch us live every weekday from 3 to
5 p.m. Eastern, noon to 2 p.m. Pacific on Fox
Sports Radio. Find your local station for Stugatz & Company
live at foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on
the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Now let's get this party started.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Taylor, put it on
the poll, please. That's still got 798X. Do you have
to pull the plug on the fireworks show if you
lose at home as a 30-point favorite?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Rutgers last night loses at.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Home to UMass. UMass got paid over a million dollars
for that game. Rutgers had a firework show planned, scheduled
after the game because, of course, they thought they were
going to win.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
They were favored by 30 points over UMass.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
They lose the game and still go forward with a
firework show.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
I mean.
Speaker 5 (00:58):
See, if that's me and I'm taking my kid, I'm
not selling him on going to see Rutgers football. I'm like, hey,
do you want to go see some fireworks? But we
just have to watch this football game beforehand. So I
don't think you cancel the fireworks. I think that's why
everybody was there.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
So the fireworks are the main attraction is what you're
saying for some.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
For some.
Speaker 6 (01:16):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (01:16):
For Rutgers, UMass game was the warm-up act.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Right.
Speaker 6 (01:20):
My two biggest observations from yesterday's games. Yes. I've never
been more sure that Deion Sanders is going to be
the next Florida State coach. We're just trending towards that direction.
It was impressive how good Colorado looked in the trenches
where Georgia Tech is normally a team that prides themselves
in that. And for the most part, Colorado was the
(01:41):
ones pushing them around. Like Georgia Tech scored their one
touchdown off a kick return. And then the other option
from Rutgers-UMass, We have never needed promotion and relegation more
in college football because there is no reason why Rutgers
should be playing Big Ten football.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
UMass should. Yeah, Pop Watson. Pop Watson.
Speaker 6 (02:04):
Pop Watson transfers in from Virginia Tech, and that's kind
of what I love about the transfer portal, where a
team like UMass spends years without beating an FBS opponent,
and then all of a sudden they have access to
a quarterback from Virginia Tech, Pop Watson, who... He was
okay at Virginia Tech. He was nothing special. But against Rutgers,
you don't really need him to be special. You just
(02:24):
need him to be a competent quarterback.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So let's just be clear on what it is you're saying.
Rutgers does not deserve to be in the Big 20?
Speaker 6 (02:31):
Correct.
Speaker 8 (02:31):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Go ahead, Mike.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
He looked at the UMass roster and went, I'm going there,
and I'm going to be their Superman.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
By the way, is it Brent Key? Is that the
head coach at Georgia Tech? Is that his name?
Speaker 6 (02:47):
Yeah, he'll be there for eternity.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Will he?
Speaker 9 (02:49):
I mean.
Speaker 8 (02:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Because he has a strut that I'm not certain has
been earned. I mean, he struts around like a coach,
like he's the best coach in America.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I love him.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
He looks like a football coach. But I'm not certain
he has earned the right to strut around the way
that he does. And I am not certain that he
has earned the right for Taylor to say that he'll
be at Georgia Tech forever.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
I mean.
Speaker 7 (03:11):
I think he lost his chance.
Speaker 10 (03:12):
I think if he was going to leave Georgia Tech
last offseason with all those job openings and he was
one of the sexy names getting thrown out, the fact
that he didn't and then comes out and loses to
Colorado at home, you.
Speaker 7 (03:25):
Might have missed your window there, buddy.
Speaker 6 (03:27):
He's a Georgia Tech alum, and Georgia Tech is a
program in the ACC. They don't have national title expectations.
They don't have double-digit win expectations. This isn't the time
when Georgia Tech was running the triple option and dominating
the college football world. If Georgia Tech wins seven, eight
games a year and they're good for one upset every season,
(03:49):
Brent Key's got a job for life there.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Perhaps.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Put that on the poll.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
You wait around for football.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
I mean, you just wait and you wait and you wait.
And then finally you get Georgia Tech. You get Colorado.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's on a Thursday night. You're sitting there.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
You're watching the game with your daughter. And she turns
to you at some point in the third quarter and says, Dad,
this is really boring.
Speaker 7 (04:13):
And you have no answer.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Hard to disagree.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
This is what I hate, though, because, yes, the game
was boring. Yes, I might have fallen asleep for parts
of the game. But then you wake up and you're saying, wait.
This game is still within striking distance. This score hasn't
changed since the last time my eyes were open. And
then they're lining up for the kick. Captain's their kicker.
They just need a... Field goal to win the game.
(04:40):
This is going to be his third walk-off field goal
at Georgia Tech. And we get a Colorado block field
goal to end the game.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Put it on the poll. Should the kicker ever be
your captain?
Speaker 6 (04:51):
It's a bad sign for.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Our team, yeah.
Speaker 7 (04:53):
No, that's a bad look.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
I mean, you're looking for leadership in the kicker's room.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Unless you got.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
Like, a grammatica out there. I don't want– that's the
only exception I'll make for a kicker being a captain.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Right. Bear is going to join us here in a
few minutes. He'll get us ready for a college football
week one here with his picks, the NFL as well.
Field Yates is going to join us. Gino Toretta is
going to join us as well in.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Hour number two.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
How do you guys feel about Labor Day weekend? Sad weekend?
Fun weekend? A little bit of both? Like, because for me–
It's the end of the summer, and that makes me sad.
Most people sad. But it's also the start of football season.
It's a bittersweet holiday weekend, is it not?
Speaker 5 (05:35):
Yeah, I wouldn't put it up there with Memorial Day
weekend or July 4th weekend, but the fact that It means, okay,
we're getting to football now.
Speaker 7 (05:44):
It's here.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I'm in.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
I'm in.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
I think it's about where you're at in life. For you,
kids back to school, you get football. You don't care
about the summer.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
You hate the beach. You hate the sand. You hate
the sun.
Speaker 7 (05:56):
I hate everything.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Except football.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
But football. What a weekend for you.
Speaker 6 (06:02):
Getting to Labor Day weekend is a win for me
just because of you're getting to college football. You're getting
to the NFL. And then, Stu, we're in South Florida.
We're saying goodbye to weather that's like 110 degrees and
saying hello to weather that's like 85 degrees. That's a
win for us.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
It won't be 85 down here for another five months.
Speaker 7 (06:24):
Just in time for it to go back to 110.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Taylor, are you making a trip this weekend? Where are
you going this weekend?
Speaker 6 (06:30):
I'm considering doing a drive to Baton Rouge, but it's
like a 12 hour drive.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (06:36):
The tickets are reasonable. The drive is is the unreasonable part.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
It's hard to get on a bird. Well, no, it's
very hard to get to from here, I think.
Speaker 7 (06:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
And you would have to fly to New Orleans and
then rent a car and drive from New Orleans to
Baton Rouge. And at this point, Mikey, I've missed the
window where flights were in my budget.
Speaker 7 (06:55):
Not a bad drive.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
12 hours.
Speaker 6 (06:59):
That's just 12 hours of me listening to a lot
of sports podcasts, really.
Speaker 7 (07:02):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
You turned down a free trip to Dublin, Ireland to
see North Carolina play, and that was on a bird.
But you are willing to drive to Baton Rouge to
see LSU and Clemson, huh?
Speaker 6 (07:13):
I hate international football. It's the same game every year.
It's terrible football. I don't care if it's my alma mater.
I would rather go see football in SEC country and
be rubbing elbows with the folks in Baton Rouge.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Go Tigers!
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I figured no one loves international football more than you.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
You're 1-0 playing international football.
Speaker 6 (07:33):
People are going to retire that way too.
Speaker 8 (07:36):
Be sure to catch live editions of Stu Gatz and
Company live weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 p.m. Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Field Yates, Gino Toretta going to join us in hour
number two. We'll wrap up the week by updating the
poll questions. But let's get to the bear here as
we head into week one of the college football season. Bear,
listen to me. Last night was interesting. I grew up
in the Northeast and I am laughing over the idea
that Rutgers would be favored by 30 points over anybody.
Speaker 9 (08:07):
How?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Because UMass hadn't beaten a team in the a power four,
power five league. And since they went up to the
FBS level, they scored 14 points, I believe, four times
last year.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
In any game.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
The bigger question from all the conference expansion talk, why?
I think we're going to reach a point where we're
going to have like conference-like contractions. I know the times
have changed and we're adapting and evolving in college football
as we go along.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
What does Rutgers bring to the Big Ten?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Nothing.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
The football team stinks.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
The basketball team stinks. Like, I don't think any of
their non-reb sports are like upper echelon in the Big Ten.
They don't rate. They're close to New York in terms
of proximity. Not like anyone in New York is chosen
to watch and turn the television on. Like, Is there
a point where the Big Ten was like, just kind
(09:08):
of is like, nah.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Go to the A-10 or whatever.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
I mean, they have 20 teams now, so you just
shave it down to 19 is what you're saying.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Exactly like that's the and i think with.
Speaker 9 (09:20):
The big 19 college sports like do you trim a
team and do you bring in a team that actually
has a legitimate football team or has a legitimate basketball
team or has a legitimate not like if you can
talk about like oh.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Nebraska what nebraska at least got an unbelievable volleyball team
right maryland has a good women's basketball program and maybe
if you want to talk about teams that don't really
know but.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
What what is rutgers bringing to the big 10 Nothing. Well, no,
they bring us laughs. I mean, they do. I mean,
to have a firework show after being a 30-point favorite
at home and losing that game outright and still going
on with a firework show, I appreciate Rutgers, and I
want them to stay right there. How about that?
Speaker 5 (10:00):
And they paid $ 1.
Speaker 7 (10:04):
5 million to UNAS to play that game.
Speaker 10 (10:06):
And I would just say, you know, if you're already
pot committed, go ahead and play the fireworks.
Speaker 7 (10:11):
You already spent the money on them anyway. What's another
couple of grand? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Yeah. Let's take Rutgers out of the big 20 and
put our UMass in. How's that, Seth? What do you think?
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Perfect.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
What'd you make of Colorado pulling that one out on
the road? Georgia Tech, I'm so accustomed to Georgia Tech
getting off to that 2-0, 3-0 start and being ranked
like number nine in the country. And then they just
fall out of the top 25 eventually. Not the case
this year. But Deion gets a big win on the road.
That was impressive for Colorado.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
That was because we all laughed and had our chuckles
at the videos that they were sending out and kind
of looking like an undersized JV team.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
But they.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
that's an alarming loss for Georgia tech, man.
Speaker 9 (10:55):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Like if you're Brent key and you pride yourself on
running game and offensive line and toughness in the trenches
and you get manhandled by Colorado up front and both
sides of the ball, that is a bad, bad deal.
But give, give CU credit. They, they really should have
been up bigger in the game. It probably should not
have come down to what it did at the end,
(11:16):
but that they, they came out and they made the
plays when they had to.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
And, and, Good for them for winning.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
I wouldn't be surprised if my big noon travels have
me headed to Boulder in a couple weeks.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
All right, we'll get to some picks here in a
few minutes. Everyone very thrilled with Bear last week because
he gave us North Carolina. And Virginia. And Virginia. Taylor
is thrilled because Carolina is off, which means they get
to be 1-0 for another week. He can sit back
and relax and not have to worry about Bill Belichick.
(11:47):
losing another game to Canes by Stanford tonight. Bear went
to the University of Miami. So we will get to
the picks here in just a second. But what do
you make of what's going on? I don't like discussing
it either. I can't wait for the games to start.
But Lane Kiffin, I mean, this guy and the SEC,
and now you have the SEC suing LSU, and Lane
(12:08):
Kiffin doesn't give a bleep about any of it, including
the kids. And this is, listen, my overall problem, with
Lane Kiffin is this. He comes out of a meeting,
he announces to everyone, my kids are okay with this.
They're on board with me getting professional players and bringing
them here to LSU. And what I'm telling Lane Kiffin is,
(12:30):
I don't care what they say. I don't care if
every one of them says, yeah, we're okay with this, coach.
They're afraid to say otherwise. Lane Kiffin is trying to
justify something that cannot be justified. These kids want to play.
They don't want competition. They've been there the entire time,
and now two kids are going to waltz in who
(12:52):
play to the University of Mississippi and take somebody else's
playing time.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Nobody, and I mean nobody, not one kid in that
locker room is.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Okay with this.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
That's the biggest thing that I have an issue with
here is that the kids that are on the team,
the young kids that are looking to get an opportunity
to play, that's who this is hurting.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Yes. What are we doing?
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Every possible decision that is being made and going to
court is ultimately hurting the sport.
Speaker 8 (13:24):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Getting recruited, kids have sat and waited a year with
the expectation that they're going to move in.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
He can't play them. Not even Lane can.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Be that obtuse to play these guys, knowing the potential ramifications.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Down the line.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
Just imagine the reaction if one of those kids says, hey,
you know what, Lane? I'm not okay with this. This
is BS.
Speaker 7 (13:51):
He's too afraid to say it.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Correct. No one's going to disagree.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
And I don't want to say I don't blame Lane,
but all these.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Coaches, it's all about self-preservation. All they want to do
is win.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Here's another thing that not many people will bring up
or have brought up.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Some have.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
What does this say about Lane and his opinion of
the roster that he has? He's looking to bring back
a couple of guys that didn't make it in camp
in an NFL and are looking to come back. Is
this a potential sign of, like, maybe my team isn't
as good as I thought it was and I can
really help myself out now?
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Yeah. I don't blame Lane either. I mean, he's doing stuff,
I guess– He's doing stuff that he can do. OK,
so I don't blame him for that. Just don't sell
me on every kid in the locker room is OK
with what it is you're doing. That's all. That's what
I care about, because they're not not one of them. Yeah, Mike, you're.
Speaker 7 (14:52):
Saying we don't blame Lane and we don't blame. Then
who are we blaming?
Speaker 10 (14:56):
Because I'm looking at like the scape of college football.
And while I don't agree with what's happening.
Speaker 7 (15:03):
We kind of have to be like, well, this is
kind of what you asked for. You wanted to be
paid like professionals. You wanted to make the money and
all that. We got to kind of treat you like professionals.
Speaker 10 (15:11):
And yeah, we keep saying the kid is going to
be upset and the kid's going to be upset. But
the kid is now being like, nope, I deserve to
be paid for my, and he does. But at some point,
all the other stuff that comes with making all that
money has to come with it. And that is somebody
else is better.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Yes, but not somebody else who already turned pro. I
don't think any of the kids ever expected they'd be
dealing with that, and that's the problem.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
I agree with you. I agree, and this feels icky.
This just feels icky.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
All of it feels icky. But at the same time,
I go.
Speaker 7 (15:42):
Well, this is kind of the slope you went down,
isn't it?
Speaker 9 (15:45):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
No, but I think kids are okay. I think they
realize the game has changed, that people are going to
come in, that they're going to have to deal with
people coming in from the transfer portal that they weren't expecting.
What they didn't factor in was that Lane Kiffin was
going to go to the NFL and get guys who
weren't good enough or didn't want to be there yet,
who have already declared themselves for the NFL, and have
them come back to college. I don't think any kid
(16:07):
could have envisioned that, you know? Is that fair, Bear? Fair, Bear.
I like that.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I think that is fair. I think, ultimately.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
when Mikey was saying it was about who do we blame,
I don't want to blame. I think the blame does
lie ultimately with the NCAA for not having their eyes
wide open as to what was going on and not
thinking that we were headed towards ultimately a situation where
we're going to have players that need to be paid
(16:42):
and this is going to ultimately end with some type
of collective bargaining agreement and I know that creates other
issues down there with employment status and taxes and however else,
but that's the only way to, to make this as
clean and for you kind of get, you get five, you.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Get five years to play for this.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
You can get caught all the other things that, that,
that is ultimately what has to happen. None of the,
none of the government intervention where it's clear the government
is looking out for the, for the, for the schools
and the university and the conferences and not the players.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
It's, it's, I can't believe I'm rooting for Dabo Swinney.
All right, let's get into the weekend. I can't believe
this is the conversation we're having headed into college football
week one. Week zero was last week. There are games
to be played. We're sitting here stuck in a courtroom.
It is just unbelievable. All right, Bear, we have the
pen and paper out. And by we, Mikey has the
(17:38):
pen and paper out. He snapshots it and he sends
it over to me.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
And I send it to you and then we all
place the bets before we put the episode out so
as the line is.
Speaker 7 (17:46):
Not to move.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
So what are you thinking about this weekend, Bear? What
are we thinking?
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I laid the points with Miami tonight against Stanford, laid
24 and a half.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
I just think it's going to be a hard time
for Stanford to move the ball and score points.
Speaker 4 (18:03):
Their offensive line is devastated today.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
With injuries after week one, I don't think that they'll
be able to block Miami. I think Miami, they have
a bunch of guys who are looking to get into
the rotation and get playing time in addition to the
starters already. Mario has had a tendency to kind of
run it up on Stanford in the past after a
couple of really bad losses to the Cardinal earlier in
(18:26):
his coaching career. So I laid 24 and a half
with Miami. I took two with Cal against UCLA.
Speaker 9 (18:34):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
I think one of my.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Unproven, unscientific theories that I have no research result based
on is when a line moves across zero, Cal opened up.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
As the favorite in this game.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
And now UCLA is the favorite.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I love when you get the team that was the
favorite and they are now the underdog. Again, I've got
nothing to prove that this is right or wrong, but
in my own head, I like this.
Speaker 5 (19:02):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
It should be a fun game. I think both offenses
will be good.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
I think Cal's roster right now is better than UCLA.
I took Cal plus two. I took Oregon minus 24
and a half.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
If I could just stop you for a second here.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
He wants to back up.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
With the Hurricanes and Stanford quickly. Is that as much
Stanford being bad as it is Miami being good? Your
thoughts on tonight's game?
Speaker 4 (19:29):
I think it's a perfect storm.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I think it's both.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I think Miami is much better on the defensive side
of the ball than a lot of people think they're
going to be. And I think just the situation with
Stanford and their offensive line uh and not really having
the the skill position players to put a threat into
miami so that's where i am at mikey what can
you tell me about.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Tarleton state yep what can you tell me about tarleton state.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Uh charlton state tarleton state the texas um yep.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
You're going to be saying, yup, to take the two
and a half points against Bowling Green.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Yeah. They gave up, Tarleton had an opener.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
They gave up 30 against Prairie View last week, which
isn't great, but their offense, they got a really good
quarterback running back combination. Dylan Hines, Caden Anderson's team made
FCS playoffs last year. I believe they're top five right
now in the preseason and, Bowling Green completely collapsed down
the stretch last week. Offensively, in the quarterback situation, they
(20:44):
got problems. They're a slight favorite at home. There's no
home field at Bowling Green. So I took Harlan State
plus two and a half.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
All right. You were headed to Oregon at one point,
and that cut you off.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
That's okay. I love Oregon. I love Oregon. This might
be my favorite play of the week. This might be
my unloaded.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I think Oregon on the defensive line is going to
wreak havoc on Boise. Boise is kind of weak at
the quarterback position, weak on the offensive line. A couple
of years ago, remember Ashton Genting, they went to Oregon
and played the Ducks tight. But I think everybody coming
back for Oregon, pointing to this season, it feels like
a big win for Oregon. And I got two more
(21:30):
for you.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Okay. Wow. Exciting. I mean, listen, it's college football week one.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
I mean, Oh, I know.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
I try not to go crazy week one, but then something,
what happens a lot of times is, and you'll, I'm
sure you've discovered this and Mikey's discovered it. And Taylor,
like there's certain people out there in certain sites that
you'd like to fade. Like when certain they, they pick
a side and you're like, I got to take the
(21:58):
other side just for, for prerogative's sake. I laid 29
and a half with Texas against Texas State. I think
it's too easy to say that they're just going to
pull their starters. They got Ohio State next week. They're
looking ahead to that. They don't care. Texas's roster is loaded.
Cam Coleman, one of the best wide receivers in the country.
(22:21):
We'll see what happens with Arch this year. They're going
to put up a bunch of points on Texas State.
I don't think even if they pull their starters, it's
going to be a big deal. And then one of
my ugly dogs of the week is FIU.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Ooh, an ugly dog. FIU, Billy Gill going to be
thrilled about this pick. Yes.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Getting, getting 14 and a half against South Florida. Brian
Hartline's first game as USF head coach, the Bulls, but FIU,
Simmons is building a little bit of a, a culture there.
They were, they were kind of plucky at point times
last year. Um, Good running game, solid on the defensive
(23:02):
side of the ball, really. They're kind of that team
that you're getting guys from Florida that maybe they're not
good enough to play at the big three or whomever else.
But the depth and athleticism here, 14 and a half
against a new look USF team with Brian Hartline in
his first game as head coach. I'll take the Golden
(23:22):
Panthers there.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
Is that game at Pitbull stadium?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
It is up at a Raymond James pirate ship, a
big sombrero or whatever stadium it is right now.
Speaker 4 (23:36):
Backfield.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yes. You know, what's happening with FI FIU and other
programs is you're right. They're getting kids that maybe weren't
good enough to go to Miami. They're getting kids who
go to Miami, USF, Florida, Florida state, who aren't getting
the playing time. They thought they were going to play
at FIU reaps the benefits. of getting some of those kids.
That's the good thing about the transfer portal is those
kids get an opportunity if indeed they want it, you know?
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
All right, so he likes FIU. We have to come
up with names for these. The unloaded game.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Unload the clip is Oregon versus Boise. Unload the clip,
take the money clip off, and start going like.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
If I use the dirty dog of the week.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah. Mikey, you have all these written down?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
All of them.
Speaker 7 (24:30):
What is this, my first day?
Speaker 1 (24:32):
No, it's not your first rodeo. I'm just wondering if
we need to announce him again to the audience in
the event that they missed him. It's a podcast.
Speaker 7 (24:40):
Rewind it. Give us another listen.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
He's such a jerk. All right, Mikey A., listen, it's
a big football weekend. The NFL kicks off next week
as well. So what do you think? Do we keep
Bear around here to get his NFL season totals, some over-unders?
What do you think here?
Speaker 7 (24:57):
I think we need to.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
I think my wallet needs to. We come back. We
come back with Bear. Chris Felica. Check him out. Bear Bets,
wherever you get your podcasts. We're back with Bear and
his NFL future picks right after this.
Speaker 8 (25:13):
Be sure to catch live editions of Stu Godson Company
live weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 p.m.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Pacific.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Bear, before we get to the NFL, Taylor raised a
very interesting question on the show yesterday. I've been thinking
about it for a long time. Can you be, I've
been all night, actually. Can you be a fan? Can
your favorite player of your favorite team be a guy
that you never saw play? Meaning you weren't born when
he was playing. Like if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan
(25:44):
and you were born after Roger Staubach retired, so you
never saw him play. And someone says, hey, who's your
favorite Cowboy? Can your response be Roger Staubach?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
No.
Speaker 7 (25:56):
That's ridiculous. That's a ridiculous, ridiculous question.
Speaker 4 (26:01):
Taylor thinks you can?
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Well, no, I think it's different for different teams. If
you ask Jet fans who is their favorite Jet of
all time, many of them might say Joe Namath. And
I understand why, even though they hadn't seen him play,
and I understand why.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
They haven't had anyone better to root for since, you know?
Speaker 5 (26:18):
They've had Darrell Rivas. They've had Curtis Martin. They've had, no,
this is crazy. This is a crazy question.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
All right.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
I'm in.
Speaker 4 (26:27):
I think maybe there's a different word to use than favorite.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Maybe best, most impactful, legendary.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
But yeah, no, favorite, like, I.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Couldn't say my favorite Jet was, even though I did
see I was four when Joe Namath played his last season.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
In the NFL.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I'm just saying I don't blame someone if they say
Joe Namath just because the Jets have been– you do, Mikey.
Speaker 7 (26:53):
I do. I do because all you know of Joe
Namath is the highlights.
Speaker 5 (26:57):
You don't know– you didn't watch him start to finish
in any game and see, oh, man, he missed that guy,
but I know he's going to come back because I've
watched him.
Speaker 7 (27:08):
No, all you know is highlights. I don't want to
hear it.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
So if an Oiler fan says, hey, my favorite Oiler
of all time is Wayne Gretzky, he can't say that
even though he never saw Gretzky play?
Speaker 7 (27:18):
No, he can't. OK, because he never saw him play.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
I mean, but if you hold on a second, if
you were born after Michael Jordan retired and you're a
Chicago Bulls fan. And all you've heard growing up in
that city is Michael Jordan this, Michael Jordan that. He
was the greatest. And the Bulls have been lousy since
Jordan retired. Why can't Michael Jordan be your favorite Bull.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Of all time?
Speaker 10 (27:43):
You could have him as the best player of all time.
You could have him as the best Bull of all time.
But he can't be your favorite. You don't know the
hurt when he.
Speaker 7 (27:56):
Left to play baseball and the joy of having him
come back. You didn't have that. You can't have that
be your thing.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
All right.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:05):
He could be the greatest, but no, Joe Kim Noah
is everybody's favorite ball.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
Well, someone brought up Derek Rose yesterday. He won an MVP.
So I guess I don't know. Maybe I understand what
you're saying. All right, let's get to the NFL here. Bear.
It kicks off in six days. Very excited. What are
you thinking here?
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Giants under seven and a half wins is certainly something
that's there.
Speaker 9 (28:30):
Really?
Speaker 4 (28:30):
I don't, I think that, Yeah, I'm not high on
the Giants at all. Okay. I think it's so bizarre. Oh,
OBJ is back.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
And the fact that OBJ might be your number two
or number three wide receiver, that's a problem.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
It is.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Neighbors not being fully healthy. I was just watching TV
here before, and Skadaboo wasn't sure he really wanted to
play again. Jackson Dart lives in the tent. Like, I
know they had a great draft. But they're not as
good as the Eagles in that division. They're not as
good as the Cowboys. They're closer to the Commanders than
(29:09):
they are. And you look at the late season schedule,
I don't know how they're getting to eight wins.
Speaker 7 (29:15):
But, Bear, did you see that catch in 2014? I mean, come.
Speaker 4 (29:21):
On.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
One moment Hall of Fame. Who else? What else are
you looking at for the season?
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I bet the Ravens to win the Super Bowl. I
think people are kind of, people are sleeping, I think,
a little bit on the Ravens this year.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
So wait, when did you put this in, Bear?
Speaker 4 (29:35):
The hand is up.
Speaker 7 (29:36):
Yes, when did you put this in?
Speaker 4 (29:40):
When did I put it in?
Speaker 3 (29:41):
Yes, what were the odds when you put it in?
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Oh, 12-1.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
12-1, I don't know what they are now.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I think people are, like, look, people high on the
Bengals in that division, and nobody else, I think, is
any good in this.
Speaker 4 (29:58):
Steelers stink. Uh, Browns are terrible.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
But I think people, because Harbaugh's gone, it's a first-year
head coach, I think people view that as a negative.
What I've heard in camp this year, like the attention
to detail, and it's kind of like a.
Re-motivated, like Lamar, I'm told, is like having fun again
for the first time in a couple of years because
(30:23):
apparently it wasn't great. I think after the year they
had last year and all the questions about playoff Lamar,
I think the Ravens are going to be pretty good.
Speaker 4 (30:33):
And I know there are some.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
I don't know if it's up in every state. You
can bet, like, who will the last undefeated team be.
I bet this as well for the Ravens.
Speaker 4 (30:46):
I forget. It might have been 17-1 maybe. I can't
recall what it was. So forgive me if I gave
the wrong info, but if you look at the Ravens schedule,
I believe week three, they have the Cowboys, but all
other six games that they have are super winnable. So
if you can get to week three, they beat the Cowboys,
(31:08):
and then you're looking at 7-0 might be doable.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
But I am high on the Ravens this year, but
it's a little bit of a bet against the Bengals
and the buzz and the steam.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
That the Bengals have. But I think the Ravens are
poised for a big season.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Bear, what else are you looking at here?
Speaker 2 (31:25):
If you're looking for a real super ridiculous long shot
in the rookie of the year markets, R. Mason Thomas
from the Kansas City Chiefs is a rookie from Oklahoma,
really disruptive pass rusher. He's getting a lot of buzz.
He was 75-1. I don't know what he is now.
(31:46):
It's probably considerably lower. But he might be worth it
because in that Kansas City defense, someone is going to
have to. pressure the passer he could be the beneficiary
of all the uh the attention chris jones and some
others are getting offensive side of the ball giovante williams
is someone uh running running back from denver that i
(32:08):
think is worth a play he was i believe it
was 55 to 1 right when i bet him he's
a good player yeah i mentioned the cowboys before with
the giants i bet the cowboys to win the division Wow.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
I hate the fact that I'm doing that. I hate
the fact that I'm buying into that.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
I usually like laugh when I hear about, are the
Cowboys a Super Bowl contender?
Speaker 4 (32:31):
Are the Cowboys getting Dak Prescott? Is he the best court?
But it's hard to argue that they don't have a
ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
And they made massive improvements on the defensive side, whether
it was free agency, trades, I think they are going
to be light years better than they were last year.
And if they can stay healthy, like Cowboys stock, Brian Schottenheimer,
coach of the year, like 18-1, 16-1, Cowboys to win
the division at like plus 205.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
All of those things, I think, make a ton. Schotty,
it's weird.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
We always talk about these coaches who like when they become,
go from coordinator to head coach and it never pans out.
shotty is like the opposite of that he's a much
better head coach yes then was coordinator and that's it's
rare so like he wasn't every night he did take
a couple of shots at him as coordinator and maybe
(33:32):
you look and whatever but as.
Speaker 7 (33:33):
A head coach right he's a he's much.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Better as a head because i i'm i'm a lot
higher on the cowboys i think than uh than i've
ever been and probably than i ever wanted to be.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Uh shotty's done a good job and that interest that
division is interesting from this standpoint Dallas has stability. I
can't believe I'm saying it, but they have some stability there.
And when you compare it to the rest of the division, Giants,
new head coach, questions still about Jackson, Darb, Philadelphia, they
lose A.J. Brown, and we're constantly questioning Nick Sirianni. But
(34:03):
it's going to be interesting to see how the Eagles
look without A.J. Brown. And then, of course, you have
the Commanders with Jaden Daniels coming back from an injury.
And so why not the Cowboys? I actually like that pick.
I love that pick. It's my favorite pick of all
the picks you've given us here.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
Yes. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
You got it.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
I got one more for you.
Speaker 7 (34:20):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Remember this time last year, we're sitting here. Is Matthew
Stafford ever going to play again? How's Matthew Stafford's back?
Is he ever going to be healthy? Who will the
Rams quarterback be? It's no way Matthew Stafford's going to play.
And then he went out, had an MVP season.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
Stayed healthy. Now we're just talking like, oh, it's a
foregone conclusion. Oh, he's fine. There's no worry about it.
He played last year. He'll be okay.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
When you're looking at these player props, more things can
go wrong than can go right. I bet Stafford under 38,
99 and a half passing yards. Adams is a year
older who knows if Pook is going to be suspended
or if he.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
Can stay healthy.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Like, Can Stafford say, like, we're all assuming that this
is going to go swimmingly this year in L.A. And
we hope it does. We'd love to see everything go
well and him have a great year like the talent.
But who's to say it doesn't get nicked up? Who's
to say Bacta doesn't flare up? Who's to say his finger,
(35:27):
they only had hand problems in the past? Under 38,
99 and a half passing yards on Stafford.
Speaker 6 (35:33):
All right.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
I like it, Mikey. I like that. I like it.
The NFL ones I love. I mean, I'm not saying
I don't love the college ones, but I love the
Cowboys and I love that Stafford bet right there. Who
is to say, Bear? Who?
Speaker 2 (35:46):
In that division as well, like they're just being anointed.
Everyone's forgetting about the Seahawks. Seahawks won the damn Super
Bowl last year and it's like they're.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
Like total afterthought.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Yes. How do you feel about this bet? Taking Seattle
to not make the playoffs?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
I don't hate taking Seattle to miss the playoff or
the Rams to miss the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
Look at the Rams' first five games.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (36:13):
Look at... Other than the one game, I think they
have the Giants in the first five games.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
There are four losable games in the first five games.
If you look at a Rams season win total under,
Rams to miss the playoff, all of those.
Speaker 4 (36:29):
I kind of equated this with college football as well.
I think we talked about last week.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Someone that we don't expect to miss the playoff is
going to miss the playoff. And it's going to happen
that way in the NFL as well. Someone who I
think is bulletproof and great and a Super Bowl contender,
something is going to happen where they're going to hit,
whether it's the Rams, whether it's the Seahawks.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
Whether it's the Bills, whether it's.
Speaker 2 (36:53):
The Bengals, someone is going to hit a rough patch
and they're going to be sitting there nine and eight
and hoping that the tie breaks fall their way at
the end of the season.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Of course, it happens every year. The Rams just quickly here.
San Francisco, that game's in Australia, neutral field. Then they're
home with the Giants. And this is the, I think
this is the gauntlet you're kind of talking about here.
Three consecutive weeks at Denver, at Philadelphia, home with Buffalo. Stuff.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
All right, Bear. We appreciate it, as always. Bears, Bets,
wherever you get your podcast, if you want all those
picks for the upcoming week and the upcoming season.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
Enjoy Bloomington, Indiana.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
I don't know how you can, but enjoy it. Do
your best. Hang in there.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
Actually, good little town.
Speaker 3 (37:39):
Good little town?
Speaker 4 (37:40):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Good little college town. Yeah, I love a good little
college town.
Speaker 8 (37:43):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Walk around all day, ask people and report back to
us on Monday if they would rather win a basketball
championship or a football championship this season. We appreciate you
doing this. Field Yates coming up next.
Host
Doug Gottlieb
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.