Ep. 1081: Hot Take Monday: MSU vs. Michigan football looms, as angst over Jonathan Smith rolls on

We dug into our takes and yours — on Michigan State football and Jonathan Smith's tenure, on MSU's matchup with Michigan, on MSU basketball and hockey, and more.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Oh ah, oh, oh oh.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
What do you get when you cross a note all
newspaper columnist with an awkward, unsophisticated every man.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, well, I'm just not sure about that right.

Speaker 4 (02:02):
Now, Welcome to Couch the Room.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
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And are you doing? Brother? I do hear your voice
in my head when I take a shit. I mean
I felt all of.

Speaker 5 (03:10):
Fred human makes ass. What's up, buddy? How are you man?
How is Michigan State football? Right now? They're keeping that
field goal, kicking him effort?

Speaker 3 (03:20):
All right?

Speaker 5 (03:21):
Down twenty eight, kicking a field goal. We're going into
the Michigan week, right. I just want to make sure
I had to ask you first. Covering a spread is
what they're doing? Oh? Okay, did he admit that in
the Today's that I was actually trying to listen live
Thank you wlns, but it got broken up midway through.
I did hear one of your your great questions. But yeah,
I was trying to hear Jonathan Smith and how he

(03:41):
was going to lift this team's spirits, building momentum off
that fucking field goal. I still can't believe happened. Like,
for seriously hours after, I think even yesterday, every once
in a while I'd look over at T and I'd
be like, he kicked a field goal. It's unbelievable. Down
twenty eight. Cover the spread? Well, anyway, the reason he
gave for it was that the shirts no. Martin Connington

(04:02):
had missed a field goal earlier, fifty yarder, and the
weather was getting bad, and he wanted him to have
the experience in a game kicking in bad weather, because
that's what you're about to face. So that's that was
the reason. Bravo, Jonathan Smith. That's good anyway, all right,
I'm excited it was.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
The presser today was interesting because he, you know, he
is very aware, like people talk about his lack of
emotion and how much he knows and has invested in
the rivalry, you know, coming in and just his lack
of knowledge of it and how that showed last year.
It's almost and I feel bad in a sense for
him because it's it's almost an over compensation. And I'm
not saying he's he doesn't care about it and he

(04:40):
hasn't learned a ton from it. I had a conversation
about that before with him, before the season when he
talked about the arrogance of Michigan and things like that.
I'm not talking about he is experienced.

Speaker 5 (04:49):
That's how you talk about Michigan right there.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
I'm not talking about Michigan but he's just not a
natural orator. So he's like he's got these inflection points
in his voice, and he's trying to to really emphasize
certain things and and and sound like somebody people want
him to be. And man, I just the problem for
him is that ultimately you got to be who you are.
And the problem for him is, I don't think Michigan

(05:13):
State fan think it's a problem.

Speaker 5 (05:14):
You're trying to be someone else. So if you're just
trying to get your team.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
Why my life trying to be someone else? Me too?

Speaker 5 (05:20):
Actually, I thought I was Marky mark Wahlberg in middle school,
like you know what I mean, Like I always wanted
to be someone else, So I totally understand that. But
when you're hired into a position like this, you can't
really feel bad for a guy who's standing up there
when you said you like.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
When you were trying to be him, Like, what did
that look like? Uh?

Speaker 5 (05:37):
Well, I was just trying to be a black guy.
I mean, if you want to just cut the shit,
I'm sorry, but I don't know how else to tell you.
Because Marky Mark back in the in the early nineties
was trying to be a black guy. And I thought
that was I was always trying to be you know,
like Jimmy King or something like that. I wanted to
be anyone but myself because I thought those people were cool.
Marky Mark looked like he was cool. Everybody respected Marky
Mark and you. You and I grew up in the

(05:57):
Fab five era, so that's what I loved with fab
that's what cool looked like, like like Jalen Roll, like
our Beatles, the Beatles, but no, I'm saying our Beatles,
like you know what I mean. When we were young,
we would go out and try to emulate around the
court because all I did was play basketball back in
the day, so I wanted to be Jimmy King. My
buddy was Chris Webber, and you know, it's awesome. Eighty
times I want to go back to that time. It's

(06:18):
one of those things where I like I used to do.
I used to pretend to walk with like pigeon Toad
a little bit because some of the athletes I could
drink everybody.

Speaker 3 (06:27):
Yeah, it was John Elway, under Agassi and Jalen Rose,
like I thought that looked cool and so like I was.
That was how And then if you look down at
my feet, if I was trying to walk pigeon toad.
I was straight footed because naturally my feet were kind
of out what it just didn't have to look. But
in my head I was that cool. That's why I
wasn't established that.

Speaker 5 (06:43):
Where we're idiots and we've tried to be nothing but idiots.
We're talking about thirteen to fourteen. You know, it's a
love even now. I mean, I'm trying to be someone else,
you know. Yeah, But anyway back to Jonathan Smith kicking
a field goal, well.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
Hold on, that was the story I would say we're telling.
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(07:15):
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(07:36):
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Speaker 5 (07:49):
Excel at.

Speaker 3 (07:50):
But the and they don't ask enough good sports questions.
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It's Tuesday trivia at Midtown Brewing Company. Yeah. No, it
was an interesting pressure. I you know, look, the situation
is weird. It's what it is. I don't think this
is well, let's get into it. Okay, Let's let me

(08:11):
just ask him. Is this a must win game for
Jonathan Smith? If something I mean, if Michigan blows Michigan's like,
what is it going to take?

Speaker 5 (08:18):
Or is he here forever? Is he here for the
rest of the evening forever, But if the rest of
this season, because I was expecting to not have a
show today because he was gonna get shit canned and
you were gonna be busy, and I was honestly asking
you and Couch was shocked last night, where like I
break like I know before him or something, I don't
know anything.

Speaker 3 (08:36):
Well, if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen on Sunday, right,
It's what I was waiting for.

Speaker 5 (08:39):
But yeah, they wouldn't fire him like, you know, Monday morning,
and well.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yeah, why you wait around Sunday. Those sort of things
always break on on Sundays, at least to this point. Usually,
I do think he's more likely than not to coach
the rest of the season. I don't think it's I mean,
I think a lot of people misinterpreted my column where
they didn't read it. They just read the headlines because
of trivate columns.

Speaker 5 (09:01):
They thought you were talking about twenty eight things. Yeah, yeah,
that would have been so amazing if you just listen
to twenty eight. There's a couple of people there.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
At least one on on on our listener hot takes,
and there are people that think, you know, I think
he should come back like this is not in a
trajectory in an era when you have to have momentum
where that it looks like it's gonna work. It doesn't
look like a fit does You just don't see the path.
Doesn't mean I think he's a bad coach, but we
haven't seen the good coach show up enough. And you

(09:27):
know it's at some point.

Speaker 5 (09:28):
But isn't it tough to feel bad for players, especially
in today's NIO, when you're getting money.

Speaker 3 (09:33):
But not everybody's getting a ton like, yeah, there are guys,
there are guys getting good money. My point of the
column was that I do think. I do think that.
You know, if there is little or no advantage to
making a move now, you ought to consider the impact
it has on your players, including the twenty eight who
chose to stick around through his regime change last time

(09:55):
and went through that hell in twenty three. That's what
coaching changes usually look like, not UCLA. UCLA has sort
of gotten everybody up in a tizzy like fire your coach,
you get the new coach pump that's looks like it's fun.
It doesn't usually work that way. I know UAB had
a win so then it makes it worse. It's like, oh,
look at you. You can always find examples, but all
of those situations are situations where effort was part of
the reason that a move needed to be made. When

(10:17):
UCLA was just not playing hard, they looked just interested, disorganized,
And if MSU gets to that point at any point,
you make the move immediately. But that's not what happened Saturday,
Like that was the number three team in the country
that beat him by the same score as UCLA beat
him a week earlier. That was a that's a really
good Indiana team. Now maybe UCLA is just dynamite and
we'll see UCLA play Indiana.

Speaker 5 (10:36):
Three weeks ago we were calling for their demise unders
like twelve people at their stadium, Like, I just can't
believe that you can turn something around like that.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
So you can. Yeah, So people shouldn't misconstrue me like
endorsing the long term viability of Jonathan Smith as Michigan
State's head coach with what I think they should do
the rest of the season. And again that predicates on
heads not dropping, guys still playing for him, if guys
start quitting, if guys check out, if it if guys
aren't responding to the staff. What I thought Burger said

(11:03):
there was guys were quitting a week earlier, and that's
why I didn't think you'd make it. This was not
that this past week. And we'll see what it is
this week, and we'll see what it is next week.
The first quarter that looked like they were going to
actually do something. They were playing hard. They just aren't
very good. That's the problem. And so that there's there's
a difference in those In those two things. I don't
think that this team gets better if you can this staff.

(11:24):
I don't think that's what's going to happen, even if
people like Courtney Hawkins, even if though I don't think
that's what's going to happen. One of the things that
was interesting this is going I sort of I wanted
to get into this. My takes here is looking at
the new transfer portal rules and really digesting what I
think that means. Has changed my opinion on how you
handle these situations. A year ago, I would have been

(11:48):
much more up in the air about how long you
wait and how quickly you had to move, because it
used to be that when the transfer portal or the
transfer portal opened for thirty days immediately when a coach
was fired for that team, And even though they're in
the middle of the semester and they can't really they
could say they were going somewhere, they could talk to schools,
they could, they could. Basically, their life became about what

(12:10):
was next, not that team anymore, and that wasn't healthy
and that. But now the transferportal opens for So if
you fire your coach at Florida, for example, where they
just fired Billy Napier, the transferportal opens for them five
days after they announced their next coach. So they're still
gonna be tampering. There's gonna be guys getting hold of

(12:30):
all that stuff. And I think it's worse if you
already get rid of your coach, especially when while everybody
around here thinks Jonathan Smith is on his way out.
You don't hear that in the national narrative as much.
It's not one of the jobs that people go this is.
This is definitely happening, the way people feel about it,
with Luke Fickle and Wisconsin and other things like that.
So if you're if you don't, if you make the

(12:52):
move now for this team and the players and the roster,
and for next it becomes about what they're doing next,
and it'll become about there'll be a lot of tampering.
It'll be a lot of you know, I think the
team will fall apart. Whereas if you even if you
don't want Jonathan Smith to come back, which I think

(13:12):
is the prevailing sentiment. Now it's not just Twitter, because
sometimes what we hear on this show is one thing,
but then what I'm getting in emails from a different
crowd is different. I think the prevailing sentiment is it
hasn't worked. Even people who wish it had or like him,
or think, man, it'd be nice if you could have
one more year, I think the prevailing sentiment is it
hasn't worked at this point. But if you care about

(13:34):
the program long term and the next guy's first year,
because there is very little patience for this and you
have to turn this stuff quick, and the ability to
retain key parts of a roster, I don't know that
getting rid of Jonathan Smith before the end of the
season helps that, because again, five days after the next
guy's announced is when the portal opens. And if these
guys are engaged with this program through the end of

(13:55):
this year, I think they're more likely to still be gettable,
to still be thinking about the idea of being at
Michigan State when the next guy comes in and has
a few days to talk to this roster. The rest
of the transfer portal, which last year open December ninth,
doesn't open un till January second. This year, it's a
very different climate. Again, there will be tampering, there'll be
guys making decisions, there will be conversations, but in theory,

(14:16):
it's going to be different. And I do think that affects,
you know, when you're trying to make a calculus here
again the second heads drop or guys just heads drops
the wrong word, but guys stop responding to a staff.
And again you can see it when it happens. When
UCLA was had the makings of that, and that's why
I thought he probably wouldn't make it, you know, beyond

(14:39):
a week or two, or Minnesota or whatever. Indiana was
not that. But the second it does happen, or if
it continues, then you have to make a move because
there's no point in hanging out to the person anymore.
But that's not where Michigan State is right now. That's
not where this season is it's a weird situation because
it's only a year and a half in and this
didn't used to be where you considered getting rid of
a coach, and I in a different like. Usually when

(15:01):
a coaching staff is they can feel it in year four.
They know it's not going anywhere. The program knows it's
not going anywhere. It's happened so abruptly that I'm not
sure the mindset is quite the same.

Speaker 5 (15:12):
Where do they think it's going? Like you mentioned nationally,
like some people are talking about the Luke Fickle situation,
but then he said that they're not even talking about
Michigan State at all. That's not a good thing. And
I think if you fire your coach, you get people talking,
and then there's gonna be other coaches that are available
that are gonna look at Michigan State differently if they're
going to keep their coach if he beats Michigan.

Speaker 3 (15:30):
Is that what we're saying.

Speaker 5 (15:31):
So, so if he beats Michigan this week, look at it,
look at it, then he stay.

Speaker 3 (15:34):
Look at it from afar If you're not if you're
a national writer, and again, national writers are people of
very little perspective who are usually struggling to find relevant.
So it's not always a good a good voice, but
but you still need them to talk about your program.
What I'm what I'm saying, it has nothing to do
with that. To me, it's not that Michigan State has
become so irrelevant that people aren't talking about them. But
Luke Fickel Wisconsin football is equally irrelevant and people are

(15:55):
talking about it. The point is it's happened so quickly.
If you're an outsider, you're looking at Michigan State's program
and you're not and you're not paying attention week to week,
and you don't real and you saw Jonathan Smith had
success at Oregon State, and you don't realize that the
fit hasn't worked, that people are upset with the lack
of emotion and connection and all that stuff. You don't
realize that as much. And so what you see as
a coach who took over a dumpster fire, who's eighteen

(16:17):
games in, who had success somewhere else, who's three and four,
you know, it doesn't look like it's not like it's
it's it's not obvious to outsiders. It's not going to
be obvious to outsiders. And and I think that has
some advantages in terms of going forward, having the guys
feel like they're still invested in the program, having guys
feel like they're not playing for a staff that's dead

(16:38):
man walking. And again, is it obvious to local you know,
the local people around here. If it's not low, if
it's not obvious to the national.

Speaker 5 (16:45):
Well, I just say, so, are we saying that you
basically have to root against Michigan State if you want
Smith gone? Because I feel if Smith pulls this off,
it will show some momentum I guess for what.

Speaker 3 (16:59):
I don't think beating Michigan is enough. Okay, on its own,
I think I think beating Michigan and getting to a
Bowl game would be a different conversation. But again, I'm
also of the like one of the things I think
I like about good leaders is that sometimes you fly
in the face of conventional thought. And so a good
leader if you really thought Jay bat was or not

(17:22):
ja bad. If if Jay Batt really thought that that
that Jonathan Smith deserved a third year, that this program
could go somewhere with him, then regardless of what happens,
he should You know, I won't say, regardless of anything
that happens, but regardless of record, he should stand up
and say that, and you put yourself on the line
a little bit with that. Likewise, if if they go

(17:44):
six and six and they reach a bowl game, but
you've decided this just isn't gonna work. It's just there,
there's something missing in the fit and you'd rather start fresh,
then you still you have to be you have to
have the cajones to make that move because that that's
what leadership is. And again it's it, that's where it

(18:05):
becomes cutthroat. The easy thing now, and I don't know
it's easy is to you know, watch them lose to
Michigan and say, ah, that's it. Make it, make a
change today. The you know, if what's best for the
program isn't is to do it in a month, or
if what's best for the program is to keep more,
what's best for the program if they go sick and

(18:26):
sick is still to get rid of them. That's what
leadership is, making the decision that you think is best.
Regardless of what Matt C thinks. And we love Matt
C and I think Matt C would be an interesting
athletic director, But you hire Mat C. Yeah, again, I
do not think this is going to work. I do
not think he will be the head coach next year.
I just don't think it's a fit. It would be.

(18:48):
I mean, there is a path to make things interesting though,
if they beat Michigan and they got to a bowl game.
And you can see the path now when you look
at Penn State, which is falling apart tozer and four
in the Big Ten. They don't have the quarterback, they're
another the coach. That's the way usually works when you
fire a coach and then.

Speaker 5 (19:03):
But isn't that the way you should do it in
today's college footballs to strip it down if you're terrible
and you have to move on and you have to
get people in and out. I mean, my question for
Jonathan Smith, if somehow you know the scenario you gave
where he beats Michigan sixty six bowl game, what does
Jay Batt talk to him about if he's gonna bring
him back? Are you gonna bring your whole staff back?
Jonathan Smith? How do you are you gonna get Are

(19:24):
you gonna get rid of God? Can you be cut
throat and get rid of some guys that are not working?
There are two I listen I'm not talking about your
boy Joe Rossi here, like you can bring him back
if that'll make you happy.

Speaker 3 (19:33):
There are two parts of this, but half of this
is on Jay bad if you wanted to do that.
Half of this is raising the funds and having the
mechanisms in place to fund a roster. It is because
now I'm not saying what's happening now, I'm saying, if
you choose to bring him back, If you choose to
bring him back and you want momentum, half of creating
momentum is creating a roster that doesn't look like this.
Michigan State has a real talent problem right now, especially

(19:54):
on defense. It's it's very, very evident. And they just
I mean they had zero press on the quarterback. Zero.
I mean, that's not not gonna, not gonna work, right,
and so that that is a talent. I mean kick
the field goal down twenty eight. I can't imagine there's
a court. I can't Spagnola right, one of the best
coordinators with the Kanzi Chiefs. I can't imagine any blitzing. Like,

(20:16):
I just don't know what any coordinator right now can
get much more out of this group because it's not
like Joe Rossi's going home and going just gonna run
the vanilla stuff and uh will it doesn't work, you know,
I know, but hearing this makes me want to just
clear everybody the fuck out and start over, right, And
I know what I know.

Speaker 5 (20:32):
But see, that's what I'm just saying as a as
a fan of Michigan State football. It's just it's just
frustrating actor and not to mention, the other teams that
I root for do this to me as well.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
And that's why you listen to fans, but you don't
give them to say, you know, like because because because
if you have an ide who thinks that's it. Clear
everybody the fuck out, that's what you're thinking. Then then that.

Speaker 5 (20:51):
After hearing you, I say that, oh well that's right,
I would just have to just ignore you and I
would have more general, you know, understanding. But when I
hear you talk about it, I'm like a fucking get
rid of everybody. I'm thinking of these excuses. I want
to be clear about two things. One, I do not
think this is going to work. I don't.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
I don't think he'll be the head coach next year. Okay,
I don't. I think there's still a chance to make
that be an interesting call for Jay Batt if certain
things happen, beginning with a win over Michigan. But I
also do think, regardless of anything, that there might be advantages,
not just in the twenty eight players who've been through
this and the rest of the team and what a

(21:27):
shit end of the season it is if you do
fire a coach and you're in that perpetual transition, but
also for the next coach. We talk a lot about
D'Antonio and all the retention he had, how that helped
his program going on. It's a totally different world than that.
But if you're talking about retaining players that you want
and having the ability because not all of these guys
are bad players, and whatever next year, a lot of

(21:50):
whatever next year's team is going to be is still
going to be from this roster, whoever the coach is.
And I don't know that getting rid of the coach
today improves the odds of having a better team next year,
regardless of who the coach is. That is my point
on that. So do you have a take, big night,
If we go and you're almost Lion three, almost Lion,

(22:15):
do you have a take of course.

Speaker 5 (22:18):
Man, Monday Night football tonight against Tampa. Everybody's out injured apparently.
I guess Tampa has it worse than we do. Really
sucks that Brian Branch is not gonna play tonight. It's
just gonna be interesting what happens tonight. How the NFL
screws us, right, I think they're gonna make up for it.
In fact, did you see that the Kansas City Chiefs
are the favorite to win the Super Bowl?

Speaker 3 (22:38):
Now? I did? Yeah?

Speaker 5 (22:39):
Yeah. And by the way, the chat was going crazy
on the YouTube before the show between Lucas and j R. Junior,
So I don't know what happened there. But anyway, Kenneth
going to his first Lions game tonight, ask for some advice. Kenneth,
do not talk when the offense is on the field,
that's the big thing. Do not yell or scream or
anything like that. And then when they're on defense, and

(23:01):
then you have to hold up a sign on third
down when you're on defense too. So enjoy the game tonight,
my friend. Yeah, don't wear on Tampa jersey. That would
be my best advice. Yeah, don't do that shit either, Yeah, yeah,
how dare you? Anyway, Lions tonight. Baby, let's go. I'm excited.

Speaker 3 (23:15):
Yeah, No, big game. It's an important game. It's a
it's a must win game. Actually swing swing game different
way than Michigan is a swing game for Jonathan Smith
or UCLA or whatever was Zack?

Speaker 5 (23:24):
Are gonna play to night? When did they announce this ship?
What I mean this game? That's what These games that
are on it late at night, they take forever. It
take all day to get here. I need injury updates,
I need all this stuff. Anyway, I have one more take?
Is sho he tany underpaid? That was my third take?

Speaker 3 (23:42):
Was incredible.

Speaker 5 (23:42):
I was unbelievable. I was so angry at my because
I had to get up early on Saturday morning and
I didn't watch the rest of that game. But then
I woke up to see three home runs and ten
k's from show. Hey, I mean good God, between the
uh give it, give him give him a Soto and
Schoobl's contract.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
Between that game and the Boston University of Michigan State
hockey game, which was incredible. It was a Friday night
with some good good stuff. And by the way, MSU
hockey is if you're looking for a place to just
plant your self esteem this winter. I would do there
because that whatever the basketball well, and I'm not gonna
say in basketball too, but I think the like the

(24:21):
likely that MSU hockey is going to be a juggernaut
this year is about ninety ninety percent. That's that was impressive,
an impressive series. My other other take, and I just
wanted to this is something I was thinking about. That's
it's a little interesting. So there's been that conversation about
private equity and the Big Ten and all that stuff,
and you can feel the different ways about what they're

(24:42):
trying to do there. I don't like private equity generally
getting into college sports. The way this is set up
isn't as awful as some of the things I've seen,
and I don't know if it's going to happen. It
sounds like Michigan and USC are really against it. But
one of the most interesting components of it is that
it would extend the media rights deal through like the
mid twenty forties. And I started to think about that,

(25:05):
and this plays into my idea that college football is
poorly packaged and often shitty entertainment. Take a drink, why
would you do that? Think about this? If you thought
if the money was escalating, and live sports is the
place that the networks and streaming services are just you know,
stumbling over each other to put money invest in, why

(25:26):
would you lock yourself in the way the ACC did
with its old granted like steel to anything unless you
knew that the deal you got it may never get
better than what you have. I think they know from
talking to TV partners, I think.

Speaker 5 (25:40):
Two billion, there are a lot of it's is that
what they're a claiming.

Speaker 3 (25:45):
I guess I think could be more than that, oh
more than that. I don't know what the breakdown per school.
And I think that's also interesting that I don't think
it would be one hundred percent even, But point being,
I don't. I wouldn't, and people are doing the math
and maybe it makes sense, but I would not lock
myself and no grant rights to and I think you
know NBC which has had some ship games, and and
you know, I don't know, I just I just I

(26:08):
can't I imagine that they would just do that if
they didn't think it's as good as it ever will
be now. And that's a real sign of something. I
don't know what it is, but it's something to pay
attention to and I wanted.

Speaker 5 (26:18):
To just or they're scared, they want to win now,
so take the money and then apologize later, because they
seem to think that no one's gonna want power and
just people are going to hand you money without wanting something.
That's what I was reading about the private equity stuff
over the weekend. It's like, it's impossible that people just
want to keep giving you money right with no return
on it.

Speaker 3 (26:38):
By the way, that show Atani game and this conversation
about watching games, but show show the show Atonic game.
The most entertaining thing I saw this week, presented by
our friends at Infinity. Go to Exfinity dot com Mobile home, Internet,
cable and cable is still the best way you can
stream cable like I do. It's still the best way
to get the most entertained for your buck. I find

(27:01):
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You'll see some of those deals as well. You can
package mobile with internet and cable and get great deals.
And they have the same coverage areas Verizon, but are
able to give you a better price because phones aren't
their thing, and that's what nobody really tells you. But

(27:22):
that's where you know. They make their money elsewhere, so
they're able to get better deals on phones at Exfinity.
Go to inxfinity dot com, put in your address see
the deals today.

Speaker 5 (27:30):
Thank you show Hey for kicking Jonathan Smith out of
the top spot of most entertaining thing kicking a field
goal down twenty eight with thirty three seconds to go.
Shout out, show Hey. Just have to have one of
the best games in Major League Baseball.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
Craft and he got a game seven.

Speaker 5 (27:45):
Which on the show, Hey, you're kicking the field goal,
which was incredible.

Speaker 3 (27:48):
The field go is interesting because I think Signetti does
like to cover the spread for his fans. Yeah. I
think that.

Speaker 5 (27:52):
Probably Signette's on the other side of this thing.

Speaker 3 (27:54):
Yeah, that's what I mean to be excited if you
I'm saying he was upset by Oh I see, man,
Well we pissed them off, all right? Anyway, do you
have another before we get to whatever? All right?

Speaker 5 (28:06):
Eric Schutz up first number one. See that's what it
looks like when you just lack the players, not forty
one to fourteen vers Rutgers, not thirty eight thirteen versus UCLA,
not twenty four to seventeen vers Perdue, not thirty four
to seven versus Minnesota. Tucker, You've told me for four
FN years it's just a matter of talent Saturday Show.

(28:26):
The repeated abominations over the last four years were coaching.
And two, I totally agree Graham, you got to think
about not hurting the feelings of twenty eight players. Forget
telling your sixty thousand season ticket holders, sixty three thousand donors,
and five hundred and fifty thousand living alumni that you're
not serious about football. No, sir, ree, it's those twenty

(28:48):
eight who got to be considered. And Three, I wish
Graham was my boss. I could be objectively horrific at
every aspect of my job for almost two years, put
it in a week of decent work when it looked
like I was going to be get canned, and Graham
would give me six.

Speaker 3 (29:01):
More weeks in the corporate America and bonus.

Speaker 5 (29:04):
The amount of maybe we should keep Smith takes are scary.
Being not horrific at your job isn't a reason to celebrate.
It's the bare effing minimum. Before this. Seven of his
last eight games were massive red flags. He was fined
for one week. This has been a disaster and it's
not gonna end well, move on.

Speaker 3 (29:25):
Good stuff is always from Eric. I'm gonna jump in
a couple of things here. Like I said, Saturday was
not the example. He brings up good examples for games
that were games where talent was not the reason it
looked the way it did, and too many of those
have now been on on Jonathan Smith's watch. And I've
written that I don't think it's gonna work. I don't.
I mean, do I like the guy personally? Yeah, but

(29:48):
that matters shit, right, that doesn't matter anything. What it
has not worked as he has not been a fit,
he is not connected. And the coaching acumen and competency
that I thought was gonna be there and still maybe
in there, but it just hasn't shown up enough to
make up for the other areas. Right, if you were
California cool and you went six and six last year,

(30:09):
or the went over Michigan and you were five and
two now and you beat Michigan this week and you're like, ah, yeah, fuck,
these guys from California go whatever, and you just you'd
weren't emotional about it, that might play it'd be an
interesting take. We have to see to the point about
the twenty eight players. Again, this is not me saying
they should be first and foremost. Like if you need
to make a change because in the middle of a

(30:31):
season because players have stopped responding in year two under
a guy, then you do it. This is not me
saying he should come back. This is me saying it's
something to consider. If it doesn't help to get rid
of him now versus the end of the year, to
make that evaluation, then that's what I'm saying. And to
the sixty thousand season Ticke holders season ticket holders, try

(30:52):
that again, sixty two thousand donors and living alumni. I mean,
part of the reason I mean she was in this
boat is it's not a as much as it And I
don't want to say people don't give because there are
a lot of people paying a lot of money to
be there, that a lot of people who spend a
lot of their hard earm, income, disposable income or whatever
income they have to do this. But I would say

(31:14):
to the select people who have great means, the lack
of giving at certain points has helped them be here.

Speaker 5 (31:23):
So you're saying they're not given enough.

Speaker 3 (31:25):
I'm not saying everybody because of more bushes. Most people
don't have more to give. That's the problem with college
sports it is right now, is you have to rely
on this, this above you know this. Most people don't
have more to give. Then should we start to go
fund me? Then how do we get it? It seems
like those gofundmes really work, like you got to tap
into the base of people who do have more to
give and do better than they've done any and part

(31:48):
of that it comes down to the coach. And at
this point I don't believe those people are in on.

Speaker 5 (31:52):
The coach dominic. Next number one couch wants me to
pay seventy nine to ninety nine a month for the LSJ,
yet does the following Today winds about listeners taking up
his time, doesn't have Bjy's co host partake misleads the
public claiming three shows a week endorsed keeping this brain
dead staff because we barely covered a spread two Graham

(32:14):
on my father's grave. If you start stumping for Jonathan
Smith again, I will personally report you to the FBI
and will formally address to you address you as Baltimore's son.
Columnist Scott Templeton for good, It's okay to agree with
the mob when the mob is right. Contrarian Clarence and
three arrogance and Hubris ruined sports. See Scott Harris at

(32:36):
the deadline. See Alan Haller getting on his knees repeatedly
and playing the weak male character you claim to despise.
See D'Antonio. I'm sorry, I thought you were waving at me,
you claimed to the spy. See D'Antonio not partying with
the warm glass of ball sweat he called an offensive
staff and bonus, Friday's pod was a top three pod.
Graham doxing elevator guy, who I've confirmed is now in

(32:59):
a mental housepittle seeking treatment after losing his job. Is
that true? Unbelievable? Count as another one of Graham's countless victims.
I'm more an elevator guy, so you'll protect Max Bulla
but not elevator guy.

Speaker 3 (33:11):
And I.

Speaker 5 (33:13):
Is elevator guy. Okay did you find that out? Did
you see him?

Speaker 3 (33:16):
It's in me? But yes, sorry, sorry them usually this guy,
this guy change his ship. The Max Bulla said, yelled,
what what? What? What he did in the crowded elevator
would a different, different, different situation. Yeah, so there's a
lot to lot to get in here. Uh I guess

(33:38):
is one.

Speaker 5 (33:38):
Is he talking about that hit piece by Glickman. Yeah, unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (33:42):
So there's an LSJ story on local podcasts that.

Speaker 5 (33:45):
That I didn't find out about by my co host.

Speaker 3 (33:48):
I was just hoping it would just go away. I
gotta be careful because it was written by you know,
our publication, but I Glickman, I wouldn't say that. The
gist of even interview conversation made the made the piece
the show sounds so it made me sound like I
was just like annoyed by the show, like or not annoyed.
But maybe it's texting New Times. But I was answering.

(34:09):
So he asked me during like a twenty minute conversation.
He asked me, so with all the LSJ stuff and
the show, like, you know, do you do how do
you do all that? And I said, it's tacking some time,
but we have to get time with it. And it
probably went on for like ten minutes, not the way
it would look. No, it's bad, it's just it was
not great.

Speaker 5 (34:25):
I did get a text from someone that was in
the story, and so it was nice to share a
story with you. And I was like, I'm sorry, but
what in the eff are you talking about? Yeah, so
it was nice to not even know about it then
read it, and then read such one of the worst
things I've ever read about the show.

Speaker 3 (34:39):
The story's been a little bit adjusted.

Speaker 5 (34:40):
Oh okay, and then there's a picture of us in
it and you know, not even called or interviewed or anything.

Speaker 3 (34:46):
It will not happen. Who's this rube guy?

Speaker 5 (34:47):
And then there's like a little blurb about me, like Jesus, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, anyway,
are we done with that?

Speaker 3 (34:54):
Okay?

Speaker 5 (34:54):
Kevin from Rochester Hills MSU doesn't have a coaching problem.
They have a talent problem.

Speaker 3 (34:58):
Well, they definitely have a talent, but they have not
gotten the most out of this group with coaching. So
that that then there's both you know, and coaching is
also procuring talent. Now there is an argument that that's
you know, that that takes resources that ms you didn't
have or whatever, but you got to develop guys and
you got to and in year two, maybe some of
that's not fair. And again, we would not be here

(35:20):
if they had won the fifty to fifty games, or
looked more competent or put it together in the fifty
fifty games, that we wouldn't have to be having this
conversation people may there would be people still who didn't
think they connected with Jonathan Smith or weren't sure about them,
or or all that stuff, But nobody would be talking
about this being the last year if they had, just
like against UCLA and Nebraska, looked like a team that

(35:42):
was well coached, organized and got the job done and
they were five and two. Nobody Indiana was not going
to be. Not with this Indiana team right now, was
not going to be the reason people were were angry
about them. Indiana just showed how far the gap is,
which isn't great.

Speaker 5 (35:58):
But yeah, do you think Michigan State will ever hire
another Jonathan Smith or John Smith or John L.

Speaker 3 (36:05):
Smith.

Speaker 5 (36:05):
That's even if it was a great candidate, you'd have
to go, we can't do it again. Probably doesn't have
Jonathan F. Smith, Mike Deschelter next. As much as MSU
hit the ultimate portal home run with Kenneth Walker, our
portal losses on d have decimated the program. Secondary could
have Tatum Mangham Brantley starting as seniors now Zion Young
on the edge would have been tremendous also, no question.

Speaker 3 (36:28):
And their inability to maintain these you know, keep these
guys and pay them and all that stuff is part
of the story. This is not completely entirely on Jonathan Smith.
It's not. And so MSU needs to be as they're
considering what to do here and if they're going to
bring in somebody else, they need to be doing an introspective.
They need to be make sure they've got their resources
together and they're shit together, not just to handle buyouts

(36:50):
or whatever else is coming down the pike and pay
the next coach, but to make sure that they are
able to compete in a resource game year and in the
year out going and getting guys and also keeping the
guys they have in their program. And that's you know,
the next person won't have any more success if you
don't have that. Get that done now. I do think though,

(37:12):
there are people out there that that would excite and
you know, would would connect more with the donor base
that would be ready to jump on board. And the
other thing that's going to get really interesting is what
all this looks like in the rev share era with
nil and and and you know MSU has to be
willing and ready to play ball, however that looks going

(37:33):
in the next year.

Speaker 5 (37:35):
And will they let the fan base know whether or
not they're going to come heavy with some money. Well,
you'll see. I think a lot of the fan base
has no idea of what their work. What's Michigan State
working with?

Speaker 3 (37:46):
Yeah, but even even Indiana doesn't one hundred percent they think,
I mean from what what?

Speaker 5 (37:49):
Uh? Why doesn't Indiana, Like I'm saying, okay, why doesn't
any college let the fan base.

Speaker 3 (37:54):
Everybody knows you got fifteen or sixteen million. Now, everybody
knows that's a base, that's the REV share. Everybody knows that.
The question is beyond that separate you. The thing the
revshare did is it raised the floor of everybody. It's
going to make it for much more parody in college football.
If you're able to manage that fifteen million, really well,
you're going to have years so you can rise up
and have a good year. But the thing that's going
to separate you is that next ten million or more sometimes.

(38:16):
But I think you got to have You've got to
be able to spend. And I think Indiana this year
has five to ten million more than Michigan State on
its roster, and then it's got other things going forward.
What that that's that's that shows up, and you've got
to be willing going forward. Now, last year, these rosters
were built with the previous not just the REV share,
but the old way of ANIL and collectives and just

(38:36):
pay for play and all that. Through July first, Michigan
State did not have those resources at the level a
lot of places did, and that's why they look like
they do defensively. The question going forward now that the
collectives have sort of been disbanded, is what are you
willing to do and are you willing to give the NCAA,
you know, two middle fingers and say no, this is
what everybody's doing because there aren't going to be repercussions.

(38:58):
You got to do what everybody's doing at the top
to try to You got to be willing to do that,
and you know, if you're not, then you got to
just tell people you're not. But then let people focus
on basketball and hockey and just not give two fucks.
You can't do that because football pays for so much.
But that's MSU has to make sure they're in a
position to.

Speaker 5 (39:17):
Play ball Chris next while getting boat raced by UCLA
on homecoming should be a fireable offense. Firing Smith would
be an extremely risky choice with Penn State and Florida
already open and the FSU, Auburn and Wisconsin jobs also
likely coming open to who knows what coaches would be left,
let alone how much we could pay. Yeah, but there

(39:40):
are guys, so you can compete for them. There are
Trent dilferd let me where you're at. But like there
is a lot of schools now that he mentions that.

Speaker 3 (39:49):
Is Auburn a better job? Is Wisconsin a better job
right now? I don't know that they aren't that. I
don't know that coaching Auburn is ever going to be.
You talk about places that can be sleeping giants and
places where you win, like Auburn. Yeah, Auburn has a
passionate fan base. They might have more money to get
into right now, but you are always going to be
on Alabama's door stept like Michigan State's always going to

(40:10):
be dealing with Michigan in the middle of the SEC
with a fan base that is you think there's you know,
if you think people up here are impatient, it's not
going to be better down there Wisconsin. You know, I'd
say they've been more consistent until very recently. But it's
I don't know that Wisconsin's a better job. It's not
that you can't compete with some of this stuff. And

(40:32):
there are certain guys that you know if when that
move is made that you know you should. You know
you look next year, there will be jobs open to
This is the way it's going to be. And you
can't hold on to a coach thinking it may be
a better situation to get rid of them in a
year from now. That means that once you've decided to
move on, when the season ends, you move on even

(40:53):
if they go six and six. And that was what
I was pointing out before. They're like, if if you
decide this guy isn't the guy, then it doesn't matter
if they make a bowl game. You have to make
that move.

Speaker 5 (41:04):
Spartholomew. Next, you know, the MSU football programs down tremendously bad.
When I don't even care if Smith is fired or
not at this point, because our nil situation is so
crap that we could hire the ghost of New Rockney
and we still have no way to buy the talent.
We need fix the nil at all costs. See that's

(41:25):
what I mean, that you need transparency to know whether
or not you should give a shit or not. I think, yeah,
I know they want to hide that from you if
they don't want to spend. But if you don't, if
you sit there and have the would you say sixteen
mil is the basic standard starting rate?

Speaker 3 (41:39):
I mean, I think that's what bad is doing. I
mean I would. I would be stunned if a decent
part of Jay Bat's day he isn't talking with donors
and trying to fundraise. I mean, I know of donors
who have heard from him that hadn't been reached out
to in a while previously. Like I know he's that
is not something that is That is part of the

(42:00):
reason he's hired. He knows the job. The reason I
think this is really inconvenient for him in certain ways
is not just because if you have to make a
coaching change and a coaching hire, it puts you on
the clock a little bit as an athletic director, but
because I think even if he was thinking, I'm not
sure on Smith to have another year to sort of

(42:21):
get this stuff together, to get your footing, to raise
money and all that stuff would have been helpful, and
now it just speeds everything up. But I can tell you, right,
I guarantee you he understands what's needed to be done
in terms of having more money and also to make
sure they have the money to if you buy out
a coach, to buy at a coach, to hire the
next coach, all that stuff takes money. And I guarantee

(42:43):
you he's spending a good chunk of his time trying
to make sure.

Speaker 5 (42:46):
That Adam blind next. Is this all on Smith or
the nil handcuffed him? The way coach d build our
program isn't possible anymore with all the money being thrown around. Also,
replace Rossi with Max Bullet.

Speaker 3 (43:03):
So Max Buller may be ready to be a coordinator,
he has not been yet. I see some of the
Max Buller head coaching stuff like he is a linebacker's
coach in Notre Dame that is like thirty three years old. Again,
there are guys who are capable of making that jump,
and maybe Max Buller is one of them, but rarely
are they ready. Just I mean, this is the stuff
that you know I'm not talking about making him the

(43:24):
next defensive coordinator being a jump because that is his
next jump from linebacker's coach to coordinator somewhere. But the
head coaching stuff is just the name recognition stuff. So
you know, I mean, I think Max Buller will probably
have a really good coaching career. But he's a thirty
three year old linebackers coach. That's a big jump to
running your own program.

Speaker 5 (43:41):
And is that something Smith would even do because it's
we talk about his personality and it can't change his personality.
What if his personality is a loyal guy, Well, I
doesn't want to get rid of his guys.

Speaker 3 (43:52):
I think with this team, I think they know there's
not a lot more that can be done offensively. They're
they're fine, They're doing their best, they can what they have. Defensively,
I think you're just you sort of are what you are.
And when you when you fire a coordinator, it's because
you think there's more to get out of a group,
and I just don't think there is. I think the
next coordinator would look just you know it, just it.

(44:12):
What about lingering? The dudes are? Who the dudes are?
I thought he coached a fine game. I thought he
started getting the ball to marsh. Yeah, I mean I
thought the game against Indiana and the three those two
drives I had to start the game, which did a
couple of things. One, they kept Indiana off the field offensively,
and then they scored points. But those were the two
longest drive against Oregon. All that are against Indiana all

(44:33):
this year. Oregon didn't even have a drive that long
like those were. Those were really effective drives. They do
lead to the question where was that at Nebraska, right,
because that was, you know, equally windy day in certain ways,
Why was that approach and why was he so you know,
you got to be consistently good, and he hasn't been,
but this was He's been good at times, you know,

(44:54):
and I think they did a nice job of I
was even I went back through the second half because
eyodys like go. They scored thirteen points. They had a
couple decent drives that kept moving the ball the whole time. Yeah,
they didn't finish drives. The game got away from them.
But the offense is fine. The offense that showed up
against Indiana. If that's the offense they have the rest
of the year, they're going to be in a lot
of games. They got a real shot at Minnesota. Michigan

(45:15):
will be interesting because the thing about the Michigan game
is that Michigan does not have the passing attack to
run away from you. Where I really think you can
hurt Michigan State and they'll run over MSU to some extent,
But I don't, I think and I think Michigan will
win both lines of scrimmage. But I think Michigan State's
passing game, like, I don't think Michigan's better upfront defensively

(45:37):
than what Indiana is. Indiana is pretty good, and so
I think Michigan State offensively can land some blows and
have some drives against Michigan. And the real question is
what is Michigan's offense relative to Michigan State's defense, and
just how much of a mismatch is that and what
does that look like that I mean, it has a
chance to be a competitive game because the MSU offense

(45:57):
has a chance to be a group that gives you
a chance to equally lies a little bit, and they
were against Indiana for a while. Indiana's just at another
level Cracker's sofa.

Speaker 5 (46:05):
Next, if money is the problem, why would MSU weigte
thirty four million on a buyout when that's what elite
programs are using the field, their entire rosters plus some.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
Well, it's not that more. It's like if you watch
house Hunters, the show on HGTV. Yeah I missed that one.

Speaker 5 (46:19):
You've never watched house I've never watched that unless I
was getting my oil change.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
They have HGTV in so there's a lot of First
of all, it's all fake. The MSU softball coach was
almost on at one point they it it looks like
you're choosing between three houses and you've got different options
in renovation budgets.

Speaker 5 (46:35):
Are you breaking news that reality TV is fake? It's bullshit.
I watched like a year of House Hunters where I
found out I was fake. I was pissed off, pissed off,
and I'm the rube. But yeah, no, I was late
to the game and realizing reality TV was fake. I
am a going on since the early two I'm not happy.
I stormed out of the room. Do you think they
just film it and go out? The people are naturally

(46:57):
interesting and all that shit.

Speaker 3 (46:58):
Yeah, I stormed out. Was not happy. Very few moments.
The three times I have left the room angry watching
a show are when house Hunters International the House Hunters
and House Hunters International, and I found out it was fake,
and I didn't expect it to be perfectly true, but
I didn't realize that somebody had already bought the house,
like it was completely made up. That pissed me off.

(47:19):
And then there are two different shows, two different movies
that ended in ways. I was so angry about them.
I think it's called Beer Buddies or Drinking Buddies with
Jake Johnson. Hold on one second, you watch Garbage. No, no,
it's a good movie. Drinking Buddies. Yeah, Drinking Buddies twenty

(47:41):
thirteen movie in the height of New Girl. The show
is going on. You know. Anyway, when we watch rom coms,
we watch movies where there's a friendship that's you're hoping
becomes more that better end in becoming more. They just
wind up being friends. Nobody want. Those of us who
went to high school, we've lived that relationship our entire life,

(48:05):
hoping some girl eventually liked you. Being in the friend zone.

Speaker 5 (48:07):
Friend zone, yeah, the worst.

Speaker 3 (48:09):
Why would you who greenlit this movie? Do not watch
Drinking Buddies A great movie? It just ends like every
real life, like nobody wants that. Nobody wants that. And
then the movie One Day where it's a movie they
finally fall in love and then she's killed by a
bus on a bike in like the final scene. It's like,
what is that? While who green lit that?

Speaker 5 (48:27):
WI?

Speaker 3 (48:27):
Nobody would don't watch these two movies, like who wants
that experience? And so that in the house hunders international
three times that I've stormed out of the living room.

Speaker 5 (48:35):
Where do you go?

Speaker 3 (48:36):
I just walk around, go to the fridge, get a
groovy donut, whatever it might be, put on the end
of the.

Speaker 5 (48:41):
Door, and like make an announcement coming back in or
like how does that?

Speaker 3 (48:44):
Yeah, put on a Muskog's flannel, feel a little better
about myself, Go outside, touch grass. But so, anyway, that's
a story almost we're telling me told anyway, presented by
our friends at Midtown Brewing Company again October thirtieth, thirtieth
Twilight theme trivia for those Twilight fans out there. God,
I don't even where we're going. Hold on, it was no.
I had a good point though, Oh damn shit, shit,

(49:07):
oh the thirty four million, here we go, crack your
sofa it's not.

Speaker 5 (49:11):
So.

Speaker 3 (49:11):
One of the problems with house hunters is that it's like,
you know, you have a school teacher and a janitor
and their budget is like seven hundred and eighty thousand.
You're like that, that doesn't give me right. Should have
known it's real. It wasn't real. But also they're like,
our budget is one hundred thousand on this because we're
going to sell. It's their budgets are weird. They're not.
It's not like Michigan State is spending thirty four million

(49:34):
instantly and that's the money that's going it's paid monthly
out to Smith. It's not like you don't It's just not.

Speaker 5 (49:42):
There's a reverse mortgage you got to do before you
pay a.

Speaker 3 (49:44):
Car, you know. It's not like there's thirty million dollars
in cash either giving a Smith or giving you a
defensive line, and that's the way it works. It's just
I think the finances of it. People aren't understanding entirely.

Speaker 5 (49:54):
I'm not saying shit, I don't understand any of the
finances that are going on, right.

Speaker 3 (49:58):
It's gonna costell. Yeah, That's that's why hanging on to a
Smith for the buyout doesn't make much sense, because yeah,
it goes down by seven million next year, but it's
still a frickload of money. Man Like it doesn't. It's
still you're still paying him out for a long time.
If he's not gonna be the guy, then then then
you move on.

Speaker 5 (50:14):
Is frick more more than a bungload?

Speaker 3 (50:16):
It's a bunload. Oh exactly, Kurt was Nowski.

Speaker 5 (50:20):
I hope that Smith's presser on Monday demonstrates he knows
the rivals sixty miles to the east every year, regardless
of records. It's a big game for the program. For
the love of my fantasy football team, Trumpy Blumpkins, show
some emotion.

Speaker 3 (50:34):
I love that your name of your team.

Speaker 5 (50:35):
Huh, Look, don't google that trumpy blumpkins. Oh my goodness,
mine was Country Blumpkins back in the day two thousand
and four. The country blumpkins.

Speaker 3 (50:44):
I probably use I'd probably use that term incorrectly before
I bunkins. I'm pretty sure I thought it was to
a female. To anybody he do you think you you
want to try a blumpkin tonight or no, I'm in coffee.
I'm in coffee. Could yeah, I mean, how did you
use it? What are you talking about I could have
ordered it at Big B. I don't know. I mean,
it's it's I don't know. Can I get a maca

(51:06):
yaka blumpkin? By the way, So what do you think,
Jonathan Smith? That's what my feed cut off of the
presser of him trying I think you asked a question
about preparation for the Michigan game, and he talked about
in the off season he was telling players about the rivalry,
which I.

Speaker 5 (51:24):
Didn't really buy. But I'm saying this week, what do
you think? Is he showing players stuff to motivate them,
bringing in D'Antonio for past rivalry stuff.

Speaker 3 (51:32):
I mean, what is happening? I think the players are
likely pretty motivated. I would be curious if a guy
like Darius Snow who's actually been a part of a
win in this rivalry forever. You know, there's some guys
who've been around for a while, most haven't been part
of it, and you do have a lot of transfers
that don't.

Speaker 5 (51:46):
I would be curious ringing Selari and talk about the
tunnel fight. You know, get some shit going. Slari can
Showhi photos for him, so oh wait, never.

Speaker 3 (51:53):
Mind, oh photos he meant to do video, right, they
want to be a photos who knows Graham? Graham? You
still have that photo somewhere Smith. Smith knows the rivalry.
The problem is does he so yeah, he's heard nothing
but it I asked. One of the questions I asked
him today was that if he had an estimation on
like how many emails interactions everything with fan since last

(52:14):
year about this game he's had.

Speaker 5 (52:15):
And emails that's do you think people email?

Speaker 3 (52:18):
Yes?

Speaker 5 (52:18):
I do.

Speaker 3 (52:19):
What's his email? That's somewhere somewhere. Oh, you'll Dox's an
elevator guy, but you won't give out that you don't
have in front of me. Do you want me to
look up John and if.

Speaker 5 (52:28):
You don't want him to get spammed? I didn't know
that he had an email where you could, you know,
like a suggestion box or something. I've never heard of
coach having that.

Speaker 3 (52:34):
That would be amazing if you had a suggestion box,
like an actual box right outside the football an email
people just lining up putting in their suggestions.

Speaker 5 (52:40):
I think Smith is checking his email in the morning
of like seeing Matt c firing off all this shit.

Speaker 3 (52:46):
I means he's camping overnight, So put another suggestion in
the box.

Speaker 5 (52:49):
Have you received any emails? All right, I didn't know
it was public knowledge of his email. Ball keep bartacamis
next the idea that Smith needs to time to read build.
It might be a valid reason to keep him on
if there was any sign at all of a season
to season or game to game improvements. Our builder doesn't
even have his blueprints done. Meanwhile, the guy next door

(53:11):
already completed a mansion and bonus. Remember back in August
when Ken Manny had us all so optimistic, good times,
good times. Maybe they need to bring in Ken Manny.

Speaker 3 (53:22):
Ken Ken missed on this one. These old these old coaches.
But you know, not to make people excited, you know.
Nick Saban told Alan Halla that mel Tucker was a
guy to look at. You know, it would be the
guy and uh so, you know, I don't we don't
have enough time for all that don't have. Uh yeah,
it doesn't. It doesn't always work. Yeah, No, Look, and
I like Ken a lot. Ken. Uh. I got to

(53:43):
know Ken a little bit when I ran with the
team in twenty thirteen. Yeah yeah, yeah, and he called
me quick twitch. I knew.

Speaker 5 (53:51):
I'm sorry, I just we've done this show too long.

Speaker 6 (53:53):
Yeah, sorry, Yeah, Marcus when I ran with the team, Marcus,
the level of frustration of the moment is because the
program top twenty five in revenue consistently fails to be competitive.

Speaker 5 (54:05):
Other programs managed to regularly achieve more than MSU with less.
The majority of the blame today is because of either
bottom tier power for NIL or poor coaching.

Speaker 3 (54:18):
Or both. Yeah, I mean, look, the situation stems from
a lot of things. You can you can look back
to the end of the d Antonio era and what
but I don't think his talent then was as much
an issue as the timing of when he left. They
get hit with the pandemic and then But it's also that,
you know, there are some tough circumstances too, and early

(54:40):
in the Tucker era, and they were sort of cutting
edge with the portal early on, but then what they
didn't realize and a lot of programs were like, this
is just how much money it was going to cost.
I think the early days of NIL and the and
I would love to do a story on this if
I can get these guys to talk. I don't think
they would. But the early days of NIL at Michigan
and State and everywhere, when people just didn't have a

(55:02):
concept of what this whole thing was going to be.
You know, the the big donors at Michigan State, the
ishupe is, the Greg Williams, you know, the Saint Andres,
all these guys aos. I don't know, I was part
of this conversation, but the but they thought it was
going to cost three or four million to fund both
football and men's basketball annually and nil, and a lot

(55:24):
of schools thought this, this is the twenty twenty two
conversation that's happening right now. And then there's the moment
when Ryan Day says it's going to take thirteen million.
That retained my roster. So it's Ryan Day's fault. No, No,
But what I mean is that was a wake up
call to a lot of people that and then by
then they had not like I wonder if if they
realized how much it was going to be, their approach

(55:45):
was like, it's going to be three to four million,
we can break that off and fund it. The idea
that a lot of other donors weren't included that this
wasn't some you know, massive fan funding sort of operation
that it should have been. It should have been organized
differently from the gate was based on their expectations for
what it was going to cost. And I think that
you know you stem there then and you have your issues,

(56:07):
and then you know they've struggled to get there. One
of my last conversation, my last conversation with mel Tucker,
in fact, was a one on one with him right
before the season in twenty twenty three, and he was
really frustrated, and I quoted him on it, just that people,
you know, people want this to be a big time program,
but they got to act like it's a big time program.
The money wasn't was starting not to be there, and

(56:27):
it was alarming to people that the money was I mean,
there was an issue, and so the issue has been there,
and the question is whether they can fire up the
troops enough to create the money that's going to be
consistently needed.

Speaker 5 (56:40):
Spartan Johnny Number one. I refused to read Graham's article
with twenty eight reasons because I couldn't imagine wanting to
know twenty eight more things about this group. Two. Graham,
how many times in your twenty eight things article did
you mention Joe ROSSI isn't really the problem. You're a
pawn for ROSSI?

Speaker 3 (56:58):
Well, yes, this is this is an example.

Speaker 5 (56:59):
Of spart Johnny not read it. He did not.

Speaker 3 (57:02):
He did not read it, but he said he didn't.
He said refusory. Oh okay, so I can understand why
you'd think it might be that the idea was, it
was twenty eight players on the roster who had been
through this before, and if you want, if it wasn't
going to benefit them to you know, make a move now.

Speaker 5 (57:16):
Versus did you name it all twenty eight?

Speaker 3 (57:19):
I did not. I named a few of them in there,
But yeah, I went through the whole roster because it was.

Speaker 5 (57:22):
Like it was in my hotel one through twenty eight.

Speaker 3 (57:25):
No, I did go through the whole roster because I
had to count. You had to look at different red
shirt years and different you know, who was where, and
all these transfers and guys you didn't realize were there,
and you know all that stuff. Crushing tape.

Speaker 5 (57:35):
Spartan eighteen seven seven zero Next, Graham, your Sunday article
about the twenty eight players is a great read. If
this were twenty nineteen. Every year since then, fan bases
haven't been asked to adjust to the college football landscape.
Coaches making six million a year eighteen year olds getting
twelve million nil deals, home games played in cities miles away,

(57:56):
forcing fans to spend on overpriced hotel and parking fees,
asking the fan base to purchase nil items, and seeing
that same player transfer the next year. Well, now, coaches, players, conferences,
and media networks have to adjust to the fan base expectations.
You don't get five years anymore. Win six to eight
games a year in your second year. See improvement each

(58:18):
and every year. This is what happens when billions of
dollars are involved. Expectations become greater.

Speaker 3 (58:24):
Like it or not.

Speaker 5 (58:25):
Sorry for the long ramt. Jason, you guys rock no
worries man by the way, unbelievable frame that sparked in
eighteen seven seven zero has of the trouble with the snap.
I mean, all of his stuff is incredible, because he
gave me a Kenny Willicks jersey on my birthday a
couple of years ago. But he had this frame of
the trouble with the snap.

Speaker 3 (58:43):
It was so cool. Man anyway, the uh no, good guy, good,
very good dud. Don't say his name. Nope, I'm not
gonna die wor sorry yep, sorry, I have to preface it.
I stop. It was two seconds from his home address. Jesus,
there are eighteen years I mean, there are eighteen year
olds getting huge ANIL deals, but not the bulk of
players are not in that realm. But they are getting paid.

(59:03):
And this is one of the hard things that the
players are going to have to realize that you know,
they sort of ask for. When you get this, you
become professionals. And you can say, well, there's still just
college kids, and there's a difference between a college kid
a twenty two year old or twenty six year old pro,
and then that is true to an extent, you know,
I would. You can point out though that like the
Chicago Blackhawks defense there are six defenders last year, we're

(59:31):
younger than the Western Michigan defense that won a national title.
You can point out that like soccer players and tennis
players that compete for titles at nineteen twenty twenty one
as professionals. When you are a professional, you are a professional,
and the expectation is what happened against UCLA cannot happen
like you have to behave like a professional. If you're
going to get paid like a professional, you have to
pay and so there's that element of things. I you know, again,

(59:54):
I'm not saying things haven't changed, and I'm not saying
that the twenty eight players are the reason you don't go.
And it'd be nice to make the change now, but
it would just be wrong for these twenty eight players.
Twenty eight reasons.

Speaker 5 (01:00:09):
But if there's you know, I mean, what about twenty
eight quick takes? Maybe you should change it from three
to twenty eight.

Speaker 3 (01:00:16):
That was catchy. Three were bad enough. Can you imagine
how twenty eight quick takes? You?

Speaker 5 (01:00:20):
Imagine how the complaining couch would do if you had
to do twenty eight quick takes.

Speaker 3 (01:00:24):
I think you could be one word. People would just
realize how limited I am as a writer and thinker.
That's what I'd be worried about, the fraud that I am.

Speaker 5 (01:00:30):
Yeah, yeah, DMB those twenty eight reasons. Better step it
up and earn a win against Michigan. This is an
average Michigan team that is beatable at home if they
run Child's eight clock and get a little lucky. If
Jay Batt and the Boosters know Smith isn't the guy,
it's time to move on now. Don't don't let other
schools coach coaching search dictate the timing of your own

(01:00:54):
Smith coming back next year with the same product would
kill j Bat's credibility and go against why we hired
him to begin with.

Speaker 3 (01:01:01):
Yeah, right, but I don't think you. I don't think
you what other people are doing, you dictate. Let you
fix that post what do you I don't think you
let what other people doing dictate what you're doing. And
that includes the other way around. Just because Florida in
year four under Napier said all right, we're sure and
this isn't gonna work, and I don't think in year
two with this group that that necessarily is the same situation.

(01:01:25):
And so again nobody's saying that he's earned coming back,
that it's best for the program, that I think he's
coming back. I do not. I do not think Jonathan
Smith would be the heavy.

Speaker 5 (01:01:35):
But I did Napier have juice after year two or
in the middle of year two.

Speaker 3 (01:01:38):
Yeah, I'm not Again, I'm not saying these are comparable
everywhere around. But you do what's best for you. And
what I'm saying is based on what we saw against Indiana,
based on the situation right now. I don't think an
n Sason move makes sense. If they go out and
lose fifty to two against Michigan and they are just
getting boat race and they've quit, oh, you got a
safety of Bill's momentimum It's a different conversation. If they

(01:02:00):
go to Minnesota a week later and not a great
Minnesota team and it's thirty eight nothing, and they don't
look like they want to be out there and you're
going into a bye week, then you're gonna make a move.
The players will will ultimately decide this. If they decide
they're done responding to a staff, then then that's it.
But if they're not, I don't see the advantage of
making a move in season. I just don't.

Speaker 5 (01:02:21):
Scottie Green's El Camino number one. So we are now
at the Hey, the kids really tried hard point a
really sad place to be lost by more than three touchdowns,
but hey, we didn't play as ass as last week.
I've never cared less about a football season. Beat Michigan
and don't beat Michigan whatever. Two, the reason I'm done
with Smith is who he is not coaching, show some emotion.

(01:02:46):
His handling of the Michigan game last year is hard
to forgive, and I'm with Jason this program has no juice.
Call Michigan a dirty program, something fucking dry, toast frustrating.
In bonus, I like our hockey team. I like Nightingale,
I like win. It makes me happy. Fuck Jonathan Smith.

Speaker 3 (01:03:04):
You know what MSU's hockey team has going for it.
The football team doesn't Muskox quality flannels.

Speaker 5 (01:03:10):
That's true.

Speaker 3 (01:03:10):
They've got an nil deal sponsorship with Muskox and they're
wearing Muscots. They feel good, they're confident, they're on the ice.
Maybe the football team just needs Muskox flannels. You can
feel as confident and look as good as MSU's hockey
team by going to go Muscox dot com and placing
in order today and again fifteen dollars off your flannel
purchase with the promo code peacock for couching the ruble listeners.

(01:03:32):
And this will be the last day of our contest
for who needs the Muskox flannel the most of our listeners,
where you can send me or tweet an ugly picture
of yourself, the ugliest picture you can think of, next
to one that shows you in your best light, and
we'll make the determination and send and from my winnings

(01:03:54):
from the Cleveland Guardians winning the Ale or winning the
Ale Central, whatever, I will send a Muskox flannel of
your choice. You'll be the go on go Muscox dot com.
You look around, pick which one you want. I'll get
it shipped to you. And uh, Also, I'm gonna do
some a few consolation prizes because there's some really ugly
people out there who need help and we're not. I can't.

(01:04:16):
I didn't win enough to just throw out tea around.

Speaker 5 (01:04:19):
Fire up the sweatshop. We got stuff to make.

Speaker 3 (01:04:21):
But maybe some hats or tea, some Muskox hat or
teas that make you look good and support the brand,
for the for the runners.

Speaker 5 (01:04:27):
I'm going to buy some other stuff. Yeah, there's a
couple other.

Speaker 3 (01:04:29):
Things, a couple of other things which are available at go
Muskox dot coms to hit a soccer parlay too, yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:04:34):
Dan Pagel next, Jay Bad is going to wait for
scum to boat race US next week and push the
easy button as Spartan Nation loses it, demanding the Corvallis
crew hit the bricks and ps. Does Smith understand that
his headset has a working microphone and he is allowed
to actively coach from the sideline and from Jason. All
I want to know is why does it seem like

(01:04:55):
Jonathan Smith rarely uses his headset? And why does it
seem like he's not engaged with the team during timeouts?
Am I crazy? It feels like ninety percent of the
time he's shown on TV, his microphone is flipped up
and he's walking the sideline like the assistant to the
assistant quality quality control coordinator.

Speaker 3 (01:05:12):
We've reached the Brady holk Hera or Brady Hope stuff,
you know. I mean that's what people think. And and
he didn't even wear a headset, but.

Speaker 5 (01:05:19):
I think he proved that you got at least you
gotta have a headset, gotta wear heads.

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
It's all for show. Look, none of this matters if
you're winning. It just doesn't. And when you're losing, people
are like, what what the hell is going on? Why
aren't they trying to fix it in game? Why isn't
their emotion? Why isn't there? And people want you to
be somebody You're not who Jonathan Smith is worked at
Oregon State. It has not worked at MSU, and the
results on the field haven't shown yet. And I don't
think he's going to get the opportunity to think we'll

(01:05:44):
go back to Oregon State.

Speaker 5 (01:05:46):
Yeah, I don't know that they feel great about the
way he left. Oh so what are they going to
do though?

Speaker 3 (01:05:53):
Speaking marriage, Yeah, if if you're ever thinking about like
how bad things are other than going to go muscos
dot com, which can make you feel whole lot better
real quick, look at Oregon State, look at Washington State,
Like that must suck. If you think about being a
fan of a program that went from like being a
high major to a mid major overnight. At Penn State,
that sucks. Well, Penn State's not the two.

Speaker 5 (01:06:15):
Yeah, but it's so crazy that you were minus two
ninety to make the college Football Playoff and you're not
even gonna do anything. You fire your guy Nate next,
it's going to be hilarious when u c l a
wins the Big Ten.

Speaker 3 (01:06:27):
Well give us aft to look at the Big ten standings.

Speaker 5 (01:06:29):
He's not talking about issue and that's crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:06:35):
That is crazy. The sack. I see the stars going
out of the sky. Yeah, the bride in hollow sky.
All right, So U c l A is three and one.
It would take it would take Indiana and Ohio State losing.
But here's the thing U c l A goes to
Indiana this week, and if they were to have winned Indiana,

(01:06:56):
all of a sudden, the path is there. Now They're
not as good as Indian, so it's not gonna happen.
But the I mean they just beat Maryland. I mean,
Maryland's not great and they beat him at home by three,
So it's a nice it's a nice look, it's a
great story what's happened there in the way, But look.

Speaker 5 (01:07:13):
At what Michigan stated against Indiana in the first quarter.
I mean, kind of UCLA gets off to a quick start.
You know, Signetty gets his hands on those hips. Money bag.
Next people told me Nil was fine and I couldn't
criticize Haller. I think couch of that now. I repeatedly
hear about how Smith hasn't had the resources. All I

(01:07:34):
want is a respectable team, and it's exhausting to hear
excuses for everyone who has their fingerprints on it. And bonus,
watching MSU hockey is a consistently great experience and has
been since Game one of this staff. Even in year
one when we didn't have the talent yet you could
tell that they were well coached. You can't say the
same for MSU football.

Speaker 3 (01:07:56):
No, what's happened with MSU Hockey's speaks to what hiring
Alan Haler hire it is it is, but it also
speaks to what a great coach and a great staff
can do. Right there is something that's you know, that's
that's hurt Signetti twenty years younger right there, and uh
and Adam Nightingale and not quite the dick that you

(01:08:19):
know what I mean, nicer guy than than Signetti over
overall really good to money bags earlier point the idea
of the frustration and you know, not having the resources,
just wanting a respectable team. I think one of the
hard things is is there is a chance and we'll
see what happens with his next coach and with the
money available to Michigan State, and they ought to be

(01:08:39):
able to rally the donations to be a top twenty
program year in year out, but eventually that has to
show itself. And you know, right now Michigan State is
more of a like a mid table Premier League team
with mid table resources that wants to be a top four,
top six team. And it's just you know, some teams

(01:09:02):
over there at least know what they are and Michigan State.
It's got to show more. I mean that there's gotta
be more investment for MSU to be that team, and
we just haven't seen it yet. And so while I
believe it is out there and the potential for it
is out there, and I believe, uh, maybe not the
very top end dollars. They don't have an Illinois alum
who is married to a younger woman who's a Michigan

(01:09:23):
fan giving them, you know, paying for a quarterback. They
don't have that stuff going for them. But I do
think there's more resources than we're seeing. But eventually it'll
have to show itself.

Speaker 5 (01:09:34):
Doctor Patterson. Next my take after the Spartan sweep at
number one Boston, you, MSU hockey is a juggernaut that
will win the National Championship April eleventh in Vegas, and bonus,
MSU football will rise up October twenty fifth to beat
Michigan at home to cheer up fans and save coach
Jonathan Smith's job Baked, the Pistons will win the NBA

(01:09:55):
East this season.

Speaker 3 (01:09:56):
Doctor Patterson is a man wearing a Muscox flannel. He's
in a good place. I want the Pistons to be
fun this year, and it starts this week. I worried
that the Jade and Ivy injury is gonna step back
a good look at what they can be. And I
don't know. I still I think they're probably a mid
forties wins team that's gonna be in the middle, you know,

(01:10:17):
second round team in the East maybe, but that's probably
where they are right now.

Speaker 5 (01:10:21):
Tay, some next MSU fans are exhausting to deal with,
saying Smith is a bad coach, he inherited a disaster
and needs time and patience to build his team like
he did at OSU. The main issue with this team
is the lack of talent, not necessarily the coaching. Fans
need to understand that no big that's no big deal.

(01:10:42):
The portal talent is gonna choose MSU over other elite programs. Therefore,
Smith had to settle on getting developmental players and as
a result needs the time for them to develop. Nonetheless,
the defense regressed. However, again, lack of talent and injury
are the reason. Also, fans need to give Smith credit
for developing childs.

Speaker 3 (01:11:01):
Tasom had more here. I mean, it was it was
a long It was quite quite a chapter written, but
it was, and there are developmental wins, and there are guys.
You know, I think Chiles is taking significant steps from
who he was as a quarterback last year and now he
took a couple steps back for a while. But you know,
there are and there's no doubt that what you're saying

(01:11:22):
here is true about having to bring in developmental players.
And nobody's saying that, Like if they were just losing
games for the Jimmy's and the Joe's reasons, I think,
you know, people may still be skeptical and it may
or may not be the right fit. But again the
conversation is based on like I wasn't going to have

(01:11:45):
this conversation until the UCLA game. That was the game,
and I wrote the column before, and like the world
stopped until that game was played. They had to win
that game. And not only did they not win that game,
they coached that. You know, there were some moments that
were the one particular call that really backfired on them,
and then the defense just seemed to give up and
that they dropped their heads in the second half. It
looked like a program that was about to spiral and

(01:12:07):
a game that they had to have and against a
team that had already fired its coach that doesn't have
significantly more talent than them or anything like. Those are
the moments you can't have, and so that's that's why
we're here. I do think some of the stuff is
probably unfair toward him in terms of time, and it
might be towards the next coach, and eventually people are
just gonna have to buy in to whatever coach is
there and let them have a moment to try to

(01:12:29):
get this done, even if it takes a minute. But
it also would help. And this is, you know, that
lack of connection, that lack of really understanding the university
and the program and the fan base and how they're feeling,
or or ability to show that you can understand that connect.
That's been a big part of it too. And if

(01:12:50):
if he could do that and the other stuff wasn't happening,
it just it's a myriad of things. Nothing has worked
to this point.

Speaker 5 (01:12:57):
C Dub's ninety one Next hot Take. Haller was right
about hiring Smith based on his track record of hiring coaches.
Smith just needs more resources. It's also acidine that donors
pull money because the coach they wanted didn't get hired.
Grow up and support your school. If this broke teacher can,
so can you and Baked. If I pay a can deposit,

(01:13:18):
I should be able to get that deposit back wherever
I take my cans back, not just where I bought them.
I've lost too much money because I'd rather support my
local liquor store versus Meyer. But couldn't you do you
shop at Meyer? I mean, could you take them back
while you're shopping for groceries. It's not to support your
liquor store.

Speaker 3 (01:13:37):
If it's like a Kroger brand, you can't take it
back to Meyer. But if it's a I don't.

Speaker 5 (01:13:44):
Yeah, I get what he's saying about just being a
ten cent deposit. No matter what, if you pay for
the ten cent deposit, you should be able to take
it back wherever.

Speaker 3 (01:13:51):
I do. Get that. That's seem a reasonable frustration.

Speaker 5 (01:13:55):
Sparty Barb Number one. J Batt needs to secure a
minimum of one hundred million dollars an additional revenue for
football every year if MSUs to compete for championships. Two
outstanding sweep of Boston by MSU Hockey. This team is
faster and has more depth than last year. Frozen four
here we come, and three congratulations to the MSU volleyball

(01:14:16):
team for a nice bounce back win against Maryland on Sunday.
This team has heart and tenacity and they get it
from their coach. Bonus, let Kristen Kelsey give the halftime
speech to the football team to inspire them to play
two halves.

Speaker 3 (01:14:28):
Of football this Saturday. It's been an impressive start for Kelsey.
And and you know somebody who's young coach who has
risen quickly and did a piece on her heading in
that Nebraska game in Nebraska is just incredible. And volleyball
they sell out every game. It's like the epicenter of volleyball.
And you know one of those at least one of

(01:14:48):
those sets was was pretty competitive. But yeah, it's been
a good, good year for that program because that can
be something that people really enjoy and that can be
a program that just part of a good all experience
for Michigans. It was for a while, It really was
till about twenty seventeen was the last time. And it
looks like they made a good hire here and that
again Alan Haller higher. But the football coach dictates everything

(01:15:11):
like we don't have you know, we get a little
bit of Adam Nightingale here right, it would be a
lot of his. Oh in the basketball season, every once
in a while you get a Kristen Kelsey shout out
like Sparti barb right here. But ultimately what stirs the soul,
right is football, and you have to get those hires right.

Speaker 5 (01:15:27):
Sparti chemist give Smith till the end of the twenty
twenty sixth season. Don't fire after one and a half years.

Speaker 3 (01:15:34):
I don't think it's gonna happen. But you know there's
I I don't. Before the UCLA game, I just didn't.
I didn't think we'd be here. I really didn't. I
thought they were gonna win that game. I thought they'd
be okay this year. I thought they'd get to about
six wins. I just didn't think this would be a conversation.
And it all, it all happened. It happened pretty quick,

(01:15:55):
and I think you know, Michigan State had a couple
of non commit commits decommit that week, and that led
that that fed into like some real frustration and worry
just about momentum and all that stuff. And again, when
a kid commits in June, they are not committing to you.
They they just aren't. And I know a lot of
kids wind up staying with their commitment, but then they
get wooed by what happens earlier in the season. Kids
are freaking stupid and they're when you're seventeen, we all

(01:16:18):
were there and you're you're enrich now and you're not
actually committing to something if you're then going to take
other visits the second you go on another visit. And
this is what D'Antonio did really well. I don't know
if it would play today, but he lost a lot
of kids because of it. But when you committed to them,
he wanted to make sure you were ready and and
if you did, you you had to be done taking visits.
And if you took another visit, they dropped you. And

(01:16:39):
that they stood by that. They lost some guys because
of that, and like so maybe maybe that, I mean,
I don't know, maybe that's the way.

Speaker 5 (01:16:46):
Is there a scenario that happens on Saturday Night that
turns this fan base around and likes Jonathan Smith Like,
obviously a win needs to happen, but is there something
you know what I mean, like a win and then
something that said, you know, Pride before the Fall, something
like Dante is kind of vibe of something like that. Right,
I know I'm talking about a crazy scenario happening, but I.

Speaker 3 (01:17:04):
Just all right, let me, let me, let me, let
me throw this one out there. They beat Michigan State
beats Michigan. Uh, looks good doing it. It's a real party.
It's like thirty five twenty thirty five, you know, good
Win people feel and it's going to hold him to
twenty They look competent. Maybe it's forty to twenty seven.

(01:17:27):
They look competent. The whole place is is going not
it's a fun game. He actually, you know, does a
fist pump on the sideline. At some point, comes into
the postgame press conference, rips off his shirt to debut
his new tattoo that says fuck Michigan across his chest.

Speaker 5 (01:17:47):
Okay, boom, All right, now we're just going reality TV.
It's making this shit up. Apparently I was trying to
actually get a real thing. All right, Well, so what
what what what for you would would change it? Is
there something for you that rips off? For sure? Like
as soon as you said rip off shirt, I'm like, God,
never mind, what do we doing? Jordan villar Real next.

(01:18:07):
Moving on from Smith right now would be a mistake.
This past performance showed potential, but he needs to make
staff changes the show. He's committed to improvement and bonus.
Sam Levitt leaving MSU is the biggest miss for this
program of the decade.

Speaker 3 (01:18:20):
Yeah, but that that MYSS started with their evaluation of
Sam Levitt and Jonathan Smith's evaluation of him as a
high school kid. He chose Aidan Chiles over Levit, and
look those the sad thing for Michigan said, It's sort
of like the the full the Folds Cousins thing, right.
It was Foals, Nick Foles, Nick Foles, Nick Folesnick. You know,

(01:18:41):
you get two guys who want up being NFL quarterbacks
in your program at the same time, you wish those
guys were came like three years apart and the same here,
I mean Chiles. In other words, you wish Chiles and
Levitt weren't like the same class because it's nice having
an Aidan Chiles in your program. I think Sam Levitt's
probably a slightly better quarterback, but you can see why
they were enamored with Aiden Childs and that all ultimately

(01:19:03):
cost them. Sam Lovett dox Sportello.

Speaker 5 (01:19:07):
Next, with the sheer number of coaches being fired, why
not hold on to Smith and see what next season's
coaching carousel holds. MSU is in a desirable job right now.
Plus give j bat time to find his guy too,
and Baked Take getting baked and listening to Solari ran
on Spartan speak about the chain reaction of events that
the Larry Nassr scandal set off had me Spooky Stone

(01:19:31):
really made me reflect on how instrumental the Mark Hollis
firing has been in the downfall of MSU football.

Speaker 3 (01:19:38):
Yeah, I mean there are a lot of a lot
of moments you can go back to Hollis checking out
when things got hot, and I understand that, like you
know that just that put all the heat on Izzo.
He became the spokesperson for the school, for the whole university.
I mean, like it was a bad it was a
dark time and Hollis, you know, Hollis checked out there

(01:19:59):
and Mark Hollis did a lot of good MSUE athletics
for a long time. But that's one of those things
where you just yeah, you can't, you can't, you can't
just run when it gets tough. You know, that's that's
the white elephant in the room. They don't want to
deal with the white elephant in the room. It's all
on you, Thomas.

Speaker 5 (01:20:21):
I'm not happy with the defense, but I don't think
I've seen any units anywhere in the country playing like
a D'Antonio defense used to. There's some great defenses out there,
but none in my view, that have the same authentic
underdog mentality and hunger that made his teams unique.

Speaker 3 (01:20:36):
Yeah, I mean that was an era of you know,
and I mean, I mean curious to watch what Nardoozy
is trying to do these days. Pitt, there's a name
for you. But well, would people be donate to that?
People be enthusiastic about u A Nardoozy, Max Bullet, Max
Bulla come back?

Speaker 5 (01:20:56):
We're talking yeah, Max Bulla. I didn't you?

Speaker 3 (01:21:00):
I mean, come on, do you know what people want
to watch? That? Is he ready to be a coordinator?
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:21:06):
The Eric Hippole of Southern Maine baked that meaningless field
goal late in the game was one hundred percent to
screw Better's best. When my college football is trash for
another season, at least the English football team I support
defeated Spurs because screw those Americans that chose Tottenham. My
love is genuine and.

Speaker 3 (01:21:23):
True absolutely here here yeah, by the way, unbelievable. If
you if you like English Soaker, you like like they
don't know what sorry. If you like Big ten football,
Big ten basketball and you want Peacock, you can get
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The package of the best suits you if you want
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(01:21:46):
whatever it is you, whatever it is you love you
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(01:22:07):
first year on Wi Fi go to Xfinity dot com.
So if you're paying too much for Wi Fi, go
to Xfinity dot com and change that today.

Speaker 5 (01:22:14):
Mark Snyder next the deal for James Franklin to become
MSU's next head coach should be done in time for
him to lead the Spartans out of the tunnel on
November fifteenth against penn State Mark Snyder. Uh oh this way, yeah, sorry, Bonus.
More couch of the room YouTube content please. Travel vlogs
for Graham and a Day in the Life in ovid
for Jason would be a hit. I would watch that.

(01:22:36):
It would be so boring. It would be me at
three TV smoking weed.

Speaker 3 (01:22:40):
People would like that.

Speaker 5 (01:22:41):
I don't really, it's really boring out novid. I love it,
but like, I don't know if it would be entertaining
to anyone. I would welcome to come join.

Speaker 3 (01:22:48):
Us out there. I would watch travel blogs. I like
if they they used to make rex Road when they
first started the Hey Joe blog. Joe would have to
do these like travel vlog type things rex Road.

Speaker 5 (01:23:00):
It seems like any job he takes he gets talked
to all these things up at five AM and Nashville fucking.

Speaker 3 (01:23:05):
He was a guinea pig.

Speaker 5 (01:23:06):
Yeah, he had to go on with me when I
had that stupid show back in the day where I
begged it for Joe to come on. What was that spartan? Uh,
it was a spartan to speak. It was Spartan something. Oh,
they sold it. No, it was a radio shows. When
I was produced, I was with Stout and they sold
this Spartan show on Saturdays. They couldn't find anybody else

(01:23:26):
to host it, so they asked me if i'd do
it for one hundred bucks a show.

Speaker 3 (01:23:30):
And I had no idea.

Speaker 5 (01:23:31):
Of course, you know at that time in your twenties,
you're like, oh, you got to do every ever, you know.
I knew it was gonna be a fucking disaster. The
producer guy didn't even watch sports, so I couldn't even
talk to him, so I'd have to. You know, Joe
was so freaking nice to me back then. He would
come on and humor me and spend like twenty five
minutes before and this is pregame. You know how Graham
complains that he's got to get up and do all

(01:23:51):
of his stuff and he take his picture of his
office for the day. Well, Joe rex Ro was on
with me helping me out.

Speaker 3 (01:23:57):
That is a story we're telling.

Speaker 5 (01:23:58):
I definitely owe him dinner or something, not that he
wants to have dinner with me. He would love to
have to pay for his day. He would love to
have dinner with you. That is a story we're telling,
presented by Midtown Brewing Company, a place that you could
take Joe for dinner and have an awesome meal. The
chef does a great job there. Just love the vibes,
love the drinks, love just everything. You know, if you
go to their trivia or you're there for anything for
a drink after work at date night, you will It's

(01:24:19):
a cozy, spacious, uh, just just a good setup at
Midtown Brewing Company in downtown Lancey ce seginga next number one.
If MSU moves on, moves on from Jonathan Smith, much
of the potential replacement pool comes with the same risks.
Don't use Signetty as a comp He's one of a
kind and has a billionaire to help bankroll.

Speaker 3 (01:24:40):
Two.

Speaker 5 (01:24:40):
BAT needs to quickly determine if the lack of impact
talent on this roster outside of outside of quarterback wide
receiver is because the current staff is inherently challenged in
acquiring talent or if it hasn't had the resources to
fill holes, and if the issues are fixable, and three,
if the opinion, Smith and staff haven't suddenly forgot how
to coach and are invested in winning here However, if

(01:25:03):
bat determines the issues in take two aren't easily fixable,
even if that's not Smith's fault, better to move on
sooner rather than later.

Speaker 3 (01:25:13):
Yeah, even if Smith winds up not being MSU's coach
all that much longer, and I think that's probably the
way this has headed, that doesn't mean he's not going
to be a good coach somewhere else again, because I
think he was a good coach at Oregon State, and
the circumstances were difficult here and are difficult at Michigan State.
And what's becoming more and more clear is that Michigan

(01:25:35):
State is a place that's best for somebody who sort
of has a sense of the place. That doesn't mean
you need to lum. There are only so many of
those guys who are out there or somebody who's been
the coach there before. Only so many of those guys,
And people say, where do you think you would be
a fit? Though?

Speaker 5 (01:25:48):
Like example, like would a big ten school hire Smith again?
Like would a Wisconsin look at Smith and go, hm,
we need to talk to him?

Speaker 3 (01:25:57):
Well, I mean I think probably got Wes again where
he's from, where he's was respected for what he did
where he played, where it's a different environment and a
different intensity. I think the Oregon Oregon State rivalry and
the difference between that in Michigan Michigan State has something
to do with geography and how they think of college.

Speaker 5 (01:26:13):
For if Smith, if Smith were fired today, would UCLA
talk to Jonathan Smith? You think they would interview him.

Speaker 3 (01:26:20):
I think UCLA is considering keeping the staff they have
in place based on what's happened. Okay, so I know,
I don't I don't think so.

Speaker 5 (01:26:27):
But just because they're keeping the staff, I.

Speaker 3 (01:26:29):
No, no, I don't think right now. I don't think
Smith would be the commodity he was a few years ago.
But the one thing that I would say to that
is if I were an ad that was curious about
Jonathan Smith, I would want to know why things didn't
work at Michigan State, and there might be some real
blunt answers no day money, And then I would be
also curious because maybe, just maybe you can make Michigan

(01:26:53):
State pay a salary for a few years and pay
him a lot less and have you know.

Speaker 5 (01:26:57):
Aw shucks tax Richard Kaine. For the seventeenth time out
of nineteen games, Smith and company have been badly out
coached after a halftime.

Speaker 3 (01:27:06):
Some of that is true. Some of that as teams
wear downs. Some of who covered the MAC when I
lived in kalamazoob the what often happened and matchups were
even Western. Whoever had some really good talent offensively or
a few guys here and there is Eventually you just
wear down, and so that looks worse in the second half.
That's generally what happens in those games.

Speaker 5 (01:27:25):
Matt c next best take here is the data that
proved Smith is one of the worst coaches in MSU history.
Number one zero to five versus ranked teams with a
minus one hundred and twenty eight point differential. Two three
intended Big Ten play with a minus one hundred and
thirteen point differential in the second half. Three failed to
record a single sack seven of thirteen Big Ten games,

(01:27:48):
and four We've had one hundred yard rusher one time
in thirteen games and one hundred yard receiver twice. Spot
could do better. Spot the cat is loosing you is
Spot doing? Spot's doing pretty well? Still at the house?
Have you let Spot out? I did go back home
to the real house.

Speaker 3 (01:28:04):
I got home from Bloomington last night did not see Spot.
Did not see Spot this morning, So I don't know
which spot, but the Spot is afishing a donut through
that neighborhood of years. So my wife sent a picture
hanging out with Spot on Saturday, but it was very brief,
like Spot gets disgruntled quickly when I'm not around. It's
I got I just go outside. This isn't the same.
It's not the same.

Speaker 5 (01:28:21):
Where's the guy with all the crumbs coming off of
his flannel? That's only that guy. Yeah, he likes he
likes to rest on this lady knows how to eat.
He doesn't drop anything.

Speaker 3 (01:28:29):
He's no it. He likes to rest on the sleeve
of a muskox. You know it's a it's yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:28:33):
Why didn't you leave one of your muskogs back there
on like the couch or something that he could That's a.

Speaker 3 (01:28:37):
Good Jake Collier.

Speaker 5 (01:28:40):
Next, I keep hearing Jonathan Smith doesn't have the resources
to compete, yet no one seems to have actual figures
of what MSU does and does not have. Regardless of
whether or not top tier resources are there, Smith is
never getting more after showing he can't beat his peers
with what he has.

Speaker 3 (01:29:00):
Boy, Jake I mean, I agree with him. That's the
challenge now, right, is once you lose momentum and if
you don't have the faith of their owner base. Like
one of the things I think Smith's biggest problem. It's
not it's not Matt c and it's not Eric Schultz,
it's not you know somewhat you Yes, you lose the
fan base, that is a problem. But the bigger problem

(01:29:22):
I think is I don't think he has a champion
within the university right now.

Speaker 5 (01:29:29):
I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:29:29):
And if you know, we.

Speaker 5 (01:29:32):
But then what are we missing when we're watching it?
Like I just don't know how to give this guy
more time from what I've seen and what Matt, can
you just explain it is? Thing like I go, okay,
well then how do I buy into this?

Speaker 3 (01:29:41):
Right? You don't? You don't. You're gonna They're either going
to have to do something extraordinary the rest of the season,
which look at it's not gonna.

Speaker 5 (01:29:48):
Have rip his shirt off at a presser Michigan tattoo
and win Big Graham. How can he get out of
this this Saturday or this is this is going to
be it? I mean, that's that's what it is. And yeah,
all right, Jay brute. We have a talent gap. How
much does this roster cost? And where does this rank
in the Big ten? Where's the money? And from Corey Ostrom,

(01:30:09):
whether Smith remains a head coach is secondary to whether
MSCU wants to make the financial commitment necessary to compete
in the current college football landscape. He's got his hands
tied behind his back with the talent he has or
lack thereof.

Speaker 3 (01:30:23):
Yeah, I mean I haven't seen every team play in
every sort of transit of property matchup, but the defensive
talent is certainly in the very bottom tier of the
Big ten. There's no question about that. Especially upfront. It
just and so that's that's where that is. Offensively, it's
a little better, and I do think if their offensive
line had stayed a little healthier, the offense itself would
would look more consistently potent. But the and the previous

(01:30:48):
question about how much money there is, and I mean
that's one of the problems in this era is the
lack of transparency. You know, I don't know exactly where
they are. I know they were at one point struggling
to get to the fifteen million of red repshare. I
believe they got there they have the money to fill
their financial commitments, but they did not have extra as
far as I know, at least going into the season
for this roster. And that is a challenge that other

(01:31:11):
schools aren't entirely facing.

Speaker 5 (01:31:13):
Sparrlough Spartan Dog ninety seven. If Smith isn't fired this year,
fans should boycott MSU athletics and yes that includes men's basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:31:24):
That is hot, man, Well you have to. This is
what I've said about the Tigers. If they don't start spending,
you have to stop being happy the.

Speaker 5 (01:31:29):
Boycott the Lions. Like, no, I mean, that's not how
I do things. Yeah, I don't want to do that.
I want to watch it in MSU basketball. What are
we talking about? I can't do it.

Speaker 3 (01:31:36):
Well, it's the difference is they're not it's not the
same ownership with the Lions, and so what I'm just saying,
Like his point is I can't do you Yeah, Well
no I'm not. Yeah, that's right. I don't want to.

Speaker 5 (01:31:48):
Yeah, Ben Chulick, I don't think Jonathan Smith took this
job because he wanted to be at Michigan State. He
took it because of Oregon State was about to be
left behind with the dismantling of the old PAC twelve,
his body language hasn't showed he is excited to be here.
Should have been a red flag. We're supposed to do
like dry hump the air, though, like I mean, to show.

Speaker 3 (01:32:10):
That you're excited to be here. Yeah, I mean, his
personality is what it is. And and yeah, I mean
that's I mean, so if you're not, like you've.

Speaker 5 (01:32:18):
Seen his birthday shout out to George Blaha. I mean,
I know he likes you have to love George Blaha.
And and just when I heard it, it was like, man,
it's like, okay, but you're right. I don't know if
Oregon State was if the PAC twelve is still gonna exist,
and he could have stayed at Oregon State with what
he built, I don't I don't know that he makes
this move. Plus, Michigan State made an offer of way

(01:32:40):
more money, I guess than Oregon State could offer.

Speaker 3 (01:32:42):
Right, well, yeah, but it was just I mean, Oregon
State is going to be a mid major program, now
a high mid major could be a good mid major,
but they're going to play in a different level and
they don't no longer have the opportunity to win at
the highest level, and you can argue Michigan State isn't
showing any signs of it either, But the conference affiliation
is a big deal.

Speaker 5 (01:33:01):
All right. MCV number one Alan Haller, after going through
the Larry Nasser, ESPN and Mel Tucker's situations, was looking
for a head coach who could be good for MSU's
image more than the best fit, whether he was aware
of it or not, and baked not all douchebags or
back your car into a parking space guy, but all
back your car into a parking.

Speaker 3 (01:33:21):
Space guys or douchebags.

Speaker 5 (01:33:23):
And two, the timing is not good this year for
thems for MSU to be in a coaching search. Too
many high profile jobs are opening up.

Speaker 3 (01:33:30):
Put those reverse orders. Sorry there, that was a good
way to break it up. Do you have an issue
with back your car in a parking space guy?

Speaker 5 (01:33:37):
Yes, if it's back your car because I'm someone that
backs my car into the ramp here downtown and I
do it at home, but that is just to make
it easier for me to get out of both. But
if I go to a Walgreens or something, I don't
have to back my car into. I think that's what
he's talking about there's people, the guys that have to
back into every single parking spot. I can't imagine that.

Speaker 3 (01:33:58):
By the way, Rico Beard is that guy.

Speaker 5 (01:34:00):
By the way, is he really yeah, Rego Beard is
back into everywhere?

Speaker 3 (01:34:03):
Guy? The hell is that about? Well? I mean, I
don't understand that's what he said. I've never been back
back to your cart never ever. I don't. I mean
to I think it's possible that I've been, like going
someplace concert type thing, or you know, you go to
like a you go to the Wharton Center, for example,

(01:34:23):
to go see a musical le miss or something in town.

Speaker 5 (01:34:26):
Of course there had to be something boring.

Speaker 3 (01:34:28):
She's best, the best, and but you know, it's like
the parking structure there, everybody leaves together at the same time.
You know, if you're facing out, it's it's easier to
get out. But I'm somebody who's very cognizant. If I
were to do that, I've only done it a few times.
I don't do it if there are a lot of
cars already getting there to park, because then everybody's waiting
while you do this little three point thing. Get yourself situated.

(01:34:48):
If you're good at backing in.

Speaker 5 (01:34:49):
It doesn't take that that long. I'm talking if you're
going to QD or something or Groovy Donuts to pick
up some donuts and you're backing in your car, Like,
come on, dude, unless you're a police officer, I guess
those guys that all the time.

Speaker 3 (01:35:00):
Brian McDonald.

Speaker 5 (01:35:01):
Jonathan Smith is a good football coach with the worst
MSCU roster i've seen since two thousand and six. He's
had a real nil a D since June. Let's be
the program that gives a good coach time and money
to build something. This team's over under was five and
a half and he may win five. Why are we stunned?

Speaker 3 (01:35:21):
Well, there's a natural impatience that's gonna happen given where
the program was, that that was always going to be there,
and I think that would have been fair to push
back against if there had been other signs of real growth.
We just haven't seen it. And yes, the roster isn't
very good, but that they think about the Nebraska game, like,

(01:35:41):
just think about what we watched there and coming off
of bye and and and and again, it's it's this
won't be entirely fair. When he's let though this won't
be about what's fair. Now he'll be well compensated. But
ultimately you have to not make if you know somebody
they obviously, Alan HALLI didn't know this wasn't gonna be

(01:36:02):
a fit. I thought it was a good hire when
it happened. But ultimately, the front end is not making
the mistake of somebody who doesn't fit. And that's the key.
That's the key, make it. Making the decision on the
front end is correct. Sorry, mixing words, I'm doing it.
Jonathan Smith here all over the time doing my Yoda
voice where anyway, look at the ocean. But yeah, I
mean in the old days that would be fine. The

(01:36:25):
problem today is you have to have momentum. It's not
like let's just see what he can do with next
year's team. How do you create a next year's team
that wins. To do that, you need resources from people
who are willing to fund the program and have to
be energized by it, and so you need to you
need to be able to recruit at a level with
people believe in the program that that's going to allow

(01:36:45):
you to do. So those things aren't really there right now.
If this is twenty seventeen, there we would not have
this conversation there. It might be a lot of doubt's
a lot of frustration, but there would be not this
conversation about the idea that he wouldn't be back.

Speaker 5 (01:36:56):
Next year Nestley's Quick Hotel. Next, Smith has one chain,
ants to extend his ten year past Thanksgiving. Beat Michigan,
lose badly and he'll be gone the next day, cover
and maybe they'll give him a chance to get right
after many and from David P. Smith can undo a
lot of wrongs by beating Michigan. There's a fair amount
of Spartan nation who is content with four and six

(01:37:17):
wins if one of them is against scum and bonus,
we could actually lose the game and still win back
the fan base. If he gets in front of a
mic and says, fuck those guys.

Speaker 3 (01:37:28):
I don't even win back to the fan base, but
people would enjoy the moment. I would play it forever.

Speaker 5 (01:37:33):
Fuck those guys, good ball club, but fuck those guys.

Speaker 3 (01:37:40):
I don't I also don't think I don't know that
you want you want Michigan to be what knocks your
coach out to I think that's again. If it goes
we talked about last week. That's what I mean. Yeah,
especially with a week later they're at Minnesota and then
there's a bye week, and again they could win against
a not great Minnesota team he's coaching the rest of
the season, I would think. So, I think there's I

(01:38:02):
think the I think there are two pivot points here.
One is the end of the season you make that move.
It's possible you make the announcement going into the final game,
but I don't think you do that. I think it's
the last end of the season, or it's going into
the bye week when you have an extra week to
prepare going to the Penn State game after the Minnesota game,
and so you evaluate how everything looks. You take it

(01:38:25):
all into account, and if you know, if it's looking
more like it did against UCLA the next two weeks,
then then maybe you do something. But if it's not,
then then I don't think you're doing something.

Speaker 5 (01:38:35):
Graham stout next number one, there is a non zero
chance that Michigan State will not only cover Saturday night
against Michigan, but win outright. If I were a Betty Man,
and I very much am, I would put everything on
Michigan State, and including some money line sprinkles.

Speaker 3 (01:38:51):
Damn two thousand and nine grand bed here No, and
that'll be the other way. The other way two thousand
and nine would bet would be the idea of like
taking Michigan on the money line.

Speaker 5 (01:38:59):
That's valid.

Speaker 3 (01:38:59):
Sorry I forgot and yeah, I forgot about the rules
of your betty. Sorry too.

Speaker 5 (01:39:03):
There is also a non zero chance that they will
not cover and thus lose outright. The thing about football
is you kind of know it when you see it,
and if you have a little something to you, like
some juice, for example, you can look at your opponent
and say, lunch, forgot about lunch.

Speaker 3 (01:39:21):
I forgot about lunch. Three?

Speaker 5 (01:39:22):
Bring that back in this basketball season three. I don't
believe Jonathan Smith has gotten a fair shake, speaking of,
for a limited time, Groovy Donuts will be having a
Jonathan Smith fair shake donut. It it's a dry, tasteless
cake donut that everyone hates. Vanilla's shake, flowered icing, flavored
icing with nothing as a filly.

Speaker 3 (01:39:42):
I don't think grewy donuts be cool. That doesn't sound great. Yeah,
you can't make it dry? Yeah, no one want They
don't do that. They don't do bad donutsovyt.

Speaker 5 (01:39:51):
No, no, uh, couch on fire. I barely care. Didn't
even watch the Indiana game, but on a hunch, I
take the points against Michigan this week. They'll either have
an interim coach or one last hurrah for Smith. No
more Smith's, he says, to rally around and baked Stevie,
I escapes getting fired by this year's team.

Speaker 3 (01:40:10):
Red Wings are good so far, and I'm sorry who
Clintonville Saturdays.

Speaker 4 (01:40:17):
It is time for he detroied the Red Wings call
we go.

Speaker 3 (01:40:23):
Hey, he's he just wanted to play that. Five straight wins,
ten points, top of the Atlantic Division, good stuff, because
you start gambling. I put I put a little bit
on there to him to make the playoffs before the season,
because it was the odds were good, and it was
it was kind of a fun way to a fun
way to have that to you know what the Michigan
Michigan's eight points, Like, I think the line's up to
fourteen now so to full two touchdowns. I think that's

(01:40:45):
about right. Like I I don't I expect it to
be more competitive than the Indiana game. What did Michigan
beat Wisconsin was like twenty four to ten? That was
at But now I know Smith cares about the spread.

Speaker 5 (01:40:58):
I mean, kicking field goes down twenty eight, I obviously
knows now, so I'm saying, I'm jumping all over this
fourteen and if it's a hook, give me that.

Speaker 3 (01:41:06):
If it gets up to a fourteen hook, you might
be a little yeah. I mean it's even fourteen. I
didn't carry. I didn't know he cared so much about
the spread. I think if you want to have a
little something on them as you maybe tease it up
a little bit just to be sure or just what
do the money touchdowns? I wouldn't. I don't think it'll
I do think it'll be a competitive game for a while.

(01:41:26):
I do because I just I don't think Michigan's offense
is that well rounded, and they're better at the point
of attack. If they're healthy at running back, that'll make
a big difference. But like I just they're not. Indiana
and Michigan State hung in there for a while. Michigan
State it's gonna need its offense to save its defense

(01:41:47):
against Michigan, that's what it needs. And then Michigan having
a young quarterback and having some some flaws there to
turn it over or kind of kick itself or whatever
for a little bit.

Speaker 5 (01:41:57):
Mc nick next Netflix rule in college sports without it
Netflix being used as a proxy for streaming. In general,
TV money for live sports doesn't grow exponentially the.

Speaker 3 (01:42:08):
Way it has.

Speaker 5 (01:42:10):
Coaches salaries don't rise at such a point that morally
the NCAA isn't forced to permit the wild West of
unlimited free transfer and unregulated nil. Coaches are making plenty,
but not so egregiously that common sense compensation and transfer
policies slowly come into place. Some semblance of a program
building continuity and attachment to the players persists.

Speaker 3 (01:42:33):
There was more here, and it was it was. It
was also pretty good. But mcnick, I just tell you, man,
I can't do a can't do a whole whole chapter here,
but the But you make a good point, and like
there are elements of this changing world that is I mean,
it's just not fun. Everything's about money now and it
always was to a degree. But we were able to
lie to ourselves right because the players weren't paid and
it was easier to do this. That whole thing was

(01:42:54):
more financially viable for a lot of people. And that
the screwy thing about college football is in college sports
in general, but college football, especially college basketball to a degree.
We had this oppressive system for a long time, but
we loved it, and now we have now there's this
is the backlash. This is this is what happens when
you do that, and we don't love it. This would

(01:43:14):
not work if this is how college sports began. People
just want to be that into it. But they've got
us hooked. You know. It's kind of like a Heroine
and I. But there's no doubt that like the way
things are now and the way that TV and that
money drives everything, and the need to find more and
more cash, it's just it's not making an appealing situation.

(01:43:36):
And you know, hopefully in five ten years it looks
a little different and there's some everybody knows what's what
and it seems sustainable. But this is not fun. You
want to take a quick break here, Yeah, let we'll
take a real quick break. We come back. We got
more of your takes. Couching the Room our Monday show
presented by our friends at Musco's Quality Flannels.

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(01:46:20):
Peacock is the Prono coach for fifteen dollars off. We're
gonna have to jump ahead and skip a few and
I apologize. We're not gonna get to everybody today. We'll
figure out whether that fixed into too Wednesday. We've got
a little bit of a limited time on the back
end here. Let's pick them up.

Speaker 5 (01:46:35):
Dan Gray. Number one, players feel the restlessness from fans.
MSU has played their best games this season on the road.
And two Graham loves DC's that give up a ton
of yards and points but are nice to him and
other media members. Three fans don't want to hear excuses
about talent when the coaches recruit and develops the talent.
MSU fans weren't asking for a playoff season. Most were

(01:46:57):
asking for a bowl season and to look competent. That's
not about the talent, but about coaching and bonus. All
of MSU's success came when the head coach had history
with MSU every time they hire someone with zero M
s U ties it ends badly.

Speaker 3 (01:47:12):
I do love bad coaches to treat me well, that's
sort of my thing. But there is something to this
from Dan on the idea that that and outside coaches
like purlis you know M s U ties been at
M s U. Uh Saban comes back, had been under
perlis at MSU. D'Antonio had been under Saban. Right, you
sort of see it. John L. Smith didn't work this,

(01:47:33):
John Smith, Uh, Jonathan Smith isn't isn't likely to work here?
And so there there is that argument. Now what does
that look like?

Speaker 5 (01:47:41):
Now?

Speaker 3 (01:47:42):
Like go back and how long D'Antonio is around? If
you want somebody like that, I mean, are you you
you want paton Ar Doozy? Because everybody else who is
in that realm? And that doesn't mean there aren't other
guys out there. And and once things sort of become
more and more clear that I should say more clear.
But when things are more and more final, we'll get

(01:48:02):
into names and stuff like that. But like that, there
aren't that many guys out there, but you know there
are those who understand MSU. A guy like Nardoozi, would
he be good at it's sixty years old coming in
and younger than Signetti and have I still want the
job and have a fire for it. And I don't know.
I do think though, having some sort of connection or

(01:48:22):
roots in the Big ten or having been around the
Midwest and around the program is important, whether it's MSU specifically,
I don't know if that's a necessity.

Speaker 5 (01:48:31):
Mojo Jojo Warm take the wave of firing's year over
year is going to break the payscale and budgets for
college football. It was already ridiculous, but when you're breaking
off thirty million for Smith, fifty for Franklin, seventy five
for Norvell, and who knows how much for more, something's
got to give? Is that true? Norvell got seventy five.

Speaker 3 (01:48:52):
That's amazing. I didn't realize it was that much. I
but ya oh, and Norvel hasn't. He hasn't been fired yet, right,
so it would just be that if they did. It's
Florida State. But they basically said they're gonna make a
decision at the end of the year. They came out
today and said, you know they're going to fireman season. Yeah. No,
this isn't sustainable. And the problem is everybody acts like, well,
then you know, pay these coaches less, and that may

(01:49:16):
be where it's headed eventually, but you're still in a
competitive market for these guys. You know, if you if
you're Michigan State and you want to make the statement
we're not gonna pay with coaches, then you're just gonna
get a lesser coach. Probably, Like, it's a hard it's
hard for most of these schools to make that stands.
It's a tricky spot.

Speaker 5 (01:49:32):
John Noughty Next, College football sucks, I mean really sucks.
Superducee pregame hosts except Nick Saban and urban, overhyped games,
cartoonish announcers, over animated players, garbage on field product, and
swift decline. It doesn't even feel like a sport anymore.
College football feels like a satire making fun of college football.

(01:49:53):
It's bad comedy unto itself, and too so much time
is spent talking about college sports, we sometimes forget about
academ Mi t offers deserving students a chance to earn
a pirate certificate. If this existed when you were eighteen,
is there any chance he would have been a journalist
when he could have been a pirate?

Speaker 3 (01:50:10):
Pirate does sound nice if you had if I had
to redo this and like though, yes, first of all,
I couldn't get in that, mit so that would that
takes you just need to try. I'm pretty sure they
would have looked at my sex in high school transcript
and said, yeah, you can f off all.

Speaker 5 (01:50:29):
Right, rich theery Number one. Smith said in his postgame
presser that the loss was a matter of misalignments and
losing one on ones. After all this time, they don't
know how or where to line up. The one on
ones were obvious as we saw so many mistakes. Again,
why can't we teach basic tackling and to couch and
I agree that you'll have a hard time building a

(01:50:50):
line through the portal. Yet young recruits aren't physically ready
to be dominant coming in, So how do you fix
the line play? This is where I have a hard
time blame the coaching. And three Smith won't be fired
until the end of the season, if he's fired at all.

Speaker 3 (01:51:07):
Yeah, I mean I think there's a decent chance that
it makes to the end of the season. We've talked
about that. Yeah, no, it looked. Nothing looks good right now.
I don't know, you know, there are reasons to be
concerned about the staff beyond just the talent that's on
the field. Let's move down to g email. I want
to get a couple of hoops ones in before we
each number one.

Speaker 5 (01:51:26):
When your defensive coordinator has you longing for the days
of Chris Smayland Smiland, it's time to make a move.
If Rossi is a good coach, then we truly have
the worst talent in the FBS. This team can't align,
can't properly tackle, and can't win one on one battles.
All of that falls on him. And two, we're hearing
about ISO wanting separation between four and Tang at the

(01:51:47):
two spot. Uh oh, when have we heard this before?
This is a middle of the pack squad. If we
don't have good shooting and scoring from the two position.

Speaker 3 (01:51:55):
I think they're different players and he's you know, they
have different strengths. I mean, what you what you got
with with Kurt Tang as a guy who defensively, I
think he has gotten better, but that is an area
they need him to be good at. And same for
Trey Ford, who athletically can do all that stuff but
hasn't been in a system that demanded the type of
defense they play here. They took a lot of chances

(01:52:16):
at the last stop at Sandford. I mean, I think
it's when you get a guy who's like six years
into the college career and has been different defense and
this is what they want. I think it's it's been
a challenge. I think I think he's talking mostly defensively.
I don't I don't see. You know, we'll start to
see it this week exhibition game Thursday, than at yukon
next Tuesday, so we'll start to see it.

Speaker 5 (01:52:35):
Professor. Next Kirtang will average ten points a game. And bonus,
where did Jason train to do his voice impressions? Is
he a big Frank Caliendo fan? I am the professor
as here, I have all my glasses. I'm the professor.

Speaker 3 (01:52:51):
Is that good? I mean, I think you're great at him.
I think you don't have enough confidence for how good
you are. I think you're Mike Krzeski is one of
the classics.

Speaker 5 (01:52:58):
Yeah, no talking about Jeff haddis number one. Jonathan Smith
not only will be fired, but will win ten games
next season because Jay Batt will use half his buyout
money to fund a decent roster and two Izzo is
a six to seven shooter away from a Natty. All right,
let's find him.

Speaker 3 (01:53:16):
Yeah, yeah, No, this is MESU basketball Team's gonna be interesting,
you know. And some people think they'd be middle of
the pack. I picked them to finish fourth. I think
they got enough returning, but they do have to have
certain guys emerged like It can't be the guys who
are returning last year looking the same.

Speaker 5 (01:53:31):
Jay Riemenschneider. Big ten basketball teams top to bottom will
be demonstrably better than Big ten football teams are this year.
Bonus Graham. You saying all college football teams should get
used to going four and eight every now and again
is nonsense. Ohio State, Georgia, Bama, et cetera will never
suffer a losing season, not in today's college football world.
And if they portentiously do, the coach has gone instantly.

Speaker 3 (01:53:56):
I don't know if that's the case. I think within
I would bet you, I don't know what I bet
you may have Musco's flannel that within ten years, Ohio State, Georgia,
and Bama all have a losing season at some point,
and whether they fire a coach will be whether they
have good leadership or whether it's the right coach to
fire at that point, but I think people will start
getting used to that one down year. And it's also
much credibility you had. Mark d Antonio could handle three

(01:54:18):
and nine because he'd just gone thirty five and six.
You can handle a down year if the staff believes
in who you are and you can communicate it well.

Speaker 5 (01:54:26):
Dark Mantonio. The NCAA recognizes the conference basketball Attorney winner
as winner of the conference, not the regular season winner.
Now I see why the Big East and ACC go
all in on their attorneys. Another example why we need
trophies in recognition for the regular season and postseasons for
all pro and college sports.

Speaker 3 (01:54:46):
Yeah, I mean, I mean you choose, though you cannot
have a conference tourney and they'll recognize the regular season champion.
You can choose who that's up to the conference and so.
But yeah, I think one of the great things college
basketball has and Big Ten basketball has is this regular season.
It has meaning. I think that I think it sucks
in the ACC when you just wasting time for two
months and that's not the champion. I think that's stupid.

(01:55:07):
I just I think it's I think it's absolutely absolutely dumb.

Speaker 5 (01:55:10):
Am I jumping anybody here?

Speaker 3 (01:55:12):
Yeah, I'm sorry. Let's jump to Let's go with Jake
in up predict you guys.

Speaker 5 (01:55:17):
Jake Hawkins number one. I took a weekend get away
to Marquette to spend time with family, told myself I
wouldn't care to watch any of MSU Indiana, but was
able to watch the first half and that was it.
Thank god it was only on Peacock so I could
have a much better game Old Miss Georgia on the
TV in my hotel room two. The struggles under Jonathan
Smith are making me really wish MSU would have gotten

(01:55:37):
the guy I was all in on two years ago,
Mike Alco. I'm not saying he would have had MSU
where Texas A and M is now, but would look
better than this. Hell, I'm convinced that Elco would have
been Markin D'Antonio two point zero three. MSU should put
themselves on the long list of Division one A Power
four conference schools that should not only kick their own asses,

(01:55:59):
but shove their own foots as far up their own
asses will go for overlooking and not giving Kurt Signetti
a chance two years ago.

Speaker 3 (01:56:06):
I'll tell you this about Alco too. If Michigan State
had Texas A and M's defensive line, they would have
a lot more wins this year. It would look a
whole lot different. And that's the money that's there, and
Elco made a good choice going I'm not look, I'm
not sticking up for Smith on that front, but he
they don't have They don't have the dudes, and that's
not really a fair comparison.

Speaker 5 (01:56:26):
Upperneg jerk guy. Smith should be given more time, but
one of the things he needs to do is take
a look at position coaches and coordinators and make some changes.
Can the can they have the d'antonia, loyalty to underperforming
coaches and bonus. Isn't it just weird how math works?
I mean, everything just adds up.

Speaker 3 (01:56:45):
That's sort of the thing. Unless you're you're me in
high school. I could never have never seen that quite
quite add up unless I was sitting that's the right
person who I could copy their work. That was the
that was the way to go. We appreciate all of you,
apologize those who didn't get to well see if that
fits into the Wednesday show or not. We've just had
a lot of them today and that means the world
of us that you guys care enough to produce our

(01:57:05):
show for us, and thanks so much, and we appreciate
Musko's gotta go Muscox dot com again. Get your flannel
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You can email them to me. You can tweet at us,
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(01:57:26):
couching the room, Muskox and we've gotten a few good
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We will talk to you Wednesday. Good show man, couch
in the room.