The Solid Verbal College Football

Today, we're taking a rare break from college football and dropping a long, off-topic episode to the feed. It's been nine years after the original Secret Garbage Bracket debuted, and we're bringing it back with an expanded 18-item field, two play-in games, and a fresh batch of submissions from the Verballerhood. The premise is the same as it was in 2017: take things that everyone seems to like, things that carry a high approval rating and rarely get questioned, and make the case that they're actually, secretly, kind of garbage. This year's bracket covers a wide range of things from modern life, from everyday conveniences and travel staples to entire cultural institutions and lifestyle choices. There are heated debates, a few philosophical tangents, and at least one matchup that spiraled into something neither of us expected. Fill out your own picks at https://garbage.solidverbal.com! Timestamps:0:00 - Intro to the 2026 Secret Garbage Bracket8:58 - Skinny Cans vs. Luxury Watches14:33 - Haircut Industrial Complex vs. Podcasts on YouTube22:11 - Cars30:02 - Grocery Stores vs. Food Delivery Services42:20 - Streaming Services vs. Carry-on Luggage54:30 - ChatGPT vs. Greeting Cards1:04:14 - The Future vs. Dog Parks1:16:28 - Beach Vacations vs. Wireless Charging1:25:20 - Miami Metro Area vs. Thought Leadership1:34:40 - Short-form Content1:38:05 - Elite Eight Matchups1:43:33 - The Final Four1:48:19 - The Championship1:56:43 - Also Receiving VotesSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for our annual college football business update, and we couldn't think of anyone better than our friend Matt Brown from Extra Points (ExtraPointsMB.com) to walk us through everything happening behind the scenes. From the revenue arms race to jersey patches to the SCORE Act, Matt breaks down the big-picture forces shaping every athletic department in the country. We talk about whether spending more money is actually worth it, what Congress can realistically do about college sports reform, which revenue streams matter more than fans think, and why the stadium experience still has a long way to go. Plus, a seedy video game pitch, a rining endorsement for Milwaukee, and Dan discovers Summerfest 2026.Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the one thing your college football team just can't figure out? In this episode, we work through listener submissions on the recurring issues that haunt fan bases year after year. From Arkansas's defensive drought to Mizzou's glass ceiling under Eli Drinkwitz, from Florida's institutional lag, to Oregon's quest to close out the biggest games. Plus, what gnaws at Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and USC fans despite all the talent those programs have stockpiled. We also riff on Iowa, Wisconsin, Alabama, and whether some coaches are simply hardwired to win one specific way. Timecodes:0:00 - Intro8:18 - Arkansas16:43 - Georgia Tech22:42 - Missouri30:02 - Florida40:08 - Oregon48:07 - Texas53:46 - Michigan58:45 - Georgia1:03:12 - USC1:07:44 - Wisconsin1:09:33 - Rapid Fire (Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Iowa, Alabama)Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March Madness has a way of bringing old feelings back to the surface, and for college football fans, there's plenty of unresolved heartbreak left over from the 2025 season. In this college football episode, we introduce the Wiggum Scale, a Ralph Wiggum-inspired framework for rating the most devastating losses and collapses of the year. From Penn State's season-breaking double overtime loss to Oregon at a packed Beaver Stadium, to a South Carolina team that watched a 30-3 halftime lead against Texas A&M completely evaporate, to a botched extra point hold that may have cost Notre Dame a playoff berth, we make peace with more than a dozen moments that some fans may never want to feel again. Timecodes:0:00 - Intro7:43 - Omar Cooper Jr.'s catch13:14 - Oregon derails Penn State's season18:55 - West Virginia wins the Backyard Brawl23:28 - Tyler Buchner's botched hold30:54 - South Carolina gives away a 27-point lead37:57 - Ole Miss falls just short against Miami46:09 - Utah breaks Chris Klieman51:27 - The 4th quarter of UNLV vs Air Force53:40 - Georgia comes back on Tennessee59:56 - Cal upsets SMU1:04:13 - Rapid Fire: New Mexico beats SDSU, Montana State's wild FCS title, the Iron Bowl & the CFP National ChampionshipSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we each picked eight transfers — four on offense, four on defense, one quarterback max — that we find most interesting heading into the 2026 season. Why these guys? It comes down to situation, scheme fit, prior production, and in some cases, just a gut feeling that something's about to click at the next stop. We get into the players following their coaches to new destinations, the quarterback pickups nobody saw coming, the edge rushers changing conferences, and the linebackers ready to take over defenses. The big themes keep coming up: how much does coaching familiarity actually matter, can G5 numbers translate to a Power 4 schedule, and what happens when a proven producer lands in a more stable situation? Timecodes:0:00 - Intro5:33 - Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State)11:48 - Adam Mohammed (Cal)19:06 - Ian Strong (Cal)22:05 - Omarion Miller (Arizona State)26:45 - Cutter Boley (Arizona State)31:19 - Aaron Philo (Florida)36:39 - JJ Buchanan (Michigan)43:29 - Ben Brahmer (Penn State)46:52 - Damon Wilson (Miami)50:29 - Chaz Coleman (Tennessee)53:44 - Devan Thompkins (Alabama)56:39 - Austin Romaine (Texas Tech)59:44 - Sammy Omosigho (UCLA)1:03:53 - Cade Uluave (BYU)1:05:49 - Jontez Williams (USC)1:08:32 - DJ McKinney (Notre Dame)1:10:26 - Kenny Minchey, DJ Lagway, Anthony Colandrea, Darian Mensah & Colton JosephSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, win totals dropped for every Power 4 team. We did the responsible thing and polled the Verballerhood for it's initial response. In this episode, and hundreds of votes later, we broke down the totals that the community found most interesting and picked the side of the bet that we'd back now... in mid-March. Timecodes:0:00 - Intro4:02 - Let's Play Over/Under6:47 - Alabama15:22 - Ohio State23:30 - Texas Tech29:32 - Clemson35:02 - Florida State36:36 - Ole Miss44:11 - Penn State51:30 - BYU57:56 - LSUSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second part of our Mega March Q&A is here, and we're going deep on the questions that (apparently) matter most to the Verballerhood ahead of the 2026 season. Which teams could make a surprising playoff run? Where will college football's inertia be broken next season? Has the rapid pace of change in the sport diminished our love for it? When will the NCAA stop begging for help from Congress? Plus, the greatest "big back" of all time, college football figure skating pairings, football power plays and more. Timecodes:0:00 - Intro2:53 - Surprise Playoff Draft15:03 - Breaking CFB Inertia25:05 - Still Love CFB?31:39 - Players As Employees?38:33 - Favorite Big Back?43:41 - CFB Docs?49:03 - CFB Figure Skating Pairings51:33 - Power Plays?52:55 - G5 Contenders?55:04 - QB Development?Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Verballerhood's questions were so good that we had to split our Mega March Q&A episode into two parts. In Part 1, we look at Kalen DeBoer's future with Alabama, the value of playing time as a recruiting tool for non-blue bloods, and the college football moments over the last 25 years that we'd most like to change. Plus, we discuss whether TV networks can force teams to stop canceling marquee matchups, how the Big 12 can become a two-bid league in the CFP era, the conditions for optimal tailgating, and much more. Timecodes:0:00 - Intro2:10 - Kalen DeBoer's Future at Alabama14:17 - The Value of Playing Time23:47 - Altering CFB History35:04 - Canceling Marquee Matchups44:54 - A Two-Bid Big 1256:54 - Optimal TailgatingSupport the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time for the annual college football checkup. In this episode, we put college football on the exam table and rate every major element of the sport from one to five. From conference structure and scheduling to the College Football Playoff, the TV product, on-field play, NIL, and the transfer portal, nothing escapes our stethoscope. Timecodes:0:00 - Intro3:42 - Key Themes for CFB in 202613:28 - Conference Structure24:50 - Scheduling33:42 - College Football Playoff45:18 - The TV Product53:02 - The On-Field Product1:02:24 - NIL1:11:43 - The Transfer Portal Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.